Five Question Friday - May 27, 2011

Happy Memorial Day weekend, y'all! :)  If you are leaving town going on a trip, I am jealous don't like you please take me with you wish you a safe trip!  As for me, I'll be spending the holiday cleaning my house, grocery shopping, powerwashing the outside of my house, possibly planting the hydrangea I got for Mother's Day, killing grass, etc., etc., etc.  Doesn't that sound like fun to you?  Don't you want to stay with me?

Yeah...I didn't think so.

At some point, I must get some sleep too...hopefully Monday I'll get to sleep in!

Anypoorpitifulme, I'm linking up as usual with Mama M for Five Question Friday! :)  If you'd like to join me, please feel free to copy the questions and link up!




1. Do you apologize to your kids?

All the time.  Especially when I'm crabby and it's not his fault.  When I fuss at him for no reason...when I'm stressed or tired or hungry and take it out on him.  I think it's only right.

2. What color are your nails right now?

The color that God made them! ;)  I hardly ever paint my nails because, I'm not sure why, but they never seem to dry completely...so I ended up marking them up somehow...or the paint chips off pretty quickly and then I have to take the whole thing off.  Generally if I do them myself, the paint lasts about 2 days and then I take it off.

3. When you were growing up, how difficult was it for you to stay home from school sick? (As in, did you have to vomit or just say "I don't feel good".)

According to my mother, evidently I played the "I don't feel good" card one too many times...when I was a freshman in high school I told her I didn't feel good and she made me go to school.  I called her from school to have her come pick me up because I felt horrible...her words to me were "That's fine, but I'm taking you to the doctor and if you aren't really sick then you will have to repay me the co-pay."  Turned out that I had mono and I was out of school for a week.  Needless to say, I didn't have to repay the co-pay! ;)

4. When is the last time you bought a new comforter for your bed?

Actually, the comforter I have on my bed was bought on my behalf by my BFF on the day after Thanksgiving, not this last Christmas, but the Christmas before.  I saw one at Wal-Mart, though, recently that I absolutely loved.  It was bright and springy and would look great in my room.

Hint, hint...my birthday is coming up!

5. Favorite website(s)?

Well, of course Facebook, Twitter, Blogger...

Other's that I visit often are http://www.boyandgirlphotography.net/, http://www.digtriad.com/ (for my news), http://www.forsythlibrary.org/ (to check out books!), http://www.google.com/ (for anything I can't answer on my own)

I hope you have a great weekend whether you are staying home or heading away! :)

Capturing an object in motion...

Is especially difficult...

when said object...

is a 19 month old little boy...

generally more interested in...

playing with his trucks, cars and tractors...

than allowing his Aunt Jenn to get a good picture.

I got one semi-good one out of the bunch...

At one point, I thought I'd be smart and ask him to show me his trucks...

but he wanted to see what was on my screen! :)

Love that boy!

Happy Thursday!

Really...why didn't I set a reminder????

*sigh*

I knew it was coming up.

I had thought about it...planned for it...

And the day came & went...just like any other.

To be quite fair with myself, I had a lot going on last week.

I was worrying over my friend as she was losing her grandpa...and then, well, you know, life is what it is!

And I totally forgot that last Thursday was my ONE YEAR blogging anniversary!

One year has gone by!  I can't believe it.

And then, in other ways, it feels like I've been here forever.

Just for laughs, this is my first post from a year ago.

#3 really made me laugh..."my blogs always sound funnier in my head before I commit them to print"...this does not seem to have changed throughout my first year of blogging!  Some things come out funny...or thought provoking depending on my intent...and then some things miss the mark completely.

Some things have changed though...

I have "met" a lot of great people!  When I began a year ago, I had one follower...who didn't really read my posts...now I have 97 followers, although I wish I could narrow that down to "readers" because the number would be significantly smaller...but I'm OK with that.  The people who read my blog consistently (and I read their's back), I enjoy "talking" with either by e-mail or Twitter.

Speaking of Twitter, I now have a Twitter account...I never in a million years would've thought that I would join Twitter.  It just seemed pointless...especially since I have a Facebook.  But I have relative annonymity on Twitter...almost no one that I know in real life knows that I have a Twitter account.  And only two of my Facebook friends are linked to me on Twitter.  I use it solely for blogging purposes and it's nice to have a place to say something that you don't have to worry about offending someone you have to see face to face every day.  Not that I just rant & rave...but you know what I mean.

I believe my writing has changed...evolved, if you will.  At least I hope it has.

And YOU, my readers have changed too!  Babies have been born...jobs have changed...some of you have moved...it's just interesting to see how much different a life can be in a year.

And then, there are things that haven't really changed...I mean, what did I think?  Blogging would "change my life"?  I'm still the same person I was a year ago...with the same hopes & dreams...and with the same insecurities.  But I have a place to put all those things...so, maybe blogging has "changed my life" in that I can release some of this emotional baggage I would otherwise carry around until I exploded on someone in real life!

In all reality, I can't imagine leaving this little part of my world...the "blog world"...and leaving the great women (and a few men, to be fair!) that I've met while I've been here.  For now, I'm here to stay.

It's been a great year...here's to another!

Five Question Friday - May 20th Edition

First things first...my BFF's sweet Papaw Jack left this world at around 2:30 this morning.  He is truly in a much better place, no longer in pain, with his friends and family that went before him and most excitingly, he is in the presence of God!  He will be truly missed by all who knew him.

So...it's on to another edition of Mama M's Five Question Friday!  If you want to join in, head over to her site & link up!




1. Do you and your spouse go to bed at the same time?

Well, since I am not married, I guess I can answer this question "not applicable"! :)

2. A question for the ladies...What kind of facial hair do you like on your man?

I prefer smooth shaven...although a little scruff is not too bad.

3. What's the worst vacation you've ever taken?

I honestly don't think I've ever had a vacation that was bad...

I mean, we drove to Pennsylvania one summer in a small car...camped in a tent...during the week of my birthday...which meant that my birthday cake was a Pepperidge Farms cake...which is not necessarily a bad thing. 

Besides the tent thing, though...the rest of the trip was good.  We visited the Amish Country & Hershey.  That was fun.

But we stayed in a tent.

For a week.

In the summer.

Not so fun...

4. What's the first-ever blog you followed?

On Blogger?  My BFF Ashley's blog...for a long time I only followed hers...and she was my only follower back.  And then we both quit...and then I picked it back up.  Sometimes she visits mine...but she very rarely posts on hers.  Which is why I'm not sending you over there.  If she takes it up in earnest, I'll let you know! ;)

5. Do you enjoy amusement parks?

Yes!  I love them! 

Although, I have to confess...I went to Carowinds (it's owned by the same people who own Kings Dominion) a few years ago with Dylan.  I found out quickly that Dylan doesn't really care for amusement parks.

And to be honest, the rides were a little too jerky for my 'older' self.

But I rode my classic favorites anyway.

I'd love to try it with him again, now that he's a bit older. 

But, I don't want to pay that much for a ticket again to only have him ride just a few rides...so, we shall see!

***********************************************

I hope you all have a great weekend.  I'm hoping to get some work done around my house...we shall see how that goes! :)

Happy Friday!

Where I Need to Be...

I'm not choosy...any one will do...

Happy Wednesday! :)

A picture that says it all...

I'm not sure that words are needed for this picture.

I have cried and cried over it...not necessarily out of sadness...although there is some of that there...

These are two very sweet people...specifically they are my BFF's Nanny (aka Earlene) & her husband Jack.

Jack is Earlene's second husband...and Earlene is Jack's second wife.  They were both widowed...I think about the same time and were married 21 years ago.  Jack & Earlene went to church together...knew each other and knew each other's spouses.  They are good, kind, loving people.

And as I write this post, Jack is losing his battle with cancer.  This isn't completely unexpected, as he was diagnosed in late March/early April.  But, the doctors didn't give much hope of being able to put the cancer in remission and rather than spend his final days sick from the effects of chemo & radiation, he decided to enjoy them with his wife and family.

I just love this picture...the love that is shown between these two...

In sickness and in health...

Till death do they part...

Random Stuff That Happened This Week...

Here are some random things that happened this week:

• My sister is taking a Spanish class - my niece gave her a Mother's Day card that was in Spanish.
• When I was walking in the Komen Race for the Cure, I had forgotten my iPhone...so I borrowed my sis'.  I'm totally hooked on the Taylor Swift Pandora channel.
• I actually had this converstaion at work with a caller:

Me: Thank you for calling JHB. This is Jennifer.
Caller: Oh, this isn't Wal-Mart?
Me: No, ma'am.
Caller: Well, do you have that number?
Me: To Wal-Mart?
Caller: Yeah
Me: Um, no.

• Google used the Mr. Men characters in their logos on Monday - LOVED IT!

• My iPhone shut down and wouldn't come back on. I couldn't figure out what I was going to do.  I couldn't call anyone...couldn't check Google...couldn't post a Facebook status or Tweet...then I remembered I had a laptop.  Googled the problem and I'm back up & running. *Huge sigh of relief*
• After my bouts of "pink eye" back around Christmas time, I figured out that I was actually allergic to my eyeliner. I was so bummed because it was purple and NO ONE makes purple eyeliner. A friend of mine texted me the other day, saying she had found some purple eyeliner...so I went and bought it. It has glitter in it...not sure how I feel about that.

There was more on this list, but blogger went stupid and erased everything I had done yesterday...so, if they ever restore everything (which I'm not sure how that will effect draft posts) I may or may not add to this list!

Hope you have a great Friday!

Why send a normal e-mail when one like this will do?

My BFF, Ashley, & I e-mail almost daily.  Sometimes it's just a quick note to say Hey...sometimes it's a little more.  All depends on our moods and how our jobs are treating us that day.  Good mood and/or good work day?  Short e-mails.  Bad mood and/or bad work day?  Longer e-mails.

I try to be creative in my e-mails...since we e-mail so often. 

Here are some examples...

What I could've said..."I had a dream that I was dating your sister's husband"

But what I did say was this:

OK…so all.flipping.week. I’ve had these CRAZY dreams. Seriously, since Saturday it’s been this ongoing case of crazy dreams. Wednesday night, I dreamed that I met one of my blog/twitter friends (it could happen, she lives in NC) and she was a total witch in real life. Last night’s dose of craziness???? I was dating Hank. Yes, Hank, as in your brother-in-law, your sister’s husband. Now to be fair, he wasn’t married in my dream. At least I don’t think so. And also, I’m not 100% sure it was Hank, as in your sister’s husband, or if it was just a guy named Hank. But as I was passing through that fine line between dreamworld and total consciousness, my brain said “you can’t date Hank, he’s married to Meredith”.

I think I need to go on some kind of meds. Xanax, Wellbutrin, anything that they give true psycho people. I’m checking myself into Dorothea Dix over the weekend.

Maybe they will let me out for Easter…

Or how about this one?
 
I could've said "my crazy co-worker is wearing a turtleneck sweater today"
 
But what I did say was this:
 
I would just like to say, for the record, that today is March 21st.

Yesterday was the first day of spring.

Today’s high is 69. Tomorrow’s high is 80.

I realize it’s cloudy today and not nearly as warm as it was on Friday or even Saturday afternoon, but seriously, it is NO LONGER turtleneck sweater wearing weather.

That is all.

And later in the same week...
 
Ummm…another turtleneck today.

REALLY?????

And later that day...

Oh. Em. Gee.

I missed the cords.

Cords in March??? With a turtleneck sweater???

And this is a more recent one...what I could've said is "I went to the park and got creeped out by a man, so I left", but it reads so much better like this:

So, seriously…I was truly inspired by your Chick-Fil-A tailgating…and I thought, hey it’s a nice day and I’ll go eat my lunch at the park.

My hesitation was that there might be a playground full of screaming toddlers, but I thought, I’ll just deal.

When I got to the park, there was this guy there…middle age, kind of skank looking…

And when I went to the picnic table, he said “hey, how you do-ring?”

Chills down my spine.

I was nice. Said I was fine. Tried to ignore him.

There was another girl there sitting on a bench at the playground…I figured I was OK as long as someone else was there.

Then a mom and her toddler came out to play…

But when they left, it was just me and the creepy skank man…

So, I left.

I think I will not go to the W-town park for lunch anymore. Ever.

*shuddering*

the end

To which she replied:

Well, I knew my the mere look of this email that it was not going to be a funny or lighthearted one.

Mainly because

you double-spaced

each line which meant

there were things in there that,

under angrier circumstances,

would have been numbered.

I tend to number things when I'm stressed and/or venting! :)

Happy Wednesday!

Mother's Day Weekend

I had a great weekend...it was super busy, but it was all fun stuff! :)

Friday at 6pm, I finished my 24 Hour Famine!  Truly it wasn't that horrible and I wasn't that hungry...well, until about 5pm when I knew I only had an hour to go!  We broke our famine with a cookout at our Youth Pastor's community pool.  Too cold to swim, but the steak was great!  Of course, I told him he could probably have grilled my shoe and it would've tasted good at that point! ;)

Saturday morning, we were up bright & early for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.  My sister & Dylan ran the 5K...I walked the 5K.  It was incredible to see so many people out for this event.  Their goal was 12,000.  Not sure if they met or exceeded it, but there were A LOT of people there!

My sis, her friend Julie, me & Dylan - before the race

LOTS of people in front of me - and there were just as many behind me!

Dylan on his way to the finish line

Missy & Julie on their way to the finish line

After the race!

I think what suprised me the most was how many young Survivor's I saw.  Which on one hand is sad...but also a reason to be excited because they SURVIVED!

After the race, Alyson had a t-ball game...and after that Dylan had a soccer game.  I was literally at home for about 5-10 minute increments!

Then we headed to the Spring Folly...which is one of my favorite events!

Trouble #1, 2 & 3 - headed off to who knows where...sometimes its better to not know what they are up to! ;)

 

These are my BFF's god-sons! They were enjoying the ice cream...as you can see the one on the right there was more interested in the ice cream than allowing me to get a good pic!

After all that fun on Saturday, I was ready to crash by 9:15!!! It was a fun, tiring day!!!

Yesterday, was pretty low-key.  Church...lunch at home...we watched Megamind and then I spent the afternoon reading....then I went to Target & Wal-Mart by myself...which is pretty much a gift to me, since I didn't have to spend 20 minutes in the video game section of each store or trying to track Dylan down in the fishing area! :)

We are officially celebrating Mother's Day tonight - my brother-in-law had to work night shift this weekend...and as it turns out, Alyson was sick all day yesterday! Happy Mother's Day to my sister! ;)

Hope you had a great Mother's Day either as a mother or celebrating with your mother!

Five Question Friday! :)

Can you believe we are in MAY already????  I know we've been here almost a week, but still...it seems UNREAL!

Speaking of unreal, I had a VERY eventful morning...I witnessed a car accident.  And not just someone rear ending another car...a full on flipped truck!  The truck ran a red light...a van, not noticing the truck still coming through the intersection, pulled out for the green light, t-boned the truck, sending the truck up on two wheels and eventually upside down.  I sat there and literally couldn't believe what I had seen!  Scary stuff.

Thankfully, when I left it appeared that both drivers were fine.

I've seen cars go up on two wheels, but most of the time it's on TV or at the race track.  This was something I had NEVER witnessed before and hope to NEVER witness again!

This weekend is shaping up to be SUPER busy.  But it's all fun stuff...so bring it on!  Today, I'm participating in our 24 Hour Famine to raise money for our mission trip this summer.  So far, so good.  Talk to me again about 2pm and we'll re-assess.  Actually, you may not want to talk to me at 2pm...could be dangerous! ;)

My famine ends at 6pm and we are celebrating with a cookout! 

Tomorrow, I'm walking in our local Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5K.  Dylan is running!  Then my niece has a t-ball game...Dylan has a soccer game...and then we are off to the Spring Folly for the afternoon/evening!

Oh, yeah...and Mother's Day on Sunday...which I'm hoping I'll be awarded with one big, fat nap! :)

Speaking of my niece & t-ball...she got the "game ball" at her game last night!

Way to go Aly!  She said she got the game ball because she worked hard and played hard! :)

And now it's time for 5 Question Friday with Mama M! :)  If you'd like to join in the fun, head over to her site, copy the questions & link up!





1. Have you ever had roommates?

Does my sister count?  We were roommates as younger children.  Not always, but for a short time.

Also, in college I had a roommate...and suitemates.

Currently, my only roommate is Dylan! :)

2. How many names do you/your children have? (i.e. Prince Charming William Phillip Arthur Louis John Jacob Jingleheimer-Schmidt)

Dylan only has a first, middle & last name.  So, I guess three?

And I'm the same...first, middle & last!

3. Did you watch the Royal Wedding?

I didn't get up at any insane hour and I didn't make a special plan to watch it...but it did happen to be on while I was getting ready.  And, yes, I did get sucked in! :) 

Kate was just simply beautiful...emphasis on the "simple"...which I think was a total plus!

4. What is the messiest room in your house?

Hands down...Dylan's room.  To him, it's organized mess.  To me, I walk in and immediately wonder how he finds clean clothes every day...and why can't he empty his garbage can instead of continuing to pile it up...and why is he surprised that he can't find his thumb drive that was "right on his night stand" (which conveniently turned up in one of his shorts pockets...mostly likely washed & dried...but it still works, so we don't question it!). 

I just ignore it.

5. What is your ideal mothers day?

As previously stated, I just want to take a nap.

A good, long nap.

In the sun would be awesome; however, it looks like we will be having rain and/or thunderstorms all day...so no sunshine.

But that's OK...I'll nap like a champ!

And maybe watch a movie.

Most likely, at the same time! ;)

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers...and to those of you who aren't yet Mom's, I hope you get to enjoy your day with your mom...even if it's just by phone or Skype! :)

This is me & my mom from a couple of years ago...on my birthday to be exact! :)

Wordless Wednesday ~ My Sweet Niece & Nephew

Happy Wednesday! :)

Gratituesday...on the right day! :)

My friend, PBJ Dreamer, does Gratituesday every Tuesday...last week I did Grati-Wednesday...definitely doesn't have the same ring! ;)

So I thought I would join her in finding 10 things to be grateful for today!

10. Last Wednesday was "Administrative Professionals Day".  At our office, the only people who seem to be aware of when this day occurs are the Administrative Professionals.  We don't expect much recognition...but a little would be nice.

Anyway, one of the outside sales guys DID remember and took us to lunch today...to one of my favorite places - The Loop! :)

Free lunch is always fabulous!

9.  Dylan & I are participating in a 24 hour famine to raise money for a mission trip we are going on this summer.  Our group is supposed to be doing the famine collectively beginning Thursday evening at 6pm and lasting until 6pm on Friday.  However, Dylan is running a 5K on Saturday...so there's no way he could starve himself for 24 hours...eat Friday night...and then get up on Saturday morning and run 3.1 miles.  So, we decided he should do his early.

And he did it beginning at 6pm on Sunday night and going through yesterday evening at 6pm.

I'm proud of him for doing it with such a positive attitude.

Which is quite surprising, because this kid likes to EAT!

And he's raised over $150 so far!

Raising money for missions and having a teen with a positive attitude towards anything? Fabulous!

8. My moods and life outlooks are severely affected by the weather.  Winter hits me the worst when it's cold and overcast more than it's warm and sunny.

But the past few days have been absolutely beautiful!

We are supposed to cool off for the next few days and will probably get some rain...so I'm thankful for the sunshine we are getting off & on today!

Sunshine = fabulous!

7. This weekend is the Spring Folly in the small town that I somewhat exist in.  I have gone to this for the past I don't know how many years.  It's not much...but it's just a fun time of hanging out with friends.  It just feels so small town...and I love that. 

Small town festivals are fabulous!

6. Last night I had to keep Alyson & Ayden (niece & nephew).  We played outside for a long time...Dylan played too! :)  Even though Ayden isn't feeling 100% these days (cutting teeth + I think he has a cold = a whiney baby), he was fun to play with outside.

Time spent with my niece, nephew & son?  Fabulous!

5. I don't know if you know this, but Redbox will text you a code for a free movie on the first Monday of every month.  I usually don't use them because I have to go to work on Tuesday...and I'm not sure what possessed me to get a movie last night, knowing I was keeping Alyson & Ayden...but I used it.  I rented Life As We Know It with Katharine Heigl and that other guy...so good.  Feel good...funny...seriously sweet movie.

Free movie rental...and a good movie gotten? Fabulous!

4. I got my iPhone back in early March, I think.  Maybe February...who knows.  Anyway, I love this phone...it's so awesome!  I've never owned any Apple products...no iPods or anything.  So, I'd never had any reason to download iTunes on my home computer.

When I tried, I kept getting an error message...and it was driving. me. crazy.

I googled the error and tried those solutions.

I asked a couple of people I knew.

Nothing worked.

Until the other day, I found someone who had the same problem and had the same internet filtering software on their computer.

And FINALLY I was able to get iTunes downloaded to my computer!

You have no idea how happy this made me - I don't have to have songs on my phone...I have Pandora radio & KLove has an app for the iPhone...so music wise, I was set.

But, knowing that I couldn't get it to work was driving me crazy!

Successfully downloading & installing iTunes after many, many, many, attempts? Fabulous!!!

3. This weekend is Mother's Day.  I don't know what we will do...if I do nothing more than take a nap, that will be fine by me.  I'm so grateful for my mother.  My parents don't live far away at all and it's nice to know that they are close by.  My mom has been retired for almost two years now and she's a great help to me in carting Dylan to & from...especially in the summer when he has soccer workouts during the day.  I'm sure that my Dad will be happy to help her with this now that he's retired.  But in honor of the holiday, today I'm listing Mom on my Gratituesday list!

Having a great mom? Fabulous!

2. I'm super excited about my gift to her for Mother's Day...but since she sometimes reads my blog, I'm not saying what it is! :)

Having a great gift for a great mom? Fabulous! ;)

1. As I've mentioned before, Dylan & I have started going to a gym.  I've actually gone more often than he has...which I figured it'd be more equal because I figured he'd be motivating me!

Each time I go, I feel like I can do a bit more...I can feel myself getting stronger.

I'm so grateful for good health that will enable me to have an even healthier body - physically, mentally & emotionally.

Good workouts? Fabulous!

Hope you are having a fabulous Tuesday wherever you are! :)

Friend Making Monday: Bookworm Edition

I haven't done this meme in a while...so, I thought I'd revisit it! :)

1. How often do you read?

I go through spells...and it depends on what I'm reading.  Sometimes I can knock out several books in a week...here lately, though, it seems like it's taking me several months to knock out a book! 

I read more often when I'm on vacay...especially sitting on a beach somewhere.  That's some good reading, there!

2. What's the last book you read and loved?

Because I read so much, it's hard to just pick one book.  And because I read so much, I can't tell you what the last "new" book was that I read.  I love Janet Evanovich and have been re-reading the Stephanie Plum series.  I'm looking forward to the 17th in this series...although, I do have to say, they seem to not be quite as good as the earlier Plum books.  But, I will read it anyway! :)

3. What book(s) are you currently reading?

I am currently reading The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer.  I had mixed emotions about reading this - I love the Twilight series...but I just wasn't sure I wanted to read this.  I don't know why.  However, I was at the library the other day and it was sitting there...so I decided to give it a try.

4. Share a few of your favorite authors.

Well, already stated - Janet Evanovich, Emily Giffin, Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, Meg Cabot (she writes 'grown up' books too), Nicholas Sparks, Sophie Kinsella (and I like her books as Sophie Kinsella way better than her Madeline Wickham books - yes, they are the same person), Fannie Flagg, Ann B. Ross, Richard Paul Evans...

yes, this list could go on forever! :)

5. What's next on your list of must-reads?

Not really sure here...I really would like to read the Pretty Little Liars series...and there's a few more on my list that I'd like to read.  There's nothing that I'm just dying to read right now...I'm sure something will come along!

Happy Monday!  It's an especially happy Monday here in the US!  I know that the death of Osama bin Laden is not the end of the war on terrorism, but it's a huge success.  I am always thankful for the men & women who protect our country...but I'm espcially proud of our military today!