Our San Francisco Treat

Well hello! We are recuperating from our AWESOME trip to San Francisco! Typically every Memorial Day weekend we take a trip with Grant's family, and this year was no exception. We had a wonderful time. None of us, except Ronda, had ever been there before. On the flight up, Grant and I were having a very mature discussion about what we knew about the city. We both decided that we knew the following facts about the city by the bay: Rice-a-Roni, Trolleys, Full House, Alcatraz, Mrs. Doubtfire. That was pretty much it! :) It was VERY COLD there! I was so surprised. I kept forgetting I was in "Sunny California". I felt like I was up north somewhere. It was windy beyond windy, which resulted in a not-so-great hair trip for Jen. But that's okay!

Here is a cool pic of the city... sooo many hills!

Craziest thing in the world! On my first day there, Grant and I were walking down a busy street and I walked RIGHT INTO my friend Laura that I have known since the 5th grade! I haven't seen her in years! We kinda just stood there and stared at each other for a few minutes with our jaws dropped! Turns out she goes to grad school there but it was SO surreal! I was like, "GRANT, YOU HAVE TO TAKE OUR PICTURE!" I mean what are the odds?!?

We headed on down to Fisherman's Wharf, which may have been my favorite place. There were hundreds upon hundreds of sea lions that were immensely entertaining. I could've stared at them all day. They really needed 2 things in life, 1. To take a nap. and 2. To take a nap in the space they wanted to nap in.

Here is hubby looking out to Alcatraz.

This very well may have been the highlight of our trip. This is where they filmed the opening to Full House!!!!!!! They had a picnic right there on that grass! Grant and I sang the theme song the whole time! "Everywhere you look...."

Here we are in front of the Golden Gate Bridge! Note: I apologize profusely for my hair in this picture. Like I said, it was windy. I am kinda regretting posting this pic for all the world to see, but the background is cute. Maybe I should photoshop myself out of it :)
Pretty!
Grant's sweet parents! I think this is an adorable picture of them! We were so blessed to be taken on such a fun trip, thanks mom and dad!
The bridge again...

On Sunday we went to Muir Woods and got to really enjoy much of the Lord's creation. These redwood trees were insanely huge.

So pretty!
Me and Ronda inside of a tree, and very cold.....
Baby deer....
Grant & Jen in the Forest

Anyhoo, it was a wonderful trip, and we are so grateful to Grant's parents for our San Francisco treat! We are about to head out to dinner with some friends cause TODAY IS GRANT'S BIRTHDAY! So I gotta go. I've missed ya'll!

David vs. David

Alrighty.... here's my recap.....

1. I am so thankful that they stopped with the boxing analogies tonight. I was getting physically ill with all the boxing gloves, boxing rings, boxing advice, and boxing analogies of last night.

2. I am not thankful for Amanda Overmyer and her nasal voice. Did anyone else think that she clearly did not want to be there?

3. I am thankful for Renaldo, my best friend forever. His marching band was also fabulous. Kudos to them for staying on beat when Renaldo clearly could not do the same.

4. I am thankful for Michael Johns. He left too soon. I hope to see more of him.

5. I am not thankful for George Michael and his forever long song and his awful sunglasses. I thought I was watching a Saturday Nite Live Sketch. Except it wasn't funny. I yelled "I'm bored!!!" atleast 3 times.

6. I am thankful for Jason Castro and Brooke White. Although I felt for her, since the producers chose Graham Nash as her singing partner. What in the....?!?

7. I am not thankful for Fantasia's crayon red hair.

8. I am thankful for Jack Black and his hysterical dance moves. I LOL'd the whole time!!!!

9. I am not thankful for David Archuleta's take at the "Risky Business" guitar hero commercial. I felt awkward watching it. And I'm pretty sure that those boxers felt awkward being in it as well.

10. I am thankful for Paula's red dress.

11. I am not thankful for the producers..... they decided that for the biggest night in cable television, our guest performers should be: Seal, Donna Summer, ZZ Top, Bryan Adams, Graham Nash, One Republic, The Jonas Brothers, and George Michael. Um.... okay.

12. I am thankful for the sweet elderly woman named Pat that Ryan found in the audience. I was especially pleased with her red suit and burgundy hand bag.

13. I am not thankful for Jordin Sparks' gold dress, nor am I thankful for the length of Carrie Underwood's white dress (?). Maybe it wasn't supposed to be a dress. Maybe it was the jacket to a woman's business suit and she just forgot to put her pants on.

14. I am thankful for Simon telling Cook that he was almost being disrespectful last night and apologizing. I appreciate that and I think Cookie did too.

15. I am not thankful for Randy's red suit.

16. I am thankful for the package of bad auditions they showed, especially the one with the girl who is "going into actressing".

17. I am not thankful for the moment of the evening when Ryan said "And the winner.... of American Idol.......... 2008...... isss........................." and then MY DVR SHUT OFF!!!!

18. I am not thankful for my husband LAUGHING HYSTERICALLY like the wicked witch of the west when this happened.

19. I am not thankful that I almost cursed. Almost. Don't judge me.

20. I am thankful for my quick remote skills of switching to a live Fox station and catching the tail end of the rejoicing.

21. I am thankful that David Cook WON!!!

22. I am thankful that Cookie was so gracious and sweet throughout the final song and kept tugging Archuleta on stage.

23. I am not thankful that David Cook's first single contains a lyric about a magic rainbow.

24. I am thankful for the tender moment when Cookie's brother mouthed "That's my brother!!" into the camera.

25. I AM THANKFUL THAT AMERICAN IDOL IS OVER AND I CAN GET ON WITH MY LIFE!!!!!

:) Love ya'll.

Our New Normal

New grocery store. New church. New jobs. New address. New mexican food restaurant. New curtains. New routine. New normal.

We are beginning week three of Houston living. Things are slowly ironing out into a new normal. Today we went to our new church. We sat with new people and heard a new pastor. (Loved him!). We sang new worship songs and I wore some new earrings. (Irrelevant, but still...) and we took the puppy to a new dog park after church. He had a ball and ran and played with other puppies as if he was never sick this week! He just bounced back!

My new job is.... overwhelming. But I think that I could be really really good at it. I picked up on everything quickly and all my co-workers are incredibly nice. They are much more strict about things than my last job, but I am confident that God has me there for a reason!

We saw Prince Caspian this weekend. Highly recommended! It is, at its core, a war movie, so don't be expecting a feel good comedy. But I appreciate the metaphors and I truly believe that the title character looks a heck-of-a-lot like my brother in law, Jeremy. So that was fun for me. No one else sees the resemblance though. ARE YOU PEOPLE BLIND?!?!

Yesterday I ate at Red Robin with my mom, my sister, and the Parker. We had a ball!

Anyways, I wanna give a shout out to Lindsee, my college graduate! I AM SO PROUD OF YOU LINDS!!! And to all the other grads out there, way to go! :)

I hope you all have a blessed week, whatever your "normal" may be!

Moxie Update!

HE'S HOME!

Your prayers worked, my friends!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Shortly after I posted this morning's prayer request, Grant went to the pet hospital to check on our little guy. The barium they gave Moxie suddenly started getting into his large intestines... they think the amount of the barium flushed the obstruction out. He is home with us now and he is very tired. His little paw is all bandaged up from the IV and he is kinda loopy.

And to give God a little more glory, our brand new veterinarian (who we LOVE!!!!) took $500 off of our bill! He said that he took far more x-rays than necessary because he felt so bad for us, and that he wasn't going to charge us for all of that! LOVE HIM! Thank you LORD!!

So anyways, we are having some great family time here at home. It is our first night for us all to be together in over a week. When I got back from Vegas, Grant was in Tulsa on a business trip and when he came home Moxie was in the hospital.

Also, is anyone else a little dissapointed that Jim didn't propose to Pam?!?

Prayer Please!!

Hello friends! Grant and I are getting ready for work but I had to take a minute to ask you for your prayers!

Yesterday morning, our Moxie fox got really really sick. I took him to the vet yesterday afternoon and he spent the night there in the "pet hospital" sedated with an IV drip. The doctor did some x-rays and called me last night. He thinks that Moxie has an obstruction in his intestines and that he will most likely have surgery today.

Our little guy is really really not feeling well and we want him to feel better!! Maybe he won't even have to have surgery! Grant is going to go by the vet's office this morning to see the x-rays that the doctor is going to do again this morning to see if anything has changed.

I know it sounds kinda silly to be asking for prayer for a dog, but this is the closest thing we have to a child and we are highly attached :)

Thanks, love ya'll. Here is a picture of Moxie looking out the window, waiting for his dad to get home from work! :)

Getting Into A Routine

Hi!

So we are back from Vegas! We had a blast.... and about 30 minutes before we left to go there I got a phone call and a JOB OFFER! :) I start tomorrow. So things in our house are going to get back into a routine. Believe it or not, I have desperately missed having a routine and am actually looking forward to starting again!

Now I can't do an entire Vegas update with all of its necessary photos, I just don't have the time today. But I had to share this video with you.

A little background info: We did ALOT of walking in Vegas. I mean miles upon miles. And I am not even kinda exaggerating. Our feet got all swollen, but no one's feet swelled as much as our sweet Lindsee.

Joanna and Lindsee were having a discussion about the phenomenon that is Lindsee's swollen feet. I was getting so tickled that I decided to pull out my camera. The girls had NO IDEA that they were being recorded. I just needed everyone to listen to this hilarity that I get to listen to when I am with those girls :) I tried to stay quiet but you can hear me laughing from time to time..... you gotta love Girl's Weeked! Enjoy the video!

Girls Weeked Minus One

It's happening! In the midst of all my moving-to-Texas madness, Girls Weeked 08 is upon us! We are flying out to the great state of Nevada tomorrow!!!

Me, Linds, Jo, are heading out to Vegas! Our sweet Sally typically joins us, but her prego self is in North Africa and this would be a hard trip for her to make.

WE WILL MISS YOU SWEET SALLY ANN!!! KISS THAT LITTLE BOY FOR US!! AUNTIE JEN, AUNTIE LINDS, AND AUNTIE JO MISS YOU PRECIOUS JUDE! And can I just say that we are so excited to meet baby Brennan and see pictures of that sweet face!

So off to Vegas we go. Which is kinda funny, cause we aren't gamblin' kinda girls. And we aren't nightclub kinda girls. We are shopping kinda girls. And food. And slumber parties. AND OH YEAH!!!! We are going to see the Cirque du Soleil show "LOVE"!!!!

We are so excited!! Many many pictures when we get back!

Love ya'll!

How to Make Your Husband Happy

Scene: On the couch, watching a little television after you've eaten a yummy homemade Cinco de Mayo mexican meal. The immense amount of cheese and carbohydrates have not satisfied your hunger. Something even more sugary and unhealthy is required.



As you walk into the kitchen to begin your search, husband asks, "Hey honey, could you toss me a Swiss Cake Roll?". You scoff at your husband's deep love for Little Debbie Snacks, even though you secretly wish you had an Oatmeal Cream Pie in the pantry.



As you look for a Swiss Cake Roll, you have to move the box of graham crackers out of the way. Lightbulb moment: GRAHAM CRACKERS. Check. MARSHMALLOWS. Check. HERSHEY BAR. Check. SMORES!!!!! Holla!!!!!



No need for a campfire. You have a microwave.



Unwrap graham crackers. Get out two little plates and place graham cracker on each. One for you, one for husband. Open Hershey's bar. Eat three of those little pre-divided rectangular nuggets of heaven. Okay, eat four... you know, just to make it even. We all have our cross we must bear.



Break off a "square" of chocolate and place it on graham cracker. Oops! You didn't break the chocolate evenly! Simple solution: just place smaller amount of chocolate on husband's graham cracker. Place the bigger one on your graham cracker. And then, break off the part that is left over on the chocolate bar, you know, just to make it even. We all have our cross we must bear.



Open Jet-puffed marshmallows. Eat 2. Okay, eat 3. Place one marshmallow on piece of chocolate. Place plates in microwave.



Set time for 20 seconds. Stand in front of the microwave and watch the marshmallow gooey goodness rise up and explode over the chocolate. Take plates out of microwave.



"Whatcha doin babe?" asks husband.



"Making you something so much better than a Swiss Cake Roll!" you reply.



Place remaining Graham cracker on top.



Bring plate to husband.



"Is this a smore?!?" he asks.



"Yep".



"Oh my gosh babe"



"I hope you like it"



"Oh my gosh, this is soooooo good. You should do this every night!!!"



"Good, I'm glad you like it!"



"This is so messy!"



"Haha, you're making quite the mess!"


"It's all over my face, and I don't even care. Seriously I just got melted chocolate on my jeans, and I don't even care"



"Okay sweety"



"Babe, you've gotta eat one of these"



"Oh, alright...... I guess I'll eat one too. I had made this second one for you, but I guess I will eat it"



"It's so good!"



"Good honey...."

We're Here!

Well Lordy be! I am blogging to you from my apartment here in HOUSTON Texas! It's all said and done.

It has been nothing short of a stressful week, but everything is beginning to calm down. Boxes are unpacked, closet is organized, groceries have been purchased, and I just kissed my husband goodbye as he left for work at his brand spankin-new job! (Say a little prayer for him this morning please!)

The past week has been an absolute whirlwind. I worked at my last job Monday and Tuesday. It is so weird to think that I don't work there anymore! I find myself making a mental note to "check on this" or "look into that" for certain clients. And then, I realize that they aren't my problem anymore! WEIRD!

We had dinner with Grant's whole family Wednesday night. It was delicious and a nice time. Thursday Grant's mom was our absolute life saver. She came out to help us pack and clean and she was amazing!! I could not have done that without her. We are so grateful for you!! Thursday night after the entire apartment was emptied out (sad) we spent the night at Chase and Ronda's (cause we had no bed) and Katie and Mo joined us to eat some dinner and watch The Office. That was a really sweet time, although many tears were shed.

I never realized I would be so sad to say goodbye to our first apartment. That was OUR first home. The place where Grant and I lived together for the very first time. Just a little sentimental, I guess.

But now we are here. A 6 hour car drive, with a U-Haul truck, towing Grant's Civic, with Moxie in my passenger seat (who got car sick at a really inconvenient moment) and we are all moved in.

I love our new place! It is much MUCH smaller but somehow a bit more functional. We would not have survived without a storage unit. My mom met us out here and helped me unpack on this leg of the trip. (I must say, it truly is wonderful to have moms on both ends!!).

Last night I unpacked a box and found the cord to my camera! So I should be posting many many pics soon.

Thank you all for your sweet emails and comments. Your prayers were definitely felt and the stress melted away! I've missed you, precious friends!