I’ve been asking myself, “what if” a lot these days. These two words continue to linger in this brain of mine as I move through each day and dream about what this year will hold. What if we stopped being afraid? What if we went after the things we dream about? What if I actually folded and put away my laundry? What if people dropped the act of perfection? That’s a whole lot of “what ifs” and yet I still feel there are more that I ask. The truth is, what if people honestly shared what was really going on in their lives, not just the good, glorious, or perfect moments? What if we shared what was on our heart, the things we were struggling with, or the dreams we were too afraid to start chasing? What if we were brave enough to admit that we didn’t really have it all together, that we used dirty coffee cups, and that sometimes we move the pile of junk out of the photo because we are too lazy to put it away? What then? What if we were confident enough to share our outtakes because we knew that maybe, just maybe someone would relate? Would you embarrass yourself to the point that you had zero friends and sat at home in yoga pants all day? Would people shun you for the fact that you are so incredibly imperfect? Or would you make other people feel just a little more human and a little more normal?

Under this idea I started dreaming, dreaming about conversations shared with people who just kept it real. You know, the real stuff that we often hide under the perfect striped rug in fear of revealing the fact that we all struggle… that stuff. Below is probably the best outtake of our lives, thanks to our girl, Chloe. Since I feel the need to share a tiny backstory, I hadn’t gotten to see Chloe in months before our shoot so we celebrated with one three glasses of wine before Drew got home and let’s just say, me + wine + heels + smoke + a corn field didn’t make the best combination while running. But you know what? I knew I wanted to share this photo because it’s hilarious and because maybe, just maybe you can relate. I’m all about keeping it real and I am tired of asking “what if” so in an attempt to really let you know the real me, I’m about to unload a bit. Really, take a deep breath and hopefully after I am done, you still think I am just a tiny bit cool. Here we go, are you ready? (Deep breath.)

My name is Jenna and I am 26 years old. Most days I wish I could freeze time because I really do think they are my golden years but a part inside of me, deep down, knows that things will get even better. I have a scar on my forehead from when I was 3 years old and decided to try my hand at weightlifting, clearly, I wasn’t ready. I feel like I am always trying to lose those  10  20 lbs and part of me tells myself it’s okay if I don’t, but the other part of me wishes I would just do it already so I could stop thinking about it. I am messy – like, really messy. I blame my creative mind for the fact that I keep little piles of clutter and clothes but part of me just doesn’t care all that much. When I was 8, I bought fake glasses from Claire’s for $5 because I thought they were cool. I don’t like to shower and will go as long as possible without one, I just hate having wet hair that much. Speaking of wet hair, I was on one of the top swimming teams as a diver all through college. (Yes, I can do crazy flips and stuff.) Even though I share a piece of my life on the internet, I really keep a lot of things private. What you see is a tiny portion of what I feel comfortable putting out there. My greatest fear in life is losing people I love. I am a “worst case scenario” thinker and sometimes I drive myself crazy thinking of all of the bad things that could possibly happen to me or my loved ones. I am super accident prone, like every time I go on a run, I trip and fall (and safety roll, the proof is in the photo above.) I absolutely hate talking on the phone, unless it is with my mom,  I will do just about anything to avoid it. I have always had a big booty, always.

We constantly get asked when we are going to have kids (which I think it an incredibly personal decision) and sometimes I get tired of listening to people convince me that I will never “feel” ready or be prepared. I get that, I promise I really do, but when we are ready, we will let y’all know. For now, I am happy dream chasing, sleeping on the couch midday, and getting it done! I can’t wait to try and make babies with Drew but for now we are happy, content, and healthy (and no, my clock isn’t ticking, but thanks!) I wear a retainer at night and it give’s me a scchuuperr sccheexxyy lisp. For as much as I talk about wine, I don’t really like it all that much, I just like to support my husband. My dogs are little rascals and for the love of God, I would do anything to have them be able to hang out with other dogs without the desire to remove their ankles. I have a tendency to focus on the one negative comment over the 99 positive ones and I dwell on the fact that some people will just never like me. When I get nervous I bite my nails. I’m the middle child, enough said. I am a total penny pincher, even when I don’t have to be. Sometimes I get black hairs in my chin and I have to pluck them out. My hands are always ripped and callused from CrossFit and I don’t really care if people think that is unladylike, I can probably out lift them anyways. People rarely ask me how work is going, I think they assume that everything that is happening is online which is so not true.

I am guilty of being on my phone too much and I need to disconnect more often. I literally wear yoga pants 6 days a week and only change into jeans if we go on a date or leave the house for something other than the gym (even then, it’s questionable.) If I am not sure what to eat, I will always pick Macaroni and Cheese Shapes, always. I am happy that dark eyebrows are in style right now because I have always had big, dark eyebrows. I hate the way I look in photographs and often try to hide behind the camera, I am so not the girl to ask someone to take a photo of us so we don’t actually have that many pictures of us in real life. I can’t walk in high heels, I hate every second of it and dream of flats. I only shave my legs if I am going to wear a dress or get a massage. I’ve always done thing with reckless abandon. If I have wanted something, I will go after it and my competitive nature makes me hustle until I have conquered my goal. I was the skinniest I’ve been on my wedding day and then gained ten pounds on our honeymoon (and didn’t really care.) I wish people would stop photoshopping celebrities because I know how they do it and it makes me sad to think that these people have to look at photos of themselves not looking like themselves. I read every single Instagram comment left on my account, every single one. I often read an email and then mark it as unread so I go back and actually respond to it. I have broken my foot too many times to count, I think I am close to ten times! I won best sweet talker for my senior award. I am entirely imperfect and most days I wonder how my husband ever felt confident in marrying me.

Whoa, are you still here? Seriously? You didn’t click the big “x” in the corner of the screen and run away screaming? Well, good, because that means that maybe, just maybe you feel a little more human. What if we all just shared what was on our hearts? What if we didn’t veil our imperfections behind fun photos and fanciful quotes? What if we got down to the nitty gritty of life and offered to go through the good and bad together? What if we began to love ourselves for who we really are, instead of who we wished we were? I want to know you, the real you. Not just the one you write about with pretty square images, not just the moments when you have it all together. I want to know what makes your heart tick and what scares you to death. You have a story to share and it isn’t just the perfect one, it’s the one that makes people feel a little more real, a little more free to be themselves. I am in this whole thing to tell stories, beautiful stories about imperfect people just like you. Comment below and tell me something I might not know about you? What do you want me and the world to know about you, the real, beautiful, imperfect you.

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