Annual Blog

Today, I got a hankerin' for some good ol' fashioned blog readin'. After reading your blogs, I was inspired. First there was Michael with his "ants on the ground" and Farah with Mimi waving old glory. There was Morgan's amazing quilt and Whitney and Kaleb's anniversary. Oh yeah, and Ric's heartfelt story about his dad and life's lessons and Katie's journey with the Lord. I just felt like I needed to contribute to the blogging world today, I just don't know what to contribute. A funny picture? I sweet story? A laughable anecdote? All of the above?

This is Niecy Nash and she is HILARIOUS! I have rediscovered her on many shows... Reno 911, Clean House and Dancing with the Stars (all the cool kids call it DWTS). Now, some of you might be a tad bit annoyed by her voice, but I love it. Just hearing her speak makes me laugh. Those sarcastic looks she gives people on Clean House are classic. She's got sass, people.

How have I lived without Netflix for so long (Then again, how have I lived without internet for so long?)? Thousands of hours of entertainment are at my fingertips for only $9 a month. Just today I watched a documentary about a lawsuit that was filed against the person who retrieved the Barry Bonds' 73rd home run ball. Now that's entertainment.

Melanie, Amy and I went to Rwanda, Africa last June. I never wrote about it because I wasn't really sure what to say. I've had a year to process it now and there are many things that I laugh about (cars always breaking down, the pastor's family watching a spanish soap opera every night, laughing at people when they unknowingly grabbed a very hard corn on the cob) some things that I cry about (the pain I had in my legs from the LONG flights there and back, the state of health that most of the children were in, the amount of children there that had barely any provisions to live on, thinking of the suffering that many people we met have been through due to genocide) and some things I rejoice about (seeing the Lord touch the lives of people thousands of miles away from me, seeing joy in the midst of suffering, getting to see children play on a playground for their first time). I love this picture.

Well, I suppose that's all for now. Good catching up, bloggies (like Trekkies, but Bloggies).

As Requested
Ok, here is it, a new blog.
Most exciting thing happening right now: Rwanda. Me, Melanie and Amy are bookin' it up to the AF (africa) to hang with some orphans and build a playground and go on a safari. It all came about pretty suddenly when I got an e-mail from Mel asking our singles group (or my former singles group as I have not been able to attend because of work) if anyone was interested in going. I was laying in bed and decided, "I think I want to go." So, now I'm really going. So far I have $1,800 raised in support out of $3,050ish. Pretty exciting. When I got my first support letter back I got teary eyed with joy. I really didn't have any expectations, I honestly though about trying to pay for the trip myself. Silly me. God is way bigger than that. I really can't wait to go. I wish it was tomorrow.
Kind of exciting thing happening: warm weather. Although it's pretty stinkin' HOT outside today, I'm still enjoying the sun. It's nice not to have to think about sweater and sweatshirts.
Not exciting at all: Vaccinations for Rwanda trip. I really don't mind shots and needles and all that. But I have to get 6 shots in one day. Waaaaa!!!!! :o( And one of them is a tetnus shot (ouch!).
So, that's my life in levels of excitement. And there you go Farah, a new blog. Love to all.

Wow
I can't believe it's been 2 months since I have been on here. Sorry kids. What has happened in those 2 months..... well, life I suppose. I haven't had as many pumpkin spice lattes as expected. Cherylyn had her baby, he's pretty cute. I'm gazing at him right now. I've been sick for the past couple of weeks, definitely not fun. I feel better now so that's good. I really don't have much to write about, weird. I am still alive though, I promise. :o)

It's in the forecast
That's right, it's going to rain!!! I am pretty excited about this fact. I'll admit that I don't like it when it rains non stop. But I feel like it's time for some rain. So there you go. Can I just say that I really enjoy my job? Sometimes it scares me to death but it still rocks. I am comforted in crazy situations because I know that the Lord is with me. Yeah.
So, I am pretty much just enjoying life right now. Sundays are a sweet day. I'm glad I get to see a lot of you and spend some quality time with some of you. I hope you guys don't feel like I have forgotten you, I definitely haven't. Well, love to all!

I just want to say that I heart kangaroos.

The SLO life
What is that even supposed to mean? That life is slower in slo? I guess that's what it's supposed to mean. I haven't really experienced it yet. I do enjoy living in slo, it's friendly and has nice weather. I doesn't smell like santa maria either. :o) Work is great. Seriously, God totally blessed me with this job. My roomates are sweet, I really enjoy them. And I enjoyed my first psl (pumpkin spice latte) last Tuesday. Life is pretty much perfect. Anywho, I'm off to meet a new friend for tea. Good times. Love to you all!

I Would Just Like to Announce....

The Pumpkin Spice Latte has returned!!!!!

I went to Sbux on my lunch today and there it was... the sign I have been waiting for all year. I could even smell a hint of it. But alas, I do have self control and am waiting for the perfect moment to indulge in my favorite fall beverage. It just doesn't seem quite like fall yet. But when that day comes, my heart and my senses will be happy. :o)

The Price is Right has Changed
I remember when I was a kid, I would get so frustrated by the things that people would have to bid on in order to be on the show. Like right now, there was a sofa and a supply of muffins up for bid. When I was a kid, those items would have irritated me, but now, I wouldn't mind a sofa and some muffins.
Anywho, I am totally moving to SLO this weekend. My job starts on Monday. I am so excited! Mother Hen and Cherylyn are even going to paint my room tomorrow, pretty sweet.
And, I'm not really in the writing mood right now, so I guess that's it for today. Love you guys!

"Don't worry up your mind, they're only words..."
Sometimes the titles of my blogs don't really make any sense at all. I was listening to this Ryan Adams song called "Words." That's where this title came from. Well guys, it's almost my 25th b-day. CRAZY! I'm serious here. I feel like this is one of those birthdays where I should get presents equal to my age. Like 25 cookies (different kinds of course), 25 kisses ( not the chocolate kind), 25 pennies to throw into a wishing well (at Disneyland), 25 words of love, 25 episodes of Reno 911 (don't judge), 25 bars of soap, 25 bottles of soda (old school glass bottles), 25 yards of fabric, the list could go on for 25 more pages! Aside from the upcoming b-day, there have been events to talk about.
First, the Navajo trip. It was great. It was hard. It was breaking. It was exhausting. I loved it. On the last night of the trip I just looked around at the kids and praised God. These kids are really something. I feel so privileged to be a part of their lives. Kids Club (kind of like VBS) was crazy the first day. But God rocked our world and made the second day sweet. A little girl made me a card that said, "Do you want to be my friend?" It was so sweet. We painted a house, that was fun. The trip was just a blessing all around.
Second, joblessness. The Pasadena job is out. I got a postcard. I was dissapointed, I'm not gonna lie. But God is faithful. I have an interview with Family Care Network in SLO on Thursday. I would love some prayer about that. I hate to admit it, but I'm getting a little weary with the job hunt.

Well, I think that's it. If I get the job in SLO I start on the 25th. That means 2 more weeks of vacay. Horray!

Sometimes you just have to LAUGH
Do you guys ever just get that urge to laugh? Like all of the sudden you think of this random memory and start laughing and can't stop. And it wasn't even that funny at the time, but now looking back on it, it makes you crack up? This wave of laughter suddenly just came over me today. And now my mind is just flooded with all of these hilarious memories. Let's see, here are a few examples:

When I lived in Sacramento I was driving to play volleyball and I was at a stoplight. I noticed the guy driving in back of me looked pretty cute. I started examining his car and him and noticed that he had a roof rack. By the time the light turned green I had already planned our wedding and family vacations. When I drove up to the gym to play volleyball, so did the other car. Turns out it was my friend Steve. I ended up telling him the story and he thought it was pretty hilarious.

When I lived with Farah we were moving her mattress back into her room after we had brought in into the living room for a sleepover. I noticed something on the box spring that looked like a bug or something. Farah looked at it too and it looked like a scorpion. I HATE scorpions so I told myself it was a spider and looked to Farah for confirmation. She said, "I'm sure it's just a spider." Then, under her breath, she whispered, "Scorpion." It was scary but also pretty hilarious.

Last one. When I was at Hume last year for summer camp, Steven and I took the kids on a nature walk. He thought it would be a cool idea for me to record them walking in a zig-zag-like fashion so that James could speed it up an use it for the video of camp. I guess I didn't fully understand him because I just stood in one place and vidoe taped while they walked around and turned a corner. I didn't hear them anymore and decided they weren't coming back so I started walking around the corner. They were all standing there with their arms crossed looking very dissapointed. When I came up to them they just started saying, "Jen! What were you doing?! Did you even record us?! Why didn't you follow us?!" I thought they were going to beat me up. Apparently they wanted me to follow them. It was a really funny moment.

Well, I am going on the Navajo trip!!! I am so very excited. It's funny that God answered my prayers a year later. Good times. I have a job interview tomorrow in Pasadena. I'm excited about that too. Please pray. That's about all for today. Happy summer!

I Tunes Suggestions
Ok, I don't know if you kids use the itunes but some of this blog is going to be about it. I went on itunes today and looked at my suggested music. A great thing about itunes, if you aren't aware, is that they make suggestions on songs and albums for you to buy based on your previous purchases. I almost always end up buying some songs off of their suggestions. But sometimes, their suggestions are WAY off. For instance, today I had these suggestions awaiting my approval: I will always love you by whitney houston, Papa Oom Mow Mow by I have no idea, Lips of an Angel by Hinder, and my personal favorite was the S Club 7 album. I admit that I choose chessy songs sometimes (Michael Bolton), but wow.
Anywho, good times on Itunes today.

Funemployement
Yes, that is my life right now. Not having a job is really weird. I faxed 3 resumes today, I think that brings the count to about 30. I'm gettin' my name out there ma! Just kidding. I would like to announce that I got 2nd place in the cake contest at the church block party. I couldn't even believe it. I almost cried tears of joy.
Next topic. I didn't go to Sacramento this week. Bummer. It's a fact that I would have to pay $100 in gas alone. I applied for a job in Sacramento so hopefully I'll have an interview there. That would be sweet. I have this anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach. I know I shouldn't be anxious, but it's just crazy. I don't know how to explain it. I kind of feel like there's a lot of uncertainty in life right now. I usually thrive on this feeling and see it as an opportunity for adventure. I'm still thriving on it but it's different now.
Umm, I'm going to Disneyland on Friday. Horray! I haven't been in a year and I'm ready for some magic. I'm really excited. Really. And then, something really really exciting is that I might get to go on the Navajo mission trip! If I don't have a job by then I'm going. I don't know what to pray for because I really want to go but I really want a job. (I secretly want to go on the trip more than I want a job though) Last year I asked God to let me go but it didn't happen, maybe He's just answering my prayers a year later. Sweet.
Well, that's about it for today. I rode my bike today. It was fun.

The Carpool Lane
I have thought about writing this blog for a couple of days. Now, I'm warning you, it's going to sound a little extreme so take it in stride. Here is my statement: the carpool lane discriminates against single people. I was driving to my interview in Ontario last Friday. The "group" interview. I was alone and I was a little late because of traffic. Now, if only I had been able to utilize the carpool lane, I would have made it on time. This week when I went to my real interview my brother was with me. We made it there in record time because of the carpool lane. I propose that right next to the carpool lane there should be a singles lane. I know what you're thinking, "Every lane on the freeway besides the carpool lane is a singles lane." While that is technically true, we should take it a step further. What if the singles lane was sort of like eharmony for the freeway? And then, once you met that "special someone," you graduated to the carpool lane. I don't know, maybe you could look up the person's license plate number and it would have all of their stats and hobbies and tell you if you were a match.
Anywho, don't even try and steal my idea. Holla back if you know what I'm sayin'. :o)

We all scream for ice cream!
There is seriously this ridiculous Wendy's commercial on lately that has the ice cream man song in the background. Everytime it comes on, my heart skips a beat and I almost grab a dollar and run out the door. But then I realize it's just a commercial. It's like a nightmare.

Well, I went to an "interview" sort of. Apparently I drove like 4 hours for an information session. I'm thankful for the drive though because I felt like I had a lot of things to sort out. Long drives are good for that. I'm taking my brother to the airport this week so hopefully I can schedule a real interview then. We'll see what God does. I think this would be a great first job for me and I'm excited about the prospect. I would appreciate your prayers and am thankful for the encouragement I recieve everytime I see and hear from you people. You guys ROCK!

I'm unemployed right now. Everytime my dad asks me about it I just smile and he thinks it's hilarious. He tells me to wipe the grin off my face because being unemployed is no laughing matter. It's actually pretty refreshing though, I'm not gonna lie. For instance, tonight I am going to sit around and watch tv until I'm actually tired and then go to bed without setting my alarm. How sweet is that? It looks like it's going to be a beautiful week too. Yay for no job! It was hard to leave though. I cried. And it still makes me sad sometimes when I think about it.

We're about to have a BBQ for my brother because he's going to Okinawa for a couple of years. I hope I can visit hime sometime, that would be great. Sometimes I think it's crazy how different all of my siblings are. Do you guys know what I'm talking about? I mean, we all grew up in the same house, the same environment. But we all have different lives and personalities. When people ask how my brother and sisters are doing I say,"Jessica had a baby, Sara got married, and Chris is in the Marines." I don't know, maybe I just think it's weird.

It's almost time for the 4th of July block party bash!! I signed up to make chocolate cake but I'm not going to be as competitive as last time. It's okay if I don't win. Tempest, Gabby and I did sign up for the bike parade though.... we are making a super surprise for it.

Wow. I have a lot of random thoughts. I don't know where they all come from. I have plenty more to talk about but I'll spare you all. :o) Well, I love you guys.

The Search is On
Yesterday I told my work that June 28th is my last day. I am so excited! I've given 9 places my resume so far. I can't wait to see what happens and where I'll end up. The craziest thing I have seen is that my dream job really does exist. I know I'm also a little crazy for giving my notice even though I don't have another job, but it had to be done. I feel so liberated. Good times.
I'm off work today so I've just been going through things cleaning out old stuff and all that jazz. I just know God is going to give me a great job.
What else? I'm housesitting. That has a week to go. It's weird being in someone else's house for so long. I don't know why I didn't think it was weird before. But I'm ready to go home. Who knows where home will be in a couple of months. I am so excited! (have I said that too much?)
I'm still an emotional wreck.... I just cry a lot that's all. Lame. I'm sure I'll get over it soon, hopefully.
Well, I gotta go cause I'm going to TNT's with Fauf. Viva la Vida!!! Love you kids.

I Know, it's About Time
What has happened in the life of Jen in the past month or so? Well, let's see.... right now I am house sitting. Not literally though. It's weird because I house sat for the same couple about 7 years ago. A lot of things were different back then. Geeze it sounds like I'm old when I say "back then." But seriously, I had just graduated from high school. Now I just graduated from college. It took me long enough! I'm going back to work a week from today. Bummer. I'm sure it will be exciting for a while because I really do miss all of my friends there. Although I graduated, I still have finals and such this week. It feels like it's never ending. But it will end, next Tuesday. That's a big day for me.

Austen and I went to Magic Mountain on Friday. It was great. Proving that a lot has changed in 7 years, we left the park at 4:45 because we were done. Hilarious. Back in the day I would have stayed until it closed. I think I'm more of a Disneyland person now. I can hear your gasps now... :o)

What else? I almost lost my life to a rattle snake at the Heath's. Ok, that was kind of dramatic, but it was coiled up and ready to strike. Praise the Lord that it didn't bite me. It suffered a cruel fate about an hour later when Maury shot it a couple of times. I still have the picture in my head. I was talking to a friend today about life. God is so good guys. Seriously. I know that the hormones are making me extra emotional but in real life, hormones aside, I just cry tears of joy for what God is doing in my life and in the lives of my loved ones (by loved ones I mean all of you). Even amidst tragedy like the earthquake and the cyclone, God's hand is so evident. There is so much pain in the world, but so much hope too. Here come the water works....

It's almost summer. I'm excited about that. Even though I'll be working without a vacation, I still love the weather and the kick back attitude everyone has. Bring on the sno cones and water balloons!

Well, I'm sure I could write a lot more. But I kind of don't feel like it. Still in vacay mode (short for vacation in honor of Feb). Love you guys! Happy Tuesday.

I Suppose it's that Time
Well, I think I'm ready to write this blog. First of all, thank all of you SO much for your prayers, thoughts, visits, gifts, flowers and support. I am astonished by you all. God is so so good. For those of you who don't know, here's what has been going on: I had surgery for a supposed tumor on my ovary. When I woke up from surgery I found out that they took out both of my ovaries. It was pretty heartbreaking to say the least. But of course I'll say more.... I was in the hospital for about 4 days, and in those 4 days a lot happened. The first night after surgery I threw up a lot. It wasn't fun because it hurt my abdomen to throw up. After that whole mess was over I had blurry vision the next day. After they took my blood pressure and stole some of my blood they told me that I was going to get a blood transfusion. It freaked me out. It was so weird to lay there with someone else's blood going into my body. Kind of creepy. I felt a lot better after though. They let me go home on Saturday (I lied a little about how I was feeling because I didn't want to stay in the hospital for another night). And since then I've just been getting better day by day.
Now for the emotional stuff. I think the craziest part is people's reactions to this whole thing. People that I don't even know, they feel so bad that I can't have kids. Well, technically I can with someone else's egg but I'm definitely not going to do that. I feel very strongly about adopting and am so excited to meet the children God will entrust to me and bless me with. I've gone through that whole "who is going to want to marry a 'barren woman'" phase and I'm over that. God knows the plans He has for me. There have been a lot of tears, a lot of questions, some hot flashes, some sleepless nights, anger, hurt, and a lot of other stuff. There's still a little bit of shock left which I'm sure will take time to get over.
What have I learned so far? Well, a lot. I definitely have a sense of purpose like never before. I feel "called" to adopt. I've never really felt more stongly about anything (besides the Lord) before. I've learned not to have a back up plan. This is going to sound really bad but I always have one just in case God doesn't "come through." I don't need a back up plan with the Lord. I just need to trust Him and reflect on His faithfulness to me and others in the past. I've learned that the body of Christ is just amazing. People I didn't even know were lifting me up in prayer. I felt the love. :o)
Although this has been a pretty tough journey, I am so comforted and assured that it really is going to be ok. I'm sure I could write a lot more, if you want to know more just ask.
Again, I am SO grateful for you guys and gals. I pray that God will bless you as you have blessed me. I love you people.

Bring Back the Duel!
The other night, Joy and I were watching "Far and Away" and they had a duel on there. I think we should bring it back. Somebody hits your car, settle it with a duel. Your house gets tp'd and you catch the culprits, duel. Duels can settle anything.
In other news, my surgery is on March 26th. I wish I could have a duel with my ovary, it might win though. My doctor showed me a picture of this tumor with hair and teeth. Sick! I wanted to throw up, and I pray to God that that's not what's in my body. Barf. I'm going to be out of work for 8 weeks! That is a long time, a lot of rest, a lot of working on my research paper, a lot of quilting. Great news that the left ovary is fine and they told me I shouldn't worry about the mass being cancerous. What a relief!
Anyway, God is good. He prepared this ordeal long before I was even here. He knows how He is going to heal me and I know that those 8 weeks are going to be a sweet time of getting to know Him better. Thank you, thank you, thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers. I don't know how people can live without friends. I love you guys!

The crazy cat lady is coming out!
So seriously, I saw this cat today and fell in love with it. It's grey and white and chubby. Adorable. I want to adopt it so bad! I might just do it, I haven't decided. I have another interview with Habitat for Humanity on Tuesday... I want that more than the cat. And in other news.... I have an appointment for a second opinion on March 6th. From there I will go to my usual doctor and schedule surgery. I had the ct scan and there's something on both of my ovaries. There's a chance they could be cysts so lets pray for that. Or we could pray for them to pull a Houdini and disappear. :o) I also just read the title of this blog and it sounds questionable.... it means that the crazy cat lady in me is surfacing. You get it. In other other news, I really miss youth group on Tuesday nights. It makes my heart hurt not being there and I've actually thought about quitting school just so I can go. Don't worry, I won't actually do that.
I want to thank you guys for your encouragement and prayers. Honestly, they mean a lot. Blessings to you all!!

What? Etc.
I don't even know if I should be writing this blog right now. I'm a little (ok, a lot) confused right now and scared too. Umm, where do I begin? I went to the doctor (the obgyn) on Tuesday because of some random stuff that was going on with my body. And what a fun time that was! This is why I'm writing this blog- I had an ultrasound, an internal one, and one of my ovaries is really big. So big that I'm calling it my second uterus. During the ultrasound I was calm because I didn't know what it all meant. After the ordeal the dr. told me that it was kind of a big deal. First there was the word ct scan, then the words possibly a tumor, then the word surgery. And that's what's going on. And now all I can think about are the "what if's." What if I wake up from surgery with a hysterectomy? There are a lot of other what if's I've been thinking about too. I just don't really want to actually say them. And then there's the timing off all of this. I don't know if you guys know that I have class 4 nights a week and it's my last semester. My very last semester. I have to stay on top of this research project and this whole thing doesn't really fit into that. It's God's timing though... that's hard for me to grasp.
People have been telling me not to freak out, this happens to people all of the time, I shouldn't worry. I don't know how to respond to that. I'm scared and confused, and upset. And right now, it physically hurts. It hasn't been lately, but now it does. I NEED your prayers. I am not ashamed to ask for them. Please please pray for peace. My heart is so heavy and I really don't know how to let it go. I want to accept whatever God is doing with joy, and right now that's not the case. I don't even know who sings this song, but I heard it today on KLove (I know it's cheesy). I feel like I've been holding my breath for the past 2 days and this made me let it out- "The voice of truth tells me a different story. The voice of truth says, 'Do not be afraid.' The voice of truth says, 'This is for My glory.' Out of all the voices calling out my name, I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth." There was a lot of comfort in that, but I still have a lot to go.
So, I pretty much wrote this blog to let you guys know what's going on so that I don't have to keep telling people. I also need as much prayer as possible and I just needed to get out some of my hidden feelings about the whole situation. Anywho, thanks for the prayers and the kind words and thoughts. I love you guys.