Halloween Nostalgia

People always ask about family traditions and special things your family does ever year. My family didn't have too many of those, but one always comes to mind around this time of year. Every year on Halloween my mom would make the same thing for dinner. Chili mac. Basically this consists of chili and macaroni noodles with cheese on top. My mom says that's just what she would make because it was easy and fast. Every year when it comes close to Halloween, my body tells me that I should be eating chili mac soon. I still hold true to this tradition and guess what is for dinner tonight? That's right. I can't make it tomorrow because we'll be at the family game night at church. I will be dressing up as a farmer for my students tomorrow. I have never dressed up as a farmer before. I think its fun to dress up. Everyone at work seems to think of it as a drag and something they are forced to do. I think it's especially fun for the children to see their teachers all dressed up. I hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween!

P.S. I hope nobody smashes my pumpkins again like last year. =(

My trip to Denver

Last week, my husband and I were able to go to Colorado to visit Gina. We had great time with her, her husband and his family. The Mitchel's were wonderful hosts. They recently made their guest room so they were excited for their first guests to stay in it. They even fed us breakfast everyday! It was fun to explore a new place as well. Denver was not what I expected looking from the airplane. It looked pretty flat and empty. As we drove into Denver from the airport though, I got a glimpse of the beautiful mountains. It was a perfect time of year to visit. Cloudy skies, warm temperatures and beautiful changing leaves. Autumn is a beautiful time of year. One of the coolest stores we visited in Downtown Denver was called The Tattered Cover. It's an awesome book store; better than Barnes & Nobel and Borders put together. They had a huge assortment of magazines and a really cool children books area. There are comfy bean bags on the floor where you can get cozy with a nice book.

We also went to the Botanical Gardens, which was just beautiful. If you ever go to Denver, its totally worth it to go. Another fun thing was going to Colorado Springs. It was a little bit of a drive but worth it. We visited Focus on the Family, Garden of the Gods, and fossil beds. Our last day we took a tour of the Celestial Tea Factory in Boulder. That was pretty cool too. You have to wear hairnets. Lol. It was cool to see how they make the tea. We got to go in a special room where they keep the mint, and it was super powerful! It made my eyes water!

They had a great Tea Shop, and you could sample any of their teas for free! I bought some cold brew tea- passion fruit flavor! I highly recommend this tour as well! We had a great time in Denver. I can't wait to go again!

Another year gone by

Two weekends ago now was my birthday! I am now 26. It's funny how our society views getting older as bad but I enjoy it. I always find it refreshing to think upon my last year and see how I've grown and changed. I am so blessed to have wonderful friends and a loving family, a godly husband and a church family that loves and supports me in my Christian walk. God is so good! I am also very thankful to my pastor, who's last two weeks of sermons have been amazing. I am so blessed to have a wonderful and supportive church. Not many people will willingly offer to bring you to the airport or have you over for dinner. It breaks my heart to hear of other friends who don't have that. A Christian walk is not meant to be walked alone. It's impossible!

This is the shortened version of what I have been meaning to type up from over a week ago. I haven't been so good at updating once again! Shame on me!

A reminder to us all

Life is so short. Today I found out a friend of mine passed away at 27 years old. He was going hiking, something he loved to do and had no idea it would be his last. I break my heart to hear this news. I know he was a true believer in Christ and loved the Lord. He had a heart to serve others, and an undeniable joy. I am reminded today of memories of him, and other old friends I have lost touch with.

Life is so short in comparison to our eternal lives. We should always remember that every day is a gift from God. We have no guarantees of tomorrow.

I am just reminded of that today.

Ikea Day

Today we went to Ikea, which is always an adventure. I enjoyed looking around the show rooms, had some Swedish meatballs, and bought some glasses and a garlic press. We finished off the trip on a sweet note- I had a $1 frozen yogurt cone and Jonathan had a cinnamon roll, also $1.

I started reading New Moon (second of the Twilight books) today, and I also watched two movies: 21 and Penelope. I enjoyed both of them. I also went to my two favorite classes at the gym tonight, so I'm feeling pretty good! Today was a pretty great day. I keep forgetting about going to work on Friday. Actually, I like not thinking about that! Praise God for the simple little things in life that make each day fun!

Weekend Update

This past week was really long. Really long. I can't seem to sleep enough to catch up with my tiredness. I had training for work Monday through Friday then went straight to family camp. I had a good time of fellowship up there and got to sleep in a tent, which is always fun. We came back on Saturday, cleaned up and went to bed fairly early. Got up for church today and I had the privilege of teaching children's church. We talked about Noah and the flood, and how God loved Noah by protecting him and his family and providing for them. Noah showed his love to God by obeying Him and praising Him for his care. I think the kids were more entertained by the flannel board animals and making all the noises that the animals make. It got a bit noisy. =)
Tonight at church, Pastor showed another cool science movie about atom bombs. Now I'm at home eating some blueberry yogurt. Jonathan and I have the next three days off together. We don't have too much planned but it should be fun. I get to meet all of my students on Friday on our parent orientation day. I'm hoping its going to be a great school year.

A little bit of everything

I had a lot of fun last week, having no work. Well, I take it back. I put in 6 hours of cleaning/disinfecting toys. Other than that I had a great week going shopping in San Fransisco, Gilroy (Bonfonte) Gardens and Santa Cruz. I also hung out with some good friends and family and watched a lot of tv.

On Friday I went to my parents house to watch the Opening Ceremonies of the Summer Olympics. It was amazing! I loved it. I was so impressed with how Beijing puts on a show. Of ocurse I am excited about it too because I have been to China twice and I can actually say- "I've been there!". China has always had a special place in my heart because of my trips there and I am always reminded how many people there haven't heard the gospel. Seeing all of the nations coming together in one arena, more than half countries I have never even heard of (shame on me), I am also in mind of how many missionaries there are out there, living in really tough environments. It is so easy to sit in Gilroy in my little church, having a church buliding, having a safe place to worhsip and learn about God with not much fear of being presecuted, as many in this world do.
I am so blessed the live here in America, where I have freedom of religion and freedom of speech to preach the good news of Jesus Christ and his redeeming grace. I just got home from my first day of training for work, and we talked a lot about American values, something the school really likes to focus on. The man speaking made a comment that our values, our rights were not something that are created by man, or our government. He's absolutly right. Our rights, our freedom are given to us by our Creator. The same God who created gravity and magnetism- something we can learn about and explain but man cannot make. This was something that was mentioned in a video we watched last night at church.

I hope all this jumble makes sense. I just felt like a lot was on my mind and I needed to get it all out!! That is why I could not think of a better title for this random blog.

Summer Reading

Having more free time this summer has left my schedule open for more of three things.
1. Going to the gym
2. Matching movies
and 3. Reading Books.
Pretty exciting, huh? =) My goal for a while has been to read all of the Newbery Award Winners. Some I had read when I was younger, so I already crossed those out. Some of the ones I read this summer have been The Higher Power of Lucky, Out of the Dust, The Tale of Despereaux, Walk Two Moons, and The Bronze Bow. They have all been interesting in their own ways. I just finished The Bronze Bow which takes place during the time Jesus was on earth, which was pretty intersting. I also liked The Tale of Despereaux which is soon to be a movie. It kind of reminds me of a Pixar type of story. The mouse that is different than all the others and takes an interest in humans...hmm Ratatoulille?? One thing I have noticed is that things are a lot different in 2007 than they were in 1922 (the first year an award was given), even in the style of literature.

I am taking a break from my goal to read Twilight. Shelly told me I have to read it, and Shelly and I have similar taste so I trust her. I guess these books have become kind of a big deal. Yetserday there were people in line at Barnes and Nobel at 2 in the afternoon. The fourth book of the seires was being released at midnight. Wow. People are crazy! It's like Harry Potter all over again. Which I also got sucked into reading...and finished the whole series. I am so glad when I read those though that I didn't have to wait so long to get the next book. I just went to the library and they had tons.

Well, Jonathan is at Starbucks right now, preparing for tomorrow's Sunday School lesson. Off to the the gym I go!

Back in the saddle again!

Hello out there! It's been too long. Its been so long, I forgot my password. I decided a new look would be appropriate too. This new one has two things I like: 1. Teal 2. Nature looking things. Should I have changed the name to Jamie's Bogus Journey? What do you think?

I have no good excuse why I haven't written in so long. This summer is almost over already! It went by too fast. The beginning of the summer was really busy but fun. I went to two amazing weddings: 1. Paul and Katharyn Ellsworth on June 28 and 2. Jeremy and Jodi Frick on July 13. Speaking of weddings, I also celebrated my two year anniversary of being Mrs. Henthorn. Two years also flies by, but it has been an amazing two years. My husband is the best. We are crazy and weird together but I love it. I actually feel like we are one person. Just the other night I forgot for a second that someone else was there next to me.

In honor of our anniversary we went to Disneyland! I love Disneyland and I could write millions of blogs about how awesome it is. One of the best parts was going on the new Toy Story Mania ride at California Adventures. It's super fun and in 3-D.
I also saw some awesome movies this summer.
1. Wall-e!!!!!
I loved it. It made me cry.
2. The Dark Knight!
I loved it but it didn't make me cry.
3. Mamma Mia.
It made me cry from laughter. I'm sorry, but Pierce Brosnan- you can't sing. The musical is better of course, but the movie is fun. Take your mom or best girl friend to see it. Guys stay home. =)

Ok well, I feel better now that I wrote. I hope someone still reads this.

P.S. Pictures of my summer fun can be found at flickr.com.

Christmas Time is Here!

I love this time of year! I love the music, the lights, the snowmen, the cards.... pretty much everything. 94.5 has Christmas songs on 24/7 and it is now a pre-set station in my car. I have been teaching Christmas songs at work and doing plenty of Christmas crafts. When Jonathan and I got back from Iowa I wanted to put up our decorations but it was late and we were tired. I woke up at 6 am (an hour early) the next morning to put up decorations.

Christmas also means for some reason that ladies have tea parties. I went to two this weekend! One was with our church. It was so fun! We sung Christmas hymns, had a wonderful message and of course ate some delicious desserts. It was also really great cause my mom and grandma came with me at the last minute. I am certain that this happened by the will of God. The second tea was on Saturday with Campus Crusade ladies. It was pretty similar to the church one but we made crafts as well. The leadership ladies did a wonderful job putting it together. I miss being with all of my crusade friends! They are such awesome friends and people to be around!

Most of all I love this time of year because God seems to draw us together in such a joyful way. Friends and family are spending time together and that is so wonderful. I hope everyone else feels the joy of the season. Without Christ, Christmas I think can be pretty empty and meaning less, and maybe even a little depressing. I pray that everyone will remember the real meaning of Christmas this year.

Married Life

Ok, it's been a while! I am back. Looks like a few things have changed since I last posted. I have been married now for five months. It feels like it has a been longer than that though. Being married is the best thing ever. Every morning I wake up next to my husband thankful for the blessing of marriage. My husband is the best person to be around. He makes me laugh, he trusts me, he encourages me and he also tells me when I mess up ( I need to hear that every once in a while=)). He made my birthday special and he buys me tummy medicine at 11 pm. I love hearing about couples who have been married for over 10 years. I wonder what we will be like then. Experiencing it firsthand is better than all the books you can read to prepare for it. My best friend recently got engaged and I was so thrilled to hear it. I was so happy and then the news came that she will be moving to New Mexico. My best friend who lived around the corner fifth grade through high school, who was my roomate for years, who I have shared half my life with. After I got off the phone with her I cried. I cried tears of joy/sadness. I will miss my friend but then I think about how my life has changed since marriage and I can't wait for her to experience it too. I was just reading on the plane ride home from Iowa "A Woman After God's Own Heart". It was saying that when you are married you are to cleave to your husband and this means that the first person you call when you need to talk is not your best friend anymore! I am still trying to work on the cleaving but I am realizing that all your other relationships are no longer the same. However, this is a small sacrifice for the huge blessing of marriage!!

I have to go bake a cake now. The newly engaged couple is coming over for dessert!

One More Day

I didn't sleep last night very much. I think it finally clicked that I am getting married tomorrow! Yeah!!! I still feel calm. I am excited to see all the people I love together at one time. Mostly, I can't wait to be alone with my husband and not have to be busy every single second. I understand why people go on Honeymoons now. Things get so busy and crazy that you don't get much alone time together. Actually the craziness also bugs me because you start to forget why its going to be such a great day and that after all of this the rest of our lives begin. I am so happy that I get to spend the rest of my life with Jonathan. I can't wait to see where God takes us in a life and how He transforms us. I can't wait to put my dress on tomorrow! Its been sitting there for too long! I hope its not too hot and that people aren't uncomfortable. Well, its off to my rehersal I go now!

Less Then Two Weeks

Everything is coming down to the last few details...and believe me, there are a lot of details. I can't wait to be married already!! Everyone is asking me if I am getting nervous, cold feet, etc. I am not nervous yet, nor am I feeling at all inclined to back out. I am more anxious right now. I am excited that all my family will be here. I haven't seen my brother for so long. Jonathan's family will be on Mondayl. I also have two weeks off of work! woo hoo! When it comes down to it, whatever happens now, happens. I will get married not matter what.

Aside from wedding plans, I had my last day with my preschoolers yesterday. I enjoyed teaching these kids but I don't think I got that attached. However, the kids who I see everyday in the all day preschool class is another story. Can I please just take home two of them? Twin girls who are just dolls. I hope my kids turn out as sweet as them, and as cute. Well, I am sure my kids won't be Asian but they will still be cute. My co-worker is about to have her baby anytime and after the stories she tells me about having a baby and being pregnant, I hope to not be in that boat for a loooong time. If you want more details, ask me.

Tonight I am having a sleepover. Yeah! Time to clean the apartment. =)

One More Month...

Till I Get married! It's scary, exciting, everything all at once. I am getting really anxious. I am tired of planning for the day and I want it to be here already. I love our apartment, but I don't love being by myself. Well... I can handle it for now. But take for instance last night. I had nothing to do so I went to bed early. There was a spider on my wall. I had to kill it myself. =(
I actually slept ok last night. I haven't been sleeping too well. Maybe I am still getting used to somewhere new. I have been feeling super tired though lately. This weekend Jonathan and I met with Pastor Bob one last time. We went through our vows...the whole thing and said them, out loud. I cried... it felt so weird. You see so many weddings but now its us, saying the things you hear all the time. I cry at other people's weddings but this time it was different. I am gonna lose it at my wedding. That ok though. I will ok as long as Jonathan doesn't cry. Then I will REALLY lose it.

Home Sweet Home

I got the keys to my apartment on Monday! I loooove it so much. It is so perfect. Moving is alot of work, but fun work. I love going to Target. The apartment is on the secong floor. This means a lot of stairs... also a great leg work out. Hmm. I haven't used the pool or spa yet but I am looking forward to it. My parking spot is convniently located right next to my building. I have a spot. That is so cool! I don't ever have to worry about "Where am I gonna park?" or "Should I park in the driveway and get woken up and 7 am to move my car?". I also have a whole fridge to myself. This means a Costco package of yogurt and I don't have to write my name on it. Another cool thing is shower curtains. I have never had to use one untill today. I think they are kind of fun. Maintanence men came today and fixed pretty much whatever I asked them too.

The only bad news is that I am not living with my husband yet. I am alone...for now. So if anyone would like to come over (girls only, sorry guys), please let me know. I would love to have you over.

Go To Peets

I am tired of seeing Starbucks every 2 blocks. Today I went to Peets. The coffee is just as good, the atmosphere about the same. I think it might even be cheaper than Starbucks. In case anyone doesn't know, if you order your coffee and are drinking it at the shop, you should get it in a real mug. 1. Its funner. 2. It doesn't waste another cup. 3. I think its cheaper ( not sure though). Coffee is yummy. I am not addicted, however I do enjoy a nice cup of joe. It doesn't really wake me up in the morning. A shower or actually moving around in the morning is what wakes me up.

In conclusion...

I always got in trouble at school when I would finish a research paper with "In conclusion".

Drink Peets coffee. haha I just had a typo, I wrote peeps instead of Peets. I guess Easter is soon here.

Sick of...

Two things I am sick of: rain and gas prices rising.

Today at work it rained all day so I was inside from 8:15 to 6 pm with noisy 3 and 4 year olds. When I was helping the kids out of and into their cars, I got soaked. My socks were wet and I hadto deal with that the rest of the day. And my thin dress pants were soaked almost to my knees (exaggeration) and the classroom was freezing (not an exaggeration). It finally stopped late in the day. My drive home was nice and partly sunny but then I noticed it. Rotten Robbie, usually the lowest gas prices was at 2.75. I guess Costco has pretty good gas prices because there was a huge line last night. I so badly wish I could get rid of my car and use public transportation like my fiance. But I don't know if I could do that. I admit it. I can't live without my car. Sad but true.

Time Flies

The time changed last weekend and I got it right. I was up on time, my cell phone automatically changed itself. However, I have really been feeling the hour missing. I slept 10 hours last night. I can't believe I let myself be that lazy. Lucky for me, I have extra time in the day because my subbing job is over. I don't have to be at work on MWF till 4pm, and I only work for two hours. So today I went grocery shopping with roomates, ate some yummy lunch, took care of some stuff online, made a few phone calls then headed to the gym. I got there at 2:50 and I couldn't believe the time went by so fast! I only had like 20 minutes to work out. But yet the only two hours I worked were soooo slow. I don't get it.

Speaking of time flying, our wedding is in less then three months. Holy smokes. I can't wait for this wedding to be over. I mean, I am excited and our wedding will be a great time, I just can't wait to start our new life together. I hope this time goes by fast.

Anniversary

Today is the marking of a year spent with the most awesome guy in the world. I can't believe this year went by so fast. Its been filled with so much craziness....graduating, visiting parents in Iowa, getting engagaed. But nothing will ever compare to the excitement of him showing up at my house on Tuesday March 8th, 2005 and holding my hand for the first time and asking me to be with him. After waiting for sooo long and debating in my head about if this guy was even interested in me, I wasn't even sure it would ever happen. I thought I was going to die of shock when my mom told me he stopped by their house to ask their permission to start dating me. Yes, my mom sort of ruined the suprise. But it still shocked me coming from him. I was so excited that night. Of course I didn't sleep and walked around the next day with a huge smile on my face. The next time I saw him I remember how weird it felt and how akward I was feeling. I don't feel that anymore, thats for sure. I remember our first date...waiting, talking to my roomates and watching out my window for when he would show up. He was wearing a blue shirt and some crazy cool tie. We went to dinner at Maggianos in Santana Row. The two of us in this huge booth in a huge restaurant with a huge family style plate of spagetti. For the first time, he told me I looked pretty that night. Once again, me feeling akward and good at the same time.

Tonight we're going back to Maggianos. Our first family tradition I guess. =)

Leave and Cleave

I have been doing some pre-marital counseling with Steve and Kathleen Mueller, who are awesome and kind people. We have been going through a book called Preparing for Marriage. The title speaks for its self. We recently were talking about how in Genesis 2:24 it says that a man shall leave his father and mother and shall cleave to his wife. I am not married yet, but I am starting to practice that. My natural instinct when I am in an emergancy is to call dad. Now days, that is starting to change to "Call Jonathan". Tonight I got out of work and my car was not starting. I called Jonathan. He came to my rescue. Then I call Dad. I thought about how lucky (and spolied;) ) I have always been to have my Dad come and take care of my car, and pay for it too. I decided that its about time I took care of things myself. I called my dad back and told him we could take care of it. This is a big step for me. Leave and cleave.