Some Food for Thought

I'm tired, and not in much a mood for blogging tonight. Plus, I need to get some sleep because it snowed all day today and tomorrow the skiing is going to be great. So, to make up for my lack of blogging, here are two things you should check out:

1. Brett's blog, which contains a story from ESPN that Nic has also Twittered about. It's a pretty cool and inspiring story. You can read it here.

2. A video posted on Stuff Christian's Like. About 2 minutes in Pen from Pen & Teller has some pretty cool things to say about why Christians should share their faith. Its only about a 5 minute video, so you should watch it. Check it out here.

Hope Everyone Has a Good Christmas!
Jenna

My Experience As a Snowboarder

In case you just started reading today, or missed the blog I wrote yesterday, I tried snowboarding for the first time today. It was a very interesting experience.

Martina and I had lessons this morning with a very nice snowboarding instructor named Trevor. On a completely unrelated side note, he is a kite boarding instructor in North Carolina for most of the year and then comes to Colorado to teach snowboarding in the winter months. Extremely cool life right?

Anyways, the lessons went decently well. I had fun and I learned a lot, but in the beginning I needed a lot of help. Snowboarding is really hard to pick up! I did, however, finally get the hang of it towards the end.

Unfortunately, all I really have to show for it is two huge bruises on my knees from stopping and falling toe side so much. That's right, I said toe side, like a real snowboarder. Pretty soon, I'll be saying things like ride, and grind, and half pipe.

Regardless, I have decided that I enjoy skiing much more, so I traded my board in for skis. I really want to get some ski time in with Ally and enjoy my trip to the fullest. Maybe one day I'll try snowboarding again, but for now, at least I can cross it off my list of things to do before I die.

In other news, I read the first five chapters of Crazy Love today. It is so good! Good in a way that it isn't full of deep, never thought of before things, but rather good in a way that Frances Chan writes things that you knew all along in the back of your head, but never really thought about in the forefront of your mind, or in the way he puts them for that matter. Does that make sense? I don't know, but its good.

I read it in the bathtub today, making note taking difficult. But I promise, notes are coming soon.

Had a Rad Day Shredding It on the Slopes (more snowboarding talk I picked up),
Jenna

Things You Learn On a Long Car Trip

Yesterday morning at 8 o'clock in the morning, my family and I left to go to Colorado. We spent the night yesterday in Salina, Kansas got up at 7 and drove today until we finally arrived in Winter Park, Colorado at 4. In case you're counting, that's 21 hours on the road, that's with stops though. Its actually only a 16 hour drive. Here are some updates from the car trip.

1. Apparently, I dominate at the Peg Board game.



The whole point of the game is to jump over pegs, removing them from the board, until there is only one left. I was the only one able to complete it. My dad tells me my great grandpa could pick out which peg he was going to leave on the board and still finish the puzzle. I am going to practice until I can do that too. Then, we can add it to the list of "Things I'm Good at That in No Way to Contribute to Society or My Life in Any Way."

In case you're wondering, that list doesn't really exist. But it could if I sat down and took the time to make one. List making could also be on that list now that I think about it.

2. I am extremely good at fitting into tiny spaces. I volunteered to take the back seat so I could sleep, not knowing that the back seat would be half full with luggage. If I was literally an inch wider, taller, or longer, I would not have been able to fit in this space. But I did it, for 16 hours. All I really have to show for this talent is some cramped muscles and a bruise on my butt for sitting in one position for so long, but at least I survived.

3. I am able to sleep in any circumstance.

I was already acutely aware of this talent given that I have slept on a tile floor, in desks, sitting straight up, small couches in the library, etc. But, I was able to sleep in such a tiny space for almost the entire trip, so I think its safe to say that this talent in confirmed.

4. My sister is an amazing source of useless facts. Today she new all the tallest mountains in the world and the US and their locations. In addition, she shared with us that 70% of the people in Japan live on 10% of the land or something like that. Please don't quote that fact, as I probably got it completely wrong. The point is, if I'm ever on Who Want to Be a Millionaire, she'll be my phone a friend, and she should be yours too.

5. I add Crazy Love my Frances Chan to my book rotation. I'm only through the intro and I already really like it. Be looking forward to some quotes and thoughts.

6. I found out today that I got a 4.0 this semester. I'm not really that excited about it, because I don't feel like I did anything to deserve it. Praise God that He helped me get through it successfully. Next semester is my final semester in the classroom, and I solemnly swear that I will put in more effort and try harder.

7. Tomorrow I am trying snowboarding for the first time. I have gone skiing probably 8 or 9 times over the last 10 years, and every year, I say I'm going to try it and I never do. This year, Martina wants to try snowboarding too, so I told her I would go to lessons with her tomorrow morning. I'm pretty nervous about it, so we'll see how it goes. Hopefully I don't break anything. Keep your fingers crossed!

Hoping I don't pull a Sonny Bono,
Jenna

My Life in Bullet Form

Here are some updates on my life that you might or might not care about. Feel free to read if it so moves you:

1. I finished finals yesterday. I only have one semester left in the classroom. I don't know how I'm going to get through it. I am so very over school. I studied approximately ten minutes for all four finals. I did really well on the first couple without studying, but I probably failed the last one, and I can't even make myself care about doing good or bad. I know I sound like a whiny baby. I know I am supposed to be grateful for the opportunity to go to school. I know I am supposed to thank God for the intelligence that allows me to do what I am doing, and for a great career field, and a job I enjoy. I know I am supposed to be thankful for the opportunity to finish a Masters and Bachelors degree in half the time that most people do it, but right now, I'm not. I've tried bribing myself, I've tried convincing myself, I've tried lying to myself, I've tried faking it. Maybe the break will give me a better attitude.

2. My dog A.J. died today. We've had him since I was 7. He was old and blind and had had a stroke, so its for the best, but still sad.
Also today I have to give Bella to Amber so she can watch Bella while my family and I go skiing. I'm really going to miss her. Today is a sad day in the area of dogs for me.

P.S. Amber, thanks for watching Bella, you're the best!

3. I realized that I have left some lose ends on my blog. A few posts ago, I asked everyone to pick my 5 favorite songs off the Taylor Swift album. They are as follows:
1. Fifteen
2. White Horse
3. You're Not Sorry
4. The Way I Loved You
5. Forever & Always

Congrats to JMob and Foster, who, in a joint effort guess all five. Unfortunately, you only get a part of the blog dedicated to you, instead of the whole thing, but you guys are still awesome!

4. I also forgot to tell you guys about the tattoo I am considering. I want to get a ring tattoo on my left ring finger of the verse Psalm 45:10-13. It's inspired from the Perry Noble message that I wrote about here.

One problem with the tattoo? I'm afraid people will see it and think I'm hip and modern and its a wedding ring and I'm already married. Hopefully my nerdy appearance will convince them otherwise. Feel free to share your thoughts, comments, and concerns. Actually, I'm begging you, tell me what you think.

5. Recently, JMob, and someone else, although I don't remember who, posted this website called Iamsecond on their blogs. Since I stole this from JMob, I feel as though I should give him some credit. You can get to his blog here. Check out the blog from today, it has a really cool quote on it.

Anyways, back to the subject at hand. I have been watching videos every once in a while on this website and I feel like you should watch them because they are really cool. This one right here is my favorite so far (click the here, in case you didn't catch that). It made me cry. I havn't had a chance to watch all of them yet though. Which ones are your favorites?

6. Finally, I am in need of some prayer. I am playing around with the idea of doing something really cool and life changing and big for the Kingdom over the summer. It's also something really scary. I don't want to tell you about it yet and jinx it, but be praying that God will show me what He wants me to do and that the doors down the path I should take will be open.

Also, I am still trying to sell those Cowboys tickets I bought. The game is on Saturday, so some prayer is definitely needed!

Enjoying the first day of Christmas break,
Jenna

Today was a Great Day!

Today is a great day for many reasons:

1. Today is the day of David's birth, so tell him happy birthday. I am very blessed to have you as a friend David, so way to be born!

2. No kids showed up at work today, so I got paid for driving to the church and back home. Excellent.

3. Last night, it snowed, and it really isn't the holiday season without snow.

4. Last night, I wore flannel pjs and slept with my electric blanket. Both of these things make me uber happy.

5. Today, I told my 8 o'clock class teacher that I couldn't come because there was still ice on the road at 6:30. Then, my teacher's for my 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock classes told me not to worry about driving down because speakers canceled and such. So, I got to skip class, without be charged for skipping. Its even better than the snow day I was hoping for because everyone else in my class had to go to school and I didn't. Suckers.

6. Haley bought Bella a sweater because when she goes to the bathroom she shivers and it is a really cute sweater.

7. Tomorrow I don't have to go to school until ten, and it is my last day of classes for the semester.

8. Everyone is on their way over to play Mexican train, so it is guaranteed to be a good night.

9. Finally, I recently discovered that Meredith has been secretly reading my blog. Dear Meredith,
This is not creepy and I appreciate all the nice things you said. I have also added you to my blog subscriptions. I'm glad my rambles bring you some joy.
Much Love,
Jenna

Also, this realization has left me wondering, who else secretly reads my blog? Consider this your opportunity to come clean and tell me. I won't think your creepy or anything. Of course, if I let you tell me now, and you don't, then I will think you're creepy if I find out later. Just kidding, but you should tell me now.

Enjoying the day!
Jenna

I'd Like to Share This with You

I have 7 papers, a presentation, and four finals in the next 2 weeks, but in true Jenna fashion, I am putting them all off until the last minutes and writing this blog. In all honesty, what I am about to share with you is:

1. cooler
2. better
3. more interesting
4. more important

Than anything school related.

Anyways, recently, I stumbled upon a very good book online. By stumbled upon I mean when God created the universe He decided that it would be a good idea for me to read this book at this time in my life and He made sure I found it and read it.

Anyways, the book is by a woman named Cindy Beall. When I say book, I mean its really a series of long blogs. Regardless of what it is, it is incredible.

Cindy has an incredible story. Married to a youth minister for about 5 years, Cindy and her husband felt called to move from Texas to Oklahoma and serve at a church there. The day after Cindy arrived in Oklahoma, her husband came and confessed to her that he had had an addiction to porn for many years, which had lead to many extra marital affairs, and that one of the women had recently contacted to him to inform him that she was pregnant with his child.

And then, amazingly enough, God helped Cindy to forgive her husband, repair her marriage, become friends with her husband's lover, and genuinely love her husband's son.

The book covers Cindy's experience in this journey and is truly an incredible one. My favorite chapter was Chapter 8, It's Time to Forgive. I'd like to share a couple of passages from it with you:

"It would be very convenient if we all felt like forgiving people. But, that is rarely the case. We often have to make a choice to forgive, even if we don’t feel like it. And it’s wise that we do, because our feelings are often misleading. But the more we make the choice to forgive on a daily basis, the more we will begin to see our wounds healed and resentment diminish. An indication that you have healed from a wound caused by someone else is when you cease to feel resentment against your offender. My mentor says, “You know you’ve healed from the hurt that someone else’s actions have caused when you can look back on the situation and it’s just a fact.” I think that is probably the best explanation I’ve ever heard about healing."

"There are people who have caused hurt and haven’t ever asked for forgiveness. There are days when I don’t feel like forgiving. But, God never asked me to “feel” like forgiving. He just said to do it. This command is far from easy. Forgiving someone who doesn’t deserve forgiveness goes against everything my flesh wants. Why shouldn’t they have to suffer like I have? But that’s just it. They are suffering. It’s just a different type of suffering. It’s the feeling you have inside knowing that the pain that another person is experiencing is a result of your choices. How helpless is that?"

"You’ve heard it said, “The mind is a terrible thing to waste.” When we spend our time thinking and dwelling upon things that cannot be changed, we are wasting it. In another sense, we are also worrying. Matthew 6:27 says, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” I think we have all wasted our time by worrying at some point in our lives. Whether it is about financial security or our children or our health, we’ve done it. And plenty of us still do it regularly. So, has it helped us? I mean, can you think back to a time when you worried and say, “Yeah, man, worrying about my children’s future totally helped my situation. I’m so glad I did it and spent those hours consumed with what ifs”? No, you don’t feel that way, and neither do I. We don’t want to worry. We want to have complete confidence in God. After all, in practical terms, worrying is our inability to trust God. Ouch. So, if you and I worry about something, we are basically not trusting God? If the shoe fits. And I think it does."

You can (and should) read the rest of Chapter 8 here.

Also, I highly recommend reading the whole book. Even if you're a boy, or even if you're life story in no way related to Cindy's, it still has some good life lessons to be learned. Plus, its a short and quick read. You can read the entire book here.

Finally, ironically enough, Cindy grew up in Georgetown, graduated from Georgetown High School, went to Texas State University, and spent some time in San Antonio. Creepy right? I think it's just further proof of how great I am going to turn out.

Enjoying Lessons in Literature,
Jenna

Dog Vomit and God

I'm about to make an analogy about God using a dog throwing up. You probably think I can't do it, and maybe I can't, but I'm going to try and we'll see how it goes.

A week or so ago, Haley and I went to lunch at Jason's Deli, and we left Bella and Boss (Whitney's dog) outside in the backyard.

On a completely unrelated side note, if there was a support group for Jason's Deli, I would probably need to go, because Haley and I go several times a week, and probably keep the San Marcos one in business.

Anyways, I digress. When we returned from yet another delightful trip to Jason's, we discovered that Boss had figured out how to open the backdoor, and had gotten inside and eaten an entire candy bowl full of Hersey's chocolate kisses.

Mind you, this candy bowl held two whole bags of kisses.

Luckily, Haley's dad is a vet so we called him, and he recommended making the dogs drink hydrogen peroxide so that they would throw up.

I know that sounds cruel, but it's the dog's version of getting your stomach pumped apparently.

Anyways, after giving each dog a ridiculous amount of hydrogen peroxide (apparently we own dogs with super stomachs), they threw up. Bella only once because Boss only let her get about three pieces of chocolate. Boss, however, threw up more vomit than I have ever seen in my life put together. Literally, the first two piles were the size of a human infant. I took a picture, scroll down fast if you don't want to see it:

If you look really close, you can see that there are whole Hersey's kisses, and a good sized stick in the vomit as well.

He threw up four or five times, and afterward, when we tried to hose it off of the sidewalk, it stuck. It took quite a while to get it off.

Needless to say, it was disgusting.

So anyways, I'm sure you're all thinking, "Jenna, how in your infinite wisdom are you going to tie this into God?"

Well, here is goes blog readers.

I think that sometimes there are things in our life that God wants us to get rid of. At first, He tells us in the form of a simple nudge, then a gentle warning, then probably a hit over the head with a two by four.

I don't really know the exact process, but I think that if we ignore the warnings, God takes the things away, rather violently, not because He wants to hurt us, but because He knows what's best for us, and He wants us to learn our lesson and remember to listen to Him the next time

Similar to the way that we wanted to remove the chocolate from Boss's stomach. We didn't make him drink hydrogen peroxide because we thought it would be fun to watch. We did it because we knew it was for the best.

Maybe that's a stretch, but surprisingly enough, Boss throwing up infant sized piles of throw up taught me this.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, that no matter what it is that God is trying to take away, a relationship, a bad habit, a habitual sin, pride, a refusal for help, whatever, God will find a way to remove it from your life. He doesn't want to do it in a painful way, but He will if necessary, because He is God, and He knows what is best.

So listen to Him.

I was now going to try to relate dogs preferring to eat their vomit to God sometimes bringing things we let go back into our lives when the timing is right, but that was too hard, so just know that I think that happens sometimes too.

Deep thoughts from dog vomit,
Jenna

More Things I'm Thankful for After Black Friday

First of all, I apologize for any typos or improper grammar. Normally, I'm pretty good about not making mistakes, and I always go back and check, but its four in the morning, and I don't have the energy. I apologize for my laziness.

Anyways, tonight's experience made me realize a few more things I am thankful for and I wanted to get them down before I forgot them, because I hate when that happens.

So, here it goes:
1. I'm thankful for good sales
2. I'm thankful that the outlet mall parking lot, the movie theater parking lot, and the first strip center a mile away from the outlet mall was full, thus forcing us to park 3 miles away. Why? Because it was good exercise.
3. I'm thankful ya'll don't judge me on the fact that I am a total overexaggerator. Because 3 miles is not true, but it was very far.
4. I'm thankful that I have a body that is healthy enough to handle the walk.
5. I am thankful that I resisted temptation and didn't buy anything impulsively.
6. I'm thankful that I only used my dad's credit card to buy a pair of jeans, and the rest of the time I was responsible and used my own money.
7. I'm thankful that I have an awesome job that gives me the money to buy those things and play with cute kids like these:





8. I'm thankful that God showed me my spiritual gifts early so I wouldn't be one of those people sitting around wondering what their spiritual gifts are.
9. I'm thankful that I had the experience of Black Friday
10. I'm thankful that I will never go through that again.
11. I'm thankful that Bella has learned that when I take her out in the middle of the night, she should go to the bathroom quickly.
12. I'm thankful that I am not one of those crazy pet owners who refers to themselves as "Mommmy" when talking to their pet. For example, "Mommy is mad at you."
13. I'm thankful that I have friends who will slap me if I ever do this.
14. I'm thankful my parents taught me respect and good grammar so that I don't act like the countless "ghetto" individuals I encountered at the outlet mall tonight.
15. Frequently throughout my life, and quite a few times tonight, when I see a decent looking boy with an unfortunate looking girl I think to myself, "At least there's still hope for me." This is mean and judgmental. I am thankful that I have a God that forgives me for that.
16. I'm thankful for nice store clerks. It is probably hard to be nice at 3 in the morning. I was impressed by your friendliness. Good job outlet mall employees.
17. I'm thankful that I am about to get into a wonderful warm bed with a nice little heating blanket.
18. I'm thankful that I am sleeping in tomorrow...or actually this morning.

Still counting my blessings,
Jenna

39 Things I'm Thankful For

I know everyone does this, but I'm ok with being like everyone else every once in a while. At least I picked an odd number.

39 Things I'm thankful for:

1. God for forgiving us no matter what, loving us unconditionally, supporting us in all circumstances, healing us even when we don't think we need it and reminding us that we must do the same for others.
2. Thanksgiving for reminding me to be thankful.
3. My Great Aunt Ann who lets us come to her house and makes the best homemade Thanksgiving meal ever.
4. My dad who works his butt off, even when the housing market is way down, to provide a comfortable life for us.
5. My mom who holds down the fort, supports my sister and I unconditionally, and embarrassingly felt the need to share with my whole family at the dinner table that I got hit on by both the CVS pharmacy tech and H-E-B check out guy.
6. My sister, who is a constant reminder that she looks up to me and I need to be the best example of a Godly woman that I can for her.
7. Martina, our foreign exchange student, because she is funny and intelligent and entertaining and our family won't feel the same when she leaves in June. Although, it will be nice to get my room back. Just kidding Martie!
8. Martina and the outlet malls, because for the first time we are shopping at midnight tonight so that Martina can have the American Black Friday experience to go with her first Thanksgiving. I'm especially thankful that dad just went to bed and left his credit card for us to take :).
9. My dog Bella because she is adorable and funny and can make me laugh when I've had a bad day.


10. My friend Amber for being a wonderful person, outrageously hilarious, and for buying Bella that sweater.
11. Haley, my somewhat life partner according to Bella's adoption papers, for helping me take care of Bella, for being the funniest person I know, for supporting me unconditionally, for planning on moving to Dallas with me when we grow up, for getting a job with Kyle Park band so I can meet Wade Bowen and go to free shows, for living with me even though I'm a total weirdo, and for co starring in our upcoming hit T.V. show with me.
12. Whitney for letting me live in her house, for living with me for more than one year even after she realized what living with me was like, for laughing at my jokes, for being a cheap drunk and letting us laugh at her, for reminding Haley and I to not be too mean to people, for listening to me complain, and for supporting me in all my bad and good decisions.
13. Macy for being funny and letting us make fun her, for still being able to make friends even though we didn't talk when we went to the same high school, for letting us charge her 10 cents for all her lame jokes, and for her stories which have a lot of build up, but no ending, and although annoying, do make me smile.
14. David for listening to me complain and giving me advice and making me laugh and ruthlessly hitting on me when I'm in tears.
15. Nic and Jo for listening to me complain and laughing at my jokes so that I think I'm kind of funny.
16. For Baby Boy Burleson, who is going to be my godson, who I am going to spoil rotten and turn into a super baby. Let's not lie, I'll probably be his favorite.
17. For the Wards and Levys, who are my surrogate Christian parents and who gave me my first example of a Godly marriages and real Christian leadership.
18. For Shelby and Kelsey, the girls that I know will always be here for me, and the people I most wish I got to see more often. Hooray for next year when we'll all be in Georgetown!
19. For all my other friends, who have loved me, listened to me, counseled me, made me laugh, and given me memories that will last forever.
20. For music, because without it, I wouldn't be able to sleep, stay awake in the car on the way to school, get ready in the morning, or have good background sounds for the upcoming TV show.
21. Technology, because it keeps me entertained.
22. The fact that we had over 40 people at Thanksgiving lunch today, and even though I didn't know half their names, they all knew where I was going to school, and asked me how it was going.
23. The fact that we have the type of family that invites the entire Lake Travis volunteer fire department that was working today over to our lunch in shifts, so that they could still enjoy Thanksgiving even though they were working.
24. The fact that one of the cute younger firemen asked for my number...what a boost of confidence.
25. Thanksgiving food, because it is so so so good.
26. The fact that we get to eat it again at Christmas.
27. My houses in San Marcos and Georgetown because I love them both and wouldn't change a thing about them.
28. My 11 day Thanksgiving break.
29. The fact that I am a little over a semester away from being done with notes and tests FOREVER!
30. The fact that I am a little over a semester away and a year's worth of clinicals away from being done with school forever.
31. The fact that its ok to be scared of being a grown up.
32. The fact that my boyfriend (although he doesn't know it) Colt McCoy and the rest of the Horns are currently winning 35 to 3.
33. The fact that the Cowboys won today too.
34. Boyfriend's also going to win the Heisman.
35. My fantasy football team is also winning.
36. Boyfriend's team just scored again, 42 to 3. Awesome.
37. The fact that I've lost 10 pounds and a jean size in the last month. Hope Thanksgiving doesn't ruin it!
38. The fact that I don't have any idea what the next couple of years or even months of my life holds for me. Its scary. But wonderful. And I wouldn't want it any other way.
39. Knowing that my life is in exactly the place God wants it to be.

Busy being thankful,
Jenna

Fearless

When one day, when someone is finally smart enough to figure out that a movie should be made about my life, and someone approaches me about the movie deal (which is sure to become a blockbuster hit), and I sign a contract for millions of dollars, and then the producers of the movie come to me and say, "Jenna, in all of your infinite wisdom, who would you like to write the soundtrack of your life?"

I shall respond with, "Taylor Swift". The woman to play me is up for discussion in a completely different post, but feel free to share your opinions now.

Have you ever gone through a moment in your life and then later, upon looking back at that moment and reliving it in your mind, you can pick out the perfect song that should be playing in the background? I do this often, either because I love music, or because I'm crazy, or maybe a combination of both, I'm really not sure which.

Anyways, a large majority of Taylor Swift's songs match up wonderfully with moments in my life. Which, in turn, is why she would write the soundtrack of my life.

On a completely somewhat related side note, if you are a boy, and you ever want to impress me, take me to a Taylor Swift concert. I'll probably give you a kiss, but if you're not my boyfriend, it will have to be on the cheek, because I've promised Jo that I will not participate in any noncommittal lip locking.

Anyways, the point of this post is to say that the new Taylor Swift CD is wonderful. I have had it on on my computer, on my iPod, and in my car. I've already listened to it probably 30 times. If you havn't already bought it or downloaded it, then you should, right now. After that, you should listen to each tract and then tell me which ones you like the most.

For even more fun (mostly for me), listen to the CD and tell me which ones you think are my favorites. I like all of them, but there are five that are my favorites. 5 out of 13 gives you pretty good odds for guessing. Also, if you can get all 5 right, I will post a special blog just for you, talking about how perfect and wonderful you are, and I will buy you coffee the next time I see you. Is it conceded that I am making up this game about myself? Maybe. But humor me and play along.

Writing the Script for my Life Story on Film,
Jenna

Credit Cards

Today, my very own first card credit card came in the mail. I applied for it earlier in the week, and it sure didn't take long to get approved for a 4,000 dollar credit line and get the card. Its actually kind of scary how easy it was. Its easy for me to see how people get into trouble with cards.

I already almost made my first mistake with my credit card in posting a picture of me with the card on the internet. Which, would have been stupid as everyone would have been able to see the credit card number. I'm glad I avoided that mistake. The fact that I almost made such a big mistake with my card a little less than 2 hours after getting it makes me a little nervous.

I got the card because I have loaned people money, and havn't been paid back, and thus, have no money myself. This problem will be solved once I can sell the Dallas Cowboys tickets I purchased, but that leaves me with a month or so with no money, thus the card.

I tell you all this so that you know that I intend on being as responsible as possible with the card. The credit card guy on the phone tells me I have perfect credit, which I am really not looking to mess up.

I tell you all that so that you can I can make this declaration: I HEREBY SOLEMNLY SWEAR TO BE AS RESPONSIBLE AS POSSIBLE WITH MY NEW CREDIT CARD. I will not make rash, unnecessary purchases. I will pay the balance on time. I will pay more than the minimum balance as often as possible.

I am putting all of this in writing, for everyone to read so that I can be held accountable, and so that I can be more responsible.

One step closer to becoming a grown up,
Jenna

Mentoring and Tattoos

The "A" key on my keyboard has fallen off, making typing rather annoying. I'm telling you this so that you know many of my words might be leaving out the "A", and so you appreciate the effort that I am making in blogging today.

Anyways, I'm sitting in class right now and its outrageously boring, thus the blog. I'm really quite over school. I am currently researching other forms of income, like the lottery, my own TV show, inventing something really cool, or if I get really desperate, stripping. This, however, would require a lot of work at the gym that I am just not ready for. We'll see how it plays out.

I'm really getting off topic from what I wanted to write about today. Today's post was supposed to be about being a mentor. On Tuesday I went and had lunch with the 8th grade girls from First Lockhart Baptist Church. These girls were in my DNow group, and in my room for every trip I went on with FLBC, so I feel an obligation towards them. Even if I didn't feel an obligation towards them, I would probably still spend time with them, because they make me laugh, and because I think they all need an example of a Godly woman in their lives.

That made me sound really conceited, I have tried rewriting it, because it sounds bad, but I can't come up with another way to say it. I'm not saying that I am the ultimate in Godly woman-ness, I'm just saying that they need something, and they have to settle for me. I'm sure there are much better options out there.

Anyways, today I am writing about what it means to be a mentor. I've been thinking about it today. Now that I don't go to Lockhart every Wednesday and Sunday, I don't see the girls very much. I send the occasional email to check in on them, but Tuesday was the first time I've seen them since the summer. So, does being a mentor mean constantly spending time growing the individual you are mentoring, or does it simply mean setting an example and being available if needed for said individual?

I pose that as a theoretical question that I do not know the answer to in hopes that someone wiser than myself will let me in on the answer.

Additionally, I would like to share that lately I have been discouraged in my ability to be a mentor/leader. Like I said, I havn't been paying much attention to the girls, and lately, I've really been feeling like I don't have much to offer as a mentor/leader. However, yesterday, one of the girls sent me an email that went something along the lines of this (grammatical errors/slang corrected and personal information removed):

Jenna,
Thanks for coming to see us yesterday. It was so great to see you! I think its so awesome that you have time to go to college, work 2 jobs, and go through hard times, and still make time to see us. Plus, you looked so pretty yesterday! I hope I have my life as organized as you do when I am your age.

I share that because it made me smile, it gave me confidence in my abilities, and it made me realize something else. When I go about my day to day life, and when I make decisions, am I paying attention to who is watching? Not in an "are people judging me" sort of way, but in a way that has me focusing on setting a Godly example for the people that look up to me.

I feel like my thoughts have been random again, but my challenge to you is this: Watch your actions, thought, and words, because you never know who may be watching you for an example.

Now, for a completely unrelated topic. I am considering getting a tattoo. Probably something cute and classy like a heart or "sexy" in Old English on my butt or my hip. Or maybe this alien tattoo:


on my back right above my crack, in true tramp stamp fashion.


I hope by now you have figured out that I am kidding, not about the tattoo, but about the form of tattoo. I'm actually not telling the tattoo I am considering yet, because I have not completely nailed down the design, and because I like to keep you on the edge of your seat.

Plus, I thought this would provide for a good opportunity for an interactive blog. Thus readers, I present you with this question: If you could pick any tattoo for me to get, what would it be? Please also specify location. Jokes and serious responses are both welcomed. Bonus points if you submit an image.

Considering getting inked,
Jenna

Crumbs

As promised ladies and gentlemen, my second blog of the day.

Yesterday, I was in a very unusual position. We had a long break during school, so I popped some popcorn, went and sat in my car, and listened to a Perry Noble podcast. It was so good I listened to it again. This time I did my nails. Both times I cried. Imagine being that person walking by my car seeing a girl in sweat pants doing her nails, eating popcorn, and crying. It must have been a very unusual site. So unusual that I'm laughing about it now. Sometimes I am very overemotional and over dramatic.

Anyways, I digress. Like I said, I was listening to a Perry Noble podcast, and this podcast is what I am writing about, because it was excellent, and God showed me some things through it.

Perry Noble has started a new series at his church for women called "Beautiful". Given recent circumstances, Nic and JMob have both recommended that I listen to this particular one about "crumbs". Yesterday I finally had the time. I liked it so much that I listened to it again and typed up notes about it. I thought about just copying and pasting the notes, but this seemed like a bad idea for two reasons:

1. If I gave you all the notes, you wouldn't have any motivation to go and listen it to yourself, and you should, regardless of whether you are a man or a woman or married or single. Go listen to it. Seriously. I'd give you the link but I can't get it to work, so just search Beautiful series by Perry Noble on Google or iTunes.

2. I wrote personal notes and examples in with my notes, and I did not think it would be right to post my true feelings and thoughts about certain people and situations.

Anyways, down to the nitty gritty:

Perry started by explaining that women tend to wrap their identities up in certain things. When their attempts to do this fail, women tend to feel unworthy and unbeautiful. Perry said that most women wrap their identity into these 6 things (a different combination of each for each girl):

1. Appearance
2. Their house
3. Their kids
4. Relationships

Some women define themselves by whether or not they are dating someone because dating someone makes them feel worth something. If you feel this way, then you no longer feel like you are worthy as a woman if he stops pursuing you because your identity is in "him". It should be noted that this is 100% me.

5. Career
6. Religion
Many Christian women identify themselves with what they do and don’t do rather than who Jesus is
I loved this quote: “Many women will lean against the cross and look down their spiritual noses at what others are doing and say, 'hey you need to be more like me', rather then kneeling at the cross and saying, 'hey, there’s room here'.”

Women tend to feel that one day all 6 of these things will be in complete order, and they live for that day, because they think it will be the day that they finally feel good enough. It should be noted that this is also 100% me.

One thing I learned: That day is NEVER coming. If you wait for that day, you will never feel good enough and you will never be the women God intended you to be.

Perry posed 3 Questions that women should ask:

1. Who do I listen to?

Culture is constantly screaming at women that they aren’t good enough, that if they had this body or that house that they will finally be happy and it sends women to a place that God never intended them to go.

What does God say?
Psalm 45:10-Listen oh daughter, consider and give ear, forget your people and your Father’s house.

What's the first word of that verse? Listen! Why? Because God wants you to hear what he thinks of you, not what others think of you.

What if you had a bad dad? What if the father you have as an example of a Heavenly Father wasn't really that great?

God is everything you wish your father would have been and so much more. A father loves his daughter because of who she is and not what she does. How absolutely completely 100% wonderful.

Here comes my favorite part:
Perry told a story about his daughter eating crumbs off the floor after he had finished feeding her. He didn't understand why would she settle for crumbs on the floor when he could bless her with so much more. Perry says God feels the same way about women when it comes to the men we date, or even sometimes marry.

Perry said that God is asking us: "Why are you dating a crumb?"

I wrote this paragraph down word for word from what Perry said. I wish someone had told me this a long long long while. Birth would probably be too early, but maybe around the time when I first understood that there was a difference between boys and girls. I digress again, but here's the paragraph:

"He’s a crumb. The only men that get nervous about that statement are the crumbs. He fell from the table a long time ago and you can do better than that. He is not dedicated to you, he gets what he wants from you, is not willing to commit, step up, or be a man for you. The reason he is dating you is to inflate his incredibly weak male ego. He doesn’t love, respect, value, or treasure you. Women deserve to be treated with respect and admiration, not something to be conquered. Don’t settle for crumbs, God says he has something so much better to bless us with. Don’t wrap your identity up in him."

Wow. Talk about preaching to the choir. Is that the right saying? I'm not sure. What I'm trying to say is, I feel like God wrote that, or I guess had Perry say that a few Sundays ago, specifically for me.

2. What does God think about me?

Sometimes we don’t understand what God thinks about us. We think God hates us because of what we have done. We don’t want to hear that God thinks we are beautiful because of the guilt we feel.

Verse 11-the King is enthralled with your beauty

He is held captive by you, He can’t stop looking at you. God custom designed you and threw away the mold. God is enthralled with your beauty regardless of whether or not your divorced, have kids, have a sexually active past-no matter who finds you beautiful on earth-God finds you beautiful. God is enthralled with Jesus coming out of you, or with the potential you have of Christ in you. You ought to see how God looks at you.

3. Who will I live for?

Who do you admire the most? What quality do you admire most in that person? None of us probably thought about the 6 things that women find their identity in from earlier. Most of us think, their attitude, their patience, their kindness, their ability to forgive.

Why do we work so hard for the things we don’t admire and neglect the things we do admire? Why don’t we work harder to be the woman God wants us to be? Do you work towards being the woman God wants you to be so others can see Christ in you? LIVE FOR HIM! Live for the one that already sees your value, stop wearing yourself out on things that will never make you feel valued and respected. God already views you as beautiful. You do things because God loves you, not to get God to love you.

The last thing Perry talked about went back to the crumb reference. The crumbs are not all that you deserve. A princess is worthy of a prince. A princess does not need to leave her castle and go down to the slumbs to find someone. A princess can stay where she is, and the worthy man will pursue her. Princess needs to wait for a prince.

Perry said that many women are settling for toads, and this part really hit me: "it doesn’t matter how many times you kiss him, he will always be a toad." I have a hard time accepting the fact that there are some things in people that you just can't change and fix. Things only they themselves can change. That's something very difficult for me to accept.

Don’t live for him, you are better than that. Because the King is enthralled with your beauty.

Wow. That's really all I can say. What an incredible message. I don't really care if you read all of it. I mostly put it all down to go over it again. I don't even know if all of it made sense. But I needed to put it down to wrap my mind around it. Maybe I'll read it tomorrow and think its stupid and take it down, but for now it seems like a good idea.

I'm still processing of all it, but thanks Nic and JMob for recommending something that I really needed to hear. I don't know if I have gotten everything out of this message that I am supposed to yet. What I do know is that I will be actively working towards finding my identity solely in God, and not in my appearance or my relationships. I also know that I will no longer be settling for the crumbs of world that don't deserve my time, devotion, or love.

Waiting for my Prince and hoping some of that made sense,
Jenna

Election Day!

Today is election day, so go vote! But, don't vote for someone just because its cool to vote for them. Vote for someone who agrees with you on the issues. Vote for someone who would make a good leader. And no matter who wins, pray for their leadership everyday.

Today is also my sister's birthday. She is 17 today. If you know her, call her and wish her happy birthday. Or, if you don't know her, and you want to date her, like Mark or JMob, call her and wish her a happy birthday.

Happy Birthday Ally!

Last night we started decorating for Christmas. We have so much Christmas stuff that we must finish tonight. I know you think I'm crazy for putting Christmas stuff up so early. But we love Christmas at our house, and I find that Christmas puts people into a great mood, the kind of mood that only comes once a year, and I figure, why not enjoy it a little longer? If you need a little pick me up, you are more than welcome to come over to our house whenever you want. If you're lucky, we might even sing you a few Christmas carols. Pictures will be posted once we're finished.

You can expect a better, deeper, more thought provoking blog later today. God showed me some stuff yesterday that I would like it share. I havn't posted it yet because I still need to pray about everything I'm going to say. Plus, I thought it would be nice to keep you on the edge of your seat.

Celebrating change and the birth of Ally,
Jenna

November Begins!

I realize I havn't blogged in a while. I apologize. To make up for it, I have included a visual plethora of pictures for you to enjoy.

Bella is doing wonderful. She is adorable, and funny, follows me everywhere, and is a ton of fun. She is a bit timid and is a total priss, but I am trying to break her of that. She is also terrified of other dogs. I took her to the dog park with a friend the other day, by the end of it, she was having fun, so hopefully I'll break this habit too.

In the past couple of weeks, I have been spending a lot of time with old friends, and making new ones. I've been spending a lot of time with my friend Brett and some of the guys on the Texas State soccer team. They are a lot of fun, and they are really great people, so I am really looking forward to spending more time with them and getting to know them more. Today, they won the regional final game, which means they get to go to nationals in a few weeks. Here's a picture of Brett celebrating, not really after the win, but it will do for the situation:


Sorry, I don't know how to turn pictures.

Last weekend, I got the opportunity to go to the Texas vs. Oklahoma State game with some really great guys I know from school. Texas won, and the game was a blast. I know Texas lost this week, but given the new rankings, I think things are still looking good for them. Here's a few pictures from the game:





I've also been spending a lot of time with the girls from my roommates' sorority, Sigma Phi Lambda. It's a Christian sorority that I used to be in when I was here at Texas State. All of the girls are fun, funny, nice, Godly women and I am loving getting to spend time with them. It feels good to have people to support me, challenge me, and help to grow me spiritually. Here are some pictures from our Halloween celebration:




The top picture is me being a lego. I know it appears as though there are cups attached to my boobs. This is not the case. There are more cups attached to my shirt. Unfortunately, the picture was taken from a bad spot. Just know, not a picture of cups on my boobs.

This past week, Brett and I went and voted together. We waited in line for an hour and a half. I'm very glad we went together or I would have died of boredom. I won't tell you who I voted for. I also won't tell you who to vote for. I know I promised more posts on how the candidates feel about issues, but I simply didn't have the time. Popularity calls:). I'm kidding, but really, I do encourage you to research the issues and go vote on Tuesday. It's very important!

Friday was our 2nd annual Spooktacular. It was a blast! Haley, Whitney, and I were Luigi, Mario, and Wario. It was no Harry Potter Spooktacular, but it was still a great time! Here are some pictures, one of me, Haley, Whitney, and Sarah, and one of Cory and Sarah and She-rah and Hee-man. They were the costume contest winners.




Again, I don't know how to turn pictures.

Saturday, Clint and Whitney, myself, and Clint's friend Tyler went to watch another friend of Clint's play football. Despite the fact that I got a little sunburned, it was a great time. Clint, Whitney, and Tyler are a blast and I hope we get to spend more time together in the future.

The rest of the weekend was spent watching the boys play in the regional soccer game. The boys played great, and the final game ended after 2 overtimes and penalty kicks. Needless to say it was exciting!

I also got to spend a little time with Nic and Jo today, I wish I could have hung out with them more, so I am definitely excited that I am hanging out with them and Jordan and Kaylen next weekend!

Tonight we were going to decorate for Christmas, but Whitney had to study, so we are decorating tomorrow. I love love love Christmas and I can't wait! Pictures to be posted soon.

Loving life,
Jenna

New Update!

Today is an excellent, excellent, excellent day in my life. Why? Because my roommate Haley and I got a puppy at the pound yesterday and today we got to bring her home. She is some kind of terrier and maybe wiener dog mix thing. Basically, she's a mutt, but that doesn't mean she isn't cute! We named her Bellatrix from Harry Potter, but we call her Bella for short. I am so super excited about Bella. I'm pretty sure its the beginning of a very beautiful friendship!

Here are a few pictures to get you started:







Bella had to get her woman parts removed today, so she isn't feeling so lively. Soon I will post more!

Just to Clarify

I know by now everyone has noticed my status on facebook. I understand curiosity, and I don't blame you for asking, but in order to keep from having to answer the same question to a million different people, I thought I would clarify on here.

Jaron and I have broken up because Jaron has been cheating me. I feel that the rest of the details are between Jaron and I.

I ask that you pray for Jaron. He has a lot of issues that he needs help with that need to be dealt with. I ask that you pray for God to provide him with love, comfort, and most importantly, healing. I also ask that you pray for God to give Jaron the strength that he needs to take the first step to getting help. I will be praying for this constantly.

I also ask that you pray for me. Pray that God will help me overcome the hurt and pain that comes from being betrayed by someone I love and care about so deeply. Pray that God would allow me to trust people I am in future relationships with, because I know that that will be an issue for me now. This is going to be a rough few weeks for me, and I ask that you pray that God gives me love, comfort, and healing.

Thanks ahead of time for you love and support,
Jenna

Taxes

Today I begin the new section of my blog. I did a little research on where the candidates stand on taxes. All of my information is from CNN or Washington Post.

McCain:
Will make the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent.
Would double the exemption for dependents

The net result: compared with their tax bill today, taxpayers on average would see their tax bill cut by nearly $1,200. That means their after-tax income would rise by 2%.

Those in the lowest income groups would only see their after-tax income rise by less than 1% (or between $19 and $319). By contrast, the highest-income households - those with incomes of at least $603,000 - would see a boost in after-tax income of 3.4%, or more than $40,000.

Obama

Would keep the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts in place for everyone except those making more than roughly $250,000

Obama would also introduce new tax breaks for lower and middle-income groups. Fro example, expanding the earned income tax credit, giving those making less than $150,000 a $500 tax credit per person on the first $8,100 in income, giving those making under $75,000 a 50% federal match on the first $1,000 of savings, and exempting seniors making less than $50,000 from having to pay income tax.

The net result: compared with their tax bill today, taxpayers on average would see their tax bill cut by nearly $160 under Obama's plan. That means their after-tax income would rise by 0.3%.

Those in the lowest-income groups would enjoy the biggest after-tax income rise as a percentage of income - between 2.4% and 5.5% (worth between $567 and $1,042). By contrast, the highest-income households - those with at least $603,000 in income - would see a dramatic decline in their after-tax income - a drop of 8.7%, or $116,000.

Check out this chart I found:


Enjoying the political process,
Jenna

Politics

This weekend, I have done absolutely nothing, and it has been wonderful.

This weekend, I also tried to dry my hair. It looks almost exactly the same. Disappointing.

This weekend, I watched the first season of Entourage and I really liked it. I tried to rent season 2 from Blockbuster, but the only copy was missing the first disk. Also disappointing.

The real point of this post is the upcoming Presidential election. Here are my two biggest complaints:

1. The media (and the candidates) spend a lot more time talking about pointless crap like who said what or who's wife wore what than they do about the issues. This is annoying.

2. The election has become somewhat of a popularity contest. Here's the deal, if you have truly researched the issues, and you agree with Obama or McCain, then by all means, vote for them. I support your decision 100%. However, I have noticed a recent trend at Texas State and elsewhere. This trend involves people voting for Obama when they have absolutely no idea where he stands on issues or what he has planned for our country. Many Texas State kids want to vote for Obama simply because its "cool" to vote for him. If you asked them Obama's stance on any of the issues, they can't tell you, because they have absolutely no idea. This is retarded. I do not want the future leader of our country in control simply because he is viewed as cool and popular.

With that being said, I know that I do not know as much about the issues as I should. Therefore, to benefit myself and my readers, I shall be starting a new segment in my blog. I will start researching and reporting how each candidate views certain issues in an unbiased way. I hope to do one to two issues a week. Some issues I plan on covering include: education, health care, taxes, the economy, abortion, the Iraq war, and the environment. If you have any other issues you would like me to research and report on, please let me know and I will consider them. Be looking forward to the posts, and register to vote by midnight Monday (if you live in Texas).

Excited about the polictical process,
Jenna

Updates

Here are some updates on my life as of late (if anyone knows how to do bullet points on here, I would greatly appreciate it):

1. This weekend I went to visit Jaron. I was a great weekend and I had a ton of fun spending time with him. The best part of the weekend was getting to see him coach his new youth football team. First of all, they were cute and they all really looked up to Jaron. Second, I could tell that Jaron really liked it and really enjoyed what he was doing, and I like seeing him happy and passionate about things. Third, and most maybe most important, it made me miss coaching. I used to coach soccer when I was in high school, and watching Jaron made me really want to get into it again. Yesterday, I e-mail the presidents of some local soccer associations to see if there are any teams available. Updates to follow.

2. I've been spending a lot of time with the Phi Lambs and BYX boys here in San Marcos because I only see Jaron every other weekend and school has gotten significantly easier, giving me much more hang out with friends time. I really enjoy it. I realized today that this semester and the next are really the last times in my life where I will truly get to enjoy the college lifestyle, so I'm really trying to get the most out of it.

3. Speaking of which, I started coaching the Phi Lamb girls football team. They have won their last two games, and this past Sunday, we won by so much that the ref confessed that he didn't know what the exact score was. He said it was somewhere around 48 to 0. He also said the girls were the best girls team he has reffed so far. I wrote up some plays with Jaron's help and gave them superhero themed names, but Haley and I decided that we should change them to Harry Potter spells. Sick I know, but I'm looking forward to it.

4. The city of San Marcos has been re building the sidewalk in front of our house and today they poured the concrete for it, so me and my roommates wrote our initials in the sidewalk. I can know officially cross this off my list of things to do before I die. Pictures to follow....

5. I am considering dying my hair a auburn color. But not as dark as auburn. More like a dark red if such a hair color exists. Perhaps a little something like this:


This is simply because I want a change and I want to do something different, and because I can. Your thoughts, comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated

Loving Life,
Jenna

New Laws

Two things happened today that have encouraged me to make new laws, they are as follows:

1. Today I drove all the way to school so that we could sit in class for 30 minutes. All that driving and getting up early for 30 minutes, on a Friday no less.
Therefore,

VP Law #4: There will be no college classes no Friday. Additionally, any class that is deemed a waste of time, or a lecture that could be learned by simply reading the professor's prepared slides will be canceled.

2. After the 30 minute class, I went to the gym. When at the gym, I work out in the women's area, because its less crowded, and because men are not allowed, hence "Women's Area".

Anyways, I stopped about halfway through my work out to go get some water, and unfortunately the water fountain is not in the women's area. While I was drinking, some guy came up to me and said, "Man you look like you are really working up a sweat. You'd make a great workout partner. Maybe I could get your number and we could work out together sometime." Seriously creepy gym guy? Seriously? That's the best you could come up with?

I replied with, "Yeah, my boyfriend really likes that I take good care of my body, so he is usually my workout partner, but he's in class right now."

Side note: I know I lied, please don't judge, this guy was creepy.

To which the guy put his hand on my shoulder, leans in and says "Having two workout partners probably wouldn't hurt you."

I gave up with trying to nicely lie and just said, "Not interested" and went back to my work out.

Dear Creepy Gym Guy,
You are a weirdo. The fact that you thought it appropriate it hit on a woman at the gym says to me that you probably still live at home with your parents, and that you are probably very lame. Something about you is very illegal in our new government system.

VP Law #5: No man will no allowed to use ridiculous pick up lines on a woman, unless he is making a joke. Additionally, no man is allowed to hit on a woman unless the woman would like to be hit on that the time.

I don't know how we will enforce this, but we will come up with something.

Eliminate creeps everywhere,
Jenna

Winter

Yesterday and today it was cool outside. I needed to wear pants. I didn't start to break a sweat when I walked outside. What does this mean readers?!?

Winter is on its way.

Let me explain something to you. I love love love the winter. Don't get me wrong, I like summer too, beaches, swimsuits, sno cones, tanning by river, its all great, but Texas winter is wonderful.

It gets cold enough to wear cute winter clothes, but not so cold that you get frost bite when you walk outside. Also, it only snows on occasion, so when it does snow, everyone gets excited, you play in it even if your 40, and you get to miss school and work.

The best thing about winter? It means Christmas is coming. My devotion to Christmas needs a whole other blog, but I love love love it too.

(On a side note, Hobby Lobby brought out their Christmas decorations this week, so exciting!)

Here are my favorite days out of the year in order:
1. Christmas
2. My Birthday
3. Thanksgiving
4. The first day out of the year I can wear my pea coat

That's how huge the coming of winter is to me. Needless to say, I'm uber excited.

Looking forward to scarves and mittens,
Jenna

Why I Won't Be a Good Mom

We'll get to the title later, a ton of things happened in my life today that I must update you on:

1. Sometimes when I am driving to school I like to explore the web on my phone to keep myself entertained and awake. Today, I was reading over comments on my blog, and I discovered that I have a reader I didn't even know about! Her name is Amber and she is a fabulous girl from Phi Lamb at Texas State. You can check out Amber's blog here. P.S. Amber, what happened to you coming to TV night? We really miss you there!

2. David called me today at school and gave me an update of his first week or so on Mission Year. He still isn't living in his house, so be praying that repairs on his team's place will be finished soon.

3. At school, in my Adult Neurological class we have been learning how to treat people who have problems with chewing, swallowing, and eating. One thing you sometimes have to do is puree food, or put corn starch in liquids to thicken them up. Our teacher thought it would be a good idea for us to try some of these things, so we had pureed Salisbury steak and lasagna, and thickened apple juice and water. A few things I learned from this experience:

1. The more time I spend around people, the more I realize that I am an absolute freak. No one else in my class had trouble eating any of the food because its tastes exactly the same. I, however, could not finish it without gagging because the textures of the food bothered me so much. Also, our teacher took a survey and I was the only one in my class who won't eat their food if it touches. What a weirdo.

2. I have a new respect for nurses, speech language pathologists, and occupational therapists that focus on feeding issues. Doing the feeding therapy was difficult on people just pretending to have disabilities, I don't think I could handle the real thing.

4. Today, Brett officially made me Vice President if he ever becomes President of Texas. He even posted my laws with some adjustments. I shall continue to post new laws as I come up with them on here and in the group, just in case you aren't a member. I wouldn't want you to inadvertently break a law.

5. Another problem I have? An obsession with T.V. My roommates and I counted over 20 shows a week that we DVR when all of our shows are in season. Additionally, today on One Tree Hill one of the main characters died and my roommates and I were very upset. Almost like we actually lost a real friend. I get way to emotionally involved in T.V. shows.

6. On a side night, Paris Hilton has a new show on MTV where people compete to be her best friend. It looks promisingly hilarious. There is a gay Asian man who I mistook for a woman until halfway through the preview show. I'm holding out for him to win it all, although I'm still not sure what exactly you win....Kelsey, given your love of the Simple Life, I think you will like this show.

7. Today, I noticed that throughout the day, I come up with tons of blog post topics, but then forget them when its time to write. To solve this problem, I have started writing down my blog post ideas. I think this will take my blogging to a whole new level.

8. And lastly, the point that relates to the title. Today, I went to work at the church daycare and there was a kid named T.J. Today we talked, our conversation went a little something like this:
Me: "Hey little man, want to know my real name so you can stop poking me to get my attention?"
T.J.: "Yes please"
Me: "My name is Jenna."
T.J.: "Cool, My name is T.J. and I am four."
Me: "What does T.J. stand for?"
T.J.: "Timothy James. I go by T.J., but my mom calls me Timothy James when I get in trouble, so you'll probably be calling me that a lot."

Tonight T.J. purposely dumped snacks on the floor and stepped on them just to make a mess. He also called a girl who wouldn't share toys names. He also jumped from furniture so he could play Superman. I didn't discipline him because T.J. is cute and we are friends. I noticed that I didn't discipline my favorite kids at Kactus Kidz either.

So, now I have a fear that I won't be able to discipline my children, because half the time, when kids do bad stuff, its funny, so I laugh instead of discipline. I'm also pretty sure that I'll like my kids a bit more than I like the average child, and I find I have problems disciplining children I like. I really don't want to be that mom that doesn't discipline her kids and raises a big bunch of big brats. Hopefully, my fear of this will change my ways when I have my own kids.

Fearing Motherhood,
Jenna

Updates

So, I havn't written in a while. I apologize. I've been doing the whole school thing, with the exception of last weekend, which was spent with Nic and Jo on Friday, and a slumber party with my three of my best friends from college on Saturday.

This past week, nothing interesting happened with the exception of a guest speaker who came in on Thursday. His company has developed a stomach pump that connects to the spinal cord and pumps drugs through the nervous system to reduce spasticity in the muscles of patients with cerebral palsy, strokes, traumatic brain injuries and the like. I may be letting out my inner nerd, but the stuff has the potential to be huge for the medical field, and the presentation was really interesting. Not only that, but the presenter is allowing us to come in and watch some surgeries and therapy sessions if we want.

Sorry if that bored you.

Anyways, this weekend, I headed up to Stephenville to visit Jaron. This whole every other weekend thing is really no fun at all, but it was great to get to spend time with him. I got to see Jaron's new car, which is really nice. Also, Jaron is going to be coaching a youth flag football team this year, so I helped him set up some stuff for that. The rest of the weekend was pretty much spent watching football. I've come to accept the fact that Jaron's life will revolve around football when its fall, so I suppose its a good thing that I enjoy it too. I also got to meet a bunch of Jaron's friends weekend, I really liked them, and we had a great time. Overall, it was a great weekend and I'm really glad I got to spend some time with Jaron. I already miss him and I'm counting down the days until I get to see him again.

On a side note, Jaron got me a new game for my Wii. It's Mario vs. Sonic at the Olympics, and its the official video game of the Bejing Olympics. I bet you didn't know that the Olympics had an official video game. Anyways, its a mix of two of my favorite things (Wii and Olympics) so I'm really looking forward to trying it out. What a great boyfriend I have.

Finally, I'm starting a new portion of my blog. I don't know what I am going to call it, so if you have any suggestions, please let me know.

Anyways, many of you may know that my Youth Minister, Brett, has a group on facebook about him becoming President of Texas and what laws he would enforce if such an event would occur. Now, I am not trying to take over his position, I can barely keep plants alive, so I would in no way want to take on the responsibility of President of Texas. However, given the fact that the Republican Party is now nominating a woman for Vice President and the fact that I'm one of Brett's favorites, I am hoping Brett would allow me a position in his government.

In case this happens, I too would like to start keeping a list of rules that I would establish if Brett would ever give me a position in his government.

My first few are as follows:

1. When a hurricane occurs, and an evacuation is ordered, people will be forced to leave. Especially when government officials and weather forecasters are warning of "Certain Death" if you stay. In these situations, you will be dragged out kicking and screaming if needed.

2. If you choose not to evacuate when forecasters and government officials warn of "Certain Death" when you stay, and on top of that, refuse to leave your home again after rescuers risk their lives to come and get you from your home:
1. You're an idiot. You're home is flooded and will be for quite a while. You will have no access to food, water, electricity, A/C, or even restrooms.
2. You're selfish. Those people have families at home and are risking their lives to come and get you, even though you weren't bright enough to leave in the first place.
3. Because of number 1 and 2, you will no longer be allowed to live in Texas. Additionally, a vote will be taken on whether or not we should just send you straight to Mexico.

3. All individuals driving in the fast lane must maintain a speed of 65 to 70 miles per hour. If caught not maintaining said speed, you will be given a ticket similar to speeding tickets. This is mostly to keep from you from making me angry.

*Please note that on Law 2, I am in no way referring to individuals stuck by the tragedies of Hurricane Ike. Well, I suppose I am, but I am not referring to those individuals who have lost someone or suffered damaged as a result of Hurricane Ike. I am also not referring to those individuals who evacuated and took other appropriate steps to prepare for Ike. I am praying for everyone stuck by this tragedy, even those who chose not to evacuate. I am just greatly upset by the fact that people are having to risk their lives to save those who chose not to drive a few hours up state. Especially when they are given a second chance to leave as well. I apologize if this offends anyone, as it is not meant to.

Excited about my new position in the political process,
Jenna

A Very Special Blog

Today's blog is dedicated to a very special person named David. David has been my friend since 11th grade. When I first met David, he wasn't a Christian and used to shamelessly hit on me and my friends on a daily basis at lunch (not that the two are related, those are just things I remember about him, although most of the comments were inappropriate, so I guess it could be related).

Anyways, over our friendship, I have watched David accept Christ and develop a relationship with Him. He just spent this past summer as a youth ministry intern for Austin Baptist Church. It has been incredible to watch David grow from a lost individual to someone who feels passionately about leading lost souls to Christ. I feel so honored that God let me be a part of it.

David is also an absolutely wonderful friend. A visit home to Georgetown is not truly a visit home unless I have spent some time with David. David has been there through bad boyfriends and break ups and has always given the best advice on situations. He even credits himself with getting me and Jaron together (which is partially true), so thanks for that too. David is also always up for spending time with me, no matter what the time or how lame the activity (late night Whataburger trips, swinging at the park, roaming around Wal-Mart, and embarrassingly sitting in a car in the Ward's neighborhood (not in front of their house so they would see us and make fun) jamming to Journey waiting for them to get home because we literally had nothing better to do).

If you don't want to read through the previous dedication to how great David is, here's the summary: David is a great person, friend, and man of God.

The whole point of the blog is to let you know that something wonderful is happening in David's life. David leaves to go on his Mission Year to New Orleans tomorrow. You can find out more about Mission Year here. If you don't feel like clicking the link, the summary is that David is going to spend the next year of his life serving and spreading the Word of God to the people of New Orleans. I think its so amazing that God' plan involved sending such a hard working and awesome person to an area that could use a lot of those kinds of people at this time. Good planning God!

Anyways, I am extremely sad that David is leaving, because like I said, trips home won't be the same without him. I am also extremely excited about the opportunity God has given David, and the opportunity God has given me to see what He is going to do through David, because I know it will be incredible.

Finally, I ask that you spend the next year praying for David, the rest of the members on his team, New Orleans, and everyone else involved in Mission Year. Some great things are going to be done through them this year!

Loving David,
Jenna

P.S. You should read David's blog, even if you don't know him because 1: It's funny 2: I've been told that he will update as much as possible. Check out David's blog here.

Fun New Things

Ok, so I'm no Jonathon Mobley, but I like to think I know a few things about a few things, and since nothing new has been happening in my life with the exception of school, work, and a weekend at home with Jaron, I thought I'd let you in on a couple of them.

1. Google Reader-(thanks to Jo for showing me this one) Google Reader is simply a must if you are involved in the blogging world. How does Google Reader work? Quite simply, it keeps tract of whenever someone you follow writes a new blog. It saves you countless amount of time going from blog to blog to see if people have updated. Check out Google Reader here .

2. Organic Milk-My roommate has been on this new thing about trying out different kinds of milk. Many of you may remember my experience trying organic milk. Today I tried Soy milk. My findings? Organic milk-good and good for you. Soy milk-disgusting and to be avoided at all costs.

3. Kaboodle-All of my avid readers (i.e. Jaron) know that I have given up shopping for a while. In order to curb my addiction to shopping, I have started "Kaboodling" if you will. How does it work? After installing a little add on Firefox, whenever you find something online you want, you simply click the button at the top to add it to your Kaboodle list. Later on, when you have money, you can go back to the list and get what you want. You can even organize your lists into different categories and e-mail your lists to people for your birthday or Christmas. Check out Kaboodle here .

4. Sly Dial-I found out about Sly Dial on The View. Whoopie told me about it (yes, I watch The View, no need to make fun, I already know its lame, add it to the list). Sly Dial is great for those situations when you're calling someone and while the phone is ringing, you're praying they don't pick up. Here's how it works: 1. You call Sly Dial 2. You type in the number of the person you are trying Sly Dial 3. You listen to a 10 second advertisement 4. You are directly connected to the person's voicemail, without having an awkward conversation. Best of all, its totally free. The only downside is that a missed call shows up on the other person's phone while you're leaving the voicemail, so they might call back. I've already used it on two of my bosses (sure hope they don't read this!) and its wonderful. You can check out Sly Dial and get the number here.

Staying Hip,
Jenna