Ready to wed

So how about that BIG wedding happening this weekend?


Um, no. Not that one!

This one!


I told Marsha last week that a really good way to not become obsessed with the Royal Wedding is to have your brother get married the same weekend.

Works like a charm!

Not to say I don't love the royal family (I do, very much) and not to say I am above any kind of media obsession and overall pandemonium (I like obsessions! I like pandemonium!). And also not to say that "TiVo Royal Wedding" is not on my to-do list (it's at the top).

But, we are in our own state of pandelerium around here, and there is only so much holy matrimoning a brain can take - so all of our wedding obsession is happily focused on these two lovebirds.


We are getting more and more excited as the weekend draws near!

I am probably signing off of here until next week - seeing as the to-do list beside me keeps multiplying by the minute.

And then next week we shall regroup, and I will begin what is sure to be the biggest, longest, most picture-filled, and word laden recap series of this blog's life.

Happy marrying to all!

Girls just want to have fun (and dogs and cake and games)

Thank goodness this beautiful, super model of a girl, Anna Kelley, had a birthday recently.




I didn't even know how much I had deprived myself of massive amounts of ice cream cake until a hunk landed in front of me the other night. How does Dairy Queen do it up right every time?

I know Phoebe looks like she is so serene and snuggly with me in this picture. Don't be fooled. She's plotting her escape and my demise. I just squeeze her tighter.


It was the night of the canine at Bible study. Carolyn brought Lucky, the absolute most precious well-behaved dog I have ever met.


And so obedient. I came downstairs at one point and Lucky was eating some unauthorized item. I thought it was a wayward M&M so I automatically pointed to him and sternly said, "Lucky. Drop it."

And I'll be danged if the dog didn't immediately drop it. I'm pretty sure that Phoebe has never followed ANY command I have ever given her. I ran upstairs to yelling, "Breaking news!"

I am pretty sure only Kayla was impressed with my story, but I kept giving Lucky commands for the rest of the night - I didn't even know what to do with this power.

And how about this little bug?


Greg's cousin, Howard, is in town and this is his dog, Baby. She is the smallest puppy I have ever seen. Interestingly enough, despite her size, she owns Phoebe every time they play/fight. Quite hilarious.

Becca is not an animal person so we made her pretend to love Baby. She is such a good actress!

All the pups. I love how Phoebe and Lucky are looking at Baby. Gotta keep one eye on that little one - never know when she'll sink her mini (yet extremely sharp and powerful) teeth in ya.


Thursday night was bittersweet because we finished our Kelly Minter study (No Other Gods). It is not ok that Bible Study is ending. Not ok at all.

How lame with Thursday night be without these faces to fill it?






After we finished up, I did a fashion show of some dresses the girls brought me to try on (rehearsal dinner business). After we settled that issue, the girls wanted to play Taboo.


It had been a while since I played, but I think my love for the game is still alive.


Love love love.


As always, Thursday night got a big thumbs up.

Engraved on His hands

I have to admit. When I woke up this morning, I did not immediately think about Jesus.

I thought about how I wished my alarm would hush, how I didn't want to get up, didn't want to work out, didn't want to go to work. I almost immediately thought about a sweet friend in a medical crisis.

I actually did think about Jesus then - as I prayed for her, her family, the situation, healing.

I didn't think about Him that much as I got ready. I thought about the potentially crazy day ahead, the tasks I knew were laying before me, and the to do list for the weekend.

Big Al left for work, and I did think about Jesus again at that point.

"Have a good Friday!" he called up to me. And then added, "Actually, have a good GOOD Friday." :-)

I didn't think about Jesus that much once I got to work. My mind was elsewhere as I managed the paperwork, answered the calls, went to the meetings.

I thought about the fact that it was Good Friday a couple times. I mostly thought about what a horrible person I was because I hadn't really taken the time to take in the meaning of this day. Wow, I'm disconnected, I thought to myself.

The knowledge of the day's enormity was just another thing going on amongst a million in my head...but I had yet to allow my heart to catch up.

It was in that moment - in the midst of the rising guilt - that I realized it. I realized that I was smack dab in the middle of the whole point of the day.

Yes, it's just another day of sinning around here for me (business as usual).

But it's a one-of-a-kind day of saving for Him (business supernaturally unusual).

And then...my heart finally caught up.

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

I'm glad to know that even when we're not thinking about Him...on this day so many years ago - we were the only thing on His mind.


Hope ya'll have a good GOOD Friday.

The Lost Week

The other night, I noticed Phoebe sitting on the stairs, pondering to herself.


I wondered what she was thinking about, and then I realized that, like me, she was probably wondering how many pictures were lying dormant in my camera from the first week or so of April.

How many pictures were stuck on my memory card and never quite made it to this little online journal?


Ponder no more, Phoebes.

The first pictures I came across were of an event I am sure Phoebe is trying to forget. This was from a night the very first of April (if memory serves, it was exactly April 1st).


I am sure the dog was hoping for a April Fool's joke when the bath idea was proposed.

Unfortunately, there was nothing to joke about when it came to how nasty she was. Even I could smell her. I did give her some cheese for her troubles.


(The irony of which is really just falling on me now as I look at the picture above and realize how closely Phoebe resembles a rat in her mid-bath state.)

On Saturday of that same weekend, Marsha and I went on a day adventure to Savannah - all in the name of love and beauty.

After a tearful 911 call from Marlee to her mom that morning concerning a very unfortunate contact-ripping incident, Marsha and I drove down to Savannah to take Marlee some new eyes.


She was in Savannah with a big group of friends for a fraternity formal on River Street, and lo the injustice of it all if a girl had to go to Formal with glasses on.

Here's the little four-eyed cutie herself.


If anyone could pull off the formal dress/glasses look it would in fact be Marlee, but we took pity on her, and Marsha and I were happy to make the journey.

And let it be known that we did so looking probably the worst we have ever looked. Neither of had showered yet when this emergency ensued, but there was no time to lose.

Marsha had on yesterday's makeup, my bangs were pinned up on top of my head, and my hair was pulled back in (what I believed to be) a half-way cute pony tail - I would later learn the cuteness was lost on others.

Needless to say, we stayed behind the camera and far away from as many humans as possible.

But, honestly we didn't mind the trip one bit. We are all over any excuse to see the girl, and we had fun visiting with her and her date, Johnny, who impressed us with his great personality and his above average intelligence.

Johnny, I still need to get with you about those stocks. :-)


Such cute children.

This was the picture I took as we were yelling to Marlee to turn around for one more photo opp (the river of course being the perfect back drop), but at that point she was pretending she didn't know us.


The next set of pictures make little sense.

A random lunch. I have always prided myself on making very beautiful salads.


And then this one from a rainy morning on my way out the door - I had a photo shoot with the 'stang.


It was to be her last morning in our driveway because after 15 years, Big Al sold the old girl.


This was my mom's dream car that she got when I was in the 6th grade and drove all the way up until the past year or so. I have many memories of riding around the Boro with the top down singing Mariah Carey's "Always be my Baby".

I will miss that old car, but as Mariah would say: it'll always be apart of me...and I'm part of it indefinitely.

On Tuesday of that week, I took off early from work to go back down to Savannah.

This time I had showered beforehand, but I was going for a much less fun cause - a doctor's appointment. All turned out well though, and it just so happened that I didn't get finished in time to make it back to work AND Marsha and Jake were in Savannah on a shopping trip.

I met them at Sweet Potatoes.


Where I ate...a sweet potato. I am easily influenced by advertisements.


Afterwards we went to Sam's. I showed Jake some of my signature moves in the iPod aisle. The term "grin and bear it" comes to mind.


We walked him around so much he eventually collapsed on a random buggy of some pillow things.


He perked up when we saw some little mini tents. Jake told me they were tents for dogs (Phoebe sized!) and I totally bought into it. He really thought they were, too.


We marveled over these dog tents until Marsha interrupted us with, "Those are just tent replicas, you idiots!"

We ate at an early dinner Picadilly's at the mall with all the other blue hairs....


...and then we caught a 7:00 showing of Unknown.


Later in the week I went to a WWF wrestling tournament.




I was so excited to go hang out with my boys. They are all about 18 years old now.


My girl Ashley has decided to put in a pool in the back yard, and I am so excited as I have been waiting on this day for years.

The boys running where they will one day swim.


I tried out the lounge chair to get the full effect of my future.


That night the boys impressed me with all their brains and smartness, and then we played the Wii and I impressed them with my Mario skills.


When the first week of April came to a close, I headed to ATL for the weekend (more specifically for Jayce's 1st bday party, which has been well-documented).

My friends for the drive included a little Subway DC and a new CD for some easy listening.


One part of the trip I didn't write about was watching Jayce practice his walking after the party on Saturday night.

You can somewhat tell by his face, but walking is the funnest thing he has done in 12 months.


That's me on the left spotting him with one finger.

He was laughing hysterically every time we would turn him around to walk to the opposite person (at that point he was doing 4 or 5 steps on his own then falling into our arms in one big a laughing heap.)

This was the face I had coming at me with each practice round. He was flirting with me big time.


Probably because he knew once he made it...


...I was going to take complete control of his sugar.


If only all my random, picture filled weeks (that went undocumented for way too long) could end with a smile like this!

Weekend Happenings

It was a very low-key weekend around here, which I will gladly take as I know the next two (Easter then Wedding) shall be a little more eventful.

The weekend started out good with a few fun things greeting me as I walked in the door on Friday afternoon.

The first was a wedding invitation! One of our dear college girls is getting married at the end of May. We can't wait!


Here's the bride. She's excited about holy matrimony.


Also greeting me that sunny Friday was a fridge full of fruit.


The ZTA's were having their 9th annual Strawberry Sale fundraiser.

(Side note: We had the very FIRST Strawberry Sale my sophomore year of college. Good memories of standing out in the rain unloading flats of berries off the truck come to mind. Also, I really need some strawberry shortcake right now.)

The last little surprise of the evening was a note from my mother.


This note was read a few minutes after I got a call from Alan concerning the same.

It went like this:

Ring ring. "Hello," I answered.

"Jenna Babe, whatever you do - don't run over the kittens in the garage."

"WHAT?!?!?" (I get really dramatic on Fridays.)

If you have been around here long you may recognize Boney (lamely named by Alan).


This is the cat that welcomed itself into our lives many months (years?) ago. Since that time we have found out that:

1.) Boney is not a boy like we once believed

2.) Boney is addicted to food and will meow for 1 million hours without ceasing until food is given

3.) Boney will eat anything you give her (she has enjoyed mellow mushroom pizza, Honey Comb cereal, canned clams, and bowls full of chicken broth...just to name a few)

And lastly we now know.....

4.) Boney is promiscuous.


We kind of knew this a while back when we noticed Boney's stomach growing at a rapid speed. And we knew it wasn't just the clams...our little Bones was with kitten.

One day I came home and the cat was nowhere to be found (to be clear, I wasn't looking for her....I just noticed that she was not all up under my feet trying to trip me as I walked into the door.)

Then next day Boney came back and was no longer pregnant. Now, I realize I'm not a veterinarian, but it seemed to me there should be some kittens around there somewhere. I looked around a little bit, but no baby cats to be seen and no baby meows to be heard.

I know it will be hard for you to believe since I am obviously very attached to this whole cat situation, but I found it in my heart to move on with my life and subsequently forgot all about the pregnant/not pregnant, kittens/no kittens conundrum.

So now, a couple months have passed and well....look who's been hiding in the back of our garage.


It is hard for even the non-cat lover to deny that this little thing is precious.

And complete shock of the world - Boney seems to be a good mama! I think she was telling the kitten, "It's ok, honey, you can come out. This human will give you cereal and chicken broth."


Seriously....pretty cute.


After I read all my wedding invites, gazed upon the strawberries, and didn't run over baby kittens - I headed out to eat some Mexican with Marsha, Greg, and the three stooges.


It was lovely, fajita-filled time.

Saturday, I was on an intense mission.

Yes, Saturday was slideshow day. I still have Matthew and Larsen's rehearsal dinner slideshow in the works. This is the little makeshift desk where I camped out for the better part of Saturday.


Eventually the junk basket to the right had to go and the scanner had to be brought back in so some more pics could be added in. This thing is multiplying like cats in a garage.


And yes, I took breaks to go see the kittens.


I can't remember what was happening in this picture but either I said something Boney found to be hilarious or she was having a frustrated mama moment.

This was the point in the weekend I stopped taking pictures. But Sunday was lovely as well....church, Mellow Mushroom, a relaxing afternoon, a church Easter program, more hanging out, and then home to head to bed so we can start this whole thing over again!

Just a reminder if you think about it - send a quick prayer up for my sweet friend Dana who is currently in surgery (and probably will be for about the next 12ish hours). Praying for no complications and lots of peace to her sweet family as they wait! Thanks!



Happy Monday!