about jamie

Age: 27

Hometown: Layton, Utah
Education: BS in Art from BYU-Idaho,
 emphasis in Illustration 
Occupation: Stay-at-home-mom, Artist, Writer & Illustrator
Hobbies/Talents/Interests:
I absolutely love to paint! (particularly with watercolors)
I also enjoy reading, cooking healthy recipes, shopping,
exercising, and going on walks with our dog.

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A little bit about me: 

Hi! I'm Jamie. I am a wife to the most wonderful husband and a mom to our beautiful daughter, Veda Claire.  I was born and raised in Northern Utah. I am the youngest of three girls, and both my mom and dad are school teachers. I have fond memories of both of my parents being home during the summer, and we always went on a fun summer vacation together.  I was taught the importance of not only getting a good education, but having fun too! I love both of my older sisters and my parents dearly, and am lucky to live only a few hours away from them, which allows me to visit often.

After high school, I moved up to Rexburg and attended BYU-Idaho (where I met Bryce), and graduated with a degree in art. I love being an artist! I love to paint using watercolors and also enjoy painting on the computer in Photoshop. I also like working with stained glass, and when a certain mood hits me, I like to quilt. Bryce and I joke that I have too many hobbies. ;) Other things I enjoy are reading, working in our yard, and cooking.

One of my greatest ambitions as an artist has been writing and illustrating a children's book, and in 2012, my dream came true! :) My book, The Adventures of Buffalo Joe and the Blackbird with the Broken Wing came out. It was a lonxg time in the making, and I am so happy with the finished product. Book number two is underway, but progress is a little slower this time. Being a mom to our Veda Claire is my number one priority.

I love being at home. It is the biggest blessing for me to stay home with Veda and watch her grow. She brings so much joy, laughs, and fun into our home. Veda is my little buddy! Together, we like to make messes in the kitchen, read lots of stories, soak up all the sunshine we can outside, and play with toys. Our home has so much love to give.  I would love to welcome another child into our home; I know he/she would be the perfect addition to complete our family. We hope that someday, through the miracle of adoption, this will become a reality.

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Bryce's thoughts about Jamie:

-Jamie is the most nurturing and kind person I know.  Every morning Jamie will wake up with me. While I am getting ready for work, Jamie heads downstairs to prepare a lunch for me.  The guys I work with will sometimes give me a hard time by asking, “Bryce, what do you have for lunch?” Most times I have to say,“I don’t know, my wife packed it for me." I get a wide variety of responses from this comment, but the most common is, “Man, I wish my wife would pack my lunch!”

-Jamie is also a wonderful homemaker.  We have had the opportunity to move around a little bit with my career, and with each move Jamie works non-stop until she has the house all unpacked and pictures on the wall.

-Jamie is so very supportive of my silly little hobbies. She not only will let me show my geekiness by wearing comic book shirts, but she encourages it! I remember one day we were walking through a JC Penny, and as we were walking past some mannequins, she points to an awesome avengers t-shirt. She stopped and said, "We are going to buy you that shirt!"

-Jamie is a fabulous mother to our daughter Veda. She is kind and patient and enjoys nothing more than being a mother. We tried to have kids for many years before adopting our first… and Jamie really cherishes her role as a mother. She plays with Veda and teaches her new things. Veda loves her mother as well. 

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Some of Jamie's Favorites:

Book(s):

The Harry Potter series. I love these books! I love to read, so this list could be endless. Another book I really enjoyed was The Happiness Project. A book that I recently finished that really spoke to me was My Name is Asher Lev.

Movie(s):
<sup>Both Bryce and I love watching movies, and I have a wide variety of favorites. In general, I love any "feel good" type of movie. I joke that Paul Blart: Mall Cop is my favorite- so many good one-liners. However, my go-to movies are always While You Were Sleeping, Never Been Kissed, Ever After, Legally Blonde, and Confessions of a Shopaholic.

 TV Show(s):
How I Met Your Mother! Bryce and I have watched every episode (multiple times). We also enjoy The Middle, Modern Family, Parenthood and shows like So You Think You Can Dance 
and The Voice.</sup>
Lately, the show that is on most regularly in our home is Daniel Tiger, which is Veda's very favorite!

Type of Music:

My favorite band is Jimmy Eat World. I could listen to any of their albums over and over again. I generally enjoy all music, though, and currently am liking musicians such as Grouplove, Of Monsters and Men, Mumford and Sons, Death Cab for Cutie, and Ben Howard. I do have to admit though, sometimes I am a sucker for those Top-40 songs. They're so catchy!

Childhood Memory:

^{Going on a church history road trip with my family to Nauvoo, Illinois when I was 8. We all had such a great time- piled in the minivan, having PB&J's for lunch every day, and it was one vacation we went on where we all got along- no arguments at all!}

Scripture: 
I love Alma 5:14
"And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?"

Quality about my spouse:

There are so many things I love about my husband. I think the biggest thing is that he is incredibly patient and very go with the flow! He is always up to doing things spontaneously, and I love that about him! I also love his ability to make up funny songs. 

Food: 

^{A nice, big juicy steak!!}

Dessert:

We don't have dessert very often, but I sure do love pumpkin pie with some whipped cream on top. I also love making peanut butter bars (Bryce's favorite).

Holiday:

I love Thanksgiving. There's something wonderful about friends and family gathered together around a great meal in celebration of everything you're grateful for.
I also love Christmas-- but then again, who doesn't?

Color:

Being an artist, I love pretty much any color of the rainbow- but I've gotta stick with my signature color, and that of course is PINK!

^{Shopping Stores:}

^{I really enjoy shopping, particularly on a bargain. (I learned this from my mom) I tend to always go the the clearance section of the store first. The stores I love to go to are Chicos, Banana Republic, Loft, and Target. Whatever I find is bound to be in a wild, fun color or have some sort of bling on it.} 

Flower:
^{I love all flowers! My very favorite, though, is a daisy. In the movie "You've Got Mail," Kathleen Kelly said that daisies are the friendliest flower. I tend to agree.}

Favorite thing about Bryce:

My very favorite thing is that he loves me back!