Its been quite an eventful year! I decided to compile a year in review album because it's alarming how much can happen in just one year. Most prominently, I fell in love with an incredible man and found a career with a company that values its employees and rewards hard work.
 
I'd like to thank my boss, John Baird, for showing me what it means to be a manager of great resolve. I truly hope I am one day able to manage employees as effectively and positively as he does. To all my wonderful friends near and far for always lending an ear and providing me great wisdom and advice. To Gabe, for giving me the greatest gift of his unwavering love. And of course to my family for giving me the strength to make this all possible.

I'm a proud spiritual reform Jew who loves the culture of Judaism. I get asked a lot about my faith and thought I'd suggest two books that I find unbelivably helpful when it comes to learning about the religion. These books have shaped my practice as a Jew. Enjoy!

The Jewish Phenomenon
Steven Silbiger

With truly startling statistics and a wealth of anecdotes, Silbiger reveals the cultural principles that form the bedrock of Jewish success in America. Steven Silbiger makes it apparent that one of the keys to Jewish success is the freedom of the Jewish intellect (Jews make up merely 1% of the general population, but 20% of Nobel Prize winners are Jewish). Silbiger contrasts the religious Jewish upbringing with the Christian religious upbringing, noting that in religious classes Jewish children are encouraged to ask questions. Christian children are given answers and are often discouraged from asking questions - often, to question is the near occasion of sin, an indication of lack of faith. This sets a vastly different foundation for the Jewish child versus the Christian child. Silbiger theorizes that the Jewish child will carry this attitude of questioning on into the rest of his life, and this leads to a willingness to look at situations in new ways, to try new things, to be an entrepreneur.

The Book of Jewish Values: A Day-by-Day Guide to Ethical Living
Rabbi Joseph Telushkin

Rabbi Joseph Telushkin has combed the Bible, the Talmud, and the whole spectrum of Judaism's sacred writings to give us a manual on how to lead a decent, kind, and honest life in a morally complicated world. Telushkin speaks to the major ethical issues of our time, issues that have, of course, been around since the beginning. He offers one or two pages a day of pithy, wise, and easily accessible teachings designed to be put into immediate practice.
 
"If you are not going to be better tomorrow than you were today, then what need have you for tomorrow?" --Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav

_My mother Valerie Piha and grandmother Jeannette Galante happen to have incredible taste. They've taught me everything I know when it comes to style, being a well-mannered lady, a genuinely secure person, and of course - a doting mother and wife (not yet - of course.) They have first-class impeccable taste, especially when it comes to hotels. That's why I compiled this list of some of their favorite hotels & spas in the world (in no particular order). Enjoy!

1. St. Regis, New York City.

2. Mauna Kea Hotel, Big Island, Hawaii.

3. Hotel Le Toiny, St. Barths.

4. Wynn, Las Vegas.

5. Hastings House, Salt Spring Islands.

6.  Hotel Hassler, Rome.

7. Four Season Resort, Hualalai, Big Island, Hawaii.

8.  Hotel 1000, Seattle.

9.  Rancho La Puerta, Mexico.

10. Hotel Plaza Athenee, Paris.

I'm a tiny woman who comes from a family where height isn't our strongest suit. Its really been a blessing as I get older (I still I get carded at 30). It does, however, pose some issues in the clothes department which is why I've compiled a Le Petit Shoppe List for my readers who are also little ladies.

1. Paige Jeans

These are the only denim I swear by. I have half a dozen pairs and they all fit fantastic. Creator, Paige Adams-Geller even makes special 23 size pairs for the likes of Rachel Bilson & Nicole Richie.

2. Banana Republic Petites

As a working women, I often wear a blazer over an outfit. The ones at Banana Republic have been cut to fit small frames perfectly.

3. Artizia Leggings

My sister Blaire swears by everything Aritzia but I've taken a special liking to the Canadian-born brand's leggings that come in XXS.

4. Nordstrom Kids Shoes

I kid (no pun intended) you not that I've bought some REALLY great shoes from the kids section at Nordstrom. With designers now focusing more on children and teen wear, you can get a GREAT deal on the same exact style on a shoe in the women's section for half the price in the kid's. Note: Narrow feet do better in kids shoes.

5. BCBG Dresses

I love BCBG dresses because they always seem to keep 0 and 00 in stock. Whether online or in the store, I always find a great cocktail dress at BCBG.

I've always had a love affair with books. Since I've been able to read you're more likely to see me cuddled up with a book than anywhere else!

One day when I can call a home my own all I truly want (besides a big kitchen for cooking!) is a library room with a comfortable sitting chair and stacks of books all around.

I decided to compile a list of some of my all-time favorites and hope that my readers will appreciate these suggestions and fantastic reads!

(Note: I LOVE nonfiction so most of these books are nonfiction.)

1. The Yankee Years By Joe Torre

2. The Devil In The White City by Erik Larson

3. Into Thin Air by John Krakauer

4. Mr. Maybe by Jane Green

5. One Day in September by Simon Reeve

6. The Book of Jewish Values: A Day-by-Day Guide to Ethical Living by Joseph Telushkin

7. 'Cane Mutiny: How the Miami Hurricanes Overturned The Football Establishment by Bruce Feldman

8. Nirvana: The Biography by Edward True

9. A Death in Belmont by Sebastian Junger

10. The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan

All are available on Amazon.com. Enjoy!

I'm the first one to tell you I'm not normally conditioned as the "adventerous, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants" kind of gal. That award goes to my sister Blaire who didn't hesitate to go sky diving out of a 1960s plane in Florence, Italy. She made it back, thank god.

But it was I (according to my boyfriend) who suggested after booking a future vacation to Belize, that we get ourselves certified Open Water Scuba divers.

So I did just that this past weekend as part of a fantastic team of 8; 3 dive masters and 5 students with the AWESOME guys over at Seattle Scuba.

I highly encourage anyone to get certified with the good people at Seattle Scuba. Tell Craig the owner that Jessica, the smallest bravest scuba student to ever roam the face of the earth sent you.

But before I send you out on this adventure, I wanted to share 5 things I learned along the way.

1. Get certified with a reputable company like Seattle Scuba. A scuba school's affiliation with either PADI "Open Water Diver Certification" or NAUI "Scuba Diver Certification" ensures that your certification will be accepted anywhere around the world. I'm a PADI certified diver.

2. Bring a buddy! Gabe and I went through the course together (well, kind of, it's a long story which resulted in doing our dives on separate weekends). That being said, it's always more fun when you have a buddy to get certified with. Although I loved meeting new friends during my dives, there's no one I rather'd have at arm's length away 50 feet underwater than my boyfriend.

3. Learn to equalize properly. If you've had sinus troubles or ear infenctions, I suggest becoming a pro at equalizing your ears. I wish I had done more practicing before doing my open water dives. It may have saved me a trip to Dr. Edmond Kay, renown Director of Hyperbaric Medicine with HealthForce Partners and Diving Medical Officer for the University of Washington. I'm really glad I visited Dr. Kay though as he was able to provide incredible tips to help me during my dives in Belize.

4. Suck it up, you're going to be a little cold in the Sound. I received gasps when I told people I was diving in Puget Sound in December. But, it's just what one has to do if you live in this part of the country. Washington State has some of the best diving in the nation (notably, the San Juan Islands) and you're going to have to get use to wearing a really thick 7 mm wetsuit or drysuit. It will be worth it when you venture to a tropical destination to dive and realize you're carrying way less weight without your booties, hood, gloves, etc.

5. Buy your own gear. Some schools like Seattle Scuba give students $100 rebates after they get certified to buy their own gear. If you take a liking to diving, it's much better to get your own mask, snorkel and fins. And if you're a Northwest diver, at a minimum it's probably smart to invest in booties and gloves as well.

For more information on Seattle Scuba, check them out on Facebook!

And a big thanks to my dive masters Craig, Larry and Raquel for taking good care of me this past weekend. :)

I got to hand it my dentist. Yep, you heard that right.

Dr. Wendy Spektor is the one who told me  9 months ago all about Bag Borrow or Steal. And I'm THRILLED to bring my readers a fantastic interview & giveaway from the CEO Russ Blain & Director of Marketing Haley Brothers.

JVP: Starting with important things first - when are you going to let me rent your Birkin Bag? No, really, your company has a great concept. Tell us why Bag, Borrow or Steal is better than buying a designer handbag.

RB: There are a couple of Birkin bags available for rent right now!  Bag Borrow or Steal fulfills different needs than buying a designer handbag does.  Some people want to carry a new handbag on a seasonal basis.  Others want access to designer handbags at a price they can afford.  Bag Borrow or Steal is an easy and fun way to achieve both of these needs.For people looking to find a handbag to own we offer numerous steals on our BBOS Private Sale site.

JVP: You also have accessories available for rent, are you looking to expand to clothes and potentially outerwear like fur?

RB: We are focused on expanding our handbag assortment based on what our customers want most.  Diversification is always a possibility, but there aren't any short term plans to do so.

JVP: Rent the Runway does a lot of marketing for designer dresses. Do you see them as competition or are you targeting different audiences? 

RB: There are some similarities between the brands, but we do not consider Rent the Runway to be direct competition.  Rent the Runway is focused on special occasion events with a short term rental duration.  The majority of our customers rent every day handbags and will keep them for a month or longer.

JVP: Have you thought about expanding into more vintage style handbags and accessories?  

RB: We offer a carefully edited selection of vintage handbags.  We rent new or like-new accessories, so we only add to our vintage collection when an item is in pristine condition.

JVP: What is your most expensive item for rent and least expensive item for rent?

HB: The most expensive item we rent is the Hermes Crocodile Birkin for $1632 per week.  The least expensive is a Tory Burch card case for $5 per week.

JVP: Tell us about your membership program. How many times does one need to rent for the membership to pay for itself essentially?

HB: The optional membership pays for itself immediately in the form of an account credit.  The average member spends more than $60 on a rental, so most members are able to use the full credit the first time they rent with us.

JVP: Are there any other designers you hope to add the collection? If so, who?

HB: We are always looking at the top designers and responding to the feedback our customers give us.  Right now we are adding new styles from our customers favorite designers such as Gucci, Chanel and Chloe.

JVP: Most rented item is...

HB: The Louis Vuitton Monogram Canvas Galleria PM Handbag is a longtime favorite of our customers.

WIN A $100 GIFT CERTIFICATE TO USE ON  BAGBORROWORSTEAL.COM
**Doing all three steps increases your chances of winning**

1) Follow Bag Borrow Or Steal on Facebook & Twitter

2) Follow JVP Media on Facebook

3) Leave a Comment Below Saying Which Bag Borrow or Steal Item You Need to Rent!

Terms and Conditions: There will only be one winner chosen at random on Monday December 5th 12 PM EST. Winner will be notified by email. Contestants who do all three steps will have a greater chance of winning.