Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed and Something Blue

Last weekend was a very special weekend indeed! I got to stand with one of my best friends, Mel, as she got married. She and David were wed at Royal Lane Baptist Church, which is my favorite chapel in all of Dallas. Their ceremony was beautiful. Their reception followed at the Old Red Courthouse. I had not heard of it before Melissa was engaged but quickly fell in love with it when I saw it. Their colors (mocha and sage) were beautiful in the courthouse. It could not have been prettier (but I am extremely bias).

Mel wore cowboy boots to the reception and had Allison and I do the same. I enjoyed it immensely! Boots are so much more comfortable to dance in than heals and it is not every day you can wear them to a wedding! I also had the privilege of toasting the bride and groom at the reception. With all of my bridesmaid experience, I had yet to give a toast at a reception. I was petrified. I am all about words of affirmation (it is definitely one of my love languages) but something about telling one of my dearest friends how much I adore them in front of hundreds of people made me sweat. I managed to say what I wanted to and I don't think I ruined their wedding (huge plus)! I enjoyed the wedding ever so much! So many of my great friends were there. I saw Houston peeps that I haven't seen in months and all of the wonderful Dallas friends that I met through knowing Mel. It was great!

Mel was absolutely beautiful and the night was perfect! She is on her honeymoon at the moment and I am not used to her being gone. I have tried to call her three times this week only to remember she is out of the country. Oops. Have a blast Mel but come home soon! I miss you.


My full album from the rehearsal and wedding is below if you want to see more pictures.

Mel's Wedding

Progress

Tonight I went to the Porch with a few of my Watermark girl friends. It was a good message and is my first step towards fulfilling New Years Resolution #4. I am committing to attending the entire series that starts next week entitled "The Seven Deadly Sins of Dallas Young Adults." Should be interesting and hopefully after seven weeks I will not feel so awkward in that setting. It is still really daunting for me! So many people in one place. I find it impossible to meet new people. But I did meet one girl this week. Maybe that is the trick. I meet one person each week and eventually I know enough people not to feel awkward? I hope so! We will see.

Wii Fit

My mom has been looking for a Wii Fit since she bought me my Wii for Christmas in November. She looked before Christmas, during Christmas and intensified her search after Christmas. She would go to target and look for it like a child looks for a present on Christmas morning. She would run up to the Wii Fit shelve eagerly and turn back defeated when she read the "Not Currently In Stock" sign. I have not been keeping track of the number of times my mother has gone to a Target, Sears, or WalMart looking, but I don't think it is a gross exaggeration to say somewhere between twenty and thirty times.

Last weekend when my mom went to Target by our house the electronic salesman informed her " We should have some in next week, but come before Sunday because when the sales start, they go fast." My mom informed him that she had been told this before and was skeptical but my mom, dad and I optimistically went on Saturday morning anyway. Now, my mom has missed a Wii fit by five minutes before so she is all business. We had to hit Target BEFORE breakfast so if there was one... It would be hers! But alas, there were none. This salesman said they had no way of knowing when they would get more (which completely contradicted the last persons statement.... they should really have a script... but I think this mans words were more accurate). We left Target and headed to breakfast before hitting Sears on our way home. This effort was equally fruitless as Sears was out of stock too.

Afterwards, we dropped my dad off and pick up a few things I needed to get before running more errands. My mom and I then headed out again to run my errands and search for her Wii Fit. We went to half priced books and to get a dress altered for me and then headed to a different Target and Walmart. On the way to Target my mom saw a gaming store called Game Crazy. They had a sign on the street saying they had Wii's in stock so we were hopeful that they also had Wii Fits. My mom pulled into the parking lot and I ran in and asked. The salesman replied "Nope. We sold our last one TEN minutes ago." I looked at him blankly and then crushed and replied "seriously?!" He said he was afraid so. I walked back to the car hopeful that either Target or WalMart would have one because otherwise I would be apologizing to my mom for a week that we ran my errands BEFORE looking for her Wii Fit. The Target had the same annoying sign that the other one had. No luck.

The WalMart was ridiculously crowded and nothing was where it should have been so I was not very hopeful... But apparently their lack of organization is our reward because in a random corner of their glassed in game area we saw it. "Mom," I yelled, "Wii Fit! There it is!!! Aren't you excited!?!" "Sure" she said and looked for a sales associate. We got it out of the case and I held it for dear life. I didn't want some little kid stealing my mom's Wii Fit! We checked out, made it to the car and then it finally clicked with my mom that she got her WiiFit. Once she stated the car and was pulling out of the parking spot she turned to me and grinned from ear to ear and said "Jenny! We got one!" I replied, "There it is! I was waiting for you to be excited!" She said she must have been in shock when we ACTUALLY found it. Haha!

My family has been playing with the Fit ever since and we are all hooked! I find it hysterical to watch my 60 year old parents hula-hoop or slalom down a mountain. I have been doing the yoga and strength training exercises and man alive, I am sore! Mostly because I did not stretch before my workout. I thought, it is a game... But No. It is a workout. I was doing push-ups, side planks, lunges, and jack knifes... A genuine workout.

I am beginning to see why they have been out of stock for a while. It is quite fun! Feel free to come over anytime! My dad slaloming is my favorite! I am laughing just thinking about it!

Bowling

Yesterday I bowled my best game ever! A whopping 120 points. I am a horrible bowler so I was quite impressed as I am sure you are. I will be signing autographs next weekend.

I went to 300 Dallas and it was like no bowling alley I have ever seen. I was expecting bad lighting and old men with pot bellies, but there was not a potbelly in sight. Everyone was about my age and the ambiance was fresh and young. The lanes were black-lit and they were playing music videos of contemporary artists the whole time (some of which were very hard to watch... apparently sex does sell because some of the videos were quite risque). There was even a frat party going on beside us. I was shocked. That is what I get for pre-judging an activity. Though in Addison I should have known... people were going to be young and it was going to be overpriced.

Small Group Sleep Over

Last night our small group had its first sleep over. We rented out the fourth floor of Watermark and let our girls roam around and be 12 year olds. We watched High School Musical 3, played hide and seek, American idol (which consisted of them singing to us as a group), mad-gab, ate snacks, watched another movie, and built an obstacle course. Not bad for one evening.

At 2am, Melissa and I went to bed. We told the girls the ground rules one more time and told them they could stay up as long as they wanted to. And they did. Some of our girls did not go to bed until 5:30am! They woke up at 8am without much fuss too. Oh to be 12 again!

It was a blast to get to see them outside of bible study. Such personalities our girls have!

Looks Like Someone's Got a Case of the Mondays

Way to not take your umbrella out of your car this morning Jennifer. Did I not notice the rain when I got out of your car?! Or maybe I thought it would stop before I got down town? No such luck. Instead, it was raining harder downtown and I was left to walk two blocks umbrella-less this morning from my DART stop to my building. I did my hair today too.

Yeah... It's Monday!

2009 Here We Come

A lot happened in 2008. It was probably my biggest year to date regarding life change. I turned 25, graduated, moved to Dallas, took the Bar, took a trip to Hawaii, started leading youth at Watermark, joined Watermark, found an amazing and challenging community group, PASSED the bar, suffered through the highs and lows of a few months of unemployment and gratefully found a job (even if it is a temporary one). Honestly, I am a little tired just thinking through my last year. I am excited to ring in 2009 though and am looking forward to less life change this year!

I have never been one to come up with new years resolutions. But in my opinion they get a bad wrap. People come up with lofty, far-fetched impossible goals and get frustrated when they can't achieve them. Then they vow never to come up with new years resolutions again. I have decided to give this whole resolution thing a shot, but to aim low so I can hopefully achieve a few of my resolutions. I plan to be chipper and positive about my resolutions and to actually call them resolutions and maybe, just maybe, resolutions will come back in style!

So, with no further ado, I give you my 2009 New Years Resolutions:
1. Complete at least 3 things on my life list. Any three. I can even add more and complete those... so there is no way NOT to complete this resolution, but it is a resolution none-the-less.
2. Find a job that is challenging and enjoyable (which is number one on my life list, but it is a BIG one... so it gets its own spot on my resolution list too) or at the very least find a permanent job.
3. Slow down. I am a type A, list making, always going girl and I really need to learn how to rest sometimes. I got a glimpse of this illusive rest over the last few months and I realized while resting is not something I do willingly, it is something I need. My goal is to learn to take a break every once in a while and not be so rigid with my time. I hope to yield to the Lord when needed instead of protesting and pointing to my very long "to do list".
Note: This goes against my personality but I am going to try. I don't ALWAYS have to slow down... just sometimes. ;)
4. Get more involved in Watermark's singles ministry, which might seem to conflict with number 3, but it doesn't. I have had a bad attitude about Watermark's singles ministry from day one and I am resolved to get over it. Watermark is not First Baptist. There are no Sunday School Classes. There are not going to be Sunday School Classes. I need to suck it up and get out there anyway.
5. Train for something. Anything. I miss working towards a physical goal. I have mentioned this before but I work out much better when I have an end goal in mind. Thus, at some point in 2009 I hope to train for and complete another race of some sort: a triathlon, a 5k, a 10k, a half-marathon... something.

Christmas Trilogy: Holiday in Houston

Christmas number three was by far the most traditional Christmas this year. Jacki (my cousin) made a fantastic meal for us all. We had turkey, ham, caseroles, pies, fruit, potatoes, stuffing... you get the hint.

We got to spend the days with the kids. It is fun now that Jessica is old enough to open presnets. Last year she looked at them and would rip the paper if you put it in her hand but didn't really get it. This year, she was all about unwrapping presents. She would unwrap anyones present if you let her. She opened most of Jacobs presents. I bet he will give her a run for her money next year!

Intermission

Between Christmas #2 and Christmas #3 we had two days to move my brother from one apartment to another. Not exactly my ideal Christmas activity but my brother has helped me move numerous times so it was the least I could do.

When we got to my brothers apartment on Thursday night we cleaned up a little and got situated. My brother asked me to put his coat in his hall closet, so I walked over to his hall closet, hung up his coat and closed the door. He then asked me to hang up my mom's coat so I repeated the process. He rolled his eyes and asked me to hang up my coat. I told him there were no more hangers and ran to his real closet to get another hanger and hung up my coat. He rolled his eyes again and opened the closet door, pointed at the floor and asked me if I was blind. Sitting there was a Rock Band 2 Bundle for the Wii! Merry Christmas Jenny! I cracked open the box but chose only to make the guitar since we had to move everything from one apartment to the other and then back to Dallas. My brother and I had fun playing guitar and singing the rest of the weekend. I heart rock band!

On Friday I got to spend some time with Amber. She was in town for Christmas and we spent the day shopping, talking and eating. Pretty normal day for us but it was great to see her! After my fun escape it was back to cleaning and moving. My brother is not the cleanest person in the world so it was kinda gross at times. Why are boys so dirty?!?! Any ideas?

My mom spent a few hours working on my brother's bathroom to get it presentable before we headed out. Here is a shot of her oh so exciting cleaning. It was a task, but we got him moved with the help of my cousin Scott. Poor Scott. He has moved me and my brother almost every time we've moved. Who knew when you signed on to our family it involved countless acts of manual labor? At least my uncle got to escape this time. He normally is roped in too. He had a great excuse though, he was in Arkansas. I may try that next time! Seeing as my brothers new apartment is on the 4th floor about 200 feet from the parking garage.

Christmas Trilogy: A Glimpse of Gilmer

On Christmas morning we woke up early to head to East Texas for Christmas #2 with my mom's side of the family. We opened our stockings as is customary before heading out. Thankfully Santa got my memo about the "good" chocolate this year and I was happy to find chocolate covered pomegranate in my stocking, as well as 60% coca chocolate. Yum!

After loading the car for both remaining Christmases the four of us headed out in my dad's Expedition. We programmed Gilmer into the Garman and headed out. Seeing as my parents drive to Gilmer at least once a month, they did not need Mr. Garmin to show them the way, but they were pleasantly surprised to see that he also told them the speed limit and an estimated arrival time.

We arrived in Gilmer in time to help my cousin Sierra finish up some Queso. Mike and I stirred it and we must have done a good job because it turned out great! We also helped my mom set out sandwich fixings while we waited for the rest of my cousins to arrive. My grandmother is 94 and is my last remaining grandparent. She gets around quite well for a woman of her age but still has my cousin, Sierra, buy all of her Christmas presents for her and has for the last few years. Sierra is in college and lives with my grandmother. After we all opened presents my grandmother said "If you like what I got you, I picked it out... If you don't, blame Sierra." Luckily I loved my robe, so thank you Grandma!

My mom's side of the family consists of my grandma, my uncle, his five kids and their five kids. Below are my girl cousins (and myself) and my oldest second cousin (beside me). The next picture is four of my second cousins in a tree. The youngest three are in first grade now and are growing so fast!


When we were growing up the kids always played Santa and handed out all the presents. It is weird to watch my cousins' kids do it now... I am a grown up and not one of the "kids" anymore.

Opening presents in East Texas is always a trip. My dad's side of the family and my immediate family all open presents one at a time. Not so with my mom's side. Once the presents are all in front of people the mayhem begins. I think some of my cousins think it is a race... or they are just really excited to see what they are going to get because they are done opening presents in about two seconds. I wait and look around and take a few pictures before I start opening. It is always funny to watch the interaction... People ripping into packages and then yelling a "Thank you, Jenny", "Thank you, Aunt Melba" or "Thank you, Grandma" across the room before opening the next gift.

We draw names and only get one gift for our cousins/uncle. This year I drew Megan and she wanted crosses. The bottom picture is her with her crosses. I was quite impressed with the three crosses I bought her. Hobby Lobby was having a 50% off sale and I was able to get her three crosses without going over our $20 spending limit! I was drawn by my cousin Sierra and received The Dark Knight. I actually have not seen it yet but have heard it is fantastic so instead of renting it and then going out and buying it, I decided to ask for it for Christmas.


After cleaning up all the wrapping paper and playing with a few of the kids toys, my family packed up and headed for Houston. We had to make it there by Christmas night so Mike could work the next day. I actually enjoyed all the time with my family on Christmas, but eight hours in the car is not necessarily my dream Christmas. Hopefully next year I will still get the family time but it wont be in the Expedition.