Our girls

Last night we had our sweet college girls over to Marsha's for supper.




Here's where the whole thing went down.


You know there is nothing better when you are off at college than getting to go to someone's REAL LIVE home, that houses a REAL LIVE family, where they cook REAL LIVE home-cooked meals.


As you can see by my girl Kayla's face (the one with the food), they were EX.CI.TED.


Our friend Tara (the one on counter) also came over to eat, although she is not in college. She is an old fogey like us, but she works with our girls in campus ministry. Plus she is funny and she will refill your tea at any point in the meal.

We keep her around for obvious reasons.

We all had so much fun sitting around eating, telling stories, and laughing.


Stories ranged from new workout regimens (I had nothing to share in this matter), Marlee's recent prom (it was so fun re-living it), and bachelorette party antics (I had some stories to contribute that will never be shared publicly on this blog). The list of wonderfully random topics goes on and on.


Homegirls ate it up! And I'm not just referring to the delicious meal - and I'm not just talking about the college girls. An extremely enjoyable time was had by all involved.

It has been such a fun semester with these sweet women of God, and Marsha and I just love them to pieces. We have deep sadness in our hearts that they are all dispersing for the summer.

Why do they have to leave us??

I definitely think they should make it mandatory for college students to be in school year-round. I am especially in favor of this now that I no longer live in the world of education.

Seriously, aren't they sweet?


Slash Funny.


Slash darling.


From the top (left to right) we have Emily, Anna Kelley, Ansley, Lyndsay, Becca, Kayla, Meghan, and Kami.

My favorites are Emily, Anna Kelley, Ansley, Lyndsay, Becca, Kayla, Meghan, and Kami.

:-)

Isn't she lovely?

I have always been partial to the famous quote, "It isn't truly Spring until one goes to Prom." ~Author unknown/not real.

Once one gets old, this quote is null and void of course. UNLESS you know a cute little high school junior who will let you come over and live vicariously through her.

Thankfully, this is the situation I find myself in.

And this past Saturday was the Big Day of Promness.

Here is Marlee. Be aware that as you scroll through these pictures of her that you will want to hate her. She is too pretty for her own good, but we have to love her despite that.


Thankfully she is quite enjoyable and even more beautiful on inside.

Saturday was a fun day, and it all started with hair, make up, and pictures in the yard. It is great to have a mama that is a photographer during times like this.


Marlee and her date, Rob.


This is my fave from the Marsha Prom Collection.


Second place goes to the hair shot. Check out those surprise braids! We didn't have those back in my day.


Spectators at the house included Marlee's protective older brother, Justin, and his friend, also named Justin. The Justins were ready to take down any inappropriate suitors.


There were even more spectators/photographers once we moved locations. This picture makes me laugh.


All the pretty couples.


And here is my man, Zach. He is a personal favorite.


Oops, busted.


I love this girl.


After every parent filled up his or her memory card, the kids loaded up in the biggest limo ever created by man. It was about 20 feet tall and stretched as far as the east is to the west.


Then they were off to eat in Savannah, while the parents went home to download their pictures to their computers. That way they'd be ready when the kids actually made it to Prom a few hours later.

Here are Mar and Rob making their grand entrance/showing off their dancing skillz.



It was just funness all around!

La la la la life goes on

While playing outside in the dead heat of April, it is sometimes fun to surprise one's older brother with the steady flow of icy cold water.


Please note that once the brother turns his back out of shock, cries of "STOP WEEE-UUUHHLLLL" may ring out. Around here we "unofficially" encourage the hose holder to press on. Now that the victim's back is turned, he is defenseless to the frigid H2O (this can be very entertaining).


It is entirely possible that later, The Boy Who Got Owned by His Baby Brother might take out his aggression on his dog, who obviously has a strong feelings of unresolved hatred toward the hose.


After giving the pup a nervous breakdown, the Big One may attempt to entertain his beloved babysitter by reenacting the scene that just unfolded. He will play the role of Scorned Canine.


Always one to be easily amused, this will most certainly cause her to also throw her own head back and laugh loudly and obnoxiously toward the sky. High fives will then be distributed all around, as those involved realize just how enjoyable a Sunday afternoon can be when spent with the funny ones ya love.

One more video because I love ya'll

It's official. I want to move to Britain. I love these people!

If you get a couple minutes, click the link below so you will agree and we can move there together.

The YouTube I've Watched 3 Times

(Thanks to my dear Megan Seabolt for the link! And to my other friend, Megan Tree, you will especially enjoy your cute pal Simon in this one.) :-)

Happy Saturday!

Fridaaaaaay

As I was putting on my make-up this morning, I was thinking to myself about how now that I am working full time, I am so much more appreciative of weekends than I used to be. Then I started to think about how that actually might not be true because I distinctly remember some DEEP gratitude for weekends when I was in college.

Then I cast my tired eyes over to my bed and visions of sleeping in danced about my head.

It was in that moment my decision was made - I definitely love Saturdays and Sundays now more than ever.

But don't be fooled by my exhaustion. It is not because I am not enjoying myself in corporate America - take today for example...it was great!

Work was a bit insane, but in a good way. I am all about some craziness because the busier it is and the more that happens in the office - the more I get to learn and experience. The end of the training portion of my employment is drawing near, and in efforts to not have a mild heart attack once that occurs (and I am like, you know, responsible for stuff), I say bring on the crazy! Bring on the learning!

Just make sure you are also bringing on the FRIDAYS. That's all I ask.

After work I ran a couple errands and then met up with my girl Brittany who is in town for the weekend. I like her. She is funny and she invites me to go get pedicures. These are key elements of Friendship.

As is agreeing to allow a friend to take random pictures of you in public places.


Because that is not embarrassing at all.


Bri and I split up after our toes got happy, and now I am back home relaxing for a bit. I just called Mama to see if she might want to go to a late movie, and she of course answered an immediate yes. I'm not sure I even got the whole question out before she agreed. I really don't think that crazy woman has ever turned down a movie invite - at least not since I've known her. :-)

So in a little while we are off to support my other "Friend" and his new movie.

Ahhh yes, I do so love the weekend - hope ya'll have a great one!

AFTERdark = Full of Light

I beg to differ with the person who said nothing good happens AFTERdark.

(The following 3 pics are by the awesome Marsha) :-)

I have concluded through my personal experiences (namely the fun one I had last night), that there is MUCH goodness to be found AFTERdark.

Especially when God, a clear and cool night, funny friends, a great speaker, and Dave Barnes are directly involved. :-)

Allow me to excite you as I have been excited

Overall excitement

There is a secret ice maker at work that contains the REALLY good type of crushed ice. Similar to Sonic's (pictured here).

It is an unwritten rule that should anyone venture to this location to obtain a cup of ice - they must also carry cups full back for everyone.

I benefit from this greatly, and I feel like this unofficial rule should be written into law. It's principles have definitely already been seared into my heart.

Yesterday's Excitement

I was home alone last night because my family was out of town visiting my brother. Around 6 I got a call from my grandmother.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Jenna....(long pause)"

"Ma'am....."

"This is your grandmother."

(Silent LOL moment erupts in my brain). "Um, yes. Hey, Gram."

"Honey," she said, her tone very serious. "I was just calling because I realized you are home alone tonight and wanted to tell you that you KNOW you are welcome to come spend the night over here."

"Aww, Gram, that is so sweet. I think I'll be ok though."

"Well...." she began, still very concerned. "Are you sure you will be alright? Have you ever stayed by yourself before?"

Oh, Gram. How cute can you be??


That conversation pretty much made my day. And all I can say is thank goodness I've had the last 6 years of living on my own to help me ease into being alone last night.

Tonight's Excitement

I would just like to once again prove my point that hanging out with college age people totally pays.

Tonight at GSU, many of the ministries on campus are hosting something called AFTERdark.

Joe White will be there.


And the awesome Dave Barnes will be gracing our ears with his presence.


Marsha was telling me about it last week, and I mentioned that "a guy named Dave Barnes is singing..."

I'm pretty sure my reaction was, "I'm sorry, wha? DAVE BARNES?!?! Coming here?!?!"

My joy was complete.

This Weekend's Excitement

My buds Bri & Earle are coming into town!

Brittany wrote on my Facebook wall earlier this month - "coming in to town the weekend of april 17 so write it in your planner! love you ;)"

Girl knows me. And you better believe it was immediately penned down with glee.

Miscellaneous Excitement

I recently came across this picture Ash put up on Facebook from Easter.


I'm pretty sure you can guess my feelings on this matter. :-)

Hope you have an exciting Wednesday!

Youtube Tuesday

I hung out with Marsha & The Gang last night, and M kept telling me about this video I HAD to watch.

"Seriously," she said. "You will love it."

I was mildly interested at that point knowing that one of Marsha's favorite pastimes is making me watch the world's most random youtubes. You can never be sure what your eyes will view on the screen of her computer. I've laughed, I've cried, and on more than one occasion I have have informed her that she is, in fact, a nut.

"Seriously," I've told her on various occasions as she has laughed uncontrollably. "You're not right."

At some point last night we finally sat down, and I clicked my way to meeting Susan Boyle - a woman who recently auditioned for Britain's Got Talent. The Play button was hit, and within a few moments my mouth dropped to the floor. Have ya'll seen this?

Once I picked it up my grill, we proceeded to watch the video countless more times. Marsha was right - I LOVED IT. Click on the link below Suz's pic to see why!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxPZh4AnWyk

"Seriously," I would like to tell Susan. "You GO GIRL."

Happy Tuesday!

Family Reunion

My grandmother is one of 9 brothers and sisters. And every year for the past 30ish years, the 9 siblings and their families have gathered together for a good old fashioned family reunion.

And you know what that means.


Oh my word, down home southern cooking DOES NOT PLAY.


Saturday marked another year to reunite, so we spent the day catching up and eating all manner of good food.

We chatted it up with family we hadn't seen since last year, and laughed and joked with some of our favorite kinfolk.

Take my grandmother and her sister, Ruby, for example.


Their hilarity knows no bounds.


My uncle, Ashley, flew in for the festivities, so it was great to get to see him.


Deb's prayers for the presence of her favorite dessert showing up on the sweets table were answered. Deb + Chocolate Delight 4EVAH.


There was a crazy hat contest and some singing and dancing. What is a reunion without it?


I got to spend some time sitting across from my crazy grandmother...

...and next to my funny daddy.


Great way to spend a day!

Easter greetings

The other night while I was hanging out with Ashley and the boys, I was presented the highly esteemed honor of being named Bath Time Coordinator. While the boys splashed and laughed, I settled down on the rug in front of the tub - my back leaning up against the wall and a big smile on my face.

It took about 2 seconds for the "TELL US A STORY" choruses to ring out. (Somewhere along the way that has become a tradition - Bathtime = Storytime). And because I am very creative, I usually make them give me a topic in which to story.

I was not surprised that within about 2 seconds of my request, the subject of the Easter Bunny was proposed (we like to make our stories relevant to upcoming holidays).

Thus the story, "The Time The Easter Bunny Lost All His Eggs," was written out loud right there on the bathroom floor.

After I got finished, I decided to quiz the little fellas on the REAL meaning of Easter.

"So who here in this tub knows the real reason we celebrate Easter?!?"

"I do!" Will exclaimed immediately.

"Ok, Bud, let's hear it."

And with big brown eyes twinkling, huge smile across his face, and hands outstretched in the air as if he had just won the biggest prize in the history of the world he yelled...

"Because Jeeee-sus came backta LIFE!!!"

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead..." 1 Peter 1:3

Happy Easter!

A great Thurs right before the Good Friday

I realized around Tuesday that I had gone JUST about as long as I could without seeing Ash and the boys. The new and improved, crazy schedule has not lent it self to babysitting and/or visiting as of late.

(This pains me all the way down into the depths of my inner being.)

A text message was promptly sent to Ashley earlier in the week which said something along the lines of "MUST SEE YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN."

So yesterday evening that is exactly what I did.

And can I just say, cute as ever.

Actually, I'm telling you a story.

They were cuter than the last time I laid thine eyes upon thy mugs.

Laughter and love abounded, and my inner being was restored.

It was so good to see them and hang out for a while. Chatting it up, laughing at the boys' antics, and finally playing Pass the Camera in order to document the night o' fun.

Pics by Ash. (She has a way of capturing the joy.)


Pics by Jenn (I have a way of capturing their talents.)



Pics by Will (He has a way of capturing candid human expression, hearty laughter, and furniture.)




Pics by Brannen (He has a way of capturing pure silliness, intense love, and snacks.)




Man, I love 'em.

A Good Friday indeed

"No pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown."
~William Penn~

Some things that have been happenin

1. Risk takin

Yes, it's true. On Tuesday, I took a risk.

Let me be clear that by nature, I am not a huge risk taker.

Skydiving? Um, no.

Bungee jumping? Um, why would I do that?

Wearing shoes that I knew were manufactured in the Devil's footwear factory? Um, yes that's me.


Marlee gave me these cute shoes the other day because they hurt her feet (a key point that was later overlooked). I took them off her hands and wore them to church that following weekend. The pain was instantly noticeable, but pretty manageable since I only had them on for about an hour and a half (with 90% of the time spent sitting).

Then, in a complete lack of judgement, I decided to wear them to work.

After half a day, 6 blisters, and the loss of my will to live - I realized I had made a mistake.

I seriously considered cutting off my feet after concluding that that would be less painful.

:-)

2. Money-makin

I am still going strong and working along. But just so I'm not misleading, the promotion I mentioned in the last post was, in fact, just the removal of my Scarlet Sticker. No raises were involved, but it is highly prestigious, and I will say - I have been walking a little taller. Which is good because normally I am only 5'3".

3. Dinner partakin

Tuesday night I met up with my college girls for dinner. They are so cute. They were cooking meatloaf and we all brought sides.

While it would have been fun for me to make something yummy, that is just not who I am at the current time. I did, however, put a lot of thought into where to purchase some mac and cheese.


Oh the Uncle Shug and his Chicken Barn. How I love them. Even though sometimes Shug lets live chickens run free behind his building thus ruining my chicken eating experience.




The food was so good and we had too much fun sitting around the table laughing and telling stories. Loved it.


Kayla ended the night by showing us a fun new way to burn off all those yummy (and very much worth it) calories.


All while reading our book! These women never cease to dazzle and amaze me.

4. Email re-crankin

I have been using my UGA school account since I graduated last May. I am not sure why I didn't switch to a new one once I was no longer in school, but I feel mostly it is due to procrastination issues as well as trying to make things as hard as possible.

I got an email from the school a couple days ago that stated, "Your email account will be purged one week from today."

Well, well. Don't sugar coat it, UGAmail.

Because of this, I have been going through a bazillion emails trying to organize and delete and forward my account to my hotmail.

Side note: From now on, I can be found at exclusively at jennamtyson@hotmail.com (Holla at your leisure). :-)

5. Bed unmakin

This new schedule has forged a deep bond between me and my bed. I get so happy at the end of each day when we reunite. While I still wait til way to late to do so each night, it has become one of my favorite parts of the day. It's the little things, you know?

Well, that's about it! Now it's time to get this Thursday shakin'!

Tueday nights are where it's at

For the past few months, Tuesday night has been reserved for hanging out with our college Bible study girls.



I have professed my love for them on a few occasions, and that love has only grown as the weeks have moseyed on by.

What is not to love about these cute gals with their sweet hearts?



And their funniness.




And their weirdness. I especially appreciate the weirdness.


And we've just about got them all saved.


Kayla is still exploring, but we are praying for her.

As for tonight, Marsha (our fearless leader) is out of town for her kids' Spring Break - so we children are fending for ourselves. She will be missed greatly, but I am very excited because after work I get to magically turn back into a college student.

I knew if I wished hard enough this day would come!

We are meeting up at some of the girls' apartment for some supper and fellowship. If that won't bring back memories of Roommate Dinners gone by...


...I don't know what will.

And just like in the days of yesteryear, I'm sure there will plenty of sweetness and funniness and weirdness.

Oh and food - which leads, of course, to happiness.

Quick update

I'm sitting on my bed right now under a blanket with my work clothes still on. My peep toe heels from Walmart were tossed off the moment they walked inside, despite the fact that I had an in depth conversation with myself earlier about how they were the most comfortable shoes I have ever purchased.

I have clean clothes that need to be hung up, a list of people I want to call, and a Special K protein bar that is asking me to eat it. I plan to give in to it's request, but wish to pair it with a Diet Coke - and that will require a trip up the road.

Also on the to-do list - breaking this blog hiatus I have found myself in! I find that sometimes, I lose my blog groove. It's an interesting phenomenon. I'm going strong, and the next thing I know, 189 days have passed. Or you know, 7. But it feels like more.

I blame the current groove-loss to the craziness of life these days - which, coincidentally, I am loving. The last couple of weeks have been long and good. Busy and fun. Full of work, full of play. Full of getting used to my new gig and being blown away at how much I am enjoying it and how much God is already showing me through it.

It is quite fun, and I am quite thankful.

It has been a lot to process and get used to, but I think the adjustment phase is slowly coming to a close, and I am really getting this whole working thing down. I am still doing orientation/training type stuff BUT (get excited) I am no longer a Scarlet Dotter!

2 weeks in and I already got a promotion. Life is good. :-)

Ok, I'm off to get my drink and settle in for some DWTS. Good night, all!

Baby Love

See below for a glimpse into my very favorite part of yesterday.

Specifically speaking - this child's irresistible neck region.

Interesting Fact: It has been scientifically proven that Baby Double Chins contain 100% sugar.