Memorial Day 2009: Boston BBQ

May 30, 2011

Name: Neil Sullivan

Location: Boston, Massachusetts

Relationship to Jessica: Friend

I met Jess through my girlfriend, Lauren Albert, in 2009.

Lauren & Jessica, Memorial Day 2009

© jessicafashano.com

I met Jess through my girlfriend, Lauren Albert, who was Jess’ college roommate, during a visit to New York City in the spring of 2009. We stayed with Jess at her apartment and it was clear to me right away why Lauren considered Jess one of her best friends; Jess was energetic, fun, and positive. She instantly made me feel welcome, as though I had known her for years.

One memory that stands out for me is when Jess visited us in Boston on Memorial Day, not long after our trip to New York. Lauren and I met Jess at the bus station early on a Saturday morning, and the girls quickly took off for some shopping on Newbury Street. I was hosting a barbeque at my apartment later that weekend, which the girls promised they would attend.

When they arrived at the barbeque, the group was comprised entirely of my family and friends. Unfazed, Jess quickly immersed herself in the group and was an immediate hit with everyone. Her trademark laugh could be heard for the rest of the night. She particularly enjoyed teasing my two brothers for their “Boston accents.”

I think of Jess frequently, and even though she is no longer with us I will always remember that Memorial Day visit in 2009, and how happy she was and how happy she made everyone else.

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: , , ,

Dance, Girl…

March 15, 2011

Name: Rochelle Ballard

Location: New York, New York

Relationship to Jessica: Friends for Life!

I met Jessica at Georgetown but our friendship blossomed when we both moved to New York.

Ro & Jess laughing at Rochelle’s birthday party, April 2008
Ro & Jess at a party in Greece, July 2009

© jessicafashano.com

This is my second submission to Jessica’s website. I wanted to add a favorite memory that I’m sure the rest of the girls will appreciate and love… We would all agree that the hallmarks of our friendship with Jess included: “laughter,” “dancing,” and “fun.” Jess loved to dance! Whether it was a night out at the club, her birthday weekend in Miami where we jammed out to our own dance party in the living room, or at a class with me at Broadway Dance in our neighborhood. If the music was playing she was dancing.

I remember our weekend in Miami so vividly. We were all there to celebrate her birthday. On Saturday morning we all woke up, cooked breakfast and put on some music — this was not your typical meal, it was all a part of our themed celebration. The song “Bed Rock” by Lloyd came on and Jess had never heard the song before….Next thing you know, we are all dancing around the kitchen to the song. It became the theme song of the weekend; and a memorable time that we were fortunate enough to capture on video.

My last memory with Jess was at the Acumen Fund event on December 6th. She texted me saying, “Where are you, Ro? I need you here so we can dance!” I can still envision exactly how she would dance when her favorite song came on (lips pursed, fingers pointed, eyes gazing up and down)…how much she loved Beyonce or how she would sing along to Lady Gaga.

What I will miss most about my friendship with Jess are the memories we never had a chance to create. The trips we would have taken together…. the Business School experience we would have shared…the fun, laughs and “girl-friend” experiences that you cherish so much with your closest, most special friends. She was truly a friend for life.

Jess, I have you to thank you for bringing such great friends (your friends!) into my life. I will cherish the memories we all made together and for you, I will keep on dancing until the music stops.

XOXO,

Ro

Filed Under: NYC, Travel Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Soul Sister

March 11, 2011

Name: Ashley Pitman

Location: New York, New York

Relationship to Jessica: Roommate; Soul-Sister

I first met Jessica at Georgetown – Senior Year.

© jessicafashano.com

I met Jessica several times at Georgetown and after graduation. I had no idea during all our fleeting encounters that she would very quickly become one of my closest and most trusted friends – a true soul-sister. I’ll never forget the day I told David Velasquez I was thinking about moving into the free room in Jess’s apartment and his face lit up. He said “Jessica Fashano is the nicest person EVER. You HAVE to live with her.” He was right! From the minute I moved in the friendship accelerated at a speed that I think surprised us both. The stream-of-consciousness emails and texts were non-stop. Even though she was always so busy at work, she seemed to know my schedule better than I did and she was the only person who asked me how my day was every single day.

Needless to say, living with Jessica for three years was one of the highlights of my life. The memories are countless, and even considering an amazing weekend in Madrid, my favorite moments were just chilling in her room, testing make-up shades, talking about food & travel, and sharing stories…only pausing to make dinner reservations when we’d finally decided on which of the dozens of restaurants on our “list” we were in the mood for. Rusty Knot for po boys and a pretzel dog was always the default back up.

Today is Ash Wednesday, which reminds me that Jess would always give up cheese for Lent. This made choosing restaurants during Lent really difficult as to avoid temptation. I’m sorry we won’t have to face that struggle this year.

I was lucky enough to have called Jess one of my best friends. I love and miss her every day and can only find peace knowing she is at peace.

Filed Under: Georgetown, NYC, Spain Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Spanish Sisters

March 7, 2011

Name: Natalia Serrano

Location: Los Angeles, California

Relationship to Jessica: Friend/Fellow Trianera/Part of her extended Spain family

Jess and I were connected by our Spanish host family in 2004-05. We eventually met in New York a year later and then had a fabulous European weekend getaway in December of 2009. Jessica was a beloved friend and I will always consider her part of my family in Spain.

Natalia & Jessica in Sevilla, December 2009

© jessicafashano.com

My first introduction to Jessica was through the continual praise of my Spanish host family. Jessica was the first American student to live with them and I was the second. According to Marta, our Spanish sister, we had so much in common (including the fact that both Jess and I looked more Spanish than she) and she insisted we meet.

I met Jessica about a year after I finished my year abroad and was going to graduate school in New York. We decided to meet up for brunch and I remember my curiosity and excitement as I approached the restaurant. I had heard so much about Jessica during my year in Sevilla from our Spanish family and friends that it felt like I already knew her. You could tell Jess was a special breed just from the way people talked about her. After our brunch I couldn’t help but gush about her, too.

Our time together was brief, but the connection undeniable. We would schedule phone dates, email back and forth about the happenings in our lives, and send each other unexpected messages and photos of New York blizzards, California palm trees, and the Italian countryside. Our friendship may have been untraditional, but it was strong nonetheless.

In December of 2009, I decided to take a trip back to Spain. I mentioned the trip to Jess and suggested she come along. We excitedly began planning our trip back to Sevilla to celebrate Marta’s birthday and have a Spain host family reunion. Jess stayed with me in an apartment I rented in Triana and together we spent three whirlwind days rediscovering Sevilla and living life to the fullest.

I have many memories of Jess— her smile, her laugh, and her New Jersey way of saying “yea, yea, yea” when she agreed with me —but what resonates most is the memory of her sparkling spirit. I will be forever thankful for her presence in my life.

© jessicafashano.com

Filed Under: Spain, Travel Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Roommate and Forever Friend

March 1, 2011

Name: Jenny Kraemer

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Relationship to Jessica: Forever Friend and Roommate

I met Jessica 10 years ago at Georgetown University.

Jessica & Jenny in Chicago, Summer 2009

© jessicafashano.com

Jessica & Jenny Candid

© jessicafashano.com

Jessica. We remember her laugh, her huge heart and the love she had for everyone she met. Just thinking about her crazy, infectious laugh makes me smile. All of her hard work trying to help others in need, contributing to charities, raising money and her generosity. She was an amazing friend. She could make me laugh when I was sad. She always cheered me up when she knew I had a bad day – sometimes that meant just sitting with me in silence after a crappy day. But she kept me company. That’s the trademark of Jess – like so many other people have pointed out…She always wanted to make people happy and make people feel better.

I remember when I heard the news – I simply could not believe it. Jess was too young. But Jess lived her life wonderfully. She had done so many things on earth and I’m sure she’s doing even more in heaven. I will forever be grateful to have known her. I will forever be grateful for spending 10 years of my life with a friend like her. I will forever be grateful for the memories I have shared with her. Jessica will forever live in my heart.

I’m adamant about one thing: Don’t ever forget Jessica. She never wanted this, never wanted people to cry or be unhappy. She wanted to make everyone happy. We should all be thankful that we were given the chance to have known a woman like Jess. What an inspiration she was and still is! What an amazing woman.

The pictures I have included are from when Jess came to visit me in Chicago. I remember that day like it was yesterday. We were soooo tired but we dragged ourselves out of bed to walk around the city, get breakfast and make the most of the time together because the trip was short. All the pictures we took of us that morning weren’t to our liking. She didn’t like how she looked and I didn’t like how I looked. Having just rolled out of bed and rushing to get out of the apartment, we didn’t feel “camera ready” and she made me delete almost all of them on my camera. But now looking back at the pictures…they are probably two of the best pictures of us. So real and in the moment. With me planting a kiss on her cheek and her arm wrapped around me – that is how I will remember Jessica. I’ll forever cherish these pictures.

Jessica will forever be missed but I know in the right time, I will meet her again. We will all meet her again and she’ll make us laugh in tears again.

This is a goodbye – but only for now. Love forever and ever.

Filed Under: Georgetown, Travel Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Girls Trip to Greece

February 28, 2011

Name: Lauren Albert

Location: Boston, Massachusetts

Relationship to Jessica: Georgetown and post-college roommate

I’ve known Jess for 9 years. We met on our first day of college – she lived across the hall from me, and we were pretty much attached at the hip for the rest of college! We then moved to NYC together after college, and lived together until I moved to Boston in October of 2006.

Jess & Lauren in Mykonos, August 2009


© jessicafashano.com

Jess and I had been dreaming of going to Greece together for at least five years, and were finally able to make it happen with a few of our other girlfriends in August 2009.  I was extremely excited to spend ten straight days with Jess, since we hadn’t had more than long weekends together since I moved to Boston.  We were so truly happy on this trip and it was just like when we were roommates – getting ready together to go out on the town each night and staying up late chatting about nothing and everything in our room each night.

The above picture was taken on our first day in Mykonos, a very windy day! (I’m sure Jess was wondering if her hair looks ok!) My luggage was lost for the first couple days, so like the selfless friend Jess was when any of her friends was in need of help, Jess let me borrow her clothes and anything else I needed, so I’m wearing her dress here. Later in the trip she also helped hold my hair back when I got sea-sick on a 6-hour ferry, and I will always remember what a great friend she was for doing that!  Of course she made a joke out of the situation, and had me laughing through it!

Jess was in love with life on this trip and I will always remember how happy and lively she was.  After we stayed up late dancing and celebrating Greek-style each night, Jess would pop out of bed early the next morning before anyone else, and we’d find her rejuvenated and relaxed out by the pool reading a book, or on our deck planning our exciting agenda for the day, while guarding our breakfast from the crazy wild Greek kittens begging for food!  She motivated us all to get up and get the most out of each day.

Jess’ fun, energetic and adventurous nature let loose on this trip and resulted in many hilarious memories, yet she was still the organized one with the great restaurant, beach and sight-seeing ideas, and was also still the motherly one that took care of each of us in different ways throughout the 10 days (and made sure we made our flights and reservations on time!) – basically she was everything to all of us. 

After we got back from Greece, Jess would send us quotes, trip recaps, songs and photos for the next several months while still on the high from our trip.  Once we all had our photos uploaded into our separate albums, Jess had wanted us to compile them into one “master” album.  Unfortunately, we never got around to doing this while Jess was still here with us, so I made the slideshow below for Jess.  Sorry this took so long, Jess, but I hope you like it – you are the shining star, just as you were on our trip!

© jessicafashano.com

Jess showed her true colors on this trip, and my wish is for all of us to carry her spirit on – she was always considerate with her heart, generous with her love and always made a point to have fun and find humor in everything.  I love and miss you terribly, Jessbabes.

Filed Under: Greece, Travel Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Tres Dedos

February 25, 2011

Name: Sandra Mergeanian

Location: New York, New York

Relationship to Jessica: Friend

I met Jess the first day we arrived in Sevilla, Spain for our study abroad experience in January 2004. We clicked instantaneously and have been very close friends ever since.

Jessica & Sandra, New Year's Eve 2007

© jessicafashano.com

Tres Dedos...Jessica, Sandra, & Monica

© jessicafashano.com

Dear Fashano,

Just as I sang you “The Sandwich Song” on the banks of the Guadalquivir River in Sevilla, Spain, on your 21st birthday (only a month after meeting you), I sing (more like belt) an excerpt of this most goofy song to you again, to bring a huge smile to your face, that is, on your 28th birthday:

“Sandwiches are beautiful, Sandwiches are fine. I like sandwiches, I eat them all the time;
I eat them for my supper and I eat them for my lunch; If I had a hundred sandwiches, I’d eat them all at once…”

Although the most defining experience we shared was study abroad (those six months in España were probably some of the happiest in our lives), I chose a picture from NYE 2007 to share with everyone because it points out that our friendship transcended Spain. I actually knew from Day 1 that I met a “life friend.”

The two of us went to Tavern on the Green. Logistically, the night was a complete bust. We waited in line for over an hour in the cold to get in; the countdown didn’t even take place at midnight; and the place was extremely overcrowded. We didn’t let any of this get in our way of having the time of our lives. We met people from all over the world, ate and drank plenty, and danced the night away into the wee hours.

Jess, you were such a quality human being, a true confidante and ever loyal, considerate and generous friend. I am struggling with this most tremendous loss. Know that I love you and miss you so much.

Tres Dedos.

Sandrita

Filed Under: NYC, Spain, Travel Tagged With: , , ,

Dance Partner, Travel Buddy & Fellow Foodie

February 18, 2011

Name: Rochelle Ballard

Location: New York, New York

Relationship to Jessica: Friend, dance partner, travel buddy and fellow foodie 🙂

We met at Georgetown, but our friendship blossomed after moving to New York. Almost 5 years of brunch dates, dinner dates, dancing the night away, concerts, Valentine’s/Birthday celebrations, Hamptons summers, Halloween costume swaps, and a vacation to Greece that I will never forget. My most vivid memories with Jess involve fun, laughter and living life to the fullest.

Jess, your passing has truly left an irreplaceable void. This will be the first of many memories I hope to share with your family and friends in honor of the vibrant life you lived.

Ro & Jess in Greece

© jessicafashano.com

This picture, taken on our trip to Greece in July 2009, reminds me of the warm, kind and loving angel you were while here on Earth and the angel you continue to be….

I have faith that the peaceful tranquility that radiated from you in this picture, is now yours forever. Though you are gone, the spirit of our friendship will always be with me.

Happy Birthday, Jess. Another Valentine’s Day made special because of you 🙂

Love Always,
Ro

Filed Under: Greece, Travel Tagged With: , ,