Rude Awakening

This morning, I overslept. My alarm went off, and rather than hit snooze, I just turned the whole thing off entirely.

I'd love to say it was an accident but I think somewhere deep down in my subconscious I did it on purpose.

So sure enough, Grant wakes up and realizes I'm still in bed and not 20 minutes down the road as I should be at that time. He starts pushing me in the arm... "Babe... get up... you're late... wake up.... Jen...... hey, Jen.."

At this point I was like "OKAY! I HEAR YOU!"

But he didn't stop. He kept pushing me and saying "Come on, I'm serious, you're really late... get up... Jen"

I then declared,"WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO RUDE?!?"

"I'm not being rude"

"Yes, you are. You could at least be nice about it and gentle and quietly wake me from my slumber".

"Or, I could be poking you incessantly and tickling you repeatedly until you get up".

".................. okay I'm up".

Goodbye, Sweet Little Civic

It's official.

The sweet, reliable, zippy little Honda Civic that Grant has had for the entirety of his adult life is gone.

We traded it in.

For a big, gas-guzzling, maroon, 4-door Ford F-150 XLT.

Grant needed something a bit more updated since he takes clients out a lot now. There is a part of us that thinks we are insane since the Civic had NO payments left and was still running just fine, but it was time to make the upgrade after 10 years.

We really are excited, even though saying goodbye to the Civic was bittersweet. Grant picked me up for our first date in that car! The first time he kissed me? We were leaning against that car! That's the car that got him to and from Denton to come visit me in college. That's the car we were in as he drove me to our engagement party just minutes after we got engaged. We brought Moxie dog home to our apartment for the first time in that car.

It was a good little car.

You were good to us, little Civic.

And we are super excited about our truck adventures!

Dear Sweet DVR

I'm not gonna lie. Television is a major part of our household. An even bigger part of our household? THE DVR. I am so glad that I live in an era where the DVR exists. It is an extremely important tool in our lives.

There are several series that record every episode of. What shows do Grant & Jen record, you wonder? WELL LET ME BREAK IT DOWN FOR YOU HERE ON THE BLOG!

Let's begin.

This is Jim and Pam. They met at work in The Office and they just got married. They have a baby girl named Cecilia Marie. I am a little bit in love with Jim Halpert, but that's okay. I have not missed a single episode of The Office. Ever. Thanks to DVR.

And this is Derek and Meredith. They had a one night stand and then they started dating and then they broke up a few dozen times cause he had a cheating wife back in New York. And then she almost drowned and then something happened with a veterinarian and then they got married on a post-it note. Sounds like a quality show, doesn't it? DO NOT JUDGE ME.

And this is Bob & Jillian! They are not a romantic couple, they are more of a "I'm gonna yell at you until you lose 150 pounds" couple. I do love me some Biggest Loser. I am not as big of a fan of the contestants this year but I am making it work.


CHUCK!!! We LOVE Chuck! It is such a fun show. It is funny, entertaining, it has heart, not to mention that Zachary Levi who plays Chuck is seven kinds of adorable. (Did you know he is a Christian? True story!) We love the show and everyone in it.

Okay, this one is a bit more gritty. Southland started on NBC awhile ago and then it got cancelled and we were bummed. But then TNT picked it up and it started back up last month. We really like this show. It is compelling, but a bit gory. Viewer discretion is advised.

So, I know that technically this show hasn't even started yet, but we will be watching it. Here is why: Ali is cute. Ali is a little melodramatic which keeps it fun. She will collapse onto the floor in hotel hallways if she is especially upset. Also, her crying noises are really annoying.

Holla, American Idol! Last night we narrowed it down to the top 10. Last season, I wrote a post about How to pick an American Idol that you should read. It's important stuff. I still haven't picked my favorite for this season yet, but I will let you know.

Community is a sarcastic, smart, silly, sweet little show that comes on before The Office. I like the way it highlights the wide array of people that go to community college. Senor Chang is a great character and we LOVE Abed who has Asperger's Syndrome. Cracks us up. I also am a fan of the weekly little jab at Ryan Seacrest.

Hey! It's Stacy and Clinton from What Not to Wear! I love them both so much and sometimes I think that maybe I'll dress horribly for 6 months or so and then maybe they will come give me all new clothes. The only thing that bugs me is that 98% of the time they cut the person's hair waaaaay too short. No thank you.

I love me some Joel McHale. I love me some Soup. His sarcasm just pushes my funny button. Plus, I don't watch nearly enough television (clearly) and he gives me all the highlights.

I used to be much more obsessed with Law & Order: SVU then I am now. I can miss episodes here and there but I still try to catch them when I can. I love Benson & Stabler and I love the opening song. In college, my roommate and I used to get up and do the "SVU Dance" everytime the show came on. We're special like that.

This is another show I watch occasionally. Honestly, I am really into crime shows. What I love about this show is it is all real. You follow real detectives around as they are in the process of solving a murder. Plus, the interrogations of suspects is quite amusing sometime. The suspect's street names are also entertaining.

I do not watch Oprah everyday. Most of the time, her show annoys me and gets me all irritated. However, there are some shows that I just looooove to see. The celebrity interviews. The room makeover shows. The surprises. Oprah's favorite things. The intense human interest stories that I remember forever. You know...the way her show used to be.

Okay, I'm just gonna come right out and say it. I love the Ellen show. SHE. IS. HILARIOUS. And the stuff they come up with... when they had Dennis Quaid walk into a Starbucks with an earpiece and made him repeat anything Ellen said in his ear ("DENNIS QUAID IS HERE!! DENNIS QUAID WANTS COFFEE!!") I could not stop laughing. She does funny things and I just love it.

This one is kinda hard to explain. We have never watched How I Met Your Mother on television. But we love this show. Let me explain... awhile ago we started renting all the seasons on DVD. We have watched them all now... up until this current season. But when we finished the last DVD, the current season had already started airing episodes. So now, we have to wait till this season ends, buy that DVD, watch them as fast as we can, and then start watching in real time at the beginning of next season. I have strong opinions about watching episodes out of order. It doesn't work for me. But we do love love love this show and Marshall is my favorite.

Please do not start telling me all the shows I am missing out on. I know, I know. I know I need to watch 30 Rock and the Amazing Race and Parenthood and Dancing With the Stars. I know all of this. But I JUST DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME, PEOPLE!!!

So what about you? What shows are on your DVR?

A Weekend Pictorial

Let's have a little weekend photo recap, shall we?

A highlight of the weekend was when I met my BFF Lindsee at Barnes & Noble for a very special book signing. Francine Rivers (Hello Redeeming Love! Hello Atonement Child! Hello Mark of the Lion Trilogy! I LOVE her books) and Beth Moore (Does she really even need an introduction?) were signing their new books. I already had Beth's new book and brought it from home and purchased Francine's book while at B&N. It was such a fun morning.

Here is me and Lou. She had a minor meltdown after she realized that her memory card was not in her camera and she had to resign herself to the fact that she would be taking photos today with her iphone. Homegirl was not happy. She made that very clear. "Oh, stink! I cannot believe I did that! Oh, darn it! What is wrong with me? I CANNOT BELIEVE I DID THAT! Well, poop!"

Here I am with Francine Rivers. She wrote Redeeming Love. Yes she did.

We also got our books signed by the radiant Mrs. Beth Moore. But someone else took the picture and I don't have it... boo.

After that, I headed out to my sister's house for my nephew Dean's first birthday!

Look at our big 1 year old birthday boy! I love you Dean Jackson!

Here is his sock monkey cake. My dad made it.


Happy Birthday to Dean! Happy Birthday to you! (My sister is gorgeous and such a wonderful mommy!)

My nieces, Scarlett, Juliet and Grace eating the cake that Pops made.

My dad (Pops) and the birthday boy.

Aunt Jen with the twins, Scarlett and Juliet. The fact that they will be 4 in May makes me get all emotional and I just can't talk about it right now.


This is my most favorite picture ever in life. I asked my darling Scarlett to give me her biggest smile. And she did.

Some Things Have Been Happening

I'm still in the midst of of my blogger's block.

Which is sad since Sunday was my 3 year Blogaversary.

When I started this blog, we hadn't even been married for three months.

So much has happened in 3 years.

We lived in Louisiana.

We moved back to Houston.

Grant had a new job.

Grant got laid off.

Grant got another new job.

We searched for 67 years for our first house.

We bought our first house.

Grace, Evan, Emily, and Dean were born. Scarlett and Juliet turned 3. One more niece is on the way! (Yes, that makes our grand total SEVEN!!)

I am obsessed with food.

I am obsessed with television.

I don't like to exercise.

I love my husband.

I hate being hot.

I like to be horizontal. **Update: it has come to my attention that the meaning of this sentence is unclear. Horizontal means that I prefer to be laying down or sleeping at all times. Sitting up/standing is not as fun. That's all I meant. This is a family friendly blog, yo.

We love our church.

We love our friends.

We love our family.

I love this blog.

I love all the people I've met.

I love all the people I will soon meet. (Hey KIM and FRAN!!)

It has tapped into my creative juices.

It has released emotion and taught me things about myself.

And now the big question:

Is over 3 years of marriage grounds to change my blog name? Can I still be Jen the Newlywed?

**Afterword: It took me a sweet forever to find all those links and I regretted my decision about halfway through the process. Please click on a link so I don't feel like I just waited 45 minutes. I love you. **

The Song of the Beautiful

Many of us are going through Beth Moore's new book "So Long Insecurity" right now. I don't know about you, but it has been a life-changing, perspective altering book in my life. If you aren't reading it, you should. Even if you don't think you struggle with insecurities. Read it.

One thing I've never been more confident of is who I am in Christ. I am His daughter, His beautiful creation whom He formed with His own hands. He knew the things that would make me tick. He knew the things that would motivate me. And since I've started reading this book, I have had to pray a few times and ask the Lord to change what motivates me. To give me peace in situations that would usually trigger me and slowly guide me in a better direction.

I am so deeply flawed, yet I serve such a perfect God. There are things I don't know, things I don't understand, things I choose to ignore and things I outright rebel against. But I am made complete and whole in HIM. Praise the Lord!

I absolutely love Christy Nockels' new CD, "Life Light Up". I was immediately drawn to the songs "By Our Love", "A Mighty Fortress" and "You are Able".... but in this season of my life and in the midst of the walls I am currently trying to break down, I am really finding such comfort and encouragement in her song "Song of the Beautiful".

Song of the Beautiful by Christy Nockels

The broken, weary and poor
Finding... you are the cure
The weak and dying... glorifying You in it all

It's the song of the beautiful,
Jesus loves me
It's the song of the beautiful,
Jesus saved me
The song of the redeemed
The echoes of those made free
It's the song of the beautiful
Jesus loves me

The fallen back on their feet
The fatherless now complete
The innocent suffering, rising from wounding to find
You were there all along!

It's the song of the beautiful
Jesus loves me
The song of the beautiful
Jesus saved me
The song of the redeemed
The echoes of those made free
It's the song of the beautiful
Jesus loves me

Oh how He loves me
Oh how He loves me
Oh how He loves me
The broken, the beautiful

The prodigal running home
The widow never alone
The one who is waiting, rising and singing,
"You, Jesus You are my all!"

It's the song of the beautiful
Jesus loves me
The song of the beautiful
Jesus saved me
The song of the redeemed
The echoes of those made free
It's the song of the beautiful
Jesus loves me

I find such deep comfort in that reminder. Oh how He loves you! The broken, weary, imperfect, wounded, you.

The Mighty God we serve is capable of the impossible. If you think "I'll never change", think again. He cannot be overestimated. He is powerful. He can accomplish the impossible.

He can take the parts you hate most about yourself and He can make them clean. He can hold your hand when you walk through the most daunting of circumstances. He is ALWAYS there with you. Whether or not you choose to acknowledge Him is where we have issues.

When you're struggling, tired, exhausted, exasperated, why would you choose to go anywhere else but to the Heavenly Father, who brings you comfort and rest?

He is peace!! He is comfort!! He is the affirmation, the encourager, the teacher, the helper, the guide, the shepherd, the One who makes the rough places smooth, the communicator, the listener, the healer, the forgiver, the knows-all-your-secrets and knows-what-makes-you-tick best friend that always knows what to say, the perfect solution, the answer, the thing that makes it better. HE is what you need.

Blogger's Block

March has not been a very bloggity month for me. I just haven't blogged very much, and not for lack of trying. I come here and start writing and then I get bored with myself and delete everything.

See, I just typed out that paragraph, and now I've got nothing to say.

I just took Moxie on a walk. It was lovely, except for the fact that he almost rips my arm out of socket anytime he sees a squirrel.

Last night I made lasagna, it was yummy. Grant is making steaks tonight. The side item is my job and I have chosen 3 cheese tortellini and alfredo sauce. Yes.

Should I start using the tanning cream now? I feel like we are approaching the warmer months and perhaps I should make my legs a little darker so I don't offend people with my blinding light of paleness.

This week is Spring Break. This doesn't really affect me because I am not in school and Spring Break is just like any other week for me. However, I am loving having less traffic. And on Wednesday nights I am usually at church all evening but all events were cancelled this evening so I am enjoying an evening of rest. So I do have little Spring Break happy moments.

I'm watching last night's American Idol performances and none of these songs sound like Rolling Stones songs.

This morning for breakfast I ate a "Breakfast-on-a-Bun" sandwich from Whataburger. It was amazing and did wonderful things for my diet.

Okay, this blog is so painful that I am going to slowly back away.

I'm ending it.