Direction to a perfect Saturday

1. Wake up early together to hit up garage sales with friends

2. Find an amazing deal and go home satisfied

3. Have breakfast with great friends

4. Come home together and snuggle due to the cold weather

5. Do some chores together with CSI Las Vegas in the background

6. Eat some of your favorite chicken salad together

7. Take a nap snuggled up on a comfy couch

8. Do a few more chores while your significant other snoozes away

9. Get ready to go to and go to Saturday night church

10. Eat dinner together, snuggling together again, darn that cold weather

11. Snuggle up for a good night sleep, while your significant other goes out to try to catch the biggest fish in the world!!!

I hope that your Saturday was just as wonderful!!!

Mawage. Mawage is wot bwings us togeder tooday

If you are a movie fan you can recognize the most famous line from the Princess Bride... but this is what our Valentine's Day was built around. Every day we try to do something to show our love to each other so Valentine's Day was no different for us. The night before Vday we went to a hockey game and then came home and watch movies that I bought JT for his gift. The following morning I woke up and make homemade lemon/blueberry muffins in heart muffin pans and the mini ones that he loves too. Next he hurried me off into the car with a blindfold on for our next spot. Once the blindfold was removed we were at the Corpus Christi Botanical Gardens, he said instead of bringing flowers to me, he brought me to flowers... tons of them. It was gorgeous and a great day. Even better we got a membership to be able to go visit them anytime that we want along with the puppies, what a great guy. Onto the next adventure, couples massages in town . . . how amazingly relaxing and de-stressing that was.

The next part needs a little explanation . . . A little over 17 months ago, Jonathan and I pledged our lives to each other. He placed his life in my hands and I did the same with mine. We made a deal that we knew there would be amazing times in our lives, but we also knew that there would be rough times as well, but we would deal with them, overcome them and become better for them. The "D" word was, and is, never an option for us no matter how hard we need to work to better ourselves for each other. We knew that God was the foundation for our marriage and our lives, so we wanted to do something together to remind us always how important Oct 13th, 2007 was to us for the rest of our lives. So we placed an indelible mark on ourselves as a statement of our love and commitment. Yes we got tattoos(and yes we have been talking about this for over a year so it wasn't just a whim!)

We are in this together, forever, come what may, no matter what may be. Happy Valentine's Day.

(More pictures after our tattoos heal up properly!)

WII - I promise never to laugh at you again

So this past weekend, Jonathan's new boss invited us up to his lake house to spend Saturday with his family (luckily we know them all already) to celebrate his wife's birthday. While there, he broke out the WII and we started playing. Mario Kart is one of my favs, although I'm not the best, I have alot of fun with it. Then came tennis, okay not skilled there either but hey it was still fun playing around and getting our rears kicked by Rachel and Jarrett. Then came Rock Band, I have never played it and wow did I have fun. First there is singing, you don't have to get the words right (thank goodness) but you do have to have some pitch, I had a great time with the drums and guitar as well and I loved it! So after a little break, Jarrett wants to see Jonathan and me duke it out with some boxing. We went three rounds and geesh my arms were tired again. So we continued again with some more rock band and eventually headed home. I passed out on the way home, crawled into bed and went right to sleep. The next morning I woke up and could barely lift my arms, they were so tired, it was as if I had done some intense arm workout.... therefore I will never make fun of people that use the WII to workout.... I promise....okay for at least one week I won't!

Half man - half machine, I love it!

http://www.kristv.com/global/video/popup/pop_playerLaunch.asp?vt1=v&clipFormat=flv&clipId1=3423000&at1=Video%20Player&h1=Local%20Firefighter%20May%20Have%20Chance%20To%20Play%20For%20Dallas%20Cowboys%20Team

Following your Dreams

So a really great friend of ours is following his dreams to play on a professional football team. He had thought he would start small and play in the local leagues here in Corpus Christi, but then an opportunity made itself present, through a Michael Irvin reality show. The winner of this show gets a spot on the Dallas Cowboys training camp roster. It's the chance of a lifetime, and we support him completely for putting himself out there and trying, no matter what happens, it's just exciting to watch him and his wife go through this journey. One of Jonathan's favorite quotes is

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

How many of us could say that we have tried for everything that we ever wanted in our life, without letting doubt or other peoples doubt get in our way? Owen will be that man in the arena and we are so excited that we get to watch the journey, Way to go McClenny's!!!!

Changes Part 2

Yes more changes and this one is a pretty big one I guess. I am no longer on active duty with the Coast Guard. To make a long story short I'll just say that apparently you put four years in and then POOF you're job is done. All good things come to an end and although there are things that I will definitely miss about it I know that this is ultimately a good thing. I know you're askin "well then what the heck are you doing to do with yourself now?" well I'm gettin to that. I am the newest employee of Strike Construction here in Corpus. Strike Const. makes pipeline metering equipment for natural gas pipe lines. I don't have an official title yet but I'll be working with materials supply and in shop inventory. Not as glamorous as sailing the high seas perhaps but I know my boss and I'll be working for good people. In all honesty is a big transition for me but I'm really looking forward to it. And to all of you who knew a little of the behind the scenes stress Mia and I went through I thank you for your support and prayers.

Changes Changes Changes

So last week at church, our pastor asked the church to participate in a Daniel Diet or a fast that churches all over America are participating in. Check out http://www.awake21.org/ if you want more background. Even after the first day you realize how much time you spend with food. Thinking about food, shopping for food, cooking food, consuming food etc, planning group gatherings around food. I have felt more energy in the last 4 days then I have for a long time. I have had more time to spend in thought, prayer and just with myself and of course with Jonathan. Side benefit was dropping the Italian Pasta weight that I brought back with me, but that's just a perk :) But we are on Day 4 so wish us luck as we try something new together; as long as we stay busy it's not that bad.Which reminds me, about 8 months ago I decided to take a wedding coordinator course, and because I decided I wasn't busy enough and I love planning stuff. I work with a business in Corpus called Limelight Productions LLC and already have 2 weddings booked in April. Thanks for all the encouragement that you all always pass along our way we love you guys!