YAAY-YOU JULY 2018 / AUGUST 2018, A Beautiful Mind, welcomes JAMIE JONES

MARCELLA PRECISE & YAAY-YOU
welcomes

JAMIE JONES

'JULY 2018 / AUGUST 2018:

To show a diverse reach of readers that everything is possible all over the globe, what states or countries have you lived in? What state do you live in now?

I was raised by my grandmother (mama) and my uncle. My uncle is a journalist, so growing up we travelled to a number of states because of his career. I’m from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I’ve lived in Little Rock, Arkansas; Memphis, Tennessee; Woodlands, Texas. After I got married in 2007, my husband and I moved to Houston, Texas and now we live in a small city outside of Baton Rouge, Louisiana called Port Allen.

1.     If there's a song that reflects your vibe, what would that song be?  Do you meditate, pray or/and take time to mentally relax?  If so, what part of the day? For how long?

A song that reflects my vibe? Hmmm . . . .that’s a good question. My babies are 2 and 7 years old. They love to listen to Matty B and the Haschak Sisters, so that’s all the music I hear nowadays (laughs). Matty B’s, Live For Today and Haschak sister’s, Gossip Girl if I had to choose. I think it’s important to focus on each day by being the best version of myself and having fun doing it with no gossip.I meditate, I pray and I take time to mentally relax. All of those things are important to me. I try to mediate and mentally relax usually early in the morning before the day gets started. The length of time varies. I pray all through the day.

2.     Congratulations on your blessings and new goals. Tell us about 2 great projects/events that you were proud to be apart of in this lifetime.

 I had the opportunity to do just a little celebrity ghostwriting. It wasn’t the grandest experience, but it allowed me to see how much I enjoyed biographies and memoirs. I was told by a manager of one of the biggest artists of music history that she wanted me to write her book. She and I, along with a business partner were on a conference call. She loved my ideas and I feel that the book would have been a huge success, but to my understanding, she got a bit busy and it just didn’t happen. I don’t like the uncertainty of co-writing projects, but depending on who it is and what the project is about; I would consider it.

3.     As the author of  "JOURNEY: A Trek Through Fear, Loss And Acceptance", what early part of your life's journey, prompted you to create this and have it become such a necessary outlet for you?

Well, actually I started writing Journey less than a year after my mother went to sleep. Mama is my grandmother, but she raised me. She and I have always been extremely close. She had an eye surgery in 2013 that started hallucinations that eventually turned into Vascular dementia. This was devastating for my family. I was depressed. I was in extreme emotional pain. I thought I would never release another book, but I thought about the many conversations mama and I had when she would tell me to keep writing because it’s a passion of mine. Journey is an emotional trek. A Trek Through Fear, Loss, And Acceptance is the subtitle. The book starts off with me sharing my fear of seeing my mother battle an illness. I then share about not having her which leads to me searching for acceptance. It transitions into a collection of journals that is basically the “trek” through my emotional journey. I started to realize that Journey would be a gift to my family. They were excited about reading it. My firstborn princess is 7. She told me countless amount of times how proud of me she is and that she wanted the first copy. I wrote a letter in it for her and my youngest princess and put it neatly in a drawer. Writing it was hard, but it was therapeutic as well. I have to admit though-it’s can still be a bit hard for me to read. The memories of the pain I experienced during my mom’s battle . . . .

4.     With some of your successful experiences, such as being a lifestyle writer for several websites, allowing you to connect with other purposeful people, what are some of your daily activities?

I love to write, but honestly I don’t write every day. I read every day. My daily activities consists of all things mommy and wife. I am a family oriented person. They are at the top of my list. Anything I do have to come after that. 

5.     What do you do for fun? What new fun thing would you like to try?

I love family time. I bake cookies with my daughters, we go to different parks and I make our own field trips. My husband and I love to take them to fun places and make memories. For example, our daughters love Matty B. and The Haschak Sisters. We wanted to get them VIP tickets. The closest concert to us was in Dallas, but the VIP tickets that includes back stage passes were sold out. So, our next opportunity was in Florida. My husband drove 9 hours just so our babies could see their favorite artists and have those back stage passes. We turned it into a family vacation by going earlier than the concert date and staying a little while longer afterwards. It was fun! I also love date night with my husband. Our favorite thing place to go is a place called Bin 77 to have wine and cheese. It’s amazing! I would love to do indoor sky diving. I don’t want to really sky dive. Not the real thing, no (smile).

6.     One thing on my Life List (something you'd still love to accomplish but haven't done yet in this lifetime) is...

I would love to take a summer long family vacation, traveling around the country, trying different restaurants, sight-seeing and capturing pictures with my camera for memories. Flights are fun, but we may miss some things that we would see during a road trip. Maybe travel by RV? Or fly to some locations and drive to some locations? Hmm . . .

7.     What/Who keeps you motivated in this ever changing world?

My husband prays with me. He’s always by my side supporting me. Seeing my children happy makes my heart smile. I call myself an old school girl in a new style world. I love eating at the table with my family. There are people who don’t find that important anymore. At night before bed, we each take turns reflecting on our day and we share our reflections with each other. I love talking to encouraging, uplifting people. Missing my mom and having slight limitations at times because of my health requires a little effort some days for me to not feel depressed. So, reflecting on my blessings and communicating with awesome people is important to me. I love that writing is one of my passions. It’s something that I can do even when I’m sick. I’m in the bed at this very moment, but I can answer these questions.

8.     What are 2 qualities that you prefer and respect about a mate at this point in your life?

Two qualities that I prefer and respect are being spiritual and compassionate. I’m blessed to be able to experience that.

9.     Who gave you 1 really good piece of advice early on and what was it?

My beautiful mother raised me to carry myself with respect and to treat people how I would like to be treated.

10.  What piece of business advice would you like to share?

My piece of advice is to always be a student.

11.  What is NEXT for you in 2017 and beyond?

I am volunteering to help those with dementia and their loved ones while sharing my book, Journey.  

12.  Choose 1: High Heel, Low Heel OR No Heel?

It depends on the day. Lol. If I’m at Zoo or Chuck E. Cheese’s with my babies, I’ll choose a low heel. On date night or if we’re going to an event, I would like to choose high heel or at least a low heel. But, I love cute sandals too, so I guess that would be no heel as well (smile).

        Choose 1: Novels, Biographies, Inspirational Book OR Blog?

                                    I love and appreciate all the above, but if I had to choose I would say Inspirational book and biographies for reading and novels and biographies for writing.

        Choose 1: Fresh Fruit, Fruit Smoothie OR Fresh Fruit Juiced?

                                    I like them all, but I’ll choose fresh fruit.

13.  What ONE word would best describe YOU right now?

Blessed! I am still grieving my queen. My mother and I have always been extremely close. Me standing strong is what she always told me to do no matter what. I want to be strong for my beautiful daughters and my wonderful husband has been holding my hand every step of the way. Blessed is the word I choose. I can’t overlook how God has been my Rock.

Optional SideNote: In 2 sentence or less, what do you think of the YAAY YOU Blogazine?

YAAY YOU Blogazine is awesome because it highlights positive people and things. Thumbs up to you!