My Newest Discovery

If you look on the hand side of the blog, my newest discovery is that I could add the videos (well, 4 out of 5) that Cary worked so hard on! Of course, Chester is the focus of most of these videos, but in our opinion, all are entertaining none the less.

Of course Cary is always trying to find other videos to put together, and YouTube has my favorite, a montage of pictures from our honeymoon. It makes me nostalgic every time we watch it! If you are interested, go to www.youtube.com and type Chestmutt into the Search box. Enjoy!

All I Can Say Is...

Wow!

The ice storm has hit us. Because of this, Melissa, Jon, Cary and I decided not to attempt to go to the Stars game last night, and I have to say as bumming as it was to watch the game on tv, I am relieved we decided to stay in. Right at 8:00 we heard the sleet come in and it was starting to stick pretty quickly.

On a side note, yesterday afternoon there was quite a show of Cardinals in the field behind our apartment. I have seen the occasional cardinal, for some reason this field in Las Colinas attracts numerous of these birds...and they are gorgeous!

So Cary and I locked ourselves into the apartment last night, played a game of Hoopla and UNO Attack, and watched the movie Merry Christmas (or Joyeaux Noel) for a little bit, and then tuned into the game.

And no worries--Cary brought home hot dogs for lunch, and he got his fill of them!

And this morning as I am typing this, Chester is happily chasing his tail (blissfully unaware of the slippery crazy situation outside) and I am watching the news reports, where they are focusing on one particular street on the freeway in Ft. Worth and watching the vehicles slip, slide and getting stranded. Cary had to be into work at 10:00, and my group at 12:00.

What a way to spend a day and a half!

It's Finally Here!

Cold weather has finally blown into Dallas! We have been experiencing off and on cold weather all winter here, some days being 30-45, and the next being 60-75 or higher...I know that a lot of people love the pleasant weather of 60 or higher, but IT'S WINTER TIME!!!! It's supposed to be freezing and icy and snowy!!!

Now, I can understand the frustation people are facing up north, I mean, they get a ton of snow and ice, especially this year. But here in Texas, just a bit of ice or snow, and the whole Metroplex shuts down!

Welcome cold weather, and stay for a while!!!

**UPDATE**--ok, so I spoke too soon. I look now, and it looks like the ice and wintery mix is moving away from us... now I'm bummed. I was so looking forward to it!

Oh yeah...and check out Cary's most recent video on youtube. Chester loves to play tennis! Just go to http://www.youtube.com/ and search the keyword Chestmutt. Enjoy!

Pink Lemonade

Why the title Pink Lemonade? Well, twice last week in the same day the words Pink Lemonade were mentioned twice. For some reason, I wanted to use it as a title for some sort of blog. Which one? Let's see. How about one with random facts about me? Sounds great--and pretty random!


I see this quite a bit on the blogs I read, so I decided to give it a try myself. Some people write the same number of random things as their age, but I'm not sure if I can come up with (cough, cough) 26...so we'll go for 10 and see where it goes from there...

1) I love to read. Mostly fiction, because its neat to get lost in a different world now and then. My favorite books have been the Harry Potter series (mostly book 4 and 5), and I have read each of them at least the same number that they are in the series (Book 1=1 time, Book 2=2). Well, I say that, except I have only read book 6 twice and 7 once. But Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix have easily been read 4-5 (or more) times!

I have most recently read Marley & Me and I am going to be starting John Grogan's new book soon. And Cary and I are reading the Bible and Chronicles of Narnia together. By the way--I am ALWAYS up for suggestions!


2) I don't have one favorite song/movie/tv show/... If asked "If you were stuck on a desert island with 1 movie to watch for the rest of your life, what would it be?" There is no way to pick just one of: Wall-E, Forrest Gump, Pirates of the Caribbean, Lord of The Rings...
Favorite song/artist? Depends on the genre; Christian? Um...again, can't narrow that down, but Chris Tomlin, The Newsboys, Chris Rice, Barlow Girl, and SuperChick top the list; Oldies? The Monkees; Rap? EASY--Nothing! :o)

3) I'm slightly picky with food. I'll try new things, but I'll want to know the ingredients beforehand. I'm getting better, though. A co-worker brought up some dip on Tuesday, and I dipped a Ritz in it...before you knew it, I had eaten 4 Ritz's worth and was going back for more!--and I still don't know the ingredients! I am not the biggest fan of raw veggies, but LOVE cooked brocolli. And tomatoes--don't touch them. Unless it is in the form of sauce for spaghetti, pizza, ketchup. Tried a real tomato once, and it was actually pretty good. But still don't want to eat them... Also, when I find something I like (like Indian's Butter Chicken), it is very difficult for me to try something new and different!


4) Going back to music: whenever I hear the song Cherokee Nation by Paul Revere and The Raiders, I get this swelling deep inside me. I'm about 1/4 Native American (Blackfoot, Cherokee, and Choctaw), but for some reason I feel 100% Native American when it comes on the radio. Like I want to dress up in the traditional dress and dance around a fire calling for rain (and the Lord knows we need it!). There's a feeling of pride, deep inside.



5) I love to write. And a lot of people say I'm good at it (as in the blog). But I have written several fictional stories through high school and college, but have yet to share with my best friend and confidant, Cary. Not that I'm nervous of what he will say (ok, maybe just a little...), but its something that is on the back of our minds, and we have more important things to read together now (the Bible and Chronicles of Narnia). Maybe someday he'll read them and say that they are the greatest things EVER, and you will find them published and on the Barnes and Noble Top Sellers List...



6) Not a big fan of talking on the phone. The most random part of that is the fact that I do that for a living. I take several calls daily from State Farm Agents and their staff and help answer questions. Before this job, I really could only be on the phone for a short period of time, or if it was during the wonderful courtship of my hubby...but now, I'm sorry if I don't call you for a period of time. I love you, I do, but NOT ANOTHER PHONE CALL!!!

Along the same lines but REALLY weird to me: women who are chatting on their cell phones while in the bathroom stall...

7) I love to watch wedding shows. I don't like attending weddings (I just am not really big into the dressing up/being proper/dancing thing), but I love to watch the big glamorous things on tv in the comforts of my pyjamas. And sometimes deep down I wish I were more girly when it comes to big dresses and decorating, even in daily wear, but then I realize how much time and effort it would take, and I'm happy being me again. Who's up for Who's Wedding Is It Anyway and Bridezilla?



8) Dream careers that I have had at one time or another: Vet, Doctor (Pediatrician, Physical Therapist), Psychologist/Counsellor (still my most realistic preference and I want to someday pursue), Bakery Owner (Have you SEEN the great cakes Cary and I make?!), Minister, Artist/photographer (yet I draw stick figures only so-so), and Fashion designer (which is the weirdest, considering I have not one ounce of fashion sense!)




9) I really like Ugg boots. But just not enough to spend $150 on a pair just yet. Waiting to be in colder weather where they might actually come in handy, as opposed to this crazy Texas weather that is 70-80 degrees one day and 45 the next (the forecast for this weekend in fact!)




10) I like kitchen utensils/gadgets. I have yet to use some of the ones that we received for our wedding, but I am always excited to go into Crate & Barrel or Bed, Bath, and Beyond and just gawk at the amazing varieties of items. I mean, who could live without onion goggles or 4 different styles of Mezzalunas?! How easily could I cause trouble with them!...someday I'll be the next Chef Duff or Martha Stewart...

While awake last night between Chester potty-breaks, I had thought of several other possibilities to write about. But I finally did go back to sleep, and so when I remember them, I will set them aside for a future blog or more...

Alright--now it's your turn! I love to meet and get to know new people, so if you happen to read my blog, let me know some fun, random things about you, whether through email or your own blog! And if I already know you, do it as well. But try to think of things I didn't know before...you'll see that it might not be that easy! (good thing I'm a 10 yr old at heart!)

**all of these images were found on Google Images. I do not in any way, shape or form, claim them to be my own, but thank those who did the hard work so that we can appreciate them!

A Very Touching Story

This morning I was listening to Kidd Kraddick In The Morning. While Kidd is not the greatest DJ in the radio world (Jay Fox is!), he does have some very good stories to share. Check out his website. I got the below story from his blog:

http://www.kiddnation.com/

I truly hope that I can inspire my kids to be like this story:

This story is real. It was written by the talented Rick Reilly of Sports Illustrated and it inspires me every time I read it:

High school football is big in America, but I suppose there is no place where it is bigger than in Texas. Friday nights there are legend.The fans scream; the stands are packed; cheerleaders with pom-poms jump and sway to the beat of the school band and everybody joins in the chants and stomps their feet on the metal stands until you are sure they will collapse.

This is the frenzy of Texas high school football. But there is one football team in Texas that is a little different. When they play on Friday night, their stands are empty, no band, no cheerleaders, no mass of parents or townsfolk wearing the school colors and waving banners and flags. They take the field without anyone cheering them on. When they score a touchdown, which rarely happens, there is no wild celebration behind them…

All of it seems hollow and muffled in contrast to the tidal wave of roars and drums and chants that come from the opposing side.They are the Tornadoes of the Gainesville State School, a fenced, maximum-security facility. The young men who go to Gainesville State are there because they have made some major mistakes in their lives. But the players who are on the team are there because they have worked hard and have earned enough good behavior points that gives them the privilege to leave the facility and play football on Friday nights—always an away game for them—always a home game for their opponents—and almost always a loss.

They don’t have a weight program or training equipment or high-paid coaches and assistants. They don’t have a large pool of players to draw from. The school has 275 boys, but many are too old or too young or can’t or don’t meet the “criteria” to play. And they don’t have the support of a town and a mass of parents and family and reporters and bands and cheerleaders.That is, until November 7th. Something changed.

They played Grapevine Faith Christian School. A few days before the game, the Gainesville coach, Mark Williams received a call from Faith Christian coach, Kris Hogan, asking him if it would be okay if Faith formed a “spirit” line for his team when they ran on the field. Mark said, “Sure, that would be a real encouragement to the kids.” He thought that the line would consist of a couple of the JV cheerleaders, but when they took the field, there were a hundred people in it and it stretched to the 40-yard line, filled with Faith Christian parents, fans and varsity cheerleaders, complete with a banner at the end for them to burst through that read “Go Tornadoes!”. And then, those parents and fans sat in the stands behind the Gainesville players and when the Tornadoes broke the huddle and went up to the line they could hear people cheering for them, by name.

When they got a first down, “their” fans erupted.You see, coach Hogan had sent an email out to the Faith Christian parents and students asking them to consider doing something kind for these young men, many who didn’t know what it meant to have a mom and dad who cared, many who felt the world was against them, not for them. Hogan asked that they simply send a message that these boys were “just as valuable as any other person on earth.”

So half of the Faith Christian fans were now sitting on the visitor’s side of the field, cheering for the Gainesville team, and in some cases, against their own sons. Cheering for a team decked out in mismatched old uniforms and helmets. Cheering for boys who wouldn’t go home that night and have a smiling dad slap him on the back and feel his mom put her arms around him and say “I’m so proud of you son!” Cheering for the underdog.

This was a Friday night like no other for the Tornadoes. In the locker room, the players were confused. “Why are they cheerin’ for us, coach?” “Because, men, they want to encourage you. They want you to know that they care about you…that you have value.”

Coach Williams said the boys were stunned. For many of these kids, it may have been the first time that anyone had shown them, so visibly, unconditional love.They were down 33 to nothing at the half. Williams encouraged his team to set a goal for the second half: to score a touchdown against this vastly superior team. And when the boys from the State School took the field again, with their fans cheering them on, everything started to click. And they did score. Not once but twice.And the fans went wild.

Coach Williams was asked what the bus ride was like on the way home and he laughed and said that they were all asleep—their bellies were full. That’s becuz after the game, the parents brought a whole bunch of food over to the guys: hamburgers, fries, candy, sodas…and included in the meal sack was a Bible and a personal letter of encouragement from a Faith Christian player.

But then, he said, they formed a line for us out to the bus. And the parents patted them on the back and said, “Nice game” and “Look forward to seeing you guys next time.”As they left the field that night, Coach Williams grabbed Coach Hogan and said to him: “You’ll never know what your people did for these kids tonight. You’ll never, ever know.”

Home Sweet Home...

http://www.linkvermont.com/

Look at this site--is Vermont not beautiful? If you click on the Photos link on the left side, choose any town you want to view. And, I know that there are jaw-dropping gorgeous pictures on Google Images. Check it out!

Woodstock, VT was the location of our perfect honeymoon. It is a very picturesque place, and very much a perfect town to establish a family. Manchester was one of the towns we visited while there, and it has quite a bit of charm itself (not to mention a SOX store!!!).

(Sigh)...Someday I hope this will be our home....

The Excitement Of Tennis...

With 2 adults and a dog.

So tonight Cary and I decide to break in my brand new tennis racket and get some well needed exercise (I did not go hungry or unspoiled for my birthday!). So we loaded ourselves and Chester into the car and drove off to the local park here in Las Colinas.

Fortunately, no one was in the single court, so we snagged it quickly. I think Chester was in heaven!

As Cary and I lobbed the balls around, Chester would run as fast as he could, just hoping for an opportunity to catch them mid-air. When Cary or I would mess up (and with our talent, that was not often....HA!), Chester would jump in and scoop the ball up into his mouth, and just run around with it, chasing the next ball we were goofing off with. Just as the next one was out of our reach, Chester would again swoop down, drop the one in his mouth, and pick up the one boucing the energy out...

We walked away with only 1 'incident', which I was expecting at any time. I hit the ball, just right, and it flew over the net, towards Chester. And THUNK, it bounced off of his head. Actually, it happened so fast that Cary and I couldn't really tell if it hit Chester, he could have ducked his head in expectation, but if it did, he healed quickly, continuing running to grab the next opportune ball.

After keeping me up during the night with restless energy (and a crazy dream), Chester spent the day at daycare, chasing the vacuum cleaner, and then running a lot at the tennis court. I am quite sure that Cary and I will get a peaceful night's rest tonight.

Taking A Moment...

I would like to take a moment and recognize this very historical day in history. Besides the fact that 31 years ago today I came into this world, today marks the beginning of a new, exciting, and scary change in the United States.

Today we welcome Barack Obama into the seat as the newest leader of our country.

I will be the first to admit that I know absolutely very little about politics. For me being the person I am, I easily get pulled in separate directions. "This candidate makes a very good point, but so does the other..." So I stay out of any political things; at least for now. Who knows what the future might bring!

And above I mention scary because for the last 8 years, we could ALMOST predict what President Bush did. However, with ANY new president, we are faced with unfamiliarity and adjustment to change. Not to mention the change in political views.

So today I lift up the Obama family in prayer; for God to guide them, for God to help them in the protection and development of our country, and for God to keep them healthy and safe for all time.

I don't know where the next 4 years will take us, but I do pray that the slowly disentigrating barrier between races comes crashing down. I never like or dislike someone because of the color of our skin, and I find that I like most people that I meet, regardless of the color of their skin.

Let's (as in America) make the decision together to move forward and make our country TRULY great!

Thank You Better Homes And Gardens!

For giving me this GORGEOUS idea for my new vase! I'll be looking for more ideas in the future!

The Weekend Jennifer Made Off...

Like a bandit!!!

Oh what a wonderful weekend I had!

Being 2-3 days before my birthday, my families decided to have the celebrations this weekend, so that way there was more time to have fun and enjoy 'my day'.

On Saturday, it was dad's birthday. Cary and I originally had the idea of going to Ft. Worth, picking up Grandma J, and going to either the Ft. Worth Japanese Gardens, or Ft. Worth Zoo. When the weekend approached, though, mom had a pinched nerve, dad was swamped with work, and the Ft. Worth Stockyards were starting, beginning with a parade. We decided that it was not to our advantage and will try again on another day. But Saturday was the most beautiful January weather!

So the plan changed: after church, mom, dad, Cary and I went to El Chico for dinner, and then settled down on the couch to watch Master and Commander, which Cary and I got on Blue Ray disc for him. The effects (mostly the churning ocean) were so amazing!

My parents decided then to give me my gift because they weren't sure if they would see me on Tuesday or not. It was a pair of sox (and for those of you who don't know, my flat--footed feet LOVE fun sox!) and a digital picture frame, which is PERFECT for me because I have a lot of pictures I want to display, but very limited space at the apartment. I'm so excited to get it up and working!!! Even Cary is excited about it, and has uploaded the first set of pictures and videos...

On Sunday, Cary and I went to his parents' house, where I was surprised with a decorated kitchen (streamers and balloons everywhere!). Lunch consisted of 'Cheese Stuff'--my favorite casserole dish right now, and for dessert--yummy strawberry cake!

After eating and with Cary's 'begging', I opened up my gifts from the McFadden family:

A gift card to Kohls from Brad, Faith, and Helen

Hangers from Brenda and Gary to *hopefully* finish up our closet (all wood)

An external hard drive also from my favorite in-laws for my laptop so I can upload my music cds and enjoy my music

And a tennis racket from Cary so that we can get exercise in other forms than just walking (now if we can just find a court that isn't always occupied!!)

One of my favorite things about the Sunday celebration was that Chester discovered balloons. While I DO NOT advocate putting balloons in the mouth (if it bursts it can cause suffocation in anyone's mouth), I was quite entertained when Chester tried so hard to put his mouth around the balloon to carry it around--only to be surprised when it burst...he turned so quickly and tucked his rear end in and ran!

I truly don't deserve all of this, and I am so thankful for everything that my family has given me. I'm so excited to put all of this together and put it to use, but I know that when I look at everything I have been blessed to receive, I will feel even more blessed to have the incredible family I have.

Growing up, my parents always made sure I got what I wanted (but maybe not deserved), and now, the blessings continue!

Thank you, my incredible family, for loving me and making sure this birthday (though I refuse to admit I'm over 26) is so special!

Memories...

2 years ago, actually yesterday, Cary and I went on what was our first date. We visited 7 Salsas in Coppell, where we sat for about 2-3 hours, just talking and getting to know each other, one on one.

This was a first for us. We had been out with our Home team several times, out to dinner (including Mi Cocina and Razzoos), and to the movies (Pursuit of Happyness), but we had never been alone.

We had just started chatting on IM nightly, but this was so much more special because we were together. And let me tell you, I was nervous! I was witty and funny on the instant messenger (2 muffins were baking in an oven...) but how would I do without a keyboard to hide my true self?!

Well, the night ended with a hug (and he's a great instructor...) and then we went our separate ways, just to go home and jump on the computer for more chatting...yeah. I liked him, just a little. ;o)

The next morning I woke up to an icy day, and with the bad weather came the decision not to go to school because I would have to cross over the Lewisville Bridge--which is bad enough in normal weather! But it didn't take long for us to find out that the campus was closed to inclimate weather anyways.

I was sitting on the couch in my robe, soaking in the joys of not having to be anywhere when I received a text message: "It's snowing!" It was Cary, and so I picked up the phone and called him. I couldn't help but smile as I talked to him and then remembered the wonderful time we had the night before.

I spent some of the time on that day driving around to grocery stores looking for my dad a Red Velvet cake (2 years ago today it was his birthday--yeah, ironic!). Though I never did find one for dad and we settled for a marble cake, I was on Cloud 5 (WAY too early to be Cloud 9...).

As I drove around, I called my friend Beth, and told her about the wonderful date I had the night before, and how I liked this guy Cary. Whoever knew that 2 years later, I would be enjoying a relaxing Saturday with him, as a family, with our dog lying peacefully on the floor soaking in the sun?!