Andy and Jenelle

June

2009-06-30T21:40:00.000-04:00

Many awesome things happened this month. Highlights of the month are:

-sand volleyball season

-Indians games

-dinner at the Mahon's

-my birthday dinner

-whiskey island picnic & cornhole

-when cleaning service happens

-cluster group meeting

-a new niece... the 1st one on the Morris side

-a wedding

-graduation parties

O Me O My O May

2009-05-31T14:37:00.000-04:00

Wow. What a roller coaster ride this month has been. Ups and downs and in betweens. We had 2 funerals we attended. Andy's paternal grandma and Aunt Nancy. We traveled to Illinois on the weekend of the 15th for Grandma's. And then on the weekend of the 29th we traveled to Canada for Aunt Nancy's. We took in a new boy on May 21st. His name is Joseph but goes by Joey and he is almost 18 mos. It is pretty cool that he is exactly 1 year and 3 days younger than Gabe. Boy o boy is that time of year busy with birthdays, anniversaries, and Thanksgiving already. He fits in real well and sleeps through the night already. On the 27th we had a permanency planning meeting for Gabe with CFS. It left a lot of unknowns. I dread this now in-between time period we are in when a decision has to be made and it is just on hold. It hasn't been this way the whole time with Gabe until then. I pray that Gabe doesn't become emotionally scared from all of this that may happen. I wonder if he knows what is going on? Andy seems to think that he may understand a little what is happening because he seems a bit stressed out when we are too, and extra clingy. He knows us as mommy and daddy. We take care of him in all aspects. He loves us and we love him. For some reason this all came about only 6 days after we took in Joey. I don't understand. Praise the Lord for our strong marriage! I can't imagine most people staying together with the amounts of crazy circumstances we have had. We are grateful for our family in the Lord and the many prayer warriers there are out there praying for us.

Relax

2009-05-02T14:30:00.001-04:00

This week was all around an awesome week. On Wednesday Gabe & I met my mom at the Lodi Prime Outlet mall. From there we headed down to the Amish Country. It has been a long time coming. Gabe really enjoyed seeing the "horseeeees". And then after we shopped the entire outlet mall at the end of the day, we all rode on the train. This is the only outlet mall in the country that has a hop-on hop-off train that goes all thru and around the mall for the shopper's convenience. Trains and horses were on his mind all the next day too. I got some great buys. There was only one item on my list that I didn't get. A butter crock. I will have to keep looking. The one I saw only held one stick and that won't work for my family. I will continue to look elsewhere and look online as well too.
And the next, and very exciting other happening of this week is that we hired a house cleaner! Andy told me long ago that when we have kids that he wanted to hire someone to keep up the house. At first I was not okay with the idea of it. It is anti-me. Or should I say it is quite contrary to my family of origin's way of life. Mom does those things. Having hired help for this seems foreign. But I sure am already warmed up to the idea and actuality of it already. No more bathrooms or kitchens to do for me. She even will do special projects if requested. It is a priority to de-stress our lives as much as possible.
And now... we're getting ready to leave for someones 40th surprise birthday party at BW3's. Don't worry, it isn't ruined since I'm positive this person doesn't read this. It is a colleague of Andy's. I know, I know... I also have a relative turning 40 this month too. But this is not concerning him.

Our very own support group

2009-04-23T22:03:00.000-04:00

This evening we attended a cluster group for foster-adoptive parents. Sadly, we regret that it is the first time ever attending. We should've went a long time ago. It was such a tremendous help having people who share experiences with us to eat, talk, and discuss the "system". We got to meet new people and people who are great contacts if we ever have a need for a babysitter. That need is coming soon too! We're going back next month too and the month after etc. It starts with a potluck and you bring your kids and they have planned activities for them after dinner so the adult can have the meeting. Good stuff!

Kid Swap

2009-04-16T18:13:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow we get the Morris boys. A while ago we started our very own kid swap with Andy's brother and SIL. It is always a joy to have Gabe's little cousins over. And of course, he loves going over to their house when it is our turn. It is worked out so one week we have their boys and the next week they have Gabe. So far it has worked out great! Every time we get in the car Gabe asks if we're going to their house actually. He has his family lists in his head for sure and theirs is at the top.
It is definitely a good break for the kids and the parents :)

Home Alone

2009-04-03T23:04:00.002-04:00

It was a strange but nice reminiscing of life living on my own yesterday. Andy left for Columbus way early in the morning yesterday. Prior to that, on Wednesday night we left Gabe to stay over at the cousins house. We really appreciate having family around! Anyways, I worked all day Thursday and Friday and sometime on Thursday Gabe was transferred to my MIL's house where I would pick him up Friday night. I came home Thursday to an empty house and had a bed to myself. It never bothers me to be home alone. I slept well.

In honor of today...

2009-04-01T13:50:00.000-04:00

FLORIDA COURT SETS ATHEIST HOLY DAY

In Florida , an atheist created a case against the upcoming Easter and Passover Holy days. He hired an attorney to bring a discrimination case against Christians, Jews and observances of their holy days. The argument was that it was unfair that atheists had no such recognized days.

The case was brought before a judge. After listening to the passionate presentation by the lawyer, the judge banged his gavel declaring," Case dismissed!"

The lawyer immediately stood objecting to the ruling saying, "Your honor, how can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas, Easter and others. The Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur and Hanukkah, yet my Client and all other atheists have no such holidays."

The judge leaned forward in his chair saying, "But you do. Your client, counsel, is woefully ignorant."

The lawyer said, "Your Honor, we are unaware of any special observance or holiday for atheists."

The judge said, "The calendar says April 1st is April Fools Day. Psalm 14:1 states, 'The fool says in his heart, there is no God.' Thus, it is the opinion of this court, that if your client says there is no God, then he is a fool. Therefore, April 1st is his day. Court is adjourned."

book

2009-01-27T19:52:00.002-05:00

"Sarah: How a Hockey Mom Turned Alaska's Political Establishment on Its Ear" by Kaylene Johnson
- I read it in 2 days.
- Very short, simple, and inspiring biography of Sarah Palin.
- For those who hate that she ran as VP on the republican ticket... don't get hung up on it as this book was written and published before she was chosen or even considered.
- admired the truth she stands for in the face of corruption in politics (in both parties).

Ready for summer!

2009-01-23T22:11:00.002-05:00

It has been ages... big surprise! It usually has been when I actually have a spare moment to blog. Snow is covering the ground and the temperatures have been in the negative numbers. brrrr and ouch! Gabe is growing up sooo fast. For a while now he has been using 3 word phrases. He is ready to potty train but I am not. We're looking forward to vacation in a few weeks out to visit my brother and family. I have 4 weeks of vacation time this year and I am so excited. I find myself daydreaming a lot lately of summertime last year. I was not working due to FMLA for Gabriel. We had such a good time traveling and playing outside in the water at parks and such. Baseball games, cookouts, camp season.... these are all such fond memories.

Where is summer?

2008-09-22T09:25:00.002-04:00

It has been literally months since I've last posted on here. Summer officially ends and fall starts today. The entire month of July I was out of town at different places with Gabe and Andy joined me for part of the month. The first couple of weeks I was in North Carolina with my mom and sister and some family. We celebrated the 4th with extended family up on the mountain there. The following week I counseled for MTYC. My week was changed to about a month later than it has been the past years. I returned home on July 12th to do some major laundry and then our flight left Cleveland at 10:30am the next morning. Andy, Gabe, & I flew out to Denver, CO for a few weeks. Andy's parents, Becki, Danny, and the Nathan Morris family also all went too. It was Andy's maternal grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary celebration and a huge family reunion. I started back to work in August. And last but not least, we moved on Friday. It is a 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath house with a basement too. Very exciting! Very soon I will get some pictures of our past couple of months up on here.

Projects and news

2008-06-10T18:11:00.004-04:00

During Gabe's nap time I am able to finally get some long awaited projects done. This is also due to not having extra things to do on my leave of absence from work. Things such as having already graduated this past month with my Master of Arts in Counseling also contributes as well. I now have my house totally clean, pictures up to date (including scrapbooks up to date), my garden outside in bloom, and actually could read books and feel good about it! I even have recently gone through "stuff" and had a yard sale and took the rest to goodwill. Lately I've gotten VERY good deals from craigslist.

Since my last post we've traveled down South 4 times... seems like a lot but they were necessary for the most part. I'll also be taking 3 more trips about the country before the end of July. Yikes! At least things are in order now because my laundry will be backed up by then ;)

-Jenelle-

Slideshow from April

2008-05-02T10:13:00.003-04:00

Season of Change

2008-04-26T17:57:00.003-04:00

It has been months, literally since I've had time to update this. Major things have happened and are yet to come. We have traveled far and near to visit relatives and friends since the holiday season. First off, it is my pleasure to announce that I am officially graduating for Liberty University with a Master of Arts in Human Services in Marriage and Family Counseling. I will be participating in the commencement ceremony on May 10. Secondly, and even more cool is that Andy and I are adopting a little guy! It is our joy to announce the arrival of Gabriel. He was born on November 27, 2006. And I will also add that he is such a cutie! He has already been living with us for some weeks now.

More holiday times

2007-12-30T18:25:00.000-05:00

It was nice the time spent with our families over the holidays. My sister and the young ones were in Ohio waiting for us when we got back from LU. We had a week to goof off together (minus the days I worked). Wednesday the 5th we went to the mall and were out all day. On Friday the 7th we had the annual cookie exchange to attend. On Saturday, December 8th my mom had gotten my sister and I tickets to go with her to a ladies Christmas program at her church. The three of us had a lovely time together.

The following week was also hectic- 2 more birthdays and my brother Bryan is home for Christmas break now. We have a new addition to our home... Sally... the snake. She'll be here for the month until Bryan goes back to school. Interesting is all I can say. I actually became quite fond of the little thing, and held it several times. Watching her eat is also quite fascinating.

The week of the 16th kicked off with a bang as the annual WBF Christmas program was Sunday night. Then Friday night my work had our Christmas party. Finally, Saturday Andy's side of the family, we celebrated our Christmas together.

Next... it is the week of Christmas. On the Eve, Andy and I met my parents, bro Bryan, grandparents, and Aunt Susie & Uncle Terry at Carrabas at 4pm. After this we went to a candlelight church service at Open Door. Immediately following we drove back to our Aunt & Uncle's house for games and more food (even though we were already stuffed!). We were packed and ready to stay at my parents house, which was great since we didn't leave my Aunt's house till 1am. Christmas day Andy and I, Bryan, and my parents were together. It was a quiet and relaxing day. We had the usual spread that mom always has. Good times, good conversations.

At the mall Samuel was so excited to see the "real talking Santa". He jumped right up on his lap and asked him if he could sing a song to him. So Samuel sang to Santa "we wish you a merry Christmas"... the whole way through and completing on tune. Santa was amazed at Samuel... and couldn't believe he is only 3.

baking cookies at mom's house

at the gift exchange at Andy's parents' house

at my mom's house on Christmas day

Christmas dinner

Final class at LU

2007-12-03T16:19:00.000-05:00

After Thanksgiving with my sister and family, Andy and I went to Liberty University for the week. I had my last class to undergo. We got to visit with Bryan more and some of my friends that I know from there. The pictures were at the basketball game we went to there.

Thanksgiving Time

2007-12-03T16:01:00.000-05:00

goofin off on the couch at the Hyltons'

so happy!

the bird

Early Birds we were the day after Thanksgiving. First in line at Staples for all the electronic gadgets.

Lots of celebrations during Thanksgiving week... our anniversary, my sis Kim's birthday and my bro Bryan's birthday. We spent the holiday with my parents, the Hylton's and my bro Bryan down at the Hyltons' in NC. Fun times.

What's going on with us.

2007-10-12T23:15:00.000-04:00

Not too much going on. We're just watching the Cleveland Indians make their way through the playoffs. Also we went to a Steven Curtis Chapman concert on this past Sunday (October 7). It was awesome. My class ends this Sunday. I'll have a break until my last intensive class and then I'll be done with all classwork.

Vacation Album

2007-10-03T23:30:00.000-04:00

Visit our Album below for more pictures of our vacation.

Vacation 2007

What's New???

2007-09-25T17:32:00.000-04:00

We're on vacation from Sept. 22- Oct. 2.

Ducks at our resort (Powhatan Plantation)

At Virginia Beach for the day...

Wordless Wednesday

2007-08-22T00:31:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

2007-08-15T00:20:00.000-04:00

He is definitely wordless!

Wordless Wednesday

Thankful Thursday

2007-08-09T00:14:00.000-04:00

- today is my day off
- amazing grace of God (and the song to remind me of it too)
- my husband getting the song "I've got joy joy joy joy down in my heart" stuck in my head (it made me smile more throughout the day)

Thankful Thursday

Busy Busy Busy

2007-08-08T21:11:00.000-04:00

Once again life has continued to be crazy. More fun stuff:
7/31- Cleveland Indians game (yes once again!)
8/4- Basket Festival. It was great to hang out with my bestest friends once again... I miss everyone! You guys are great... goofy golf, casa azul... etc. lazer guns and cats, laugh lots!
8/6- Ohio State Fair. We won 6 tickets to the fair plus the concert their today. It was Jeremy Camp and The Afters opened the show. For the 6 tickets my parents and Bryan & Anthony (his college roomate) went with Andy and I.
TOMORROW: MY DAY OFF!!!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2007-08-08T00:12:00.000-04:00

the zoo closed for the day... animals were safe though
on my way to work on 480... lets just say that the picture above would be a warning as to why not to end up in something stupid like the picture below.... obviously your car won't make it through that... why bother trying??

right down the road from my work... lets just say that I didn't get there until 11am
below is where I should've been... but the Cuyahoga County Fair closed for the day as well
To those faithful whom I've neglected because of my busy schedule... I've chosen to post 6 pictures since it has been at least that many week since I've last posted. So sorry. I will poast more of my busy-ness later today. Anyway... these photos are from today... well actually I mean yesterday since it is early in the morning Wednesday now. Flooding because of the storms on 8/7/07.

Wordless Wednesday

UPDATES

2007-07-30T18:33:00.000-04:00

7/22 - won tickets to Collide Fest
7/22 - Davis' goodbye party & then afterparty here and then at Denny's until 1:30 am
7/23 - Bryan & Anthony crash here for the next couple weeks... fun times and times to come
7/26 - Cleveland Indians game
7/27 - Kenny Lofton is back in an Indians jersey!
7/27 - Wheat Grass bash (bowling too), 15th floor, Cleveland Athletic Club
7/28 - won tickets to Steven Curtis Chapman concert
7/28 - Cleveland Indians game
7/29 - Bucca Di Beppo

Cleveland Indians Game

2007-07-19T20:48:00.001-04:00

Andy & I
Dad & Mom
Our row (Dad is hiding behind Mom & Bryan)
Slider starts the wave
the infamous scoreboard

We went to the game on this past Saturday. Bryan and I decided to go together and get Dad tickets for Father's Day. Also we put a message on the board at the game for Mom & Dad's 40th wedding anniversary (which was on July 8th for those of you who want to know). Before the game we got an interview with the pitcher Paul Byrd. After the game we got a Michael Tait concert up close and personal. It was an awesome time! Also I had my first experience hopping tracks. Some random guy was laying on the ground with parametics around him when we got off of the train from downtown. It was pouring rain and rather chilly as we stood with the massive crowd of people coming back from downtown. We had to cross the bridge to get to the other side of the tracks which lead to the station and parking lot. Unfortunately the guy (who looked very dead) was blocking the way with his rescuers. Of course, Andy suggested to hop the tracks after standing for two minutes being miserable as the weather was as it was. Yeah right I thought. So I managed to quickly blurt out that it is raining and there are probably electrical lines down there so it wouldn't be a good idea to jump down there. Bryan, unfortunately had to mention that the lines would be above and it shouldn't be a problem. We let this random other guy jump first and so the rest of us followed. Me, reluctantly as I was freaked out to jump into tracks. We then asked one of the firefighters what happened to the guy laying down as we reached safety inside the station. He said the guy was so drunk that he slipped and fell and hitt his head. I suppose that's what the city of Cleveland gets for hosting a Kenny Chesney concert downtown sponsored by a rum company. What a night!

New Additions to the Family

2007-07-19T20:40:00.000-04:00

Kyia

Jay, Katie, & Nick

The weekend of the July 6th my brother's family came to town to visit. We went to the beach and made a couple of trips to get ice cream at local places. Also we got a round of putt-putt in. It was neat to see my new nephew Jay and my new niece Kyia for the weekend. We had a good visit.

MTYC Junior Girls Week

2007-06-27T20:19:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

2007-06-06T00:02:00.000-04:00

God's beautiful creation. I took these pictures just this Monday evening.

Wordless Wednesday

Danny's birthday party...

2007-06-04T22:16:00.000-04:00

I ended up with no pictures of Danny but rather pictures of my nephews instead... sorry Danny!

Memorial Day Weekend

2007-05-29T22:35:00.000-04:00

Andy and I went down south to visit my sister & family last weekend. It was almost 24 hours ago now that we returned back home. It was a lovely time! I can't wait to return almost 3 weeks from now.

a bit relaxed

2007-05-10T21:26:00.000-04:00

This evening I finally redeemed my gift certificates for an hour long massage. It was soooooo nice. This past weekend Andy and I went to Illinois. We got a chance to visit my brother & his family in their new place (or more like new to us- cause they've been there almost a year now). It was such a lovely time. It was such a blessing to also be able to witness when my niece and nephew were baptized as well. Here are some photos from our trip:

the mississippi river in the Quincy area

me and my niece
my brother

my SIL

my niece and hubby

my nephew and the new pup tootsie

2007-04-29T21:20:00.000-04:00

I've enjoyed my almost 2 weeks off from school. Tomorrow starts another class. I'm quite excited for this next eight week class. Hopefully I'll learn a lot of useful information and Andy and I will probably read the textbook together. The class is Marriage & Family Counseling. It was nice just relaxing and getting some sun. This weekend Andy and I are going out to visit my brother Jeff and family. The long awaited (and way overdue) visit is finally approaching. They moved last June to Quincy, IL and we still haven't gotten out there. My how time flies! Maybe I'll post some pictures of our trip after the fact. For now, some ice cream and an ice cold glass of water :)
Tonight was our last official youth group. We had a crowd of 8 youngsters and it went well. Next month we will be having a cookout/youth group outing some time. Hopefully over the summer we can plan a youth retreat as well. Other than that our schedules are being freed up. I am down to one official job now (National City Bank) and 4 classes, and a practicum & internship to go before I graduate with an MA in professional counseling.

-Jenelle-

Wordless Wednesday

2007-04-11T00:24:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

In light of today...

2007-04-08T17:51:00.000-04:00

I thought the picture was cute... I guess the joke is okay.

Wordless Wednesday

2007-04-03T23:05:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

Meme

2007-04-03T20:24:00.000-04:00

Three Things That Scare Me:
A Sudden death in my family
The sound of broken glass (especially in the night)
Needles for drawing blood, shots, etc.

Three People Who Make Me Laugh:
My bro Bryan
My husband
My nephew Samuel

Three Things I Love:
Airplanes (taking off and landing) & Airports (I'd work at CLE if I could)
Pictures and Scrapbooking
My house being clean

Three Things I Hate:
Sin
Cleaning up other people's messes
Rude people

Three Things I Don't Understand:
Why I'm still in school
Why people who don't have hope from salvation even have a reason to live
Why bother having daylight savings time or marking the dates when spring/winter officially starts (it's not like the weather and sun and moon actually are going to answer to the government)

Three Things On My Desk:
My laptop
Piles of papers and books
My purse

Three Things I'm Doing Right Now:
Watching American Idol
Relaxing
Surfing the net... duh

Three Things I Want To Do Before I Die:
Take a trip to Australia
Tour the Holy Lands
Make sure my family understands the Gospel (and hopefully they'll all be saved but that is out of my control)

Three Things I Can Do:
Multitask
Organize
Write (from where I work... I don't take that for granted anymore)

Three Things I Can't Do:
Knit (I've even learned how but I've forgotten
Have a garden (some day maybe when we have our own land)
Calm down and not freak out when I lose things

Three Things I Think You Should Listen To:
Toby Mac
Michael W Smith
Steven Curtis Chapman

Three Things You Should Never Listen To:
Lies
Temptations
Profane lyrics

Three Things I'd Like To Learn:
How to sightread better on the piano
How to not have stagefrieght (in other words to think clearly when on the spot)
German

Three Favorite Foods:
Pizza (Donatos & Hungry Howies)
Olive Garden's salad
Chicken tortilla soup at Chilis

Three Shows I Watched As A Kid:
Full House
Growing Pains
Gerbert

2007-03-27T22:11:00.000-04:00

As time quickly passes so does my chance to write here. So many hours of work and school and cooking and cleaning and exercise. Thankfully the weather has been 70 for the last few days and sunny too! After April 12th I will officially have 3 classes left and a practicum and internship to do before I graduate with my MA. There is light at the end of this tunnel! Andy is continuing to grow and succeed in his business as well. God has blessed us. We are healthy.

I thought I would post some recent birthday pictures: Above is my new nephew the day he was born (March 8). Also my dad's birthday was on March 10 and we celebrated the day after for his 60th at Bucca de Beppos.

AHHHHHHHHHH!!!

2007-03-15T08:51:00.000-04:00

I know, I shouldn't be shocked especially since I wrote the last post... IT IS SNOWING OUTSIDE.... I AM NOT KIDDING! YESTERDAY IT WAS 70 degrees out. It was only supposed to drop down to 45 or so but instead IT IS SNOWING! I said it before and I'll say it again. This weather here is RIDICULOUS!
-Jenelle-

IN A TWO WEEK SPAN

2007-03-14T22:32:00.000-04:00

From a blizzard to rain. From an earthquake to a tornado. From -8 degrees to 70 degrees. ALL IN A TWO WEEK SPAN. It's no wonder that 1/2 the people I know are sick that live around here. This Ohio weather is ridiculous!
-Jenelle-

Wordless Wednesday

2007-03-14T10:12:00.000-04:00

At the time of this video my nephew was just past 2 years old. The fact that he has 4 older siblings must definitely influence his abilities at a young age.

Wordless Wednesday

Works for Me Wednesday

2007-03-14T09:59:00.000-04:00

I was inspired by Shannon's post of Karate to include what I do for exercise. Since I live in Ohio, I can never expect to have nice warm, sunny days every morning to take a brisk walk in. One day it's a blizzard and the next it is raining. A few months ago I invested 29.95 (I used a 50% off coupon) for a computer game called Dance Praise. It is amazing. It is like DDR but using popular Christian songs. There is no profanity. On this program you hook up a mat to your USB port in your computer and you're good to go. You dance to the music and score points depending on how many times you step on the right spot at the right time. There are several different ways to play and they even have an exercise program. You can also play against a friend if you get an extra mat. It is a great indoor exercise. To me it works a little like Jazzercise because you're dancing to the music (except you'd have to add your own warmups and cool downs and/or weights). I figure even if I did have to pay the full price it still would equal about one month of any of those exercise gyms (not that they're bad but you do have to drive there). My family and friends love it too!

For more WFMW ideas visit: Works for Me Wednesday

Works-For-Me Wednesday

2007-03-07T00:24:00.000-05:00

For the special kitchen edition of WFMW I would like to give an alternative way to clean the counters... espcially the wooden cutting boards. Since my hubby likes to stay away from using chemicals, I have discovered from doing research that vinegar cleans surfaces as well and if not better than most anti-bacterial sprays. I just splash a bit over the counters and wipe away. This is a great way to keep chemicals away from our bodies... as well as little ones who might like to get them out of cupboards. The little ones can't get into the chemicals if there aren't any there :)

Works-for-me Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

2007-03-07T00:15:00.000-05:00

I saw this on the beach and had to capture a picture of this. Speechless I am!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

2007-02-28T21:21:00.000-05:00

Oh the life it must be for a snow egret in Fort Myers Beach, FL.

Wordless Wednesday

Amazing Grace

2007-02-24T22:22:00.000-05:00

Go see the movie Amazing Grace. It was the best movie I've seen in a long time. Good, clean, movie where justice done.

http://www.amazinggracemovie.com/

No more fun & games

2007-02-23T22:32:00.000-05:00

Wednesday night I went to the Chris Tomlin concert with Becki and we had awesome seats directly dead center on the floor in front of the stage at a perfect distance.
Thursday night Andy and I went to eat at his parent's house as one of the cousins was in town with his family.
Friday night we went to the Auto Show VIP preview at the IX Center...

Monday my class starts. Hmmmm...
I need to simplify my schedule.

-Jenelle-

Wordless Wednesday

2007-02-21T13:58:00.000-05:00

This picture is a little over a year old taken at New Years of my nephew and I. He is quite a ham! He is facinated with digital cameras as he loves to look at pictures immediately after they're taken.
Wordless Wednesday

Works for me Wednesday

2007-02-21T10:20:00.000-05:00

Since I have such a busy schedule with working a few different jobs, full time masters student, and a wife, I hardly have any time to relax. There are so many projects that could be finished and so many time sensitive things I need to do. What works best for me is to get the necessities done each day. I do not clean up the kitchen several times during the day but just once a day. I also do not do "work" or "chore" type tasks after 8pm. I set limits that way I'm not exhausted nor do I feel guilty for not having accomplished the bottomless pitt of tasks. Since Sunday is not really a day of rest for hubby and I we try to do something fun together either Friday or Saturday night. I also have one other day off in the week in which I rotate from week to week from either errands (groceries and shopping) or cleaning. Setting limits and knowing that I do not need to be stressed out is very helpful to me. There is no need to overextend my body.

For more tips visit: Rocks in my Dryer

Youth Group tonight

2007-02-18T23:25:00.000-05:00

More storm pictures...

2007-02-17T22:17:00.000-05:00

We got more snow again today. It snowed all day today as if we didn't have enough snow. The two above pictures are from Wednesday.

VALENTINES DATE

2007-02-14T22:03:00.000-05:00

We went to Olive Garden despite the raging cold winter storm. We ended up spending the night choosing the names for our twelve children that probably have not yet been born:
God willing that there are six guys and six girls the names are as follows:
Katerina Joy Morris
Madeline Faith Morris
Chloe Passion Morris
Nellie Cheerful Morris
Mercedes Charity Morris
Clarissa Grace Morris
James Peace Morris
Stephen Love Morris
Wesley Gentle Morris
Jacob Discerning Morris
Joseph Wise Morris
Johnathon Truth Morris

We are officially claiming these names. If someone else names their baby these first then there will just have to be two with the same name.
Andy

Still snowing at 9 am!

2007-02-14T09:35:00.000-05:00

Have a snow day for Valentines Day!

Not going anywhere anytime soon...

2007-02-13T22:05:00.000-05:00

photo of our car at 10pm tonight (or what's left of it)

Winter in Ohio...

2007-02-13T18:14:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately this weather caused me to have to drive an extra 1.5 hours today to and from work. This is just the beginning of the storm. It is the worst since 1993 according to news channel 5. It is to continue until tomorrow night or later.

-Jenelle-

2007-02-11T19:50:00.000-05:00

I know, it has been close to a month since I've last posted. A new job, a new nephew, another couple of birthdays later and it is today. I am pretty busy and need to simplify. Stress is present most definitely as Wednesday was my day off last week and I didn't even go to Bible study. Yikes! Pray for me as I have decisions to make.
-Jenelle-

Sam the Man!

2007-01-17T22:45:00.000-05:00

It was a fun visit... that is for sure. I thought I would share some of the joyous times that occurred between Christmas and New Years :)

Operation nosering

2007-01-17T22:13:00.000-05:00

So today I finally bought my first nosering assessories. Unfortunately all I wanted was an invisible one but happily there was a deal 5 for $25 and the young girl was so nice that she talked herself into giving me 2 extra for free just because the mall was dead today. Anyway... our first unsuccessful attempt to take it out for the first time was before prayer meeting. I say "our" because I halfway want and also don't want Andy to do it. He decided it was getting red and said we probably shouldn't irritate it any further. After prayer meeting I decided that enough was enough. I wanted to switch it out. I could only get it out partway and decided to start putting saltwater on it just in case. This thing is bent 3 different angles and I really didn't know how I would get it out. Thankfully Andy started and got it out further. All of a sudden I got lightheaded... I felt like I could pass out. I needed to sit down and get rid of the sweatshirt. It was getting so hot. After a breather, Andy was manuevering it out again. Finally I felt it freed from my nose. Wow! What a feeling. I cleaned my nose more while the nosering was out and put something on my nose to stop it from swelling as it was very red. We decided to put another nosering in right away just in case it does swell. I could hardly find the hole though. All the noserings that I got are similar to earrings in that they do not have bent corners on the stud. They are just straight studs with a tiny ball in the back so that it does not come out. It was very easy to put one of these in. There is no way I'll be putting that other one back in. I'm not sure how the guy at the piercing place got it in to begin with. So I suppose this operation was successful!
-Jenelle-

I am so overwhelmed!

2007-01-09T09:28:00.000-05:00

On a quick break here I thought I'd finally post something here. I haven't been home for 2 weeks now. Andy, I, Bryan, & Faith all rode down together to my sister's in North Carolina. We spent a lovely fun few days together. I was able to also visit with my Aunt & Uncle who met us there from the Carolinas also. Saturday after breakfast a crew of us went up to shoot. We had a great time and I hit the target on my third shot. Not bad! I hit many targets this day. After lunch everyone depart. The 3 that came with me rode back home with my parents. I stayed with the Hyltons over the New Year. We played games through the new year and I got some sleep. I crammed in more work that had to be completed before my class which started Tuesday morning at 8:30am. Right around 3:30pm I departed from my sisters and headed to Liberty University. Thankfully I made it and found where I'm staying alright.
The first class: Tuesday - Saturday 8:30am-5pm
We did intense counseling sessions. In groups of 3 we took turns being (1) the counselor (2) the client (3) the observer. We practiced with the same person and the same topics that we wanted to work on. Sometimes we wouldn't get done with our practice sessions until 9:30 at night. Then after that we would have homework to do. I'd be up until midnight and sometimes up to work before class. It is the most emotionally and physically drained that I have ever been in my entire life. My body was sore all over and I knew I was on the edge of getting sick. We made great friends and colleagues. We all went out to dinner together even with the professor one evening along with eating together in smaller groups throughout the week. Saturday night I started preparing for the next week's class. All day Sunday I worked on the workbook for this class. Right now I'm in another intensive class from Monday - Friday again. My head is spinning and actually I was 2 1/2 hours late my first morning of class this week because my sickness did come. I think I have pink eye along with a cold. Ewwww. There is no way that I'm going to not go to my class now. I'm all the way here in Virginia so I need to push through.
I also found a buddy who will ride home with me who lives only 25 minutes from my house. Supposedly we're going to get out at noon on Friday so maybe we'll drive then. Hopefully I won't still be exhausted. It seems as if I will have the evenings free this week in contrast to last week. Wow!
Oh, and also last week I finally agreed to go back and work at National City Bank (but a new branch).
What a life changing experience it has been so far. Please pray for me as I am approaching the end of the two weeks that I'll be rested, get healthy, and be able to stay focused!
-Jenelle-

Video from our Christmas program

2006-12-19T15:40:00.000-05:00

Sunday night at WBF we had a wonderful Christmas program. The children were so cute and we sang Christmas carols. What beautiful music to the Lord's ears. Praise be to God! I've included 2 videos of the one song that completely "knocked my socks off". It was an amazing performance written by Trans-Siberian Orchestra performed by some Believers at WBF. Sorry about the 2 videos (technical difficulties that caused us to have to restart the camera rolling so we missed about 5 seconds of the song).

2006-12-18T20:42:00.000-05:00

I did finish my paper about 30 minutes before the deadline at midnight last night.
I also spent the entire day today cleaning the house and our 2 vehicles.
The WBF Christmas Program was excellent last night.
To get out of the house tonight Andy and I went to the library then to Barnes & Noble and then back to the library again.

-Jenelle-

2006-12-14T21:43:00.000-05:00

...So I only got 2 pages done of my paper but I think for once I'll actually have too much to say instead of not enough pages.
...The Christmas tree us up.
...I bought my books for my 2 classes in January that are at Liberty for a grand total of $253.62 (which doesn't even include that I have to get more books for my class which starts in Feb.)
YIKES!
-Jenelle-

2006-12-14T17:39:00.000-05:00

grocery shopping done and started my paper (don't worry I did a LOT more random things along with that today too). Those just needed to get underway.
-Jenelle-

2006-12-13T22:06:00.000-05:00

update... I just finished my final exam!!! I will reward myself by doing something fun until bedtime... hmmmm... there are so many options: scrapbook, Christmas project, design Christmas cards, decorate Christmas tree, surf the net...

-Jenelle-

Still haven't gone grocery shopping

2006-12-13T18:58:00.000-05:00

I got back in town Sunday night. We rushed home after Andy picked me up from the airport (I'll never go directly from church to the aiport without changing into gym clothes again!). Next to WBF for the youth group Christmas party at 7:30pm. Monday I cleaned the place up a bit and then went to lunch for Mom Morris' birthday with her, Anita, and Becki to Clementine's Tea House. Back at home I cleaned up more and then went to potluck at WBF. Tuesday morning I cleaned more, took a load of stuff to goodwill, headed over to Westlake for some babysitting at 11:30am then headed to over to do more work for Scott at 1:30pm. I went directly from his house to my mom's for a Christmas party with her cousins, my aunt, and grandma. I got home last night at 11:15pm. Whew!! This morning I barely made it out of bed in time for bible study which starts at 10am. I really don't know what I've done since then but run all around and do random errands and things.
TO DO LIST:
-grocery shopping
-finish a project for Christmas
-shop for 3 people and a couple for Christmas
-write a 15 page personal theory paper by midnight Sunday
-take my final exam by midnight Sunday
-clear the clutter
-ignore the hole in the wall! (yes... there is a hole in the wall)
-Christmas cards
-clean the candle wax off the mirror because "somebody" blew it out too hard
-make meals at meal time
-stay calm
-GET A MASSAGE!!!! I added this to just start the relaxation process of my mind.

-Jenelle-

Home and Away

2006-12-05T18:39:00.000-05:00

We got home from Florida on Thursday. We: rushed to the post office, opened our mail, got dressed up, dropped off mail for the Dicks (they left in FL), went to Family Christian Bookstore, went to the mall food court for dinner, rushed downtown for the Cleveland Playhouse to see "A Christmas Story". I had won tickets to it through the Cuyahaga County Library website. They were front row seats too! Friday was catching up on errands and a 3 hour grocery shopping trip. Saturday I went out to my mom's house for shopping and basket bingo along with exchanging things from Florida. Sunday was church and major homework. Monday morning I got up early and packed for my 11:35am flight to Greensboro, NC. So here I am. In North Carolina visiting my sister and the youngest 3 of hers. I won't be home until Sunday night about an hour and a half before the youth group Christmas party. Hmmmmm.... I guess you could say I love to ESCAPE THE SNOW!
-Jenelle-

Dolphins

2006-11-27T23:18:00.000-05:00

More pictures from Florida

2006-11-27T12:58:00.000-05:00

sunset on the Gulf of Mexico

our Thanksgiving spread in the condo

out on the boat on Friday

Today we're out on the beach getting some sun. It is in the 80s!

pictures from here in Fort Myers Beach yesterday

2006-11-23T12:06:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving today!

We're here!

2006-11-20T20:11:00.000-05:00

Today we arrived in Florida... Fort Myers Beach to be exact. What a lovely anniversary. We have been married for two years now. The celebration started a week ago as I gave Andy his gift. I got him a new leather briefcase. I thought he'd want to take it with him on our vacation and couldn't stand to wait any longer to give it to him so he got it a week ago. Then on Friday I received a beautiful arrangement of flowers. I also got chocolate which was discovered Saturday morning. Sunday we were busy packing and finishing up last minute things and today... here we are. I love airports and plane rides! Other than the fact that I do not like the man that confiscated my cheerwine (2 cans of it at that) at the security checkpoint, it is great to fly on a day like today. Andy got me a new scrapbook program for my computer! We have had an awesome day so far and the night is young :) Catcha later!
-Jenelle-

Who is above or beyond being hurt?

2006-11-19T16:28:00.000-05:00

Many of our struggles spring from a belief that adults- especially Christian adults- should be "beyond" or "above" being hurt. For example, "If I were really a strong Christian, this wouldn't hurt so much. I just wish I could trust God more." Or another, "this shouldn't bother me theme" such as "my folks always told me I was too sensitive", or "my pastor keeps encouraging me to have more faith." But the basic refrain remains: "I should be able to take anything no matter how cruel and crushing, without feeling any distress. No matter how traumatic the event, I should not let it hurt me." Unseen wounds! Where do intelligent adults get the idea that any human being ought to be able to take everything without feeling anything? Just because you make a mistake doesn't mean you are a mistake. Don't be bound with this shame. But don't be fooled that you are above hurt. Even God himself experienced the deepest hurt as His One and only Son was upon the cross.

Fear of all fears!

2006-11-14T07:52:00.000-05:00

Ever been woke up to the sound of a loud bang... like thunder but not because it is much too close to be thunder. The sound of a loud bang at the glass... the glass above your head because you're lying in bed with the headboard resting right next to the window. You grab your hubby and cling on to him tight. A quick passing few seconds later... crash! Get out of the room hubby whispers to me as we make a dash to the next room. The window in there showed flashing red lights which was a comfort to me. It took 30 seconds or so to notice though that the lights were not those of the police but those of a school bus at a stop to pick up the kids in front of our area. Not seeing anyone run by or hearing another loud crash, back to the bedroom we went and took off the cover that keeps out the light at night. Sure enough, the window was broken.

The police came and they determined it must have been a bird or some type of animal. It must have broke through the pane and then was scurrying around trying to find it's way out and it actually broke the glass again on its way out leaving blood on the inside of the window. Hmmmmm.... I sure hope so.

Needless to say... the complex has to get us a new window. They discovered (after the sun was up) that there are also little hairs inside the window... strange?? Anyways... it was a rude awakening this morning at 6:45AM.

2006-11-11T22:18:00.000-05:00

And last but not least... Levi is so animated once again!

2006-11-11T22:02:00.000-05:00

Friday night entertainment by Levi

2006-11-11T21:19:00.000-05:00

2006-10-30T21:33:00.000-05:00

"Neither the goal of the Christian life nor the goal of Christian counseling is an individual's happiness. Trying to find happiness is something like trying to fall asleep. As long as you consciously and zealously try to grasp it, it never comes." Larry Crabb

Saturday night fun!

2006-10-29T00:23:00.000-04:00

We went to a get-together at Carrie & Eric's place. It was fun! I love to laugh and catch up with friends. The food was great too. The best part is that it is now just past 12:15 am but we get an EXTRA HOUR OF SLEEP because of the time change. I'm going to turn my clocks back now... goodnight.
-Jenelle-

Random weather...

2006-10-23T22:19:00.000-04:00

So Andy and I went to Malley's Chocolate to at least take advantage of the $.99 hot fudge sundaes at least one time during the promotion (which btw runs until the 31st of this month!)... and it was snowing and hailing tonight. As soon as we got inside the door there was a loud thunder. How strange! Thunder with snow?? I was very confused at the thought of it and so was everyone else in Malley's. Anyone ever heard of thunder with snow or hail instead of rain?

Happy Sweetest Day!

2006-10-21T18:16:00.000-04:00

SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2006-10-12T21:48:00.000-04:00

I can't stand the snow. It actually came down today for the first time this year. Personally I think October 12th is WAY TO EARLY for it to snow.
What do you think?

-Jenelle-

MTYC EXTREME WEEKEND

2006-10-02T21:53:00.000-04:00

Max the dog and Samuelup on the rappeling cliffs...
Danny is rappeling down

here goes Andy down

group photo minus the Hylton kids

The messages were very convicting and encouraging. We met a lot of new people and got to reunite with good friends. Lots of food, fun, and fellowship all weekend long!

-Jenelle-

My new adventure!

2006-09-21T09:43:00.000-04:00

Last night after 10 Andy taught me how to drive stick shift! Woohoo! I feel like a little girl again getting a new toy. We drove around the little community here in Oakwood late last night (because I was scared people might see me stalling out or something in the daylight... also we didn't put the new plates on... and also we didn't have time until then). Today I'm going to try out the highway!
-Jenelle-

p.s. In case you haven't caught on.... we got a car that has manual drive. It is way more gas efficient than an SUV.

I'm FREE!

2006-09-11T21:13:00.000-04:00

I have officially mailed in my papers and book reviews to Liberty today. I had to overnight it with Fedex but at least it'll get there by the class deadline tomorrow. I can now attend to the extra fun things I'd like to do. For now, I have not scheduled anymore classes. I guess I'll have to check into that if I ever want to graduate.
-Jenelle-

Pictures from Labor Day Weekend at the Melon Festival

2006-09-05T22:20:00.000-04:00

playing bingo

the little man in control

The Beverly Hills replica in the parade

Nick & Katie in the fun jumping place

2006-08-30T14:21:00.000-04:00

Not much new here... we're both just working and taking our classes. This weekend, however is the Melon Festival! We love the good 'ole Melon Fest out in Milan. We'll be there all day Saturday and Sunday. I'm so excited because my family from out of town is coming (Bryan-from Liberty University; Jeff, Julie, Nick, and Katie- from Illinois). Give us a call if you want info about it or directions. We would love to meet you there. Also, the HUGE parade is Sunday afternoon immediately after the lunch hour. It ususally lasts over an hour and sometimes two hours (AND THEY THROW OUT GOODIES!).
-Jenelle-

Catch-Up post...

2006-08-24T12:50:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we headed west. Saturday night we arrived at Brad and Loretta's place near Toledo and were able to get in a good visit. Next morning we went to church with them and then had a lovely lunch with them and a couple from their church. Afterwards, Andy and I headed up to Battle Creek, Michigan to pick up something we got from ebay. Our plan was to camp out at Fort Custer for the night and so we did...

Andy sets up our tent

Fort Custer is a lovely state park up in Michigan. We had a good time. The lake was beautiful and the water was clean! I could see the bottom... much better than Lake Erie. It is a very historical place with a national cemetary close by and a national guard station.

2006-08-21T20:45:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday Libby!

CONGRATULATIONS ERIC & CARRIE MAHON!

2006-08-13T22:09:00.000-04:00

2006-08-12T07:08:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday Ben!
"you EIGHT it"

2006-08-07T20:27:00.000-04:00

A Happy 13th Anniversary goes out to my brother Jeff and his wife Julie!

Happy Birthday Jenna!

2006-08-01T09:08:00.000-04:00

A Sunny Sunday

2006-07-26T13:01:00.000-04:00

pictures from last weekend

2006-07-21T09:48:00.000-04:00

Samuel blowing out the candles...

He is so smart for just turning two. The funniest thing about the gifts he opened was when he said "it matches!" to a pair of shorts and a shirt he received.

taking Samuel's gifts down to the pool after the party

Samuel trying out his new duck!

Jenna likes it too!

Libby in her new caterpillar float.

2006-07-20T10:56:00.000-04:00

Today is our "20 month" anniversary. When you state it that way it doesn't seem like that long ago that we were married. However, it seems like a long time ago.

Happy Birthday Samuel!

2006-07-16T22:17:00.000-04:00

Yeah right... like he can read. Anyway he turned 2 today and yesterday we had a big party for him here at MTYC up in the lodge area. I'll put up more pictures when I upload them to the computer (probably after I get back home).
-Jenelle-

Week of June 18 at MTYC and beyond

2006-07-06T11:33:00.000-04:00

Cabin 3 in front of the breathtaking view up on the mountain

My dear sister who came along on the canoe trip

the rope swing was fun along with jumping off the cliffs

Will, Andy, Kim, Ben on the canoe trip

The entire group who went on the canoe trip

Jr. Girls Week at MTYC

2006-07-06T11:10:00.000-04:00

The counselors and directors team

The theme for the week was medical.

A joyful heart is good medicine!

Cabin 3!

Happy birthday to me! My husband was so thoughtful of me. I was away at camp over my birthday. He was being sneeky and sent down Mitchells ice cream in a cooler with Becki. He also sent me a bucket full of pringles (5 cans of various flavors) and a cinnamin candle (my favorite scent). Lots of flowers too!

-Jenelle-

Carrie's shower on June 17

2006-07-06T10:52:00.000-04:00

My food contributions to the shower... I guess I have more talent than I thought.

The beautiful bride-to-be and mother

the gals...

Rachel, Tara, Catie, Christin, Jenelle, Soni, Becky

Happy Wednesday I guess

2006-06-28T14:58:00.000-04:00

Today I have gotten many random things done. Yesterday was my first day back in Ohio. I got my house in order again and even worked a few hours for Scott. And last night I used one of my many FREE coupons for my birthday. I got free Ice Cream at Cold Stone Creamery. Yummy! Andy and I then watched a movie at the Markovich's house last night. This morning I got up and cleaned up around their house. I'm surprised the animals were still alive here when I got back... I just really didn't think someone would remember to feed them, LOL... just kidding. Anyway, I got to put my pages into my new album and starting attacking my next class. Oh yes, and I did finish my paper on time that needed to be done by Monday night (that class is over now). Maybe later tonight I will add some pictures of the week at MTYC.
-Jenelle-

Happy Birthday Jessica!

2006-06-27T19:32:00.000-04:00

Happy 21st!