a.p.r.i.l.

april has been one crazy, fast month. we're moving in four days...so my life for the next few days is packing, organizing, changing addresses, and doing my best not to go crazy. april has been a month of sickness: jake had a terrible cold and mouth problem for almost 2 weeks, and i had my foot problem and am still recovering from a nasty throat virus. awesome. april has also been a month of weird weather, blue walls (i painted my living room with the help of my mother dearest), visitors (lyndsi, mama, and carly), and the following:

one year anniversary (28th...i love my husband)

weddings. go ali and eric.

friends. really, good friends.

birthdays. my beloved.

and more beautiful friends.

i like you april, and i can't believe you're almost over. summer, here we come. road trip 2008 to DC commences SUNDAY.

bam bam bam...how is that a bad plan?

i am officially done with finals. i'll drink to that.

ouch, chawlayyy.

have you ever been given a shot in the side of your foot? i experienced it this morning...it was more painful that i thought possible.

so, i ran the half-marathon. the next day, my right foot hurt sooo bad. every time i put any kind of pressure on it, pain would shoot through my entire foot. ah, the joys of tendinitis.

went to the foot doctor this morning (oh, did i mention i limped around campus all day yesterday, practically in tears? lopsided? and everyone was looking at me like i had some sort of mental problem? that was fun.) and he told me that my tendinitis was extremely inflamed, which was the source of the pain. i told him my extensive experience with tendinitis (you know, coming home from a mission because of it, wearing special shoes, all that jazz), and he suggested i just go for the gold and get a shot of steroids in my tendon, which would numb the bottom and side of my foot, allowing me to walk with no pain for six weeks.

i took the shot. i squirmed, said "ow" probably 40 times--i've never felt pain like that. 20 seconds of pain pain PAIN.

but now i can walk. thank you, dr. rogers.

the half-marathon.

she runs...

mile 1.50: two songs play on my ipod: mr. brightside and bittersweet symphony.

mile 1.52: ipod freezes. YES, FREEZES... slight panic.

mile 1.55: conversation with self: ok, this is not a big deal. you can definitely run 13 miles without music. yeahhh no problem, jenna. you rock. you are strong. you can do this.

mile 2: dear ipod: you've ruined my life.

mile 4: conversation with self: wow i'm kind of tired...what mile am i on? 4???? that's it???

mile 5: conversation with self: this down hill is nice. i like you, hill. thank you for existing.

mile 6: conversation with self: these houses in sugarhouse are very cute. maybe one day i'll have one just like it, with a bright white kitchen with creaky wooden floors...light blue walls. or, maybe i want a celery green? i don't know. but either way, it's going to be cheery. oh wow, that man had b.o. is my 350 final on tuesday or monday? i wonder how jake's rugby game went? my dream last night was crazy. oh my gosh, i miss jake. what should i eat after this? a hamburger? no. crap, i have to start packing for the summer. my feet hurt.

mile 8: serious burst of energy.

mile 9: conversation with self: oh my gosh, i feel GREAT. i think i should just turn around and go up the actual "marathon" route! i could do it!

mile 10: conversation with self: i'm pretty sure i've been running in this park for a good two miles now. where is gateway? how come i don't see the fountain yet?

mile 11: conversation with self: ok, not feeling exactly great anymore. why are my feet tingling? is my back chaffing against my running pants?

mile 12: mentally singing "better, faster, stronger" by dear kanye.

mile 12.2: out loud singing "better, faster, stronger" by dear kanye.

mile 12.5: must. keep. moving.

mile 12.6: "only two more blocks!" someone yells. liar.

mile 12.7: all of a sudden, hear crowd going wild! i mean, cheering and screaming! oh my gosh, they love me! they totally love me! they are for sure cheering for ME!

mile 12.8: hear the loud announcer say: "and here comes the first marathon-finisher!"

mile 12.9: realized the first marathon-finisher is right behind me, which explains the cheering. maybe one of them was for me.

mile 13: realized that someone ran an entire marathon in the amount of time i ran a HALF-marathon, but proud of myself anyway.

back chaffage, sore feet, two 1/2 blisters, and one sun burn later, i am a happy girl.

thank you, katie, for being at the finish line. pictures coming as soon as katie emails them to me. loves.

why now??

i'm pretty sure i have strep throat. two days ago, my throat closed up and i could barely talk. it got better yesterday, and now its back, full throttle. i'm running a half-marathon on saturday... how am i going to do that if i can hardly swallow? any suggestions for quick healing? i've been trying to sleep a lot, drink orange juice, daily vitamin---HELP.


i could use some prayers.

um...

it's snowing outside.


i'm so over utah.

that's better.

it only took me one try today. i'm keeping this for awhile.

you know, sometimes i feel so pathetic that i care so much. i'm at school, in a very crowded computer lab...and i'm blogging.

what is my life coming to?

all i know is that it's over 75 degrees today. this is something to celebrate.

hello, summer. i've missed you.

i greatly dislike my blog.

i'm over the fancy designs. i'm over the plainness. there is no answer.

poem by a worn-out student

went to bed at 3, woke up at 7:30

after a bath, my hair is still dirty

of course it was raining, when i rolled out of bed

"you've got to be kidding me," was all that i said.

with my backpack weighing more than a ton

i put on my jacket and prayed for the sun

but no sun was seen, and as soon as i parked

the hail started falling

"awesome," was my remark.

a ten mile walk to campus, no big deal

the hail continued to hit me, and my happiness steal

it soon turned to snow, and i laughed quite a laugh

"it's april for heaven's sakes!" as i tripped over my calve

with so much homework that kept me up

my eyes droop sadly as i drink water from my cup.

"stay awake, you fool.  concentrate," i say.

won't this day ever end and send me on my way?

this poem proves how delirious i am.  thank you, and good day.

an actual update.

there is much to update on, and i have a ton of homework---so i'm going to be quick. first things first. it was jake's birthday on saturday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! i'm so thankful he was born because without him, i honestly don't know where i'd be. i know that saying is cliche, but really. where would i be and what would i be doing? NO IDEA. i love you jakey. we went bowling and then grabbed some food--it was a lot of fun just hanging out the two of us. usually we go see a movie or something, but we decided to actually get out and DO something. he beat me, but i let him win. i mean it was his birthday, come on.





then, this past week we were in colorado for rob and jessie's wedding. it was so much fun being there with our good friends and family. julie and max (vela) were there and we LOVED seeing them and hanging out. we always have so much fun with the people we love. the two days we were there went by too fast, though. now we're back, doing homework and the regular routine. congrats to rob and jessie. we had a blast and we're really happy for you.

dancing.

jeff and jake, doing what they do best. being funny.

i really love jake vela.

yummy.

like father, like son. honestly.

the happy couple.

don't worry. still obsessed with andrew. he can put his own binky in now.

he can't help himself.

i love this picture. i should enhance all my photos.

jake and his best friends.

snoop dog and the book of mormon.

interesting. to read the article about snoop dog converting to mormonism, go here.

kelsey.

i have to dedicate a post to miss kelsey nixon and how amazing i think she is. i'm telling you...if there has ever been a bound and determined woman out there, kelsey might surpass her. she is fabulous, talented, beautiful, and smart. anyway, check out the link and see her progress. love you kelsey.

hare krishna

we went to the hare krishna celebration in spanish fork this last saturday with the bean clan. it was pure madness. here is what happened: they burned a witch at the stake (by witch i mean a dummy with a hockey jersey and helmet on) and once that happened, pure chaos. everyone had bags of colored chalk--once the witch was lit, everyone threw their bags through the air. we couldn't see the sun. we couldn't see each other. we were inhaling chalk...our boogers were every color of the rainbow. we had a blast.

before.

after.

going once, twice, SOLD

wow...that was really fast. i am so relieved. thank you ans, the nice asian man in salt lake who will have a new bed today.

BRAND NEW King-Size Bed for Sale!

We have been trying to sell our old king-size bed for a few months now on KSL. We haven't heard much back (maybe that's because I didn't realize they automatically take your ad off after 30 days...sweet), so I re-posted it on KSL today and thought to myself, hmmm maybe there are some friendly blog readers/stalkers who would be interested. Listen, I don't care if I don't know you at all and you just happen to come across my blog. Admit it, we all go on our friends' blogs and look at everyone else's blogs on their list of friends. Hi, my name is Jenna, and I'm a stalker. No really though, if you are interested, we're selling this bed. We loved it--we only used it for four months and bought it brand new from IKEA. Bought back in September 2007, we used it and loved it, but when we moved we got a new bedroom set. SO, we're selling it for $185. Interested, friend or friend of a friend? Please leave a comment. We have to get rid of it---it's taking up all of my storage space. Thanks friends!




p.s. Mattress NOT included...sorry.

randomies.

just thought i'd do a quick post for all to see. this is when we were at red robin (yum) to celebrate dear megan niccoli's birthday. and yeah...that's all i got. have a great weekend!

happy easter

wow.

i will say, i impressed myself. thank you ani.

94 words

Speedtest

oh, and look at this: Profile Views 1,000 - my blog has officially been looked at 1,000 times. for some reason i feel like i've reached some huge milestone in my life or something.

i'm so pathetic.

jake, jake, he's our man.

i came home from school last friday to a lovely surprise. my usual saturday chores were already done...this includes: vacuuming, cleaning bathrooms, cleaning sheets, doing laundry, and dusting. jake had spent all morning cleaning and making our house so nice and clean so that i wouldn't have to do it on saturday. how amazing is he? he also makes me breakfast a lot, as well as yummy and nutritious lunches that i take to school with me. jake is the most patient, loving, kind, and selfless person i've ever met. he makes me laugh hysterically every single day. he understands me better than anyone and is the easiest person to talk to. sometimes we don't want to go to bed because we're having so much fun just laying there and talking. he is constantly helping others and putting them before himself. he is so nice to people he doesn't even know. he makes sure we always have family night, that we read our scriptures and pray everyday. he's adventurous, exciting, and optimistic. he is so good at being stress-free, or at least acting like it. jake is very chill, and i love that about him. he is sensitive to other's needs, especially mine. oh i could go on and on. he is just such a hard worker and has more endurance than most people know. he loves being healthy and happy everyday. i just thought he deserved a little post from a humble wife. he is my favorite person in the whole world, and i'm glad and very thankful to have him around. oh, and did i mention he is such a stud? i mean look at the kid. wow.

poem 3.10.08

Trees
God is everywhere, this I have learned
In rocks, in streams, in the grains of the soil
In the light of the sun, warming my back
In the tiny drops of rain hitting my face through the breeze
In the dead blades of grass, fighting for renewal of life
God is everywhere, this I have learned.

God is with me, this I have learned.
He is the tree, growing so slowly
He is the tree, giving me shade
He is the tree, with veins of grey bark and buds of new life
He is the tree that is constant and loving
He is the tree that is kind and accepting
He is the tree that will always give me shade, no matter how short I fall
He is the tree that will love me forever.
God is with me, this I have learned.

God is everywhere, this I have learned.
In the of course of a cold river, soon to be warm
In the little bird, flying next to me as I run
In the crunch of a stick, fallen from grace
In the mountain I see, bright white and furry
God is everywhere, this I have learned.

poem 3.7.08

i am the train i hear in the night
i push though the darkness, hoping to reach some destination
the wind pushes against my dreams, but i fight to make them real
i sound my horn to warn my future that i will be there soon.

i am the wheels that turn and turn
i am the steam that gives relief
i am the train i hear in the night

i carry precious things through an unsafe world
i cover and protect what i love
no wind is strong enough, no night is dark enough
with the help of my conductor and friend,
i will reach my destination.

i am the train i hear in the night.

naps and alison.

andrew and i had a really good nap the other day when i was watching him for katie. she came home and snapped this picture...i'll admit i was semi-awake. he is such a good snuggler. and alison....well, i just have to say that i've never seen my dear friend so happy in my life. she's getting married on may 22--and she was beaming like a dandelion at her shower on saturday. life is good my friends.

2 things.

good afternoon friends. i'm in a great mood today because i woke up and the sun was shining, the air felt warmer than usual, and i had a really good tuna sandwich. i'm also going "antiquing" later today...my favorite pastime. anyway, the point of this post is to show you two things: 1) my guest bedroom. it's basically as complete as it's going to get for awhile. i eventually want to paint all the furniture a cream antiqued color, but that project isn't going to happen for awhile. the reason i'm posting this is that i am trying to entice you to come visit me. and you get your own bathroom to go with it. i love visitors, seriously. i will feed you, take care of you, entertain you...and the mattress is DIVINE. and i love the bedding (courtesy of my fashion-savvy sister-in-law jenye, who works at pottery barn and is very giving of her discount). i mean, this could be your bed. alright, enough of that. 2) i was on www.people.com a few days ago (don't worry, i check this website at least 4 times a day. i have a sickness) and what i saw really surprised me. i felt very proud actually. see below. hope you are all having a fabulous day! love to everyone.




this is kind of blurry, but if you can't read it, it says: "the truth about life's great questions is now restored." then the advertisement switched to the picture under this one. i saw this ad for the church on people.com. let me repeat that...i saw this ad for the church on people.com. i was amazed.