Tell me

I'm posting something that someone I don't even know wrote...but I've been pondering a lot on her words since I read it. It's from: http://blog.halimandangela.com/2009/09/26/tell-me-these-things/

Yesterday in our book group, we were discussing suffering. Honestly, I haven’t endured a lot of suffering, yet, in this life. Especially not the tragic, life-changes-in-a-moment kind of suffering. But, only the Lord knows if it is coming. I’ve been thinking a lot about what I would want people to tell me if I do go through a crisis – and these are things that I think I would need to hear:

Tell me that there is a God in heaven, who made the heavens and the earth and all that is in them. Remind me that my crisis, my suffering, is not a surprise to Him, and that it has not happened outside of His control. Tell me that my God has a purpose in everything – my suffering included. Remind me that He is the God who sees everything – not one thing has ever escaped His attention. He sees me now.

Tell me about eternity. Send my mind reeling with the idea that there will be a time coming very soon where I will stand before the Lord and worship Him forever and ever – and that this earthly life will be but a mere breath, a vapor. Remind me that in His presence there will be no tears, no pain, no regrets but instead fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore.

Tell me that there is a Savior that suffered – a lot more than I can ever imagine. No matter how much suffering I am enduring, remind me that Jesus suffered so much more, infinitely more.

Tell me that He can comfort me because He knows my pain. He knows my suffering. Tell me that my Jesus is there.

Tell me that God loves me with a fierce love – the kind that rips open seas, that drowns armies, that throws hailstones from heaven, that shuts up lions’ mouths, that saves from consuming fires, that heals the lame, that feeds the hungry and that conquers death. Remind me that my God loves me like that. And that this God doesn’t change, nor does His love for me change. So, if He has ordained suffering in my life, He is still loving me – although I may not see it or understand it.

Tell me about the 10,000 things that God is doing in the midst of this. Remind me that I may not see the purpose in this suffering – that all may appear futile – but that is a lie. Just because I can’t see something doesn’t mean it’s not there. Tell me that He is at work and that He has purpose in everything. Nothing is futile in the life of a Christian.

And, when/if a crisis comes in my life, I may not want to hear these things. I might hate you. I may scream at you, I may cry, I may run away. But, please, tell me anyways. Because when I lie in bed at night and my thoughts are running all over the place and I want to run away and die or give up and drown in my sorrows, the only thing that will keep me going is to hope in these things. So, speak them to me. Pray them for me.

And I hope that I do the same for you.

We made it!

I’m referencing the one year mark – we’ve hit our first anniversary! We spent the weekend in Savannah, Georgia – it was a quaint little town full of tiny squares and large eccentric people (I’m not talking about the size of the people although the food was “home cookin’”, if you know what I mean). Although the weekend had the good, the bad, the highlights, low points and the unexpected – it was so nice to rest with our first year behind us.

No one tells you the first year of marriage is going to be easy but no one tells you it’s going to be so hard. I was reminiscing with a friend last night at dinner when I told her that the healthiest place I can be in our marriage is when I give up control of what it’s supposed to look like and feel like and let go. It’s also the scariest place I’ve ever been. In my single life, it was easier to control – I could hold on to what was important to me and walk away from what wasn’t…and for the most part, no one saw my every move. But, in marriage, it’s quite different. Not only do you have someone that is watching you so intimately and studying your heart but they are affected by the decisions you make – which also compel the other person to want to control you. And, the humor of all of it is that the Lord, in most cases (very much the case with Roy and me) has knit together two utterly different individuals and has not just asked but commanded them to live fruitfully together.

I read an article today comparing a road trip to marriage. He also mentioned that in his 30 years of marriage he’s realized that what you need most in marriage (patience, empathy, humor, adventure, romance and PERSPECTIVE) is what you have least of getting started. That’s probably why so many marriages fail within the first three years. I have grown so much this year. If this is just a small portion of what is to come then I’m in for a wild ride.

I’m crazy about him, though – even more then on October 4, 2008, the day we married. He told me this weekend that his favorite part about the last year of marriage was having a friend (some days). My favorite part was having someone to crawl into bed with at the end of a long day. This past year, I’ve tapped into patience, grace and forgiveness that I didn’t know the Lord would grant me – these were always qualities I wanted to build but never wanted the foundation to have to. I’ve also come to appreciate qualities in another person that are so unlike me. I’m grateful to look forward to the next 50+ years together (although Roy says he’s kicking the bucket with or without me on our 40th Anniversary).

A toast to our second year of marriage!

Ireland: Speaking Irish

I made it home! Safely. Of course, I have a cold and I still don’t know if I got it from sleeping in a van with five girls or sitting next to a lady with sniffles on the plane ride home. Roy is trying to avoid me at all costs but I think he might already have it. I’m beginning to feel pretty bad about that.
Ireland was majestic! Of course we didn’t see any leprechauns but we held out until the very end. We spent a lot of time driving on one lane country roads with cars going in both directions. Our little 30 year old Volkswagen van, appropriately named Sunny, didn’t go very fast and was always one big speed bump away from breaking down. The weather was gorgeous (probably in the low 70’s) and it hardly even sprinkled (Ireland is green for a reason). We were supposed to spend the first four nights camping out of the van – I made it through the first two nights before I convinced Michelle to find a cheap B&B above a pub so I could sleep on a bed for a night. When Serena told me I was “trooper”, I asked if my enthusiasm for sleeping in a van was that obvious. But, overall, we had a great time.
On Sunday upon my arrival into Dublin, I met the girls at their hostel, we took the train out to pick up Sunny and after a quick driving “test”, we headed out through the Wicklow mountains (where PS I Love You was filmed) before settling into a parking lot beside the ocean in Tramore for the first night.
Monday, we woke early and got back on the road towards Cobh and onto Kinsale (one of my favorite cities) for dinner – If I had even an hour longer, I would have taken out a kayak on the shoreline. That night, we made it to a closed camp site outside the Ring of Kerry for our first shower. We all slept in (9am) and cooked a nice breakfast spread (out of the van, of course) before heading onto Dingle for our third night. Dingle is known for their music so we enjoyed a few pubs and lots of live music before settling into a nice twin bed of my very own that night.
The next morning, Michelle and I ate the Irish breakfast and complimented it like we’d never eaten a restaurant meal before – I still remember how amazing the porridge tasted. After that, Kelly, Michelle and I rented bikes and began our nice leisurely ride around the Dingle Peninsula. Of course, the nice “leisurely” tour around the peninsula turned into a 20 mile bike ride up hill. It was gorgeous although I seriously wanted to quit about 10 miles into the ride. I would have cried if I knew I could have taken a taxi home. But, it was breathtaking…through the mountains, by the ocean and along some gorgeous green paths – we even saw a rainbow! It was hard to complain about the pain but I managed it. That evening, we loaded back into the van and headed onto Doolin that night. Although a very small town, this place claims to have the best hostel in Ireland (we camped out in the parking lot). That night we found my favorite pub where we all enjoyed a glass of wine and listened to an amazing band – I will never forget that violin. Even exhausted, I didn’t want to leave.
Early the next morning, we took Sunny to the Cliffs of Moher. We parked down the road so we could hike the cliff – we all took our lives in our hands doing this but the picture we got was worth it (since we lived, of course). The hike was a lot of fun and I could hardly feel the pain from the bike ride the day before. Even though the wind almost knocked me down, it was beautiful. It was already Thursday so we had to get back on the road to Galway for the oyster festival. We checked into the hostel (on the busiest street in Galway) got dressed and headed out to join the masses celebrating Guinness’ 250 Anniversary. I don’t care for the stuff but I had to join in at least one drink or I couldn’t claim to be Irish. Side note: We randomly had groups of people pointing at us and calling out “American” – was it that obvious?? After a nice fresh oyster on the street and a few visits to local pubs, I called the early shift and joined Serena back in the dorm around 11pm, just in time to call Roy before he left work (Lisa had provided a phone for me so I could call/text Roy throughout the day…I’m sure he loved it).
Friday was our last day and after 6 days of traveling, we were all pleasantly pooped. Serena drove home (and I navigated with our trusty GPS, Emily) while everyone else slept in the back. We said good-bye to Sunny, took the train back into the city and checked into our hostel. We didn’t know it at the time but it was Dublin’s culture night where all of the cities prized collections were open late (and free!) to the public. So, we quickly made our way to a pub for our last grub and headed out on the town…we saw the Book of Kels, walked by the Dublin Castle and even caught an art exhibit. The city just lights up at night! We didn’t make it out too late before all of us agreed to go back and enjoy our private room overlooking the city. I had to be up by 5:30am to make the bus to the airport. After Serena got up and walked with me to the bus stop (thanks, again!), I made it into the arms of my favorite person 22 hours later (8:30pm on Saturday night).

Michelle, Lisa, Serena and Kelly – what a trip! I’ll never forget it.

Meet Sonny

Meet Sonny, the 30 year old Volkswagen Van that me and four girls will be driving around Ireland next week (manual, left hand side of the road). Did I mention that we're camping out in the van? And that it's supposed to rain? And, how cold it's supposed to be? I'm really excited. Not really but I'm trying to motivate myself towards excitement.

When I made plans to take this trip, I imagined myself driving around Ireland in a nice large SUV, staying at quaint B&Bs and venturing out during the day to grab a beautiful bike ride in the hills of Ireland or to kayak along breathtaking coastline...I didn't imagine myself in this (see picture above). But, hey, it's an adventure! And, what's an adventure without a little of the unknown (or a LOT of the unknown in this case).

And, when you think of me next week (and pray for our safety) you can also say a little prayer for Roy. I love him so much for wanting me to go on this trip but he also loves me enough to give me explicit instructions on "how not to be stupid" while I'm there.

What did I get myself into? It'll be fun, right? Stay tuned.

I love Austin

Well, I didn’t win the contest…but the guy who won had a very creative entry! And, except for my two friends who “accidentally” voted for him, I felt loved by everyone who came around me and encouraged me in my writing. Thanks! And, the silver lining to the entire thing is that I don’t have to decide between the 50 girlfriends that I promised a vacation to (:

Roy and I spent last weekend in Austin…he said he wanted an “Austin” weekend so I did my best (we typically have a reason to be in Austin since my parents live there but this time we didn’t). We were able to leave a few minutes early on Friday to beat the Dallas traffic. We made it to Austin around 8pm just in time to put our names on the hour long waiting list for Homeslice Pizza on South Congress. But, no worries, we waited across the street at Guerro’s and listened to some live music and shared a beer…it was SO Austin. After some amazing ricotta, sausage and red bell pepper pizza, we headed to my parent’s house.
On Saturday we woke pretty early to enjoy a quick breakfast with my family before heading out to Town Lake to kayak. When I was in school, I used to run the 3 mile trail at least twice a week…I always saw people taking canoes out on the lake…now you can conveniently rent them pretty cheap. We had the best time…me talking and Roy rowing. He loved it. We then grabbed our suits and went down to Barton Springs for a cool dip…and when I say “cool” I mean freezing my outer layer of skin off. Roy laughed at me as all the people and kids jumped in the water before me (when the pregnant woman got in, he counted her for two people). I finally braved the cold water and enjoyed the sun.
After a swim (or whatever you call it when I stand in the water and talk to Roy more), we drove to Wahoo tacos for some fish tacos. I learned to love Wahoo tacos when I spent the summer in Denver a few years ago…amazing food and really cheap. After finishing lunch, changing clothes and heading downtown to the UT campus, we met up with Dan and Amanda and their adorable four month twin boys for a yogurt date. Perhaps it wasn’t the best decision to ask them to meet us on the UT campus (read: no parking) but we had a great time.

After some fat free peanut butter yogurt (my favorite), we made the trek down to good ol’ Buda for some summertime birthday fun…Addison’s birthday. It was so great to see Nicole, Jessie, Holly, Danielle, Jay and all the parents…these were all friends from high school and since they’re still best friends with each other, I get to drop in when I can and pretend that we’re still as close as we were at one time. I loved it. Danielle and Jay invited us out for a drink a little bit later so when Roy and I left, I decided to take him downtown to the Texas State Capital (where apparently grasshoppers have taken over the place). After we arrived at the Gingerman (where Roy and I met in Dallas over two years ago now), we played darts until they arrived. After a fun night, we headed home (pretty early, 11pm…we’re old)!

On Sunday morning, we slept in, packed up our things and headed to Austin Stone for church (my church home away from Dallas). I love it there. Matt did a sermon on confessing your sins to the Lord for forgiveness but confessing your sins to one another for healing…again, it was profoundly simple. After church we made a quick jaunt to Wahoo tacos (yes, again) before the trip home. What a great weekend with Roy and all our friends. I love Austin.

A Cinderella Story...once upon a lifetime

So, I entered a little contest and I'm an official finalist! The winner is determined by the number of votes the finalists receive so will you vote for me?

It's easy...Go to this link (you have to be a facebook member): www.facebook.com/dolcehotels Click "Vote Now" and vote for “A Cinderella Story…once upon a lifetime” (by Jennie Plumlee).

The contest is for Lakeway Spa & Resort in Austin (it’s a social media marketing promotion). We were asked to describe our perfect getaway and I wrote a story about six girls running away for a spa weekend…the winner gets the dream vacation they described! I think everyone has until Thursday to vote.

And, if you're intersted in just reading the story, here you go...

Day dreaming…where does your mind wander? Away from the chaos of required living into the blue of something far from reality. The demands of life have pulled you down again and your heart leaps, even for a split second, at just a thought of getting away from it all and dare I say it, to relax. Dream with me…of a beautiful place, a modern day Cinderella’s castle, far from the commotion of the city into the tranquil hills of Austin called Lakeway Spa and Resort. Oh, if there were such a place. Forget Prince Charming, though…a girl wants to get away to relax. And, who better to join her then her closest confidants, her five best friends.

They arrive, together, almost as if their Fairy Godmother magically brought them there with a wave of her wand. The girls check-in and find themselves escorted by the handsome bellmen, a far resemblance to mice. A short brevity of time before the door opens and as you can almost imagine it, there stand six girls in awe of majesty, looking at the breath-taking Colorado Villa, 2,770 square feet, 3 bedrooms and 3 baths of picturesque beauty. They claim their rooms and start to unpack but their stomachs grumble, it’s been awhile since the porridge they ate this morning in the country. The girls put on their snappy casual and head to Travis Restaurant for their favorite, seafood, and even better, their famous seafood buffet. After a thousands laughs and few bottles of wine they head back to the room only to be surprised by a delivery of strawberries. It’s been a long day so the girls settle in for a movie, the best kind of movie, a hopeless romantic film they rent and watch on the 32-inch LCD flat screen before settling into their plush beds.

Excitement is brewing on Saturday morning so the girls wake early for their continental breakfast, delivered by none other then those handsome bellmen. They grab a cup of coffee from their personal coffee maker and head to Pilate’s class at 9am…oh the joys of living in an incredible resort. After class, the girls decide to wonder the scenic property…through the Austin Building, over to the Travis Building and right by the Vista Building…this is hardly the woods to grandmother’s house. It’s almost 11am so the girls make their way to heaven, otherwise known as the San Saba Spa. They never knew there was such a beautiful place here on earth…the Asian décor immediately puts them at ease. But, next, a 25 minute San Saba Spa Signature Swedish massage? They are definitely in another world! The girls meet again to enjoy salads from the San Saba Spa menu while overlooking the beautiful pools…the definition of unwinding. After encouraging conversation, the girls are whisked away for their next treatment…an Express Facial…if anything was in doubt before, they do not doubt now – they know they are dreaming. Afterwards, they put on their bathing suits and spend the rest of the afternoon by the pool with a nice margarita in hand, reminiscing about their amazing life together as friends. A dip in the pool refreshes the soul so just a few hours later the girls are ready for their next Lakeway Resort adventure. They head upstairs, grab relaxing showers in the unforgettable bathrooms and dress for dinner. Tonight, they are ready to have a good time. 7:30pm reservations at Josie’s Bar and Grill is what every girl needs to let down her guard. The girls order a round of beers, a few burgers, sliders and a nice sized beef tenderloin. When they’re ready for dessert, they order one of each of the five dessert selections because they just can’t decide which one looks best. The girls take the dessert to-go and head back to the room for some chatter and a nice sit on the beautiful balcony overlooking the cool, calm lake before laying their long locks down on the dreamy pillows, once again.

The girls, almost in defiance that the weekend is almost over, all sleep in on Sunday morning. But, don’t fret, they wake just in time to head to Travis Restaurant for the famed Sunday brunch. The girls lightly debate whether the wild berries with granola honey and yogurt are better then the Eggs Benedict…so, in all fun, they taste selections from the cold and hot buffet. After the girls leave they suddenly remember their Prince Charmings at home, waiting in anticipation of their return…so, they make a quick jaunt by the gift shop to buy their love a present.

What an amazing weekend…one that any girl could hardly imagine. Was this just a fairy tale? Will this Cinderella and her best girlfriends ever be able to leave their world behind for something unbelievable, if only for a weekend? Only you will decide…

Summer re-cap, Fall forward

It’s hard to believe the summer is almost over…it’s already August and I just noticed I haven’t written on the blog for awhile (a huge apology to all my faithful readers…okay I only know one person who reads this). I love blogs…but mine, somehow, didn’t seem very exciting so I stopped writing. I catch up with a lot of other friends I don’t see very often through their blogs…I hear about Michelle’s latest fashion advice, Monique’s trip to Nashville, Alison’s latest trip down south to drop off Josh so she and Chris can have a weekend alone, I love seeing pictures of Julie’s Noah trying to pump breast milk and of course, Henrik and Caleb’s adventures to new yogurt places. It’s really exciting, I tell you. Honestly.

So, I’ve decided to go for quantity rather then quality and re-cap for you my favorite things about this summer…
1. I love the heat. I was made for Texas. Yesterday, I couldn’t wait to leave Central Market so that I could go sit in my car. I typically don’t turn on the air conditioning on my way home, after I leave work.
2. Although most days I would trade Dallas for just about any other city, we did find some redeemable qualities this year. We went to Shakespeare in the Park in July with a few friends – fabulous performance! Okay, that’s about it.

3. Roy and I spent a weekend out at Ross and Kara’s lake house…we had a blast (thanks, again!). Of course it rained almost the entire time we were there but it didn’t seem to dampen our spirits much. It was just nice to get away.
4. Roy’s nieces moved back to Texas! We’re so excited. Spending time with Jenna and Amanda = ice skating, birthday parties and sweets. I love it…especially since I don’t get to see my nieces, which breaks my heart. I truly believe this is God’s way of giving back just a little of what I miss so much.
5. Summer concerts….okay, I have to admit, I went (and loved) the New Kids on the Block concert. I may have lost “cool” points for going but it was worth it. Thanks for going Sterling, I know you’re still embarrassed to send pictures over email just in case someone sees you in them. I forgive you. Followed by NKOTB, Tiffany got us free tickets to Cold Play…10th row, center stage. I think I got all my cool points back for scoring these tickets…or being related to someone that scored these tickets. It was fabulous. Chris Martin, I heart you.
6. Miami for Deborah’s birthday…so worth a weekend away from my love (sorry, Roy) – we had a blast. Of course, I also came to appreciate my married life where I share a bathroom with a clean-freak. I loved sailing the canal in search of famous people’s houses and eating so well. Dear Beach, I never knew I loved you so much. Growing up, I always thought you looked like Port Aransas. Sorry to mistake you.

7. Sam and Susan’s engagement! Even though Susan won’t befriend me on Facebook, I still love her. Sam and Susan started dating at our wedding last year and now they’re going to get married! I’d like to believe that I have some small part in their happiness. Congratulations!
8. So many babies (not ours)! Kacey and Peter had Rebekah and Joanna. Amanda and Dan had Henrik and Caleb. Jennifer and Anthony had Graham. Ricci and Wayne had Archer. Julie and John had Hunter. Amrah and Casey had Grant. Jason and Carrie had Ford. Three of these babies were conceived around at or around our wedding…coincidence? I think not. And, there were more! I just can’t remember all of their names…
9. Our Foundation Group. I have loved getting to know these couples. I love game night, girl’s night and dinner with Laura and Jason.
10. There is something about summer that makes me feel alive. Lately, I’ve felt like I can breathe again. I’ve started calling friends I haven’t talked to in awhile and taking up a few old hobbies (Thanks, Dina for getting me into tennis lessons).

And, while I’m at it, I’ll go ahead and let you know the things I’m looking forward to in the fall…
1. Starting today, I’m going to do a Yoga marathon with friend MM. My goal is to go to yoga for 10 days straight…I’ve only done yoga twice before and I was horrible at it. Here’s to wishing!
2. The Village Church is opening a Dallas campus in September and I can’t wait to visit! We’ve been driving up to their Highland Village campus about once a month (which is an hour drive). Matt Chandler is an amazing teacher – I love his practical insight.
3. Our year anniversary is just around the corner (October 4th)! We’ve booked a weekend in Savannah, Georgia. I’ve heard such beautiful things about the city, I think it’ll be an incredible weekend. I love to explore new places.
4. I’ve decided to go back to school. SMU COX School of Business offers a marketing certificate program where they extract classes from their MBA program. It’s an intensive 21 week study, one day at week from 6:30-9:30pm on Monday nights. I’m going for continuing education but just the idea of going back to school to learn more about something I love so much, excites me.
5. We’re spending Thanksgiving in New York this year with my parents! I love New York, where you can feel the air of winter coming on. I want to ice skate in Rockefeller Plaza, enjoy the Thanksgiving parade, catch a performance of the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City (thanks for the tickets, Mom) and at least one Broadway show (thanks in advance, Roy). Roy’s never been to NYC for Thanksgiving. Can we window shop on 5th Avenue? You’ll love it.
6. Ireland! I’m traveling around Ireland for 7 nights in September with friend Lisa, Michelle and two of her friends. We’re renting a large bus we plan to camp out in for most of the trip…I’m looking into B&B’s just in case J I’m still sad we’re missing Allison’s wedding in Aspen for this…
7. I entered a contest and plan on winning a spa weekend in Austin with a few girlfriends for my birthday. I might have to come up with another plan…you know how these contests go, sometimes.
8. We’re heading to Houston for Jill’s wedding in a couple of weeks. I’m just excited to see my friends Jenny and Earl, Jennifer and Anthony, Ricci and Wayne and Leslie and Tom. I wish we had time to see a few others…I hate the humidity but I love my Houston friends.
9. We just signed another 3 month lease on our apartment so we might be moving at the end of the year…we just don’t know where. Maybe somewhere cheaper. In Dallas, of course. I don’t think we’re ready for a house yet.
10. Football season. Is that terrible? I love to bond with Roy over our teams and spend Saturday afternoons with friends around the TV. It’s All American. I’d like to see at least one UT game in Austin and maybe even one ASU game in Phoenix. I’m getting excited just typing about it.

Well, that about sums up my life right now…it’s all I know. Roy and I are doing well. We’re learning more about marriage everyday and how to love each other more deeply…a thousand blessings along the way.

Love,
Jennie