Merry Christmas!

Just wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! Remember the real meaning of Christmas as you celebrate - the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

- Jenn

The Few, The Proud...

... the Marines. Today is their 234th birthday and on this day I just want to say happy birthday to all Marines (I would say past and present, but once a Marine always a Marine). A huge thank you to each and every one of you for all of the sacrifices that you make for our freedom and for your willingness to stand up and fight for our country.

I'm so privileged to be married to a Marine - the finest man that I know. I'm so thankful for his willingness to serve our country and do everything that he's called to do in order to ensure that we live in a free nation. I'm also privileged to have a father who served in the Corps and in Vietnam. Thanks to both of these amazing men in my life for showing me what it means to truly be proud to be an American.

But on this 234th birthday, if you know a Marine or see one on the streets, take a minute to thank them for all that they do and to wish them a happy birthday. It's because of them that we live in the free nation that we do today.

- Jenn

Wow...

Watch our friend Glenn Beck has to say. Crazy, scary stuff. But nothing that we haven't been warned about before....



- Jenn

Sometimes Forgotten

I saw this video on YouTube today and I just had to post it. So many times we only hear the horrible things about war and we don't hear what good our men and women are doing and how they're helping others. Sometimes we simply forget the good things and choose to look at the bad. This video highlights the good things that are going on - how others are being helped by our country's men and women who have volunteered to serve us. They deserve our gratitude, not our criticism!

- Jenn

Half Way There

As of yesterday, I am half way done with my student teaching. This means that I only have a half of a semester until I am a college graduate. This is incredibly exciting, but somewhat surreal! I can't believe I've made it this far and that I'm almost done with college. It's just crazy!

You may wonder how my first student teaching placement went for me. Well, for those of you who are wondering, I'm about to answer that question...

My first placement, if I haven't mentioned before, was teaching 5th and 6th grades in a Christian school. Overall, the experience was great and I definitely learned a lot throughout it.

I do have to say that initially I was intimidated at the thought of teaching 6th graders. In my head, they were going to have an "I don't care" attitude and were all gonna be tough guys. Once I got in the classroom I was proven wrong. Not all of them had an attitude and not one of them was a real tough guy. The class did present it's challenges, but working with my co-op and through a lot of prayer we overcame those challenges.

Looking back on the past seven and a half weeks, I can see one re-occuring theme and that theme is growth. Whether in the students or in myself, there has been a tremendous amount of growth. I've seen the students change so much over the time that I was there. God's been really working in their hearts and lives and it's quite evident. It's such a praise as well! I've also seen myself grow over this time. On the days when things seemed impossible, I've learned to rely more on Him. God's shown me that there's no way that I can do this on my own. I need His strength. I also feel that I've grown as a teacher. I've tried to take the advice of my co-op and supervisor and implement it into my life to make me a better teacher. It's so great to see how God's has helped all of us to grow over this time.

It is definitely somewhat surreal to be done with this placement. It was weird walking out of the classroom yesterday and knowing that I wouldn't be walking back into it ever again as a student teacher. It's weird to know that on Monday I'll be starting my second placement with a whole new group of kids and a whole new set of lives to pour into. It's definitely a joy and priviledge - and a tremendous responsibility- to be able to teach these students and invest in their lives.

So, looking back on this first half I guess the theme of it would be learning and growing. God's taught all of us so much and helped us all to grow in numerous ways. It's been a truly wonderful experience and I am so incredibly thankful for it!

- Jenn

Our Story... Part 5 (From Jenn's Point of View)

So the planning began. I was so thankful during those nine months that I had a wonderful, supportive fiance who was willing to help me with all of the wedding plans and details. I was also thankful for supportive and helpful family and friends. Planning a wedding was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. By January, we had already signed a photography contract, signed a reception contract, spoke with our pastor, and had a lot of little details planned. Things were going very smoothly and I was very happy with our progress.

One fun part about being engaged, besides planning the wedding and knowing I was going to marry my best friend soon, was getting our engagement pictures done. A friend of ours, Eddie, was willing to take our engagement pictures for us. So, one cold February day we headed out to Long's Park in Lancaster to get our pictures done. That was a lot of fun for me, even though both Josh and Eddie complained that it was too cold the whole time.

The months flew by as I prepared for the wedding. Bridesmaids got their dresses, I got my dress, tuxes got picked out, limo contracts got signed, flowers got ordered, and lots of other little details got completed. I will admit that while planning this wedding at times my head began to spin. But, I quickly remembered not to stress over things,as this was supposed to be a fun time and not a stressful time. Wedding planning didn't always go smoothly. There were several bumps along the way - like being scammed by a flower company, finding out my sister was going to be eight months pregnant at our wedding after we had already bought her bridesmaids dress, realizing that my dress didn't quite fit right, and a few others. But those bumps were straightened out and things came together in the end.

I was blessed with two bridal showers during that time - one down near Lancaster and one in my hometown. Bridal showers were so exciting. As I got gifts for our new house, the whole marriage thing became more of a reality. I couldn't wait to decorate our new place and to start my life with Josh. As time went by during our engagement, marriage became more of a reality and I became more and more excited about it beginning...

Random Ramblings

I'm home sick from school today. I acquired a nasty cold courtesy of my students and have also been having weird stomach pains. After much persuasion on the part of my husband, I decided to stay home today to rest. I'm hoping that I feel a little bit better by tomorrow. As of right now I feel like a truck ran me over and then put itself into reverse and ran me over again.

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Student teaching is going well. Today actually marks the halfway point at my first placement. It's hard to believe that it's already halfway over. I've been enjoying it so much, and in a way I don't want to move on to a new placement. I'm definitely going to miss my students a lot, but I'm sure that God has great things in store for me next placement as well.

______________________________________________

Our kitten, Titan, is as feisty and active as ever. I don't think I actually mentioned him on my blog before. But over the summer we found a kitten along the road who was in horrible condition. His eyes were caked shut with dirt and manore and he was horribly malnourished. We took him in, cleaned him up, and fed him. By then we were attached to him and decided to keep him. His eyes were in terrible shape at first and looked badly infected. We knew he was going to be blind. We took him to a vet, who was very pessimistic and wanted to remove his eyes first thing. We didn't like that idea and thought that there was hope for Titan's eyes so we took him to another vet. The second vet was optimistic and wanted to give his eyes time to see what happened. Now, almost two months after that vet saw him, his eyes are almost all cleared up. He's still blind but his eyes look SO much better than before. Maybe sometime I'll post some before and after pictures of him. Anyways, by watching him you would never know that he was blind. He's as active and mischeivous as any other kitten. He gets around the house in a flash and climbs stairs well too. He's definitely adapted to being blind. We love the little guy to pieces!

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Last weekend was a great time (up until I got sick). On Saturday we went to Hershey Park with my sister, my niece, my nephew, a friend of my sister's, and her daughter. It was a whole lot of fun. It was so nice to see them after we hadn't seen them in over a month and a half! My nephew, who recently celebrated his first birthday, is getting so big! Kids grow up way too fast!

______________________________________________

I guess that's enough of my random ramblings for now. I guess much randomness comes when your home sick and bored. But, I'll write more later.

- Jenn

Full Swing

Well student teaching is officially in full swing (well I guess it's officially been in full swing for the past two weeks). I am loving my first placement so far! The students can, at times, be challenging but I still love them. I love the upper elementary grades and it's been so much fun teaching them. So far I've picked up teaching two subjects - 6th grade math and 5th grade science. Next week I'll be picking up 6th grade science as well. It's really been fun getting to know the students and to see how they learn best and how I can change my teaching to best fit their needs. Student teaching is definitely a very rewarding experience, despite the huge workload. It's hard to believe that I've already completed two weeks worth of it and I only have 5 1/2 weeks left in this placement. Please pray for me that I continue to do well and continue to effectively teach the students in my class. Also pray for my students, that God will continue working in each of their lives. Thanks!

Aside from student teaching, not a whole lot else is going on. That's pretty much taken up a good chunk of my time. It's been challenging trying to balance my time and to assure that my school work is done, but that I also get to spend quality time with Josh. Some nights I feel like I get back from school, sit for a few minutes, and then the rest of my night is spent preparing for the next school day. Nights like this have made me realize that I really need to get things done as early as possible so that I have time to spend with my husband. That's my biggest struggle right now, so if you think of it, can you pray for me in that area? Thanks!

I guess that's all for now. Sorry it's not a whole lot more exciting. I guess I should go now and try to get some lesson plans done. God bless you!

- Jenn

Time Flies!

Goodness, it's hard to believe how fast times goes by! It's been almost three weeks since I posted last and now summer has come to an end. I started student teaching orientation on Thursday and it concluded on Friday. On Monday, I'll be starting my first student teaching placement. I will be teaching fifth and sixth graders for the next seven weeks. I am really excited about it, but at the same time I'm also nervous. I'm sure I'll be fine once I get into the swing of things, but for now it's nerve wracking. I'd appreciate any prayers for me, my students, and all others involved as I begin this journey. I'll try to keep updates on here about how my student teaching experience is going as well.

It seems like just yesterday that I started college, but now it's coming to a close. I'm in my final semester and the end is near! I can hardly believe that in 3 1/2 months I'll be walking across stage to receive my diploma. It's one of the things that I've always dreamed of happening and I'm so close to achieving it. I've learned so much during my college career and grown a lot. I'm so thankful that I had the opportunity to attend a Bible college and to be trained among other believers.

There's not a whole lot more to say at the moment. We're currently enjoying our last weekend of freedom before student teaching begins. It's nice to be able to relax a little bit! But, I guess that's it for now. I'll post more later - perhaps some summer pictures.

- Jenn

Hard to Believe

It's hard to believe that this past Sunday (8/9/09) marked our one year anniversary! The year has truly flown by, but it sure has been a wonderful blessing. Both of us have learned a lot throughout this year and have grown closer to each other and our love for each other has grown.

It seems like just yesterday though, that we just met...

... but at the same time, it seems like we've known each other and been together forever.

It also seems like just yesterday that I was going to my first Marine Corps Ball...

... and was surprised as Josh "popped the big question". But then again, it seems like forever ago at times as well.

Then, it also seems like just yesterday that we said our "I do's" and became Mr. and Mrs....

... but, yet, that was over a year ago now.

The saying goes "time flies when you're having fun" and boy is it right. This past year of married life sure has flown by, but it's been a lot of fun. I can honestly say that being married to my best friend was always something that I dreamed of, and it has gone way past my hopes and dreams and been better than I could have ever imagined.

All that I can say now is I look forward to many more years of happiness together (Lord willing) and many more anniversaries celebrated with Josh!

- Jenn

Happy Birthday Mr. President

Glenn Beck says it all perfectly...



... I love that man (Glenn Beck that is).

- Jenn

Wake Up!

A friend of mine posted this on facebook and I thought I would share. It's so true...

"The American Spectator
July 24, 2009
By Ben Stein

We've Figured Him Out

Why is President Barack Obama in such a hurry to get his socialized medicine bill passed?
Because he and his cunning circle realize some basic truths:
The American people in their unimaginable kindness and trust voted for a pig in a poke in 2008. They wanted so much to believe Barack Obama was somehow better and different from other ultra-leftists that they simply took him on faith.

They ignored his anti-white writings in his books. They ignored his quiet acceptance of hysterical anti-American diatribes by his minister, Jeremiah Wright.
They ignored his refusal to explain years at a time of his life as a student. They ignored his ultra-left record as a "community organizer," Illinois state legislator, and Senator.

The American people ignored his total zero of an academic record as a student and teacher, his complete lack of scholarship when he was being touted as a scholar.
Now, the American people are starting to wake up to the truth. Barack Obama is a super likeable super leftist, not a fan of this country, way, way too cozy with the terrorist leaders in the Middle East, way beyond naïveté, all the way into active destruction of our interests and our allies and our future.

The American people have already awakened to the truth that the stimulus bill -- a great idea in theory -- was really an immense bribe to Democrat interest groups, and in no way an effort to help all Americans.

Now, Americans are waking up to the truth that ObamaCare basically means that every time you are sick or injured, you will have a clerk from the Department of Motor Vehicles telling your doctor what he can and cannot do.

The American people already know that Mr. Obama's plan to lower health costs while expanding coverage and bureaucracy is a myth, a promise of something that never was and never will be -- a bureaucracy lowering costs in a free society. Either the costs go up or the free society goes away.

These are perilous times. Mrs. Hillary Clinton, our Secretary of State, has given Iran the go-ahead to have nuclear weapons, an unqualified betrayal of the nation. Now, we face a devastating loss of freedom at home in health care. It will be joined by controls on our lives to "protect us" from global warming, itself largely a fraud if believed to be caused by man.

Mr. Obama knows Americans are getting wise and will stop him if he delays at all in taking away our freedoms.

There is his urgency and our opportunity. Once freedom is lost, America is lost. Wake up, beloved America."

Thinks about it... It's time to wake up!

- Jenn

Prayers Needed

You may remember baby Stellan, who I have posted about before. He needs your prayers today, more than ever. His heart is not doing well at all and he has been in SVT for about three days now. He is being life flighted from Minnesota to Boston today, so that he can be under the care of his doctor who performed his surgery a few months back. Please pray for him and for his family. Pray for healing for his little heart and body and pray for the family, as both parents will be flying to Boston and their other three children will be remaining at home. For updates on him and his condition, you can go to his mom's blog. Thanks for the prayers!

- Jenn

Spinning

A lot has happened recently and there's a lot of things going on, nothing really bad, but enough to make my head spin at times. I can't always pinpoint what exactly I worry and/or stress about, but all I know is these past few days my heads been spinning non-stop.

I'm thankful for a wonderful, caring husband who I can talk to. We talked last night and it felt good just to tell him things that are on my mind - my worries, my fears, my concerns. He's such a good listener. I'm even more thankful for a loving heavenly Father who always listens to what's on my mind, even when I don't have the strength to express what I'm feeling in words. It feels so good to be able to communicate with Him and to be able to cast ALL my cares on Him (even though that's a very hard thing to do at times). I'm thankful for such a caring husband and for such a caring Father. It helps make life so much easier at times, and it also helps to make the load a whole lot lighter.

- Jenn

A Rant Worth Reading...

So my mother in law sent this to me. She read it in a newsletter for a Marine Corps magazine (Sgt Grit). It's a Marine's "ranting", but well worth reading. This young Marine is serving his third tour of duty in Iraq and is writing his perspective on recent occurences...

"Okay, I need to rant.

I was just watching the news, and I caught part of a report on Michael Jackson. As we all know, Jackson died the other day. He was an Entertainer who performed for decades. He made millions, he spent millions, and he did a lot of things that make him a villain to many people. I understand that his death would affect a lot of people, and I respect those people who mourn his death, but that isn't the point of my rant.

Why is it that when ONE man dies, the whole of America loses their minds with grief. When a man dies whose only contribution to the Country was to ENTERTAIN people, the American people find the need to flock to a memorial in Hollywood, and even Congress sees the need to hold a "moment of silence" for his passing?
Am I missing something here? ONE man dies, and all of a sudden he's a freaking martyr because he entertained us for a few decades?

What about all those SOLDIERS who have died to give us freedom? All those soldiers who, knowing that they would be asked to fight in a war, still raised their hands and swore to defend the Constitution and the United States of America. Where is their moment of silence?

Where are the people flocking to their graves or memorials and mourning over them because they made the ultimate sacrifice? Why is it when a soldier dies, there are more people saying "good riddance," and "thank God for IEDs?" When did this country become so calloused to the sacrifice of GOOD MEN and WOMEN, that they can arbitrarily blow off their deaths, and instead, throw themselves into mourning for a "Pop Icon?"

I think that if they are going to hold a moment of silence IN CONGRESS for Michael Jackson, they need to hold a moment of silence for every service member killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. They need to PUBLICLY recognize every life that has been lost so that the American people can live their callous little lives in the luxury and freedom that WE, those that are living and those that have gone on, have provided for them. But, wait, that would take too much time, because there have been so many willing to make that sacrifice. After all, we will never make millions of dollars. We will never star in movies, or write hit songs that the world will listen too. We only shed our blood, sweat and tears so that people can enjoy what they have.

Sorry if I have offended, but I needed to say it.

Remember these five words the next time you think of someone who is serving in the military;"So that others may live...

- Isaac"

So true... Where is their respect? Where is their moment of silence in Congress? Where is our gratitude for them?.... Maybe we as Americans need to start thanking them just a little bit more - no make that a WHOLE lot more!

-Jenn

3 Answers

I was driving along the rode today, on my way home from my in-laws house, and I saw a church sign. Now, there are hundreds of church signs with quotes on around here, but this particular one caught my attention. It said "There are three answers to prayer - yes, no, and wait." Just thought I'd share that quote with you, as it was one that particularly struck me. It's a concept that I know, one that I've heard many times, yet it's also one that is very difficult to remember. I have to consistently remind myself that God does indeed always answer our prayers, but sometimes He says no or wait and other times He says yes. It's those no's and those wait's that are the most difficult, yet in His sovreign plan they are the best answers for us. I just thank Him for that reminder today.

- Jenn

More Beautiful You

I think the message of this song is what every girl - or for that matter, every female - needs to hear. I heard it and thought "Wow, this guy hit it right on the head". Girls need to hear how God sees them - there can never be a more beautiful person in the world than them. God made them perfect and they're fine just the way that they are. Just thought I'd share this song. It touched me, and I'm sure it's touched many other girls...



- Jenn

As Promised

As promised in this post, here are some pictures from the time that Josh was away at Annual Training with the Marines and I was here at home and at my parents house...

My friend Katie making dinner when I went to her house

My sister in law, Jen, and me at her church's campfire/picnic

My niece, K's, 5th birthday party

One of my best friends, Erica, at the riverfront

My brother, Joe, and my niece, K, at a baseball game

My adorable niece and nephew

While all of these adventures (as seen above) were going on, there were some busy Marines in Nevada (as can be seen in this post)...

Josh on armory watch one evening

Josh and his fellow Marines taking a break in the barracks

One of the state parks that the Marines visited (while Josh was on base on watch)

By the way, we did eventually get to be back together again (in case you couldn't figure that out). And when we got back together, we were really happy! Here's a picture of us the morning after Josh returned. We went out to lunch at Applebees and then headed back home.

But, these are some pictures from our two weeks apart during Annueal Training. Hope you enjoyed looking at them.

- Jenn

I Heart Faces - Wedding Bells

I've seen different people post entries for I ♥ Faces before, but never knew exactly what the site was all about. I finally headed over to the site and found out that they host weekly photography contests in different categories. So, I figured I would give it a try and submit my photo for the contest.

This weeks category is "Wedding Bells". I found a picture that I took of my friend Kim, right after she had gotten all ready on the morning of her wedding. So, this is my entry for the contest this week. The beautiful bride...

So, head on over to I Heart Faces and check out all the entries for this weeks contest. It's definitely a lot of fun!

JT09

Javelin Thrust 2009 (JT09) was a huge success! The Marines of Det 2 Allentown completed their mission, directly aiding in the overall fulfilment of the operation. Comm Company maintained their systems with nearly 100% up-time and quickly resolved any and all issues that arose. We spent the "down time" providing and receiving training on our equipment and the equipment of the other communications company that was present. Marines received instruction on proper radio procedures and customs, set-up and operation of the RSAM and other switchboard related hardware, and the set-up, maintenance, and troubleshooting of the Support Wide Area Network (SWAN) satellite suite.

During the operation, we had the opportunity to qualify for the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP) grey belt, learn proper foot patrol techniques and operations, take an instructional course on IED recognition and attack prevention, and also receive our Combat Life-Savers' Certifications (CLS).

After completion of the operation, Marines received improvised Professional Military Education (PME) on a variety of subjects including future weaponry and warfare, Operational Risk Management (ORM), and wilderness safety.

-Josh (Cpl Burky)

Time Well Spent...

Since Josh is gone away for Annual Training with the Marines for two weeks, I have had a lot of time alone. I knew from before he even left that my time without him would be what I made it to be - I could either spend the time sitting around moping because my husband wasn't home or I could spend the time finding things to do, spending time with people, and passing the time away quickly. I chose the latter.

It hardly seems possible that I've been "husbandless" for eleven days already (it'll have been 16 days by the time he comes home). I decided to do a lot of things to keep busy while he was gone, so that the time would go by fast. It has gone at a decent pace (rather quickly), though at times it has seemed to move slowly also.

The first week he was gone seemed like a week of re-connecting. He left on Thursday June 11th. On Friday I worked. On Saturday I took my Praxis exams in the morning, and then in the afternoon I reconnected with a friend, Katie, who I hadn't seen in at least seven months. It was definitely nice to see her again! On Sunday I spent time at my in-laws house and then spent the evening with Jen, my sister in law. It was definitely nice to hang out with her and have some "girl time". That Monday I spent by myself, cleaning and doing things around the house. That Tuesday I reconnected with another friend, Bethany, who I also hadn't seen in about six months. That Wednesday I spent the evening at my in-laws house also. That was my first week while Josh was gone, a pretty packed week indeed. It flew by and I feel as if I got a lot accomplished and had fun as well.

The second week (which we're only midway through) has also been rather busy. I headed up to my parents house for the rest of the time that Josh will be away. When it's all said and done, I will have spent 9 days up here. The time here has also been busy - my niece K's 5th birthday party, graduation parties, shopping with my mom, church, spending time with family, and much more. There will only be more to come in the rest of the week - babysitting my niece and nephew, spending time with friends and family, a movie night with some friends from church, a possibly baseball game, and other things as well.

Though these weeks have been busy since Josh was gone, I consider it to have been time well spent. I could have spent the time moping around and being depressed that I missed Josh (which I definitely do miss him). But instead I spent the time busy and having fun with people I love. I consider these two weeks to be time well spent instead of time well wasted.

By the way, I'll post some pictures of the two weeks on here once I'm home. That way you can see some of the things that I've been doing these past two weeks.

-Jenn

Please Pray

Please pray for the family of a five year old little girl, Hannah Garman. She passed away on Tuesday night after a long battle with a rare form of a brain tumor. This isn't the first loss for this family either, as Hannah's mother passed away several years ago from cancer.

Hannah's story is so inspiring - a little girl who fought long and hard and always had a smile on her face. I'm sure that she will be truly missed, but we can rest assured that she is healed from her pain right now and is celebrating with both Jesus and with her mommy.

But, if you can , pray for the family as I'm sure these days are rather difficult for them. If you would like to read Hannah's story, you can go to her Caring Bridge page that her father updated on. Thanks for praying though!

- Jenn

The Man I Love...

Yes, he's the man I love and the man I miss.

He's gone away for two weeks for training with the Marines.

I'm praising God though that it's only two weeks and not a long deployment.

The sound of his voice and the sight of his smile makes my days now.

It is true that "distance makes the heart grow fonder".

It makes you love and appreciate a person more for who they are.

It makes you realize just how much they mean to you.

I love him so much - even more today than I did yesterday!

I thank God for him and thank him for serving our country so willingly!

He's the man I love... and I could never get anyone better!

-Jenn

Happy Birthday...

Happy 23rd Birthday Josh!!!

To my wonderful, amazing, caring husband - the man of my dreams - I wish only the best birthday that anyone could have! You have changed my life since the moment that I met you. You have been my dream come true. I am so proud of you for all that you do... for serving our country proudly in the Marine Corps, for working so hard every day, for loving others unconditionally, and for so much more. I have learned so much from you already in life, and as the years go by I know that I will only learn more. Thank you for being an example to me in so many ways. Thank you for being a wonderful husband, beyond what I deserve. Thank you for being my best friend and my life long partner. You mean the world to me. And today, on your birthday, I pray that you have the best of days - because that's what you deserve. Happy birthday! Have a great year of life (with many more to come) and may God bless you as you serve Him! I love you Josh!!!

- Jenn

Pre-Birthday

Today was an absolutely great day, spent entirely with the most wonderful woman in the whole world: my wife Jenn. We started off the day at my parents house, mostly because we passed out there around four A.M. after watching "Matrix Revolutions" with my brother Jon and our friend Luke. My parents have a nicer TV and bigger couch than we do... Anyways, after breakfast the wife and I came home to get ourselves ready for the rest of the day. Jenn's plan was to have me drive us around to mystery destinations that she had already chosen (and stored in the GPS) to celebrate my birthday.

Mystery Destination 1 was K-mart where we picked up a kite and frisbee for "later". On the way out the door we also grabbed (and paid for) a pizza. After that, it was back to the truck and off to Mystery Destination 2.

MD2: Shanks Park. We had a nice lunch together under the shade of a tree then spent some time just talking together. Of course there was absolutely no wind, so the kite never got flown. And it turns out that we got an alternate lifestyle frisbee 'caus we never did get the stupid thing to fly straight... but it was still fun and we enjoyed the time together. Once we determined that the frisbee was busted and the wind was not coming, we headed off to MD3.

MD3: Challenge Family Fun Center. Next on the list of places was CFFC, part of Indian Echo Caverns in the Hershey area. 22 holes of rather difficult bet very enjoyable mini-golf. Jenn and I managed to end the game with a tie, and even tied on the front ten too. Overall, we finished four under par, not too shabby! The highlight of the game was Jenn's "slo-mo" hole-in-one on hole 11. The shot barely made it up the one side of the bridge then slowly rolled down the other side, caught the edge of the course - barely staying on the green - which made the ball arc hard to the right, ending with a dramatic slow-crawl right up the the edge of the cup before finally dropping in. Nice shot Jenn! After the game we headed in to the arcade because we had a coupon for some tokens. Lots of fun games there, including Cyclone, Big Bertha, Duck Pins, Skee-Ball, and some FPS game, Time something II. We had lots of fun and ended up winning 500 tickets which we then traded for two foam finger-launch rockets, two punch balloons, and four airheads. We really wanted the inflatable snake-swords, but they were all out. Again, lots of fun, but it was time to move on the MD4.

MD4: dinner. At this time it was only three P.M., to dinner was put on hold and we decided to detour to Target to pick up my birthday present and to waste some time. En route to Target, we ran into some heavy traffic and a very horrible accident.

Detour 1: The motorcycle crash. Driving down 322 toward Harrisburg, traffic suddenly came to a screeching halt. We sat in traffic for over half an hour, only to find that a portion of 322 was closed off. We detoured to a side road that fed into another road, running parallel to the highway. From there we could see a little bit of what was going on. There was a motorcycle in the middle of the highway, and it looked like it had just survived a tour in vietnam. Also present was the coroner and the forensics team: not the people you want to see on a crash site. We saw later - on the return trip - that the wreck stretch about 500 yards dow the highway, starting with the front tire lodged under a guard rail and ending with the remains of a motorcycle. Needless to say, that put our day at a pause for a few minutes as we reflected on the tragedy that occurred and thought of the family and friends that mourned the loss of Antoinne Brown.

Detour 2: Target. Once we arrived at Target, we spent about an hour walking around and just hanging out. We picked up my present - a logitech wireless mouse and keyboard set - a card for my dad's upcoming birthday, and a scale (because I need to get in shape). It was really nice to just walk around with Jenn and spend some time doing "everyday stuff" together. Probably one of my favorite parts of the day. After Target (and the return trip back to Hershey), we finally got to MD4: dinner.

MD4: Isaac's Restaurant and Deli. We picked Isaac's because it was close and they have really good food. I got a "Twisted Chicken" (Grilled premium chicken breast, cheddar cheese, fresh spinach and tomatoes with dijon mustard and mayo) and Jenn had the Rainbow Parrot (Corned beef on pumpernickel with melted Muenster cheese, crunchy cole slaw and fresh onions, tomatoes and lettuce, all topped with Thousand Island dressing). And, yes, I did just copy and paste the descriptions from the Isaac's website. And what dinner is complete without dessert? A cheesecake with brownie chunks and whipped cream, topped with caramel, to be specific. Oh so very good. After the very filling dinner we stopped by my parents place again to pick up some "camping chairs" to use at MD5.

MD5: Shanks Park. Wait, Shanks Park? Wasn't that MD1..? How coincidental and quaint that the adventure should start and end at the same place. Turns out that Shanks hosts Turkey Hill's "drive in" movie night on the first weekend of every month. The flick was "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa", which I love. "Like you love the beach, or a good book. Or the beach." My family came as well and we had a fun evening watching a movie together.

Now the day is over and I have to say that it was one of the best days ever. I am so thankful to have Jenn as my wife. She definitely went out of her way to make sure that we had a great day together and spent I-don't-know-how-much time researching and planning to make everything happen as smoothly as it did. I don't deserve to have such an amazing and giving wife, but I am so glad that I do. Who knows where I'd be without my precious Jelly Bean!

Its off to bed now, the wife is starting to fall asleep. Goodnight and God Bless!

-Josh

Done...

Short post, just to say that I'm taking my exam for my on-line class this afternoon. After that's over, I'll be DONE with my classes all together! Thank goodness!

But,if you read this before 12:30p.m. today, can you pray for me as I take this exam. I'm a little nervous about it and I am required to pass this final in order to pass the class (even though I have an A average in the class as of now). So, yeah, it's just a little bit of pressure. But your prayers would be appreciated more than you can imagine! Thanks!

-Jenn

Much Fun In The Summertime...

Summertime is always a whole lot of fun. It means that freedom has come (well for those of us in school or who are teachers) and it means nice weather and lots of fun with family and friends. This past weekend was a lot of fun, a.k.a. much fun in the summertime...

My sister in law, Jen, and me after going to see the movie "Up"

(Two side notes... yes we're both named Jenn and yes it's very confusing. Also, yes the movie "Up" is very good, but I don't think it's necessarily a kids movie nor is it extremely funny - but it is good...)

Josh and his friend Luke in the parking lot after the movie... They're two of a kind...

My brother in law, Jonny, and my sister in law Jen after the movie

Josh and me in Jen's car on Sunday after their cousin's graduation party

Summertime is never complete without complete randomness... Like random trips to Chocolate World just because we're bored and there's not much else better to do... (I edited this picture on picnik, I love that site!)

Anyways, there's our random fun from the weekend. I'm sure the rest of the summer will bring much more randomness and much more fun. But for now, I'm out...

- Jenn

Help Advocate For Cystic Fibrosis Research

You may remember my friend Emily (pictured above with me at the Great Strides walk last year), who I have mentioned before in my blog. You may also remember that she lives with Cystic Fibrosis. Well, you and anyone you know can help to advocate for continued CF research. Here's what the CF website says...

"Cystic Fibrosis Caucus Co-Chairs Representative Edward Markey (D-MA) and Cliff Stearns (R-FL) will soon introduce a bill to help more people with CF participate in clinical trials.

Right now, because of eligibility rules regarding compensation for clinical trial participation, many people with CF are forced to choose between taking part in important clinical trials and keeping their health care coverage.

To help promising drugs move swiftly from the research and testing phase to the people who need them, more people with cystic fibrosis are needed to participate in clinical trials. This important legislation will remove that barrier to allow more people to participate in clinical trials."

By going to this website , you can fill in your information and add a message to a pre-written letter which will be sent to your Congressman. The letter urges the Congressman to take action and to support the new measures that are coming up in Congress which relate to CF research. By taking just a few minutes and filling in your information and pressing "send", you are being a voice for CF and a voice that is saying that clinical trials for CF and other diseases need to be more easy to participate in. It will only take a few minutes, and by being a voice you may help to enable research to be done more easily and in the long run, you may help to save people's lives.

So please, just take a minute and do this. They're so close to a cure for CF. If you go to Nate's blog, you can read his view on this legislation and read his wife's story about living with CF. There are people all around the world who are waiting for a cure, and it's so close to coming. They just need to test the medicines...

So, please help!

-Jenn

Our Story - Part 4...(From Jenn's Point of View)

It's been a while since I posted a part of our story... So here goes part four...

So I barely slept that night. I was so excited that I was engaged to the man of my dreams! But the next morning when I woke up, it hit me - I was engaged and I was going to be getting married soon!

So of course the normal comments started coming when I told people that we were engaged. We got a variety of comments. Of course there were the normal "congratulations. let me see the ring" and the "when's the date?". But then there were the "wow! that was fast." comments too. But once people started asking, we responded with "Well, we're not sure yet. Ideally we'd like to get married this August (2008) but realistically it might not be until May of 2009." You may wonder why this was our response. Well, it was like this. I still had another year of school left and we weren't sure if our parents would want us to get married that coming summer or that we'd be financially ready to get married that summer. But, we decided to think and pray about a date. Then we'd ask our parents if the date was ok and we'd be ready.

So, we thought and prayed about it and picked a date. We were gonna aim for August 9, 2008. That was only 9 months from when we got engaged. There would be a lot of work and planning to do, but we figured it was definitely doable. We also figured that we'd be financially ready to get married that summer, and that there wasn't much of a point to waiting a whole nother year. So, we asked our parents about the date. His parents said yeah, but we better start planning. My parents said yes as well, as long as we were sure that we could plan it all and afford to live on our own by then. We assured them that we were and set our date - August 9, 2008. That would be the day that we would become Mr. and Mrs.

Of course there was a lot of planning to be done and a lot of decisions to be made. I knew that I wanted to be married in the church that I had grown up in, so that quickly settled the decision of what city we would be married in (Josh and I lived two hours apart). But there were plenty of other decisions to be made - bridal party, a reception location, a photographer, flowers, transportation, and the list goes on.... It would be a busy, but well worthwhile, nine months ahead of us. During these nine months we'd have the chance to grow closer to each other and learn to love each other even more as we planned our wedding...

-Jenn

You're Gonna Miss This...

You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These Are Some Good Times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

... I already do miss it...

(p.s. my best friend and roommate for four years is graduating college tomorrow and moving back to VT, 10 hours away... i'm gonna miss her - in case you didn't understand this post.)

Not Me Monday

Welcome to another addition of Not Me Monday, a blog carnival created by Mckmama. It's here where we can share all the crazy and fun things that we did not do this past week. Ready for my confessions?!? Here we go...

Last week was not my last week of classes in my undergraduate life. I was not happy to have my last class either and am surely not excited about only having student teaching left before I graduate. That's why I did not post this not me two weeks in a row.

Josh and I didn't start going to the gym together last week. We definitely didn't finally decide at the end of last month that it's time for us to join the gym and attempt to get in shape (well me attempt at getting it shape, he'll actually do it). I also didn't think I was gonna die after the workout because I haven't worked out in so long - not me.

Josh and I also didn't get to spend this past weekend at my parents house. We didn't get to spend the weekend with my family and also didn't get to spend mother's day with my mom, sister, and our family. We also didn't get to see our niece and nephew, two of the cutest kids in the world. It definitely wasn't a great weekend or anything!

Speaking of mothers, I definitely haven't been blessed with a wonderful mother and a great mother-in-law. God hasn't given me two great examples of mom's in my own life to look up to when one day I'm a mother myself. I'm also not truly greatful for them, not me.

This morning I definitely wasn't rushing out the door to school and realizing it was cold, grab a sweatshirt out of the dryer and throw it on. After sitting at school and taking an exam, I didn't get up to see a pair of my underwear on the floor that static had stuck to my sweatshirt. I also didn't, at that moment, look around to make sure that no one had seen my "item of clothing". Not me.

Also, this isn't my first blog post since my last not me Monday. I would never have an entire week between blogs. That's so not me, so why would I ever do it? I guess I didn't - not me!

I guess that's all for this week. If you want to read more "Not Me Monday" posts and find out what everyone else "hasn't" done, then head over to MckMama's blog to read more!

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

This past week has contained a lot of not me moments, things that I definitely did not do and that definitely did not happen.

This past week was most certainly not my last full week of classes as an undergraduate. I most definitely won't be student teaching in just three months and won't be a college graduate in seven months. Nope, not me.

I definitely didn't get to spend a long weekend with my husband this past weekend. We didn't get to be together all day Friday, most of the day Saturday, and all day Sunday. We also didn't get to go out together several times during the weekend and just spend quality time together. Not me.

During this past weekend with my wonderful husband, I didn't get to see "Bedtime Stories". I also didn't think that it was a hilarious movie and I didn't watch it twice in two days because I enjoyed it so much. I also definitely wouldn't recommend it to everyone of all ages because it was clean and just that funny. Definitely not me.

I'm also not sitting in my living room looking around and realizing that I still have things out from Easter which was almost a month ago. I would never leave Easter things out that long. I would most certainly put them away within a few days after the holiday. I don't still have them out; not me.

This past weekend (between spending time with my husband) I most certainly didn't get to go out on a girls' night with three of my friends. During this girls' night we didn't go shopping at the mall and to dinner at the Olive Garden. The waiter at the Olive Garden also definitely didn't make fun of me (in a nice kind of way) the entire time we were there for butchering the pronunciation of "gnocci". I would most certainly say that word right, especially since I speak well in all languages. I didn't get busted on for butchering it, not me.

I also didn't sleep in this morning way past when I should have. After all, there are plenty of things to do around the house.

I'm also not sitting here writing this not me post when those things are still waiting to be done. I would most certainly get all the needed things done before sitting down to blog. I would never be on the computer when other things should be getting done. Not me!

So what have you "not done" this week? Join in the fun and confess the things that didn't happen to you during the past week. It's a lot of fun!

-Jenn

A Settled Dispute

A Soldier, a Sailor, an Airman and a Marine got into an argument one night about which service was the best (go figure, right?). The arguing became so heated that none of the four servicemen saw the truck that was barreling down the road towards them. The driver failed to see them, and all four of them were killed instantly.

Soon, the servicemen found themselves at the Pearly Gates of Heaven. There they met with Saint Peter, and, figuring that he would be a good source of Ultimate Truth and Total Honesty, asked of Peter: "Saint Peter, which branch of the United States Armed Forces is the best?" Saint Peter replied, "I can't answer that. However I will ask God what he thinks the next time I see Him. Meanwhile, thank you for your service on Earth, and welcome to Heaven."

Some time later, the four servicemen see Saint Peter and remind him of the question they had asked him when first entering Heaven. The men asked Saint Peter if he was able to find the answer. Suddenly, a sparkling white dove lands on Peter's shoulder. In the dove's beak is a note glistening with golden dust. Saint Peter says, "Gentlemen, here is your answer from The Boss. Let's see what He has to say." Peter opens the note, and trumpets blare, golden dust drifts in the air, harps play crescendos, and Saint Peter reads the note aloud to the Servicemen:

MEMORANDUM
FROM: The Almighty One
TO: Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines
SUBJ: Which Military Service Is The Best

1. Gentlemen, all branches of the United States Armed Forces are honorable and noble. Each serves America well, and with distinction. Being a Serviceman in the United States Military represents a special calling, which warrants special respect, tribute, and dedication.

2. Be proud of that!

Semper Fidelis,
God, USMC (retired)

(Taken from Sgt Grit's weekly newsletter)

-Josh

Praise God!!!

A HUGE PRAISE!


Stellan was discharged from the hospital and he and his mom are heading home tomorrow. Such wonderful news and just one more reason to praise the Lord for his healing and for his faithfulness. Our God is a GREAT God!

Continue to pray for him though. Pray for their safety as they fly home tomorrow. Also, pray for his continued health, that his heart will continue to stay out of SVT and that he'll remain healthy all around.

-Jenn

Just What I Needed, Just At The Right Time

I was just reading Mckmama's post about prayer (which I encourage you to read, she has some really good insight on her thoughts on prayer), "Why Bother Praying", and a part of it stood out to me and it was something I really needed to hear. She said...

"God answers prayers. Just not always in the way or in the time frame we want. God answers prayers, but the outcome we hope for, and beseech God for, is not always the outcome God has in mind.

God hears our prayers. But God still does what He, in His sovereignty, is going to do. He listens to our prayers, hears us each and every time we speak to Him, think to Him, or even groan to Him. God is affected by our prayers and He wants us to pray.

But God is still God and our prayers do not change God or His mind, at least not in the way we sometimes think. He knew we were going to pray before we ever prayed. He knows the past, present and future all at once. He listens to our prayers, but our prayers don't change things. God changes things."

That first paragraph... just not in the way or the time that we want.

And the second... but God still does what He, in His sovreignty, is going to do.

The third... He knows the past, present and future all at once.

That's what stood out to me. Just not in the way or the time that he wants, but He still does what He, in his sovreignty, is going to do. I needed to hear that today. I needed to be reminded that it's His time - not mine. And it's His plan - not my own.

Thank you God for using her to remind me. It's in Your hands now....

-Jenn

There Is Love...

I was listening to the song "After the Last Tear Falls" by Andrew Peterson today and it really spoke to me. Here is a youtube video of the song that someone did. The lyrics are on it as well as pictures. So listen for yourself...

... As I listened to this song it just reminded me of how there are so many bad things in this world, so many bad things that happen. We open the newspaper, click on a website, turn on a television and we see all of these horrible things - murders, rapes, children starving, divorce... and the list goes on and on. I don't know about you, but every time I read these things my heart breaks, sometimes tears fall. There is so much evil and hurting in this world and sometimes it seems as if there's no hope for us. But I heard this song today and it reminded me that there is hope. He is our hope. At the end of all these things there is Love, there is God. It's so comforting to think about. Even when things seem hopeless, he is our hope. He is the only hope for this world and in the end He the only one who can use the bad things and turn them into good. In the end He'll wipe away our tears and hurting and evil will be no more. How comforting...there is Love!

-Jenn

Praying for Stellan...

Tonight little Stellan is on my heart and mind. Either tonight or tomorrow he will be going in for an ablation, a procedure on his heart. He is at Boston Children's Hospital, one of the best children's hospitals in the country, but even with experienced doctors this procedure is very risky, especially in a baby his size. I can imagine, and can see from reading Jennifer's (his mom) blog, that this is a very scary time for her and the family. Yet through this time they are clinging to God and putting their little baby boy's life in His hands. I ask that you pray for baby Stellan as he goes in for this surgery. Pray for him tonight as his heart rate is high, his blood pressure is dropping, and he is in and out of SVT. Also, pray for his mom and grandpa who are at the hospital with him, his dad and siblings who are at their home cross country, the rest of the family, for the doctors to have wisdom in treating him and for their minds and hands as they perform surgery on him tomorrow. Just pray that all is successful in this ablation and that Stellan's heart will have no damage, but will be healed. In honor of baby Stellan, and to remind ourselves to pray for him tomorrow, we will be wearing orange all day. We took a picture tonight in our orange shirts that we'll be wearing tomorrow. Join us in wearing orange tomorrow to support baby Stellan, but more importantly join us in praying for baby Stellan tonight and tomorrow as he goes in for this surgery. I am so glad to know that God is in control and God can heal his little heart because HE is the Great Physician!

-Jenn

The End Is Near

The end is near... You may be wondering what end it is that I am speaking of...

The end that I am speaking of is the end of my undergraduate college career. No, the end for me isn't as near as it is for some people - the people who will be graduating in less than a month. But for me, it's only a months worth of classes and then student teaching and then the END will be here.

I do have to say, my college career has flown by. It seems like just yesterday that Emily (who was my roommate for four years) and myself were two quiet little freshmen just beginning college. But now, five years later, we're two seniors who are ready to venture out into the real world pretty soon (and by the way, our program is a five year program - we're not slackers or anything). Of course Emily will be graduating next month, but I won't be graduating until December. I had to take a few classes that I didn't CLEP out of this semester so I got behind the rest of my fellow Teacher Ed majors.

Anyways, what made me think of the end of college? Well today I registered for student teaching and received my student teaching placements. I do have to say that I'm rather excited about my placements. We do two separate placements at our college, the first in a Christian school and the second in a public school. My first placement is in either 5th or 6th grade (it hasn't been completely confirmed yet) and my second placement is in 1st grade. Those are some of my favorite age groups and I am super excited to have the opportunity to teach them and to see what God has in store for me in my student teaching experience!

Yeah, so it's bittersweet to see the end drawing near. It'll be weird not to be in college anymore and not to see my friends all the time. But it'll be cool to be able to be out in the "real world" and also to be able to start a family sometime soon (that may be something that excites me even more than the being out in the real world part)! But anyways, I just figured I'd share my thoughts - reflecting on the end of college, the end that is approaching rather quickly for me and for many others.

-Jenn

It's Been Awhile...

Wow! It's been awhile since I posted an update, well a week to be exact. But after posting nearly every day a week is a long time. I guess I have a reason for not posting, considering I didn't really have good internet access for a few days and didn't have much time. Oh well, so what have I been up to? What's on my mind...
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Last Thursday I took my wonderful husband to his Marine Corps unit and dropped him off. He and five other Marines were headed out to Oregon for some training on some new equipment that they have recently gotten. He left Thursday afternoon and returned back to PA on Monday afternoon. So, I was without him for four days.... and I definitely missed him.

The four days weren't bad though because after I dropped Josh off at his unit, I went up to my hometown for a long weekend and stayed at my parents. I got to spend time with my parents, my siblings, my niece and nephew, and friends. We got in some quality time, some playtime (with the kids that is), lots of shopping, some good food, a high school play, and much more. It was nice to go up there for the weekend, as I haven't been there in a month or so and definitely miss my family and friends who are there.

But, Monday afternoon came and Josh flew back to PA. I was SO happy to see him again and to be back in his arms. I definitely missed him ALOT!

By the way, I was quite happy because Josh took pictures during his trip. He's not much of a picture-taking type so I was excited because I actually got to see where he was and what not. Maybe I'll post some of the pictures later.
______________________________________

Since being home, I have had a lot to do. I had a presentation and an exam at school yesterday. So I spent Monday evening spending time with Josh, studying, and preparing my presentation. Neither the presentation nor the exam seemed to go too well though. So I was pretty bummed about that. But, we'll see how they went when I get the results.

I've also been busy cleaning and doing laundry since we got home. I'm trying to get our house back into one piece and do some much needed spring cleaning. I did some today and it felt good to see a little bit of progress in the cleanliness of the house.
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If you think of it pray for a friend of mine's aunt. Her name is Beth. She was taken to the hospital yesterday and tests discovered that she has leukemia and it is pretty advanced. They life flighted her to a better hospital because the one she was in said they couldn't do much for her. So, if you think of it please pray for her. She's only in her late 40's and has two children (both in their early 20's) and a husband. But pray for her and for the family at this time as it has come as a huge shock. Thanks!

Also, continue to pray for baby Stellan. He's in his third week in the hospital and is still in an out of SVT. He may be being transferred cross country to a hospital in Boston early next week. But continue to pray for him and his family too.
______________________________________

Well, I guess that's pretty much it for now. I'll update again later and perhaps post some pictures from both mine and Josh's weekend. But for now I'm off to cook dinner before my husband gets home from work.

-Jenn

Continue Praying...

Continue praying for baby Stellan. I mentioned him a few posts ago. He is still in the hospital. It's been over a week now and he is still in and out of SVT. He is making little bits of progress, which is a praise. But it's still a rollercoaster. Please keep praying for his healing and for his family.

When Stellan was still in his mother's womb, he was diagnosed with this SVT. In honor of Stellan and to show how people all over the world were praying for him, a name gallery was started. His name was written in snow, sand, apple pie, etc. all to show that there were people thinking and praying for him. Now that he's sick again, his name gallery has been started back up by Norrah. Here, people have linked their posts with their version of Stellan's name - all to show that they're thinking about him and praying for him. Josh and I wanted to make Stellan's name. So the other day, Josh got the idea to do Stellan's name in binary (basically computer language). So he did. And here it is...

So Stellan, Mckmama, and the entire family - know that there are prayers going up for you from Josh and Jenn in Pennsylvania!

-Jenn

Thank You!

I was reading some random blogs today and came across a contest/project to support our troops. Carebear started a contest that benefits our nation's military. For each comment that she receives on her post (until March 31st) she'll donate a card and care package item to our troops. Also, when commenting, you're entered into a giveaway that she is having.

Anyways, after reading about her contest, and more importantly her project for our troops, I was thinking about how often we take for granted what our military does for us. It's so easy to live in a free nation and not even think twice about how we have earned that freedom. It's thanks to our military, past and present, that we have the freedom that we have in our nation. It's sad how easy it is to forget.

I left a comment on Carebear's post that said this:
"I have always had an appreciation for the military, as my father served in the Marine Corps during Vietnam and he raised us teaching us to respect the military and to be thankful for all that they do for us. I have gained even more of a respect and appreciation for the military since I met and married my husband, who is a Corporal in the Marine Corps. I have seen the sacrifices that individuals, like him, make for our country and for our freedom and I am so thankful for that. Without willing individuals, people who give of their time and their lives for our country, we would not have the freedom that we have and we surely would not be the country that we are today. I am so thankful for each member of our military and for each family member. I'm thankful for their sacrifices and recognize that without them, our country would be non-existent. Thank you!"

After writing that comment I just thought, why not tell those individuals myself that I'm thankful for what they have done to protect our country. So, I figured I'd write on here and recognize them for what they have done and say thanks....

To my daddy who was in the Marine Corps and was in Vietnam - thanks for fighting for our freedom and for teaching me to be thankful for the freedom that we have!

To my wonderful husband, Josh, a current Corporal in the USMC - thank you for serving our country and for the sacrifces that you make for our freedom. Thanks for showing me what it means to be proud to be an American and a proud Marine!

To my friend, Robert, a current PFC in the USMC - thanks for signing up to serve our country and for the sacrifices that you have made and will make in the future. Thanks for being one of the few and the proud!

To my friend,Eddie, a sergeant in the U.S. Army National Guard and a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom - thank you for fighting for our country, both here and in Iraq. Thank you for all the sacrifices that you have made to ensure that we have a free and safe nation!

And to everyone else that I know - to all of my husband's fellow Marines in his unit, to Anthony (my sister-in-law's boyfriend) who is in the army, and to the many others - THANK YOU!

So, when's the last time you have thanked someone for your freedom? Can you remember when it was? Well, find someone today who has fought and/or sacrificed to be in the military. When you find them, tell them thanks for all they've done...

-Jenn

Photostory Friday... The Circus Comes To Town

The circus comes to town... that's right. We went back to our childhood days and went to the circus this past week and I'd like to take you along to it, via pictures that I took (with my awesome camera my husband got me for my birthday). So, here we go. Here are some of the highlights of the night...

Myself, Josh, Mum, and Padre (his parents) all went to the circus together...

Josh and me at intermission

Here's my amazingly wonderful in-laws at intermission

The circus was a local show, to raise money for the Zembo Shriners. It was pretty good though. We all pretty much agreed on some of our favorite acts....

The dancing bears were really cute and did some awesome tricks!

The diving clown was probably the funniest act there was - he was great!

The grand finale, the wheel, was so nervewracking. We literally almost watched the blonde guy on the right fall off. He hit his head on the ceiling and lost his balance. Luckily he hung on though.

We even got our pictures with the clowns!

Hope you enjoyed your brief trip to the circus!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

-Jenn

Please Pray!

If you get a moment, pray for baby Stellan.Stellan's been in the hospital since Monday with Supra Ventricular Tachycardia (SVT). His heart rate has been in the high 200-300's and the doctors have tried everything to get it down, but with no permanent success. Pray for a miracle here. Stellan is the son of one of ladies whose blog I read. They're followers of God and have already seen Stellan be born as a miracle baby. Please pray that he would be healed, if God so wills. Thanks! (By the way, you can click on the picture below to go to his mom's blog which she is updating about his condition. You can also read his whole story there.)

-Jenn