It got crowded trying to fit us all in...
Brody is in the middle and just thought this was hilarious.
Having way too much fun on the mac...

We had a great time together!

Another Christmas

Bella and Brody being festive...
Well, we just ended the week of all being together. It was a sad drive pulling into the drive way and walking into the house. Seeing all the remains of little Bella and Brody, made for a somber mood. It was great to spend Christmas this year with all the fam! I will still be home for another week, and I am hoping to get some skiing in! Can't come to Colorado and not ski.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas. I know we did!

Just one of those days I guess...

Today started out being a great day. I got ready in plenty of time (no rushing needed, which is always a plus to the start of the day). I wore my new black riding boots, a grey wool skirt and a black turtle neck. An outfit I was wanting to wear since saturday!
Then things just started to go down hill as soon as I got to work. There was chaos because there is some ice outside, so I had to get involved in problem solving. Then it just seemed like I could do nothing right.
Then you know that point where people are giving you a hard time about some things and they just don't realize when to stop... well, I walked away several times to let them know it was time to stop... but they just kept on. It started out funny and then became very personal and hurtful. UGH!
So all that to say, the only place this day has to go is up up up... hopefully.

Day Without a Gay

Today was "Call in Gay" day. When some one told me that at work I just laughed. Then I googled it and sure enough... it is! That is amazing. I think that is a really stupid idea and for one am bothered that gay people think that they can get away with it. However, it was very entertaining to read this article about it. The comments are especially hilarious!
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2008/12/taking-a-page-f.html

Seriously though, I hope there are repercussions for people who called in sick to work, just for being gay, gosh!

Kind of a lame post, I know, but at least you all are now much more aware of what is going on in our country.

Job Hunting

I have been looking at several different companies trying to see where I fit...

Please pray for the right decision and the right place for me to be at.

Check out this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBM854BTGL0 . I love it!

Mac's and Thankgiving

Well, I decided to support the economy a little this past Black Friday. My ibook G4 wasn't doing it for me any more. I had maxed out the hardrive and wasn't able to put anything else on the computer... so I got the new Macbook! So far so good. The track pad is amazing!

Speaking of black friday, those people that stampeded the walmart employee and shot eachother at the Toy R Us are just freakin CRAZY! That is so sad when people loose all disregard for another human being! I love to go shopping on black friday and see all the crazy people, but after hearing these stories, it really just makes me worry for our country. When we put material things before lives we have crossed a line!

Ok, sorry for the soap box. Other than that, I had a great Thanksgiving with the fam! Ate lots of turkey and pecan pie... Sunday I leave to go back to Arkansas where the piles of work await me... oh the joy :) !

Have a great Sunday!

Photo Journal

When we arrived this was the sight that I was greeted with... Empire State Building and Grand Central Station.



Inside of Grand Central Station
The beginning of Time Square... There is the LOFTEvery Christmas I watch White Christmas!

Naked Cowboy... Need I say more...

Walking down the street to go see WICKED!

Just me, Elphaba, and Glenda...

We were in the second row and this is the left side of the stage. The stage production was so elaborate!

Red steps in the middle of Time Square!

M&M Store... made my mouth water!

This is the beginning of the next day! I walked to the Rockefeller center and then down 5th Avenue and was greeted by this AMAZING site...

Central Park... It was beautiful!

The last sight of NY... Radio City Music Hall!

Well that is basically it! I saw so much and absolutely loved it...

The Big Apple

I just got back from New York. I think that I could live there! It was amazing. I loved how busy it was. I think that some people would definitely get annoyed by people everywhere, but it was refreshing to me. I was only there 24hrs but was able to see so much.

Our first stop was Grand Central Station, which was incredible. These buildings were so old, yet they were so well taken care of and looked stunning. After that we walked past the Empire State Building on our way to Times Square. At Times Square, I was tempted to just spend the whole day shopping, but I didn't don't worry! I saw the Naked Cowboy (pictures to come soon!), which was a little odd to say the least.

Then we bought some tickets to go see Wicked. I was so excited. I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning. We walked into the theater and kept walking closer and closer to the stage... then we stoped and our seats were in the second row! We could look down into the orchestra pit and see all the musicians. Things were happening above our heads and all around us. We caught bubbles from the stage, inhaled the smoke and saw all the facial expressions on each cast member! It was awesome. I would highly recommend goign to go see that show.

After that I met up with a JBU friend and ate dinner on Times Square, walked down 5th Avenue pasted Macy's, was tempted to ice skate behind this huge library and saw Korea Town. That ended the first night... Oh Dani, I went to H&M just for you too!

Then the next morning we woke up extremely early and took a cab ride (YIKES) to the Rockefeller Plaza. I stood outside the Today Show and saw them filming it. I saw the famous iceskating rink at the plaza as well. Then walked down 5th Avenue again and saw Saks, Tiffany's, Juicy Couture to name a few. Then all of a sudden, I crossed the street, avoiding the crazy drivers that will just run you over, and saw the Apple Store! It was so cool..., we didn't go down in it, but just getting the glimpse of that store warmed my heart.

Then we wound our way through Central Park, which made you feel as though you were no longer in the City. Saw the famous fountain from One Fine day and propably other movies as well...

Then we packed up our stuff and headed towards Connecticut. In CT we mainly did work. It was a busy time going from one thing to the next, but it was good.

It was an amazing trip that definitely made me want to move to NYC for a few years. I love the idea of being able to go see a show whenever I wanted to, go to tons of restruants, spend time in old public librarys and parks and have the opportunity to just experience the best shopping in the WORLD!

I will post pictures soon, but I wanted to share how the trip went before it got away from me.

Missing Suz.

A few pics for Suz... Just to remind you of your best friend here... We've had some good times!














Possibly the coldest day ever... oh! Our poor toes, we could have probably lost them. Surprisingly enough this was our first time skiing and it was fun.

I had just returned home for Christmas last year I think... We met at Jason's Deli (YUM). Pretty sure you had food in your teeth and we had to smile with no teeth showing.















Christmas... Sorry, the only ones I have on my computer at work are from Christmas I guess. haha...

















Our AMAZING camping trip... I hope you are laughing really hard right now. Oh and there is Freddy the Ford Focus (aka, our escape route).
















Home... It misses you, but knows that you are where the Father wants you! This was probably the best view of the Peak EVER!

Ok I promised a picture of the waitress from the Pancake Pantry... Here she is! AMAZING! I love Laura's face here too.

So Suz, I hope this brought some smiles to your face, and not too many tears! Know that you are loved. Can't wait till you come back and we can let the good times roll.

November already?

Wow! Where have the months gone...

This past week was crazy busy. Here is a run down...
Monday-
Went from 7am till 11pm! I was completely exhausted from my trip.
Busy getting ready for Ethical Leadership Summit
My first night of Marketing Strategies

Tuesday
Work as usual
Finally had a night at home, but basically just went to bed. :)

Wednesday
Got ready for a customer event.
Built a customer proposal
worked on ELS
Came home and then went straight to wal-mart to see about getting some money back from my oil change where they charged me too much. I got 15 dollars back! Yes, Neil, I know I should not go to wally world to get my oil changed!
Went to girls night at Jen's where we had Pizza and Beer and painted canvases to decorate our drab walls at work

Thursday
Woke up and felt like I weighed 20lbs more because of the pizza and beer (and I only had 1)
Held a customer event
Went to Summit Lunch (heard Bret Buttler talk)
Went to Greystone to figure things out for ELS
Had a proposal review with a customer. Then an impromptu interview as well... It was pretty cool actually
went to Community Group (Great time!)
Came home and crashed!

Friday
Solid day of work
Got ELS stuff DONE! Just in time too...
Came home and was exhausted so i decided not to go to a Halloween party, but instead went with my roommate Bunch to Branson and stayed with her Aunt at their cabin! It was great!

Saturday
Slept in
Went shopping... Emotional buying is NEVER good.
Came home
Went to a JBU play of Singin in the Rain! They did really well!

Today...
Going to church
Tons of homework
Flag Football practice.

Well there was my week! I felt like a chicken running around with my head cut off! It was very full, a lot of ups and downs, but for the most part good!

To Nashville and Back

I had a great time with Laura and Neil last weekend! I decided to take a weekend and get away and who better to go visit than them! Neil helped me a ton when I left my dome light on in my car and it killed the battery! It was the original battery and needed to be fixed any ways...

Friday Neil had to work so Laura and I went and walked around downtown Franklin. It was so cute. Here's a little pic of Sally all bundled up for being outside.

On Saturday we stood in line for quite a while for the famous Pancake Pantry! My fave... The Gowan's were great sports because I knew how amazing the food was inside... but they had never been before

Just us three standing in line... Sally was a great sport! It doesn't look like it here, but she was.

We finally got to our table!

Packed-Out Pancake Pantry! We also had an incredible waitress. I need to find that picture and will post here soon! White hair and all!

My drive home... These two semis where next to eachother going the exact same speed of 65 on a 70 mile-an-hour speed limit! UGH

It was a great time had by all!

24

Almost a week of being 24. Not much has changed but it still feels very odd to say the least.

Some things that happened this week.

• Had an amazing birthday party... with special people and missed the ones that couldn't be there.
• Went to only going to PT once a week - a HUGE time saver
• Picked catepillars off of my floor - I feel like I am living in a 3rd world country sometimes
• Froze when I walked outside because it is getting cooler here... ugh
• Watched the season premier of Amazing Race - Suz, my pick is the brother and sister
• Ate leftover Ice cream cake... yummy
• Went and got CPR/First Aid certified again (second time in 2 months... long story)
• Had a sudden urge to get out of Siloam... We'll see what happens this weekend.

Well that is basically it. Short and sweet.

The Fall Came

How many times have I heard that saying... Pride comes before a fall... Too many to count, yet I forget it all the time!

These past couple of weeks at work have been really different and I couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. I was exhausted after being at work everyday. It was hard to get excited about things and I felt as though I was constantly advocating for myself. I realized tonight that this is not what God would have me doing right now. I know now that I have let my pride and selfishness creep back into my life to confound me to only seeing what is important to me. I am missing what is important to God.

The book that is helping to make these realizations clear to me is called "Having a Mary Spirit" by Joanne Weaver. She writes in such a realistic way that you come out of reading a few pages with more than you could ever know what to do with.

Here are just a few fun pics

Jumping in Guatemala. That was such an amazing trip!












I think this is Jesus... It was a big open market full of Guatemalan artifacts. Reminded me a lot of Indonesia...

A Rainy Weekend

We have had quite a bit of rain this weekend so it has allowed me to clean, read, and catch up on much needed sleep!

On Friday night some friends and I decided that we wanted to take advantage of the over-flowing creek through Siloam. So we went to Wal-Mart to buy an inflatable raft and raft down the creek in the middle of the night. We basically thought it was a genius idea, however rafts are a seasonal item at wally world and they were all sold out! So we came back home and ate peanut butter M&M's... Kind of a let down, but the M&M's helped a little...

Life is going really well here. I am in my second month of Physical therapy and can really begin to feel the results of it. I feel like I am getting stronger and I am having less and less pain so that is good.

Work has been incredible. I just can't really explain it. I just feel as though God has completely blessed me in the opportunity that I have had to be here for this time. I have just implemented a new database that will manage all of our customers and allow us to have a 360 view of everything we do with them. It was stressful at times, but really challenging and completely rewarding!

School has been school. I am completely ready to be done, but it has been good. I am working, well should be working, on a presentation for Tuesday right now... but I got distracted. Only 2 more classes after this one and I will have that MBA so that is what I have to keep my thoughts on.

Well that is pretty much an update on life right now. Pictures to come soon. Oh remember this is my birthday month! :)

Arkansas Hot!

It is so hot outside... it is killing everything! I need rain.

Sorry Bunch. The plants are all dying and I have tried everything I can do to keep them alive. Talk to God because it hasn't rained in days and it is way too hot.

This is my very over dramatic post about the extreme heat of Arkansas.

I've been on bed rest for the past few days... it has given me a lot of time to think that is for sure. I may have to do a second round of the injection, but I am hoping that just this one is going to be it for now. I also have amazing people that are supporting me during this time. Friends that have come and mowed the lawn, stayed with me, brought me everything that I need and just been there for me.

This week is going to be absolutely insane for me! I have a program that I have to finish everything for by Tuesday. Orientation for the new Soderquist Fellows starts on Wednesday. Bunch gets home on Wednesday and it is her birthday. Plus I still have to do all of my homework for my double load... I'm not sure when I am going to fit it all in. I know it will all get done though, cuz it has to!

~Jenn

spinal stories

For the past year I have been dealing with pain in my lower back and have not done anything about it. Yesterday I received my results back from my MRI and I found out that I have a back of a 50 year old... Great! I will be involved in physical therapy and other things to try and correct the problem. I am still in the middle of processing all of this, but I can also be thankful that it is not worse then it is. There is hope that it will get better and that there will be relief soon...

Please keep this in your prayers.

Guatemala

I just wanted to share a few quick pictures from my trip to Guatemala. It was an amazing time and I hope to write more very soon!

This little girl's name is Emily... She taught me quite a bit of spanish :)

Learning how to grind coffee by hand... who needs those fancy starbucks!

strategy, strategy, strategy

that is basically everything I am doing right now. I am doing a tone of analysis for an organization for their strategy session coming up, and then I go to class and I learn more about strategy... phew, I think I am all strategized out!

So My dear friend, who is going to be leaving for Vietnam soon and she has been bugging me to post this pictures from Christmas, here they are Suz!

This was probably the coldest day ever! Our feet froze, our noses froze and our hands froze... but it was fun! It was a gorgeous day!

Here is one from Easter with Jason and Dani.

Hope you enjoyed the blast from the past.

somewhere else...

i want to be faraway from here. is it possible to love where you are at, but at the same time want to leave with everything in you? well if it is, that is where i am at.

my heart is heavy... my mind is slow... i am trying to see past it all to keep a smile.

As Ingrid Michaelson says it...
Far away far away, I want to go far away.
To a new life on a new shore line.
Where the water is blue and the people are new.
To another island, in another life.

contemplative

sitting at Panera, trying to write a paper... as you can tell, it isn't working.

jbu graduation was yesterday. it is weird to think that i graduated a year and a half ago. i am thankful that i have a solid commitment until this time next year, but i also realize that this time next year, i will be looking for something new to get involved in. i am not worried about it, but i do hope that God shows me what/where it is that i need to be next year.

it's sunday and i have too much to do, but it is because of my perfect ability to procrastinate...

Tornado's and Closets

last night I was rudely awaken by what sounded like a bomb siren... don't worry it was only a tornado siren...

Growing up overseas, I have no clue what to do during a tornado. I ran down stairs, got my four other roomates together and proceed to make a disaster plan. The five of us quickly realized that we did not have a single room in the house without windoes. Not to mention our house is a 100 years old and could fall down at any moment.

the only space that 5 girls could fit was this tiny little closet under the stairs... so we emptied it out and realized that we were still not going to be very safe in this tiny little closet, under a hundred pounds of stairs.

so at 4:25 we decided to run OUTSIDE (yes... in the pouring rain) to our neighbors house. After 5 minutes of standing outside in 50-80 mph winds and banging on the neighbors door we realized that we had made a stupid decision. So we ran back through the rain, under huge trees, and tumbled into our house completely soaked.

at this point we were exhausted and tried to all fit in the closet again. We kept watching the news and realized that the tornado was past us and it was safe to come out.

this morning we woke up and realized that the schools were cancelled, a 15 year old girl passed away from a tree falling on her, and we had been outside during the worst of it...

we have had many laughs over the funny things that were said at 4:00 in the morning, but are very thankful for our safety! What a night!

Here is a couple pictures from the damage... more proof of our stupidity

the first creation

This is the first attempt...

More to come...