i had forgotten that

okay so i'm in Teague at my brothers.
my sister-in-law is a work-out buff, she loves it and oes it every morning. i love being here during the weekend ecause she motivates me to work out with too. during the week she gets up at 5am to workout with her sister but on the weekend end its at a decent hour or in the evening and her workout ususally consists of walking around the block.
i packed my tennis-shoes and workout clothes so i could excersize with her. we got up this morning and she announced that she would ride her bike this morning:( i knew i wouldn't be able to keep up with her on foot. and i wanted to say that if she walked i would walk with her BUT i didn't say anything. so right before she left she asked if i wanted her to see if the neighbor had a bike i could ride? YES YES YES. so we called sherrie and walked over to borrow her bike. We were on our way! Cooper was riding with us too.
as we rode through town, waving at neighbors and avoiding potholes and just enjoying being together and being outside; i remembered.....
i remembered that we used to ride together all the time and that i LIKE riding bikes and i miss riding bikes.
So i think i will take that up agian, and hey maybe i will finally get familiar with some of my neighbors...it is about time!
i hope your weekend is full of the things you enjoy!

great week!!!!

well friday is here and half way over at that!!!!
this week was much better than the preceeding ( i love being able to use big words!) i'm sure being in Austin is what kick started it to greatness! the meetings with Jack evans sure didn't hurt and being with the family extra days during the meeting---i love you guys!
i'm excited today, for more than the weekend! I get to see my boys---my little boys--j.t. and cooper (and austin and alley too i'm sure :)) they have 2 baseball games tomorrow that we get to see! we are a baseball family and they ARE baseball boys!!! they play all year and still can't get enuff!!
well i'm off for now. well, send an update when i get back--on the games and all the love i'm gonna get!
i am a happy girl!!!

i love that boy

ten years ago tonight, i had the privledg (i use that word losely) of driving to expectant ladies (not expecting) to Hilcrest Hospital in Waco. These ladies were chatty with excitement and anxious with what was to come. I, on the other hand was nervous, i had never driven to the hospital before and had only been there a few times before. i did not know where i was going but did know that what i needed out of my passengers i would have to ask for; directions of course and turn by turn instructions. We were all excitesd, we were on a mission you see, just a few minutes before our journey we were informed that my sister-n-law and their daughter was in labor. in labor with a grandchild, their first grandchild!
and man was she ever the lady chatterly! i can still see her red cheeks as she talked 90 to nothing about, well i don't remember, but she was talking and i was watching the monitors. It blew my mind listening to that little heart beat and seeing the lines move up and down with each contraction. I remember watching my brother, the proud papa to be. he sat back, on the window sill and watched everyone move from here to there and back around and listened to all the chatter and the advice given and the making fun of jabber jaws talking so much (its no wonder that kid talks a lot!) every now and again i would catch the loving glance he would give his little wife and the smile that she would return to him from across the room.
then it was time for us all to leave the room, an entrance was on its way!!!
i remember being so tired and it taking forever, i remember laying on the floor of the waiting room and looking at the double doors awaiting my brother's news every time they opened!
i can still see the look onhis face we he came out and told my parents their grand-dauthger had arrived, then quickly gave that smile he gives at telling a story, you see we knew a boy was coming to us!
Jerry Crawford Jones III arrived Saturday morning September 28, 1996 early early early- the exact time is something i can't remember but i do remember holding that cute little bundle and the moment he stole my heart the moment i beheld my favorite title...Aunt Jenn!
J.T. was such a cute little squirmy thing and had the longest fingernails. and was already the observant little man, watching and listening; just like his daddy.
that was the first precious moment he shared with me! I have been blessed with many more and know that many more will come!
So to my sweet little man, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! jenn loves you very much! (picture this pink--i had to change it b/c it was HARD to read!)
it's pink because he'll tell you that that is his favorite!

didn't want it to end

okay this weekend was incredible! i picked dana up friday and we made it to lin's around 7:30. didn't get into any traffic the way there, but i did make a wrong turn onto one of the roads near her house (surprise!). we went to eat at Razoo's, YUMMY!!!! and went back to the apartment to get cumphy and visit! is was so nice to be with both girls! like old times!! max the cat was fun too, he likes to get in between the screen and sliding glass door going to the porch!
saturday morning dana woke first and lin last (surpirse again) we moved slowly and had lunch around noon at chick-filet. we decided to go to Zilker Park from there. it's a nice park in south Austin at Barton Springs. we went through an auqifer exhibit there, waided in the river, walked around a little and rode the train! that was way fun. While in the water we talked to the boys who were on their way toward austin and they instructed us to have no fun until they got there. oops we forgot to NOT have fun! or we rebelled! :)
it was a bright sunny day, warm but not too bad, lin didn't complain about being hot OR being outside! :) good sport. we drove by a botanical garden (we'll do that next time!)
went back to the apartment to meet the boys, they beat us there, we stopped at a coffee shop! yum:p
we playe friends triva, threw playdough at each other (i bet you'll be wrong when you guess who started THAT!) and listened to the thunder as we watched the lightening --- no rain. we ate at Olive Garden and the cute little waitress flirted with our guys! :) she gave us extra bread too, cuz they're so cute!! (:
then we stayed up like gigglely teens at a slumber party!
Church at west over hills Sunday morning was fabulous, sitting in front of us were the Richard Benskins (jim's son and d-n-l) cool!
then to lunch at Doulbe Dave's -yumm again! (there the tide stick was challenaged on attacking pizza and pulled through greatly!)
we layed around for a while then played basketball at the gym, well, dana worked while she watched, then she called erin and we sang happy birthday to her! back for more play dough wars and packing up! had a royal milkshake and a quick hello to J.R. (lin's friend) then on the road.
Destination, Buda for evening worship. (thought about you big time Jamie) and to dinner with friends from there. That's a nice place with nice people, thanks dana for sharing with us!
then to san marcos to drop the girl off :( and the journey home! it was llllloooooonnnnnggggg and i was tired.
got home right at 10 and time for bed to begin another week!

it was such a great weekend, i know we missed wonderfull fellowship here on sunday but i wouldn't have traded it for the world! it was good to be with you girls! (and boys too--but that's every week!)
~oh the no traffic on the way was compensated for on the way home--BIG TIME!

AMAZING!!!

this Tide Stick is the most amazing thing in the world! Lin just marked on her shirt with purple permanent marker(very lin by the way). AND the stuff got it out! it took a little going over but within 5 minutes, totally gone!! Thanks lorene for getting me hooked!
if you make messes, you need this!

random dream of favorite things!

okay so i love chocolate cupcakes--the ones with the white swirly things on top! and i haven't had them in a while but i LOVE them!!! okay and too, i LOVE blogger! I MEAN LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS THING!
okay we're at lin's and i get half of her bed (sorry for her i was very restless) so she gets up early this morning and i rememeber that i was dreaming.

i was dreaming about choclate cupcakes ~with the white swirly on top! but not only cupcakes. i was telling amy about my cupcakes and we turned around to see daniel blogging about chocolate cupcakes ~with the white swirly on top!
okay that's my brain for this morning. it's almost noon and we are going for breakfast! but hey jo, i worked out this morning!!! :) yeah me first time in 7 days, actually 8! laterz!

CAN'T CONTAIN MYSELF!!!

i'm at dana's YIPPY!!! and she's finishing up with her packing! YIPPY!!! and we will soon be on our way to lin's! YIPPY YIPPY!!!!
going to start a great weakend of goodfriends off with a long over due and much needed girl's nite!
The boys, k-lub and daniel will meet us in austin saturday. but while we wait (not sadly- mind you) we will be silly and giggly and goofy!!!! basically we will be GIRLS!!! and you know, we do that so well! we have had many years of practice!! me--almost well i won't say how many years!:)
okay so i will update on the weekend when the weekend is over! its time to be with the girls! LUCKY ME!!!
loves

Thursday!

man this week has been so long and not refreshing at all! sure there has been refreshing moments and instances where i thought...AAAAWWWWW that was nice. but for the most part it has wearily dragged by and i haven't really felt like myself. my house is a WRECK and i haven't gone to the gym at all (i usually enjoy that exertion and process of letting everything out) all i've felt like doing is sleeping and that has happened much at all! i thought that my problem was that i'm tired--but i now think not. i think now that spiritual warfare is eating at my insides and i'm on the line (don't worry and you don;t have to comment on my faith. i know i'm a good christian and doing good things- i'm not worried about my standings) i'm just caught in the middle but not the middle of anyone, it's just me and i don't know how to explain how it feels. i'm caught between trusting and not trusting, between letting go and grabbing to something new, between wanting to dwell on the past and wanting to strive for the future. i'm caught between being nice and doing what's right--WHY IS THAT SOOOOOO HARD! i'm caught between remebering and forgiving. i feel that i have forgiven but i can't move past it yet and i'm not ready to move on and i feel like a lump of stickers because i can't say it out loud. i want this person to understand that i still hurt and i am not trying to hurt back, i just don't know how to move forward without that pain bouncing between us. i desperately want to move forward but forgetting is not an option and time is going to have to heel but i don't know how much i need please me patient my friends (notice the plural). i'm also caught between listening to opinions of others and listening to God!
okay i was going to write about my excitement of grey's anatomy season 3 premeire tonight....this just took hold! and i DO feel better!

oh my goodness it has been WAY TOO LONG since i've been able to do this...A WHOLE WEEK! sorry guys, but i have really missed reading and writing. I don't have a 'puter at home and the internet at my office has blogspot blocked. I can only get it at my mom's or in poteet (on my conference hour) or at caleb's. but i haven't been to either of those places long enought to do anything.

Not any big news or nothing really interesting going on right now, just a few random things!

i had a great weekend!!!!!!:) mom was offered and took a job on thursday:) praise the Lord for that! she and i went to job clothes shopping on saturday, that was great, we haven't had lots of time lately to spend together! it was fun. then i met up with my boys and we went to the aggie/army game saturday night! gig em! not a big aggie fan, not a big football fan.BUT we had GREAT seats and it was loads of fun!!! i got into the yells! daniel told us about some of them, he also explainen the game to us when we didn't understand, i knew what was going on when i paid attention. i had soemone to goof off with when it was boring (i said i wan't a football fan) i was text messaging dana at certain points, we got to "saw" that was cool! and there was a drunk guy being stupid right next to us, we were waiting for him to fall off the rail, but that didn't happen. We had good parking ate good food before the game and just had an all around good time!

Sunday my girls were at church and i got to see them although only breifly, but we will have another weekend together VERY SOON!!!!!!! Yeah!!!!:)
i watched two really good movies on Sunday (see jackie, you're not the only movie nut) Everyone's Hero with my aunt and cousin and her girl in the afternoon- I love them, and then United 93 that night--good show, makes me sad to think about the drama of that day- AND it rained, bot did it rain. the lightening was too cool and i absolutely love it BUT it was a bit scary while driving in it, it was quite close!

I know yesterday wasn't part of the weekend, but bible study was real good, i was a little too tired for revelation but the discussion afterward was great and the just being with everyone there is always great! i miss our old group though!
okay, working on a book here and my time is close to being up! next time won't be too far way again! happy tuesday all!

memories:

isn't funny how a memory can change your attitude or mood? Even when that memory goes back 15, 25, or 35 years, okay my memory doesn't go back 35 years yet but you get the picture! it amazes me how thinking about one thing (even such a long time ago) can bring back all memories of that time. I was in a wreck almost 12 years ago and i can remember exactly what i was wearing from the sunglasses on my head to the socks on my feet! -but i couldn't tell you what i wore sat!:)
Amy and Jackie got me thinking about dolls and as i was thinking of my favorite i could see in my mind how my room was set up and the things that i had on my shelf with my baby doll --all my treasures-- the things i liked best. I can see my bed and i smile thinking of all the wonderful mornings, well not wonderful mornings because i don't like to wake up but all the wonderful things my parents did to coax me out of bed. seeing my bed also makes me laugh as i can see me throwing myself onto it in a fit of being upset at something. the picture of my bed also makes me sad as i remember my dad coming into my room the morning of March 31st, 1992 to tell me of a car accident that took the life of a girl at school, i walked backwards and sat there on that memorable bed, shocked at the news.
whoa, i didn't mean to go in that direction, but the memory of my room and my little bed with purple unicorns on it and later just a pink comforter brought back soooo many emotions from so many different situations in my life!
its funny to me how some things of the past shape our present and how some things are pushed so far back that i really have to dig to bring it to the surface and then there are some that i can't keep from pouring out of my head!
Thanks ladies for getting my memories moving and i enjoy also reading about yours! Luvs and huggies- ha, that's sounds funny!:)

I wanna be like that!


Jonah didn't want to do what God told him to do and he ran away in the oppostie direction. Our 2 year olds are learning this in their Bible Class. There are many examples of "Jonah"s; we are taught to be like Isaiah and answer the God's directives with "Here I am, Lord, send me". I am such a Jonah most of the time-exspecially when its not fun or easy or out of my comfort zone. I am so greatfrul for the many examples i have of "Isaiah"s both in the Bible and in my life. I was reminded of that yesterday morning during chruch service, sitting in my pew.
A young girl went forward to be baptized and as Ray, our minister, was explaining this act and this faith i looked over at the awesome man sitting at the end of the aisle, down from me. He's a leader in our congregation, a Godly man in every way and has been a great example in my life since I've known him. He was NOT a Jonah. He knew that men would be needed in a short while to help prepare the bapistry. He was sitting upright, leaning foward with his hands on the seat at his side, he was listening intently but at the same time, this wonderful man was ready to rise.
I was not surprised, this man's actions have always been like those of Christ; as were those of the other men that got up to serve in that capacity. And again I was impressed.
Thank you God for this example.
Man alive...I wanna be like that!

NOT Dying here...

but i sure do feel like it! Okay, i have been able to check comments, but these are shared computers and i feel bad taking the time JUST to blog, so i haven't read anyone's blog. i am having fun here in dallas and learning a lot; both at the conferance AND in downtown dalls! we rode the DART (dallas area rapid transit) it was WAY fun and a little scary---we got DART 101 from a bum, but soooo glad he was around, we were clueless! will leave tomorrow (sat) can't wait to get home!

oh yeah, this morning at 4:30 am the fire alarm went off IN THE HOTEL, false alarm, but just as we were ALMOST back to sleep it went off again! WE were up and were planning to work out at 6:00 so we just started the day an hour early, not too bad but i am tired! and no, mom i haven't been grumpy---REALLY REALLY working on that!!! still smiling!

later friends! i miss your thoughts, and faces, or voices (whatever applies) :)

addicted!

okay im totally addicted to this way of communication. im getting ready to go out of town for a few days and my thought is...oh no, if theres no internet, i can't blog! im so silly. but this is such a cool way to know how things are with others. my mom first refered to blog as reading someones diary. to me its like a friend calling you up and sharing their day with you--or atleast a thought or two-- hopefully i'll beable to check up on you all, if not i will be busy Sat.!:)
I hope the week finishes out nicely for eveyone! i'll miss you :) (i know im a dork)

Connecting!

its so good to connect with those you havent seen or talked to in a while! It makes me smile! there are three girls that i don't usually get to see or talk to very often. well i see them and talk to them like a short email here or there or to the point text message but not connecting!
This weekend my Lindsey was in town and she did the family thing so i didn't get to see her until church and it was a short visit BUT wow! what a connection. We sat on the same row with noone between us we gave a BIG hug at the beginning and toward the end of the service we came together and embraced and held on to each other until the very end! just thinking about it i laugh, we're so silly with each other and without concern of anyone's thoughts. With her, im just me, we're just us and nothing else matters!
my cousin Jessica and i have also been close but we don't see each other very often and when we do it's family dinner and the chatter is always public and always LOUD and there isn't time for just us to visit! But a little bit yesterday and and a little more today we got to spend time together and that was good! i think that there will be a few more oppurtunities for us to be around each other in the next few weeks..i hope i will take those chances!
and certainly not least, i got to talk connect with my sweet sweet Dana today! We've been busy lately and things have been crazy and awkard but not today! we text messaged about fun future activities AND then we talked for a while tonight! we didn't talk long but it was real and we were sincere AND that was so good! :)
three days without work, time with family and friends, sleeping all morning AND connecting! I am full, my cup runneth over! I am truly blest!
i pray that you will be too!

Weekend!

Yippy! the weekend is finally here! this week at work was my first week to see kids! wow!!!!! i really got use to not moving around so much everyday! and am tired! so today is Saturday and i didn't have to go to work today! And, and i don't have to go tomorrow either:) this is a happy girl you're looking at, well, not looking at!
it's not just that i started seeing kids this week. i love the weekends EVERY week. it's my time. i can sleep in if i want, i don't have to get dressed if i don't want to, i'm not on a schedule and i don't have to report to anyone or anywhere. But i can get to be with my family! that's what i WANT to do and where I WANT to be! right here with the ones that i am the closest to. the ones that know me more than i know myself, the ones that can fix the bad day before they even know i had a bad day! :) the ones whose love is better than any medicine i could take (if i did take medicine)
i'm the type of person that finds family even in those people that i don't share blood and chromosomes and genes with. people i work with are my family, my church is my family my friends are my family. I have been with family all day!
this is why i LOVE the weekends.
i started the day at the gym--YES and i still hate IT but at day 2 it's getting better---i met Joanna there, my friend from work, one of my closest friends! We were supposed to go last night but i ran out of time! work out this morning was much better than day one!
after the gym i went to visit another friend at work, my best, k-lub we give each other a hard time all the time, but i love being around him! after that i got cleaned up and went to grandma b's. It's Saturday and my daddy-don's mother-Grandma b- has hamburgers at noon---EVERY saturday. Yeah, more family. my youngest nephew is here! i love being around my boys, the have so much energy and are so much fun to be around with!
now i'm at mom's just hanging, with her is probablly the best place in the world!
and all of this...this is why i love the weekend!!
have a good one as well! and enjoy those things that make this day great for you!

--oh and jackie, i want to know what you thought i was going to write about on my Thursday blog--I don't wanna-- love you all!