Day 3

day 3- a picture of you as a child

I sure was a cute baby! :o)

Day 2

day 2- the meaning behind your blog name

Easy enough. Brian, Jenna & Sadie. Our wonderful little family. Wouldn't change it for the world.

As for the quote: "Do what you feel in your heart to be right - for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't." ---Eleanor Roosevelt; Within the last couple of years, I've come to terms with this. I can't be perfect, and neither can anyone else.

Day 1

day 1- recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself

1 - I love doing all sorts of arts and crafts. I cross stitch, I paint (items, not portraits, etc. ha! Although I'd love to be able to), drawing, etc. I doodle all of the time like names and what not.

2 - I love changing my hair color. There really isn't much that I can't do with it, and I think I've fallen in love with the red that you see in my picture above.

3 - My dream career is to become an interior designer. I worked in the field for about 2 years, but wasn't given the chance to expand my experience. Eventually I'll get back into school to get my degree.

4 - I'm a great multitasker. I can work multiple projects at once, and still get things done in time. My boss loves this quality about me, which has payed off in the end.

5 - I love puzzles. Whether it be a jigsaw, sudoku, wordsearches, etc, I love them all. I could sit for hours finishing what I've started.

6 - I have slight OCD tendencies. I love being organized. The clothes in my closet is organized by color, styles, etc. I also like being very clean. Can't stand a dirty, unorganized house.

7 - I've always loved sports, but have had difficulties playing because of my heart condition. Anytime I exercise my heart rate shoots up, so I don't have much stamina. I've been trying to get up there, but haven't been successful. Hopefully I'll grow out of my heart condition like the doctor seems to think it will.

8 - I love trucks & SUVs. I don't like many cars. Probably because I learned to drive in a suburban and a Cadillac...lol

9 - I hate talking on the phone. I'd prefer people to text, email, or Facebook me. I'm terrible at answering my phone when someone calls. Brian and I have 700 minutes on our plan, but only use MAYBE 100 of them...lol

10 - My biggest soft spots are babies and animals. I love having my niece and nephew around. I love making them laugh and smile. I love having my "puddy-dog" Sadie. She's got such a goofy personality!

11 - I prefer the cold over hot days. If it was just WARM, it would be great, but here in Utah, it's always cold or too hot.

12 - My favorite colors are: Red, black, green, pink and blue. I'm not afraid of colors either, hence why my guest bedroom is bright green. I love it!

13 - My little sister is really my best friend. She may only be 13, almost 14, but she's mature beyond her years. I always love when she can come and stay at my house. I feel like I don't see her enough. Brian also made a comment that one of the perks of having me in his life was that he gained my younger sister as a sister as well. I love how they get along so well. You would think they were blood brother and sister <3

14 - I have a camera with me at all times. I like to take pictures, but don't like my picture taken. I'm not very photogenic, so I'd rather be taking the picture. I have regretted it because Brian has all of these pictures with Sadie when she was a puppy, but there was only one of me.

15 - I'm a terrible blogger, which is why I'm attempting the "30 days of Blogging." I don't feel like I have anything significant going on in my daily life right now. I'm sure that will change when we start our family.

I Wish You Enough

I received this in an email, and I love this story. So inspirational!

Recently I overheard a father and daughter in their last moments together at the airport. They had announced the departure. Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the father said, 'I love you, and I wish you enough.' The daughter replied, 'Dad, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Dad.'

They kissed and the daughter left. The father walked over to the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see he wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking, 'Did you ever say goodbye to someone knowing it would be forever?'

'Yes, I have,' I replied. 'Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever goodbye?'

'I am old, and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is - the next trip back will be for my funeral,' he said.

'When you were saying goodbye, I heard you say, 'I wish you enough.' May I ask what that means?'

He began to smile. 'That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone.' He paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail, and he smiled even more. 'When we said, 'I wish you enough,' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them.' Then turning toward me, he shared the following as if he were reciting it from memory:

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.
I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final goodbye.

He then began to cry and walked away.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them; but then an entire life to forget them.

30 Days of Blogging

My cousin Felicia started doing this a few days ago, and I thought it was a good idea. I did a similar posting on Facebook with a picture a day. I think this will be good for me because I slack on blogging, and hopefully this can kick me into gear. So here it goes!

day 1- recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself
day 2- the meaning behind your blog name
day 3- a picture of you as a child
day 4- a habit that you wish you didn’t have
day 5- a picture of somewhere you've been
day 6- favorite super hero and why
day 7- a picture of someone/something that has had the biggest impact on you
day 8- short term goals for this month and why
day 9- something you're proud of in the past few days
day 10- songs you listen to when you are happy, sad, bored, hyped, mad
day 11- write a bucket list of things you want to do before you die
day 12- write a poem to someone you love
day 13- your 5 favorite books and why
day 14- a picture of you and your family
day 15- put your ipod on shuffle: first 10 songs that play
day 16- a picture of yourself
day 17- someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why
day 18- plans/dreams/goals you have
day 19- write about a sweet memory from your past
day 20- write a letter to someone
day 21-a picture of something that makes you happy
day 22- what makes you different from everyone else
day 23- something you crave a lot
day 24- post your favorite quote or verse of scripture and why
day 25- what I would find in your bag
day 26- list 10 things that you are thankful for
day 27- my day job verses my passion
day 28- cruise a thesaurus and pick out 10 words you like the sound of
day 29 - favorite TV shows and why you like them
day 30 - movies you can watch again and again

Opa

On the 13th of March, with my mom being out of the country, I had my dad and Erika over for dinner. It was my parents Sunday of having Opa over for dinner, so I told my dad to just bring him over with him if Opa didn't mind.

It just breaks my heart to see Opa struggling with the simple task of walking, even with a walker. He's just been on a steady decline, and working in the field that I do, I see how fast they can decline.

I had made my "Better than Olive Garden Chicken Alfredo" with mushrooms on the side (my dad doesn't like mushrooms), along with salad and garlic bread. While I was finishing up cooking, Opa commented on how beautiful my home was, and had done a really good job. I thought that was sweet of him to say. When it was time to eat, my dad and I helped grandpa to the table. I have a counter height table with bar-like stools. It was a little hard to get him sitting in the chair. He ranted on how good my dinner was, and then after, if you've had Opa over, you know he's ready to leave after he's done eating. LOL. He's ALWAYS been that way, and I just have to laugh every time. Well, my dad obliged, and I helped him out to the car. When he used his walker, it was hard to scoot it across the ground. I decided I would get some "Walker Skis" to put on the back legs of his walker to help it glide better.

Monday after work, I went over to Opa's house to put them on his walker. He was so grateful for something so little. He asks me "How much do I owe ya?" I told him he's done enough for us, and that it was our time to take care of him. (When I was little, I remember going over to "the office," and he would give you a dollar, or five dollars just because.)

On Tuesday, he was hospitalized for his gallbladder being full of gallstones, on top of the bladder infection he's been fighting. We went in to visit him because he was going to have surgery the next day to remove his gallbladder. Everyone knows that, the older you get, the harder it is to recover from surgery. I wanted to make sure to tell him that I loved him, just in case.  While visiting, he says, "Jenna, thanks for fixing my lawnmower, it works great now," I laughed and said, "You mean your walker?" He starts laughing, and says "No wonder it took so long to mow the lawn!" Even in pain, he's so full of life, and laughing.

While visiting, Uncle Mike, Uncle Chad and Jeremy were there. Grandpa kept telling us that Chad was Uncle Jimmy. Both Mike and my dad joked with him that that was Chad, that Jimmy has dark hair, and Chad has blonde hair, and that if they hadn't had so many kids, he could get them straight. Grandpa laughs and says he wouldn't change any of it for the world.

His surgery went well, and he's been in rehab at St Joseph's Villa (where grandma had been, and also where grandpa served a mission) for a little over a week now. I know he'll get great care there because they took great care of grandma when she was there.

Cherstin emailed all of us this morning, and she had been assigned to put together a photo book of some sort so it can jog his memory with his Alzheimers. I think it's a great idea, and hopefully everyone participates. It would be great for grandpa to have all those to keep those memories close.

Saturday 9: Medicate

Saturday 9: Medicate

Saturday 9: Medicate

1. Do you take a lot of medication?
Yes. More than some less than others.

2. Name one of your flaws and tell us about it.
I procrastinate a lot of things like cleaning, or waiting til the last minute to do laundry on a Sunday night.

3. Have you ever won first place? If yes, tell us about your victory!
The last thing I remember winning 1st place was a basketball tournament in elementary over even the guys! I was proud...haha

4. Who is the last person to make you smile? What was happening?
Brian. He can get me to laugh nonstop. Tonight's brought me to tears. Brian can move his toe next to his big toe all by itself. I don't know why it cracks me up but it does. I was wiggling my toes, and Brian asked what I was doing. I was trying to do what he does to no avail. I couldn't help but laugh!

5. Describe a time when you should have tried harder.
I'm certain there are many a times I should have tried harder. School for instance. I slacked A LOT. It bit me in the butt since I didn't walk with my class due to not having enough space for an English class.

6. What are you best at?
-I'm good at my job. I've excelled even beyond my expectations. I like things to run as smoothly as possible and made some changes within the company to help with that. I was rewarded in turn.
-I'm also good at organization. It may take a while to get it the way I want it to be, but eventually am satisfied.

7. If someone was going to make a movie or TV show about your life, who would play you and why?
Either Anna Farris or Uma Thurman. Just because I've been told I look like them.

8. Name 3 things that you think are strange.
-Sadie's incessant need for wanting her butt scratched like a cat
-Sadie knows when it's 7 am & 7 pm. That's the time she gets fed, and I swear she's learned to read a clock.
-Utah weather. Warm, then an hour later it's snowing buckets!

9. What is one lesson you have learned in the past 12 months?
You can pick your friends, but not your family. That's all I'm going to say to that.