Lazy weekend...

I have had such a lazy weekend and it has been great!  It has been 7 days since I've worked (I was sick Tuesday & Wednesday and I had already planned on taking Thursday and Friday off), I spent the majority of those days in bed or just not really feeling well.  On Thursday my friend Melissa and her husband Ben stopped off in Fort Worth on their cross country move.  Thursday we went to the Twins game and sadly the Rangers won.  On Friday we had a lazy morning reading and drank warm drinks and then headed out to lunch.  As they left I headed back to the bed to continue to rest!  Then I packed up and got ready for Girl-a-palooza.  Kati, Erin & I headed out the lake where we spent the day floating on our rafts, eating Mexican food, watching the fireworks and just talking girl talk.  We headed back to Kati's from there and watched the all time chick flick... Dirty Dancing!  It was such a good day!


On my way home on Saturday I stopped off at Half-Priced Books and picked up two new reads.  I spent the afternoon reading until a friend called and took me to supper.  After a great supper I came back and picked up the book. I was reading gods in Alabama It was one of those I CAN'T PUT IT DOWN type of books and it was 1:57am when I turned the last page! This morning I got a text from a friend asking to meet for breakfast which was great.  The rest of the day was spent in bed reading Between, Georgia, napping and just being lazy.  It's been a great weekend.  I'm excited to get back to work tomorrow and see what the week holds.  


I know that through this blog I try to remind myself to live in the here and now, but there are some things about the future that I have been praying a lot about lately.... The possibility of a job that allows me to have the months of June, July and August off, and really what this next year and years to come are going to look like as many of the people I love are moving away and life is changing.  I am also looking for and planning trips to see some of the people I love and miss the most (namely Em and Les).  I'm excited about what God is going to do in the months/years to come, but to be totally honest I'm kinda scared about all that I don't know...

Thankful for TODAY 7.26.11

1) Emily Waterston Heinis!  Today she joined us in the 30's club.  It's been a fun club to be a part of so far.  Emily and I have been friends for 25 years!  We played softball together as little kids.  We have lots of fun memories of times spent by the lake and our crazy antics as 10 year old girls.  Over there years we have stayed close friends and she has become more of a sister to me.  This year she had a cute little baby girl who will one day call me Aunt Jen.  I am so thankful for this sweet friendship!  I love you Em!


2) Having the ability to stay home from work and still get paid.  I woke up this morning and it felt as though I had been hit by a MAC truck, granted I have never really been hit by a MAC truck, but I am guessing that it would feel much like how I was feeling this morning.  My whole body just was achy and I had a pretty high fever. It felt as though I was going to fall apart, every movement I made cause me great pain... So I stayed home, stayed in bed most of the day and will hopefully wake up renewed tomorrow (I find this unlikely to happen since it's 11:12 pm and I still feel like poo)


3) Orange Juice.  When I was growing up my dad did not believe in taking medicine and therefore my brother and I never took any medicine.  I mean we got our shots as needed but when we got a cold or the flu he would not give us medicine, instead he would buy us some orange juice and tell us that would make us feel better. It always seemed to work... so this morning  what did I do?  I went and bought some Orange Juice!  And in the moment it really did make me feel better!  I have come to really appreciate how much vitamin C (and other vitamins) can make me feel so much better.  So today I am thankful for orange juice, even though I am not totally better, I will credit it for helping me get back to being 100%


4) The Internet!  Today between my numerous naps I had to fill the time somehow.  Remember how I said it hurt to move, well I tried to do as little as possible of that.  The Internet allowed me to continue to lay in bed, not move very much and still be entertained for hours.  I browsed though numerous websites, caught up on everyone lives via Facebook, looked up airfare for (near) future trip and even ordered Rangers Twins tickets for this Thursday night's game (more about that to come!).  The Internet has allowed me to stay connected to the world when it hurts too bad 


5) Yahweh (Self-Existent One), Elohim (Mighty, Strong, Prominent One), Adonai (Master)  and Rishon Va-Acharon (The First and the Last)!  I told you that I started a new Bible study Know God by Name, well these were the first 4 names I have learned about.  It has been such a good study so far.  I love learning more about God and what the Bible says about who He is.  It's amazing to look at all the different names He has and how they all mean something.  I am so thankful for Kati and Erin who continue to walk through life with me and am thankful that we can jump into this study together.  My goal is to never fall behind.  There is 7 weeks in the study and each week is broken up into 5 days.  My goal is to get all five done within the week and never to have to do more then one session in a day.  If I am able to do this, it will be a first....

And breath....

These last two weeks have been so very busy!  I feel as though I have had little to no free time.  Today was the first time I got home from work while there was still day light out and it just seems as though time has once again slipped away from me. I spent some time tonight thinking about this time last summer and how crazy busy I was.  I was working 40+ hours a week, taking two classes and doing 23 hours a week at my internship... CRAZY!  As full as these last couple of weeks have been, it's been a good full, a good crazy.  I'm filling my time with things I enjoy and people I love.  I have worked almost a 100 hours in the last two weeks but I've also been able to so things that were fun (and some things that needed to be done) here is a recap of the last few weeks and a few of the highlights (and lowlights)....


* Spent time with sweet friends as we watched our beautiful friend Sarah try on wedding dresses for her big day on 11/11/11 followed by a day spent with those same sweet friends trying on bridesmaid dresses. Both dresses were found and purchased... you'll have to wait 3 1/2 months to see pictures though!
*I over 9 hours in the car with Sarah in one day as we made a day trip to Oklahoma to scout out potential wedding venues (which we were successful in finding!)
* I have spent some time at the pool with a new friend and her daughter.  I love new friends!  It's always fun to see who God brings into my life!
* Cried over not getting the job that I was so hopeful for
* Rejoiced when another position opened and I applied for it! Praying this is the reason the other ones did not work out.
* Did my laundry and realized that I have the same shirt in 16 different colors! It's the boyfriend pocket V-neck Tee from Target and I L-O-V-E them! Side note: I made a trip to target this evening to get some necessities (toilet paper if you must know) and saw that the new colors of the shirt are out.  There is a mustard yellow color that I loved.  I restrained, but I have a good feeling that I may soon have 17 (or 18 or 19) of the same shirt in different colors in the near future!
* I have stayed out way past my bedtime this week.  Last night Kati and I went to go see The Howell's (one of the bands that Kati's boyfriend is a member of) play at a bar nearby.  We stayed till the end (Again us roadies give up a lot for the band!).  Erin ended up joining us and it was such a fun time.  
* It has been record highs hot outside lately!  One of the many downsides to this fact is that it is so hot to let Daisy play outside for long.  She has been HYPER lately.  I took her outside tonight after dark and she ran and ran and ran!  I love summer but I am looking forward to Fall and cooler weather!
* Because I have been working crazy hours I don't get home in time to watch the all important TV shows.  I canceled my cable about 3 months ago because I rarely watched it and I figured I would save money BUT I forgot that So You Think You Can Dance comes on in the summer.  Well FOX has joined the bandwagon and started showing there shows online.  I love it, I can now catch up on SYTYCD and not miss the amazing routines!
* Many of my other hours have been spent browsing on my new favorite website www.Pinterest.com I have and will continue to spend hours on this site finding new things!
*Tonight I started a new Bible study.  I think I'm gonna like it... I can tell you more about it later....


So that's about it.... my life over the last couple of weeks.

Thankful for TODAY 7.9.11

1) Being able to spend the last two days with the beautiful bride-to-be Sarah!  We shopped till we dropped and had a great time along the way.  Sarah purchased her wedding dress and we got our bridesmaid dresses!  It was a very productive and successful couple of days.  But above that it was so sweet to just spend time with Sarah and the other maidens!  


2) My Iphone!  I do believe I (along with all my friends) would be lost without my Iphone.  Those who know me, know that I am a researcher (I think it's the social worker in me), I can usually find out information about whatever you are looking for.  Over the past couple of days I think we would have been lost without my Iphone and the power that it holds :-) But in all honesty I don't know how I functioned before the Iphone.  I know I did just fine, but I can't imagine my life without it now.


3) Bath and Body Works Aroma therapy Stress relief line.  Yesterday after a long day of shopping I took a hot bath infused with stress relief bath salts.  It was so nice! 


4) What has now become my Saturday night tradition of going to Roots.  I love being able to lounge in one of the brown leather chairs and read, journal or just sit and people watch.  I love that the barista (whom I secretly want to be BFF with) knows what I want even before I begin to order.  I love seeing so many different people form different walks of life come and go and I love (usually) listening to the live music they have on Saturday nights.  I really look forward to my time at Roots on Saturday nights!


5) My journal.... I really don't know what my life would be like if I couldn't journal.  This is such a sweet thing for me.  I can sit down armed with my journal and a pen and it's as though the world stops to allow me to write down bits and pieces of my life.  I love how my pen takes control and sometimes I didn't even know that I was feeling a certain way until my pen scrolls it across the paper.  I love how freeing and healing journaling can be for me.  And I love having a record to go back and see where I was at, where I am, what I have learned and what I continue to stumble and struggle with.  My closet is lined with these spiral bound books that spell out the life and stories of Jen's Journeys....

Thankful for TODAY 7.7.11

1) My job.  Today I was thinking back on Fall two years ago when I was unemployed and didn't know what I was going to do.  I have been at my job for almost 18 months now and I know that for this season it is where I was suppose to be.  I really do enjoy what I do and when it is my time to go (which an insider tip told me may be sooner than later!!!!!!) I will be very sad.  I am so thankful that I continue to find favor wherever the Lord places me.

2) Mexican food!  Today for lunch we went to Uncle Julio's and it was so good!  SIDE NOTE:  I'm finding that I am often thankful for food on here!  What can I say?!?! Sometimes the meals are the most important part of my day!

3) Pandora Radio.  This has become my new favorite thing in the world.  Now that I have my own office, it can get so quiet!  I have become a big fan of pandora radio.  Last month I ran out of my free listening hours and had to pay but it was so worth it.  I thought the options they give are very fun though.  They say you can listen to 40 hours of music a month and after those 40 hours you can pay $1 to listen unlimited amounts of music for the rest of that month  OR you can pay $36 and listen to unlimited music all the time for a year. You do the math... I think I'll just pay the extra $1 each month I need more listening time!

4) Kate's Summer Mix!  My friend Kati, who now wants me to call her Kate (It's like in 4th grade when I started making everyone calling me Jen-I!) made me a mixed CD for the summer.  It has truly brought me joy whenever I am listening to it.  It has become  the soundtrack of Summer 2011

5) Being able to have time in the mornings to just sit (or lay in most cases) and just be still.  I love that with my job I don't typically need to rush to get to work at a certain time (because I will no doubt stay much past 5:00 as evidenced last night when when I rolled into my apt at 10:30).  I love that  I can just be still in the mornings, I can pray, I can journal, I can drink a cup of Chai  made with my Keurig (which I am LOVING), and I can just not be rushed.  It was been such a sweet blessing to start my days like this!

Thankful for TODAY 7.2.11

1) Being able to sleep in! I woke up at 7:30 this morning and took Daisy out and then jumped back into bed and didn't get out of bed till 11:47 when I put on my swimsuit and headed to the pool... Oh how I love Saturdays!

2) Floaties! Kati and I spent hours laying on our floaties in the pool soaking in the sun today. I love the pool but it is so HOT that I can only lay out for about 2.5 minutes before I need to get into the water! With my floatie I am constantly in the water, but slightly above the water also! It is the most amazing thing! You can lay out and never get too hot because you are in the water! It was great!

3) A good hat! Sometimes the hair is out of control and I just don't want to deal with it and need a good cover up... today I found a great one while out shopping!

4) Cute shoes in a size 5! Ok I think it is physically impossible for me to not buy a cute pair of shoes if they come in a size five. I saw these ones today and they caught my eye cause they were so small I was hoping to see the sweet # 5 on the bottom... and I did! I slipped them onto my feet and they fit amazingly! I stood there debating with myself if I really needed them and if I could afford them. I decided to put them down and walk away fast. I didn't get very far though... it was as though there was some magical force that was pulling me back to that store. I decided I would eat bread and water for the next week and purchased the shoes! Aren't they cute?!?!

5) The sweet (and yet totally crazy at times) story that the Lord has given me. I spent a large part of the day with my friend Kati. We spent hours on our floaties and then met up at Roots (It's becoming my Saturday night tradition!). Throughout the day I found myself telling Kati stories about my life that she did not know... That I dated Al Capone's great nephew, that I was poisoned in college, that size 5 shoes have a special power over me and so much more. I was reminded today of how much God has done in my life and how many crazy stories I have. I truly think I should write a book. I love how God continues to write my story!

The life of a roadie....

I am bypassing my Thankful for Today because the majority of the things on the list today happened all within the same context. So instead I am going to give you a glimpse into the life of a roadie!

My dear friend Kati has a boyfriend.... and her boyfriend plays in a band (well really multiple bands, but that's beside the point!) In the last three days I have seen him play twice! Apparently that makes me a roadie! It has been super fun, but tonight was just simply a great night.

Kati and I trekked over to Dallas this evening and met up with The Band at Lockharts (an amazing BBQ joint I might add!). We found the prime table and took our seats waiting for the show to start. Behind us we hear "Are you wearing a Yankee shirt?" (a older man had just walked in wearing jeans, a Yankees t-shirt and suspenders) "What are you wearing? Can you believe what he is wearing" and then in a softer tone..."Are ya'll with the band?" and we turned around (first mistake...) we answered "Yes we are!" (engaging in conservation, mistake #2...), We have now instantly made a new "friend" for the night with the women behind us. We find out that she is from Fort Worth and at this point I am positive she is a client at where I work...She wants to know if the band is any good... Which the answer to that is Yes! She then disappears for a bit and the bartender comes over to drop off two CANS of Lonestar beer. We politely say they must be for another table and the bartender says no the lady behind you bought them for you. Neither of us really drink beer so we tell them no thanks!

Well anyhow the show was amazing! Our friend continued to heckle the band and making song requests that they did not know and got upset when they wouldn't play the Winnie the Pooh song. While Kati and I stood in line to order our food (did I mention the food was amazing?!?) she said that it was great that we were roadies for the band but it must be hard because as roadies we must really sacrifice lot for the band!

The night all in all was great! Great friends (Theresa and Jason joined us which was super great!), great food, great music and great entertainment! I am just thankful for great nights such as this one!