Life, Love, and Loads of Laughter

SALAD....YUM

2009-03-30T11:20:00.000-07:00

1. Fresh Spinach - cut in forths

2. Walnuts

3. Mushrooms

4. Tomatoes

5. Carrots

6. Bacon

7. Blue Cheese

8. Strawberries

9. Aneheim Peppers

10. Dressing of your choice

Rowan in her Santa Hat!!!

2008-12-03T10:19:00.001-08:00

Oregon

2008-08-20T19:04:00.000-07:00

Ryan and I went to Seattle to find a place to get married. We were successful and have set a date of August 15, 2009 (more on the location to come.) Usually, we trek to Canada for a day or two while we are up there; however, this time we thought we would head down to Oregon for a visit to Mt. Hood.

Highlights from our trip and facts about Oregon!

We stop when we get into Portland for gas and this guy comes over to pump it for us. Ryan apologized (thinking he must have pulled in the full service lane) and offered to move and the guy told him that it doesn't matter where he pulls up - state law prohibits him from pumping gas. Okay? Whatever!!! I was thinking we would get to the bottom of it later.

Then, we go by Kohl's to use up some Kohl's cash before it expires and could not get to the total at the register that we had calculated in our head. End Result - Oregon has no sales tax on ANYTHING!

After that we head to Mt. Hood - the only place to ski year round in the USA. We drove into Government Camp to grab something to eat and who do we pass on the street but Shaun White. Ryan and I both were thinking it had to be him and although I wanted to stop and take a photo - he told me "NO." At lunch the waitress confirmed that he indeed was in town skiing with some of the other X-games and Olympic athletes. Small world.

We did several trips down the Alpine Slide; however, we were a bit disappointed at the speed we were moving. Ryan figured out a way to get his cart to run faster by sitting over the wheels. It worked great UNTIL he came flying out and traveled a big portion of the slide on his body and obtained a fiberglass burn. We then made that our last run and headed out of town. On the way out of the mountain, he scrapes begin to swell so we had to make an emergency run to the food mart for medical supplies.

After that and with Ryan all beat up we headed to downtown to Oregon to catch up with some of my old friends (Leslee Biggs and Amber 'Anderson' Johnson) from my HS days in Norman, OK. I had not seen one of them since I moved when I was a sophomore at age 15. The other I think I saw in college but it has been over 10 years since I had even talked to her. Leslee is an Architect and took us on a great walking tour of downtown (oh yeah, another fact - they call it "City Center") Portland and then we went to Amber's office, she has a PhD in psychology and does research at the university in City Center (that just sounds so weird.)

Leslee provided the answer to the gas question on the walk back to the car. When I asked "what was up w/ that?" she told me it supposedly happened when Oregon's economy was in the dumps because the logging industry was disappearing. Unemployment was way way high and the anti-self serve advocates argued Oregon needed jobs, not to eliminate them! Who knows! Basically, you are not allowed to pump your own gas because it creates a job for someone. Sounds like Oregon philosophy's to me. We should probably hire people to brush our teeth for us to, don't you think?

It was fun to catch up and I always find it so amazing how when you see someone who was important in your past, it is so easy to fall right back in to a comfortable state with them. I am really lucky to have so many great friends from the past. Even though I may not speak to them all the time or even see them every year, I always feel comfortable and cared for in the presence. Thanks all!!!!

Cash Incentive

2008-07-24T04:51:00.000-07:00

I stopped at Texaco to get fuel yesterday. I was bored while pumping and glanced around and happened to notice the sign. Gone are the days, when the amounts posted are for Unleaded, Plus, or Premium.

Have you read the new signs lately? For example, this is what I saw...

$3.82 CASH PRICE
$3.82 CHEVRON TEXACO CARD PRICE
$3.89 DEBIT/CREDIT PURCHASE

Yes, $0.07 more if you take the convenient way and swipe your card.

The Shack

2008-07-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

Last week my aunt sent me a book to read.

The description is as follows:

"Mack" Philips took his three children on a family camping trip while his wife visited her sister. Just as they were about to leave the campsite, the two older kids decided to take a last canoe ride before heading home. As their canoe overturned, and Mack went to help them, his back was turned and the unspeakable happened. Mack's youngest daughter,Missy, was abducted by a known child predator. After a massive search, evidence of Missy showed up at an abandoned cabin. Although they never found her body, everyone knew the worst had happened. For the next four years "a great sadness" fell over Mack and his family, until a note from God showed up in his mailbox. What happens next will move you to a greater understanding of God's unfailing love for us all.

Although it is fiction, it was a great read and really made me re-evaluate all that I learned growing up in a strict church environment. It also emphasises focusing more on the relationship instead of the perceived rules. I am passing it on to Andrea (my friend that has been battling leukemia since 2005) as it touches on how to deal with difficult things in our lives.

If any of you get a chance, I would recommend the read!

135

2008-07-20T14:58:00.000-07:00

It has been 135 days since my last post - TIME FLIES!! I have made a new goal to start posting at least every other day with a mandatory photo!!!! I can't believe I let all of that time slip away from me without an entry.

This year has been so busy and I do not even know where the days has gone. Just this summer, I have been to OK twice, to Moody Gardens in Galveston for the 4th of July, to stay with Ryan's mom on the boat in Kemah, to Coushatta with the Lee family for a birthday celebration, we have worked at my mom's yard a few weekends and redone the landscaping at this house. Speaking of which, the photo above is of the yellow Cannes I brought back from Aunt Sis's house; she is my grandma's older sister. We stopped by her a house for a couple of hours last month and she gave me a few flowers out of her garden; they bloomed one month later (YIPPEE.) After redoing the yard I realized that I did not have transplants from a family member or friend's garden - this is so different from my upbringing as that was the only kind of flowers anyone had. I was so excited when she let me dig out some flowers to bring home. Although, I told her I would only take one type of flower each time so I would have a reason to go back and see her.

Flowers! Way over-rated and over-priced. Ryan and I have been trying to decide what kind of wedding we want and where we want to have it. We were dead set on Canada (Victoria or Vancouver) for the first six (6) months of this year; however, after searching for a place online we did not find anything that just tickled our fancy. Now, I am fairly certain it will be in Seattle, WA but where in that area I am unsure. I really want a place that is on the water (or you can at least see the water) and I would prefer to see boats! We are going to visit his grandparents in two (2) weeks and check out the different places we have found on the Internet that sparked our curiosity. The prices they want for everything are crazy...I saw on the web the other day that bridal bouquet usually start at $300. Seriously, that is such a waste and you can be certain that I will be making my own...I just can not imagine the profit they pull in on weddings! If I have to I will carry a potted plant down the isle before I pay that price!

ARDUOUS

2008-03-07T20:18:00.000-08:00

2008 has been crazy!

I have not posted in quite a while and I plan to make an effort to blog more. As most of you know, Ryan is going back to school to get his MBA. Thus, "WE" worked on "HIS" application. I guess this is acceptable and does't classify as "doing his work for him." Anyway, during the process, I took on the task of essay writing. LOVE IT! We talked about what he wanted to say and then I wrote some drafts which I passed on to him to "make his own."

The next day, I have emails popping up entitled "Arduous" and "Assiduous" - it seems, no one in his group (of 5 people) at work knew these and thus were looking them up in order to replace them with in the essays. They want to know how to get a larger vocabulary. The only answer I had was READ. For the past five (5) years, I have read a book every one to two weeks. Speaking of which, I have been ordering my books off this site I found for ABE BOOKS. You can get a book for $1 or so and only pay shipping or pay as low as $3.99 with free shipping~ CHECK IT OUT!!!!

http://www.abebooks.com/

ARDUOUS
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin arduus high, steep, difficult; akin to Old Irish ard high
Date: 1538
1 a: hard to accomplish or achieve : difficult b: marked by great labor or effort : strenuous
2: hard to climb : steep
synonyms see hard
— ar·du·ous·ly adverb
— ar·du·ous·ness noun

ASSIDUOUS
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin assiduus, from assidēre
Date: 1622
: marked by careful unremitting attention or persistent application
synonyms see busy
— as·sid·u·ous·ly adverb
— as·sid·u·ous·ness noun

Engaged!

2008-01-04T10:44:00.000-08:00

I think all of you already know; however, in case you haven't been informed...Ryan and I got engaged on 12.29.07 in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. Here are a few photos of the ring and the where it happened.

Christmas 2007!

2008-01-04T10:08:00.000-08:00

Christmas was a whirlwind...house after house. Yay, it is finally over and we can recover until next year. Ryan and I had a great time with family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers to celebrate the holiday season and then left on Christmas day to visit his grandparents in Seattle. Attached are some photos of the holidays!! On the Saturday before Christmas, Rowan had an allergic reaction. We think it might have had something to do with the entire plate of Christmas sugar cookies she climbed on the table to get while the adults were eating dinner. In the photo, you can see that her eyes were already red and beginning to swell!! After doses of Benadryl and throwing up four times over the next 12 hours, she started to feel and look much better.

Rowan Ready 4 Christmas.

2007-12-12T06:58:00.000-08:00

It all started the Saturday after Thanksgiving when I stumbled across a toy that would sing "loudly" when chewed. The song, "We wish you a Merry Christmas" so she carried it around the house playing it for anyone who would listen. Then, as usual, she tore the stuffing out so it was retired. We then moved on to a *Target Special* guitar that sang "Last Christmas" a little more rock happy but as you can guess, white pillow dust came flying out a few days later. She has managed to keep her plastic candy cane, bow, and present and still enjoys playing with them! Above are photos that she posed for...enjoy. Also, she has learned to "shake" this week and can now greet any carolers who come calling.

Avoidance isn't always possible...

2007-11-12T20:07:00.001-08:00

Here goes, my grandma's surgery was not good at all. They not only found that the cancer has gone through the wall of her colon but is also in several other areas of her body including her liver. So, that is that! THE BAD NEWS!!! So, the doctors really have not visited with the family regarding the prognosis of this as my grandma has been too weak every time they have come by. Hopefully, she will be out of the hospital towards the beginning of next week and back in her own bed.

I find comfort in the fact that she has lived a good life and we have shared an amazing love. I honestly think that I know more about her and *her ways* than I do any other person on earth. I have no regrets regarding our relationship or our time together, no questions unasked (of course I reserve the right to amend that later.) I am at peace with everything but still so incredibly sad at the same time (is that possible?)

I have so many memories of her that will stay with me forever and hopefully that I will pass on.

For example, I am right handed; however, I cut my steak and any meat on my plate with my left hand because she stood over me to teach me that way when I was a little girl. As you can guess, she was left handed. When I eat a meal I prefer my drink to be grasped with my left hand for the same reason. Also, when eating with boring people I look around the restaurant for things to include in an "I Spy" game because that is what we played during lunch at her house. I cut vegetables such as okra and squash with a paring knife aimed toward my thumb just like she did on the front porch (my mom hates this dangerous habit.)

My first memory of sewing (which is one of my favorite past times) is of her and I making a clothes pin holder that we used to hang the freshly washed clothes on the line outside. When I see vegetables I sometimes think of picking them out of the garden from her backyard which I not only had to help pick but plant each summer. Or I think of canning them, I always thought that was both gross and boring and I guess I still do. I remember the smell of honeysuckle on the fence and eating chives fresh out of her yard. And of course losing my first tooth in an apple as I was walking down the side of her house.

I remember going to her sister's house to pick corn for a full day only then to shuck, clean and bag it. How her and my grandpa laughed at me when I would freak out from seeing dead black birds. Of vacations to places with just her and my grandpa and that white bear that sat in their windshield for many years. Of Sulphur, trips to see Aunt Sis and Uncle Thelbert, and visits with the Smith clan. Going to her mother's (my great grandma) for fireworks every forth of July and the eating homemade ice cream (maybe that is when the addiction started.)

I think of my love to read (I average a book a week) and walking to the book-mobile with her during hot days in the summer. I ALWAYS got a Curious George book and we took the short cuts through the ally and she never missed an opportunity to point out an animal or creature along the way. I remember her teaching my Sunday school class and helping her punch out holes or organize handouts of the curriculum on a Saturday night before the next day. Puzzles at any time of the day and card games as long as you would play her. Laying my head on her lap during church or digging through her purse on Sunday mornings for a mint or surprise.

Of the comfort of staying over on a Sat night with her and my grandpa. There was nothing like taking an early bath and then relaxing with them on the couch for a TV movie. She forced (or highly recommended) me to eat breakfast even though I did not want it, mixing my peanut butter with jelly in a bowl BEFORE putting it on my bread, and of course putting baking soda in my bath each afternoon after playing in the grass to ease my allergy. I remember her letting me soap her back and then she would guess what letter or number I wrote with my hand on her back.

When I lived with her in college my grandma and I used to buy the Christmas presents for all of my little cousins and then bring them home, put them together and play with them. If they did not pass the *FUN* test, they were returned. I can see the love on her face every time she saw a grandchild or see the excitement in her eyes one Christmas when she opened the simple gift of a back scratcher or the joy when Ryan and I gave her the clock (like Debs she wanted) last Christmas.

I remember going with my grandma to get her false teeth (I must have been only four or five) and I remember when she got a new set later in life and we joked with her that they looked like a beaver. Of my brother calling her grandma Roley Polly (I have no idea why other than we use to play with them in her backyard when we were kids.) Along the way, me picking up calling her Graham Cracker (still uncertain why I do this) but her laughing at it each time she answered the phone and I said it. How she loved the way I address all my envelopes; she always likes the just the HARP in the upper left corner followed my a generic address (anything other than her real name which she hates since both the first and the middle are spelled against the norm.)

I remember writing my grandma a letter at least once a week for the entire year after my grandpa died and how happy this made her. I remember spending the entire day one day reading the title to her house and who had owned it over the 100 years. I remember sitting in her living room with flowers covering every surface of the place making arrangements for my grandpa's grave. Or how excited she was when I organized her entire life of photos.

I remember my grandma practicing playing jacks for an entire week before her Sister's visit to Oklahoma in the 80's. I then recall the joy on her face while playing. Of making the Easter cake with the dyed coconut for grass (I made one last year for Ryan's family) and of making German chocolate cake for my grandpa's b-day each year (Christmas Day) although her pecan pies at Thanksgiving were my favorite. Standing on the porch and waving constantly until I was completely out of site.

I remember cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning when I stayed with her in the summers. Maybe that is where I get it. Random places I did not dust could attack; the bottom vent of refrigerators, the walls that must be swept, etc. Of her trying to get a rubber band around my thick hair as a child and the favorite brush she used. Luckily, she gave it to me a few years back, it is a prized possession.

Every time I go to the Greek h0use in Norman the old woman who owns it with her husband asks if I am in town to visit grandma.

I could go on and on forever. The simple fact is there are so many things I know about her and her life that I am okay with her being sick; I just don't want her to spend any days that she has to in pain. My comfort in the knowledge of little things has only increased the need I feel for Ryan to get to know more about his grandparents. Unfortunately, with his parents divorce, he was shuttled between two parents home and lost the quality time with his grands. He agrees and we continue his journey this Christmas. For anyone that has met or seen the photos of his grandparents, you know this is one fun journey, they are amazing.

On another note, Andrea is doing well. She posted her wedding photo on the blog today and just a side note...the girl is way more beautiful on the inside than her gorgeous self on the outside.

What a Week!

2007-11-03T06:04:00.000-07:00

I (Jennifer) am so ready for this week to end!! But with this luck, are you kidding? Wouldn't it be fitting... daylight savings time is here and I get one more extra hour to tack on. Ugh!

ANDREA

It all started at the close of last week when my friend, Andrea, had a biopsy of her brain (yeah, using the halo with screws thing) and they confirmed that she does indeed have cancer AGAIN. As most of you know, she was diagnosed with Leukemia in Nov. 2005 after complications with oral surgery and fought for her life in the ICU for many months. After that she had a bone marrow transplant and then had numerous surgeries to repair her eyes. So, she had resumed a normal life, this year she celebrated her 26th (original) birthday followed by her one (1) year (new marrow) birthday, and this past July married the love of her life, J., who stood with her through it all!! At first, the doctors told her that this spot on the right side of her brain was lymphoma; however, after the tests came back, they confirmed it was leukemia AGAIN! So, the battle is on and she will begin radiation to her brain on MONDAY. http://www.weloveyouandrea.blogspot.com/

GRANDMA

My mom worked during my childhood so during the days and then later when I began school (before and after) I stayed with my Grandma. I also went to the same church as my grandparents, to their house every other Sunday for lunch and vacationed with them. In college, I even lived with my grandma. Needless to say, I am very close to her. Well, she was diagnosed with colon caner. She will be having surgery on Monday to remove half of her colon, lymph nodes, her appendix, and ovaries. They will also be inspecting her liver. Then, at a later surgery, he wants to remove her uterus. Until the Monday surgery they will really not know the stage of the cancer or the next steps so please pray that it has not progressed.

BOBBIE

My friend from high school who lives in DFW area is expecting #3. That is great news other than she has horrible pregnancies. She is already worried and to top it off had a horrible week as well; her grandfather died, she chipped her tooth, backed her NEW suburban into a parked car. Thus, she developed an ulcer and had to take pain medication. But that is a problem when you are caring for a 2 and 6 year old so her parents came to stay and help her.

AMANDA

I good friend that lives in Houston. I actually met her while I was home in Texas one summer in college and then we reconnected when I moved back. After many miscarriages, her and her husband, Mark, finally did AI and are expecting a boy on Nov. 19th. The doctor is going to take him early because they are so worried. She has to go for weekly ultrasounds and this week a girl at the hospital was new and screwed up her test. The doctor was worried...Amanda was stressed all week (which you shouldn't be with a high risk pregnancy) but the good news is that all the tests worked out okay and they say he is fine.

So, that my friends, are my prayer requests for the week!

Fighting the Bad Guys

2007-11-01T09:39:00.000-07:00

Rowan Loved Halloween!!!

2007-11-01T09:15:00.000-07:00

Sporting her superhero costume!

Waiting at the door for trick-or-treaters!!

Rowan loved Halloween!! She thought that all the kids were coming over just to see her. The children liked her as well. As soon as they turn from the door and walk back to their parents they would say "Did you see that Underdog lives at that house?" The good news is that she was able to still do her "business" without getting any on her costume.

Phoenix - October 21-28, 2007

2007-10-31T12:40:00.001-07:00

Denver - October 19-20, 2007

2007-10-31T12:31:00.001-07:00

Rowan Martin appears as Underdog!!!

2007-10-31T12:24:00.001-07:00