Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Made Over

I got off of work at noon. Joy! Went to Ulta where I needed to find some new make up. Now you must understand that before my wedding I never went out of the Cover Girl section. I have always been a Plain Jane, No Fuss kind of a girl when it comes to make up. So when I walk into places like Ulta or Sephora I am intimidated. Bottom line: I needed help. When she first came over I was kneeling in front of the kiosk aimlessly looking at all the little jars that varied ever so slightly in shade and I didn't quite get a look at her when she asked if I needed any help. I just said "Oh yes, I have no idea what I'm doing!". And then I turned around and EEK! Not so sure she knew what she was doing either at that point. I was a little unsure if I should take her advice considering that her make up had more of an elderly drag queen look going on. And then she grabbed my hand and said, let me do a facial so you can see how it looks. I felt like I was being led to the guillotine. The whole time I'm thinking everybody must be walking around, taking a look at this lady's own make up job and looking at me saying "Sucker!". But, she did a pretty good job. Maybe she usually puts her make up on in the car like I do and just didn't catch enough red lights to get accuracy on the lip liner. Who knows. Just goes to show that looks can be deceiving!

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Couch Potatoes

Joey and I are now the proud owners of one couch, one loveseat, one coffee table, two end tables, and two lamps - all courtesy of Rooms To Go. I cannot believe I was able to make all those decisions in one day. I just repeated Philippians 4:13 over and over. For someone who takes several months to pick out a shower curtain, I figured we would be shopping for a couch well into the next millenium. Luby's lines stress me out, if you know what I mean. All those decisions to be made, so many options, and all topped off with a lady in a hairnet holding a mash potato-covered spoon saying "Come on lady, whadda ya want?". Oh the pressure.

Needless to say, Rooms To Go was almost painless. At least for me, I felt like the process went quite smoothly. Joey might not say the same. This is what happens when Results Oriented Marries Process Oriented. This is how Joey works: he decides he will buy a truck and an hour and half later - he buys one. This is mind boggling to me! He indulged me in my three trips around the store to pick out the couch. Sitting down, laying down, imagining the couch with our floors, imagining it in 8 years after kids, asking rhetorical questions, too trendy?, too boring? too patterny?, etc. And after 7 more trips around, we had tables and lamps. He wanted these to be my decisions and was incredibly patient with me. But, I do think I exasperated George, the guy who had to walk around with us 10 times.

I have officially met my quota this year in decision making - husband, weddings 1 & 2 (pls. see earlier post for an explanation if this is confusing), house, dogs, and now major furniture. What's the next major decision? Oh, the obvious one. A potted plant is logically the next step... :)

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Important Information about Damaging your Psyche

So this morning on the radio I heard that they are now discouraging teachers from using red ink to grade papers because red is a negative color and it hurts a child's psyche. What?! I mean really, what is the world coming to? My papers were graded in red and my psyche seems to be intact. What's next? Will stop signs become Praisingly Pink and red lights become Positive Purple? So what color will be the new standard for grading? Blue ink? No, that might cause depressed moods. The old faithful, maybe black? Death by ink! Heaven knows what that could do to one's psyche! And I'm just curious, what if it's a red smiley? Does that still cause damage or does the positive connotation of the smiley face balance out the negative effects of the red? I'm just wondering.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Regular or Extra Strength?

Question of the day. Why do they make pain reliever medicine that is regular strength and those that are extra strength? Is there a market for regular strength pain meds? I mean, do some people say, ehhhh I think my headaches only so-so so I think I'll take a chance and regular it today. You would think it would be priced higher or something, but no. Do they sell more in general if there's a bottle of regular strength Tylenol next to the extra strength? For the record, if I am in bad enough shape to be at the store looking for pain meds, chances are I will not wing it on regular strength. Just a thought...

Monday, December 8, 2008

O Christmas Tree

My family has a tradition that each year we go to Mill Hollow Christmas Tree Farm to pick out our Christmas tree. The picking out of the tree is usually done in October or early November and is a family event. Mill Hollow is about 45 minutes away from Livingston and is basically in the middle of no where. "City Folk" (meaning mostly Houstonians) bring their families to spend a day in the "country". Give them a taste of Living Life on the Edge, meaning there are no Starbucks and McDonalds a block away. There are however, hayrides, pumpkin patches, hot dogs and marshmallows for roasting, $.50 Cokes, hot chocolate, animals for petting, treehouses, walking trails in the woods, etc. It is a kid's paradise! And then you search through acres of trees to find the The Tree. This year, The Tree, for Joey and I was picked out by my family. Unfortunately, we were unable to be there for the Tree Hunt so they tagged one for us. But, we were able to be there to pick up our tree. Joey and I met my family yesterday to cut the trees down and pack 'em up. They give you a saw and a rope to drag the tree to the loading area. We walked a few trails and then headed back to civilization with Our First Christmas Tree. Next year we may try a spruce, although I'm skeptical as to whether it can hold its weight in ornaments. We've generally been pine people. Joey and I were coveting this couples' springy spruce tree in front of us in line. I guess the tree is always greener on the other side. Anyway, we love our tree very much. Our house smells like evergreen and there are little pine needles that seem to show up no matter how many times we sweep the floor. Oh well. It's worth it.

www.millhollowtexas.com

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Our First Thanksgiving

Technically, we started Thanksgiving a couple of weeks ago. Joey's Grandmother traveled to Arizona this Thanksgiving so she decided she would make the traditional meal a few weeks early so we could celebrate with her and the family would not have to miss a season of her wonderful cooking. So I guess that was the beginning. For the official holiday you could say that we were well-traveled. We loaded the dogs up and left our house about 6am on Turkey Day to begin our trip to Louisiana. We had Thanksgiving lunch (tummy full at this point) with Joey's parents and friends. Then we traveled to another part of Louisiana for Thanksgiving dinner (now ridiculously stuffed) with Joey's Dad's family. The next day we traveled late Friday afternoon to Livingston and had Thanksgiving with my huge family on Saturday (cannot move I'm so full). And Mom had enchiladas on Sunday. Needless to say, after this weekend, I vowed to never eat or want to eat again. Alright, so I didn't keep the vow, but I am eating no more than the dietary recommended portion size.

An aside. My parents have a three bedroom house. They have four kids all home for Thanksgiving. One of them newly married. That's me. They have three twin beds for three kids and then there's the just married kid and kid-in-law. You do the math. We were going to have to sleep in separate beds for the first time since we have been married. This made me kind of sad. BUT fortunately I have a creatively cool Mom. She pulled the two couches together in the living room to make a bed big enough for two! So, it was definitely different. Kind of like sleeping in a playpen. I got so tickeled with the fact that we were sleeping on a Couch Conglomeration. It takes couch bed to another level, but I was happy because I got to sleep next to my husband. :)

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Big Dog Meets Little Dog


Meet Bogart. He is aptly named after Humphrey Bogart because of the 5 o'clock shadow he has around his mouth. Since he's still a puppy he has a little bit of growing up to do before he fits the seriousnous of his name. He's not quite to the maturity level to justify his saying "Here's lookin' at you kid". So that's why we call him Bo. Bo is a Cairn Terrier, which is the same breed as Toto from The Wizard of Oz. He is about 4 months old. We had been looking for a puppy, but Bo was more of an impulse purchase. He was the only one of his litter left. He's so cute! We wondered why nobody ever picked him? When we took him to the vet a little light was shed on that question when the vet exclaimed "He has HUGE ears!". So it looks like he might have been left behind due to his ginormous rabbit ears. BUT, I think they are his cutest feature.


Bo is a bit mischeivious. He is not completely potty trained and does not differentiate between the patio and the grass. We're working on it. For those of you who met Gus in an earlier post, you might wonder how the introduction of a new puppy might rock Gus' world. Well actually, Gus has been a model citizen since Bo came around. I think Gus might feel that he is responsible for Bo's proper upbringing. He is a role model now. It's a long shot, but remember that movie Homeward Bound? We've totally got the Shadow/Chance relationship going on. Bo is constantly antagonizing Gus. And Gus just takes it like a champ. In fact, he finds Bo amusing. He watches him do something that he was doing only months earlier and just sighs and rolls his eyes like he's saying "Gees, puppies...".

As I type this, Bo is in the doghouse with Joey. Bo has managed to chew on the wiring to the patio lights and now only one side lights up. He has found the Achilles' heel of the back door and there is now a small hole in the frame. He has nawed on the patio fence and we now have a more weathered look going on. So as you can see, the problematic commonality is chewing.

By the way, Joey pointed out to me that we have named our dogs Bo and Gus, or Bo-Gus. Totally unintended.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Hiccup Hijack

Today I had the hiccups. Twice. And these were not the cute girl hiccups you see in movies. Why can't I get those kind? You know, the little dainty, feminine, am-I-doing-this-on-purpose-to-seem-cute kind? No, mine are semi-violent. They're more I'm-having-a-conversation-and-suddenly-scare-everyone-including-myself kind. During the forty-five plus minutes that they lasted today, I avoided phone conversations and went in and out of rooms at work quickly so as to avoid leaving people with the thought that I was either possessed or had Touretts. They come unexpectedly and I can never seem to figure out what started it. Did I drink that glass of water too fast? Standard straw delivery. Not drinking enough water? 4 glasses by lunch. Or maybe something I ate? Leftovers. Did I stop breathing and just not notice? Highly unlikely. The next natural step: Wikipedia. According to Wikipedia there's a possibility that my hiccups are an evolutionary remnant of amphibian respiration. Does this mean I'm reverting to amphibian state or that I'm part amphibian? I can jump pretty far. Maybe this makes sense. Ok, not in a million years. Also encouraging news from Wikipedia, the Guiness Book of World Records has the longest noted case of hiccups - 68 years. So the upside is that I have a chance at a world record. The funny thing about having the hiccups is that everyone feels like they have The Hiccup Cure. Everyone has their recommended home remedy. Hold your breath as long as you can. Long, deep breaths. Drink a glass of water and then hold your breath. Drink a glass of water while pinching your nose. Drink a glass of water with a penny in it. Eat a spoonful of mustard. And my personal favorite, have someone scare you beyond all reason. There's always a volunteer for that one. And everyone swears that their cure works. From my experience, I'm not sure there's a one-size-fits-all cure for the hiccups. Just about the time I was resigning myself to become the world record hiccup holder - they disappeared! It wasn't gradual. They were just gone! Oh well, I'll go for the Gold next Hiccup Season!

Thursday, November 6, 2008

New President...New Post

So, I was so stressed out from The Election that I decided to hold off posting for two weeks and instead spent the time that I would have been blogging in prayer for our nation. Ok, in all seriousness not really, but I wish I would have. Until the last few months, I have not been that great at praying for our nation. Most of the time, my prayers are caught up in the small scope of my life. A wake up call. It was a good one and much needed.

Since my last post:
- Joey and I have gotten new carpet and tile and are still working on getting everything back in order.

- We have returned all duplicate gifts from our registries. I still have credit at some stores due to my lack of skill when it comes to making decisions regarding inconsequential items. Lamps are apparently my weak spot. I just can't decide! But, neither can Joey. :)

- I turned my calendar to November at work - expecting something, well, Novembery. November is pink roses. Did I get a pictorally defective calendar?

- A new discovery: Gus' hair was on my desk at work. To my knowledge he is not employed at my office. But, I'm not ruling out moonlight office work due to his history of mysterious, late night outings.

- We have gotten our wedding pictures back. Yay! I'll have to post them soon.

- Oh and I have cut my hair. It's an inch or so below my chin. I figured I'd hooked Joey officially so I could cut the hair. Next I'll really let myself go and stop shaving. Just kidding. They always say guys like girls with long hair, but Joey loves my hair short.

Now that The Election's over I'll be checking in more often. You know I'm kidding right? Really, life just got busy. I'm sure it won't happen again. :P

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

My Husband - The Amazing No Hands Driver

Joey has a new game. When driving home, we get within one mile or so of our house, and suddenly my husband becomes The Amazing No Hands Driver! That's right, folks. He navigates the Katy suburbs with AJ Foyt intensity all WITHOUT the use of arms! Look Ma! No hands! The entire rest of the way is sprinkled with comments like "Oh baby, you see how I handled that turn? I hope our children inherit this gift. Oh no, coming up on the neighborhood turn in, It's going to be tough, but oh oh - yeah! Perfect execution! Does your husband have talent, or what?!" Hmmm.... I'm just wondering what's going to happen when we get pulled over for veering to a certain side of the lane a few too many times. That's where the real talent will come in. The explaining. Sorry, officer. My knee lost control of the wheel. That's probably not going to take us any further than I walk down the line and a breathalyzer test. I don't know whether I should encourage his talent in order for him to perfect his skills for our safety OR whether I should completely discourage it. If you tell a husband to drive with hands, will he rebel when he gets out on the road and on his own and drive with no hands? Maybe a more seasoned wife would know the answer to these questions...

By the way, at this point, I have told Joey that I'm blogging about his driving skills and he asked that I make the following amendment for accuracy: it is not one mile from our house, but three. And on that note, I have answered my own question. I think I will let him perfect his skills.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Happy Birthday, Superwoman!


Today is my Mom's birthday. First, I love you. Second, thank you. Third, happy birthday!
Growing up, if I had to put Mom in terms of moms, she was the combination of the quintessential mom Carol Brady, creatively fun science lady Mrs. Frizzle, and what I would imagine Ruth Bell Graham to be as a mom. Quite a combo, right?

The word "bored" was not allowed in the Hanks' household. This was Mom's rule. She wouldn't allow it. And she never told us to just go play outside and left it at that. She actively taught us how to use our imagination and discovery skills. Because we were homeschooled as children, this made her an incredible teacher. From building a walk-through model of the ear, to raking leaves into a to-scale replica of the U.S. flag in the backyard (yes, we actually did this), to building the coolest living room tents made out of couch cushions and sheets; she kept us busy and always learning. She also taught us how to seek God within His Creation and that only God can make something so beautifully complex yet equally beautiful in its simplicity and elegance of design. Mom is also the reason why at the end of writing this, I will go back through and lip-bitingly analyze my use of punctuation as well as the reason why I have purposefully omitted any use of the verb form to lay, lie, have lied or oh wait, is it lain? - this is why I am stopping now. She was a stickler in teaching grammar. (DISCLAIMER FOR MOM - some of the writing may not be complete in its grammatical accuracy in order to capture the thought and wording in my mind as is and is no reflection on your supreme grammatical instruction. :-) )


I remember as a child waking up and walking into the kitchen in the morning and there Mom would be - at the table with her cup of hot tea and laying in front of her was her open Bible. She showed us everyday where the importance of life was and in Whom it was to be found. She taught us that it was ok to ask God questions, even the hard ones, and to let Him show us the answers. She taught us the value of marriage from a Biblical perspective and what it means to love in a never-failing, undending way as God does. She had patience when we may not have always gotten all of these lessons. She had patience when when these lessons were tried.


Nancy Reagan said "A woman is like a tea bag - you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water." Mom's a strong cup of tea! Life changed for our family when my Dad had a bout with illness. Dad was in the hospital in the neuro-intensive care unit for several months and Mom left his side during the entire time only to research his illness in the hospital's library and to grab a quick nap in the lounge area. When he was released we began the next long journey to full recovery. I went to public shool and Mom continued to homeschool my three siblings. During this time Mom, who had been a stay-at-home mom since I was born, got a part-time job in the evenings. She took care of Dad and taught during the day. I can't figure when the next feat was slipped in looking at the timeline now, but that's about the time she started going back to school herself. These were tough times. She was so strong. By the time I was a freshman in college, Mom and I were taking the same core science courses, me at Texas A&M and Mom at Stephen F. Austin. I got to come home on the weekends to "Oh, didn't you love that chapter about pH? How did you do on your test? I made a 102!" Don't ask, Mom - just don't ask. There really just are no excuses that seem valid to a woman who is working full-time, raising three kids, and taking classes at night and still maintaining a 4.0. Mom went on to earn her degree with honors. She became a high school biology teacher. She won Teacher of the Year her first year of teaching.


Mom, you have given us all something to which we should aspire: a life that holds no place for limitations. This is the gift you have given me among many. Thank you to my Mom, my role model, my teacher, the Birthday Girl, and most importantly - my friend.


Happy Birthday!


Love,


Jenny


Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Sometimes it rains...doggies from heaven?

Gus needs a friend. If you're not familiar with Gus from previous posts, Gus is our dog. He's Joey's original dog that has been staying with Joey's parents until he bought the house. While he was at Joey's parents house he had two other little dog playmates and needless to say now he is, well, lonely. I have been wanting a little dog so bad! My Dad was a Cat Guy growing up (very similar in cat/dog opinions to Robert Deniro's character in Meet the Parents) and was not a dog fan. Mom and I have hypothesized that it has to do with a puppy he had as a little boy that barely made it past puppyhood, hence childhood trauma. He denies this, but this is the only plausible reason for a guy choosing a cat over a dog we can come up with. Anyway, this all being mentioned just to establish both my reasons for being 27 and never having owned a dog and also to say that it's about time I get a dog of my own! We're in the process of choosing the type. I've really been pulling for a miniature Yorkie, but Joey's been a little concerned about the size and that he might step on it. He has not nixed the idea completely, but he's just not sold. Well, tonight I thought I got my wish. Joey and I were walking Gus around the neighborhood and no kidding, were just talking about what kind of dog to get when what comes up to us but none other than the cutest miniature Yorkie I have ever seen! He was just out in the road all alone. So with Hugs in tow, that's his name, we asked some of the neighbors if they had ever met his acquaintance. Nothing. He had numbers on his tags so we took him back home and left mesages at the owners' number. And waited for a call and while this little bundle of cuteness hopped on the couch, rolled over, gave us kisses, and basically completely endeared us to him. At this point I'm thinking, is it possible that my little puppy prayer for a Yorkie was signed, sealed, and delivered at instant prayer gratification warp speed? Even Joey was starting to think that Hugs might be at least an over night guest. My mind is instantly spinnning away thinking of Hugs as a permanent member of our family. "Where will Hugs sleep?, Hugs and Gus, Hugs in a little dog suit, Hugs" - and then the owner called... :(

So I guess we're still on the dog search...

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Ginger Snap to It!

I'm generally a Tween Season kind of person. The heavy hitters like Summer and Winter with their drastic temperatures have their high points, but overall, I love the gradual changing seasons of Spring and Fall. And for Texans these are the two smallest slices of the Seasonal Pie. So we relish them. There is just something about Fall! A change for the senses that gives Fall a tangible quality. A crispness in the air and a slow ripening of the landscape into reds and golds. I am ready! I have changed my desktop wallpaper to a fall scene to match my mood. I drank orange pekoe hot tea along with a few ginger snaps for my mid-morning pick-me-up. Ginger snaps taste like fall, full of spice. Joey is excited about fall too, but I think it has more to do with football season. So we are both excited about the season. We just show it in different ways. I would put a fall wreath on the door and he would post a football schedule. :)

Oh and the roast turned out great! We were both impressed! Tonight he cooked for me and it was delicious!

Monday, October 6, 2008

We're back and more married than ever!

Success! Joey and I were finally married September 27, 2008 at 6pm. He looked soooo cute waiting at the end of the aisle and I could not and cannot be happier! The night was absolutely beautiful! And although not on the original date, it was obvious that God knew this wedding would take place on September 27th. Here are just a few blessings in the timing:

- the weather, ironically due to Ike, was Beee-utiful! It was an uncharacteristically cool September night in East Texas
- No mosquitoes or love bugs, the latter due to Ike and the first I still can't put a finger on other than that it's divine!
- our flower girl, who's only 1.5 years old, was given two extra weeks to perfect her walk and made it all the way down the aisle!
- several of our friends who were unable to come on the 13th were able to come with the new date!
- our original photographers were unable to cover the wedding so their main office called in a team that became unexpectedly available from the Baton Rouge team and I loved them so much more than the original photographers!
- extra time for a few little projects like making the candy bags during the hurricane
- getting to see the family pull together to make all of this work. They worked so hard. I'll have to post a few pics later of the before pictures of my family's yard. It's incredible to see it after all the hard work. Doesn't even look like the same yard! I am so blessed to have such a sacrificial and loving family!
- lastly, a cool story - maybe in a few years :)

And we had an a-mazing time on our honeymoon! I will be posting pictures and stories from all soon. Many many stories. Today is our first "normal" Day-in-the-Life so to speak. A new normal. And I am trying to be extra wifely on my first day out and have actually cooked a roast! This is my first attempt at using the brand-new-out-of-the-box crock pot. New crock and new cook. I'll let you know how it goes. Now to have dinner with my husband... :)

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

The Ultimate Wedding Crasher

Long time, no type! Alright. So what to say? I guess maybe a timeline for will sum it up best:

9/10/2008
Off of work and last minute shopping with family in The Woodlands for a few wedding items. Getting the first inkling that things might not go as planned, ending in a late night dinner and brainstorming session with Mom, Dad, and Jo at the IHOP in Humble. Learned that Ike changed his course and is coming to us. Thinking we might get rained out. Any other ideas where we can have this since the reception's outside? It was pretty tearful at this point. I had to tell myself to keep my chin up and eat my pancakes. Thank goodness for IHOP coffee! And hoping that I'll wake up the next morning and Ike will have completely changed his course.

9/11/2008
Woke up and found out that not only was it rain, but most likely no way we could even have the wedding. They were evacuating Galveston and Houston areas and now Livingston was also on the path. It's not safe to ask anyone to come. Is this really happy on the One Day? Lots of tears. I could have created my own Ike at this point. So, we split up the vendor list and called everyone. Then split up the guest list and spread the word. Super upset, but planning for the next weekend. Thankfully, Joey came to Livingston that day and that was really soothing. And it did come to mind that there were some people on this day that had suffered massive loss from a terrorist attack. That is sobering and puts my wedding woes to shame.

9/12/08
More of the same. A lot of praying and reading my Bible and trying to reality check that we are not getting married the next day. Know that we have to let the travel agency know when to move our honeymoon back by the next morning. Boarding up windows, positioning cars in the least likely to be hit place, preparing for the hurricane to hit.

9/13/08
Ike hits Livingston some time in the early morning hours. We spent the rest of the time until around noon in my parent's hallway laying on couch cushions with pillows ready to cover our heads if necessary. The sound of large things crashing in the distance and worse yet, some not so distant. My parent's vanity area in their bedroom begins to flood and water begins to seep down the walls of Mom's closet. The floor is soaked. But we're safe. Finally things begin to slow down and then we look to see what's left. That was the shocker. The yard we spent working on the entire summer looked like a war zone. There were several trees with trunks bigger than I can put my arms around down around my parent's house. One of the largest trees narrowly missed the house and was so close that it took off the rain gutter. The electric poles were all snapped in two and the wires were laying haphazardly on the ground where they had been tossed. The ground was covered in debris knee high in the lowest parts. The fence was down in the back and the shed doors were crushed in. What had caused the water to get in my parent's room was a large tree branch that had stabbed the roof. Apparently, tornadoes had ripped through the area. When the wind stopped blowing enough, we put on our rainjackets and began the cleanup. You would reach to pick up a large limb and realize that it was stabbed 3 ft. down in the ground from the force. The tree in the front blocked my Dad from getting out of the driveway to work (electric co.), and barricaded the road in general. Thankfully, neighbors came with chainsaws and after several hours it was passable. My Wedding Countdown Clock went off some time during the day and the time finally turned to Days Left: 0. At this point, who knows when the wedding will be.

9/14/08
Move debris in the rain all day. Get stung by two wasps (I've never been stung in my entire life! Why now?!). Make the decision that Joey and I have to check on our house in Katy. Obviously, we left thinking we were going on vacation and it was not hurricane proofed before we left. This was hard because I didn't want to leave my Mom knowing that they were in such a bad situation and it could be like this for weeks. We drove back to Katy and our house, thank God, was safe. Smelly refrigerator, no lights, and limbs down, but other than that: perfect! I did lament that I thought the next time we entered the house we would be married. Sleeping on pallets by an open window. Maybe if I can imagine hard enough, I can dream I'm in Mexico?

9/15/2008
Back to work. Answering a zillion questions about the wedding and what we were going to do. And worst of all, not having an answer. It looks like it will be a month. Livingston's situation was really bad. Main comments: "Wait, what are you doing here? - Why didn't you elope? - Why didn't you just go on your honeymoon and then come back and get married - You're not married?" Exhausting. And now I find out my family has no electrity and no water and is not expected to get either for weeks. And they are not allowed to burn the huge piles of limbs because they have no water to douse the fire if need be. I am back in Katy, no power, but at least I have water and civilization is near. In Livingston, there's not any place that has power for miles. So, a month will give us time to regroup, get power on, and allow my family (this includes extended family) time to heal.

9/16/2008
Ready to set the wedding for October 11th. At lunch, a few problems with that date we find out, and it might be December if we don't do it in two weeks. What?! At this point, I'm reading Job in the Bible. I know my situation could be A LOT worse, but gosh this is hard. And then that afternoon the clouds began to part. My Mom calls and says that the Army Corps of Engineers has come to our aid! They are restoring power and we might even have it in a few days! Set the wedding for two weeks!! Yahoo! What an emotional roller coaster ride.

Today
I'm counting my blessings. I'm still praying for power in my parent's neighborhood. It is with faith that it will be restored. I'm beginning to get in contact with vendors and we are going to have this wedding on September 27, 2008 at 6pm!

Passage from Job 11 today:

If you prepare your heart, you will stretch out your hands toward him.
If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, and let not injustice dwell in your tents.
Surely then you will lift up your face without blemish; you will be secure and not fear.
You will forget your misery, you will remember it as waters that have passed away.
And your life will be brighter than the noonday; its darkness will be like morning.
And you will feel secure, because there is hope;
you will look around and take your rest in security.

Amen!

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Wedding TBA due to Hurricane Ike

I am yours regardless of the clouds that may loom above
because you are much greater than my pain
you who made a way for me suffering your destiny so tell me whats a little rain?

Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory
And I know there'll be days When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain

Mercy Me

Monday, September 8, 2008

Licensed to Wed

Today we got our marriage license! Joey and I were officially licensed to wed at the courthouse in Rosenberg today. We signed the papers, gave our identification, picked out our license, and thought we were done. The clerk said whoa, wait a minute, raise your right hand. We had to swear with our right hand raised that we did not falsify any documents. Why is it when you swear on something, even if you know what you are saying is true, does it feel like you're hiding evidence? Am I the only paranoid person who gets like this? I get all "Umm, yeah, ummm, sure, no problem, mmmmhmmm, right." while dabbing my forehead and looking around with shifty eyes. Why do I do this? You would think that I was in a confined room with a single light bulb swinging over my head being put to the test with a bunch of questions about my whereabouts on the night of. But no, I'm in the Fort Bend County Clerk's Office, swearing that my name is Jennifer Hanks. Oh geez. I didn't ask Joey if he felt this way too. Maybe it was a good idea to go ahead and get the license before revealing this paranoid behavior. :P

An important aside: Please pray for our wedding this weekend and the weather. The reception is outside and Plan B is to be avoided if at all possible. Take a Hike Ike!

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Speaking in Terms of "This"....

Today is a milestone day for me. When I got to work today I turned my calendar to September. I can officially speak in terms of "this". And by this, I mean "this" month and next week, I can say our wedding is "this" week! Before yesterday, I was confined to using it only in terms of the season and the year. I can look at the calendar and see "Our Wedding"! I'm looking at it right now. We're almost on the same calendar row as Our Wedding. So close!

In other news from this weekend:

Mom and Dad's backyard has survived another Hurricane Attempt on East Texas and came away looking even more fresh and so green, green. :) And it did occur to me how blessed I am during this whole hurricane's a comin' thing. I'm praying for the hurricane to not come because of my wedding and others in New Orleans are praying that it does not come and completely wash away their home and their life. Really puts things in perspective.

Love is in the air in Livingston, Texas. Bugs that is. Love bugs are everywhere. My prayers are being equally spread in two different directions, one that it does not rain and secondly, that a plague of love bugs does not descend upon the festivities. Interestingly enough, love bugs are attracted to white. Yes, that's right, me and the cake could very possibly be covered. It could make for an interesting Mary Poppins like exit if the bride is flown away by love bugs but, I would prefer to take Joey's truck to the airport.

So we're getting married THIS month!! I love-love speaking in terms of This! :)

Friday, August 29, 2008

Freshly Baked Books

Today Joey received a box of books that he ordered off Amazon. I jump at the chance to open a fresh box of books. Brand new books happens to be one of my favorite smells. It's right up there with freshly cut grass and the smell of rain. It signals newness and nostalgia for me all at the same time. Promise and reflection. There are probably a few reasons for this, all related to childhood. The first has to do with the fact that I was home schooled until I was a sophomore in high school. Yes, little known fact. Each fall we would get our schoolbooks in the mail in giant boxes. I would be waiting for these books for weeks and would look for the UPS truck every day. Each box held the promise of learning and it was so exciting to go through all the books. Even math books seemed fun on Book Day. The second memory that I associate with the smell of a new book is connected with my grandmother. When I was ten years old she passed away from breast cancer. Christmas was her favorite holiday and she loved buying gifts. That last Christmas she bought all of us gifts that would continue long after she was gone. I think that was her plan. She passed away that January. For each of us kids, she bought a subscription to a monthly book club. Five years later, I still looked forward to receiving those monthly treasures. I wish she could have seen the joy on our faces when we opened our packages. What will we get this time? Anne of Green Gables? Maybe Tuck Everlasting! Each box had stickers you could place on each book that said "This book belongs to _____". I loved it! And of course I had to place a sticker in each book. Anyway, as soon as I opened that box of books today, all these memories came flooding back to me. It's funny how just a smell can do that! I had to share it because it makes me happy. Right now I'm smiling. :)

Speaking of smiling, we're at Day 15!! And tomorrow will be a big landmark - two weeks flat! As I type, Joey is packing things up to go to Livingston for a Work Weekend. He just packed Gus/Houdini into the truck. And I think now that's my cue. Off to the big metropolis! :)

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

My Post It Notes have Post It Notes!! EEK!

Alright, so things have been a little crazy lately. And this is in all aspects of my life. I wish I could have been blogging all that's been going on, but honestly I just haven't had a chance. Joey's parents went back to Louisiana this weekend and his dad is doing great. Please keep praying for his full recovery. Work has been nuts with a staff member being out for a week now so I'm swinging extra jobs and training someone. I'm spread out between our house, Carrie's house, and my parent's house. I'm craving a routine! I have always thought I was a flexible person, but I have to say that this flexibility has become a little wearing. I'm constantly saying things like "Where are my flip flops? Oh wait, maybe they're at Carrie's. Oh wait no, maybe I left them at my parent's house." I'm thinking I should just keep all the important stuff in my car. It's roomy enough to hold the necessities and travels with me to all locations. Thankfully, only 17 more days of No Routine Madness. Wedding stuff is going well! We're getting closer and things are really coming together. This weekend I had a bridal shower, met with the florist, the cake person, and the ceremony director and we finally ordered our wedding bands. Whew! Joey and I are going to Livingston this weekend to help get some of the last projects done. My mom just started school this last week so I know she's in need of lots of help. Anyway, I will try to be better on checking in on the blog. Right now, Joey and I are about to be off to dinner with our previous teachers, Jamie and Mimi Johns. They've promised to give us a little marital counseling tonight to prepare us for the upcoming life we're about to begin. And we are definitely grateful for advice from those two. Their marriage is a beautiful example of Christ's love and grace. It looks like it might rain so I guess we better get on the road. Gotta love unpredictable Houston traffic!

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Wedding Planning Procrastination

So right now I am putting off doing wedding stuff that has to be done tonight. Why I'm doing this, I'm not sure. But I do know it has been a theme. I can be great at procrastination. If I was Hindu I would be in serious trouble (other than the obvious) because I would just put everything off until the next life. I need to get my oil changed, oh, I'll just wait until the next reincarnation. Thank goodness I know that Jesus can be coming back any minute now and that the one life God has given me I am living right now. Alright, I've talked myself back up to check off a few items on my list. Thank you for being a part of my procrastination and most likely inviting me to be a part of yours. If you're reading this blog you're most likely procrastinating something! :)

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Weekend Update

I'm on my lunch break and am so happy because my boss has bought our department lunch. What is it about free food that can make me so happy? :)

A few updates. Mr. Perot is doing really well. Thank you for all your prayers and support! He had a few minor set backs with some A-fib, but the doctors said that is not uncommon after the surgery. He is still in the hospital recovering, but is up walking around a bit and everything is looking up. Mrs. Perot is staying at a hotel across the street and is with him during the day and evening during visiting hours. It is truly a blessing that they were able to catch the blockage when they did. Usually the first sign of a heart attack is...well, a heart attack. He had a similar episode this past Christmas and once again, it was perfect in its timing. Since that episode, he has cleaned up his diet, lost I think about 40 lbs., and added more exercise and supplements to his health regimen. In a sense, he has unknowingly been preparing for this surgery. It's so cool to look back and see how God has guided everything. Please keep praying for a speedy recovery. And hey, a little public service announcement: add a little fish oil, vitamin C, B vitamins, and magnesium to your diet for heart health!

In other news from this weekend, we had a couples shower and it was so much fun! Thank you to all our friends for putting it together. It was a "couples shower" thinly veiled as a "party" in order to make the guys less awkward. The term "shower" seems to connotate girl party to them. And it was less formal than a shower and was more just hanging out with friends which we both love! So much fun and we can't wait to put all of our new stuff up in the house! And thank you to Casey - Joey says that the time for getting a Wii is quickly approaching. :)

Bridal Shoes. Check. Wedding day jewelry. Check. Garters. Check. Vocalist for wedding. Check. Going away outfit. Hmmm...still on the list, but getting closer. A few items off the list from this weekend. I love checking things off lists! :)

Sunday, August 17, 2008

I Got You Babe

Confession: I actively and willingly participate in Baby Talk. One year and four months ago, I made fun of these people and now I am one - a Baby Talker. By "these people", I mean a person in a relationship who refers to their significant other by a pet name. A person who ends every request to that person with the word baby or darling or whatever ooey gooey name they have found to express their devotion. I NEVER saw myself doing this. I think my response to this before has always been "puh-leeeese!". And here we are. Probably the worst of them all. I have asked Joey's permission to expose our terms of endearment in order to make sure he doesn't mind me bringing all of our mushiness out in the open. I seem to be oblivious to my mushy words until we're in public. I then realize that I sound a little like Diana Ross singing Baby Love and it is then that I am struck with the irony that I used to make fun of people like me. I think there have possibly been whole days where I have not referred to Joey by his actual name. Fortunately, the baby talk is not one sided. Joey is just as bad as I am and I love it. We usually stick with baby or versions of. Sometimes he calls me darlin' in a Southern accent. Wow, I'm admitting to a lot. I hope there is someone out there reading this who is a total cynic like I was and who never thinks it's possible that they could found themselves uttering those same words. I'm telling you it can happen and we are proof.

Speaking of Joey (using his real name here) he is ready to watch a movie so I've gotta go. Hasta la vista...baby.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Great News!

Joey's dad is doing great! We left for the hospital about 4:45 yesterday morning and checked Mr. Petey in at 6am. He went into surgery about 11am. They did a triple bypass and had him out of surgery by about 3:00. He is doing wonderful! We were able to see him yesterday and he looked great for just coming out of major surgery. Thank you for all of your prayers! There is honestly way too much to write about from the past two days so I'm just going to leave it here. Maybe I can comment on some of the happenings soon. Meanwhile, Joey and I are going to have a much-needed relaxed night of just plain hanging out and give Mr. Petey some time to get some rest at the hospital. Tomorrow we will all be a little more refreshed and back in action! :)

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Polly Want a Crackerjack?

Awaiting for us on our chairs this morning at staff meeting was the most wonderful thing. Every chair had a package containing a ball of caramelized popcorn goodness. Now, I am not a huge fan of caramel popcorn, cracker jack, etc, but this exceeded all my other experiences with flavored popcorn. In fact, it was so good that I graciously relieved my other more healthily disciplined co-worker of her popcorn ball. Popcorn has never been a weakness of mine, but now I'm wondering. Thankfully, I would have to order these popcorn balls online in advance so I can't give in to my craving without a serious measure of forethought. But I am thinking I may need to give Crackerjack another chance. Maybe there's more to it than the prize?

Monday, August 11, 2008

Up To Speed

Alright, so it's been a while since my last post. Mainly, because things have been busy. First and foremost, I want to ask for your prayers for Joey and his family. His Dad will be having bypass surgery in Houston on Thursday. This came up quite unexpectedly at the end of this past week and they flew to Houston for an emergency consultation with a heart surgeon after doing a heart cath. They are staying with Joey during the waiting period. Please pray that Joey's dad's heart and body are strengthened for the surgery and that it is successful. Also, that God gives the surgeon wisdom to make any decisions and that his skills are to perfection during the surgery. That the recovery will be swift and that he will heal completely and perfectly. And lastly, that his family will be strengthened and encouraged during this time. I will keep you posted, literally, on the situation. It looks like it will be a good surgery and your prayers are definitely appreciated!

On a very positive note, my roomie was married this weekend! Liz is officially Liz Dammel now! Yay! It was so much fun to be a part of their Big Day and Liz was absolutely beautiful! I had so much fun hanging out with her sisters and Mom getting everything ready. And I cried during the ceremony. I wanted to cover my face with my bouquet. I was not expecting this and it makes me a little nervous about my reaction to my own Big Day. Yikes! It makes me wonder if the real tradition of the bridal veil was started to give the blubbering bride time to get her act together and get one last good sniffle in. It's good that I've seen my emotional side lately so I can be adequately prepared. I think I might just be so very happy the day is finally come that I will be laughing and just so ready to get to the end of the aisle. But just in case, can you say waterproof mascara?

In other news, my future brother-in-law Josh, graduated from Texas A&M grad school! Congratulations, Josh! Joey was so proud. And Joey came up with a good idea to make it through an exhaustingly long A&M graduation ceremony: Skittles. Come in packin' right?! ;)

I will keep everyone posted on Mr. Perot's surgery. Thank you for all your prayers!

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Hurri...came

Edouard, just a fancy name for Edward. Hurricane Edouard, just a fancy name for a little rain. I enjoy a good thunderstorm. I have always loved to listen to the heavy rain on the roof and the thunder booming so much that you can feel it. I love watching the lightening from the window and I think it's an adventure when the lights go out. It's just plain exciting to me. So needless to say, I was slightly disappointed in Edward's, oh excuse me, Edouard's showing. Now, I'm glad that it did not wreak total havoc, but I was left feeling like I was still waiting on something. Kind of like watching a fireworks show, anticipating the grand finale, only to discover it already happened. Wait, THAT was it? Oh well. I did find a few teenagers having fun with the leftovers. These kids would stand on the side of the road next to a large puddle and wait until they saw a car nearing. Then they would jump up and down and point to the puddle in hopes that the car would splash the puddle and all its muddy contents onto them. Maybe you have to be 14 to find this game fun. I was really hoping that the Hurricane Season would shake a good one out of its system before September 13th. You know, get all the weather wrinkles out for smooth sailing the rest of the season. That being said, I am glad everyone has made it safely through the terrifying storm that was Edouard. Congrats, guys!

Monday, August 4, 2008

The Girl Without a Face

Today I have been forced to go without makeup. Throughout all the moving process and a trip to Livingston this weekend, I left my makeup bag in Joey's truck last night. Horror upon horrors! If you're a guy and you're reading this, you're probably thinking "no big deal" and you are probably also thinking the title is a slightly dramatic. But if you're a girl you know what this is like. It feels like you are walking around without a necessary piece of clothing or a vital organ. Ok, maybe not a vital organ, but one that makes you consciously aware that it's missing even though it's not necessary for living. I'd liken it to walking around in flip flops without your pinky toe. You just know everyone is looking at your missing pinky toe! I keep waiting for people to do a double take. For someone to notice that I'm practically missing eyes and cheekbones. But they haven't. Either they're just nice or yikes, even more scary a thought, wearing makeup really isn't helping me out as much as I think it is. Oh dear. In order to keep my self-esteem intact, I'm going to choose right now not to dwell on that idea. In fact, I'm choosing to go to Target on my lunch break and remedy the situation. I'll be on the makeup aisle...

P.S. Today our wedding countdown can put be in terms of Noah. Joey and I officially have 40 days until we see the olive branch so to speak - a.k.a 40 days until we get married!! :)

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Moving Day

Today I am moving out of my apartment and am one step closer to moving out of The Single Life. Liz and I have to officially be out of our apartment by midnight. It is a bittersweet moment. We are each our last girl roommate before we have to go live with a boy. Tear. I am moving everything to our house which will wait for me there until we are married. During the interim of 44 days (who's counting?) I will be a floater. A vagabond. A bum. Ok, more aptly put, a mooch. Thankfully, my friend Carrie has taken me in off the streets and will give me a place to sleep. Thank you, Carrie for keeping me out of the cardboard box waiting for me on Gessner! ;) I'm on my lunch break right now and will have to end it here. Gosh, a chapter about to close. Liz and I have had a lot of great memories! She gets married in 9.5 days by the way! Well, I've got to go say goodbye to the Single Roommate Life as I know it and goodbye to Apartment #2309!

Monday, July 28, 2008

Gymstones



The gym is a great place to people watch. While on the elliptical for thirty minutes, you can observe some classic human behavior as well as the not so normal and practically bizarre. I like to call them Gymstones. Take for instance, my most recent observation regarding male gym behavior. Here's the scenario: I'm in the weight room and I notice this guy staring very intently at this well-toned girl in the free weights area. I mean can you believe this guy? I bet he just comes to the gym to check out girls in work out clothes. Totally disgusting. This is all going on in my head. And then the girl moves, but his focus does not. He is looking at something beyond. Wait a minute, he's totally checking out one of the, wait... a guy? Oh, so maybe he's not into girls. And that's when I noticed it. Guys check out themselves and other guys at the gym. While in the weights area, they are totally oblivious to us. It's quite amusing to watch. You've got these guys, looking out of the corner of their eye at another guy on the bench press and checking out how much weight he's lifting and how his muscles look. And then the automatic next step, they turn back to the mirror and stare intently at their own biceps and start pumping the iron with intensity. Oh yeah, now they're motivated - they're totally gonna look like that guy next semester. And this whole time in order to maintain the chronically flexed look, they are walking around like steel robots and seem to by happenstance be in positions that require flexing. All the while stealing glances in the mirror. It's all very Zoolander-like and totally entertaining. I asked Joey about this and he denied it. He said "No, guys don't do that!" But upon our next trip to the gym, I was totally vindicated. He witnessed it himself. And they say we're complicated...

Thursday, July 24, 2008

The Saladification Process

So it seems that Joey and I have different salad expectations. This difference became apparent when Joey said he would pick up stuff for a salad for dinner one evening. I opened the refrigerator to get the salad stuff out and I said "Hey, where's all the stuff to make the salad? All I see is the lettuce." His reply: "Oh it's in there." Me: Where? And he pulls out celery and green onions. Ummm...wait, where's the rest of it? Now, this is taking the term "green salad" to it's limit. My dream salad would contain romaine lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, red onions, black olives, and feta cheese. Herein lies the problem: he's a salad minimalist and I'm a salad maximizer. We're currently troubleshooting and working on a salad fusion. Thankfully, due to early detection, we can prevent this conflict from wreaking havoc on our marriage. :)

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Sometimes Life's Dark Chocolate

The day was full of little surprises. And they really might seem pretty small and uneventful to most, but it's those small occurrences that make up and characterize the day. They give you the day's flavor. If I had to put a flavor on today, it would be dark chocolate. Dark chocolate is at first a little bitter, but then it is totally redeemed by the richness of taste and you realize just how good it is. Whoever coined the term "bittersweet" was just putting things in terms of dark chocolate.

Today's first surprise consisted of sitting on I-10 for an extra 20 minutes. I thought I would make the most of it and eat my breakfast bar. I looked in my bag and guess what? No breakfast bar. So by the time I got to work, I was late, hungry, and 20 minutes past my usual caffeination point. Bitter.

So I took care of the caffeine first and then I received the ultimate blessing for someone in my state. My co-worker had been given an extra breakfast from Chic-fil-A by mistake and God bless her, she gave it to me. Free breakfast. Sweet.

At lunch I went by one of my favorite places to eat that's next to work: Boston Market. I like going to Boston Market because it's relatively healthy fast food. And I have made a friend at the drive thru. Sam. She and I have formed a relationship over the past couple of months. She knows my voice and gives me "the usual": a caesar side salad. She asks how wedding plans are going and I ask how her kids are - it's always a light spot in the day. So I'm ready to say hello to Sam. I pulled into the parking lot and notice that the sign was taken off the front. I guess they're renovating. I get closer and notice there are signs on the doors saying they have closed down. What?! Why didn't Sam tell me? Where was the warning? If I would have known, I would have savored the Caesar salad last Wednesday and even more, my conversation with Sam. Bitter.

So I went to my favorite and not so healthy place: Chipotle. I always add guacamole to my burrito bowl. I wasn't really paying attention and when they put the lid on my bowl the lady wrote a "C" on the top with black magic marker. I think the "C" denotes chicken and anytime you add guacamole you are stamped "CG". I swear you can't go anywhere without getting labeled! Well, this time I was only a C. Oh no! My favorite part - the guacamole - it must have been left out! I was pretty bummed. Oh well. I'll save $1.49. I sat down to eat and pulled the lid off and what was there waiting for me, but none other than my guacamole. Nothing says blessed, like free guacamole! Sweet.

Things don't always go as expected. Even the little things that seem so given. If you're in a low spot, just wait for it. There's always Free Guacamole around the corner! And you realize just how good life is...

Monday, July 21, 2008

Ready to jump on The Marry-Go-Round!

There have been a lot of engagements among our friend group since January, including my own. Love is in the air. No really, I think it might be contagious. Our friends are dropping like flies! And for myself it feels like forever since we have been engaged. Are the days getting longer or is it just me? I'm wondering if it will ever get here. I was beginning to feel like these weddings were mythical. I've seen a lot of planning, but not really any wedding. Do they really happen? Will our wedding ever really be here? Well thankfully, I was encouraged to see one actually come to fruition this weekend! So these things really happen! Thank goodness! People in our Engagement Class are actually beginning to graduate. We have two weddings coming up in the next three weeks. This process is kind of like waiting in line to get on a ferris wheel. You watch all the couples as they get to be seated and go up for their ride and you can't wait until it's your turn. I am thankful that we have so many great friends that are standing in line with us waiting for their turn and some that can tell us how great the ride is! So congratulations to the first Engagement Graduates of the Class of 2008! 54 more days in line to go... :)

Friday, July 18, 2008

The Escape Artist


Meet Gus. Joey likes to refer to him as a "mixed breed", but the rest of us might call him a mutt. For the past two years Gus has been a resident of Ruston, LA. He has only recently become a Houstonian and a permanent member of our soon-to-be family. It seems that Gus is still getting used to the city life. He sees the backyard as his personal Alcatraz and he's determined to crack the system. In fact, he has made The Great Escape four times now. He has dug holes under the fence, pried boards off of the fence, moved cement blocks from the hole he dug under the fence, and most impressive of all, has managed to ram the gate enough to jimmy the latch and open the gate to freedom. And all without the use of opposable thumbs. Houdini would be taking notes. I imagine him in Shawshank Redemption fashion, tediously working away at his holes and cement blocks right under our noses. His first attempt had me in my work suit and heels, in the rain, looking for him around the reservoir. His behavior has led Joey to Plan B and to do what he thought he could never do to another male: get him fixed. It's for his own good. Last weekend he had The Surgery. He is much calmer and it seems that he has no clue that anything is missing. So we are now crossing our fingers that this will do the trick. We have been watching for suspicious behavior, such as fence boards that look a little amiss, small pick axes hidden under his dog bowl and toys, the relocation of shrubs, forming alliances with other freedom-seeking neighborhood dogs, etc. Since he has gone under, around, and through the fence, I'm waiting for the up and over attempt. If he successfully attempts this one, I think we'll just have to applaud. You can't blame him for his creativity. This has without a doubt been the most traumatic summer of his young dog life. I will keep you posted on any further developments of Operation Retain Gus...

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Still Jenny...from the blog

Hmmm... so this is my first official blog. You know, the season opener, the first pitch, Act 1, etc. You get the picture. So I feel like I should make a good impression. It's so funny - I feel kind of shy, but I'm just sitting here by myself at the computer. What's up with that? I've got a serious case of First Time Blogger Jitters, colloquially known as The Blitters. Hopefully, it's not a chronic condition. So how do you start this? I mean do I have what it takes to be blog worthy or will I just fall off into unknown blogdom? What do other people write in their blogs? I did a little research in between sentences and I have decided it is mostly intriguing randomness of daily thought put into words. Randomness - now this is something I can do. In fact, if that's the definition, I've been internally blogging for years. The difference in internal blogging and this will be that now I have to translate it from Jenny-speak (which is a very complicated language - ask my fiance) into something that is a little more intelligible - namely English. So, for any of you who have ventured to this first time blogger's post, just keep in mind that I'm a newbie. I haven't got all the in's and out's down yet, but I promise that it might be slightly entertaining to watch me muddle through this.

A sidenote - I just texted Joey to let him know that I am officially "blogging". Thankfully, I looked at the text before sending. It said "I am clogging.". T9 is obviously not a veteran blogger such as myself. I think he would have figured out that I wasn't clogging, but still - yikes, not what you want people to think you're doing at 11pm on Thursday night. Can you say spell check?

Gosh, the end of my first blog. A milestone. It's been fun. Hopefully, there will be lots more to come. And so far, I love clogging! :P