2009

Happy New Year's Eve to all! I'm going to attempt to reflect on some of the highlights and lowlights from each month in 2009...



January: It snowed a lot in Kentucky and there was an ice storm. We had school 1 day per week during that month and went a little stir crazy because of not having anything to do. The perfect winter day happened during that month because we had a pillow fight, had a snowball fight, played Scrabble, drank hot chocolate, and watched Faerie Tale Theatre.



February: I know that I went contra dancing twice in February and that it was REALLY cold during that time. Other than that, I'm kind of at a loss to remember what happened during that month.



March: I went back to CA for 4 days because of getting to be a bridesmaid in Phil and Tiffany's wedding.



April: We went to the Kentucky Derby and thought we'd never leave because there was only 1 gate for about 50,000? 80,000? 1 million? people to enter and exit from.



May: Went to Chicago with my housemates. Went on a school bus with a bunch of preschoolers to the Cincinnati Zoo.



June: Volunteered at the Ichthus Festival (basically, Christian Woodstock) in Kentucky with other CAP volunteers. I was also expecting to experience my first tornado while there because Kim got really panicky about how dark the clouds were (she'd probably know when to panic since they actually have tornadoes in Colorado).



July: I went to the East Side for 3 weeks. Week 1- I was a counselor at Camp Shawnee during "Teen Girls' Week" and was in a group with 8-11 year olds. Week 2- I did housing with Bridget, Rachel, and Tiffany. I had a lot of fun working on a roof with them, but definitely did not feel that it will ever be my calling to do housing. Week 3- day camp with Camp Shawnee. We played a lot of dodgeball and learned some nifty information about math and science.



August: My family got to come to the Rockcastle House, which was very exciting! I followed them to Virginia Beach in order to help Jeff and Emily move into their new apartment. We painted, found places for their stuff, went to the beach, and hung out. I also experienced the Christian blind date that lasted for 4 days while there.



September: Had my last month of working at the CDC and was very sad about saying goodbye to 30 awesome preschoolers.



October: Got to do Disaster Relief in Louisville for 1 week. We cleaned basements and got rid of items that had been damaged by the floods in August. Moved to Virginia Beach and stayed with Jeff and Emily while looking for a real job. Took on a babysitting job 1 hour away in Yorktown in order to have an extra income while waiting to hear back about job interviews (bad idea).



November: Got a real job at Hope House, which means that I'm still kind of using my degree because they serve adults with disabilities in their homes. Turned 30. Got my 1st ticket. Went back to Kentucky for Thanksgiving and got to reunite with Kim, Jenny, and Kelly.



December: Didn't get to go back to CA for Christmas, but we have wonderful parents who ended up flying here to see us. Finally went to the Outer Banks and it really is beautiful there!

Waiting

I was reading someone else's blog today (http://www.megancarson.com/) and she had written about how God had Adam name the animals before He made Eve for him (Genesis 2:18-22). Her point was that God gave Adam something to do while he was waiting for his future wife. She then went on to list some of the things that have happened in her life while waiting for her future husband. I thought it was really cool to read what those things were (good, bad, and sad) and wanted to make my own list. Here it is, in no particular order:

-Drove across the country to volunteer for 1 year in Kentucky.
-Made amazing, lifelong friendships with many of my housemates in Kentucky.
-Got to know and love a bunch of 3-4 year olds with southern accents and speech impediments.
-Traveled to Hungary, Romania, and Mexico City.
-Held babies at an orphanage in Haiti.
-Moved to Virginia Beach.
-Lived across the street from the beach with awesome girls who loved Jesus.
-Took a hip-hop class.
-Was a counselor at Royal Family Kids' Camp for 4 years in a row. I met 7 little girls who had been through so much trauma in their young lives, but were still strong and resilient.
-Was Cameron's CASA for 4 years.
-Not crying for about 2 years.
-Experiencing unexpected death more than the expected kind (2 friends, 2 cousins, 4 NHS students were unexpected. Mudder and Grandpa Bradshaw were somewhat expected).
-Being heartbroken.
-Getting to be a special ed. teacher for at least 50 students and still having stories about the things that they did.
-Getting to see the friendships that formed between the student tutors in my classroom and my students.
-Going on a cruise to Mexico with Andrea.
-Going to Hawaii with my mom.
-Getting to go to some fun concerts: Bon Jovi, Matt Wertz (at least 4 times), The Bangles, Ingrid Michaelson, Newsboys, Third Day, David Crowder, Jon McLaughlin (I know there are a ton more, but I can't think of them right now).
-Chicago road trip with my Kentucky housemates.
-Calling that 3 couples were going to get married before they began to date and being the matchmaker for another couple.
-Going contra dancing.

Those were the ones that I could think of, even though I'm sure that there are plenty more.

The Proposal

I was proposed to tonight, so here's the story... I have to do 25 hours of medication training for the new job and the classes are Monday-Friday of this week from 5-10pm. During one of our 10 minute breaks tonight, I went next door to 7-11 to get a few snacks. I was ready to check out, but both registers had customers at them. There was an older gentleman at one who was finished checking out, but he still hadn't moved. I wasn't sure what to do, but the cashier told me that it was my turn. I got up there and this is what happened:

Older gentleman to me: What's your name?
Me: Jenna
Older gentleman: Well, Jenna, this is Will (introducing me to the mildly attractive, somewhat mortified 7-11 guy... and by mildly attractive, I mean he appeared to have all of his teeth), he graduated from William and Mary.
Me: Oh, uh, congratulations, good job (I don't really know what I said, I was just confused about this old man being the wingman for the 7-11 cashier against his will).
Older gentleman (taking my left hand and turning it over to reveal no ring) to Will: Yes, she'll marry you.

I laughed and told them it was nice to meet them, then went back to class with my snacks in hand. That old man brightened my night with his randomness, though :).