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Sorry I've been so sporadic about my posting lately. After getting engaged (ahhh!), we've been in a whirlwind of telling our families and friends, making (small) wedding plans, and smiling all goofy at each other when we remember that we're engagaed.

It's gross, I'm telling you.

BUT I'm back with some interesting notes about weddings. Bullet list? Bullet list.

• WHY IS IT that as soon as you get engaged,everyone (or so they think...) knows exactly what you should have for YOUR wedding? I appreciate the thought because I know everyone is excited, but to anyone who is concerned about my colors or my flowers or that "it's not a wedding without flower centerpieces" (hint: still is, just more expensive)... here we go. If you get invited to my wedding and my lack of flower centerpieces EXTREMELY offends you... YOU DO NOT HAVE TO COME. It's not your wedding.
• Fiance said, and I completely agree, that I can probably just take a look at my friends (both facebook and real life) that have congratulated us or "liked" my status about engagement, then delete everyone else. Seriously. If I have friends on my facebook that can't even be bothered to "like" my engagement, they probably don't need to be in my life.
• On that note, I have three guy "friends" that I honestly thought were friends until I got engaged. I KNOW they've been online and they couldn't even be bothered to say congratulations even though I've known them for years. I guess they only want to be my friend as long as I'm not married/engaged? Shouldn't a real friend be happy I've found the love of my life?
• I'm a little overwhelmed about wedding budgets. DO YOU KNOW HOW EXPENSIVE PHOTOGRAPHERS ARE?! They are very expensive. Luckily, I have a list of things that are important to me (good food, open bar, cocktail hour, good photographer, good DJ) and a list of things that are not so important to me (bridesmaid dresses, centerpieces, fancy invitations, flowers, photobooths, rehearsal dinner place, videographer, groom/groomsmen attire). I'm still getting used to this.
• I'm so lucky to have a fiance that wants to be involved. The other day, I was looking at invitations on Minted and he kept peeking over at the computer. So I went over to him and we rearranged so that he was sitting lengthwise on the couch and I sat right in front of him so I could lean back against him and both have our feet straight out, then we looked over the invitations together. So sweet.
• I MISS MY RING! I took it to get sized (since it was about 3 sizes too big and I was TERRIFIED of losing it) and I miss it so much!
• Sorry this is a pretty depressing post about weddings. I'm SO excited, really, but some unsupporting family members (just no class, not disapproving) and some fake friends have made me a little cynical about this whole thing. But, like Fiance told me, as long as we get married at the end of the day, it's a perfect day. And I can't wait for us to be our own little family :o)

ENGAGED!

Sorry I haven't written, I've been busy in Vegas and then trying to hide my excitement until we could tell our families in person that...

WE'RE ENGAGED!

Josh asked me in Vegas on a helicopter ride over the Las Vegas Strip at night, when all we could see were a million lights stretched out like a sea under us.

It was so, so gorgeous. Then, he asked me. It was one of the best moments of my life so far and I immediately started crying, choked out a yes, and then GRABBED the ring out of his hand and put it on my own finger. Yeah. I was excited.

So now, I have a wedding to plan. I can't WAIT to be his wife! He's the best thing that has ever happened to me!

Hope your week has been as exciting as mine! :o)

SO READY

Boyfriend, Thomas and I head to Las Vegas for a little weekend getaway in TWO DAYS! I'm so excited to have some time to relax and get out of Las Cruces for a while.

I was busy all day; my boss sent me out into the field so I was in a bus/standing in the hot sun all day... not the best Tuesday. The only thing that kept me going is knowing that in fewer than 48 hours, I'll be on my way to VEGAS!

Our plan includes: a Cirque du Soleil show (Ka, anyone seen it?), dinner at TENDER, and plenty of gambling. Plus... a stop at Sephora for me. Just for a while :o)

Is it Thursday yet?

Happy Mother's Day

Dear Mom,

Today is Mother's Day and I wanted to take this time to write you an entry to let you know how much I LOVE you and all that you do for us! You are a fantastic mom and a great role model and a great principal and I'm so proud of everything you have accomplished. Here are some of my favorite things about you:

You taught me that a marriage is not about following "traditional" roles but accepting strengths and weaknesses. You cook, clean, and took care of us growing up, but you were never scared to go after your dreams and being a successful woman!



You get excited about the smallest things... which taught me how to love the little things in life. Your love for Jay Leno, root beer floats, the Hills, and puns (and the boots below!) have taught me how to be excited about my own little joys: Sonic Route 44s, reality TV, and stand-up comedy.



You are so kind. Your first instinct is to be nice to people.



You LOVE your family so much. I will never forget during Pi Phi Mother-Daughter Tea, we played that "how well do you know your daughter/mother" and we totally won. You knew my favorite movie, what I want to be in 10 years, my favorite vacation. You always made me feel that my opinion/likes/dislikes are important, from the time I was a little girl and you would ask me what I wanted for dinner. Even if I said sloppy joes (which I had never actually tried, but thought they looked good on TV), you would make them. I always felt important in our family.

You are the best, Mom, and I love you so much. HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Love,

Jenna

Sunshines/Dark Clouds

The term "sunshines and dark clouds" takes on a whole new meaning with all the rain that has poured over my city this week! But it's Friday, so here we go!

SUNSHINES:

• I've been loving all the rain. It makes Shadow extra snuggly, too!
• After a few days of bad eating, I'm back on the wagon. I feel SO much better when I'm eating well and exercising regularly.
• Boyfriend finished his LAST final yesterday and I'm so proud of him. Now he has to start preparing for his certifications... yikes!
• I came home yesterday clean clothes, a clean bathroom, and a freshly brushed dog. Best Boyfriend ever.
• I have a new favorite drink. It's Diet Cherry 7-Up with Grey Goose vodka. DON'T JUDGE. It's incredible, if random.
• I got a pedicure this week with my mom and let me tell you... I feel like just the hot stone massage they do to your feet is worth the price of the pedicure!
• My sister comes home tomorrow after finishing her FIRST year of law school! Hooray!
• The forecast is calling for some sun this weekend... perfect!

DARK CLOUDS:

• I ate SO bad on Wednesday. I had taco stuff for lunch, a chile relleno burrito for dinner, plus a Margarita and some chips/salsa, and some popcorn at the movies. SO bad. Back on the wagon.
• The humidity is doing some crazy things to my hair. I look like Mufasa.
• Remix or Shadow (the jury's still out) LICKED a bare patch in our carpet. ??? What kind of dog LICKS so much that they wear away all the carpet? My money's on Mix, because she LOVES to lick carpets/rugs (she already licked a bare spot on our kitchen rug!). Booo.
• I've been losing weight (which is for sure a sunshine) BUT none of my clothes fit anymore... but I don't want to buy more clothes until I'm smaller! I wish I could afford new wardrobes at all stages.
• I'm currently working :o(

That's it for today! Happy Friday!

Rainy, Rainy Days

So much has happened since I last posted (rare for me, right? I mean, other than my endless episodes of TEEN MOM or 16 and Pregnant!), but they were all GREAT things so of course I'm a happy girl this week. I think I'll do a bullet post to recap:

• It's been RAINY all week and it has been wonderful. It's been just a little cold (my only complaint) but hearing thunder and the soft splatter of rain on my car sunroof while I drove home was bliss. Though... I am ready for the sun to come back out!
• On Tuesday, I took my mom to pick out some Toms for her Mother's Day present (she saw mine and LOVED them). She picked out some sparkly black ones (isn't she adorable?) and then treated me to a pedicure and some YogoBerry!

• Yesterday was Thomas's birthday so we went to see The Avengers and went to Happy Hour at Si Senor. It was SO much fun and I'm so glad we got to celebrate his birthday all together!
• Tonight, I made dinner with Boyfriend and now I'm relaxing and watching Tia & Tamera (I love that show! It reminds me of my childhood and watching Sister Sister all the time!) until 7:30 when it's Zumba time! yay!
• We go to Vegas in ONE WEEK. We have a helicopter tour scheduled, Cirque du Soleil tickets ordered, and reservations made at some of our favorite places in Vegas (including Tender, one of the best steakhouses! Yay!), and we are SO ready for a banana split from Serendipity. Plus, some of our friends will be in Vegas that same weekend so I'm excited to meet up with them!
• This weekend is BUSY for us. Boyfriend is finally done with school (but he won't get a graduation party until the end of the summer when he finishes his certifications, at his request) and so is his cousin Jasmine, so we'll be going to his aunt/uncle's for a party to celebrate her accomplishments. It's also Mother's Day so I'm excited to see my grandmothers/mothers to celebrate their special places in my life. AND my sister comes home this weekend! YAY!

Have a great Thursday night!

Monday Blues

Mondays are, of course, one of my least favorite parts of the week. But today was nice because I got to look forward to dinner with my friends all day!

Last week, I went to my old high school to visit my friend Katie, who is coaching the guard that we were in back in high school. Kaitlyn, Val, and Melissa came with me and we got to spend a little time transported back to high school.

I LOVED my high school years, but I would never, ever want to go back forever. However, the things I missed about high school were the friendships I made that fizzled or took different paths since then. That's why I was so, so excited to see Katie and Melissa tonight (Val, Kaitlyn and I are still close, of course; you've probably seen their names here often).

We had SUCH a good time. We went to Texas Roadhouse and Melissa brought her adorable daughter Mia (who has the biggest eyes I've ever seen!). We talked a little about old mutual friends we had in high school, but mainly we just talked. It was so, so nice to see how easy it was for us to just fall into easy conversation without having to ask a bunch of questions. We talked about our boyfriends, Melissa's kids, school, work, our lives... it was so fluid and comfortable.

Sometimes, the best friendships are old friendships!

Sunshines/Dark Clouds

It's FRIDAY which means it's time for Sunshines and Dark Clouds! Yay!

Sunshines:

• Tonight, I'm having a girls' night with Val, Kaitlyn, and Adriana. We're going totally old school with our plans: late night, junk food, old girly movies (She's the Man, Mean Girls, Notebook), the whole nine yards. Only this time, we'll have alcohol. Ah, the perks of being over 21! lol
• Tomorrow, we're going to Boyfriend's uncle's house to watch the boxing fights. I LOVE going to his aunt and uncle's house. They are the best hosts ever and their house is always so warm and inviting. I always have fun with them.
• Today, Boyfriend and I have a great date planned out. We're going to have gyros for lunch, then watch The Avengers together. I'm excited to spend a day together. :o)
• I finally got an auxilary cable so I can listen to my ipod in my car. Where have I been, right?
• On Wednesday, I went to my old high school to watch one of my old friends Katie coach the guard I was in back in the day. It was so fun seeing old guard girls and being back in the band room... old memories. But best of all is rekindling friendships... we're all going to dinner on Monday to reconnect. :o)

• The weather has been really warm and wonderful!
• The Ravens got some great guys in the draft. It is time for football season yet? lol
• It's a three-day weekend for me and we go to VEGAS in just two weeks! Hooray!

Dark Clouds... NONE today! Which, I think, it another sunshine! HAPPY FRIDAY!

Silly puppy

HAS ANYONE WATCHED THIS? It's SO funny! Look at his little stalking leg! I can't stop laughing. And the music is priceless!

25 Before 25

In six months and six days, I turn 25 years old. A quarter of one century. I get the last of the "age" rights that begin with 15 and your learner's permit and slithers through 16 and your licence, 18 and porn/cigarettes/voting (voting is the only perk of 18 I use lol), 21 and alcohol, and end with 25 and "rent a car without any extra fees". Which is, like, the oldest/lamest thing to be excited about anyway.

BUT in honor of my upcoming birthday, I thought I would take a look at my life and see if I'm anywhere close to where I thought I would be. I'm pretty close. I have a degree, a dog, a great boyfriend, a nice car, enough money in the bank to where if I got laid off, I could pay all my bills for 3 months without having to worry, a 401k, no student loans. So now, I want to take a look at the little things that I want to do (eventually) in my life and see if I can knock some of them off in the name of my 25th.

So without further adieu, here is my 25 before 25 list! I'll be updating this list whenever I get to knock something off. Wish me luck!

Jenna's 25 Before 25

1. Buy a nice piece of jewelry for myself

2. Submit my columns to a syndication press system

3. Watch 10 of Boyfriend's Academy Award winners

4. Lose 30 lbs

5. Become financially independent

6. Make homemade tortillas

7. Run a 5k

8. Volunteer for something

9. Make THIS chicken :o)

10. Do something different with my hair (dye it, cut it, etc.)

11. Go camping

12. See my grandparents once a month

13. Keep my spider plant alive

14. Donate money to charity

15. Read 10 classic books on the BBC Top 100 Books
16. Learn how to make great mashed potato
17. Find a dress that makes me feel like a princess
18. Ride in a helicopter
19. Try a food I can't pronounce
20. See another Cirque Du Soleil show
21. Improve my individual relationships with Boyfriend's family
22. Stay in touch with my sister more often
23. Start an herb garden
24. Write another 25,000 words on my book
25. Be truly surprised :o)

Wish me luck!