The Weekend in Review

Last weekend was VERY busy.  It all began on Thursday night with Ian's birthday celebration.  We went to Kobe and then out on Dickson to celebrate with him!  Lots of fun was had, and of course we didn't even make it in until around 3 a.m .  Needless to say, Ash and I were incredibly tired for our classes that next morning!  

The birthday boy, and Ashley.

The girls came and met up with us after dinner.  

Left to Right:  Ashley, Me, Katie, Tressa, Amy & Kim

My handsome date, Andrew.

Of course Ian had to spoil the picture.

I can't believe in a little over a month, these two will be Mr. & Mrs.  I love ya'll so much and CANNOT WAIT!

Then, on Saturday night Andrew and I went to an engagement party for his friends Pat & Katie at Powerhouse.  It was so much fun, and I really enjoyed meeting all his friends although I will admit I was incredibly nervous beforehand :)  Afterwards, we went to Sideways where we met up with a few of my friends and then ended the night way too late at West Inn.

Overall, the weekend was great but I was a little tired come Sunday morning!  Oh well... I can sleep when I'm dead ;)

Cherry Grove Beach Pt. 2

Taylor, so excited to be on vacation!

It's weird to think about the fact that I've known this boy since he was about 6 years old and a complete handful.  12 years later, we're still friends.

My "little" nephew isn't so little anymore.  He makes me feel so old!

This was right before Kyle wiped out on the skimboard.

My gorgeous, and very pregnant sister.

This was after waiting 2 hrs for our table.  Not fun at all.

Right before I had to fly back home :(

Cherry Grove Part One

Last week my family went to South Carolina to meet up with my absolute favorite family in the whole wide world-The Torino's for family vacay.  We have known the Torino's for a long time and I've practically grown up with their boys, Tammy is like a second mother to me.  So needless to say, I was beyond excited when I realized that I could fly down there to meet up with everyone for a couple of days.  Here are some pictures in review that I stole from my sister's camera, since I haven't uploaded the ones from mine yet... don't worry, those are soon to come.

Our house for the week, on Cherry Grove Beach.

Shortly after arriving, My nephew, Hunter, my sister, and I

The boys, being...well boys.

Words cannot describe how much I adore these guys and how much I love them.  Seriously, they have grown up into the most incredible men and they adore me, I'm one very lucky girl!  Not to mention, Taylor will be my future husband ;)

I was tired, and very ready for dinner.

Me and Mom after a long day of flying/driving.

Our cabana boy for the week, Kyle (also known as Shannon's boyfriend)

My beautiful and very pregnant sister.

Oh, how I love her!

In case you can't tell...we're sisters.

Family game night :)

Sooo excited about the shark the boys found!

To be continued...

Funny

This is what we do in grad school.... we find hillarious videos and share them with the class. Enjoy :)

Schools Kill Creativity

This is an amazing speech on creativity in schools and why we must educate students differently if we want to see a prosperous future. Watch it if you have time!

Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity | Video on TED.com

Busy Little Bee

Right now I am a tad bit overwhelmed, so forgive me for the lack of blogging/creativity.

To explain, here's what I've got going on right now:
MAT Classes
UPII Lab (I'm retaking the lab so I will be better prepared to teach Physics in the Fall, my CP2 lab didn't do much for me)
Research on Fish Resistance in the Gulf following the Oil Spill.
Studying for the Earth Science Part of my Praxis 2.
Finishing my online World Literature Course
Finishing my online Psychology Course

Whew!  You might not here from me for a while, but when I'm back I'll be in FULL swing :)

Fourth of July Weekend Recap

Since I am SO slow at getting pictures uploaded on my computer, here is a recap of last weekend:

I drove down to Little Rock after I finished my final for Botany in Ft. Smith.  Tressa, Paula, and I met up for lunch @ Browning's in The Heights.  For anyone who isn't familiar with Little Rock, The Heights is an historic section of downtown Little Rock.  It is filled with gorgeous old houses and most still even have slave quarters in the back.  Amidst all the old homes there is a shopping district that houses unique stores and restaurants.  Next time you're in town, you should make a visit!  It was great getting to catch up with Paula since I haven't seen her in years.  Paula was Miss Arkansas and my pageant coach for many many years while I was competing in the Teen Arkansas system.  Not only was she a great mentor to me, I consider her a friend.  I also babysat her daughter, Aubrey, beginning when she was 3.  Aubrey is 10 now.  Makes me feel old!  After going through a horrible ordeal, Paula married the most wonderful man last year.  Her happiness is contagious and she is such a great example to me.

On Friday my family went out for a celebratory dinner to Texas Roadhouse.  It's one of my favorite restaurants, they have the most incredible rolls!  We were celebrating the fact that I am finally starting my masters program! Woo hoo!  

My sweet, sweet Grandparents.

The fam! Minus my older sister, Natalie.

On Friday night, my baby cousin Stayton came over to spend the night!  I figured it was the perfect opportunity to have a play date with my best friend Summer and her little girl, Greenlee.  It was so funny!
Are we really in this phase of life already??

Of course, it wouldn't be complete without a picture of me and my favorite little girl... Can't believe how big she's getting!  She said her first word on the 4th of July and of course it was Mama (she's definitely a Mamma's girl and a spitting image of Summer at that!)

These little ones made me realize that I will be waiting a LONG time before having any of my own!  It's impossible to carry on a conversation with 2 babies in the room! Haha

The rest of the weekend was pretty low key.  Mom and I did a lot of shopping in preparation for our beach trip to South Carolina.  We took a drive down to Chenal in order to visit the new "Charming Charlie".  IF you haven't been to this store, it's a MUST!  Especially if you like accessories like me!  We also went and saw Eclipse.  I must say it was a lot better than the last two movies.  My mom seems to be Team Jacob and it's so funny to hear her explain why she thinks Bella should choose Jacob over Edward.  My mom never ceases to crack me up!

Not Jenny from the block.

One of my teachers insists on calling me Jenny.  Nevermind how much I tell him that I do not like the nickname "Jenny" and that he may call me any other nickname he thinks of, he still calls me Jenny.  Oh well, he's funny so I guess I'll let it slide.

Great News... I got an A on my first official graduate paper!  Now, I have been called a great writer and a terrible writer.  Never anything in between.  Either you love my writing style, or you hate it.  I'm also a very passionate person about causes that I believe in, in particular teaching and reaching out to "high-risk" students.  My paper was about creating a classroom environment that promotes equality and is conducive to learning.  At the end of my paper my teacher wrote this:

Tell me the truth.  Do you really believe what you are writing?

Well... yes.  I do.  I truly want to make a difference in the lives of teenagers, I know it sounds cliche but that's just me.

Oh and let me just say that I don't appreciate having students in my class who have degrees in Creative Writing.  It really creates an unfair advantage!

"Bringing order to chaos...That's your new job description"

It's only my second day, and already I absolutely LOVE grad school!  I mean, seriously.  Now I enjoyed undergrad, don't get me wrong, but I also found a lot of un-necessaries that were always required of us.  I enjoy learning and studying, but I absolutely hate tests.  Guess what?  In graduate school, you don't have tests.  How great is that??  My dad had told me that I would enjoy grad school so much more, and of course I took what he said to heart, but honestly I just thought it would be a continuation of undergrad.  Nope.  It's great.  I would encourage everyone to find a graduate program because I just love it that much!

Of course, it is incredibly time consuming, and I do not have much free time.  But I'm enjoying what I'm doing.  Class is so fun, and I feel like we are learning things that are crucial for our success as teachers.  Today in class my professor, who is one of the program heads, told us just how much he enjoyed having us in class and how glad he was that we made the decision to take a year out of our lives for this program.  He said that he knew we could have all gone straight into teaching, but we choose to do the MAT.  I do not regret that choice.  I am SO GLAD actually that I choose not to apply for that job and continue my education.  I feel like I am going to be so much more prepared entering my first year as a teacher than I would have going into it straight out of college.

One of the greatest things about the program is everything we do, we can use in our classrooms!  Our professors truly are the greatest and they make us master copies of everything they use so we can use it too! How awesome is that?  I am so incredibly thankful that I am in this program, it is such a blessing!

Today we had a "rules" brainstorming session in one of my classes.  Freeman asked us to take out a piece of paper and write down our classroom rules.  It was neat to see how different each teacher's rules were, and I could definitely point out the teachers that the students would not like.  ha.  He also made suggestions for us based on his own teaching experience.  Let me tell you, this guy is great.  I absolutely LOVE his class!  He gives us so much valuable knowledge for how the "real" world of teaching is.  I feel like I will be forever changed as a teacher by having him in class.

So, long story short. I am loving the MAT program.  So much in fact that I am possibly thinking about even getting my doctorate so I can be a professor in the program!  It's still a long ways away... but we'll see!

First Day

Top quotes from my first day of grad school:

"please raise your hand if you plan on teaching math or science. Congratulations, you're very hireable. As for the rest of you... You're screwed"

Mr. Freeman: is this yalls first graduate class?
Class: no, you're our second for the day.
Freeman: dang it, I wanted to take yalls graduate school virginity, now you're just whores.

"Some of you will feel like you're being thrown in the trenches, well you are."

"teaching either keeps you really young or makes you really old"

"procrastination=death"

"it's better to be stuck in the middle of a boy fight than a girl fight. Boys will stop when you yell at them. Girls don't. They don't hear. They don't see. They are just thinking of one thing.... Death"

How do you define success?

Ok so I found these random questions online, and I really liked them.  So I decided that occasionally I will post one on my blog and answer it for myself.  But I also want YOU to post in the comments section your answer to the question, because after all, everyone is unique and thinks differently!

So here's the first one:

To me, success is having the ability to lay down at the end of every day knowing that you have loved truly, laughed your hardest, and done your best for that day.  It's knowing that tomorrow is a new day to start again.  Success is knowing when you are wrong and apologizing or trying to fix whatever you have messed up.  Success is understanding that God is in control and we are NOT.  Therefore, success is not attempting to change the past but learning to accept the present.  Success is finding out what your passion is in life and pursuing it with everything you have.  It is loving deeply and fully, even if that just means loving your dog.  Success is celebrating in other's joy and weeping during their sorrows. Success is not material possession or fame or notoriety.  It is being the celebrity of a kindergarten class, or the pride and joy of your parents lives.  Success is in the small things, in the details of life that many people overlook.  This is to truly succeed.

COHEN

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.