Oh, and...

Happy New Year!!

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 04:51:00 +0000

Yeah, I'm a "little" bit late with that declaration, but I still mean it! I hope you ALL have a wonderful 2010!! :)

I'm back in my home now. I came back yesterday. It wasn't as hard to leave Wisco this time...or so I thought. I did fine until I closed the door to my apartment and then the tears started. They didn't stop until I went to bed, either. Luckily I had some relief from the tears when I went to supper with a good friend. Thanks, Mosie!! :) Today, I've been doing much better. It's never easy to say good-bye, is it? Now if only I could convince my family to move closer to ME! After all, both my folks ARE retired now!! What else do they have to do (*hint, hint*, guys...ha!)!?!

I received a power point the other day with this list of things to think about and I really enjoyed it. Lo and behold, I was catching up on blogs this evening and my friend, Amy, had it on her blog! THANKS, Amy, for letting me steal this from you! :) I hope that all of you enjoy reading through these things, too. :)

(After posting this, I realized that I posted this list of things eleven months ago. I guess that I really DO like it!! :o)

Happy New Year!!!

SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT...

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's okay to get angry at God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's okay to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood, but the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save if for a special occasion. TODAY is special!

22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now...don't wait for old age to wear purple!

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it WILL change.

32. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.

33. Believe in miracles!

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back in a minute.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Buddy + Sleep = Content

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:00:00 +0000

Buddy likes to play catch. A lot. However, when she's not playing catch or chasing after a ball in the house, you can usually find her sleeping. Most often, she sleeps in her "house," as seen here:

Sometimes, though, dad will lay down for a little snooze and Buddy just has to join him! It's a hoot! In these next couple of pictures, dad had just woken up, but we just had to catch Buddy's "resting spot" on film:

Finally, when dad leaves the house to go for coffee or to run errands, Buddy usually goes with. Sometimes, though, she has to stay home (like this morning) because it's too cold outside or because Dad is going to places where Buddy isn't allowed to be. What happens on those mornings when Buddy stays home? Well, she gets a "special spot" on dad's recliner. He lays a blanket down for her before he leaves and she knows that when he's gone, she gets to sleep there. Sometimes Dad will barely have the door shut and she'll have already settled in to the recliner. It's a riot!

One thing that's funny about it, too, is that Buddy is definitely like a little child. She flops around all the time and sleeps all different ways. It cracks me up and I had to catch a few of her positions on film, too.

Needless to say, Buddy is quite spoiled! But we love her SO much and we're SO glad that she's a part of our family! :o)

Good times!

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 03:06:00 +0000

Christmas Day was quite snowy here, but we managed to get to grandma's house and enjoyed a day of eating and visiting! It was great! But look at the little cutie that I got to spend some time with! :o) Little Brylee (my cousin's girl) has grown up quite a bit. If you remember, this is what she looked like a year ago:
And now she's just running around everywhere and chatting it up. Her phrase of the day was, "What's that?" She would often point to the same object several times in a row. :o) She was a fun little thing and I can't even begin to imagine how much she'll grow by next year!

Then, I had to show you Buddy's recent development. She learned to open presents!! We didn't know that she was so talented! :) She did this with EVERY present that she was allowed to open...she'd rip off the paper, spit it out and dive in for more. Just like a little kid!! ha! Sorry that the video is so bad, but it's the only one I got.

Winter Wonderland

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 16:10:00 +0000

It's snowing here today!! Do you remember that picture I posted the other day (when I had you guess where I was)? Well, that was taken back in October. This is today's picture, along with a few more. :)

It started snowing last night and it snowed off and on throughout the night. Today and tomorrow we're supposed to get more, totalling about 12-14 inches. It's pretty! I'm sure glad that I'm already here, though, and that I'm not out and about in my travels!!

Some of mom's outside decorations were a little covered up this morning. I thought it was pretty. :o)

As for the baby (Buddy, that is), this is what she likes to do ALL of the time and even more so when it's snowing out...play catch!!! :o)

Stay warm today!! Happy Holidays!!!

Christmas Up North

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 23:16:00 +0000

Yes, I am at my parent's home in the great North (aka, frozen tundra). I flew in on Thursday and we have been on-the-go since then. On Friday, we were supposed to have special company, but then they had to cancel at the last minute, so that was a bummer. My brother came up in the early afternoon hours, anyway, so we just hung out and enjoyed each other's company.

On Saturday, I went with my dad on one of his Nursing Home visits. He & Buddy (the dog) are part of a "Therapy Dog" program and they go visit local Nursing Homes and hospice patients a couple days a week. Dad thinks that Buddy brings some happiness to people, so he likes to share her. Yesterday was a local Nursing Home and in the spirit of the holidays, we spruced Buddy up with some reindeer horns. Plenty of the residents got a real kick out of them. Buddy, on the other hand...not so much. :o)

After we got home on Saturday, we packed up and headed south where we went to a surprise Anniversary/Retirement party for my aunt & uncle. I was able to see all of my aunts and uncles on my dad's side, with the exception of one. It was a great time! But guess who forgot their camera? ME! :(

We came home Saturday night and then on Sunday, we headed out for a church meeting that was more Special than most, and I was able to see LOTS of friends and family there, too. This weekend had plenty of events where I was able to see a lot of folks at one time. It was great!

After Sunday AM meeting, we went to visit a dear friend who is battling cancer. She has been given 6-8 months to live and that diagnosis came about two months ago. I wanted to make SURE to see her on this trip home.

After visiting her, mom & I went to my grandma's house for a visit and we spent a couple hours there. It was nice to see her since we hadn't had time to get over there since I'd flown in. She fed us lunch and then we just sat around and chatted. I love my grandma! :)

After that, we came home. Dad is making spaghetti for supper and we're just hanging out and watching football on the TV (the Packers, of course! :). I have no idea what's planned for this coming week, but I do know that there is something penciled in on the calendar for every day! Sheesh. These retired folk just never slow down! I thought I came home for a vacation, but they just never stop going!!! ;o)

So, I'll keep you updated when I can. There are lots of things to come and I'm looking forward to it all! I'll sign off with a picture of the flowers that my dad got me for my birthday. Aren't they gorgeous!?! They have some pine boughs mixed in there and it smells fantastic. I love it!

Oh, and one last thing...I earned an "A" in my Spanish class! Wahoo! Turns out that when I posted the other day about my grade, she still hadn't entered some participation points. Once she did that, my final grade was a 90.2%. Yippee!! :o)

Where am I?

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:25:00 +0000

Without giving my exact location, tell me where I am!!! :o)

And the final grade is...

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 08:00:00 +0000

I don't know. Why? Well, here's what happened with my final exam for Spanish...

We take an online multiple-choice exam for our Spanish class. The exams usually have about 60 questions, but the final had 109 questions. I got a 79.5% on it. Yes, I missed a "B" by a HALF of a point. I was still happy (honestly!) with my grade! :)

Then, we had an oral exam to give in which we answer any questions that she asks and then we have a conversation based on ONE scene that is drawn from a hat (our scenes included a doctor/patient visit, OR a friend asking about a recent movie, OR a friend asking about a party). I ended up getting an 88% on that, which is sufficient for me.

So...I move on and calculate my entire FINAL GRADE for the class and what do I have? And 89.96%. Yes, a "B." If I would have gotten that extra HALF credit on my multiple-choice portion of the final, I would have a 90%, which equals an "A". However, I don't. Technically, I have a "B" and I have NO idea if this instructor will round up this final grade or if she'll just score it as is and figure that I should have worked just ThatMuchHarder to get an "A".

Woe is me.

On the other hand...today is my birthday and I am HAPPY!!! :o)

Finals

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 02:30:00 +0000

So, it was finals week at the University last week and the town has cleared out (for the most part). Students have gone home for Christmas break and it's relatively quiet at work and around town and I love it! I am usually glad to see the students return, but I'm glad for the holiday breaks.

Last week, I took a final exam of my own and I did well and actually ended up with an "A" in the class. Yay!

Tomorrow night I have another final (for the community college) in Spanish and I'm a little more concerned about that one. We have a 50-80 question exam (it always varies) plus an oral exam so that the instructor can evaluate our speaking ability in a foreign language. Ugh. What adds to the frustration of it all is that my partner for the speaking exam has TOTALLY slacked on her part and I've ended up writing all of the scenarios to cover my rear. I will never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, never agree with a professor that says, "Group work is good for you." It's a total rip-off and there's always someone who gets away with doing nothing. Grrr...

So, I'm off to study a bit more and to memorize more of my lines for the speaking exam. Keep your fingers crossed for me! I'm bordering on getting an "A" in this class, as well, but I might fall just a point or two short of that if things don't go well tomorrow. What shall be, will be! (But I really want an "A" in the class!!! :o)

New York, New York

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 05:57:00 +0000

Back in 1978, Frank Sinatra started singing this song and in 1980, he made a recording of "New York, New York." It became a hit.

In 2009, a rapper by the name of Jay Z made an updated New York song titled, "Empire State of Mind". This is today's hit.

Which one do YOU prefer?!?!? :o)

Water

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:14:00 +0000

My daily calendar has a phrase today that I've really enjoyed. It says:

"Nothing in the world is weaker than water,
But it has no equal in overcoming the hard."
~Lao-Tsu

Isn't that awesome? It has just really got me to thinking this morning about how something so simple can have so much power, both seen and unseen. It's definitely a force of nature. Just think about it for awhile and I think you'll quickly agree. :)

Have a good Friday!

Christmas Countdown

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:48:00 +0000

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone (as we all well know!!) and now the countdown to Christmas has begun. I love the Christmas music that plays and all of the memories that I have from this time of year. It’s just a special time! Now that I live so far away from my family, the end of Thanksgiving, for me, signifies the countdown to when I’ll get to see them again!! Yay! :) Yes, it IS a special time of year! :)

I hope that all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I had a spectacular time and really enjoyed my four full days off of work! :) Now it's back to work and back to reality. However, what's nice is that this is my last week of class for one of my classes! Yay! :) I'll finish up my other class on the 15th. After that, I'll go home for Christmas and will relish the break because after it's over, the work will really begin. Why? Because I'm hoping to finish my bachelor's degree in May 2011!!!!! That was not what I had originally planned, but some newly acquired information allowed me to work things out so that I can finish in four more semesters! YAY!!! I'm planning to take three classes every semester (which will be a lot!), but it's a schedule that I think is managable, so keep your fingers crossed that it goes well! :) If I do end up deciding that it's just too much to take so many courses in a semester while also working full time, then I'll go to my back-up plan and graduate in May 2012. That plan just lets me lighten the courseload a little bit for each semester.

So, there's lots to think about for the upcoming year, but I'm excited just knowing that the end is in sight in regards to school. How can a person NOT get excited about that!! :)

I need to get back to work, so I'll let this be all for now. Take care and have a wonderful week! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!!

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

I feel like I have so much to be thankful for this year and I hope that you have some things to be thankful for, too. Enjoy the day & cherish every moment!!

Winter Song

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

This is one of my all-time favorite songs. It makes me cry every time I hear it. I hope you enjoy it, too.

Sara Bareilles - "Winter Song"

SNOW!

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:07:00 +0000

It's snowing again today! We had a 30% chance of snow, starting today sometime. However, when I left for work at 8 AM, we already had three inches on the ground and it was still snowing quite heavily. *sigh* Don't get me wrong, I do think it's pretty, but it's more frustrating than anything when I have to go out in it, brush my car off (sometimes multiple times in one storm) and then go somewhere. I appreciate the beauty of it even more when I can stay home and not battle the snow, wind, ice, etc. :) And, that, thankfully, is my plan for this weekend! It's supposed to snow all weekend and I am just going to stay home and enjoy it. Have a lovely weekend, too!

Sports

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:56:00 +0000

We started off the beginning of the week by sending our women's soccer team to Utah on Tuesday to play the University of New Mexico's team as part of the MWC Tournament. We lost to them and UNM advanced to play BYU. This video is a clip of what went on and it is absolutely appalling. Having been to several sporting events throughout the years (besides soccer), I can tell you that UNM athletics seems to have a consistent issue with walking the fine line of aggressiveness vs. unsportsmanlike conduct. It's too bad, really. I'm just glad one of them finally got caught. Here's a video off of ESPN's website. They were one of the first to pick up on the situation: New Mexico player's rough tactics lead to ban Posted using ShareThis

In other news, our football team played BYU today (they are ranked 25th in the nation, by the way...not us, that is, but BYU) and we were walloped. We lost the game 52-0. Yikes. The announcer said that the last time we were beat that badly was in the 1980s when we were shut out 59-0 by, again, BYU.

So...not the best week for sports, it seems, and not just for us but for others, too! It's a tough world in athletics, that's for sure. :)

Puzzle Pieces Coming Together

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:57:00 +0000

I just love it when things in life just come together. I was fretting tonight about some decisions regarding school and career, etc., and I just wasn't sure what to do. After some time, though, the final result of what I should choose became more clear and I felt much better about everything. There was one FUN part to the whole experience, too. During the whole "research process," I accidentally stumbled across a missing puzzle piece that will make things in the future SO much easier for me!! So, while I floundered around for a little while tonight, in the end, everything came together and I'm feeling SO much better about my current decision and about future prospects! Wahoo!!

Paper Waste

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 05:18:00 +0000

This week, a student was working on a project in our lobby at work and he had paper spread out everywhere. When I came out of the office, I made the comment, "Look at all the trees you've killed!" He looked at me and said, "Killing trees is someone else's job. I just make use of the trees they've killed."

I've thought of that comment today as I was going through my pile of junk mail from this past week. Talk about making use of killed trees!!! I wondered, "How much paper would be saved if companies weren't allowed to send out junk mail anymore?" I'm sure that tons would be saved. Until then, I guess that all I can do is keep recycling the paper that is nothing but wasted tree and hope that some day it will be better.

*Note to reader: I do NOT claim to be opposed to those who cut down trees for a living. What I do oppose is how so much paper product is wasted!! It's horrid! I think that I'm more conscious of it than most, though, because I work in an office setting.

Funny Friday!

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:56:00 +0000

This has made me smile since my Mom sent it to me the other day. :o)

Happy Friday to you!! :)

Music for your Monday!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:22:00 +0000

You've probably wondered where I've been for the last week, huh? Super. Busy. I've been fighting a cold for the last week, too, so that's added to all of the fun, as well. Why have I been so busy? Because I've been summoned for jury duty with the District Court, starting today. So, I've had to prep my job with the thought that I might be gone for a few days! :( Let's hope I don't get picked because this IS my busiest time of the year. *sigh*

So, there's your update on ME! :) I hope you're doing well, wherever you're at! :) Since it's Monday and no one likes Mondays, we'll combat it with a little music that I came across on the web. Enjoy! :)

Snowed In

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 16:51:00 +0000

This is why I'm not going anywhere today:

Reasons why I will stay home (other than the pictoral evidence):

The roads (highways AND side roads) are all closed around us right now.
The temperature is a whopping 12 degrees (but feels like zero).
There's more snow predicted for today AND tomorrow.

Do you think that the fall season is over?!?!? :o(

Loss

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 22:02:00 +0000

We lost a dear Friend in town this week. She had a heart that was always full of care and concern for each soul that crossed her path. She wanted the best for everyone. And she wanted everyone to have a part with The One who is the best! I know that she will be greatly missed by MANY people near and far.

Death certainly puts everything in perspective again, too. Why is it that I wait until times like these to really appreciate and value what's most important in life? Why is it that it takes times like these for me to realize that I need to keep in touch with friends and family and to let them know how much they mean to me and how much I love them?

As one of our hymns says, "Life at best is very brief...". May we all learn a little more about living in the moment and cherishing those who are special to us. May we know what it is to make the most of our days by letting God lead our steps.

It's Friday!

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:15:00 +0000

Hi there! Well, that was quite a trip to Yellowstone, wasn't it? I hope you enjoyed seeing my pictures! :) It was a fun trip!

Nothing new has occurred since last Friday, really, so I don't know that I have anything super exciting to post about today! :) I was extremely busy this week with school stuff, so I'm just looking forward to another weekend at home where I can hang-out in sweats and just catch up on things.

As with some of you, we, too, are having C-O-L-D weather this week!! Yesterday, the high was 40 but the wind chill was 14. Yes...we were a bit chilly! :) I hope that this isn't an indication of what the remainder of the winter will be! I really don't mind the cold temperatures, but when it gets horraciously windy (like yesterday!), that's when I get grumpy.

Anyway, have a good weekend and enjoy the fall season!

Yellowstone Trip: Day 2 - Upper & Lower Falls

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Our last stop on the trip was at the Upper & Lower Falls that are located on the Eastern side of the upper loop (just before you get onto the road to head out of the Eastern entrance). This, by far, was my favorite part of the trip! I thought that these falls were just spectacular!! We, originally, were only going to view the falls from up above, but even though I could hear the Lower Falls, I couldn't see it and that got to me. So, after very little convincing, Dad & I started a down-hill trek that took us right to the top of the Lower Falls. And it was phenomenol. Mom didn't go with us because she was nursing a sore foot from our trek the day before, but with her fear of heights, I'm not sure she would have enjoyed this, anyway. It was just an incredible sight and I wish that we would have had more time to explore around the falls and the canyon, but we didn't. Besides that, we were very tired by this point and just ready to be done sightseeing. :) Maybe someday I'll head back to this part of Yellowstone again. It was wonderful!

This is a far-away picture of the Upper Falls. This picture was taken at the beginning of our descent to see the Lower Falls.

This picture is the river that comes from the Upper Falls and feeds the Lower Falls. I just thought it looked so pretty amongst the trees! :)

And this is the Lower Falls. As I already said, it's absolutely phenomenol. We stood on a platform that was right next to the top of this falls!! It was great!

This picture is looking down over the railing of the platform to the bottom of the falls. Yeah...it was quite a drop. :)

I took this picture because I loved how the billowing water had a "puffy" look to it. It reminded me of clouds and it was kind of neat to see. Those puffy spots in the water just kept rolling and rolling...it was never-ending. (Yes, it's an awkward picture, but the top of the falls is to the right and the bottom is just a little to the top. These rolling water clouds were more off to the side of the falls, but I just thought it was so neat! :)

Another view of the top of the Lower Falls.

This view is the river that leaves from the Lower Falls and goes throughout the Canyon. It was just a spectacular view.

That's the platform that we stood on (where I took the pictures above) and Dad & I had walked up the hill just a little to look out over a higher platform. I wanted to remember just what it was that I was talking about when I said that we looked over the railing and down at the falls. :)

The bottom of the raging falls.

Of course, pictures do NOT do this thing justice, so here's a little movie for you to watch. :) There is sound, but be careful not to blow out your eardrums. :)

And that's that! After the falls, we headed back to Cody, WY, where we spent another night and then home the next morning. All-in-all, in that two-and-a-half day time period, we traveled 1,277 miles!! Needless to say, by the time we got home, we were exhausted and ready for a day of R&R! :) Hope you enjoyed this journey, too! It was a memorable one!

Yellowstone Trip: Day 2 - Mammoth Hot Springs

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:00:00 +0000

After our journey through Beartooth Pass, we entered Yellowstone Park through the North East entrance and followed it to the road that took us on the Northern road of the upper loop. We wanted to go see the Mammoth Hot Springs and that's the road that took us there! :)

Mammoth is a small little village that has, "Do NOT feed the elk!" signs everywhere, but we never did get to see any elk in the village. We just ate a really expensive meal there from the local mart (nachos and a soda cost me $9!!!) and then toured around the hot springs. What's interesting about the springs is that their formation give them a step-like appearance, so there are levels of these springs and hot waters just run down the steps. It's really unique!

Yellowstone Trip: Day 2 - Beartooth Pass

noreply@blogger.com (Jen) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:00:00 +0000

To start our second day on the trip, we decided to head a little bit north and then come in the North Eastern entrance of Yellowstone park. So, we left Cody, WY, in the early morning and we headed North up to Red Lodge, Montana. Red Lodge is this cute little homey town (from what we saw!) and we enjoyed stopping at their local coffee shop for a break. After that, we headed South on a road that took us over Beartooth Pass. It was quite the ride!! It was this small, curvy road that took us right UP the mountain and over the top and then took us into Yellowstone Park. It was an enjoyable ride...even if it was plagued by several construction stops along the way.

The view as we headed up...

Here's a nice picture of Mom & Dad that was taken toward the top of the pass. It was a pretty view! And don't worry...NO cars were coming around the corner at the time that we were taking this picture. Trust me...we were very cautious! :)

This is looking down from the top of the pass to where the road brought us in and took us up. It was a pretty drive!

See the curvy road on the left side of the picture, about three-quarters of the way down?

These were some beautiful flowers that peppered the hillside at the top of the pass. I just thought they were SO pretty! After this scene, there wasn't much else to see except construction and rolling hills. Mainly construction, though. Ugh. :)