Isn't it crazy how time flies?? I think that I spend so much of the fall anxiously anticipating the Christmas season and all it holds: spending time with the family, Christmas music, presents and the Christmas Spirit in general. But December can be such a mad dash to the 25th. I barely listened to any of my highly anticipated Christmas CDs and I really can't believe the holiday is already over.

We had such a great time up in Door County! We hadn't been up there since August so we made it a long weekend and spent time catching up with family and friends, snowmobiling and eating WAY too much food. I especially love the time I get to spend with my sisters; they are some of the the most incredible young women I've ever met and I just love them so much!

What a good looking man!!

Christmas time is extra fun when you're married! I think that as you get older Christmas kind of changes...it's not the same as when you were younger and you got the Barbie that you were DYING for and you spend hours trying to put toys together and find the right batteries to actually make things work. It's not bad...just different. But with being married it's so much fun to decorate our little home together and try to find the perfect gifts for each other and actually keep them a secret! It's the best.

Siblings (minus one) on Christmas Eve

One of Jason and my traditions is to go out for a joint birthday dinner at a nice restaurant. In the past we've gone to Ruth's Chris (our favorite!!) and the Signature Room. This year we went to Wards in downtown Milwaukee and it was delicious! It's so much fun to get dressed up and go out with my sweetheart, I definitely look forward to it each year.

Love.

Jason worked hard this year to make sure I felt incredibly special for my birthday. He surprised me with a cake up in Door County while we were with my family and again with one on New Years Eve as we were celebrating with friends. He wrote me a beautiful card and gave me an awesome NorthFace jacket! He always does so, so good. I'm so grateful for such a caring, loving husband.

It would only make sense that after the flurry of posts last week there would be a slump this week? It's not that I don't have things to write about, in fact it's just the opposite. I'm dying to tell you about how Jason's birthday went (it was great, thanks for asking!) and I would love to show you how my Christmas gifts of canned jam looked.

But right now I'm back in Door County. The presents have all been opened and we're about to eat our big Christmas dinner. There is snow on the ground and we are all DYING to get out and snowmobile!

So while there are things that I could write about and would love to show you, my priority today is hugging my sisters that I don't get to see as often as I'd like. And enjoying time around our big dining room table. And getting revenge in our epic nerf gun battle we have had raging since this morning!

So...I'll be back after the weekend. :)

Wishing the best of Christmases to all. Don't forget to take time and remember why we even have this great holiday...to celebrate the birthday of a King!

Merry Christmas from the Whittingtons!

Happy birthday to my love!!

If there is one birthday this year that I am dying to write about it's this one: Jason's!!! Today he is 25 years old and we are the same age for 13 days (yeah yeah, I'm a cougar...get over it!). Not only do I love celebrating birthdays and special occasions but my absolute favorite is Jason's. I feel like it's one of the few days of the year where I can gush about how much I love him, how incredible he is, etc. without getting too much crap for it. Besides, if you're uncomfortable with me going on and on about my husband and mushy pictures, this is probably not the right blog for you!

So where do I start with Jason? There's so much I could say and that I want you to know about him. He's my best friend, my confidant, my greatest cheerleader and the perfect match for me. He's so smart and one of the hardest workers I know. He makes me incredibly proud.

This is the first picture we ever took together!

Don't we look so young and NERVOUS in that picture?? It's so funny thinking back...at that point all I knew about Jason was that he came highly reccommended by my sister, Mandy, he was fun to talk to and really, really cute (obviously! ;)).

Pretty sure I got him beat here! ;)

We immediately shared a connection with each other and that summer was one of the very best of my life. We had so much fun, stayed up way too late talking and that was definitely the start of us falling in love.

I love this picture of us! We look so happy and I think the spark between us is pretty clear.

Jason, do you remember the time you took the mega bus to see me and rode all night from Chicago to get to Minneapolis at 5AM just to leave at 10PM that night and ride all night back to Chicago?? I think that's when I started to get how serious the feelings you felt for me were. You have always made me feel so incredibly special and loved...I know that will never change.

Just a few minutes after getting engaged...got my foot pop going on and everything!! :)

The day he asked me to marry him was absolutely amazing! He completely suprised me and although I was anticipating and hoping we'd get engaged soon it still blew my mind how blessed I felt when I realized I was going to spend my life with this man.

Probably the greatest thing I've experienced in our marriage is just the evolution of us as people. I know that I have become a better person in every area of my life. There are so many times I want to act a certain way but catch myself because I know Jason deserves better. He pushes me to be the woman that God created me to be and encourages me on a daily basis. I hope I do the same for him.

Married for one day and what do we do? Go to a Packer/Bears game! duh.

Jason is the man that I respect most in my life. He is so wise and when I have questions or concerns I run to him for his opinion. One of the things that I love about him is how supportive and helpful he is. No matter what I'm going through he is always right there beside me.








Jason is the best husband I could have ever imagined and I love our life together! I always have the most fun whether we're out with friends or staying home playing uno. He really is my best friend and my favorite person in the whole world.

Jason, I am honored to be your wife.
You are the husband that I prayed for even years before I met you and I am so incredibly thankful that God brought us together.
Thank you for everything that you do for us and how hard you work...you amaze me!

I love you and can't wait to spend every day for the rest of my life with you.


Happy birthday!!!

I remember talking to a friend of mine a few years ago and she was telling me about her older sister. Her sister is one of those people (and we all know people like this!) that seemingly has everything all together. She had the perfectly clean and decorated house, the most romantic and sensitive husband and the greatest relationship with the Lord. She's one of those people that I don't think anyone could say anything bad about her; she was simply a good person. I remember my friend saying "well, she does deserve it. I mean, she gets up every morning and does devotions and prays and you can just see God echoed in every area of her life." I can still recall my thoughts like it was yesterday:

"What does she mean she deserves it?? What does that have to do with devotions and prayer and having the perfect life??"

"I do devotions to, you know! I guess it's more like I crack my Bible open every once in a while and try to get something out of it. My life isn't perfect though and I doubt someone would say that God is echoed in even most areas of my life."

"What am I doing wrong? How do I change?"

Fast forward a few years to a couple of months ago. Jason and I had just decided that we wanted to attend Harvest Bible Chapel and that we really wanted to make the effort to get involved, so that Thursday night we found ourselves at the young adults small group. We broke into guys and girls groups to do accountability and I was really blown away as a young woman shared about how she was being kept accountable for doing her devotions. She said that a friend of hers would call her every morning early to make sure that she was up and in the Word. Part of me thought it was CRAZY at first...I mean, who really calls each other to give devotional reminders? But I was also really impressed that she took her daily time with God so seriously and it really challenged me. How serious did I take my relationship with my Lord? Was I giving it the time and effort that it deserved? Honestly, no. But I really wanted to make a change and I started immediately.

I have never done morning devotions. I don't think anyone that knows me would even call me a morning person! I let that excuse keep me from studying before work but with a busy schedule I would constantly find myself falling into bed at night thinking "shoot, I forgot to read my Bible today." So I decided to really give morning devotions a shot. I now get up around 30 minutes earlier then I used to, grab some coffee and spend sometime in His presence before my day begins.

My getting serious about my devotions has started a chain reaction in my life. The more effort and time I put into my relationship with Christ, the more that I got to know Him. The more I know Him, the more I believe in Him and want to devote my life to Him.The last thing I want to do is sound cliche but my life has really started to change since my relationship with God has become my priority! I have much more patience at work and I feel like I can see more clearly how I can be a blessing to the children and mom I take care of. My relationship with Jason is getting even stronger and I'm able to be a better wife to him. The greatest thing that I'm experiencing though is a renewed passion for Christ! I've felt like He has pursued me my whole life but as much as I reached out for Him with one hand, I had the world tightly grasped with my other. I know what happens when I control my life...and it is not pretty! I found myself on a road quickly headed for disaster. I have found Who I believe in and it is worth laying my entire life down for. I'm no longer afraid that people find out that I'm a Christian and worried what they might think about me. My greatest desire now is that people see Christ's love in me and that my life could be a testimony for what He can do!

Ahhh.....why are Jason and I so HORRIBLE at keeping secrets from each other???

That's right, after keeping his birthday secret from him for almost three weeks and with only three measly days to go...I spilled the beans. I got him a massage...something he has been telling me FOREVER that he's wanted. And I made sure to get it at the classiest spa I could find! He's even getting an aromatherapy shower afterward. Impressive, right?

I can't believe I didn't make it.

Part of my is a tiiiiny glad that I don't have to keep the secret anymore though! Besides, there's always next year, right? :)

What could be better then spending a freezing Sunday in Lambeau field with some of your very best friends?? Hmm...I can't think of anything!

Jason, Me, Adam and Oby. This time of year I don't mind that the seats are so small at Lambeau; sharing body heat is a must!

Last Sunday Jason and I, along with two of our very good friends Adam and Oby got to cheer the Packers on to a victory over the 49ers! It was a blustery winter day, which happens to be some of my favorite weather to watch a Packer game in. I happen to be an extreme fan when it comes to the Packers. I feel the pain when Rodgers gets sacked, call plays with McCarthy and jump across the couch onto Jason in my own form of a Lambeau leap. If the Packers can play in December then I can certainly sit my butt on an ice cold bench and cheer them on!

Me and the cutest wannabe Packer fan I know! :)

Football is definitely something that Jason and I share. And although we cheer for opposite teams we are both just as passionate. It's actually one of my favorite things about our marriage, though I won't lie, it gets a little tense during Packer/Bears games.


Please forgive the horrible quality of the next two pictures. I've tried to edit them to look better but the bottom line is my camera was having issues that night.

My handsome husband and I at his work's Christmas party

This weekend was Jason's work party down in Chicago. It's a party not only for his clinic but for ALL the Athletico clinics so it is a huge party. We had a great time not only with each other but also his co-workers. We had some amazing ice cream sundays and I'm pretty sure Jason invented a few new dance moves that night.

In the lobby at the Palmer House.

Since the party was in Chicago and was over a 90 minute drive for us we decided to make it an overnight trip and got a hotel on priceline. We definitely scored a deal and got a room at the Palmer House (a 4 star hotel, mind you!) for less then half of what they charge!! We enjoyed it sooo much. The lobby was absolutely stunning and after the party we got cozy with the Nutcracker in front of one of many Christmas trees. It was definitely nice to get away and spend time with Jason. This month is the busiest and most stressful of our marriage yet with the holidays, Jason in 3 classes and finishing school on top of an already busy life. I definitely loved getting to spend time with my best friend and feeling charged up for the weeks to come.

This week is Jason's birthday!! I've got a few surprises up my sleeve for him and some special plans for him. I can NOT wait to celebrate him...he deserves it!!

p.s. sorry for the weird font sizes below! I have tried to change it a MILLION times so far and can't get it to all be the same so sorry bout that! It's not your eyes...it's blogger.

Belated birthday posts still count, right??

Since I try to do a birthday post for all my family members I would feel horrible forgetting someone's special day. Well, this past Sunday as I was getting ready for the Packer game, I started thinking about how I always loved to go to Packer games with my dad growing up and it hit me: I forgot to write his birthday post!!! Oh man...I feel so bad that I forgot. My only consolation is that he is not a big internet man and probably has no clue that I do birthday posts on my blog and therefore is not feeling overlooked. Nonetheless I feel he is definitely owed his own post and since I'm late it's going to be bigger and better then the ones in the past! :) Sorry dad....it's not because I don't love you!

This was taken a little over a month before I got married...I was feeling particularly like a daddy's girl that visit.

I feel so priveledged and blessed to call Rick Johnson my dad. He is someone who is well known and respected in the community. If you asked someone to describe him in a few words I can guarantee that many of them would say he is a hard worker, honest, stubborn and loyal...among other things! He is someone that people speak highly of and that I have never been ashamed of.

A father/daughter moment that every little girl dreams of!

My dad set the standard when it came to what kind of man I would marry. I knew it couldn't be some wimpy punk! I wanted him to be strong, hard working, Godly, loyal...just like my daddy. Funny how God works; He blessed me with a husband that at times is the spitting image of my dad. I can't tell you how many times I call my mom and say something Jason did or said and she responds with "oooh he is JUST like your father!!!" Jason always takes it as a compliment. :) As he should.

Jason and I look so happy and thrilled in the picture but my dad seems a little unsure about the whole situation.

Passed from one Godly, incredible man to another. How blessed am I??

My dad is a man of few words, but when he speaks people listen. He definitely knows how to make his words count. I think that spending the past twenty plus years being completely outnumbered by girls has taught him that. He is incredibly wise and someone who's advice I absolutely seek and take to heart. He has taught me so much in my life and I owe so much of who I am to him.

I think this was when he was telling me how much he liked our wedding! :)

If you ever wondered where I got my blue eyes from, here is the answer to your question!

Thank you dad for being an example of a Godly man and teaching me how to love God. Thank you for working hard and taking care of us. Thank you for continually growing and developing into the man that God is calling you to be. Most of all, thanks for loving me no matter what.

I love you!!

Happy (Belated) Birthday!!

Lets me say right off the bat that I really, really like Thanksgiving. Something about me that you should know is I love to celebrate things. Birthdays, promotions, a really good deal...you name it! Life is too short to not celebrate every chance you get. Holidays are great because it's this mandatory day that everything else stops, family and friends get together and eat and enjoy each others company.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because it seems to bring out the good in people. Everyone stops thinking about themselves and puts their focus on who and what they are thankful for in their lives. It's sad that for a lot of people Thanksgiving is the one day a year that they do this, but for me it's the one day where you can go all out in how you feel.

This year we spent it with Jason's family eating way too much food and probably watching way too much football. But it was a great day! Thanks to technology we also got to spend a little bit of it with my family and the party and their house via skype. It was so special because Jason and I were able to tell each of them exactly why we were thankful for them. I kind of put Jason on the spot with my idea to play that "game" but as always he rolled with my punches and I know he blessed them. By the way, have I mentioned who was on the very top of my thankful list? :) I have so many blessings in my life but my sweet husband is the very picture of love. We have grown so much in the past almost 15 months of marriage and it constantly blows my mind how God gave me the perfect man for me to marry! I'm not saying he's perfect in that he does everything right (although he is a dang good husband) but he is my perfect match.

I could go on and on about what I'm thankful for this year but I don't want to bore my readers, so I'll just mention what major thing and that is friends. I've moved around the past few years and never really felt grounded or at home in a place. I had a hard time making connections and growing friendships. Since we moved to Milwaukee, we got plugged in at a church and have just been overwhelmed with their friendliness and how welcoming they are. We are involved with a small group that has just been so amazing to us. We not only have friends now, but we have brother and sisters in Christ that encourage and challenge us. I feel so at home here now and that is something I am incredibly grateful for. God is so good to us.

Well now that Thanksgiving is over we can set our sights on the next holiday, which also happens to be my favorite: Christmas!!! And look who is already in the Christmas spirit:

Bailey and I!

Please ignore the lack of make-up and the wild hair :)

Well, from the looks of these pictures it seems like I have the Christmas spirit and she has the Christmas outfit! Well, we'll work on it! Looking forward to putting up our Christmas tree, buying presents, sending out Christmas cards and CELEBRATING the birth of our Savior this month!!

This past week I had the opportunity to take in a bit of a "coming of age" activity in my family: canning! My mom has been canning everything from jams and jellies to pickles to tomato sauces for as long as I can remember. My personal favorite to can is applesauce because it's a process that requires all family members to be involved! And the long strips of apple peels aka apple shoelaces are so delicious!

I decided to take up canning to help us save money. Don't get me wrong though, I'm definitely easing into things in hopes that I get the hang of it, my confidence grows and then who knows what I'll be canning come next year! :) In the meantime, I quizzed my 12 year old sister (she makes the best chopped cherry jam!) and my mom on speed dial for moral support.

Clean jars and rings ready to be filled.

My Door County chopped cherry jam cooking!

Door County plum jelly was next!

I wish I could have pictures of the process of filling the hot jars, burning my fingers as I put the hot tops on and twisting the rings on but I don't quite have the finesse yet. Maybe next year! :)

Jars flipped over to seal

Beautiful plum jelly

I am so pleased and proud of how everything turned out! I felt like such a good little wife putting my jars of jam in our pantry and Jason loves it too! I think I'm ready to step my game up and try something a little bit more difficult now and test my skills. :)

Another really fun thing this past week was a visit from on of my best friends, Cassie. She stopped for the night as she was driving home for Thanksgiving. We always have a great time together. This visit was filled with lots of talking and eating, which is pretty typical for us. :) The picture below was taken at the Cheesecake factory, one of our favorites, just before we pigged out.

I am so looking forward for the coming holiday. Thanksgiving is one of my favorites! I'm feeling so incredibly blessed for everything that I have in my life and I'm wishing the same to you and your family!

Lets be honest: this was a bad couple weeks of blogging. No matter how you look at it, it was just plain bad. It wasn't that I was too busy or didn't have the time, I was just lacking inspiration. I know that to push myself as a writer, those are the times when I should be writing. But I'm going to give myself a break just this once. :)

It's been a good few weeks. Things have been picking up and getting so busy with the holidays coming quickly but I was able to sneak away for the night last weekend and spend some time with two of my very best friends, Amy and Jessi. We had an absolute blast in the tiny town of Tomah, WI.

Jessi and I :)

Amy, Me and Jess...I have way too much fun with these girls!

Our hotel just happened to be doing karaoke the night we were there and it was too great of an opportunity to pass up! We have a few stories we love to tell and then tell again from our college days that involve karaoke. :) Apparently in Tomah you don't just sing, but you also can wear props which just added to the fun!

I was apparently taking a solo in this one!

We had such a fun night! My stomach ached from laughing so hard with them. I wish so badly we all lived closer, but we're already planning another girl's night (or maybe inviting the boys?) in the very near future. Can't wait!! :)

Remember how I wrote a few posts ago that I'm on a mission to decorate our apartment better and with a little bit more of a personal touch? Well ta-da! I've made one improvement already! It wasn't huge...but it's a start! My mom gave us a mirror she found at a thrift store that wasn't working for the space she needed it in. It originally hung vertically, but with my handy husband at my side, we switched it so it would hang horizontally and it is absolutely perfect for in our bedroom over one of our dressers.

Isn't it fabulous??! I absolutely loove it! It has the perfect classic, vintage-y feel that compliments our room so well. We've had this open space for so long and now that it's there our bedroom looks almost complete! Now onto the dauntingly bare living room walls...ahh wish me luck!!

It's funny how things can change so quickly in a week! This one honestly started a bit rough. I'm getting over a cold, Jason is starting two classes and that's on top of an already busy schedule. I didn't even want to write in here earlier in the week because honestly, I was having a hard time having a good attitude and I want this blog to be encouraging, not a downer!

We had small group on Thursday which was really encouraging and a fun time. We're studying a book that I'm not a huge fan of...actually, I really don't like it. BUT it does spark a lot of conversation and it sends me back to the Bible to double check verses, so I guess it's not completely bad. haha :) The best part of small groups is when we break down girls with girls and guys with guys and do accountability. I've honestly never been involved with genuine accountability and it's a little scary but I really feel like it's the Body of Christ in action. I feel so blessed to have these women in my life too. Although I'm just starting to get to know them I can already see in them a difference and a uniqueness. I've had so many friends that claimed Christianity but lived very different from what the Bible says. Now let me say boldly and clearly that I am in NO way the perfect Christian girl! I struggle with things just as much as anyone else. But I've begun to thirst for a genuineness in people and Christian authenticity and it's hard to find. Even in the Church. I think God has led me to people that aren't perfect, don't have it all together but that desire to obey and love God with their lives. I'm so grateful for each one of them and I can't wait to get to know them better!

Yesterday morning I was doing my devos before work and it closed with this passage of Scripture:

" But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord."
Acts 3:18-19

When I read these verses the morning after a time of great accountability and vulnerability, I found myself going "Yes! That's exactly how I feel." Refreshed. It felt so incredibly good to get things off my chest and confess what I was struggling with and then look around and see that I'm not alone.

This week I had victory in an area of my life. Where negative attitude and bitter spirits sought to root themselves in me, God wiped them away and replaced them with peace and joy. I'm learning the benefit of dealing with things quickly, as soon as I notice them. I confessed what I was dealing with and then turned to God, the perfecter of my faith and He supplied everything I needed to deal with these issues. He is faithful, He is good and He cares about the little things.

Feeling so refreshed today...and wishing the same for you!

Currently in loooove with...

First of all, let me say I have NO clue why my last post's font was so huge! I kept trying to select a smaller size but nothing helped. Needless to say, if any readers have vision issues, that post was for you. Hope you enjoyed it.

I want to feature a post here and there that focuses on things that I just looove right now! I think it'll be fun to hear what others think about what I like and also to someday look back and laugh at my crazy obsessions.

Lilies
Jason bought me a big bouquet for sweetest day and they could not be more beautiful!
They are all starting to bloom and the scent is taking over our apartment.
It's fabulous.

Needtobreathe
This is not a new band by any means, but one that I've started listening to more and more the past few months and I am absolutely obsessed. There is something so addicting about their funky southern rock that is acoustic one minute and bluesy with pops a gospel the next. And everything about their song "Looks Like Love" gives me chills. I would absolutely recommend them to any music lover!

Pumpkin Spice Lattes
This should go with out saying for anyone who knows me, but I want to give this drink the shout out it deserves. It is by far my favorite drink at Starbucks and in my top five favorite things about fall. So cozy, delicious and comforting. Ahh...I could go for one right now!

Well, that's a pretty good start! Next time I'll try to add some more pictures in. Our mac is in the process of being fixed so pictures will be a little sparse besides the one I steal from my mom's blog or off of facebook so please be patient.

I also wanted to mention and encourage each of my readers to "follow" me online by clicking the button on the upper right side of my blog that says, surprisingly enough, follow me. I have had a lot of people say that they enjoy reading my blog and I'd love to know who some of my readers are. Thanks!

Wishing you a wonderful night!

Monday, fun day!

I love Mondays.

It seems like when I go on facebook on Mondays, all I see are statuses complaining about what day of the week it is. But I love them. For those that don't know, one of the perks of my nanny job is that I work a little bit longer days Tuesday-Friday and have a long weekend every weekend. This allows me to spend the day preparing our household for the week (i.e. doing a deep cleaning, baking bread, shopping for groceries, etc.) but also to relax and spend some time doing things I don't otherwise get to do. My weekly pilates class has been kicking my butt so I did some this morning and also got to go on a nice long walk with Bailey this afternoon. Mostly it's just nice to clear my head and prepare for the week to come.

One of the things I was thinking about this afternoon is things I want to get done before Christmas. I really want to get all our wedding pictures printed out, get a shutterfly book made and get some in albums. I mean, we've been married a year and still haven't gotten our pictures together. Is that bad? Not, too mention I have a few frames hung that still have the pictures they came with inside. Whoops. Good thing is people still give us compliments on the pictures! Ha! :) So pictures definitely top the list. As well as doing a little redecorating in our apartment. There's nothing technically wrong with our decorations...but it's a little boring and not too personal. I'm going to start scouting out our local thrift stores and craigslist so hopefully I can find some deals too!

I had such a great weekend with Jason. One of my favorite things about him is that we can have fun doing the most simple things. It comes in handy when you're on a tight budget, but it also means that we always have fun no matter what we do. Saturday night we ended up in Applebees for some late night food and had the best conversations about how far we've come and more importantly, where we want to go together. It's funny but the things about my future that used to scare me so much seem to shrink when I'm holding his hand. I feel so blessed to have him as my partner for life.

Kristi Ruth

Today is my sweet little sister Kristi's 20th birthday!! Another Johnson girl moving out of her teenage years....welcome my dear, although a fair warning: you've officially begun your swift ascent to thirty. :)

Pre-wedding pictures at Jessi's wedding: a must. Kristi is all the way on the right.

What should you know about Kristi? First of all, she is an incredibly multifaceted woman. She has impeccable music taste, great fashion sense and is incredibly stubborn, which because she is a Johnson, is not in anyway surprising. She is extremely intelligent and whenever we're all together I hear her and Jason talking about things I've never heard of and books I would most likely use to prop a window open. But that's why I love her.

I love this picture because we rarely capture all 5 sisters at the same time. There are a few extras in this one, but I still love it.

Kristi is one of the most genuine people I know. She has such a joyful, pure spirit and is someone you want to be around. One of the things you will realize right off the bat when you meet her is her relationship with Christ. You can see it in the woman she is; His love permeates through her and to the people around her. She is someone who has studied the Word and knows theology but it doesn't stop there; her faith echoes in every area of her life. I'm so proud of the Woman of God she is and how much she has grown.

I don't mean to state the obvious, but besides her inner beauty, Kristi is also a looker! I mean, look at this picture...they're models I tell you! It's ridiculous.


Kristi, we love you so much!!

Happy birthday!!!

~Jeni and Jason

You get what you pray for

Isn't this how it always goes: you gear yourself up for a tough week, ready to meet whatever challenges arise and your week rises right back up and smacks you right in the face?! This week has been a week. I wish I could say I handled it perfectly with grace an expertise. But...I'll be the first to confess I didn't handle things perfectly. I let little things get to me, my temper flare and I brought my work home and let it effect my home life. Thanks goodness that when I fall short, Someone is right there to reach out and meet me where I need it most.

This job has been such a learning process. I've never worked at a place where I felt so burdened, not only by the tasks I need to complete but also by the issues that are so evident. I'm in the midst of a broken family, but how do you complete the puzzle when the biggest pieces are missing? Sometimes it just feels so hopeless. I'm just one person here, what can I really do? What kind of difference can I truly make? I'm so grateful for the people in my life who encourage me and speak truth to me; those who remind me that I'm here for a reason. I'm going to go ahead and chalk this week up as a learning experience. It wasn't quite a "win" week but it most definitely wasn't a loss.

On a better note, I am SO excited that the weekend is slowly creeping it's way here! I covet the time I get to spend with Jason. He works so early all week, so I know how he enjoys sleeping in on the weekends. Too bad just the thought of spending my day with Jason wakes me up waaay too early every time...it's like a mini Christmas morning every weekend!! :)

The Perfect Fall Day...

Today is one of those fall days that are just...perfect.

The sun is shining through the trees and the leaves are beginning to turn from green into that beautiful, deep caramel color. I love how it's starting to get cooler and scarves have become an everyday accessory. I haven't put the sandals away though. Nope, it'll take at least 10 more degrees before I pack those babies up.

Today was the icing on the cake of a perfect weekend. My mom and sisters came into town for a few days and we just had the best time with them. We went to the Tenth Avenue North, Matt Maher, and Addison Road concert which was phenomenal. It's been a while since I've been to a concert and I was reminded just how much I love and am inspired by live music.

Yesterday was spent going to Church, watching lots of football, playing games and eating food. My mother in law, LuAnn, came out for dinner with us and it was a privilege to cook and take care of her and my mom. They spoil Jason and I way too much and it's fun to be the one doing the spoiling. I made a roasted potato and fennel soup as well as a Italian tortellini soup...both turned out great and I was so excited that everyone liked them. We also wanted to surprise my sister, Kristi, because her birthday is coming in a couple weeks and we won't be able to be with her for it. We almost pulled off making an angel food cake (her favorite!) for her without her knowing but her detective skills kicked in and she busted us! :) She was still surprised though and it was fun to celebrate her!

I know I've written about this before but it just blesses me so much to see Jason with my family. We always have so much fun together laughing and telling stories. He will do anything to make them laugh, and this weekend that included him sacking me! He swears he just got caught up in all the football we were watching but I know how he likes to entertain! :) That's my man.

It's been so nice to just relax and enjoy the day today. Work has become stressful and very busy. My work load has grown a bit with Serena starting the school year but there are also a lot of personal issues going on. It's difficult because this isn't just a job to me; this is my family and these are people that I love. It's hard to just check out and remove myself from the situation at the end of the day, but I'm trying. I hate coming home to Jason stressed out or in a bad mood...it's not fair to him or us.

I think what I'm really learning right now is how limited my wisdom, patience, strength, etc. is. I feel so confident in how much I truly need God in my life and to go before me and speak for me. I can only do so much and this family desperately needs so muchmore then I can give. The good news is that the source of everything good and perfect thing they need in their life lives in me! The lead singer of Tenth Avenue North spoke this weekend about how everyone is in pursuit of some sort of beauty, a beauty that is God made in His own image. We can spend our lives chasing what looks appeasing to our human eye but it will never complete or satisfy us, it's only when we give in and surrender to God's beauty that we are made whole. And as Christians we should be reflecting God's glory so that we not only look different to the world but it's easy to see WHO makes us different. I was so challenged this weekend and I feel ready to enter this work week empowered and ready to be the change.

Maine!

My little sister Kristi casually reminded me this week that I hadn't updated my blog in over a month. Whoops! I hate that it's been that long, but sometimes I don't know what's worse: the fact that I haven't updated it or the amount of things that have happened during that time that I will need to write about. But I have some extra time this afternoon which doesn't happen often so I'm just going to suck it up and do some writing for Kristi and anyone else who happens upon my blog.

My most favorite thing that's happened since I last wrote was Jason and my trip to Maine! "Why Maine?" you may ask, and that's a great question. Honestly, we randomly saw some pictures of it online, found really cheap tickets and figured why not? We wanted to do a little trip for our one year wedding anniversary and preferably something completely different from our honeymoon in Cancun. Both places are astoundingly beautiful but in completely different ways. Cancun showcases sandy beaches as far as you can see, crystal clear water and a distinct upbeat energy. Maine offers a rugged coast, mountains and a relaxed, peaceful vibe. We loved both and are so glad we had the opportunities to visit the two places.


Our trip started in Portland, which we flew into. We then rented a car and drove up the coast of Maine to Bar Harbor. On our way up we decided we would take the "long route" and drive through all the cute, little harbor towns and it was so fun! It was so beautiful there and the scenery was breathtaking.

Taking a break during on drive in Belfast, Maine.

Once in Bar Harbor we stayed at the most precious, charming bed and breakfast. If anyone is headed in that area I would absolutely recommend Acacia House Inn. The innkeepers were so welcoming and gracious and don't get me started on the food...it was absolutely incredible!! I
dream about their blueberry pancakes. Amazing.

I think probably our most favorite part of our trip was all the time we spent in Acacia National Park. It was so gorgeous and we had a blast hiking for hours! I thought I'd hiked before but this was on a whole new scale. We were literally climbing over boulders, going up mountains and scaling cliffs! It was so fun because it was something we'd never done together but something we found we really, really loved to do.

Jason showing off on the huge rock he climbed!

The view from Gorham Mountain, the first mountain we've ever climbed!

Mountain top kisses are some of the very best! :)

We also had a chance to go out whale watching, which was also very, very fun! It was over a three hour trip on this huge three story boat. Once we got out into deeper waters we started the search for whales. Jason was the first to spot them coming up from a dive and exhaling at the surface.


A finback whale coming up to the surface!

We followed the group of four whales for about an hour watching them come up to the surface and then dive back down. It was honestly a bit surreal watching this enormous animal so close to you. It was an experience we'll never forget!

In the bow of the boat watching for whales!

We ended up going back to Acacia park for a second time during our trip to do some more hiking. This time we decided to do one of the harder hikes which went straight up a cliff! Now I knew going into our marriage that Jason didn't like heights but I had no clue how much. The trail we chose was a little crazy...it was very narrow and there were parts where they had put metal bars into the side of the cliff and you used them to climb up. It wasn't normal hiking; it was a full body workout! I thought I would be a good wife and encourage Jason as we climbed but he would tell me not to talk to him and refused to watch me because it apparently made his heart race! After we made it safely to the top, he told me he had second thoughts while climbing but knew he had to do it rather then face my teasing! haha!

Soaking it in at the top!

This is the view from the top of our mountain. We joked during our climb that the pictures could never do it justice...and it really doesn't. Notice the small parking lot in the center though and how tiny the cars look!

The view from Cadillac Mountain, the biggest mountain in the park. We didn't have time to climb up this one...but we'll be back to conquer it!

It was an amazing trip! I don't think we realized how much fun we would have and how much we would love it there, but it definitely became our little heaven on earth. What a great way to celebrate a fantastic first year of marriage!

This year has brought a lot of change and challenges...but it was great. We are stronger and more in love then ever! One thing about marriage is that it's a challenge and it has pushed me to be a better woman then I knew I could be. Jason has encouraged and supported me this year in the most intimate and special ways. He's my rock and I am so incredibly blessed by him.

Here's to 50 more years!