I heard this song today and absolutely loved it! Thought I'd share it with you all too :)
What do you think of it?
- Jenn
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
This Week's Events
A lot has happened this week. This past weekend (the 11th and 12th) was a busy one. On Friday night we went to Allentown because Josh had drill on Saturday. We got to stay in a hotel that night, which was nice to get away. Saturday, as I said, Josh had drill. He was up bright and early to do his Combat Fitness Test (CFT). I slept in. By the time the CFT was over, it was afternoon. We headed out to a park to enjoy his unit's annual Family Day. It was a gorgeous day outside and a really nice family day. It was definitely the best one I've been to.
After Family Day, we headed up to my parents' house for the rest of the weekend. On Sunday we celebrated my nephew's second birthday. It's so hard to believe that he's already 2 years old!
Here's Josh after Family Day
After Family Day, we headed up to my parents' house for the rest of the weekend. On Sunday we celebrated my nephew's second birthday. It's so hard to believe that he's already 2 years old!
His 3D Thomas cake
Playing with the train table that we got him for his birthday
On Sunday night we headed home after a busy, but nice weekend. Then the week happened. Both Josh and I worked most of the week (of course he worked more than I did). Also, during this week (after a series of events) we decided that we're going to be looking for a new place to live. We can't stay here much longer than we need to now. So, we're officially apartment hunting (which I've found out isn't very fun). Hopefully we'll find one very soon.
Besides what I've mentioned, there's not much else happening here. It's been a long, busy week and I'm sure glad that it's the weekend! Hopefully it'll be a relaxing one.
- Jenn
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Dateable
Even after being married for over two years, I still absolutely LOVE going on dates with Josh! This past Saturday was a "date day" for us. We went to a local diner and had lunch together. Then we went to a local pet shop, That Fish Place/That Pet Place. It's honestly one of the most awesome pet shops I've ever been to! There's a whole reptile room, a small animal room, a room with pets to adopt from the local humane league, a stingray petting pool, and then a huge room filled with all kinds of saltwater and freshwater fish. To me it's like going to an aquarium for free. So, needless to say, we enjoyed our time there looking at all the animals and just being together. It's great to stay "dateable", even when you're married. Here are a couple pictures from our day out. Hope you enjoy!
- Jenn
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Roller Coaster Rides and Country Roads
Roller coaster rides and country roads... you may be wondering what in the world the title of my post means. Well, read on to find out....
People always say that life is like a roller coaster ride. It's full of ups and downs, twists and turns. Well, whoever came up with that analogy was right on. Life definitely is like a roller coaster. On a roller coaster, you slowly go up the hill and it's super exciting. You get to the top of the hill and it's amazing. You're excited about everything, things are great. You're ecstatic to be up there. Then, all of a sudden you drop and you drop fast. You're at the bottom - lower than you realized you were going. Your stomache's in knots and your head is spinning. But before you know it, your headed back up a hill. You don't have time to think about what's going on. You just hang on tight and go with the flow of the ride. You might scream. You might cry. You might close your eyes and tell the person next to you do let you know when the ride is over. Then all of a sudden you come to a stop. You get off the ride and are so thankful that you made it through. You stagger down to a bench and sit down, slowly letting yourself unwind from the experience that you just had.
To me, life truly is like a rollercoaster - although more intense. Actually, life's like a series of rollercoasters that are ridden right in a row. You experience the "ride" - the slow uphill climb, the joy of being on top, the sudden drop to the very bottom, the quick ascent back up, the whips around the corners, and the turns that lead to the end. The "ride" stops. Then all of a sudden it starts back up again. You don't have time to get off and unwind. You're going through it again.
In life, the joys come (the uphill climb). Things seem to be going wonderful - God's pouring out His blessings and things are wonderful. You think to yourself, "Can this get any better?". You're at the top, the tip-top of the hill, and you don't realize what's coming ahead. All of a sudden bad things come your way and you drop faster than you knew you could. While you're dropping you're having second thoughts, wondering if you can just get off the ride. All of a sudden you're at the very bottom and it seems like it can't get worse. Then you're suddenly going back up - you know this is the better part of the ride. As you go up, the bottom is a distant site. The bad things are history. However, you get back up and realize there a loop and a twist in your plans ahead. Then there's another dip. Then you're back uphill and downhill and "BOOM!" you come to a stop. Whew! What a ride life is...
I hope you're following my analogy, the analogy that's been floating around in my head. It may be slightly confusing, but I hope it's not. What do you think? Do you think our lives are like a series of rollercoasters? Or perhaps our lives are more like a windy, country road....
Think about driving on an old country road at night. There's twists and turns. There's deer running out, obstactles of all sorts. There's the occasional drizzle or perhaps the downpour. Then a clearing comes into sight. You can see and drive perfectly fine. All of a sudden the road gets bumpy. Your car is being jerked around and you're starting to feel sick. However, after a few bumps the road is smooth again. You drive through the night and soon the morning comes and everything clears up. You can drive comfortably and see better. It's much better and much easier.
People always say that life is like a roller coaster ride. It's full of ups and downs, twists and turns. Well, whoever came up with that analogy was right on. Life definitely is like a roller coaster. On a roller coaster, you slowly go up the hill and it's super exciting. You get to the top of the hill and it's amazing. You're excited about everything, things are great. You're ecstatic to be up there. Then, all of a sudden you drop and you drop fast. You're at the bottom - lower than you realized you were going. Your stomache's in knots and your head is spinning. But before you know it, your headed back up a hill. You don't have time to think about what's going on. You just hang on tight and go with the flow of the ride. You might scream. You might cry. You might close your eyes and tell the person next to you do let you know when the ride is over. Then all of a sudden you come to a stop. You get off the ride and are so thankful that you made it through. You stagger down to a bench and sit down, slowly letting yourself unwind from the experience that you just had.
To me, life truly is like a rollercoaster - although more intense. Actually, life's like a series of rollercoasters that are ridden right in a row. You experience the "ride" - the slow uphill climb, the joy of being on top, the sudden drop to the very bottom, the quick ascent back up, the whips around the corners, and the turns that lead to the end. The "ride" stops. Then all of a sudden it starts back up again. You don't have time to get off and unwind. You're going through it again.
In life, the joys come (the uphill climb). Things seem to be going wonderful - God's pouring out His blessings and things are wonderful. You think to yourself, "Can this get any better?". You're at the top, the tip-top of the hill, and you don't realize what's coming ahead. All of a sudden bad things come your way and you drop faster than you knew you could. While you're dropping you're having second thoughts, wondering if you can just get off the ride. All of a sudden you're at the very bottom and it seems like it can't get worse. Then you're suddenly going back up - you know this is the better part of the ride. As you go up, the bottom is a distant site. The bad things are history. However, you get back up and realize there a loop and a twist in your plans ahead. Then there's another dip. Then you're back uphill and downhill and "BOOM!" you come to a stop. Whew! What a ride life is...
I hope you're following my analogy, the analogy that's been floating around in my head. It may be slightly confusing, but I hope it's not. What do you think? Do you think our lives are like a series of rollercoasters? Or perhaps our lives are more like a windy, country road....
Think about driving on an old country road at night. There's twists and turns. There's deer running out, obstactles of all sorts. There's the occasional drizzle or perhaps the downpour. Then a clearing comes into sight. You can see and drive perfectly fine. All of a sudden the road gets bumpy. Your car is being jerked around and you're starting to feel sick. However, after a few bumps the road is smooth again. You drive through the night and soon the morning comes and everything clears up. You can drive comfortably and see better. It's much better and much easier.
Perhaps life is more like that? As we go along the "road of life", we encounter the twists and turns and obstacles. We never know when they're coming because we can't see around the next bend. We also encounter the storms, times where we have to do all we can to be able to see through the rain and stay on the right path. We have to work hard to keep our focus on the road ahead and our ultimate destination. Sometimes the "road" is bumpy and other times it's a smooth ride. Sometimes it's dark and rainy, and other times the light is bright. The good times are there and so are the bad times. However, the bad times (the darkness) seem like nothing once the good times come (the light).
What do you think? Are our lives like a rollercoaster or a country road? Or perhaps life is kind of a mix of the two? All I know is that, whether on a rollercoaster ride or country road, the ride is always challenging and sometimes scary. But in the end we always look back and say "Wow, that was worth it!" or "Wow! That wasn't as bad as it seemed."
So, whatever we're going through in life - whether we're on the bumpy part of the road or on the uphill climb of the rollercoaster, we can be assured that in the end it'll be worth it. As long as we keep our focus on the ULTIMATE goal and purpose - the Lord Jesus, the ride will be worth it. Also, it's comforting to know that no matter how scary the ride gets, He's right beside us holding our hand the entire way...
- Jenn
Friday, September 3, 2010
Photo Highlights of Summer - Part 1
A lot happened this past summer, a lot of things which I didn't blog about. I figured it'd be easiest (and most interesting) to highlight my summer using photos, instead of babbling on about some of the things that I did. So, here is the first part of my photo highlights of the summer of 2010. I'll describe each picture a little bit so that you know what's going on. Enjoy!...
In July, my friend Emily came and visited for a week from Vermont. We got to enjoy the whole week together, which was really nice. We spent some time with her sister, Becky, too. This picture was taken when we went to a petting zoo on Friday night.
At the end of Emily's week here, her boyfriend drove up from North Carolina to surprise her with a visit. He's in the Marines too, so he doesn't get to see her much. Josh and I got to spend the day with them and be part of the surprise. To get to Robert (the surprise) we took a hike that lead to an old tower. Robert was at the top of the tower waiting for Em.
My big brother got married this summer, August 7th to be exact. They had a beautiful backyard wedding and it was a gorgeous day. Their reception was the next day. Overall it was a gorgeous weekend and now I have a new sister-in-law, Abby. I'm so happy for them!
My niece and nephew came and stayed at our house for a week at the end of July/ beginning of August. We had a lot of fun with them and I think the kids really enjoyed it too! This picture was taken at Chocolate World, one of our many stops with them.
In July a few of us friends went away for a weekend to our friend Marv's family's lodge. The lodge is absolutely GORGEOUS and is up in the Northeastern part of the state. We had a lot of fun swimming, walking around, playing games, watching movies, and just relaxing together.
In July, my friend Emily came and visited for a week from Vermont. We got to enjoy the whole week together, which was really nice. We spent some time with her sister, Becky, too. This picture was taken when we went to a petting zoo on Friday night.
At the end of Emily's week here, her boyfriend drove up from North Carolina to surprise her with a visit. He's in the Marines too, so he doesn't get to see her much. Josh and I got to spend the day with them and be part of the surprise. To get to Robert (the surprise) we took a hike that lead to an old tower. Robert was at the top of the tower waiting for Em.
My big brother got married this summer, August 7th to be exact. They had a beautiful backyard wedding and it was a gorgeous day. Their reception was the next day. Overall it was a gorgeous weekend and now I have a new sister-in-law, Abby. I'm so happy for them!
Those are some of the photo highlights from my summer. Watch for part 2, which will have even more pictures of what went on this past summer...
- Jenn
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Thank You
I was watching YouTube videos by Ray Stevens yesterday. If you've never heard and/or seen him before, you MUST check him out. He has a lot of really good, meaningful songs. Some of them are really funny too. Anyways, this particular one caught my attention and I think it says it all...
So, THANK YOU to all those who serve! I wish I told you more often how much I appreciate what you do. But, I'm telling you now - thank you...
- Jenn
So, THANK YOU to all those who serve! I wish I told you more often how much I appreciate what you do. But, I'm telling you now - thank you...
- Jenn
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Our Life
Since it's been well over a month since I posted last, I figured I would update with a post about what's been going on in our life...
- It's hard to believe that today is September 1st! It seems like it was just May and we were preparing for summer. Now summer is pretty much gone. Kids are going back to school and the weather is cooling down (well a little bit). It's crazy how fast time goes by!
- Speaking of going back to school, I didn't get a full time teaching job for this year. That means I'll be substituting this year. I'll also be working on my resume and cover letter, trying to make it better as I apply for new jobs as they are posted. I actually don't mind subbing though. I kind of like the adventure and the unpredicatability of it. So it should be an interesting year.
- Josh was gone for over a month of the summer. In June he had his normal Annual Training with the Marines and was gone for 2 weeks. In August he was involved with another training exercise and was gone for 17 days. To say I missed him would be an understatement. I missed him more than I could have imagined! But, now he's home which of course makes me happy. Hopefully he won't have any more long training exercises in the near future.
- We celebrated our second anniversary in early August (right before Josh went away). It's hard to believe that it's been over two years already since I married my best friend! I do have to say that each day is better than the last and I fall more and more in love with my husband every day. It's great to be able to spend my life with my best friend. And, although there are challenges and trials, it's great to know that we have each other to go through them together. I'm looking forward to many more years with him!
- We went away for a little weekend away earlier in the summer. It was actually over the 4th of July weekend. Of course, with our luck, we both were sick with pretty nasty colds over the weekend, but that didn't stop us from enjoying our time with each other. We didn't go far from home. We actually just went to Allentown. We went to the drive-ins together and out to dinner on Saturday. On that Sunday we went to Dorney Park. Josh actually got in free because he was military, so that was nice. The park was definitely interesting, but we still had fun there. Then on Monday we just hung out and then headed home. It was a relaxing weekend and was our early anniversary getaway, since we knew we couldn't get away on our actual anniversary.
I can't think of anything else to write about from this past summer. I'm sure I'll think of more later. Hopefully you all enjoyed your summer as well and are enjoying the cooler weather!
- Jenn
- It's hard to believe that today is September 1st! It seems like it was just May and we were preparing for summer. Now summer is pretty much gone. Kids are going back to school and the weather is cooling down (well a little bit). It's crazy how fast time goes by!
- Speaking of going back to school, I didn't get a full time teaching job for this year. That means I'll be substituting this year. I'll also be working on my resume and cover letter, trying to make it better as I apply for new jobs as they are posted. I actually don't mind subbing though. I kind of like the adventure and the unpredicatability of it. So it should be an interesting year.
- Josh was gone for over a month of the summer. In June he had his normal Annual Training with the Marines and was gone for 2 weeks. In August he was involved with another training exercise and was gone for 17 days. To say I missed him would be an understatement. I missed him more than I could have imagined! But, now he's home which of course makes me happy. Hopefully he won't have any more long training exercises in the near future.
- We celebrated our second anniversary in early August (right before Josh went away). It's hard to believe that it's been over two years already since I married my best friend! I do have to say that each day is better than the last and I fall more and more in love with my husband every day. It's great to be able to spend my life with my best friend. And, although there are challenges and trials, it's great to know that we have each other to go through them together. I'm looking forward to many more years with him!
- We went away for a little weekend away earlier in the summer. It was actually over the 4th of July weekend. Of course, with our luck, we both were sick with pretty nasty colds over the weekend, but that didn't stop us from enjoying our time with each other. We didn't go far from home. We actually just went to Allentown. We went to the drive-ins together and out to dinner on Saturday. On that Sunday we went to Dorney Park. Josh actually got in free because he was military, so that was nice. The park was definitely interesting, but we still had fun there. Then on Monday we just hung out and then headed home. It was a relaxing weekend and was our early anniversary getaway, since we knew we couldn't get away on our actual anniversary.
I can't think of anything else to write about from this past summer. I'm sure I'll think of more later. Hopefully you all enjoyed your summer as well and are enjoying the cooler weather!
- Jenn
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