December 30, 2006....

...was the day I married my best friend.

...was the day that I started the most fun adventure ever

...was the day I woke up sick as a dog and so did the rest of my family

...was the day I wore my very most favorite dress

...was the day that Grant kissed me alot, even though I was still so very sick


...was the day I started "forever"


...was the day I became a woman


...was the day that I made the best decision of my life


...was the day that got to marry my Grant

Happy 3 year Anniversary, dear husband....

Hello, World

As I backed out of my driveway (!!!!) this morning to start my new commute to work, I found myself eager with anticipation to get to my desk. Why would I want to get to work so desperately?

BECAUSE THE OFFICE HAS THE INTERNET.

Oooh y'all, I feel so detached. I don't know what's going on with anybody or anything. Our brand new house (which is AMAZING by the way) has no television (!!!) and no internet (!!!) until a week from today.

Thankfully, this is giving me and Grant alot of time to get some much needed work done around the house. I need to take a moment and just say how thrilled I am to have some SPACE. This whole "there is room for everything" situation is a new feeling for me and I am loving it.

The house is great. We need to paint sometime this week and all.... but we are just so happy. We were so blessed by family this Christmas who gave us plenty of gift cards to put our new home together. I bought a new Welcome mat at Target yesterday that is super cute.

Did you have a wonderful Christmas? Mine was just lovely. I was full of aches and pains due to the move but all in all, mine was wonderful. I love being around all my babies!

I would also like to take this moment to announce that my husband installed not one but TWO beautiful ceiling fans all by himself. I am super proud and super thankful!! He has been great the last few days and we actually have been getting along great.

Last night my Lindsee came over and visited with me in our home. I cooked our first meal in that house and Lindsee was the guest of honor!!

So this week we are going to keep getting work done while eagerly anticipating our trip to New Orleans this weekend to see Grant's family. We will be spending New Years there and are so glad to continue our holiday food fest! :)

If you don't see me around much, it's because AT&T is going to take their dear sweet time to come out to my house. I don't mind as long as they come out by next Monday so that I can start the new season of The Bachelor!!

Movin' On Up

It is 12:15 in the morning and the husband and I are about to hit the sack.

We walked through the house this evening for a final walk-through.... everything looks beautiful. The previous homeowners even left us a bottle of champagne and a card to welcome us to our new home. I am so excited!! I can't believe tomorrow is moving day.

We have been packing ALL NIGHT. We are 90% done. Thankfully we have a little more time.... we will close tomorrow morning at 9:00am and then the movers don't come until 1:00. So we have a few hours in there to get some more stuff finished.

Can I ask y'all to pray for a few things?

Pray for a smooth closing. This whole process has been full of surprises and I'd rather not have any as we are signing all of our money away tomorrow!

Pray for Grant and I with our stress levels. I'm sure you all can imagine that we haven't been the kindest to one another these past few days as we have constantly been in a rush and not having our best communication skills going on. He has been WONDERFUL and so helpful but I have been a little sassy lately! When I get overwhelmed it brings out the worst in me...

Please pray for us as the forecast says it is supposed to thunderstorm all day tomorrow. Not ideal moving weather! But I am just taking a deep breath... I know that if God brings us to it He is going to bring us through it!

It's finally here, friends! Moving Day!! Thank y'all for reading and sticking with me as I have whined, complained, poured my heart out and beyond. It has been a long road... and pictures will be coming soon! We won't have internet in the new place for a few days so this could be me signing off for a while.... But just know that I'll be decorating my new home in the meantime!

Love you!

I Love You, Tomorrow

Today is Monday.

Tomorrow is Tuesday.

Do you know what happens on Tuesday?

WE CLOSE ON OUR HOUSE ON TUESDAY.

Oh yes, we do.

And then you know what happens on Wednesday?

WE MOVE INTO OUR HOUSE ON WEDNESDAY.

Oh yes, we do.

I AM EXCITED.

Oh yes, I am.

Wake Up, Jenny

Hello, my name is Jen, and I'm out of control.

The thing is, I think I am out of control in a way that will eventually be beneficial for me. But right now, I am having some meltdowns in a daily way. Remember a few days ago when I mentioned that I was hoping for only 2-3 crying explosions? Well, we are beyond that and it is only Wednesday.

My poor husband. My poor friends and family. They have gotten so many whiny, complaining phone calls where I am just falling to pieces. Most of the time I'm upset because of un-met expectations or the fact that I don't have it all together. But, let's face it, sometimes I'm just coming unglued because "I don't have a Christmas tree and it's depressing".

We received news today that we will not be closing on our home on this Friday as was originally planned. Nothing "happened", it's just that we were trying to do this really fast before the Christmas holidays and it seems that the title company and mortgage company just can't seem to prepare everything by the deadline we initially agreed upon. At this point, our broker is "hoping for a Christmas Eve closing". We are preparing ourselves for something after Christmas, or even after the New Year.

None of this is bad, it is just disappointing. It kinda throws a wrench in our moving plans. The dates we were having the water/cable/utilities/electricity switched over all have to change. The plans we had for painters and movers are going to have to be rearranged.

As I was having a hissy fit today, I realized that alot of this breakdown I'm having... scratch that... all of this breakdown that I'm having has to do with the fact that I feel out of control. We started house hunting in June. I started Christmas shopping in October. As we have gone through the process of getting approved for a loan, Grant and I have been extremely on top of everything and did our part to make this process go as rapidly as possible. I am struggling right now that although we have put so much hard work into buying this home... even though I have felt relatively like I've been "on top of everything".... at this very moment I am feeling like everything has been turned upside down and inside out.

And then I talk to people like my mom and my sister and my husband and they all tell me that I need to put on my big girl panties and deal with it. This is not as bad as it seems and it is okay to be disappointed.... but I am in a wonderful place in my life. I have written so many posts about wanting a house so badly and now, that has been provided for us. No, the timing isn't ideal and we will possibly spend Christmas Eve/Christmas Day unpacking boxes. But that's okay. I mean what I'm essentially saying here is "Oh Boo! I'm getting a big, pretty, beautiful home of my very own on a Wednesday and I wanted it on a Friday! Life is not fair!!!!". Um, yes, hi, allow me to introduce myself: I'm a ridiculous, bratty child.

We are blessed beyond measure. The Lord has provided for us abundantly. It is Christmas time. Whether or not I have a tree, whether or not I was able to send out Christmas cards.... this is the time of year where we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.... Emmanuel, God with Us.GOD WITH US. I am most satisfied in Him. The gift of His Son is more than enough for me.

Thank You, Lord for that Holy Night over 2,000 years ago where You gave us Your Son. Thank You, Lord for choosing to love me even when I am so unworthy of it. Thank You for teaching me and being patient with me when I'm being immature and throwing a fit. I choose You and I choose YOUR plan. Your way is better than my way, Your thoughts are higher than my thoughts.

HE HAS NEVER LET ME DOWN. EVER. EVER. EVER.

My friends, if you are going through something (and chances are, it is a heck of a lot heavier than this little tantrum I'm throwing over here)... I encourage you to take a step back and thank God for all He has given you. Stop panicking over the small things that aren't falling into their perfect place. Focus on the HUGE things that you've been given that you don't deserve.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" -Romans 15:13

"Fulfillment of every longing of man... it's YOU, God, it's YOU. You're able". -Christy Nockels You Are Able

Keep your eyes on Him.

That's the Christmas Spirit!

There are entirely too many people out on the roads. TOO MANY PEOPLE.

Now, I know that I live in the great city of Houston, population 4 million+. Traffic is to be expected on our congested little highways.

But the parking lots. The check-out aisles at grocery stores. The restaurants. It makes me claustrophobic and angry.

CAN WE ALL JUST GET OUR CALENDARS TOGETHER AND DIVIDE UP SOME TIMES? I mean I think that 50% of us can go to dinner at a restaurant while the other 50% of us stay home and cook dinner since that is better economically and everything.

Also, the good folks at Kroger can only handle so many people at one time. They are not capable of overflow cause then one by one you start hearing "I'm gonna take my break!" and the only person left is the sweet guy who bags the groceries and he is darling, but he is also very deaf and he can only do so much lip reading. When I start in on the whole, "I have 3 coupons.... and also put the cold stuff in the plastic bags and the dry stuff in paper bags...... I know that is not green and y'all want me to use these cloth bags but that ain't happenin..... cause I'm lazy, oh wait those aren't my lemons, and that is NOT my cottage cheese.... but the peanut M&M's are mine" gets a little lost on poor Andrew.

I mean people are acting like it's Christmastime or something.

Weird.

It's Beginning to Look Alot Like We're Moving

Packing has officially begun.

I am counting 4 boxes that are sealed with tape and have words written on the side in the necessary sharpie. "Fragile". "Kitchen Decorative". "Medicine". Don't worry, I left the Midol unpacked since I figured this would be a good week to have that magic drug at the ready. I've already had many a meltdown for no specific reason.

Today we went to Home Depot to buy some more boxes. As we walked back to the storage section, I stopped in the paint area to look at some colors that I'm considering for the kitchen. Then, I wanted to stop at the wood floor area to price some wood laminate. Then, I again stopped at the area rug section since that is something we definitely need for our tile-floored living room. Again, I wanted to stop and look at prices on light fixtures since I am not really a fan of the existing living room and master bedroom light/fan piece. Poor Grant kept saying "This is not what we came here for! We came for boxes!".

So much to think about. This is starting to get so exciting! I'm trying not to think about all the stressful things, such as the fact that I still have atleast 7 Christmas presents that I still need to purchase. Or how we still don't have living room furniture. I'm trying to focus on the fun things. Like the fact that my closet rack won't fall on me anymore! And that I will be able to dry a load of clothes in half the time it takes me now. And I'll have a coat closet! And Moxie will have a whole yard, bless his heart.

As I was trying to sort through my (very) disorganized closet this afternoon, I started to think about how glad I am to have a fresh start. There's something nice about starting over. I really am going to try my darndest to have a more organized lifestyle now that we are tripling our square footage and actually have some space!

Tomorrow starts a new work week. It is going to be hard to focus when I have all these details floating around in my little bitty brain. I am just praying that this week, the Lord will give me focus, motivation, stamina and peace. And also I'm praying that I only cry 2 to 3 times, not 7-10 as I am currently predicting.

In 3 minutes it will be 6:00. At that point, Grant and I are getting back to work, we are not stopping until 7:30 and then we are going to stop for the night. A little bit at a time will keep us from going crazy and biting each other's heads off. In all seriousness, he has been such an amazing help to me and I am so thankful for him. I couldn't do this with anyone else. I just love that man of mine...

Enjoy your last "full" work week! Christmas will be here soon!

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

So, my BFF Lindsee recently did a post of her favorite things because she is just like Oprah. It just so happens that I love the Oprah Show (I did not say I love Oprah. I love the Oprah show.... home decorating/dramatic human interest stories/surprising people with fun dream-come-true moments... not the "you are your own god" crap) and I also love Lindsee, so I decided to follow suit.

Let's begin, shall we?

These is the Febreze Flameless Luminary. LOVE. THESE. They have a scent but they are flameless (hence the name flameless luminary) and are delightful for the ambiance of your home. They glow and flicker like a candle but you don't have to worry about catching things on fire.

However, my dear darling husband (who is not a fan of strong scents) always tells me to "turn it off for now"...... I am constantly explaining to him that the scent is ALWAYS on and the flickering candle does nothing other than make it look like a candle. He cracks me up.

Cranberry juice is my juice of choice. No, no, not cranberry juice cocktail. I like the Oceanspray 100% stuff. It's what I drink when I'm trying to be healthy. Plus, I've never had a urinary tract infection and I'd like to think it's all thanks to this yummy beverage. Was that too much info?

Since it has been ever-so-chilly here in Houston, I have made good use of my seat warmers in my car.

The majority of the year the seat warmers only serve as a tool for Grant and I to aggravate each other. When one of us is distracted, the other one will quickly (and in a subtle way) turn the other's seat warmer to high and then wait and then crack up hysterically when they start to squirm and then look down and see that their seat warmer is on when it is 98 degrees outside. It never gets old!

I'm just gonna come out and say it, I do love me some antibiotics.

Last Wednesday I woke up and felt like I had been hit by a train. Twice. Then, I felt like some magical little fairies had flown into my throat and scratched it up with their fairy wands. Then, the fairies proceeded to stab me in the throat with pricks from a cactus and then bounce from cactus prick to cactus prick. Also, they poured maple syrup into my ears.

Anyhoo, I went to the most awkward doctor this side of the Mississippi River who prescribed some drugs which I happily took and when I woke up Friday morning I felt like a new woman.

I can't believe we haven't talked about this till now. Did you know that Panera is now serving macaroni and cheese? OH YES THEY ARE.

What I love most is that when I was googling an image to use for Panera's macaroni and cheese, this image turned up from someone else's blog. A fellow blogger was so impressed by the macaroni and cheese that she took a picture of her meal and blogged about it. IT IS SO GOOD. You simply must try it.

LASH BLAST LUXE, by Covergirl. It make your lashes explode and it has just the tiniest bit of shimmer.


Please pray for me as this morning my LASH BLAST LUXE by COVERGIRL fell under the seat of my car (with the lid on, thank goodness) and I have yet to be able to retrieve it.

Does anyone else watch "How I Met Your Mother"?

We now own all the seasons on DVD and are almost finished with Season 4. WE LOVE THIS SHOW. Cracks us up. It's a good premise too and I am anxious to see how it ends. They have the same chemistry that the cast of Friends did.

What you are seeing below is my cookware, made by famed chef Emeril Lagasse. To be honest, I don't think he had much to do with these pots and pans other than put his name on them. Regardless, my sister Shannon gave them to me as a wedding gift and I love love love them. I wish they still looked like they do in that picture though...

The Chi iron. I've had so many posts about the chi. It is a gift and I think women all over the world have better hair thanks to straightening irons in general.

While we're on the subject of hair, I'd like to introduce you to Aussie Aussome Volume hairspray. I very much enjoy it. So does my dog. He goes nuts when I spray it!

Lastly, I am currently a big fan of cardboard boxes.

Fun fact: the ONE good thing about moving around Christmas time is that all of your online Christmas shopping is delivered to you in a giant cardboard box that you can use to box up your housewares! :)

So it's not exactly "girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes" or "toybells and sleighbells and schnitzel with noodles", but these are a few of my favorite things!

Less Than 2 Weeks

We close on our home in less than two weeks. LESS THAN TWO EVER-LOVING WEEKS. You must be thinking "well surely she has done everything she can do to prepare for this big move!".

Surely, surely, I say unto you, I HAVE DONE NOTHING.

I have not started packing. Everything hanging on the walls is still on the walls. I have not scheduled movers. I have not called a company to get a quote about removing the most horrid wallpaper in the world. (Grant thinks we can wait on this and just "deal with" the bad wallpaper for "a few months" but THAT IS NOT HAPPENING). I have not selected living room furniture. We are down to DAYS here people and I am equally as close as being ready today as I was two weeks ago.


I'll admit it, I am procrastinating. I have ALOT going on this week. Two Christmas parties for work are on the schedule, and for one of the parties I am in charge of making banana bread, chicken salad sandwiches, chips and queso, and sausage balls. However, I will not have too much time to make all that since we are having dress rehearsals this week for our big Christmas production that is taking place this weekend. My kids are singing two songs (that aren't well-polished just yet) and I just can't start a new project while I am working on this project.


I was thinking about how we need to call the electricity company, the trash company, the water company, the security alarm company, the cable company..... all these companies that need to set us up in our new house..... and again, I would rather not do that this week.


Did I mention Christmas shopping and gift wrapping?


The clock is ticking. The whole "this is actually happening, you are actually moving" is starting to sink in and I'm considering eating a lot of fettucine alfredo for lunch to make myself feel better. Or maybe a hot dog. Haven't decided yet.

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

Well, folks... it is officially snowing here in Houston, Texas. And not just like little sleet things that kinda look like snow. REAL snow. LEGIT snow. BIG BIG snowflakes. I'm on the 14th floor of my office building and have watched the Lord show off this morning. It has been absolutely beautiful. AND, I get to leave work early today! WOO HOO! For your northerners I know this sounds silly to you but I can count on one hand the amount of times this has happened in my 25 years of life, so we are kinda excited down here in the great south!

I plan on getting in sweats and drinking hot chocolate, WITH MARSHMALLOWS, THANKYOUVERYMUCH, and putting the Snuggie to good use. Hooray for a SNOW DAY!

Grant is already at home today and he just took this picture with his Blackberry and sent it to me. That's our little Moxie, enjoying his walk in the snow.

That is outside of our apartment. Ya know, our new house (that we are closing on in TWO WEEKS) has a gas-log fireplace in the living room. If we lived there right now... tonight would totally be a fireplace night :)

Merry Christmas everybody. Thank you Lord, for this fun day. STAY SAFE out there people. You know we Houstonians are absolutely stupid when it comes to driving in cold weather!

Thanksgiving Teaser

It has been a week since I've updated! Mainly because I've spent the last 5 days in New Orleans, having some amazing quality time with the family. I have tons of pictures to upload but I cannot do all of that right now because Grant is playing video games and when I upload pictures it sucks up the bandwidth and then he gets killed because he can't move as fast and it is all very upsetting to him.

I can tell you this though... I ate alot of good food. And I snuggled with some babies. And I had my socks blessed the heck off. And I hugged and kissed my husband at 6am after he crawled back in bed after making an all-night visit at the Best Buy Black Friday sale where he purchased a fancy washer, dryer, and refrigerator for 55% off.

I leave you with these 2 pictures till I can post more later..... love y'all!

Look, Evan found his hand!Emmy Grace... love love love!

This is the Beginning of a 3 Day Week

Ah, yes. We are only working 3 days this week. The work week ends on Wednesday! I am so happy and not at all dreading going to work tomorrow. I can totally do this! 3 days? Piece-of-cake!

I feel rejuvenated and rested. This weekend has included an amazing potluck dinner with our Sunday school class, a sleep-in Saturday, lunch with a good friend, a pedicure, driving by our new house, a lazy night in with chinese takeout, church and a beautiful day at the LPGA Tour Championship with good friends. For dinner I made jambalaya and cornbread and the house is clean. HOORAY!

Oh.... I forgot. There is a sentence in the above paragraph that seems to inform you that Grant & I found a house that passed inspections and all systems are go.

Um... THAT IS THE TRUTH!!!

I am not lying about this. We found a house.

WE FOUND A HOUSE. And we put an offer on it. AND IT WAS ACCEPTED!!! And we had inspections on the house. AND IT PASSED!!!! WITH FLYING COLORS!!!

Before I go any further I have to just take a minute to praise the Lord. We prayed and trusted and I wasn't always great at it but I absolutely love this house and am so thankful that He allowed us to find this house and allowed us to proceed with it. God is good and we are very thankful this Thanksgiving week!

So, aside from finishing my Christmas shopping, I have to pack now. And move. And buy a refrigerator. And buy a washer and dryer. And rip down some horrendous wallpaper. And repaint the master bedrom which doesn't match my bedding or color scheme. And also maybe decorate for Christmas if my husband will still let me? We aren't moving in for 3 weeks or so and there is alot that has to happen.

It is a one story home. Stone and brick outside with blue shutters. It is a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom with a study and a dining room. The yard is spacious yet manageable. It is in a quiet neighborhood with lots of trees. WE ARE THRILLED!

Love y'all. All of y'all. Go ahead and start dreading the stressed out posts I will be writing as the month of December approaches!

Goodnight Houston....and Goodnight Blogland!

An Entire Post About What I'm Eating This Week

So I've been on this kick all week to not purchase anything food related until the weekend. On Sunday, I went to the grocery store and bought enough groceries to last us through the week. I have made dinners that provide plenty of leftovers so that we can bring them to work for lunch. With Christmas being just around the corner and some pretty big projects on the horizon, it's time for the money crunch!

So far, I've stayed true to my word. I've either eaten a bowl of cereal at home or made something for breakfast here at the office everyday. I've had leftovers for lunch and cooked for dinner.

There have been a few times this week when I've gone off of the charted course. Take Tuesday, for instance. When I came home from work Tuesday afternoon, I was so looking forward to putting on my pajamas and making some dinner and watching Biggest Loser on the couch. Then Grant called and said "Have you started dinner yet?". When I said I hadn't, he said "Don't! Put a dress on, we're going out!". I got all excited until I realized that he had been offered tickets to go to a LPGA dinner with our friends Justin & Julie.

I knew I couldn't take the opportunity away from Grant. He got to see alot of his favorite female golfers. Michelle Wie, Paula Creamer, Anna Nordqvist, Brittany Lansicome. He also got to see some familiar faces from the golf channel. I have to admit though, my favorite part was the guest musical performer, Josh Kelley. He is talented, but more importantly, he is married to Katherine Heigl from Grey's Anatomy. But more importantly, he is married to Katherine Heigl, star of that great early 90's Disney flick, My Father the Hero. He sang the most beautiful song that he wrote after they adopted their new baby girl. Sooooo sweet. Anyways, I didn't cook for dinner that night, but it was still free!

I also went a bit off course yesterday morning. Typically, I am the first one to leave the house every morning. Yesterday was different though because I was running late and also Grant had an important meeting to go to, so he left before me. It wasn't until he had been gone for 10-15 minutes or so that I was trying to leave but couldn't find my keys. I called Grant who informed me that they were on the floor of his car! He couldn't change the time of the meeting so I had to sit at home until his meeting was over.

So, when I heard how long his meeting was going to be, I called my office, explained the situation, then put my pj's back on and enjoyed my morning on the couch with a bowl of Life cereal! It was a delightful surprise. I didn't get to my office till noon!!

And now, here we are, at Thursday. Which totally feels like it should be a Friday. I had a waffle with peanut butter for breakfast and plan on eating a Lean Cuisine for lunch. Then for dinner.... should I make breaded pork chops with potatoes au gratin or should I make PW's Meatloaf with baked potatoes? I can't decide!

Meet Dean

This is Dean Jackson.

He is our nephew.

He is out of control cute.

He is happy.

He loves to make alot of noise.
He loves to laugh.

His big sister makes him laugh. Alot.

He loves when his mama sings Boom-di-yada, Boom- di-yada, Boom-di-yada, Boom-di-yay.

He loves his mama. Period.

He looks just like his daddy.

He loves to jump.

He is scooting around now and is extremely fast at scooting.

He is pure joy, I tell you!

Also, shortly before this picture was taken, he was wearing a brown tie!

Adorable!!

I Have Confidence

I would like to take a moment to personally thank my 10 commenters who made me laugh my ever-loving head off. I don't know who takes the cake, but I think it is a toss up between Nat who wondered how they get the corn to stick on the cob and Jennifer who said hello to a woman who ended up being her own reflection in a mirror. You have made me feel better about myself. I think I'm going to save this post for a rainy day... a rainy day when Grant is laughing at me for something stupid that I said/did. I will direct him to the comments in my previous post and prove to him that I am not the only one.

For those of you (Kelli) who declared that it was not fair that Lindsee did not have to comment on her blonde moments... I will respond to that with this: Sometimes someone will tell a joke and everyone will laugh, including Lindsee. Then, about 2 minutes later, Lindsee starts busting out laughing for some unknown reason. Well, it is unknown to most people, but I know that she is laughing because she just now got the joke.

Also, when we used to play Mario Kart at our old lakehouse, when Lindsee got the Mushroom thing that makes your cart go faster, she would proudly exclaim "Oooh yay! I got a GO-y GO-y!" (Pronounced like Joey Joey but replace the J sound with a G sound).

And as I've said here before... Lindsee has her own language. When her allergies are flaring up... she isn't allergic, she is allergetic. I guess that means her allergies are very energetic. Who knows...

In other news, my husband comes home today! Grant has been out of town all week in Dallas. I am very ready to see him. Thankfully I have stayed busy but I've missed him. My feet get cold and he always absolutely loves it when I put my cold feet on him in the middle of the night and I have not had a foot warmer for a few days. I bet he has missed it as well.... I bet he has been in his swanky W Hotel room falling asleep and thinking to himself... "Ya know.. I am almost asleep right now and it would be awesome if Jen were here to put her ice cube feet on me".

However, Thursday night TV is a sacred thing in our household and Grant made me promise him that I wouldn't watch the shows without him. What was I to do with my Thursday night if I'm not watching TV?

Well first, I got to enjoy a impromptu dinner with my mom, my sister, my niece and my nephew. And then, in an attempt to win the little girl over through bribery and chocolate, I bought Grace a cookie. She jumped up and down. Then she proceeded to eat all the M&M's out of the cookie FROM THE TOP OF THE COOKIE... she didn't bite the cookie from the sides, she gnawed the M&M's out of the cookie one by one from the top... then ate the rest of the cookie. I may do that with my M&M cookies from this point forward.

Then, I came home and CLEANED MY FORSAKEN HOUSE. I swept and mopped the floors. I folded the pile of laundry that has been staring at me for 2 days. I wiped down the bathroom counters. I threw away stuff in the fridge that needed to be thrown away. I unloaded the dishwasher.

Then, I spent some wonderful time in the Word.... I did alot of reading and continued with my Beth Moore book on David. Love it.

Then, I made some hot tea and read a magazine and then I went to bed with my Moxie dog snuggled up by my side.

It was a loverly evening....

One more blonde moment for you.... one of the things Grant was going to do this week was go to something called the TEPA Conference.... I spent a good 11 minutes trying to guess what TEPA stood for.... he especially liked my "Texas Entrepreneur Professionals of America" and "The Electrical Political Association" and "Texas Electrical & Petroleum Engineers"...... he really liked that last one since the words I said make an acronym of TEPE. For the record, it is Texas Electricity Professionals Association. I got that one eventually.

Reddish Blonde Moments

So I know I'm not really a blonde, but I am here to confess that I do indeed have blonde moments. I think it's time that I get it all out there, lay it all out on the table. I'm all about being real, y'all. I realize that after you read all these, you may decide to no longer be a JentheNewlywed reader, and I understand. You didn't realize you were reading the blog of a stupid person.

1. When I was in junior high and my sister Jaclyn was in high school, she was driving us up to the church in her cute little purple Saturn. As we turned onto a dirt driveway, we were startled when a rusty old chain slammed onto the hood of her car. We hadn't seen the chain since it was the same color as the dirt. Well, after we screamed for 20 seconds, Jaclyn asked "What should I do?". I looked to the left and right of the car and decided that we shouldn't reverse into oncoming traffic, that would be dangerous. So at this moment I said "Just keep driving!". Jaclyn gunned it and the old, rusty, metal chain scraped all the way up the hood, all the way up and over the windshield, screeched across the roof of the car and then dropped down and ripped the spoiler off the back. It was a shining moment for us. Daddy was thrilled.

2. In junior high, I had a birthday party at my house for a friend of mine. We were all in the backyard eating chocolate cake when 2 of the boys started having a cake fight. After they were well covered in cake, one of them decided to jump in the pool to wash off. Huge chuncks of chocolate cake were floating around in the pool and I was so scared I was going to get into trouble. So, I ran around back and started messing with the pump until the pool cleaner started moving. It quickly removed any evidence of chocolate cake in our pool and I thought I solved the problem. Until the next morning when my dad woke me up asking why the spa was now empty. I had pushed and pulled so many levers that I drained the spa. He was livid. That was probably the worst trouble I was ever in.

3. Recently, while on an airplane with Grant, coke spewed out of his nose when I said "It's so crazy how we are like 35,000 miles in the sky". Not feet. Miles. I have no concept of space.

4. Did you know that the yellow line you see on the field when you're watching a football game is not really there? They put that in digitally!

5. In highschool, I was taking a biology test when the following essay question appeared: "Explain your thoughts, opinions, and solutions for global warming". I had not paid attention at all in class and had no earthly idea what global warming was. So, I wrote one, brief sentence for my essay answer: "I think we should not do it". My teacher just put a big fat X over my answer and I was awarded no points.

6. There have many times in my life when I will sit at a stopSIGN for up to a minute, waiting for a light to change before I realize that there is no light and I can just go ahead and go.

7. Many times I will run into a gas station to purchase a bottle of water or a pack of gum or many bags of M&Ms. I will purchase the items and then bolt out the door, leaving my items on the counter. What can I say, I like to donate money to convenience stores.

8. I still have to count on my fingers.

9. The other night, Grant was talking about his workout at the gym and said, "I did several sets of rows tonight". For some unknown reason, I heard "I did several sets of rose tonight". We went back and forth several times with me saying over and over again "what do you mean you did several sets of rose? I don't get it!".

10. I was really upset one day when I was in Target and an XL shirt fit me. I was so upset and thought that I needed to have a gastric bypass immediately. Shortly thereafter I realized I was wearing a child's shirt!

So spill it.... what are some of your blonde moments? Please comment and let me know that I am not the only idiot out there! Lindsee, there is no need for you to comment. I know all of your ditzy moments. And there are so many....

Maybe I Could Win the Gold Medal in "Friends" Trivia

There are many things I am good at. You could even call me talented in some areas. I can teach piano lessons and I can direct a children's choir and I can name the 50 states in alphabetical order (and sing them as well!). I can write a response to an essay question in 5 minutes or less and I can name my homeroom teacher from Kindergarten-12th grade. I also type quite fast.

But there is a certain department of skill and technique that I am at the lowest of the low. When the Lord created me, for some reason that is according to His perfect plan and perfect will, He made me to be the complete opposite of anything resembling athleticism.

This is so far from an exaggeration, you have no idea. I am not interested in sports. I do not understand sports. I do not care about sports. The only sporting event I can actually enjoy is a baseball game and that is pretty much because there is alot of hot dogs at baseball games and also the baseball players are easy on the eyes, if you know what I mean. The uniforms are hot. There, I said it.

As a child, I never played any kind of organized sport. Nor did I have any desire to. I mean, even Lindsee played on a soccer team. Granted, she just stood there and then proceeded to run away from the ball, but I mean, she showed up.

In P.E. class growing up, I did all I could to not participate. In middle school, our coach would take us out to the track and tell us to "Jog the long, Walk the Short".... in other words you only had to jog on the long part of the track and you could take a breather on the short parts. Now, our P.E. class was 90 minutes long (I know, right?!) and the whole jogging the longs got a bit old for me. So I pretty much walked the long and then on the shorts I would kinda move my arms and pick up my legs a bit more to give the idea of jogging but I really wasn't going any faster.

One day, Coach Cowart (bless him) told me that if I didn't start jogging the longs I would have to go over off to the side and "hug that tree over there" for the rest of the class period.

Um.... really? Done.

So many afternoons I would enjoy the breeze and the shade as I hugged a large oak tree. Coach Cowart thought he was punishing me but he gave me the best gift in the world.

In highschool, I took dance. And while I was coordinated.... the cardio stuff killed me. I can fake a sit up like nothing you have ever seen.

In college, I took ballet. My arms and legs looked fabulous and it required no sweating. There was one time that a guy friend of mine BEGGED me to show up to his flag football game since it is co-ed and one of their girls bailed and it was the finals and they would have to forfeit if a girl didn't come. I kindly informed him that he really really really did not want to pick me to do this. He said "all you have to do is stand there".

Long story short, at one point in the game a guy tossed a football to me that I miraculously caught..... and as I surveyed the wonderous amounts of college boys charging at me, I subsequently hugged the football to my chest and sat down indian style. Like I said, I don't understand sports nor do I care to.

All this being said, imagine my surprise when I went to the gym last night and ran 5 EVER LOVING MILES on the elliptical machine.

Maybe it was due to the fact that I was watching Entertainment Tonight and was so caught up in Willie Ames (from Charles in Charge!) becoming a financial advisor that I got distracted. Maybe it was because I was wearing a t-shirt from highschool and it brought me back to my days of youth. Maybe it was because I knew what I was going to make for dinner when we got home and I knew it was going to be good and I was running to prepare myself for the glorious food that we were going to partake of.

All I know is that everyone was cheering me on and making a big deal of how far I was going and at what speed and I'm really nervous that people are going to expect this from me in the future. I am 99% certain that that was a fluke and will never happen again for as long as I live.

But then again, what if the Lord has decided to give me the power and endurance to do this all the time now and my arms and legs will get toned again?! How crazy cool would that be?!

Also, did you know Chandler Bing's middle name is Muriel?

October is Over

I have to admit, I am glad October is over. October was not a very good month for me. Here's to hoping that November is a little bit nicer.

November is already looking up. Yesterday I made some pumpkin bread that is just delicious and also my house is clean and also we got an extra hour of sleep (Holla!) and also November brings turkey and stuffing. Any month that contains a holiday that solely focuses on food is amazing in my book.

Do you want to know what I did this weekend? Well, I worked till 7:00 on Friday (boo) and then had a late dinner date with Grant and then on Saturday I slept in and picked up the dry cleaning and then I went to lunch with my mom and then I shopped at Target (PRAISE THE LORD) and then I watched Grace & Dean (aka Little Red Riding Hood and Superman) trick or treat and then I ate my mom's chili and visited with Lindsee and then on Sunday I went to church and then I went to lunch and then I went to DSW and then I went to Charming Charlie's and then I went to the grocery store and then I came home and then I made cookies and then I made pumpkin bread and then I cooked dinner and then I watched a funny show with Grant and then I folded the laundry and then I went to bed.

Somewhere, the President of the Run-On-Sentence Haters of America Club just passed out from the agony of the above paragraph.

The weather has been just beautiful lately. So cool and crisp and sunny and my allergies are having a ball. Claritin and Puffs-to-Go are my best friends for fall. Well, both of those items as well as a periwinkle scarf I purchased at Charming Charlie yesterday. Best friends forever.

Okay, this has been the world's most pointless blog post. In summary, it appears I love November already (as we are all the way onto day 2) due to the coldness, the extra hour of sleep, the shopping that has taken place as well as the promise of fattening food. I am full of family values.

There Are Some Things I Need to Share With You

First of all, I had a dream last night that I accidentally fell on Katie Couric. She then proceeded to walk around topless since I had hurt her in her chest area.

In the same dream, I was a bridesmaid in a wedding but I didn't know the bride. And the whole day while we were in our purple dresses and taking pictures I kept telling her "I don't know you.... I DON'T KNOW YOU!" and she would just laugh and give me a necklace to wear.

But now for the important part of the blog.

Grant's parents came in for a visit this weekend. It was amazing. When they come, I never stop eating. Or shopping. We spent several hours in Marshall's and y'all SOME DAMAGE WAS DONE. I did some Christmas shopping but if I'm being totally honest then I have to say that I did a heck-of-alot more ME shopping. And it was good.

I got this darling Jones & New York brown suede jacket that is just darling for fall. DARLING. I've already worn it twice this week and it is a new staple in my wardrobe.

I also got several more fall tops... but there is something else. Something amazing. SOMETHING BIG.

I can't remember if I blogged about this or not, but several months ago there were some shoes at Ann Taylor that changed the way I view America. They were stupidly expensive but I didn't care. I took a week to think about it before I bought them but then I decided that they were meant for me and I was meant for them. I got online to purchase them and IT happened: THE SIZE YOU REQUESTED IS NO LONGER IN STOCK. Ummmm what?!

I called Ann Taylor Customer Service and had a nice long chat with Carol. Carol told me that these shoes were featured on the Today show and ever since that happened the women have been buying them like they were the last shoes on the planet. But they weren't the last shoes on the planet. They were the best shoes on the planet. Leopard print. Pointy toe. Kitten heel. Haircalf. Ankle strap. FANTASTIC. And it was gone.

Carol told me they had the same shoe in a ballet flat and I practically laughed at her. Ballet flat? A BALLET FLAT?! Once you've seen the heel you will never settle for the flat.

Carol then tried to encourage me and say that "sometimes people return the shoes" and "keep checking the website to see if someone returns the shoe". I then sighed and said to her "Carol, no one would ever return this shoe. Ever".

I did check the website. Everyday for 3 weeks. And then I let the dream die.

UNTIL

I went to Marshall's with Grant's mom. I went over to the clearance rack and went to the size 5 section. There were only 6 pairs of shoes total in all of the size 5's. And there was one pair that was glowing... a light was shining around it. They were identical.... IDENTICAL I TELL YOU... to the Ann Taylor shoe. Except they were Cole Haan. And CHEAPER. And had NIKE AIR technology in them. All that I heard was Jewel's hit song of the late 90's, "You Were Meant for Me... and I Was Meant for You"....

I picked them up and carried them with me throughout the store. "I won't lose you again" I said to myself. I decided to call Grant cause since they were Cole Haan, and even on clearance they were more than I usually spend. I dialed Grant's number... he was on the golf course with his dad.... I had this whole speech planned out in my head. I was mainly going to focus on the whole "remember how I didn't shut up about those shoes for a month" and I was going to try to imply that he would have to endure the same torture if these shoes did not leave Marshall's with me on that very day.

Just as his phone was ringing an angel in the form of my mother-in-law said "Hang up the phone".

"But...." I started to explain the whole "he will kill me if I don't atleast run this by him".

"I am always buying things for the grandbabies and y'all don't have any babies so this is your grandbaby gift".

"Hello?" Grant says on the phone.

"NEVER MIND!!!" I said and then I hung up and jumped up and down like a 6 year old girl.

To Grant's mom (MADDY!) if you are reading this... thank you thank you THANK YOU!!

I did take a picture with my phone. Before you scroll down to see the pic you should be warned that 1) My skin is the palest skin of all the skins in the world 2) I have an ant bite on my ankle and 3) My ankle is in fact a cankle.

This is not a flattering picture of my foot area BUT THE SHOES!! THE SHOES!!

Enjoy :)

That One Post Where I Was So UnCreative I Just Answered Survey Questions

I was visiting my friend Heather's blog the other day and loved getting to know her through this fun questionaire. I thought it was the perfect Sunday evening post. :)

1. What is your favorite thing to snack on while your blogging?

Did you know that horses will eat themselves to death? If there is food in front of them, they eat it. I am just like the horse. I won't eat myself to death, but I'll eat myself to gaining 7 pounds in one sitting. Due to this sad fact, I try not to snack at home. There is just too much at my fingertips and nothing to stop me. I do, however, blog at work often in the early morning. So sometimes I am eating breakfast while blogging. Sometimes this is a kolache. Sometimes it is cereal. Sometimes it is a rice krispy treat.

2. What is one thing you don't want to live without?

AIR CONDITIONING.

3. Beach, Mountains, or Farm? Where would you live if you had a choice?

Mountains. I'm far too pale to enjoy a beach and a farm would get too hot and involves too much work/effort. Mountains are cozy.

4. What's your least favorite chore/household duty?

Really anything involving clothing. Washing, folding, putting away. Ironing. Taking them to and from the dry cleaner. No fun.

5. Who do people say you remind them of?

Pretty much any and all of the Victoria Secret models.

6. Prefer parties and socializing or staying home with the fam?

Both. I love to socialize but I also love love love having nights in. I'm secretly a homebody that just happens to love seeing people.

7. What's your all time favorite movie?

This is not the good-Christian-girl answer but I'm gonna go with Moulin Rouge. It involves singing and love and it is a musical and it when Ewan McGregor sings "We should be lovers and that's a fact" on top of the elephant I fall over.

8. Do you sleep in your make-up or remove it like a good little girl every night?

I have these make up remover towelette things that do the trick!

9. Do you have a hidden talent or a deep desire to learn something that you've never had a chance to learn? What is it?

Sometimes I wish I knew how to figure skate. I think they just look so beautiful and graceful.

10. What's one strange thing you're really good at?

Celebrity trivia. I have a freakishly good memory and can tell you random facts about most celebrities. And their families. This is mostly due to the fact that I am a People magazine subscriber, an Enterainment Weekly subscriber, and I visit people.com everyday.

11. What first attracted you to your spouse?

His gorgeous blue eyes. And I love his voice. Plus, from the very beginning, he told me like it is. Love that about him. And he said that he liked me. Very much. Just as I am.

12. What is something you love to smell?

When I walk into my mom's house around the holidays and she has this apple cider thing going on the stove...

13. Tell something about you that you know irritates people.

I don't stop talking. Ever.

14. When you have extra money, what's the first thing you think to do with it?

I go have an hour long visit with my friend Ann Taylor. We meet in her Loft.

15. Are you a silent laugher or a loud laugher? What makes you laugh the hardest?Way way way too loud. And when my closest friends and family say funny things or when I see something absurd that really shocks or surprises me I get a bit uncontrollable.

16. Where is your favorite place to shop?

Target. Ann Taylor. Marshall's. Nine West.

17. What is one thing you would do more often if you had more time?

I would want to read more and actually study some things.

18. Are you a big spender or frugal?

Believe it or not, in our family, Grant is the bigger spender. I will spend a chunk once every 2 months. Grant will spend a little bit of money several times throughout the week.

19. Who is your favorite character of all time? (from a movie or a book, can't be real)

This is hard.... Jim Halpert, maybe?

20. Would you want to be famous?

This is a tough one..... I think the best way for me to answer it is that there are times when I really want to perform. On stage.... but not in a IWantEveryoneToLoveMe kind of way, but more in a IWantToPerformAndSingGreatSongs kind of way. I don't think I want to be famous though. I think we all need some sort of ambiguity. I mean Lord knows there are times when we just do not need to be photographed.

Accomplishment

I left work on time today. Not 9:00 at night, but 5:00. Like a normal human being.

I came straight home. I did not pass go. I did not collect two hundred dollars.

I walked the dog.

I cooked dinner.

Let me say that one again. I COOKED THE DINNER. I think Taco Bell misses me.

I did laundry. Did you hear that? LAUNDRY!

I watched 3 television shows. Community, The Office, and Grey's Anatomy in case you were wondering. Grey's was intense.

I cleaned my counters.

I opened some mail.

I threw away trash that has been in my purse. I didn't really need that receipt for my $2.78 purchase from Kolache Factory from July 19. Nor did I need to hang on to 24 orbit gum wrappers.

I did the dishes. I dusted the bookshelves.

I got out my fall candles.

I HAD AN EVENING AT HOME FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OVER A WEEK.

Praise the Lord.... I am already feeling better.

I should add that Grant helped ALOT. He cleaned the bathroom floors and vacuumed for me and threw things away that needed to be thrown away. I adore him. He is so wonderful.

And I am so excited because Grant's parents are coming to visit tomorrow! I am so glad that they will be here this weekend, it has been way too long since I have seen them. Grant and his dad will be playing some golf while me and mom will be shopping it up! I am determined to get some Christmas presents out of the way. So far I have only purchased three so I have alot to get done.

Happy Weekend, everyone!

Where Has Jen Been?

Jen has been away from the internet for almost a week.

Jen has been overwhelmed.

Jen has been working 10 hours of overtime in the last seven days, including 4 hours on Sunday.

Jen has been teaching Christmas music to her kids choir.

Jen has been at Mr. Hooper's funeral.

Jen has been having an allergy attack.

Jen has been under the influence of Benadryl.

Jen has been under the influence of a Benadryl hangover.

Jen has been trying to find out what the heck is wrong with her left eyelid since it swelled up to the size of a golf ball.

Jen has been a bridesmaid.

Jen has been so happy for Tiffany and Justin.

Jen has been well taken care of by Grant.

Jen has been ready to get back to a normal routine and read up on all the blogs.

Jen has been craving fettucine alfredo.

Hope: Revisited

In an amazing turn of events, Jen the Newlywed found hope tonight.

As I flipped through the home listings on the internet, I sighed as I said to Grant "I'm sad". Again, I felt that we were so close to finally being in a home and then it was just gone. I know this sounds silly, but I have kinda had it in my mind that my goal was to be in a home by December. I really want to spend Christmas in our own place and decorate it just how I've always imagined it. The last week or so, I felt that dream slipping further and further away... I have been feeling unsettled and stressed and altogether not at peace. Hope was beginning to seem dim.

I got up from the couch and decided I was going to spend some time reading my Bible and doing my devotional. And then it happened: I REALIZED THAT HE IS HEARING ME.

The first moment was when I was reading my devotional and the author said "Jesus is my firm foundation". I kinda chuckled when I read that. We've been using the word "foundation" alot lately since that was a major reason we had to walk away from this house. I decided I needed to make that my motto...Jesus is my firm foundation.

The second moment happened when the passage in my book directed me to read Psalm 84. Below are some of the verses from the Psalm...

How lovely is Your dwelling place

O Lord Almighty

My soul yearns, even faints,

for the Courts of the Lord;

my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

Even the sparrow has found a home,

and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young-

a place near Your altar, O Lord Almighty, my King and my God.

Blessed are those who dwell in Your house;

they are ever praising You.

Blessed are those whose strength is in You.

Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere;

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God

than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield;

the Lord bestows favor and honor;

no good thing does He withhold

from those whose walk is blamless.

O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in You.

I was absolutely floored at how many references are made in that chapter to homes and houses and dwellings and shelters. I have read that chapter hundreds of times and sang the song that came out of it and tonight it became alive to me.

Lastly, I decided I wanted to write down "Jesus is my firm foundation" and also make it a note to memorize Psalm 84. I opened my nightstand drawer, digging for a piece of paper to write these things down on as a reminder. I found a paper folder in half. One side had a bunch of prayer requests written down on it. It was a little too full so I flipped the paper over to the other side to see if it was blank. It was blank, mostly. But on top of it, in my own handwriting, the following was written in big, bubbly, capital letters:

HOPE.

Nothing underneath it. Nothing explaining why I wrote that. Just the word "Hope". Who knows how long that paper has been shoved back there. But there it was, practically yelling at me. HOPE.

It was then that I realized that He is hearing me. He is hearing my heart. He hears that I'm sad. He hears that I'm tired of this and feeling a bit hopeless. But He wanted me to know tonight that He is hearing me and that I'm not talking to empty space when I pray to Him. He revealed it to me with Jesus is my firm foundation. He revealed it to me in Psalm 84... that He is my sun and my shield and that I would rather be in the rooms of HIS house than any house of my own. And He revealed it to me in my own handwriting.

HOPE.

He is my firm foundation. He does not crack, He will not shift. He is steady. His ways are perfect. He is knowledge and truth. He will make all things known. His plans are for us to prosper... His plans for us have a future and a hope. I will trust in the Lord with all my heart. I will lean not on my own understanding. In all my ways I will acknowledge Him, and He will make my path straight. His WORD is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.

I had to get this out, I had to type it before I fell asleep. I had to shout from the rooftops that my God made Himself very real to me tonight.

Thank You, Jesus for hearing me. And thank You for opening my eyes and opening my heart to realize and see that You were telling me ever so softly... "Hope, my daughter. Hope".

Mr. Hooper

Even after we had to walk away from the house we wanted to buy, even after Grant stayed home from work all 5 days because he was so sick, on Friday afternoon my week got even worse.


My law office has 3 partners. Mr. Hooper is one of the senior partners. He has been part owner of this law firm for the last 25 years. For the last few years he has been semi-retired. He comes into the office about 3 to 4 days a week. His office is right next to mine.

I adore Mr. Hooper. He is an older gentlemen. He is very grandfatherly. He is boistrous, funny, ornery, kind, and generous. He teases us and loves to stir the pot (in a fun way). I always love when Mr. Hooper is in the office.

Friday morning he walked in and did his usual "Gooood morning, Jennifer!". He asked about Grant and how he was doing, if he was feeling better. He did a little bit of work. Then when the girls and I started talking about what we wanted to do for lunch, he informed us that he would be buying our lunch today. Later, me, the girls and Mr. Hooper sat at the kitchen table for over an hour. We ate lunch together and I talked to him about what he was going to do this weekend and we talked about his grandkids. It was such a nice visit.

After lunch, Mr. Hooper said he was going to go run an errand and said that he would be back.

He went to his chiropractor's office. It was there that he said "I'm not feeling very well", and then he took his final breath. Mr. Hooper passed away Friday afternoon.

Our office was in complete shock. I literally didn't believe it since we just been with him not even 3 hours before we got the phone call. The assumption is heart attack... it is just so gosh darn sudden. How could someone be so alive one minute and then not here the next? How can he be shooting rubberbands at me at 12:30 and be dead at 2:30?

I am just so sad. I am so sad for his kids, for his grandkids. Mr. Hooper's wife died of cancer several years ago. For the last year or two he has been "dating" a sweet woman named Missy. They go to lunch together and go see plays and go out to eat and they were really good companions for one another. I hurt for her.

I am sad for our office. We lost our big teddy bear. One time, my co-worker had to bring her little boy to the office for an hour or so. While he was there, Mr. Hooper put the little boy in his big chair and let him play computer games on his computer. Meanwhile, Mr. Hooper sat on the other side of the desk and did his work from the other end. It was so funny to see the little guy in this big 'ol attorney's chair playing a Looney Tunes game while Mr. Hooper sat on the other end and did some research. He was just so sweet.

It really makes me realize how precious life is, but also how fleeting life is. It can be over in an instant. It makes me want to tell everyone how much I love them and could everyone just stay home please and take care of themselves?!?!?

Tomorrow I have to go back to the office. I feel like I'm all cried out but something tells me that walking by his office and saying his name every time I answer the phone (since Hooper is in the name of the firm) and trying to decide what to do with his mail... I feel like we will all be very emotional tomorrow.

Y'all... I am just spent. This weekend has helped alot. I feel rejuvenated but also a bit hesitant to begin this week. Grant has a whole week's worth of work to make up. We have to start the house hunt again and there will be alot going on in my office in the wake of Mr. Hooper's death.

I am praying for peace, for rest and for a bit of joy this week. I could really use some HAPPY!

Here's to a new week and a fresh start. Thankfully, the temperatures have dropped and I can cozy up in a nice sweater.....

I hope y'all have a great week.

Top 10 Reasons I Want It To Be Cold

1. I would rather be cold than hot. You can always put on more clothes to get warm. But there is only a certain amount of layers you can remove before you start to cross the line to inappropriate.

2. I am not an outdoors-y girl. When it is hot outside, many people host lots of activities and events that are held outside. Ball games, birthday parties, weddings, things involving a swimming pool, etc. I go to these things and I am secretly miserable because it is 108 degrees and I'm sweating half my body weight and trying to look poised. Ain't working. If it gets colder, people will start having parties INSIDE, as God intended.

3. I get to wear fuzzy socks. 4. I get to wear sweatshirts without looking scrubby.

5. I LOVE wearing sweaters and I have many of them that have been missing me. There is a grey one in particular that I have been wanting to wear. And I bought 2 new ones from Ann Taylor with my birthday money that I'm excited to introduce into my work wardrobe.

6. I can welcome the scarf back into my life.

7. I can wear a new rotating group of clothing to work. All my hot weather clothes are getting a bit redundant. I am ready to wear something new!! And hello tall black boots!!

8. Everyone else is pale too and I feel less bad about how opposite of tan I am.

9. I can drink warm drinks like coffee and hot cocoa and hot tea and cider without feeling silly. And fireplaces! OH I LOVE FIREPLACES!

10. CHRISTMAS IS COMING SOON!!!