Our New Addition

It's been a very, very long night and still, I was nothing but excited when I got up this morning to our newest little addition. His name is Mason Landon Ovenshire and he is a full-blooded (woo, a registered puppy!) mini-dachshund. I'm not sure I would call him mini though, he's more of a teacup size. He's just adorable. He has the tan and black markings, which is what my husband always wanted and enough personality to fill the shoes of a puppy of great size. His brothers and sisters were 2 or 3 times larger than him, so to say we got the runt would be accurate enough.

He cried all night. I mean...all night. I feel bad for the little guy, I can't imagine how it must feel for him to just be pulled away from his mommy and siblings. It was cute though, I got up at 6:00 and held him until he fell asleep and then put him back in his cage. (I would have loved for him to sleep with us but we don't want to start any bad habits this early.) When I woke up again this morning at 9, he was still curled up beneath the blankets, chewing on Susie's old froggy. It was just cute.

Stinky is far from thrilled with us. We're hoping he will warm up to him eventually and they will become great friends. Isa doesn't seem to care...of course, she probably wouldn't. Jeremy is looking forward to teaching him how to catch. I, of course, am looking forward to doggy sweaters and taking him out. We're planning on him being a traveling dog, so he'll always be with us! I'm very happy to have him as the newest addition to our family.

'Bucket List' Tuesday

Is it really Tuesday again? I can't believe how quickly the last week has gone by. I've spent most of my evening doing tid-bits of nothing, putting off writing this blog and yet knowing that I should. Not because anyone is looking to read it really, but because my new year resolution was to write more and at this moment in time, writing this blog is my only string holding me to that resolution. Honestly, I feel as if I'm not doing so awful bad. I wrote a little story earlier this week and I wrote my husband a letter last night, as well as a little blog yesterday. So even if I'm not writing anything concrete, I'm still writing something on and off.

Anywho, on to the bucket list-ness. I haven't thought about what I might add this week at all up until this moment so I think I'm going to go with the first thing that came to my mind. I want to travel. I want to see parts of the world that I've always wished to see but never thought I'd get the chance growing up. Ireland being one in particular and Greece being another. So that is my addition to my bucket list this week. I think I'm going to go to bed early tonight, I can't remember being this tired in quite some time.

Jenn's Bucket List

1) Become a writer; one who touches people's lives and creates words that can be felt and not just read.
2) I want to work in the mission field, be God's hands and feet, help others even if it means giving up even the most precious of things.
3) I want to have a long, happy marriage.
4) I want to travel the world and at one point in time, visit Ireland and Greece.

Another tidbit on ::time::

(The picture is from St. Mary's lake. It's so beautiful frozen.)

I've realized that time is so not on my side anymore. It's 9 o'clock. I think to myself "Oh man, it's early...I can just sit around awhile, take my time." until I remember all that I need to accomplish today. Days off are almost like working, they allow me just enough time to finish all that I've put off during the week. Laundry and homework especially.

Yesterday was nice and relaxing. I guess one day a week is all that I can really ask for. I'm so thankful for that time that I have to spend alone with my husband. Although we rarely find anything too exciting to do, we're happy just to be together. I'm really hoping that our schedules will mix better this next quarter. It would make things much easier if we just had school the same nights and not the opposite. I miss being awake when he comes in the door at night and watching a bit of tv or playing a game or something before bedtime. Little things suffer when schedule's are so mix-matched.

So today I am doing laundry. I have to get to Sinclair to schedule my classes, I have homework to catch up on and before I left the house this morning, I tried to tidy up a bit. (Although I have to admit that us never being home sure does keep the place clean. The cat alone seems to make a bigger mess than the two of us combined anymore.) There is class tonight and then the drive home just in time to get in bed to late. I will be tired for work tomorrow.

'Bucket List' Tuesday

This week's 'bucket list' was pretty easy for me. With Valentine's Day passing and my love for my husband growing, I knew exactly what I wanted to add to my list. It's silly really, because I think that most people add things to their own lists that they almost consider unattainable or beyond their wildest dreams. I want to actually DO what's on my list, not just dream of doing it.

I like to think that my husband and I have a pretty amazing realtionship. We're all the time getting the 'you two seem so happy together' and 'you make the greatest couple' from people who usually, barely know us. My favorite is 'married looks good on you'. That one always makes me smile, mostly because I really hope it's true. I feel like marriage changed me as a person (as it should, right?). I feel like the difference that I feel inside should be apparent to all of the world, even if they can't actually see the difference. I love being married, it's by far the greatest thing that ever happened to me.

So this week, I'm going to make my entry short and sweet:: I want to have a long, happy marriage. Just like that, that's it. Have a great week everyone!

Jenn's Bucket List

1) Become a writer; one who touches people's lives and creates words that can be felt and not just read.
2) I want to work in the mission field, be God's hands and feet, help others even if it means giving up even the most precious of things.
3) I want to have a long, happy marriage.

Time

"Time is too slow for those who wait, too slow for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity." -Henry Van Dyke

My flower that Jeremy bought me after Christmas finally bloomed this week. It is just gorgeous and it really brightens up the room. It makes my heart warm when I look out and see the beautiful snow laying on the ground and then glance over at my beautiful white flower. It's like I have a little miracle of nature sitting in my living room.

I am so amazed at life this week. Little moments have left me feeling so very blessed. I realized for one, that I have made two of the best friends at work. I think that if I needed either of them, they'd be there in a heartbeat. I'd do the same for them. This winter has been my one of my favorites. I remember last winter and my wedding and then my honeymoon, I remember my wonderful reception on Valentine's day and I thought that nothing could ever top those moments. I'm not sure that this winter has 'topped' the last, but in ways, it feels like it has. I think that certain moments are different in life. Situations force them to be.

Last winter was overwhelming and full of love and hope and a beginning. This winter wasn't completely different in that aspect, but it's been more about loving myself and the little moments that I find to self-reflect and appreciate life and all that it has offered. It's not about a new love but of one that has grown and strengthened through the hard times and the good. I'm so excited for Valentine's day tomorrow. Not because we have anything 'special' planned, but just because I have the entire day to spend with my husband. No work, no school...just us.

Time together and alone, is more of a blessing than what I could ever ask for. I've learned to appreciate time (don't we all say that) more lately. Time is always running, it never stops, not for any of us...it doesn't take 'breaks', it doesn't 'pause' so that a perfect moment can last forever. Sometimes, I really wish it could. So I hope that time allows you all to have a wonderfully perfect Valentine's day full of love. My perfect day has already begun...

A ::heavy:: Heart

I've held back tears since about noon today. I've been counting down the days until my brother comes home, not knowing exactly when that will be, but knowing that his expectations were that of 'soon'. He was suppose to finish his Bradley training and then come home for a week or two before he headed out to Korea. He'll be there for a year, he said, maybe two.

I rarely check my phone at work, mostly because Jeremy is usually working too and I don't have much of a need for it otherwise. I don't know what made me look at it today, but when I did, it made me smile to see that I had a text-message from my brother. That smile vanished quickly though, reading those few words: "I leave for Korea on Friday. I'm off to see the world, sis".

Through several other text messages I've learned that he won't be coming home before he leaves. He's headed off to a different part of the world, in which I instructed him to take a million pictures for me. He said he would. At the point in time, he'll be there for a year, hopefully coming home in six months or so. That's not so bad...it's better than the first expected two with no trip home. Still, I wish I could see him first.

Words can't explain how I miss him at times. At other times, life is so busy that I almost forget that he's gone. The thought of 'what if' is always there though, hanging in the back of my mind. I don't want to think about things and what it means to be an American soldier while our country is at war. I'm extremely proud to call my brother my own, not because that he's a soldier, but because he has one of the biggest hearts. He makes a perfect soldier because he's not there for the money, or the show, but because he's always been the type of person to give himself in order to help others. I love him for that, it's why we've always been the best of friends.

I hope that he feels loved as he flies overseas. I hope that he'll be safe and keep his head on straight. I hope that he knows that he has tons of friends and family back home thinking of him. I hope that he remembers his sister, whose heart is heavy over this news, and remembers how much she loves him.

Bits & Pieces

It is bitterly cold out tonight. While the majority of the United States is watching the Superbowl, I've spent most of my evening outside. (I've been in and out enough to watch the halftime show and to make sure my Colts were still winning.) I'm learning to ride my four-wheeler, and I'm very proud of myself so far. The last time I rode it, it took me four or five times to get it to go. I've learned that I'm not very good with a clutch, I let it go to soon, causing me to jerk and then stall. However, I think I only did that twice the entire evening. That is a major, major improvement. I think I'll be ready for some serious riding by the time that spring gets here.

Of course, I also took advantage of my time off to snap a few pictures, too. I have to say that I'm loving the winter scenery; it is just perfect for photographs. I always feel silly though, out and about with my little digital camera, rolling around in the snow and squeezing into tight positions just to get a picture. I am by no means, any sort of professional...but I love my little hobby to the deepest of my core. I'm saddened by the fact that over the years, several computer crashes have caused me to lose the majority of my pictures from the past. Some of them were truly wonderful and special to me. I don't care that I haven't a clue as to what I'm doing, that if I edit pictures it's just the smallest things on 'photoscape' and that my $100 digital camera from 5 years ago is far from sufficient for someone who wants to be any 'good' at what they do. I am completely satisfied with what I do have and what I am capable and not capable of doing.

Tomorrow is Monday. As I've made known before, Monday's are my favorites. My grandmother and I have made plans to go shopping and my husband was sweet enough to help me get all the laundry done tonight so I have the entire day before class to spend with her. I'm looking so forward to it. I could use a new pair of pants or two, since I've lost enough weight now that quite a few of my old pairs are to big. (New Orleans just won the Superbowl. That makes me sad, I was so rooting for the Colts.) Our diet has taken a back seat as of lately, but I'm hoping that once warmer weather comes along, it will get a little easier again. It seems that when you're snowed in, you really just want some really good comfort food. So far, I've lost about 20 pounds and Jeremy has lost almost 30. We're doing so good, so a couple of weeks of not doing 'so good' shouldn't hurt us much!

I have no reason to be writing right now. There were just bits and pieces of this and that floating around in my brain and I just thought it would be good to type them out. Now I must attend to the last of our laundry. I hope everyone's weekend was as peaceful and beautiful as mine.

{Lighter}

I've had a wonderful day today. I know that sounds silly but there are just days when everything seems to go right. It doesn't happen often. Usually my days are so jam-packed that by the time I get home I don't want to do anything more than crawl into the comfort of my bed and go to sleep. I'm not saying that I'm not tired, my eyes are heavy as I type but the urge to write is keeping me awake just a little bit longer.

Perhaps it was the snow that put me in such a good mood. From the constant shower of snowflakes the size of quarters and golfballs, I would estimate that we'll have at least a foot of snow by morning. I'm not saddened by that fact at all. I am so in love with the pure, white fluff that had me out exploring after work today. It didn't bother me that I ended up soaked head to toe, or that...convieniently, my camera decided that it was going to stop working. (Probably due to the amount of melting snow that it had to endure for me to snap a few shots.) The bitter cold did nothing more that excite me to the very core. It made me feel like a little kid again, out with my sled (or in this case, camera) to play without any other care in the world. I was lucky enough to get a few shots that I just adore. I will be printing them and hanging them on my walls one of these days.

But then, maybe it was not the snow at all. Perhaps it was the fact that my husband and I finally got a few minutes just to be together. Perhaps it was that rush that we always find when we decide to 'risk the odds' and go driving on the horribly dangerous roads despite the masses of people who just wanted to get back to the safety of their homes. Perhaps it was throwing a few snowballs at one another or enjoying a cup of Speedway coffee on the truck-ride home. I just felt lighter tonight...and lighter is undoubtably a good thing. It's a wonderful thing.

I'm looking forward to this weekend. Tomorrow will start our 1 1/2 days of spending quality time with one another; our 1 1/2 days where we don't have to worry about school or work or any other stress. Sundays have become one of my favorite days of the week simply because it's the only day of the week that I have to spend every single minute with my husband in whom I love. Love can get lost in the craziness of life; not the feeling exactly, but the motion of love. The hugs, the kisses, the small smiles and long conversations; they suffer. It's still one of the most reassuring feelings to know that no matter how much the motion of love may get lost, the feeling of love is always there. I'm not sure how I'd survive in life without it.

'Bucket List' Tuesdays

"I'll try to touch the world like you touched my life and I'll find my way to be your hands. I'll abandon every selfish thought; I surrender everything I've got. You can have everything I am and perfect everything I'm not. I am willing, I'm not afraid you give me strength when I say ...I wanna be your hands, I wanna be your feet." -Newsboys

While at work today, I pondered just what I would add to my 'bucket list' this week. I have a lot of options, some deeper than others. Some are just crazy dreams, some are just the simplest of things. I can't decide whice route I want to go. Emotionally, I'm feeling pretty deep; like I could spill a thousand tears and words into a story. I might do that tonight. Physically I'm just shallow, beat and poured out to nothing. I need sleep. I will be turning in early tonight...and my body just aches. It's unusual for me. I hope I'm not coming down with something.

I thought a lot about death today. I think that had a lot to do with the many funerals I've heard about this last week and a lot of it could even be stemming back from 'The Host'. I'm not sure which has the greater pull in my mind. It's hard to make a list of things to do before you die...not because you don't know what you want to do, but once you list them, once you make it known that that's what you DO want to do, well, if you don't do them than you're setting yourself up for a disappointment, for failure.

I often wonder how many people say "I'm going to do this before I die, I have to...if I don't, I just couldn't die happy" and then never get to live that wish, that want out. I don't want to be one of those people. Thing is, you have to seize each day with all that it has to offer. You can't waste time, you can't sit around saying 'one day' or 'when I have this done, then I'll do it'. I'm fully convinced that all things are in God's plan. So if that's the case, where can you really go wrong?

It's amazing how my mind works. As I sat here writing this, still unsure as to what I was going to add to my bucket list this week, it hit me. I want to take a mission trip, work in the mission field, be God's hands and feet. It's been a passion of mine, a calling, for many years now and I've yet to do anything about it. When the earthquakes hit Haiti this year, it took all I had in me not to buy a plane ticket and fly overseas. I know that sounds insane, but it's true. Jeremy and I even talked about it but it seems so...unattainable, impossible. There's so much we'd have to give up. School would be ruined for this quarter, we could lose our jobs...but I honestly find it worth it. Of course, as I say this I'm sitting in the comfort of my home, doing nothing to help.

So number two on my bucket list:: 2) I want to work in the mission feild, be God's hands and feet, help others even if it means giving up even the most precious of things.

::Jenn's Bucket List::

1) Become a writer; one who touches people's lives and creates words that can be felt and not just read.
2) I want to work in the mission field, be God's hands and feet, help others even if it means giving up even the most precious of things.

::Perfectly Flawed::

"It's the same doubt, the same dream; it's the same sabotage 'cos I'm the enemy. It's the same night, same day; it's the same parasite, feeding on the betrayed." - Otep

I finally got around to finishing Stephaine Meyer's 'The Host' today. I have to admit that I absolutely loved it. At first I was iffy, it didn't seem quite as addicting as Twilight and for some reason I totally expected it to be. It was however, just as powerful and just as insightful in the end. Things never went quite how I expected them to and of course, that is what makes you continue flipping pages in a book...the excitement of what could happen next.

I want to buy it. I want to own a copy of it and set it on my bookshelf next to my 'Twilight' series. Stephaine Meyer's is one of those authors who I want to say one day, "Oh yeah, I own every last one of her books". Just like John Green, another favorite of mine. I lack in this commitment. I own my favorite of John Green's books but I am still missing two. One out of three isn't so bad, is it? I do however own every last one of the Twilight books and I will never, ever, let them get away.

There's something about a good book that you never want to give up. Although most of the time, I never pick up a book twice, I feel like having it there in my collection is important.

I love the lyrics I posted from Otep more today than what I ever have before. They fit so well with 'The Host'. I got to thinking about it all, the meaning behind the story...and I really wish I could be more like the alien parasite that 'Wanda' was in the story. I wish I could say that I was so self-giving that I would never second guess giving up my life for someone that I barely knew but had came to love. Even if that meant giving up my only chance for love myself. Even if that meant being a traitor, being hated by my own kind and giving up all that I had fought for.

My husband would have liked the story. It had a happy ending. He makes me smile...when I think about how silly he is when it comes down to movies. There's a lot deep about my husband but when it comes to life, he's awfully shallow. He likes to throw rocks into the pond and hope that they float instead of sink so that he doesn't have to guess where they've gone. He doesn't like the 'make you think' movies that I adore. He'd rather sit down to a comedy or a heart-felt family friendly movie and just smile and laugh. I don't mind really. I can save the deep movies for myself when I can watch and reflect and cry along with them privately.

So all and all, I think that Stephaine Meyers is quite the author and I will be adding her to my personal 'favorites' list right next to John Green and Anne Rice. Eventually I will add more, but that will take time. I won't settle for authors who I just like, they have to be adored, cherished in some deep, dark corner in my heart.