Jen Turns 21

A couple of days before my birthday I thought, "So how does a Mormon celebrate their 21st?" Well, my creative husband knew the answer. Upon getting in the car from school, Mike had surprised with me a 6 pack... of IBC Root beer.

Then we went over to the Watson's for some games and ice cream. We had a great time playing Imaginiff and Ticket to Ride- in which we did surprisingly well even though the Watson's still kicked out butts.

To top it off, we had a softball game where the Sonntags brought yummy cupcakes. What a great day!

Happy Birthday Mike!

Since I would be gone on Mike's birthday, we celebrated a little early. The top of Mike's wish list would be either a PS3, Big Screen TV, or Dodge Challenger. Well, he will have to settle with the Bamboo Tablet (he doesn't know it, but this is to help with his homework too) and an arm full of DVDs. I asked him to show me which one's were on his list. Well, I just decided to get all of them and more :0)

My First Flat Tire

So I went to a scrapbooking retreat in the Poconos with Mike's mom. When I had first arrived, I realized I had just gotten a flat tire. Of course I know nothing about flat tires, so I park in a spot, going uphill. The flat came off just fine, but when we went to put on the new tire, the car would not raise high enough. The owner of the camp deflated the new tire, slid it on, and inflated it again. Whew! We had to use a secondary jack to lift the car even higher. My jack came out completely bent and no longer usable. Thus, I learned that when I have my second flat tire in life, PARK ON FLAT GROUND.

 The retreat was a lot of fun, nonetheless. I had a great time with my mother-in-law (on Mike's birthday :-P)

What have we been up to?

A couple of weeks ago was the Branch Temple Trip to the Palmyra Temple. I love going to the temple. The two weeks prior to that trip had to be the most stressful weeks I have had in a long time. It's so wonderful to go to the temple and be doing something for someone else who cannot do it for themselves. I forget everything that was going on in my life and get to spend a couple of hours in relaxation. I get to go about every other month and I always appreciate my experiences. Just this last time, there was a man, probably in his 40's who had been a member of the church for 26 years. This was the first time he had done baptisms for the dead. When he came out of the font after his last name, he was smiling ear to ear and you could tell he felt good about what he was doing. It was a sweet reminder of just how precious these ordinances are.


Well... I finally got my letter from Ithaca College, and have been accepted for the third time (hehe). So, even though we had our hearts set on moving back home, we have decided to stick around Ithaca for a while and get this degree finished once and for all. Needless to say, we are excited that I will be back again, full time. Now, we have to decide where we are going to live (we want to move closer to campus, to save gas, but not too close).

Mike has been working hard in his schooling too. He is liking this quarter a lot more, because it is only one class, and it is drawing (not writing essay responses). I must say, he's pretty good at it too. He tried to teach me to draw a 3-D staircase, and let's just say I got nowhere. I can appreciate those artists who can actually make something look decent.

I have had a few comments about this blog. My sister tells my mom "that's just like Jennifer... pink and purple." I have also been told I need to incorporate Mike and our cats into it. I guess I can spare a small corner for an Eagles logo (ugh how can I say that???). Updates to come with pictures of the cats. Whew! That was a long one! ~Jen

A very fun Easter weekend

We were able to go to Pennsylvania for Easter weekend. We hadn't been down there since Christmas and we were getting homesick. We had dinner and shakes with some friends on Saturday and had a HUGE Easter dinner at Mike's aunt's on Sunday. Poor me... I couldn't find any of my eggs in the Easter egg hunt, so everyone had to give me some helpful hints.

We didn't make it to church on Sunday. Every time we go down we pack our church clothes and set our alarms. Then, Sunday morning comes around and we think... do we really want to drive 45 minutes?!?! I know, it's no excuse. Unfortunately though, that would have been the only time we could have seen my family.

Anyway, work wasn't so bad today. I just have to take it one day at a time. Now I am just waiting to hear from Ithaca College if they are going to accept me back into the program. Most of me is hoping for a denial, so Mike and I have an excuse to move back to PA with our friends and family. Although, I do need to get my butt back in gear and get this degree once and for all.

Congrats to all of our friends who have had new additions to their families. Our prayers are with you and hope everyone is healthy and well.

Oh! My husband completed his first semester back in school. I have to brag that he got an A and a B! I am so proud of him. Not only have these grades been pretty much unheard of for him, but he did so well even being away from it for 3 years. Of course he got a reward, so now he has another PS2 game to distract him from studying :-P

Light At The End Of The Tunnel

I talked to my Customer Service Director last Thursday because we have hired a new CSR and I wanted to know how much longer until I am on third shift. I am told 6-8 weeks or sooner, depending on how quickly the new CSR trains and can take over my customers. I can't wait! I miss spending time with Mike. In the mean time, I have also applied for Night Audit at Holiday Inn. The only thing in the way is whether they can pay me what I need. It would be so nice to get out of the Printing business.

Bitten by the Flu Bug

We have both been sick with the Flu this past week. As one of us gets better, the other one gets hit with another round of illness. Gotta love the changing seasons!