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.

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?

A funnel thing happened on the way to the farm...

It was late last night when I was approaching the end of my prayer. With my eyes closed in a dimly lit room, I perceived that everything became illuminated in a brief, blinding flash of blu-ish white electricity. Shortly following the brilliant illumination was a massive crash, such as, I would imagine, the world breaking cleanly in half. My eyes sprang open as a thrilled alarm cleared its throat and bellowed out a sound of warning.
We were under attack. Conditions were either favorable for a tornado to form, or the menace was spotted.
Putting our absolute trust in God and his dominion over everything on earth, even the weather, I finished my prayer, asking for safety and comfort. Peter did the same, and we promptly packed up emergency items that were already in easy reach (flashlight, lighter, camera [blushes], cell phone, laptop), put on our shoes, and hastened to the lowest levels. We found many other occupants of our apartment complex also with flashlights and laptops laughing at the unfortunate mid-night encounter in PJ's with bed-head.
We dwelt in safety underground until the threat diminished, then proceeded back to our home to go to bed. We were tired and had to report back to consciousness at 6:30 the next morning.

No horrible damage, but that would not be fair to say in a universal sense. At least 48 people were killed, seven in our state, and many more injured. The Union University campus in Tennessee was demolished.

There have been, on average, more tornadoes/threats in my seven months of living here than there has been in my 18 years in Ohio. Louisville, Kentucky and the surrounding area: hot-spot for tornadoes? ew

The number nine.

I have been in recovery mode lately:

• I spent several hours spanned across several days writing the essay on same-sex marriage, and am recovering from that. It drained me; a sign that I have been out of school for too long. I now have volunteered to write another semi-lengthy response on a documentary. It is a good thing I like to write.
  

• I damaged a disk in my back last Thursday and am recovering from that. I could barely get out of bed the next morning. My wonderful husband stayed home from work for a few hours to make sure I was O.K to be on my own, and he even cleaned the house on Saturday! I am much more mobile now, but still in a lot of pain. It happened in my upper back initially, but I think it has taken root in my neck. Tonight will be the first night I think I will be able enough to cook dinner.

Today also is brother, Luis', birthday. He would have been nine years old, fourth grade. I think about him a lot. There are a lot of sights, sounds, smells, and hidden thoughts that lead to his memory. I like to remember him and the immense amount of joy he brought to everyone's life, but inevitably those memories turn into the horrific days at the hospital. He has been gone for two years, but is still always at the tip of my tongue. I still have a lot of stories I like to tell people. For instance, one time we were walking home from school, having the typical sibling "argument", and out of nowhere (apparently in an attempt to end the "argument") he shouted, "YEAH?! Well, Abraham Lincoln was shot!!!" It worked. I shut up immediately and had a good laugh. There was another time where, upon viewing his Kindergarten school picture, my mom heard him sigh and say, "oh no... I'm brown. I think I'm Spanish. [he shouts to my mom] Mom! I think I'm Spanish!" He had such a lively personality, intricate imagination and was very kind. Like the one time the Pastor of my old church came to our house and Luis shook his hand and offered him a glass of water (he couldn't even reach the sink). He loved people and was often seen giving hugs to policemen who were posted in shopping stores.
I miss him, I wish he were still around, but am still very grateful for the God-given opportunity to experience his short, immensely joyful life.

The Siegs Go to the Opera (and other fun tales)

I would like to begin by announcing a breakup. Peter and I will no longer share this blog as (semi)consistently as before. He has broken free and set up his own blog. He has devoted hours to his first post, an in-depth study/commentary/discussion "bloggentary" on the biblical book of 1 John.
If you are interested in studying and interacting with him on this passage and later passages to come, click here and begin reading.
(he will come back to visit this blog if he has any non-studious entries)

Onward...
Concerning the 2008 presidential elections this year, I have surprised myself. I was very apathetic to the whole process, assuming that I would not like a single candidate, so I was not going to bother to look them up or to take part in the voting opportunity. It did not help that the only thing I read in news articles about the elections was the close race between leading Democrats Obama and Clinton. I, being aligned mostly with Democrats in the past, did not like either candidate and did not want to vote for someone I did not necessarily trust. However, I randomly, accidentally came across a Youtube video of a group of people in Columbus, Ohio demonstrating the 1773 Boston Tea Party in relation to today. Not only did I see, to my surprise, my cousin among the crowd of "Revolutionists", but I learned a bit about a Republican candidate named Ron Paul. I was intrigued with the views the "Revolutionists" presented and decided to read more.
Eventually, I found myself at his campaign website. I read his views on how he would run America if elected president and was pleased. I will save myself time and any readers time and not outline his views, his strong points, etc. and instead push that, if you are interested, you should visit the link I provided. (As a side note, this man is also a killer in debates. He is often criticized by other Republicans and the media for his views, but it is clear to see that it does not sway him. He holds fast and still sounds so very sincere and concerned.)
I like him, I do not feel threatened by him, nor do I feel he is hiding something. He has my vote.

Concerning other goings on...
-Peter will soon return to school, thus greatly reducing our time together, and turn 21 on the same day.
-We attended Broadway Across America's "the Phantom of the Opera" and had a wonderful time. We also learned that a $10 souvenir booklet (worth $2) is apparently worthy of thievery. (Also, why do people feel they need to monopoloze so much on tangible memories or souvenirs - a thing I never really understood much?) Alas, it was a wonderful show and a greatly enjoyable evening.
-The January weather in Louisville has seemingly decided to stop being bi-polar (and too warm) and actually stay cold. It is currently snowing outside my window, and I am very excited.

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 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