Are you my friend??

On Facebook that is... or Myspace... either one.

Wendy and I were talking today about how Facebook makes us feel like we are back in Jr. High. We went to a relativley small school where everyone pretty much knew who everyone was but might not have necessarily been friends. There are so many people on Facebook that I know but don't necessarily know and I'm thinking, "Well, I'd like to be their friend, but what if they don't like me or worse don't even know who I am?" And then we have the other end of the spectrum... Those people who you thought you knew but haven't asked to be your friend yet. I'm thinking, "Ugh! Why did she ask her to be her friend but hasn't asked me?" And far be it from me to ask them to be my friend. They might not remember me!

See what I'm going through??? I'm sure you're thinking, "I wish I had time to worry about such silly things!" Well, this week I'm in my "eh, I don't care about work" stage. Next week, I won't have time to worry about Facebook anymore!!!

Kids

Not having any children of my own I live vicariously through my friends who have children. I feel like I know Gina and Wendy's kids better than they do sometimes!

I called Wendy's phone today and Hope (second oldest with the greatest socks ever...) answered.

Me: Who is this?

Hope: Hope Fowler.

Me: Do I know you?

Hope: (laughing) Yes you know me aunt Jennifer.

Me: Do I like you?

Hope: (sigh) Yes aunt Jennifer. Do you want to talk to mommy? (I think at this point she was a little put out with me because I interruped her TV watching)

Me: Yes, where is she?

Hope: She's in bed.

Me: Okay, well, will you tell her to call me once she gets up?

Hope: Yes.

Me: Okay, but if you forget I'm not going to buy you a birthday present.

Hope: You never do anyway!

She had me there. I always have the best of intentions but fall short every year of fulfilling my goal of sending cards and money and all that good stuff.

Wendy called me back a few minutes later and I told her that I would have to buy Hope a birthday present now. She informed me that I also had to buy Bethany one because evidentially Hope was bragging about her present that she has not even received yet (and her birthday is in October) and Bethany ran into Wendy's room crying because Hope wouldn't share her present with her.

Ashlyn informed Wendy that I had to buy Bethany a gift as well. No problem. To find out just how cute Bethany (and all the other girls are for that fact) is, check out her blog http://allgirlhomeschool.blogspot.com/

My first big girl Christmas tree!

Jeff and I spent our first Thanksgiving in our new home and I still love it! Haven't found anything to complain about except for the fact that the water hook ups by the washing machine are backwards and I was washing my should be in cold things in hot for a couple of days before I realized it. Yeah. Not good. But other than that it's all awesome!

We got some snow yesterday, but I forgot to take a picture! The first snow in my new house and I didn't even photograph it for posterity. I'm going to be a terrible parent. "Oh, the baby's walking? I can't find the camera. I'll just have to remember it and tell people all about it."

The night before Thanksgiving Jeff and I put up our Christmas tree! It's so pretty! I say it's my first big girl Christmas tree because it's the first one I've had that doesn't sit on a table top :-) The pic is a little fuzzy, but you get the idea. Oh, and that's my first big girl fireplace beside it.

I voted

I feel like such a grown up everytime I exercise my right as an American... blah, blah, blah... :-)

So, I left work early on Tuesday to cast my ballot. Well, I actually used the electronic thing, not even considering all the icky fingers that had touched it during the hours before me. But luckily the nice lady cleaned it off with a wipy thing for me. Made me feel a little better about it. Who the heck knew there were so many people running for president? Wonder if I had known about any of them if I would have liked them more than the guy I voted for?

There were so many things that I did not have a clue as to what they were on that darned thing! And being relativley new to the area I had no idea who any of the local candidates were, save one guy who was running for mayor. He is a bus boy at The Village Inn, and is supposedly a really good one. But alas, I did not vote for him because he had some crazy sounding name that I can't recall right now. I honestly don't even remember who I voted for... I am a terrible voter.

After that I headed to Blockbuster to rent a movie as I did not want to watch the election coverage all night long. I rented Get Smart in hopes it would take my mind off the craziness of my week. Let me just tell you. I was sorely disappointed. Jeff and I turned it off about half way through and ended up watching the election coverage! And I HEART Steve Carrell! Just was not good...

OH! My best friend Wendy had her fifth daughter today. That's right. I said FIFTH DAUGHTER. Her name is Audrey Shayne. Isn't that the cutest name evah?? I had previously claimed that name for my puppy that Jeff keeps saying he will get me but has yet to follow through on, but I guess I can easily find another one. I will get to meet her this weekend and I can't wait! I'll have to post all kinds of pictures when I get back.

Until then...

I got married

Finally. After 32 years of searching, and prayin, and hopin and dreamin... I had the wedding of my dreams that I never knew I wanted. That's so hard to imagine, but there is nothing I would have changed. Well, one thing. I would have made someone pack us a picnic lunch with some of the bazillion finger foods we had left over. I think I had three egg rolls. There was so much yumminess that I didn't get to partake in! Oh, well. It was perfect otherwise :-)

Here's my cake. It was so yummy.

Here's me & Carter, the ring boy. We have more pics of him at our reception than we do of ourselves!!!

And I would LOVE to post more pics, but for some reason the all knowing blogger gods are not allowing me to...

So, in addition to getting married, we just bought our first house! I'm sooo essited!

Ain't it beautiful????

I love surveys!

I "borrowed" this from Anitas site, and she says there are a few missing. I agree with her that they must not have been important...

1.Would you bang your neighbor? That's just adolescent and gross. I can't think of a single person I would ever "bang".

2. What word describes your relationship? mature

3. What does the 3rd text on your phone say? Gina told me that Mike went to Conoco with his hiccups and they told him to drink water through a dishtowel and it worked.

4. What's the last movie you saw? let's see... in the theater I think Juno and on DVD Across the Universe

5. I've come to realize the last person who held my hand is... my boyfriend :-)

6. When's the last time you danced? Oh, Lord... at Tula's wedding. I felt like an idiot.

7. Who have you talked to most today? I'm with Anita on this one... Myself!

8. Do you carve pumpkins every year? No, never have

9. Color of your underwear? they are pink and green

10. Color of your shirt? black

11. I'm always..thinking about work these days :-(

12. Who's on speed dial 2? 4? 6? mom, Wendy, Jeff (in that order... not sure why Jeff is 6...)

13. Honestly, how many boys/girls have you been in love with? Well, maybe 2, but for sure at least 1 :-)

14. What's your favorite season? Spring

15. How do you feel right now? not sure

16. Are you a bad influence? I jokingly say that I am as far as shopping goes... everyone around me seems to pick up that bad habit from me!

17. Been drunk in the last week? um... no. Or the week before that... or the week before that...

18. Do you play Texas Hold 'Em ? Nope. You know playing cards is a sin ;-) HA!

19. Would you do anything for someone else? I might

20. Have you ever been called a bitch? Not to my face, but I'm sure it's happened... probably a couple of times today!

21. Beer or Wine? blah! Neither!

22. What is your ringtone? Crazy by Fergie

23. What song is on? None... it's a commercial. But that kid on American Idol was just singing "Don't you remember you told me you loved me baby..."

24. Are your grades good? of course

25. Do you hate anyone/anything? I think I hate Paris Hilton

26. Does your best friend have a myspace? yes, but she never checks it

27. Do you have a secret? Yes, and it's KILLING ME!

28. Last time you went out to lunch? Today with Ken

29. How old are you? I am 31. For 4 more days.

30. Is today a good day? It was pretty good.

31. What's your nickname? Jen

32. Been to a concert in the past 6 months? No

33. Do you have one or more Britney Spears cd? Lord no

34. What did you do last night? Sat on my couch, chatted with Gina and watched a show on Sasquatch

35. Do you like drunk girls/guys? Not at all

36. Say you were given a drug test right now. Would you pass or fail? I'd pass with flying colors

37. Do you have a song by Ozzy Osbourne in your library? Nope

42. What's the last thing you bought? Pantyhose. What a life.

43. What's the last thing someone bought you? Jeff bought me dinner this weekend.

44. Do you ever sing in the shower? I can't say that I do

44. Whats your favorite movie? Dirty Dancing and now Juno

48. Do you believe everyone has a soulmate? Not sure about that

49. Can you sing? They tell me that I can

53. Are you ever a freak about cleanliness or organization? Have you ever seen my house? I think it's plain to see that the answer is NO.

54. Have you ever been to South America or Africa? No

55. Do you know how to knit? No, but it's the cool thing to do these days. I should learn how

56. Do you have a job? Only because I need money to survive.

58. What are you doing right now besides this survey? chatting with Gina and watching
American Idol

60. Baskin Robbins or Coldstone? really neither. Not a huge ice cream eater

61. Physics or chemistry? Neither

65. G's or R's? That's a stupid question

66. Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, or Star Wars? Harry Potter... I have an inappropriate crush on HP.

67. Fly or road trip? After having recently been on a 17 hour flight, I'm going to have to go with road trip.

68. Batman, Spiderman, or Superman? Batman- the George Clooney flavor, please.

69. What's your favorite Disney movie? Little Mermaid

70. What are your plans for tonight? This is about it!

Better Late Than Never

My dear friend Anita reminded me that I haven't posted about my trip. So, while I'm sitting here waiting to see if my boyfriend George Clooney wins another Academy Award I'll fill you in! I tried to write this right after I got back but I hit the wrong button and it all went away and I got frustrated and forgot to come back. But seeing as how this award show will never end I'm sure I'm going to have plenty of time now!

We started off by having a surprise layover in Seoul, Korea. Our flight from Kansas City was delayed and so we missed our connecting flight to Bangkok, so Korean Airlines put us up in a great hotel in the heart of downtown Seoul. It was a welcomed surprise. It was so cold, though, and since we were on our way to the beach neither of us brought a coat, so we weren't able to explore as much as we would have liked to. But we did have a Korean Starbucks and that helped warm me up a bit :-)

This was the best part of Seoul. The Pasta Cone. Jeff wouldn't eat one even though I told him that my friend Gina is going to want to know what they tasted like.

Bangkok- ugh. Not my favorite place in the world. Wouldn't mind if I never went there again. It was dirty and smelly and icky and I just didn't like it. I'm sure it was a combination of jet lag and culture shock, but I cried most of the first day. Poor Jeff. I was trying to figure out ways to get back to America and he was trying to hold me together. He was so sweet and promised to protect me. Oh, and we had McDonalds in Bangkok. You'll be glad to know that McDonalds is McDonalds no matter what country you're in. Well, they did have this chocolate banana pie that looked a whole lot like pot roast in a fried pie... not very appealing...

This is the Grand Palace in Bangkok. I was so scared getting there that I seriously tried to get back home ASAP!

This was my solace in Bangkok.

Phuket- Oh, Phuket... How I long to be back on your warm beaches... The resort we stayed in was gorgeous- Five Star- and the beds were so comfy! I didn't even want to get out of the room it was so great. We ate on the beach every meal (jealous much?) for about $5. I got to play in the ocean (just up to my neck, of course) and the most beautiful infinity pool I've ever seen.

This was the view from my room. Yes, I woke up to this everyday. Hard life. I know.

This is my favorite picture from the trip. We were on a beach named Krabi. Breathtaking.

I got to ride an elephant. This is not a picture of me acutally on the elephant, but I am touching an elephant here. I swear I rode one. A big one.

This is me on a boat. With no life jacket. And my best cheesy smile. I'd ride a boat to see that beauty any day!

Here's me & Jeff at the resort. Aren't we just cute?

And finally....

Need I say more????

There's so much more, but my boyfriend just lost to Daniel Day Lewis who, btw did a FABULOUS job on There Will Be Blood. His award was well deserved. But I'm kinda bummed that cute little Ellen Page didn't win for Juno. That is by far my favorite movie of the past year. If you haven't seen it you really should. Jeff & I have seen it twice. I've seen all the nominated movies except for Atonement- not a Kiera Knightly fan... And now I've stayed up until the last award. Well past my bedtime. But yay for No Country For Old Men. Another great movie.

So, I'll go to bed for now and post some more pics here in the next couple of days. Have a great Monday!

Have you ever

Tried to find a dress to wear to a wedding in another country with customs you have no idea about?! All that I know is that I can't wear black. Have you tried to find a "fancy" dress lately that's not black? OMG. I have searched the world wide web over, ordered two different dresses that will be returned, bought one dress for 50% off at Dress Barn but am not really crazy about it because, alas, it looks kinda black although it is brown. I finally found one that's purple & blue, but I'm afraid it's going to be too revealing up top. Guess I'm just going to have to cancel my trip and find something else to do.

And, have you ever tried shopping for someone who really doesn't NEED anything, WANT anything or DESERVE anything? Just kidding about the last one. Of course he deserves stuff! But really! I can't think of a thing to buy the BF. I got him a couple of shirts & a sweater but that's boring. I need something fun & cool. You know, like me! :-) Wonder what he's gonna buy me???

Things That I Will Do Differently...

Growing up I am sure that all of us thought, and probably said out loud, "I will never make my children do this!" or "My children will never do that!" I mostly say the latter while in Wal Mart and listening the kid in the next aisle pitching a fit because mom won't buy them the latest, hottest toy. And what I love is when mom says, "If you don't stop right now we are going to leave this store." Um, hello, do you really think that kid WANTS to be spending an hour at Wal Mart? That's exactly what they want. To LEAVE! So do us all a favor. Go ahead and go! Now, I am obviously not talking about any of your children... I love them all and would be happy to have them pitch a fit with me at Wal Mart :-)

Having said that (and apparently gotten it off my chest) I have a list of things that I will do differently with my children...

1. I will not allow my children to drop out of piano lessons. I stopped my freshman year of high school and regret it everyday. How I wish I could sing and play at the same time...
2. I will ensure that my children get proper dental care and attention as needed. I will also make sure that they know important it is to brush their teeth!
3. I will encourage my children to participate in extracurricular activites, i.e. sports, dance, choir, girl scouts/boy scouts, etc.
4. I will encourage my children to run for student government offices in their school.
5. I will not make my children sing in the talent show if they have no singing abilities. What is more painful than that???
6. I will document their every move with pictures, videos, programs, etc.
7. I will expose my children to culture. They WILL love Broadway shows.
8. I will make sure that they listen to music from previous generations.
9. I will make sure that they know the old hymns of the church.

Obviously there are/will be many other things, but these are just a few things I'm thinking about right now. Now, I'm not promising I'm going to be a great mom... We had a baby in the office yesterday who slobbered all over my sleeve and I nearly gagged... Everyone says that it's different when it's your own child, but I'm not so sure about that...

I'm Back!

But I make no promises that I'll be back tomorrow :-) I keep thinking that I'll be better about blogging, but I never really get around to it for some reason.

Let's see... First things first... the job. It's going really well. I'm having to go through new worker training and it's about to drive me CRAZY, but other than that it's pretty good. I have no idea why I went to school for 4 years to take a job and have someone re-teach you everything you learned. Seriously, the first six weeks of this stupid training was about human development, child development, communication... blah, blah, blah. Such a waste of my time. But, whatever. I'm getting paid for it, so who cares.

hmm... Jeff & I just celebrated our first anniversary! It's been a whole year. In a way it seems like such a short time, but in other ways I feel like I've known him forever. He still makes me smile, so here's to another year!

Oh, so I went to the dentist yesterday. I just LOVE going to the dentist (HA!). He took one look in my mouth and asked, "Have you ever been seen by an orthodontist?" Now people, I never thought my teeth were that bad. Granted, I hate the color of my teeth and am really self concious about them, but I guess they are way worse than I thought. I have no idea how I would ever be able to pay for braces, but looks like I'm going to have to start saving my pennies. My childhood dentist always told me that I needed to either marry Troy Aikman or a dentist, and seeing as how Troy seems to be taken, guess I should start hanging out at the local dental school...

Starting over again again...

Since last I wrote so much has happened! Let's see... I did meet Jeff's parents and brother and two cousins, a cousin's husband and a cousin's daughter. Yeah, more than I thought. Oh, and did I mention that I was sooo sick that I thought I was going to die? I was on my second round of antibiotics and for those of you who know me, know that I get this throat thing where I cannot swallow 'cause my tonsils swell up so much. Yeah. I lost 12 lbs. during my illness 'cause I had absolutley no desire to swallow. My mommy had to come up to take care of me! Needless to say, I did get better. But I digress... I met his parents and his mom said, "Well, I just think she's darling. I like her." And they were so great as well.

On to the starting over again again part. So, I am moving! I have taken a job with the Arkansas Department of Human Services and I will be serving as a supervisor in the Dept. of Children and Family Services. I'm really excited, but nervous all at the same time. I will be moving to Fayetteville which is about an hour away, which means that I'll be about an hour away from Jeff, but we're totally okay with that. We don't see each other a whole lot during the week so seeing each other on the weekends is no big deal. We kinda like each other so everything is going to be great. In fact, there are times when I think he's more excited about it than me!

In the meantime, I have to start packing my two bed room, two bathroom, two living area, two CLOSET apartment for my new, one small bedroom, one small living room, one bathroom, ONE CLOSET apartment. Yeah, you read correctly. One closet. I am going to have to get rid of about 2/3 of all my belongings. But I'm excited about it 'cause I've been wanting to downsize, so I guess my wish is going to come true! So, I'll keep you posted on the progress!

Ghost Tours & Vacations

My parents & brother were in town last week and Brandon decided he wanted to go on a ghost tour at The Crescent Hotel, which is one of the most haunted hotels in the country. Ahem... Needless to say, I didn't see no ghosts but I got to hang out with my friend Gina & her husband Mike and my sweet boyfriend. Oh, and Brandon ;-) One thing I did learn is that I guess they aren't called ghosts anymore. Our tour guide referred to them as "out of bodies", so as to not make them mad at me, that is what I shall refer to them as from now on. And it appears you really do not want to make an out of body mad at you or they'll make your life very complicated by doing things such as throwing your laptop across the room or opening your hotel room door while you're taking a shower.

I was beginning to wonder if an out of body had taken over my body. That night when we got home I started running fever and thought I was going to wake up the next morning with the flu, but I was fine the next day, even went to see "Super Bad" with Jeff which is, no doubt, probably the worse movie I've seen in a really long time. As soon as Jeff & I left the theater he looked at me and said, "I owe you big time, huh?" Yep, he does. But anyway, it turns out that I have a nice sinus infection. I came home from work today after 1 hour and 40 minutes and slept most of the day and kinda feel okay now!

So, do you have any big plans for the long weekend coming up? Jeff & I are going to stay with Brandon in Dallas. I'm gonna show him around my neck of the woods. It should be fun... You know, he met daddy last weekend and passed his test. Now it's time for my test! His parents & brother are coming down this weekend... I'm a bit nervous to be honest, but hopefully everything will be great. I'm sure it will. Yeah, it will... :-)

I HAVE come a long way!

I just can't get over the fact that I was actually in the water! This is my cheesy, "I just swam in the water" shot that Gina took. Kinda like a first day of school thing... ;-)

My dear friend Anita posted a comment on my last post saying that I've come a long way and you know what? She's right :-) When I look back on my life before I moved here to Arkansas I can't help but shake my head and wonder what in the world I was waiting for to have a fun life. As I told Anita, I mourn the loss of that time, but look forward to my future of swimming and hiking and eating tomatoes. Oh, yeah. Did I tell you that? I will actually eat a tomato now. Well, I say I will... If it's on something I won't take it off, but I'm not going to ask for them... But still...

Can anyone tell me exactly what this Fantasy Football thing is that has taken over my boyfriend's life? I'm trying really hard to be supportive, but when he tells me that he'd rather do that than, oh MEET MY PARENTS there's a bit of a problem. He didn't really say that, btw... well, not in so many words... but we got it all worked out... well, I got it worked out... not quite so sure about him, but needless to say he'll be meeting my parents and not drafting... I'm such a mean girlfriend.

Speaking of, yes, my sweet boyfriend is meeting the parents this week. Well, he's actually already met my mom and passed her test with flying colors, so the next obstacle is daddy. Oh, and Brandon, who I think is going to be even harder to convince! He's quite protective of me! But I'm sure he'll have no problem. He's great. And I love him and that's pretty much all that matters. What makes me happy makes daddy happy :-)

And last Sunday pastor, after 8 months of silence announced to the church that I had a boyfriend. It went down like this... I was sitting in the congregation instead of the stage like normal and pastor couldn't find me and began to ask where I was. Well, everyone was pointing and he found me and said, "Oh, she's sitting with her sweet boyfriend. Let's talk about you guys... now how long have you been dating?" I was mortified, wondering the whole time, "I wonder who will be the first person to ask when I'm getting married?" and I'll be if someone didn't come up to me as soon as church was out to let me know that she's a wedding planner and when the big day comes she would love to help out in anyway that she could. She asked jokingly, "Can I go ahead and penci you in?"

"Um, no".

Conquering Fears

Those of you who know me well know that I have had a life long fear of water. I nearly drown when I was a kid and since then I've been so afraid of water that I would freak out inside when going over a bridge or feel like I was suffocating if I watched a movie where someone was under water. Like, have you seen "What Lies Beneath"? There's a scene where Harrison Ford gives Michelle Pfifer a pill that parlyzes her and puts her in the tub and turns the water on. I can't watch that scene. I couldn't breathe. I was so afraid for her I had to fast forward that scene.

But I can tell you my friends that I have taken the first step to conquering the biggest fear of my life. My dear friends Mike & Gina took me out on their boat today and "made" me get in the water. Granted, it took me a few minutes to let go of the ladder off the dock, and, granted, I certainly didn't take the life jacket off, but I did at least let go of the ladder and allowed myself to float away from the dock. And then I also got out of the boat in the middle of the lake. Yep. I actually did it. I'm still in shock.

Two years ago I would have probably not even gotten on a boat, much less gotten out of the boat in the middle of the lake. Oh, did I mention that I also wore a bathing suit. Don't ask Mike about it because he'll tell me that I looked like a grandma (which, granted, I kinda did... it was cute when it was dry... it had this little skirt thingie that when wet kinda went down nearly to my knees... guess I'll be getting a new one before my next trip to the lake...) God KNOWS I wouldn't have put a bathing suit on two years ago!

I guess the moral of my story is that I regret so bad letting fear cripple my life for so long. And it's so much more than the fear of water. I have let the fear of rejection keep me from falling in love. I have let the fear of failure keep me from doing so much. Even stupid little things like, oh, I don't know.... hiking... what if I wore the wrong shoes? What if I fall down? Well, I've been hiking and I wore the right shoes and I didn't fall. I was just fine! I've let myself fall in love and I haven't been rejected (and hopefully I won't!)

Is God happy with his children when they let fear control them? Think of all the things I could have accomplished if I had decided years ago to let go and know that it's okay to mess up. It's okay to fall down. What's important is that you get back up again. I have done more things that are not me the past couple of years. My mom sometimes says, "What have you done with my daughter?" I've put her away and replaced her with a confident woman who can't wait to conquer her next big thing!!! Wonder what I should do next????

I am a terrible blogger

Yes, I know. And I've had a lot to say lately, just no time to do it! Like, for example, I'm in love!!! :-) Oh, and my boyfriend is as well :-) I just thought I had been in love before. Nope. But I am now. And, well, I'm sad it took so long!

And it's still really hard for me to believe that someone wants to actually be with me. Like, for example, today is Thursday. Well, BF and I were talking earlier and I told him that I'm really glad tomorrow is Friday and he said that he's glad, too. Well, jokingly I said, "Yeah, you're just glad it's Friday so you can see me!" and he said, "Well, yeah!" He loves me. What can I say?

I was blessed to get to go to the National Worship Leader's Conference in Austin a couple of weeks ago. It was so great. It was such a relief to not have to worry about set lists, giving cues, making sure everyone is on the same page, making sure everyone has what they need in their monitor... Being a worship leader is NOT an easy job! But it was great to just be able to be in services and have the freedom to worship myself. I got to see a lot of great worship artists and rekindled my love for Phillips, Craig and Dean. I came away feeling so refreshed. Unfortunatley it was back to the same congregation on Sunday, but... :-) Maybe next year they can all go with me!

I'm Much Calmer Today...

Hope everyone had a safe & happy 4th! At the last minute BF had to work, so I spent the day doing what every red blooded American woman would... Shopping! Actually, I just spent about an hour out and about. I did find a really cute skirt at Ann Taylor for $9.99. Can't beat that!

I also made it to Barnes and Noble and picked up the latest copy of Texas Monthly. THE Texas Monthly I alluded to in my most recent post. I will say that for the most part the writer did a fine job. He did everything he could to imply her guilt, which I appreciate. However, not sure who, but someone told him a big ole whopping lie about daddy and that doesn't make me very happy. I don't know if he inferred this quote from something that woman said, or since daddy wouldn't talk to him he just made something up, but it burns me up nonetheless. He said something along the lines that while daddy wasn't on call he would run this woman down and tell her that all her life problems would be solved if she would accept Christ. First of all, any of you who know my daddy know that he would NEVER do that to anyone. Second of all, my dad never talked to this woman. I don't even think he knew her. So, there you have it. I think the magazine did a nice job, but really wish they would not have given this woman another 15 minutes of fame. But I guess it's a good story. Much like a Lifetime Movie.

Be sure to pray for me next week. The BF is going out of town and I'm dog sitting. I can barely take care of myself in the mornings and now I'm going to have to get up even earlier and take him outside... well, at least it's not, oh 14 degrees outside like it was the last time I puppy sat while my dear friend Gina was in FLORIDA!!!!

Later!
jen

Angel of Death My Foot!

So, I don't know how many of you actually know this, but my grandfather, my daddy's dad was murdered by a nurse. She calls it a mercy killing. And I guess Texas Monthly sees it that way as well. They have a story about her this month and the title is "Angel of Death". Well, lemme tell you. She was no Angel of anything. She was a murderer. Plain and simple. My grandpa had fallen on the ice and was in the hospital for his hip to the best of my recollection. My dad left the hospital, at which he worked, btw, one evening and grandpa was talking and very lucid. The next day he was dead. This nurse had decided I guess that he was in so much pain that she would just put him out of his misery. And she did the same for quite a few others as well. How nice of her, huh? She was such an angel to not want these people to be in such pain and misery. Man, I'm so glad that she saw it fit that my grandfather's pain was so great that his family could just go on better without him. Why would we want to have to take care of him and love him? Why would we want him to be around to see his grand children get married and his great grand children be born. No. He was in so much pain that there's no way he would have ever enjoyed it. And yet she lives to tell her side of the story. Wonder if she ever talks about the fear in the patients eyes when they suddenly wake up realizing that they can't breathe and that their life is being taken from them. Wonder if she ever thinks about the families, the hundreds of people who have to live every day with the memory of what she did to their loved one? Wonder how she can sleep at night knowing that she single handedly rocked one small town to it's knees with national news coverage? I wonder if she gave them one last chance to say goodbye. Would she have still decided their lives were not as valuable as her own?
Sorry for the heaviness of this post, but wow. Angel of Death.
***I stand corrected. The title of this article is Angel of Death, not Angel of Mercy as I had first posted. The editor of Texas Monthly Magazine let me know that. My apologies to anyone who I may have confused or misqoted or misrepresented.***

What do men have against Dirty Dancing?

So, Friday night the BF & I watched the AFI top 100 movies of all time. Quite an interesting list. I bet I haven't seen like 80% of them. I have some catching up to do. He'd seen probably as many as I hadn't. As we started the show I jokingly said something about Dirty Dancing being on the list. He responded, "If it's on here we'll watch it." Well, needless to say it wasn't so he made it through that one. But that brings me to my bigger question. Just what do men have against Dirty Dancing? I think it's that they are jealous of Johnny getting all the girls like they wish they could do. I just can't believe that it wasn't on the list somewhere...

I have since taken it upon myself to make my own top 100 list. Well, maybe not 100, but how about 10. The Top 10 Chick Flicks of all time. It will be a scientific study, my friends with research, polls and all that other stuff that would make it scientific. Some of the movies that are currently being considered are: Dirty Dancing, Sweet Home Alabama, Gone With The Wind, 13 Going On 30, Sound of Music, Babes In Toyland (the old one, not that one with Keanu Reeves... PULEEZE!), State Fair, anything with George Clooney or Brad Pitt, and the Legally Blonde series. Basically, any movie that your husband or boyfriend rolls his eyes at anytime you mention watching is in the running. Do not take this lightly. It could change the face of modern pop culture as we know it. Just think. Reese Witherspoon could be hosting "The JLR Top 10 Chick Flicks of All Time" on WE any day now... How proud my parents will be.

What is your favorite? Ask your friends. More importantly, ask your significant other what their least favorite movie of all time is. It'll probably end up being #1 on this list!!!

My $1.99 Purse

Inquiring minds want to know just what I fit into a purse that cost $1.99. Well, upon first look I thought it would surely hold all of my necessities, but, alas, it did not hold them very well. It was packed full and, well, let's just say I'm not carrying the $1.99 purse anymore. Maybe I'll send it to one of Wendy's girls. But it was a good thought at the time.

Do you ever wish more than anything that you were anyone or anywhere other than who you are and where you're at right now? Man am I having one of those weeks. I think I need a vacation. Don't know where I'll go, but it's safe to say it'll be far, far away. And I think maybe I'll just go alone. No parents, no boyfriend. Just me & God. Now wouldn't that be a treat. All my mommy friends are so jealous about right now ;-) Like I would ever go anywhere by myself! I won't even go out to eat alone much less take a vacation in an unknown place by myself. But it sounds good nonetheless! I'm going to Austin next month for a conference, but as I've made everyone here at the office aware, it will not be a vacation. I will be working, regardless of what they think! And then my parents are going on vacation sometime and I'll be kitty sitting Madison. While I'm excited about that, I'd much rather be going on vacation!!!

This and That

Well, it's been a few days since I last posted so I thought I'd give you a quick rundown of what's been going on in my life because I know my one reader really cares ;-)

Friday- My awesome BF took me to see my awesome BF George Clooney in Ocean's Thirteen. Although, I must admit that I do prefer my real BF much more than my fake one... Anywhoo... I loved the movie. And, I cannot believe that I'm going to say this, but I almost think that Brad Pitt was hotter than George in this one. Now, I know what you all are thinking. Girl, have you lost your mind! But, wow. There was not much of a difference, but I think I'm going to have to go with Brad in this one. Don't tell George...

Saturday- BF & I started to go to Silver Dollar City but the line was like 2 hours long to even get to the park so we turned around and went to the mall. I bought a purse for $1.99. Can't beat that. So now when I buy the one I really want from Target for $19.99 I'm not going to feel quite so guilty. We then went back to his place and watched The Last King of Scotland. It was so good. I love Forrest Whitaker. He is such a good actor. Oh, and we had chocolate. My favorite. BF knows if he ever wants to make me happy, just feed me chocolate. He's so good to me.

Sunday- Our church had our spring picnic. It was pretty fun. Nothing exciting happened. It was just a picnic. I did find out that I'm going to a wedding on Saturday. It will be mine & the BF's first wedding. Should be interesting...

Until next time!
jen