Posted by Jenna on Aug 11, 2010 in
General,
Random Well…my summer is officially nearing the end. It’s very sad for me to admit. I love teaching, but I really love summer vacation. Oh well…I guess all good things must come to an end.
We’ve had a very eventful summer. We started off with a bang and left a couple of days after school let out for our baseball extravaganza trip up the East coast. Since we returned from that fabulous vacation, we’ve spent our weekends at the beach with family, working on our first construction project – a desk!, and our annual family vacation to the ranch. I also took a few days to spend some time with my mom and enjoyed lounging by the pool at the Omni Hotel in Dallas. We then made a weekend get-away to San Antonio for a college friend’s wedding where it was great to catch up with some old friends from far away.
I had great plans for this summer to paint our bedroom, clean my carpets, generally just clean out and organize…and unfortunately I didn’t get much of that done. I cleaned out our closed and donated 3 HUGE bags of old clothes, shoes, & purses to Goodwill; so I feel much better about our closet now. As soon as our desk is finished, I will get to organize the office and get everything put in it’s place in there…can’t wait for that!
Now that school is just a few days away, I’m focusing on getting some new clothes & shoes and beginning to think about what I want my classes and classroom to look like this year. Starting school always feels like I’m beginning a marathon and I never feel quite ready…but we always finish strong.
Goodbye summer…hello school year!
Posted by Jenna on Jul 7, 2010 in
General Whew…this post has been a long time coming!
Our last stop on our Baseball Dream Vacation was the city of Boston. We caught an early Saturday morning train out of NYC to Boston and for the longer train trip, we upgraded our seats to Business class, which was super nice…big, comfy leather seats and tons of leg room! When we arrived in Boston it was raining…and the rain just continued through the duration of our time there. We were able to walk just a few blocks from the train station to our fabulous historic boutique hotel, the Lenox. It was gorgeous!
We checked in, dropped off luggage, and walked down the street to get some lunch. I loved being in these cities where walking is the primary mode of transportation, but when its gross and raining, I would much prefer to be in my car. Something about walking in the rain just seems abnormal to me, but everyone else appeared to be perfectly accustomed to it…No Thanks!
Even though it was raining, we ventured out into Boston and walked a decent chunk of the Freedom Trail and saw tons of neat, historic places like the cemetery where Paul Revere is buried, the old North Church (which is still used for church services), Paul Revere’s home, the old Massachusetts State House, and Boston’s old City Hall. The city of Boston is really neat, especially the old parts, with narrow streets and cobblestone paths and old brownstone buildings.
On Sunday, our last full day in Boston, we geared up for game day at Fenway. Luckily, the rain stayed away for the duration of the game, but the cool, damp, foggy air did not. I was definitely not impressed with the weather in Boston. The game was great, our seats were amazing, and the food was pretty dang good. We still cracked up laughing at the accents of many of the people sitting around us…so funny!
the old North Church
front of the Old North Church
walking into the park!
view from our seats
the field and the Green Monster in the background
Posted by Jenna on Jun 17, 2010 in
General We caught an early train out of Philadelphia last Tuesday morning and headed to New York City. Once we arrived, we navigated our way through the extremely confusing New York Penn Station and figured out the New York City subway system and eventually arrived at our hotel, just a few blocks north of Times Square. Our room wasn’t ready yet, so we left our suitcases, figured out where we were going and took off to start seeing the sights.
We wandered around over by the Ed Sullivan Theater where David Letterman is taped. We went inside, filled out the forms to see if we could get chosen for that night’s show and left…pretty sure we wouldn’t hear back from them. An hour later, Matt’s phone rang and we found out we had gotten tickets! It was really fun – we got to see Kate Hudson, some race car driver (haha), and Sarah McLachlan performed at the end of the show. We also spent some time in Times Square taking pictures and people watching, wandered through Rockefeller center, we walked down 5th avenue looking in all of the expensive stores, and finally walked into Central Park before heading “home” to the hotel. Our feet hurt by the end of NY day 1!
us in Times Square
me in Rockefeller Center…behind me (sunken below ground level) is ice rink during winter time
NY day 2 we started with a tour of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Both were really cool, but I think we enjoyed the tour of the Statue of Liberty the most. The weather on our second day was pretty gross…it was gray and rainy pretty much all day long…which didn’t bode well for the Mets game we had tickets for that night. We took the subway out to Citi Field that night and we were packed with our ponchos and rain gear…but as soon as we got off at the Citi Field station, we heard the announcement – the game had been canceled. Workers there told us it was rescheduled for the next night. We rescheduled our dinner reservations for Mesa Grill (Bobby Flay’s restaurant) for that night, so we could go to the game the next night and raced back to the hotel to get dressed for dinner. Mesa Grill was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. I didn’t want to set my expectations too high, but OH MY…it was delicious. I haven’t eaten that much in a very long time and I LOVED every single thing that I put in my mouth. If you ever go to NY or Las Vegas, you MUST eat there.
NY day 3 was devoted to shopping. Our first stop was B&H Photo…a huge photo, video store that Matt likes to get his camera stuff from. I’m not all into the camera stuff like he is, but it was a really cool store. Then we wandered around the enormous 9-story Macy’s. That place is incredible…there’s just so much stuff in there to look at it’s completely unbelievable. Entire floors devoted to shoes…can we say heavenly? We headed back to the hotel for the afternoon just as the rain was starting again and packed our ponchos and rain gear for the Mets game that night. Luckily though we didn’t need any of it!
view from our seats
us after the game
Times Square at night…INCREDIBLY bright, crowded, loud, oh and there were cops EVERYWHERE.
NY day 4…our last full day in New York. We went to Ground Zero, but were kinda disappointed…it’s just a giant construction site. I expected there to be some sort of memorial or something around there. Next we walked to Wall Street which is so tightly guarded and secured it doesn’t even feel like you’re in the United States anymore. We also walked across part of the Brooklyn Bridge. After walking the bridge, we took the elevator up to the 70th floor observation deck of Rockefeller Center and got to see the entire city. We left Rockefeller Center just in time to go back to the hotel to get ready for the Yankees game that night. They were playing the Astros…we prepared ourselves for the worst…haha.
the Charging Bull in the Financial District
us on top of the “Rock” – Rockefeller Center – Empire State Building in the background
After the game…our Astros lost 
we got off at the wrong subway stop & as we were walking to our hotel…we happened upon this…not a bad mistake.
Phew…I’m tired just thinking about all of the stuff we did in NYC…our next stop – Boston!
Posted by Jenna on Jun 15, 2010 in
General,
Travel We left Houston last Saturday and flew to Baltimore, Maryland to watch the Baltimore Orioles play the Boston Red Sox at Camden Yards. Our flight was uneventful (always a good thing) and we arrived at the fabulous Hilton hotel right across from the ballpark. After getting checked in and relaxing in the room for a little while, we walked down to the Baltimore harbor and had a delicious dinner looking out over the harbor. After dinner, we walked around the harbor, mostly people watching. Apparently it was high school graduation night and the harbor was packed with unruly kids. It was quite humorous in a way and also inspired us to head back to the hotel to get away from the crazies.
On our way back to the hotel we stopped by the ballpark to get some night pictures of the entrance all lit up since the game we were going to was the next afternoon. We got some great shots and then headed in to the hotel for the night. We slept late the next morning, walked to a nearby donut shop for breakfast, and then went back to the hotel to check out of our room. We checked our bags with the bellhop since we wouldn’t be leaving Baltimore until after the baseball game and then we wandered across the street for the game.
the Sports Legend Museum at the entrance to Camden Yards
the entrance to Camden Yards
Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a really cool ballpark. It is a very simple & classic park, but yet has a very new and modern feel to it. The game was great. The Red Sox were in town for the weekend series and there were a ton of Boston fans there for the game. This was actually the very first game Matt and I had ever seen in the rain. Since we have an indoor stadium here in Houston, rain is never something we have to worry about with baseball games. They continued to play in the rain, and when it got bad enough, we just pulled out our ponchos and continued to enjoy some baseball! Luckily, we were able to see the home team pull out a win!
the view from our seats
the outfield
us after the game!
Posted by Jenna on Jun 14, 2010 in
General,
Travel We’ve been talking for a few years now about seeing games at all of the major league baseball parks. In order to really get a jump start on crossing parks off our list, we thought the best place to start was the northeastern United States because there’s lots of parks and the cities are all within just a few hours of each other. Our original plan was just to see a Yankees game and Mets game in New York and then head to Boston for a game at Fenway, but when we realized that there were home games in Baltimore and Philadelphia that same week, we added two more stops to the trip and off we went!
We flew to Baltimore last Saturday and traveled by train between each of the cities before flying home from Boston today. We splurged on great seats at the parks and some nice hotels in a couple of the cities and really had a fantastic week away. It was a great way to relax after finishing a hectic school year and a very busy several months of Matt working 60+ hours per week.
Of course while we were in each of these cities, we did more than just baseball. There’s so much history and so much to see in all of these places, that our days were full of sightseeing and our nights full of baseball games…what could be better?
Pictures from each city and ballpark coming soon (we took over 1,000 pictures)!!
Posted by Jenna on Jun 2, 2010 in
General My newest cousin FINALLY arrived yesterday afternoon. Sweet miss Adley Ann was born weighing 8 lbs, 1 oz and 20.5 inches long and has the most adorable chubby cheeks. She’s definitely a stubborn one and didn’t want to come out, but they finally did a c-section and she joined the rest of our crazy family! She sure is a cutie and I’m definitely glad she’s here…I can’t wait to see her in all those cute clothes and bows!
Posted by Jenna on May 10, 2010 in
General So far the month of May has been extremely busy…as it always seems to be. We started the month off with one of my cousins FINALLY marrying his long-time girlfriend. My family came in from Abilene for the occasion and we had a great weekend seeing them and celebrating with Bubba and Autumn. We got to spend lots of fun time with my sister and Jake that weekend and take them to some fun restaurants and they got to do some shopping and Jake got to see the great city of Houston! My parents and brother were here also, so we definitely had a house full! I love when my family comes to visit…we always have so much fun with them! 
The wedding was good…it was in Beaumont at the church we all grew up in…talk about taking us back in time…that place hasn’t changed at all…I felt like I was about 10 years old again! The reception was pretty, the food was good, and the company was great! The drive back to Houston after it was all over with was looooong though.
congratulations guys!
This past weekend seemed just as busy. Saturday morning we were lazy…Matt mowed the yard, I graded papers and then we went to Jeff and Alison’s annual crawfish boil. Man, oh, man…those crawfish were tasty this year…and so was everything else I stuffed myself with over the course of the afternoon/evening!
Sunday was Mother’s day and my birthday celebration with my family in Beaumont, so we picked up Jeff and Ben Sunday morning and made our way to Beaumont for the festivities. We had a tasty lunch of fajitas and 3 different desserts…birthday cake, ice cream with fresh fruit, and banana pudding. Nobody went hungry, that’s for sure! All the mom’s seemed to have a wonderful day and my family gave me lots of good stuff for my birthday!
Now…I am officially counting down the number of school days left! We only have 16 days left including final exam days, which are all half days…I’m SO ready for this year to be over. This has been a really trying year with my kids and I need a break! I’m ready to relax and go on vacation and spend some time by the pool. We are also very excited to welcome a new cousin into our always growing family, my cousin is due to have her baby ANY DAY NOW…and I couldn’t be more excited to meet sweet Miss Adley Ann. We are so ready to meet her…come on already!
Posted by Jenna on Apr 15, 2010 in
General I finally got more of the pictures from Jillie’s wedding and wanted to share a few more of my favorites.
the bridesmaids…such a lovely group of ladies…& cousins!
the backs of our dresses were so fun!
we had so much together!
I love this picture…we were freezing though!
Sisters…so happy for her & so proud of the beautiful woman she has become!
the whole wedding party…a pretty good lookin group!
the bride’s cake…my mom & Beth did such a great job!
the groom’s cake…another amazing piece of work by mom & Beth
programs…
Posted by Jenna on Apr 15, 2010 in
General,
Recipes Last night I tried a new recipe for supper – skillet penne with Italian sausage and spinach – it was delicious! Not only does this recipe taste great, but it doesn’t make a huge mess and you only use one skillet!
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound Italian sausage (hot or sweet)
3 cloves garlic (minced or pressed through garlic press)
2 1/4 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 1/4 cups water
8 ounces penne pasta
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (chopped)
6 oz. fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add sausage, breaking it up with a spoon, and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Stir in broth, water, penne, tomatoes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Increase heat to high and cook, stirring often, until penne is tender and liquid has thickened, 15 to 18 minutes.
Stir in spinach, handful at time, and cook until wilted. Off heat, stir in Parmesan and nuts. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
I added some extra cheese to ours last night because we like lots of cheese and I don’t think I used as much spinach or tomatoes as it calls for because Matt isn’t a big fan of those items. I also served it with garlic bread.
ENJOY!
Posted by Jenna on Apr 5, 2010 in
Family,
General Friday night as we were leaving the rehearsal a storm was blowing in and brought lots of rain and wind with it. Unfortunately, when we woke up Saturday morning, that rain had turned to sleet and snow and the beautiful blue sky and sunshine we had seen all week was gone. It was about 30 degrees with a 25-30 mph north wind and we knew we were going to FREEZE that evening in our dresses.
you can see the accumulation of snow on the roof of my parents’ house…their front steps were slick with ice
sleet under the tree and on the wooden swing…I thought this was the 1st day of Spring?!
I felt so sorry for Jillie because she had been praying all week long that God would provide warmth and sunshine on Saturday…but alas, the sleet and snow came. The weather wouldn’t have really been a big deal because the wedding was inside, but we were planning to take pictures outside prior to the wedding…mother nature had another plan. We had to change our plans at the last minute, but I think the pictures turned out beautifully.
Even though the weather wasn’t what she wanted, she thoroughly enjoyed every minute of her special day.
Wedding Morning…”I’m the Bride” coffee cup in hand!…She’s so happy!
The first thing we did on Wedding Day was have a bridal luncheon for Jillie at the home of the family she nannies for. Sara is such a sweet lady and loves Jillie so much and decided throw and “Lingerie Lunch” for Jillie and all of her family (girls only!) the morning of the wedding! The food was great, the company was great, and she got lots of great little gifts!
all of the delicious food!
cousins…Rachel, Jenna, Maggie (holding Elizabeth – the baby Jillie keeps), & Emma
After the Lingerie Lunch it was time for the Bridesmaids to start getting ready for the wedding and the aunts and guys started working at the ballroom. By late afternoon we were all in the dressing room in the building where the ballroom was to do make-up, hair touch-ups, and put on our dresses. We took pictures before the wedding, which was nice so we had plenty of time to enjoy ourselves at the reception.
Matt and I finally got an updated picture of ourselves!
I’d say we clean up pretty nicely…
There’s tons more wedding pictures that I want to post, but I’m waiting on my copy of the CD of pictures from the photographer…Jillie should be getting that to me soon…I hope!
