Humor Me

Yeah, I am easily humored. Greg and I love these cats!

Top 20 Things I LOVE about Christmas

1. not going to work for a week
2. hot chocolate with extra mini marshmallows
3. baking yummy treats at Court's mom's house
4. the shopping- I actually get excited with the crowds and the sales
5. putting up the tree- ours is beautiful this year!
6. Christmas lights
7. The song Hark the Harold Angels song is a favorite
8. stockings- they might be the best part on Christmas morning
9. candlelight services
10. giving gifts to your loved ones
11. getting gifts from your loved one
12. getting gift certificates and after holiday sales
13. watching old school Christmas specials like Charlie brown and Rudolf
14. Getting Christmas cards in the mail
15. wrapping paper and fancy bows
16. Salvation Army bell ringers- the good ones, not the ones who are smoking and weird
17. mistletoe
18. Christmas PJs
19. waking up on Christmas morning with your wonderful husband and not having a care in the world
20. being with family and friends

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Life is so good!

I am taking a moment out of my busy day to say- I am thankful, and that Life is GOOD! I have a wonderful husband, and we have great jobs, amazing friends and a strong family. There is not a day that goes by that I don't thank the Lord for what I have, and I must learn to not take it for granted. I know that He is the reason that my life has worked out the way it has.

What is it about Halloween that I love so much?

Ever since I was a tiny Jenny I have always liked to dress up. I think I liked the attention, well I know I liked the attention. Greg's impersonation of me is to wiggle his hands over his head and say, "I'm Jenny- Look at me look at me." It is sad, but it is spot on. My favorite event in ice skating was always the spotlight routine- surprise surprise, and then there was the Capers for Kids where I got to dress up as characters like Tinkerbelle and Shirley Temple every weekend and "act." To combine a day that lets me dress up, and getting to eat lots of candy just screams "Jenny's Favorite Holiday!"

Childhood memorable costumes include:
the cat suit- I loved being a cat, still do. This is what I wore almost every year. I think I had about 10 different cat costumes from ice skating.
Very Late Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland- little did I know that the Very Late Rabbit would make me the Very Late Jenny the rest of my life!
a clown- I remember Andrew Childers being a clown with me- our moms thought this was cute. I will have to search for these photos :)
A bunch of grapes- wow, should have skipped this costume. Everyone tried to pop my purple balloons, and I felt fat
A pumpkin- Should have skipped this one too- I think I thought I was cool and painted my face green along with my hair! Terrible! I looked like I had a disease!
A cabbage patch kid- not so cute as a 6th grader

I remember coming home and dumping my loot on the kitchen table. I think my mom and dad would pick out there snickers and other favorites, and then I would be sent to my room with my bucket. Julie and I would dump it out and count out everything we got and put it into categories. I remember thinking that I might eat the entire bucket in one night. I think a couple of years I got close! I liked sugar, and I hate to admit I still do! I think it is my sisters fault. She used to tell me to eat a spoonful of sugar out of the sugar bowl- I being the little sister did it. I have been hooked ever since! I never liked the cheap candy though. Non of the generic stuff ever made it in first. That junk was always left at the bottom of the bucket and got tossed when mom decided that I had pigged out enough and given myself at least 2 cavities.

The main reason I love Halloween as an adult is because I married my sweet Greg on October 29th! We spent our first Halloween as a married couple in wonderful Disney World! We attended the amazing Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, and I was a cat (of course), while Greg was a blue heeler dog. We went on the Haunted House ride- which is better than ever on Halloween, and got to see lots of cute little kids running around getting free candy from the Disney "cast members." It was a magical event and I will always remember it.

I don't think anything will ever top Halloween. I do like Valentines day an awful lot, but now that I have tasty candy, attention getting costumes, and a Greg and Jenny wedding anniversary- where I get a fancy dinner and prizes like Valentine's Day- Halloween definitely wins!

Numero Uno: My Creativity Wants to Escape

Well, I have no idea what I am doing, but I hope it goes well! I am currently at work. I probably should be working, but I will get to that later. I have lots of projects in the back of my mind, but I can't seem to start any of them. There is the children's book, the bedroom painting, Greg's office painting, the mosaic table top, learning to create stained glass, and the list goes on and on forever. I think I get bored with things. I get excited about something, and then the excitement goes away for a few weeks. It might be a part of my adhd, but it might also be my desire to do something great. When I start something, I sometimes think it will be great, but then I get annoyed and quit. When I actually finish something it can be pretty great- but it is a long process! I like deadlines. Someone needs to give me deadlines on all of my projects like I had at Baylor. Where is Prof. Berry when you need him? I need to learn how to pick a focus for each weekend. Like this coming weekend I will paint, and next weekend I will mosaic. I am always searching for something that I love to do, that will allow me to work from home. I wonder if I do ever work from home if I will get anything done? I guess that is where deadlines come into play. If someone is paying me to do something for them, and they expect it by a certain date- I bet I get it done on time. Maybe one day I will figure that something out. There is so much I want to do, but the job thing always gets in the way! Maybe it is also my excuse to not get anything done. When I get home from work, I tend to be tired and not want to work on anything else. A lady who did a Leadership Tyler program for us this past fall said she is not surprised that I am exhausted when I come home from work. She said my job didn't fit my personality. Duh! I never thought I would be at a desk. It kind of drives me nuts. The pay is great, but is it worth giving up your dream of being happy and creative? I need to keep in mind that I might not have to do this forever. I keep a little paperweight on my desk that says, "never, never, never give up." I relate this to never giving up my dream to be the best version of myself. I see myself as one day being able to use my creativity every day in my job. Something where I make something from very little that people enjoy. I would like to make a good amount of money from this job, but be able to donate a good bit back to the things Greg and I care about in the community. My goal for right now is to complete a few projects. Maybe along the way I will find something that I love to do that will allow me to live the life I have always imagined. Wish me luck!