The Point of No Return

It has happened.  I have reached the point where I can not shove one more piece of information about the wonderful world of Biology in my brain.  Seriously.  Studying makes me want to throw up.

I have 5 tests in the next 2 days all on the wonderful subject of Botany.

Now as much as I love flowers, this is taking all of their beauty away from me.  Who cares about the life cycle of a pine?  Or why a peach is called a drope?  Did you know that anything with seeds is actually considered a fruit?  Yep, a cucumber is a fruit.

That is the extent of my knowledge in the field of Botany.  Lord help me when I actually have to teach this stuff.

It is so hard to study when I know of the fun that is to come over the next few weeks.  

UGH.  Undergrad.... I'm done with you!

Friends Don't Let Friends...

First of all, I apologize if I stepped on any toes.

Well, actually I don't.  But I hope we're still friends.

I was thinking today about the statement "Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk".  Now this one is a no brainer, but I think there are a few other things friends shouldn't let friends do.

• Friends don't let friends wear outfits that make them look pregnant, if they're not.  Boho tops... they just don't look cute on everyone, it's ok.
• Friends don't let friends date dead beat guys.  Be a pal, tell her he's a loser.
• Friends don't let friends eat an entire bucket of icecream alone.  That way, you can both feel guilty later and justify your actions to each other.
• Friends don't let friends post bad pictures on facebook.  Wait... Friends don't post bad pictures of their friends on facebook... for long.  Ha!
• Friends always tell friends that yes, they do look like they've lost 5 lbs and yes their boobs do look bigger.
• Friends always try to run over friends' ex-boyfriends with their car.  It is not a felony if no one sees and he deserved it anyways.
• Friends should never be the DD.  If you're having a good time, I wanna have one too!
• Friends don't let friends make fools out of themselves...more than once.  (Everyone needs to be brought down to earth every once in a while)
• Friends don't let friends skinny dip alone.
• Friends ALWAYS tell friends of embarrassing stories that happen to them.  Can't keep a good thing to yourself!
• Friends ALWAYS are on the look out for single guys for their single girlfriends (umm.. Hint Hint)
• and lastly, Friends are always friends even after you have yelled, screamed, attempted to fight (ha), called either other every word in the book, and swear to never talk to each other again

Why?

Well because good friends only come around once in a lifetime, and we all know our lives are too short without a few crazy girlfriends!

Here's My Rant

Warning:  This is only intended for girls who are single (i.e not married).  These things totally do not apply to you married women :)


You know when you were little and you used to play "house".  You would spend hours pretending to clean, make dinner, and take care of your baby dolls.  Well... there's a new type of "house" girls are playing these days and it's not so sweet and innocent.  Let me introduce you to the 21st Century version of "house".

You know who you are.

You're the girl who spends every night at your boyfriends' house yet still turns your nose up at people who live together and aren't married.  You think you're better than those people and somehow not sinning because YOU are waiting until you get married to live with your boyfriend.  HERE'S A NEWS FLASH:  You ARE living with him.  Just because your clothes still remain in your closet at home doesn't mean anything.  So you no longer have a right to be so dang judgemental of the girls who live with their boyfriends when in fact YOU ARE DOING THE SAME THING.

You're the girl who cooks her boyfriend dinner.  EVERY.  SINGLE.  NIGHT.  So much in fact that he has come to expect it.  In fact, you're just Mrs. Betty Crocker around here.  Must be so nice for him to come home to a home cooked meal every night.  Oh wait, but you pay for all those meals don't you?  And who cleans up after dinner.... you.  What does he do?  Oh... he's too tired from his LONG day of classes.  That's right, I get it.

You're the girl who goes over to his house and does ALL of his laundry every week.  Never mind the fact that he knows how to do laundry.  You do it, because somehow it makes you feel good about yourself.  Like, you can take care of him.  Just like his mom.... Oh wait, you don't WANT to be like his mom?

You drop EVERYTHING at a moments notice to spend time with him or cave in to his every whim and desire.  Oh you were supposed to have dinner with a girlfriend?  Too bad, HE is more important.  You needed to study for a final?  Nope, HE needs his dinner cooked.

All in the name of love, my dear.

Girls.... seriously.   Get a grip.  Playing "house" isn't going to make your man want to marry you any sooner.  In fact, it will probably only postpone marriage.  Why on earth would he choose to marry you when you already provide him with all the benefits of marriage?

Let's teach the women of our generation to be independent.  Wait... let me change this.  Let's teach the MEN of our generation to be independent.  You are not helping them by acting like their mothers.  Trust me, they have mothers for a reason.  Show yourself respect and act like a GIRLFRIEND.

I'm not saying you should never cook dinner for your boyfriend, or do his laundry if he seems to be really stressed and overwhelmed, and when you're in love with someone you definitely want to spend a lot of time with them.  I'm simply saying that you still can love a person and not loose your independence or self worth.  He will love you no matter what, and if he doesn't, then I'd say get rid of the creep!

Cheers to the girls who've got it right.  Now, take one of the ones who doesn't under your wing and teach her a thing or two about the world of dating.

Love

Sometimes when we get so sucked up into our own pity parties it only takes a few good friends to remind us that life is in fact NOT about us.  Wow.  How often I seem to forget that.  I get so sucked up into my own life that I forget that there are people out there who are hurting and who do not know Jesus and who just need someone to show them to Him.  Life is in fact NOT about me, but rather about trying to show God's love to as many people as I can in as many ways possible.  It's in the small things: taking a friend coffee, smiling at a stranger, teaching a children's Sunday school class...

So, the challenge today is.  Who can you show love to?

Funny

Here's a quick funny story...

The other night I was at yoga (the class that was so hard I thought I was going to die), well at the end of every yoga class you are supposed to just lie on your back and cool down.  Then you're supposed to move into a fetal position and then slowly sit up (so you bring your body temp back down and don't pass out).  Well I was so wiped out that when we moved into fetal position I fell asleep.  Haha I woke up maybe 5 minutes later and quickly set up.  My teacher was just staring at me laughing.  Yea... I'm definitely the top student in that class.

Monday Funday....

To say that yoga kicked my butt tonight would be the understatement of the year.  I've never taken it on Monday nights before and so I had a different instructor, who proceeded to do close to 50 minutes of standing poses.  Oh.  My.  Gosh.  My legs feel like jelly, and my bad ankle is screaming at me right now.  And of course I can't just sit down when my leg starts to hurt but I tell myself I need to "work through the pain".  Yea... stupid idea Jennifer.  I have never been more ready for a yoga class to be over with as I was tonight.  Miserable.  Yet completely addicting at the same time.  Yes, I will be back on Wednesday to torture myself some more.

This is my Yoga teacher.  She's incredible!  Maybe that can give you an idea of how intense tonight's class was...  Maybe one day I'll be that good (Wishful thinking..ha)

One thing that I do enjoy about yoga is the opportunity to only focus on the positive and release the negative energy into the yoga mat.  Haha I know I sound pretty crazy right now, but sometime you should try it.  It really brings everything about your day into perspective.

I'll leave ya'll with this quote, it's one of my all time favorites by the always classy Audrey Hepburn:

Life

The only thing I know that I want out of life is to truly make a difference in someone else's life.  I want to make such an impact on someone that their life would have not been the same if they never met me, more importantly, my Lord.  The problem is... my desire to make a difference often gets clouded with thoughts of my own comfort, my security.  I'm constantly in conflict with my own desires for my life and what I know God's desires are for me.  

As little girls, we grow up thinking that after college you get married to Prince Charming, buy a house with a white picket fence, have children and live happily ever after.  Thank goodness, God never sticks to the stereotypes, I never liked picket fences in the first place.  What if it doesn't go in that order?  What if, after college you choose to move halfway across the world and Prince Charming doesn't show up when you think he should?  What if, after marrying the man of your dreams you decide to finally have a family only to find out that you are unable to have children, what then?  This is why God tells us not to follow our own plans, to simply trust in Him because He has plans for us.  

So no, my life isn't going according to the way I always planned it.  I'm not dating anyone, engaged, or planning a wedding.  In fact, those aren't even my desires right now.  I've realized that life is so much better simply relying on God to determine my next step.  Life is happening in those unexpected moments when you decide to drive halfway across the country on a whim's notice, when you're standing in the check-out line at Walmart and you see an old friend, when you're holding your best friend's precious new baby.  Life happens when you have cried so much that you have no more tears left.  It's when the man who you absolutely hated for breaking your best friend's heart is the one who makes her happier than she's ever been.  It's in the mundane and in the unexpected. It's in forgiveness, it's in compassion, and it's in grace. Life happens some random Tuesday morning when you literaly see everything you have flashing before your eyes, when you hear your Dad on the other end terrified of loosing his baby girl.  It's in these moments that you realize, it's not about you afterall.  It's all about Him, giving Him glory, showing His love.  

So... if His plans for you aren't as you expected, it's ok.  It just means they're better and more beautiful.  Trust me, I'm living proof.

Happy Father's Day!

Today I want to wish a Happy Father's Day to the two most important men in my life, My Dad and Grandpa.

My Dad is an incredible man.  I am so blessed to have such a great father and have a very close relationship with him.  One of the main things I remember growing up is that my Dad would always check me out of school at least once a month and we would have father daughter lunches where he would take me anywhere I wanted to eat.  He was at every pageant, piano recital, and game I ever cheered at.  He is a Lt. Colonel in the Air Force and so we moved all over the country growing up but I couldn't be more proud of him.  He is the most humble person you have ever met.  He's a bit of a hot shot up at the base because he once landed a C-130 that had 3 engines blown out by lightening.  This is UNHEARD of, yet he did it.  We never even knew about his notoriety at the base until my sister started working there and was told stories of how great of a pilot my Dad is.  He has always shown me an amazing example of what love is and what I should look for in a potential husband.  He loves my Mom unconditionally and would do anything for her, or me and my sisters.  Overtime I come home, my Dad always washes my car, changes the oil and fills it up with gas.  He always tells me that he loves me and how proud he is of me.  I love you Dad and I'll always be your little girl.

My Grandfather is the other important man in my life.  He is not technically my "biological" Grandfather because my Mom's Dad was killed tragically when she was only 19 years old, but you would never know otherwise.  I'm so very lucky to have Grandparents who are very involved in my life and whom I am extremely close to.  Growing up, Grandpa would always take me and my sisters to lunch and then to Target several times a year and we were allowed to pick out anything we wanted.  He always calls me just to tell me that he loves me and how proud he is of me.  He was at every single pageant, and piano recital.  He is a wonderful man and I am so thankful that he is a part of my life still.  It kills me to think about the day when he will no longer be here, and I cherish every moment I have with him.  I love you Grandpa.

As this day is a happy day for most, it is also a sad day for many who have lost their Dads.  I pray that if you have lost your father, that you will be able to cherish the sweet memories you have of him on this special day.

Meet the Love of My Life

I am supposed to be doing schoolwork, yet I can't seem to get motivated.  So I thought I would do a post on the love of my life (so far) Greenlee.  She is my best friend Summer's little girl and she is absolutely precious.  I hate not being able to get home more often than I do and feel like I am missing out on so much during her first year!

This was Summer and I at her baby shower last fall.  She was about 8 months pregnant here and just absolutely gorgeous!  We were very ready for Greenlee to get here by this time!

The first time I got to hold Greenlee.  She was not even a day old at this point and just so precious.  She was wide-eyed even from the very beginning!

Greenlee went on a girl's lunch with us one afternoon.  She's getting so big already!  Everyone in the restaurant was pointing and talking about how cute she was, I told Summer I was going to pretend she was mine.  Haha!

I never knew I would love her as much as I do!  Even though we aren't blood related, I'll always be her "Aunt Jen"

Blessed Redeemer

People can be so sweet and I still get asked several times a week how my leg is doing. I never know quite how to answer that question though, so I simply say that it is doing much better and that I have little pain since my most recent surgery. If I could truly tell them, sit them down with a cup of coffee I would tell them this...

Not an hour goes by that I am not reminded of my accident. Whether it is the stiffness I feel in the morning, the dull ache that comes with every storm, or the soreness I feel with each step I am constantly reminded that my body is not the same as it once was. But I will be eternally greatfull for those 5 breaks. Not a day goes by that I am not thankful for each step that I take. When I dread my workouts, all I have to do is remember the times when I so desperately wanted to but couldn't. I am so thankful for life and for my health.

I am closer to my family and am no longer apprehensive to asking for help when I need it. I am thankful for my independence, and for the strength that my mother has shown me. I am so thankful that I was able to return to school and finish my degree, mostly on time.

I will be eternally greatfull that God chose me to have this experience. I have learned that nothing is impossible with God. There were times when I simply needed Him to get me through the next minute and He did. He taught me so much in those months where I was on the couch. I grew up during that time, and I learned what was important in life and what wasn't. God revealed himself to me during that time in a big way.

So yes, my leg constantly hurts. But pain only reminds us where we have came from, and this is one life experience that was more of a blessing than a curse.

Whatever you're going through might seem like the worst possible situation, but know that God has already gone before you. He will never give you more than you can handle, and just when you're on the verge of giving up, the breakthrough is right around the corner.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

My Beauty Product Musts!

Everyone who knows me knows that I am a product junky!  The one thing that I spend a lot of money on is hair/skin/nails products.  I truly believe I can tell a difference when I am using good quality products!

So here are the top tools & products that I couldn't live without!

This is the Clarisonic Skin Care brush.  It's pretty pricey, but I finally broke down and bought one several months ago and I love it!  This brush makes sure my face is nice and clean and all of my products absorb much better.  It's definitely worth it's price.

I have become addicted to something I never thought I would like:  Facials.  They have dramatically improved my skin and Mary Linda at Glo is incredible.  To help keep my skin looking healthy in between facials she recommended that I use the Pomegranate masks by Murad.  I love them!  They are fairly cheap too (6 for $22.50).  You use one, once a week.  It makes your skin feel so healthy and clean.

I love Redken hair products, especially their blonde line of shampoos and conditioners.  My hair tends to get a bit brassy in between coloring, so I have their deep conditioner that removes all of the brassiness.  Plus these smell great!

I absolutely could not live without my Chi Turbo.  I can do so much with my hair with this thing and it has adjustable settings so you don't fry your hair.   I've had it for almost 3 years and it hasn't broken on me yet... That's a record!

I'm definitely not hairspray shy and Bed Head Hard Head hairspray does the trick for me!  It provides enough hold to all my styles yet isn't hard to wash out.  I have used this hairspray since I was in Junior High and don't plan on switching anytime soon!

Finally, I love me some OPI nail polish.  My mom has always used OPI and one of the first things we did the summer before I left for college was to build my own collection of OPI nail polish.  Now a trip to the mall isn't complete without a stop in Trade Secret to buy the newest color.  Although I am also quite fond of the colors ESSIE nail polish provides, OPI will always be my first love :)

A Magnificent Evening

This evening was the perfect ending to a gorgeous day.  I met with Jessica at Orange Mango for yogurt, then we ventured over to Wilson Park for Bible study.  We are beginning to work our way through Ephesians.  We read several verses and then discuss what we think it means, or any questions we may have.  I love doing this type of study, as I always love hearing other interpretations of verses that I have read many times before.  The main concept that we got stuck on was the idea of predestination.  Does God predestinate those who are believers?  In other words, did He choose beforehand those of us who would believe and accept Christ?  Or is this concept of predestination simply the idea that God knew beforehand which of us would accept and believe in Christ and who would not on the basis of free will?  This idea is so confusing to me, and really had us stumped.  We are going to do a bit of research this week, but if any of ya'll have any wisdom, we would definitely appreciate it!
Another discussion we had was about God's will for our lives.  I think so many times we are so consumed by the details that we miss the big picture.  I believe that God's will is simply for us to follow His word and commandments and to show others His love and grace.  How, or where we do this is merely the details.  Too often, we procrastinate doing His will by saying that we are waiting to hear from Him.  Honestly, I don't think it truly matters if we choose to go to India or China, to spread His love through Habitat for Humanity or by working in a Soup Kitchen.  The main idea is that we DO it.  That we show love, TRUE abiding love in Christ to every person we come into contact with.  That we seek wholeheartedly to follow Him and not worry about the details.  He will work those out according to His plans, just love God and love people.

To put a perfect finish on such a sweet time of study, as we were wrapping up we looked out across the lawn and there were hundreds of fireflies lighting up the sky.  It was breathtakingly beautiful.  It looked like glitter had been tossed across the lawn.  Jessica brought up a good point when she said "some things God created for us to simply enjoy".  The firefly is one of those.

Tressa's Birthday!

Aren't you proud I am actually posting some pictures on here??  I know, impressive right.  Well, they aren't my pictures, I stole them from Erin (I still can't seem to find my camera cord OR charger).  So excuse the quality of the photos, I'm not sure why they came out all grainy, they were taken with a very camera.  

Tressa FINALLY turned 21 last week.  She is definitely a young one.  We began the night by eating at Powerhouse.  It's a seafood place located right off of Dickson St. and they have amazing food!  I always love having a good excuse to go eat there.  After we were full, and probably had one too many Killowatts (their signature drink) we headed to Grub's so Tressa could make good use of her now legal i.d.  After making our rounds and seeing everyone at Grubs we decided to end the night at U-Know UNO.  It's a Kareoke bar on Dickson.  They weren't real crowded so we got to make full use out of the microphones.  We had so much fun!  I've got some pretty awesome flip videos of our amazing singing skills, but those will have to come another day.

So here is Tressa's 21st Birthday summed up in pictures!

The beautiful birthday girl!  Rick's Bakery did the cake (who else?) and I was pretty happy with the way it turned out.  It was strawberry on the inside.  SO good!

From Left to Right:  Amy, Me, Erin, and Tressa.  We go WAY back.  Amy, Tressa and I all competed in Miss Teen Arkansas together.  Erin is a former Miss Arkansas.  Now Tressa & I are babysitters for her precious kids Wheatley and Reynolds.  Erin was sweet enough to come to dinner and out with us afterwards and truly made Tressa's birthday night extra special!

I just love her so so much!  Tressa is truly one of the sweetest friends that I have and would go out of her way to do anything for you.  I am so happy that we are living together now! It's like having another sister.

This pretty much sums up our relationship in a picture.

Love these girls so much!  Oh, and Amy was 1st Runner-up at Miss Arkansas this past year and is going back this summer too!  We are so excited for her and can't wait to go watch her hopefully win :)  Then we will all get to go to MISS AMERICA in Vegas and cheer Arkansas on!!!

We were at U-Know UNO serenading Tressa.  Most fun place of the night!

Erin and Tressa had to do their version of "Love Shack"  They brought the house down!

One of the most amazing girls!  She truly lives to make a difference in kids lives and lives it out everyday.  She is a woman after God's own heart and such an inspiration to everyone who knows her.

On a Side Note

One more thought...

I would rather wait forever on the man of my dreams that be in a relationship where I am miserable and argue day in and day out yet "think" that I am in love. I would rather wait on Mr. RIGHT than have Mr. WRONG right now.

Just a thought. No I've never been in the type of relationship where I was completely miserable and I have never been the type to argue, I've just seen too many friends go through it.

No thank you.

Why I love Yoga

Here is what I love about Yoga (so far)...

I love how strong my body feels when I push myself just a little farther on a new pose.

I love how much I sweat, knowing that it's ok that I ate that Rick's cookie today.

I love knowing that I am putting myself out of my comfort zone and trying something new.

I love that Jessica is there with me so we can laugh at each other!

I love the quotes my instructor reads to us at the end. ("The prize is in the progress")

I love the feeling of complete relaxation at the end.

I love the addiction I feel for this new form of exercise... Everyone should try it!

Cars

I'm writing this blog as I am sitting in my incredibly interesting Plant Biology class (not). Every morning, I wake up at 6 a.m, get ready, and drive to Ft. Smith to then sit in the same classroom for FOUR hours. Now normally I love any type of science class, but this one is extremely boring. So... I bring my laptop and here I am!

All through High School I drove the cutest little white Jeep Liberty. I loved my jeep! Maybe it's because it was the first car I ever drove (by myself) but my friends and I always had so much fun and made so many memories in that Jeep. Well... the summer before I left for college, my parents decided they wanted me in a safer, more reliable car. Side note: My mom is a bit over-protective of me and was ALWAYS worried that I was going to flip my Jeep! Anyways... so after much looking we finally decided on a new Toyota Camry. I love my car! It's so fun to drive and fits me perfectly. Over the last year though, we have had nothing but problems with my car. Finally, we reached the last straw. I was driving to class Monday morning, and my radio kept turning itself off and on. I didn't really think much about it (except about how much it annoyed me) and kept on driving. I hit the middle of the tunnel and all of my power in my car cut off, and the speedometer immediately went to zero. To say that I panicked would be an understatement. I've decided that I'm not the type of person who would stay cool and calm in an emergency. So I'm still going 70+ miles down the interstate with no power. I call my dad, hysterical. He tells me to pull over and turn my car off. Then let it rest and turn it back on again. Thankfully, I had no more problems after that. I take it straight to the Toyota dealership when I get back in town so they could figure out the problem and fix it. OF COURSE, they couldn't find anything wrong with it. I do believe that's also what happened before all those people were killed due to acceleration problems. So we are fed up with Toyota and my Dad vows to never buy one again. I won't either. Now, I have my mom's car while they take my car back to the dealership we bought it from. It's been an eventful week and it's only Wednesday!

Now fast forward today as I am cruising down the interstate on my way to class. I have somewhat a heavy foot, and what do you know I get pulled over for speeding. I have NEVER been able to talk my way out of a ticket. NEVER. Today was not the exception. I got a speeding ticket. My first one in over four years. My eyes teared up as I pulled away. Not because I didn't want to have to pay the ticket, but because I felt like such an awful daughter for getting one in the first place. Seriously, my parents have had to deal with so much lately, they don't need any more stress! So I've been sitting here all morning telling myself that I am not a bad person just because I got a speeding ticket and that my parents won't be disappointed in me or think I'm a terrible daughter.

Let's pray the rest of the week is fairly sane.

Isn't It Ironic

"It's meeting the man of your dreams and then meeting his beautiful wife..."

No, I didn't meet the man of my dreams... nor was he married. But it is very strange to attend the weddings of friends and not even be dating anyone at the moment. To not be in love. To not know who I will one day marry. I tell you... right now, my future wedding day seems further off than it did when I was a kid. I know that God has a perfect man out there waiting for me, but I am growing so dang tired of waiting. I am being very impatient. The problem is, I know what it feels like to love someone so incredibly deeply that you would give your very last breath for them. I KNOW that kind of love, and to think that there is love like that --but better-- out there for me, is just too much to take in sometimes. I am so dang sick of waiting. And IF in my waiting... I am waiting on God to straighten my man out (whomever he may be) well let me tell you.... I will have a few words with my man when I finally meet him. I don't like to wait!

But in my waiting.... I know that God is changing me into the woman that He wants me to be. He's also teaching me some incredible lessons... allowing me to fall on my face every once in a while, and completely humbling me. He has given me the most incredible support system, and parents who are amazing. He is teaching me some painful lessons, and allowing me to make a few mistakes every now and then. He's showing me how to search for the rainbow admist all the storms. There will never be a more humble, thankful bride on her wedding day. On my special day, I want to stand at the end of that aisle, look at my handsome groom and know that it was all worth it. All the tears, the heartache, the sleepless nights, and stormy days. They were all worth it in order to find him--the man who will love me with everything I have and have yet to give. Who will love all my quirks and insecurities. Who will stand beside me through good and bad and be faithful to the end. Whoever that man is... I love you already.

It's been a while

My goodness it has been an extremely long time since I have posted on here! Almost a month! I have lots of exciting/stressful news to share... but that will have to wait a little while. Believe it or not I actually was going to post pictures on here, but I seem to have misplaced my camera cord. So I will post pictures of my month/semester in review another day.

I seem to have been slacking on my workouts lately, and that combined with my love for fast food and anything unhealthy seems to have me feeling very blah, along with a few extra pounds that I do not like to carry around! ha! So last night I dragged myself to a hot yoga class with the wonderful Jessica Smith. Let me just tell you that I have never sweated so much in my entire life combined. Oh. My. Gosh. I did not bring enough water to compensate for all the sweating I was doing. At one point, half way through the class I was just focusing on trying not to pass out (I didn't want to embarrass myself and be "that girl"). It was that intense. But then at the end we got to lay on the ground with our palms open and put cold washcloths on our forehead and it was pure heaven. I felt great afterwards! It's a great detox! We will definitely be going back again next week, this time with a liter of water AND a towel to wipe off with :)

My furniture finally came in! Anyone who knows me knows I have a love for decorating, and I love anything teal or aqua. My living room is now aqua with brown zebra and other patterns. I'm so in love with it! It's very peaceful, yet contemporary. My mother is going to be in town this weekend and she is helping me finish hanging things on the wall. Then it will be all finished and I will be one happy girl :)