My Story 

💖 From breakdowns to breakthroughs — and everything in between.

I didn’t start this because I had some perfectly curated life to share. I started this because I was in the middle of a spiral — sitting in my car, mascara smudged, heart aching, asking myself, “Is it me? Am I the problem?” Spoiler: sometimes it is me. But also? Sometimes I’m just a mom with a big heart trying to survive another Tuesday with grace and dry shampoo. I’ve always been a mix of contradictions — the girl who throws amazing birthday parties but cries doing the dishes. The mom who shows up to soccer games with snacks and pep talks, but forgets it was pajama day at school. The woman who can romanticize her life one minute and spiral into self-doubt the next.

Hot Mess Big Heart was born out of that in-between space — that raw, unfiltered, hilarious, heartbreaking space where we’re all just trying. I write because I’ve lived through things I never thought I’d survive. I create because expressing my feelings is how I stay sane. And I share it all here, in this little corner of the internet, so maybe you’ll laugh, cry, or feel a little less alone.

This is more than a blog.

It’s a messy love letter to:

  • The girls we used to be

  • The women we’re still becoming

  • And the chaos that makes us who we are

So if you’re still figuring it out, still feeling everything too much, still healing and hoping —
You are my kind of people.

This is my story.
It’s not perfect. But it’s real. And it’s mine.

xo,
Jennifer
Hot Mess. Big Heart. Full Life. 💋

Hot Mess Starter Pack

 

  • Sign: Leo ♌

  • Theme Song: "All Too Well (10 Min Version)" + ‘90s country bangers

  • Most Used Emoji: 🙃

  • Self-Care: thrift store runs, candles, crying in the car

  • Soft Skills: spiraling, snack organizing, playlist-making

  • Toxic Trait: texting back emotionally

  • Superpower: loving hard even after being hurt

 

Quote or Mantra You Live By

“Even when I’m a mess, I’m still magic.” or “Soft, but still a storm.”

My Favorite Wineries 

1. Alumbra Cellars- 12655 SE String Town Rd, Dayton, OR 97114

"Oregon Winery, Latina Owned Vineyard & Winery, Willamette Valley Winery, Pinot Noir. Dayton, OR. Sustainable Farming."

 

2. Dobbes Family Winery- 240 SE 5th St, Dundee, OR 97115

"Established in 2002. We are people who like people, from our vineyard partners to weekend tasters, tradespeople, and team members. Dobbes is a place with open doors and waiting wine glasses, every one of them filled with care. We are in this for the folks holding the glass. Dobbes has been growing a community of Oregon Wine Enthusiasts for over 20 years by crafting a diverse and intentional portfolio of wines that, together, represent the limitless possibilities and genuine personality of Oregon. Rooted in tradition, yet unbound by convention, we craft wines that represent how the varied terroir of Oregon can come together into a beautiful wine that is much more than the sum of its part."

 

3. Sokol Blosser Winery- 5000 NE Sokol Blosser Ln, Dayton, OR 97114

"When Susan Sokol and Bill Blosser planted their first vines in the Dundee Hills in 1971, they needed all of their youthful self-confidence, energy and determination to make their way because a wine industry did not yet exist in Oregon. Today, with nearly 800 wineries in the state, Oregon wines are available throughout the world. Sokol Blosser has survived, grown and prospered as a family-owned and run operation, and we are proud to have been part of developing and shaping Oregon's now prominent wine industry. We create wines of world class quality that are produced sustainably, mindful of the environment, and that express the distinctive flavors of our hillside vineyards. We remain family-owned and -operated to this day."