Whoa man.

So I totally forgot we had a blog.

We've been pretty busy lately and have barely had internet access, so this blog has not necessarily been the first thing on my mind. I would apologize, but it's not like I really posted anything mind blowing or important. I'll just say, "oh yeah, I used to write in this thing."

So what have we been up to?

• June 23rd was our 1 year anniversary. Peter surprised me with a room in the DuPont Mansion Bed and Breakfast in Old Louisville. It was a lovely building in a lovely area. We took a walk that evening through the Central Park , saw part of a Shakespeare play and enjoyed the architecture of the surrounding homes. We woke the next morning to a yummy breakfast (with some of the best fruit I've had) and spent the entire day at the Louisville Zoo. (My favorite exhibit was the giraffes and the random peacocks walking around, but Peter liked spending time with the gorillas) That evening we were treated with a delicious dinner and dessert. I so thoroughly enjoyed that grilled portobello mushroom sandwich.
• No job yet; don't ask.
• I have developed many new hobbies of making clothes, etc., building stuff, reusing things, gardening... I have some delicious herbs on my windowsill and a dying tomato plant outside. It contracted a disease. I wish I had a real garden.
  
• I fixed my bike. It was my first time changing tires on a bike, especially the back tire, and after a few moments of retracing my undo-ing steps, it was a breeze. We had to return the innertube a couple of times because the guy at the bike shop kept giving us the wrong one, though we already knew which one to get.
• Peter and I learned an interesting tidbit about the word, "sneak" and it's past tense usage.
• aaannnd I finally put in an application to work in the church nursery. Way to go, one year later.

So I think that's all for now. Maybe I'll post photos some time. Maybe I'll post text.
Maybe I'll forget about it all together. We'll see.

avast!

This morning was spent with me muttering, "consarn it!" at an upside-down bicycle.

Being in Louisville and having a husband that asked me to ride on the sidewalks gave an occasion for me to run over a broken beer bottle with my bicycle. I'm sure you can imagine what happened: rear tire spouting out air, at first without my knowledge; a thump, thump as I ride; a dismounting then a sudden frown. We were a bit of a ways from our park destination and from home. I had to walk, slightly dehydrated with a headache, wherever we wanted to go until home. Bummer.

That whole story was intended to arrive at the proclamation, "all I need is a blimey socket wrench or a crescent wrench and I could be back on my wheels by Wednesday when I need them!" Neither of which Peter and I have. Bummer.
I tried other tools, one of which worked on one bolt but not the other. I ended up slightly stripping the bolt, which is not necessarily cause for celebration either. Shall I say bummer again?

Anyway, I have been negligent. Not much to say.
I recently had my first real baby photoshoot, and it was a blast; a wedding to come soon.
Also to come soon? Peter's and my one year wedding anniversary. June 23rd. I am going to find him a thrift store suit to tailor to him and make myself a formal 1920's styled dress. I'm excited.

We recently made a pretty big purchase. A pretty awesome purchase in the face of gas prices, too, if I may say so. Peter has been taking it to work often, and it has been so wonderful on our budget.

Complete with a bright yellow helmet.

What's wrong with America?

I ask myself that question frequently: what's wrong with America?

It comes across my mind when I read news articles such as animal rights activists threatening a soldier's family or our obsessive compulsive ... obsession with the lives of celebrities. What are we thinking? Why do we do the things we do?

One man answered this question for me: Our problem is that men are peeing while sitting down.





Peter and I have watched this video a few times, and no matter how often I watch it, I still crack up. This guy is crazy and legitimate. It is not a joke, though I kind of wish it was.

allez viens!

We're still here.

I haven't had much to write about lately. Peter has had his nose in the books, yet again, with plenty of Greek homework. What have I been up to? Sadly, not much. I started a new sewing project, have been experimenting with photographs, reading, watching ice fall from the sky...
I recently planned to write a post about five things I did not know about myself (nor did you). I pretty much abandoned that project after Personality Quirk #1. I will share that below, because if I did not know this about myself then you did not know it either:

I can be quite a paranoid conspiracy theorist.
I have noticed that I always feel that some things are only out to get me. If I express slight distaste in the government, I find myself fearing, in the far recesses of my mind, that someone will come into our home and steal me from my room while I'm sleeping. That I would vanish without anyone knowing. (I personally blame this paranoia on movies like V for Vendetta and books like 1984 by George Orwell. I find it backwards that I can watch some of the "scariest" ghost/murder movies around and dismiss them completely, but I can't watch movies or read books with enormous, evil governments without feeling the need to keep one eye over my shoulder.)
I plan on changing this. There is no use being paranoid over our government. They are not like the governments depicted in that movie or book. Also, I should not spend so much time theorizing about them. Peter and I read a passage in Luke 10 this morning that convicted me of that. Jesus was in the home of Martha and Mary, and while Jesus was speaking, Mary was sitting at his feet while Martha was doing things around the house. Martha complained to Jesus, asking him to have Mary help her, and he said, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her." I do worry and bother myself about too many things, I'll admit. I'm always afraid something will go horribly wrong. I need to get my mind out of a worldly mindset and put my trust fully back into God. All things on this earth, even my life, will pass away and cease to exist entirely, and it won't matter, but my inheritance in the Lord Jesus will never pass away. I should have a skip in my walk because of that! I should not walk around with worry written on my face because we might end up having Federal I.D cards. Everything will be O.K for me. Get over it, Jenni. sheesh!

I am happy to report that God has granted me the ability to no longer fear the government so much and to no longer theorize against them. I allowed myself to become too attached to news articles and also fell into propaganda before, so no wonder I was paranoid, eh? I quit those sites, and quit reading the news so often cold turkey. Ello, my name is Jenni and I am no longer an addict. Thank you.

It is late at night now, especially for Peter and I on a week-night. We are usually in bed by this point, but the whole homework issue has us up late. I could go to bed now, and I am very, very tired, but I will wait it out as long as possible. Blogging is a super easy way to kill time, no?

of jen(ni)

I age every year.

If that comes as a shock to you, I do apologize, but I assure you that it is quite normal. For instance, this past Friday I happened to turn 19. No big deal, now, but if you would have said that to fourteen year old Jen, I would have responded with disbelief. At that age I had no concept of the future. I was completely and absolutely convinced I would not live past 16, much less 18. I thought a freak accident would knock me off the face of the earth and I was not scared nor filled with sorrow. I was content. Death would have been an easy way out of my pain. I was young, over-dramatic and I did not know how to handle my emotions. I was sad because of issues between my father and myself and I thought he hated me (what a horrible feeling). On top of that, high school was a bad experience. Hating high school was mostly my fault. I put myself in situations in which ridicule was to be expected from the vast majority of my peers. I made myself feel rejected to everyone but a few amazing friends (I am sad that things fell apart between us). Between my thirteenth and fifteenth year, I ended up with quite a few battle scars, was put through brief therapy, and was prescribed medication. The experiences of these few years revealed to me that I am a human and I fail.

It is depressing for someone to learn that he/she is a failure! When hard times come, we either want to depend on ourselves or, if we cannot make it, on others. It was obvious from those few years that I was not able to depend on myself. I soon found out that I could not depend on others either. Just like me, they are human and they also fail. Soon enough, I stopped trusting in myself or in others to help me get through life. As a result, I went through life not thinking about things very much; I merely felt my way through life as a blind man would, grabbing anything that made life interesting. That ideology was exhausting and, at the end of the day, I was still a failure and I still felt empty.

I later learned that there is one who cannot fail, but I persistently rejected him for a life of fleeting pleasures and care-free thoughtlessness. I was the type of person C.S. Lewis describes in his essay, The Weight of Glory:

"Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."

I was ignorant to the "infinite joy" that is offered to us and content with "making mud pies in a slum" because I could not "imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea". God is infinitely more persistent than I am, however, and I joyfully lost to him.

Becoming a Christian has not made life easier for me, nor does it promise to. Shortly after I committed my life to Christ my brother passed away, I lost a few very close friends, and I still felt rejected by the majority of my peers. I had a lot of difficult things to learn. What changed for me, however, is that I could trust in someone who did not, could not, will not fail. I learned that the trials I would go through were no longer there to cause me emotional stress, but they were necessary (1Peter 1:6-7) and worked for my good (Romans 8:28). God gives both of these promises to those who, by his grace, believe and trust in him.

When I think about death I am still not saddened, nor am I filled with sorrow or grief; I am excited! If God's blessings on Earth are so marvelous and beautiful, how much more so are they in Heaven? How glorious that day will be! That does not mean I want to rush off and get myself killed, though. I enjoy life. I enjoy my husband, my friends, family. I enjoy fellowship with Christians, beautiful scenery, music, food. I enjoy the ability to receive these things daily from a wonderfully just God and am ever so grateful for my life.

Most of all, I am very grateful that God gave us His Son to die for our sins on the cross, that we may trust in Him and inherit eternal life.

of jen(ni)

Autumn has left us. I think.
For a while we had pretty cold weather, then yesterday happened and it smelled/felt like spring. Seventy degrees in December?! That cannot be correct. I heard that, back in my hometown, around four inches of snow fell. That is how it should be around this time of the year - snowy. Ohio is only one state away, why are they experiencing the wondrous snow and not us? I miss it! I hear it rarely snows in Louisville.
There is no use whining. I say I love snow, and I do mean what I say, but I know that every time it does snow, I complain. How ungrateful am I?
(perhaps I only complained because I had to walk over a mile in it - downhill - everyday)

I recently learned of a gallery hop downtown. Peter took me as a surprise for my birthday on the 14th. It was great news for me, having missed Columbus' gallery hop. However, though Louisville's hop was fun (free trolley rides and some neat galleries and antique shops), I still tend to prefer the hop in Columbus. It is smaller, more intimate, and definitely more weird. I like weird.

A funny story is this:
My mom bought Peter and me a small Christmas tree for our apartment from a "Vendors Only" store in Ohio. There was a little display that showed the Christmas tree sitting on top of boxes at the store. We figured the Christmas tree that was out was for display only, and pushed it aside while we grabbed one of the boxes under it which contained a buy-able tree. We went through the checkout line, purchased it (only $6.00... neat), and a couple of days later, Peter and I took the box back home. When we opened the box to set up our tree, we were quite surprised. Not only did we have one tree, but we had four trees! My mom and I did not know more than one tree came in the box nor, we assume, did the clerk. What a mess! Even more so a mess is that the store will not accept returns and it is all the way back in Ohio.
We are accidental thieves.

I am trying to keep this blog going, but I am not much of a blogger and neither is Peter. We are too busy being a young married couple (sometimes caffeinated) to remember the blog.
No worries; we end up updating at some point. =)

Merry Christmas!

of jen(ni)

God has been so gracious to Peter and me. I am so thankful.
This is reminding me of a typical "Thanksgiving Day" post of thankfulness. Really, I think every meal should be titled, "Thanksgiving". Well, every meal and every activity in between. I am saddened to think that when I was a kid, Thanksgiving Day was the only day I would express my thankfulness.

I cannot tell you how many times I have lost sight of Romans 8:28 ("All things work for the good of those who love God..."), how many times I squirmed with fear, resentment and anxiety over such small life issues. However, though I doubt and my faith is tested in ways I find excruciatingly difficult, God is still good through it, and His word still stands.

1Pe 1:6-7 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, (7) so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.


We will drive up to Ohio today, smack dab in the middle of rush hour. Holiday rush hour, at that. Great planning. =)
I love road trips and I love visiting my family and friends, so I do not mind. It will be great to see everyone again, and to jokingly nag them about their carnivorous behavior.

of jen(ni)

Whoa! It has been a while since Peter and I have spewed text all over this blog, but I am back at least.
I will kick-off my return with a short story I wrote today, inspired by my most recent trip to Kroger, the local grocery store.

A True Story
I needed to make a quick run to the grocery store today, but much to my annoyance I did not have any cash with me. Peter, my husband, carries the one debit card we have, making it very difficult (impossible?) for me to use the handy-dandy ATM. I had to go to the bank.
I was already unhappy about having to walk to the grocery store today. I have not been feeling very well and I was slightly grumpy about leaving my cozy nest and going out into the Big World. I also have never-ever withdrawn money via bank-teller. I did not know what I was doing and I did not like doing it. I do not fare well in new situations.
As I approached the counter, all three tellers were available and staring at me. I stood awkwardly by the "Please Wait Here" sign as the tellers continued to stare without saying a word. I assumed I could walk up to any of them to do my business, so I walked up to teller #2.

me: Hi... um... I would like to withdraw money from my account...
Teller #2: ...
me: ...
Teller #2: What kind of account?
me: [I nervously and rather awkwardly glance at all three women] I'm... not really sure what you are asking me for. I have never withdrawn money and... um...
Teller #1:[faux-whisper] If you start withdrawing now you will get addicted! Are you going shopping?
me: Not really... I just need to pick a few things up for my husband and I ran out of cash.
Teller #3: Husband!?
Teller #1: Did she just say husband!?
Teller #2: Okay, can I have your social?
[I give the lady my social security number as the other two women chatter in the background]

Teller #1: I can't believe she's married! I didn't think she was a day over 16!
Teller #3 Girl, you're too young! Married!
Teller #2 to Teller #1 and #3 She sure is; she is sharing an account with her husband.

[Teller #2 gives me my withdraw sheet and a pen and asks me to fill it out. As I am filling out the sheet, all three tellers are still flabbergasted at me being married. I hear teller #2 say, "I know. For a while I was trying to figure out if she is a minor!" I hesitate after spelling my name.]
me: Can you tell me the date? [I look behind the woman as she gives me a funny look] Oh... I see that calendar.
Teller #1 (now speaking to teller #3): What did you think of America's Next Top Model last night?!
Teller #3: Girl! I... (I stop paying attention at this point.)
[I give the slip to Teller #2 and she asks for my I.D. My I.D. is over a year old and is in my maiden name. I tell her this, she motions that it is O.K. As I hand it to her, she gives it the Raised Eyebrow look and checks it. She then hands it back with the money I need.]
me: Thank you...
Teller #2: Have a nice day, honey.

I admit to being slightly offended by the behavior of the women. I did my quick shopping with my head hung half in Embarrassment and half in a Mild Form of Frustration. After purchasing my groceries, hastening to exit the store, trying to cross the Busy Street of Doom: Brownsboro Rd., climbing up hill in three feet of snow without shoes and finally treading into my apartment, I relayed the story, via internet, to my husband.

Peter: were you offended?
me: yes, slightly
Peter: I think I might stop into the bank and ask to speak with their manager. I think that is completely unacceptable
me: they weren't saying it in a disrespectful tone though
Peter: you said you were offended though. that is not an appropriate thing to be saying about a customer
me: [i was offended] because i don't like it when people think 1) i'm too young to be married, [and] 2) i'm a lot younger than i am. and, if you tell their manager and they see me again, they'll remember me as "The Young Weirdly-Dressed Wife Who Didn't Know How to Withdraw Money from the Bank and Went and Told Her Husband Stories About Three Big Bad Wolves." so don't worry about it. it's not a big deal.

In all reality, it is truly not a big deal. I get that sort of reaction more often than not.

fin

of jen(ni)

I feel slightly offended!

I was recently browsing youtube and came across this "challenge" entitled the "Blasphemy Challenge". It was originally started on an outside site and encourages people to post videos of themselves on youtube saying the phrase, "I deny the holy spirit." According to the interpretation of Mark 3:29 ("Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin") the site made, all they had to do was say that and they are damned to Hell for eternity. People jumped all over this opportunity! I even saw videos in which the "blasphemer" was laughing while doing it. "I deny the Holt Spirit" was usually accompanied by a smile and a sarcastic, "see you in Hell!"
Apparently, the rewarded gift for "selling your soul to the site" was a free DVD titled "The God Who Wasn't There". What a deal.

I cannot say I personally know the correct interpretation of Mark 3:29, but I watched a few response videos to the "blasphemers" from youtube Christians who told them that what they were doing was not blasphemy. They believed blasphemy to be when one sees and has proof of the Holy Spirit working in their lives and turns around and denies its existance. (I likened that to (hypothetically) the Israelites saying God does not exist after God lead the people of Israel out of Egypt with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, using Moses to part the sea, thus entangling the Egyptians in the water behind them and giving them water from a rock.)
I am not sure yet if I believe in that interpretation, but it is out there.

However, what offended me was not the multitudes of people denying the Holy Spirit while laughing, nor was it the Blasphemy Challenge istelf, rather it was the way "Christians" responded in their comments to these videos. I read a few and was absolutely disappointed in the way they presented themselves and Christianity as a whole.
In 1 Peter 3:14, Peter says, in regards to suffering for righteousness' sake, "in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame."
I did not find a "Christian's" response of "hey old man, ur not funny and i know ur trying to be. looks like u have about 5-15 years to live and you know whats going to be funny? when ur burning in hell and wonder y ur there" to be gentle or respectful.

God is kind, He is merciful, He is a wonderful and just God and if we (Christians) are to reflect His kindness and love, I do not think we would say things such as "die, die. die. die. die. die die, die. die. die. die. die die, die. die. die. die. die (profanities omitted)" nor do I believe we would say also, "old man, i will laugh at you when you are are lying in your death bed."

Colossians 3:12-14 "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony."

of jen(ni)

I have learned a few things since I have been married, I think.
1) It is enjoyable, to me, to have someone to take care of.
2) I am afraid of ridiculous common household items such as this iron and our water heater. (I promise I have a good reason for both...)
3) Tea is more enjoyable when one has another to drink it with.

Life around here has been pretty normal. Last weekend was the first visit back to Ohio. I had a great time seeing my mom, my cats (who have a new toy and it is hilarious to see them play in it) and my friends. It also was nice to be in town again; not much has changed with an exception of the progress of some condominium flats up the street from where I live(d). I normally am not one to be very keen on development but I am a bit excited to see the outcome. It is an eyesore to have a half built building on a corner excruciatingly close to the street.
ah well