A Year of Change

Happy New Year from Rhode Island! Can you tell we've been busy? We haven't posted in months! Since 2012 is almost upon us, here is a recap of this past year. It was definitely a big one.

Life Changes:

- We got married on January 8th!

- In May, Nick graduated from MST. Hooray!

- In June, Nick was offered a job planting a campus ministry in Providence, RI.

- In November,  got my first full time job as a residential caseworker! 

Dwelling Places:

- At the beginning of the year, I lived in Texas, and Nick lived in Missouri.

- On January 8th, I moved to Rolla, Missouri, to live with my new husband!

- During the summer, Nick and I lived in Kansas City, Arlington, and Plano with family.

- In October, we moved to North Providence, Rhode Island! It was one of the scariest, most exciting things I have ever done. But we love it here and have made so many lovely friends. 

Travels and Explorations:

- Early in the year, we visited Chicago for the first time. It was snowing, but still awesome!

- In March, we visited Disney World and Harry Potter World!

- In June, we took a road trip up to Providence. We visited Little Rock, Nashville, Washington DC, New York City, Providence, Boston, Niagara Falls, and Indianapolis during the trip.

- In August, we visited Denver for a few days, and then camped in Yellowstone with my Dad and brothers for a week.

This year has been absolutely amazing. I am so glad we traveled while we had the chance. This next year will be spent exploring New England and getting used to life in the Northeast. Please come visit!

Happy 2012, everyone! 

Provision in Providence

Howdy!

I am sitting here, waiting for the Rangers to end the top of the 9th so I can go to bed! Something that is definitely taking getting used to about living on the East Coast is the tv schedule. It's almost midnight here, and I'm sleepy! Nick went to bed over an hour ago. But alas, I had to stay up for my Rangers. I might be the only person in Rhode Island cheering for them! ha. That may be an exaggeration. But probably not.

Today was fairly slow... Nick went to Boston for a meeting with Sojourn, and I painted our coffee table! Pics to come later.

[BOOOOM. 2 outs. Epic. One more and I am going to bed and Texas is one game away from winning the World Series for the first time EVER!]

Anyway, I wish there was a way to write down everything we are experiencing here in Providence. But moving to a new place is difficult to describe! There is so much I could say. We are loving the people and the weather here. The only things I have really missed about home thus far, besides people, are the State Fair and the Ranger games.  And then Baylor Homecoming is in two weeks, and I am so sad I am missing that.

Regardless, life in Lil Rhody is great! We really do love it here. We are still working on fundraising, though.  So if you or anyone you know wants to help tell college students in New England about Jesus' love, we could definitely use your help! We are about $500/month from what we need to meet our budget. If we could find 50 people to give $10... one meal out to eat... 2 Starbucks coffees... a month, we would be set! We have so many friends and family who are giving sacrificially, and we are so grateful! And we are resting in God's provision. We know He will provide and praise Him for that. So please pray for us and this!  And let us know if you or someone you know needs more information. You can also visit www.jensensinprovidence.wordpress.com.

Welp, it's over, Rangers win! Woot! Later, yall.

Hello from Rhode Island!

Hello from Rhode Island! We are so so glad to finally be here. There will definitely be more updates as we get settled, but I wanted to fill yall in on the past week and a half.

We are starting to feel at home in our cozy apartment. Our furniture finally all fits and our pantry is full! Our walls are adorned with pictures of loved ones. We are definitely grateful for our new home!

The people at Northpointe have been incredible. We feel so welcomed. There is definitely a great community there that we are excited to become a part of.

Some snapshots of New England:

 New England hot dog buns! So awesome!

 I made this for a space under the bar, above the couch, out of paint chips and yarn.

 Lincoln State Park is right by our apartment... less than 5 miles away! It is so pretty! There were so many people throughout the park, walking, mountain biking, rock climbing, and kayaking...

We visited the park so that Nick could do some rock climbing... I was more just moral support. 

I will post more at another time. But I just wanted to update friends and family, and let you know that we are so grateful for yalls support. We are so excited to finally be out here and can't wait to share more!

Limbo

1. Missing this guy a whole lot today. One and a half weeks, and we will be reunited and on our way to Providence! So exciting! I am definitely ready to get out of this "limbo" we have been living in since May.

2. Last week, I read the Hunger Games trilogy.  Twice. I finished them the first time and just wasn't ready to let go, so I read them again. I noticed a lot more things, especially about the themes. I am a huge fan of these books, and would recommend them to ALMOST anyone... over the age of fifteen, that is. And I am SUPER stoked about the movie coming out in March.

3. After I finished those books, I read Ender's Game. I definitely enjoyed it, and will be reading the rest of the trilogy when I get money for the books, or a library card!

4. Now, I am reading Same Kind of Different as Me.  I am almost done with it. I would also recommend this book to most people, although I can see that it would be a very difficult read for anyone who has lost a loved one, especially recently.

5. I started watching Switched At Birth tonight, because the first 10 episodes are all on Hulu... Well, let's be honest, it's an ABC Family show, which aren't the best quality. It's pretty unrealistic, and the parents of one of the girls are extremely annoying... BUT all of the ASL refreshes my vocab... I'll probably keep watching when I don't have anything else to do. I wasn't a huge fan of Vanessa Marano in Gilmore Girls, and am still not a huge fan now... but I LOVED Lucas Gabreel in HSM, especially the third one... that kid is talented. He needs to be on Broadway.

Anyway, that's really all I have for now. I have been feeling very uninspired recently. I need to get back to falling asleep at a normal time, instead of 3am. It's hard to fall asleep by yourself when you are used to someone being beside you. Even if they do steal the covers.

Summer 2011, in snapshots

((For last summer's snapshots, click HERE.))

Weddings...

Exploration and travels...

Dressing up...

Rangers games...

4th of July...

Celebrations...

Harry Potter...

Projects lately: bows

 Since all of my paint/creating stuff is packed, I must find an outlet for creating in the sewing machine. So I have been making some hair accessories. Nothing fancy. Just using up some leftover fabric.

 I made this cute little guy out of the leftover fabric we used for the tshirt quilt border.

This one, I made out of old tshirts. I'm a fan. Also, notice my hubby's handsome haircut. I did it myself.

Projects lately: Kindle case

My lovely hubby and his parents got me a kindle for my birthday. I LOVE it. I am a huge fan of actual books, but having dozens of reading options on hand is so great, especially on long trips or during months of time where all your books are packed and you feel so sad without them.

Anyway, I needed a case, and I didn't want to pay some outrageous price for one. So the hubster and I decided to make one. Here it is:

 Yep, we used an old book. Don't worry, it's an abridged version. Who wants those? Anyway, we found Anne of Green Gables for less than $3.00 at Half Price Books. It was a perfect size! Holler!

 The hubster cut out most of the pages to fit around my kindle.  He left it on creepy crying Anne. He thinks it's funny.

 We made sure the bottom was left open for the volume, charger, etc. Then, I used homemade modge-podge and "painted" the inside and outside pages three times. It worked really well!

Then, Nick drilled holes in the right side of the back part of the case. He tied knots in the ends of a piece of elastic, and inserted the ends into the holes. When the case is open, the elastic is on the back cover.  When I am done reading, I can pull the elastic over the cover to hold the top in place, as you can see in the first picture. Hooray!

SO, this Kindle case cost less than $5.00. SCORE.

baby brother

So this is my baby brother, Clay. I call him Clayboy. And Claybers.

Claybers is an artist. And I thought I would exhibit some of my favorite drawings of his. You may remember that he drew us a picture to use with our wedding invitations. He also drew me an awesome gorilla face that I am going to frame and I am STOKED.

That is all. Thanks for drawing things for me, Claybee.

Projects lately: a clutch

Last night, the hubster was flipping between The Italian Job and a coin show... Someone please help me stage an intervention. He told me that he dreamed about coins last night.

Anyway, around 11:30, I had this irresistible urge to sew. So, I went to the sewing room, cut out some fabric, and sewed myself a clutch!

Now, I am no seamstress. My sewing machine experience does not go much farther than a couple of quilts, seven bow ties for our wedding, and a few headbands/bows. I didn't measure anything, I just cut the fabric out. I am incapable of sewing in a straight line. If I did it again, I would do it a little differently, but overall, it turned out well, considering how sporadic this was.. I just love the old fabric and wanted to make something out of it. I had no idea what I would use it for while I was making it. But after, Nick suggested that I use it to store my Kindle when I want something small and soft, instead of my case.

Isn't the fabric just lovely?

Currently...

I am currently:

reading:

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Acts and Proverbs

listening to:

Ben Rector- Into The Morning

Adele, over and over and over again.

The Middle East- "Blood"

making:

A kindle case...almost finished!

A clutch

Headbands

recording on tv:

Friends

Gilmore Girls

The Pioneer Woman

excited about:

Decorating our new apartment in a month

Moving to a new city/state/region in a month

Making chicken fried steak for my brother in a couple of days

Free queso and sopapillas at On The Border tonight!

praying for: 

My Papa's speedy recovery

Providence!

Financial partners

An undying hunger for God's Word

My 4 siblings and their adventures at school in Denver, Abilene, and Plano

reading list (as of August 2011)

So, at the beginning of the year, I made a goal to read twenty books this year. Here is a list of books that I have finished, started, and wish to start since January.

Finished:
1. Radical, David Platt
2. Little House in the Big Woods, Laura Ingalls Wilder
3. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, JK Rowling
4. Adopted for Life, Russell Moore
5. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
6. Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen
7. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
8. Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte
9. The Magician's Nephew, CS Lewis
10. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
11. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

Started:
12. Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster
13. Mere Christianity, CS Lewis
14. Spiritual Leadership, Oswald Sanders
15. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, JK Rowling
16. Mansfield Park, Jane Austen

Want to read:
17. Forgotten God, Francis Chan
18. Wild Goose Chase, Mark Batterson
19. The Help, Katheryn Stockett
20, 21, 22. The Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins
23. Generous Justice, Timothy Keller

That's all for now! Have any suggestions? Did you love any of these books?

Flashback

 Toothless, hanging out in front of Old Faithful, wearing a hat made out of towel fabric. Was that in style then?

 My brother, sporting an awesome train hat. And myself, wearing a Kelly's Kids dress. Bonus fact: I still sit with my toes like that. 

My brother, showing some skin in some sweet sweats. My sister, Baylor proud with an AWESOME hat. And me.

And this.

Friday Favorites

Well hello! Sorry it has been a while. This week has been crazy. Curve balls all over the place! After I mention my favorites for this week, I will share an update on the Jensen fam.

Favorite Christmas Idea: Stockings made from burlap

 (Both photos found at HGTV dot com)

Nick and I got married 2 weeks after Christmas, so this year will be our first Christmas as married people! Hooray!  I realize that Christmas is a few months away, but it's never too early to start thinking about decorations! I love this idea and could easily sew some for our new home. Plus Nick likes them too, which is always a plus. :)

Favorite Workout

Pinterest is so wonderful. This workout popped up on my feed, and Nick and I did it yesterday. Minus the 10 minute run, because I don't have running shoes with me here in Texas. So he rode the stationary bike and I walked on the tredmill in TOMS. ha.

(From 117lbs dot tumblr dot com)

This morning, both Nick and I were pretttty sore. Mind you, I haven't sufficiently worked out in quite a while, besides hiking in Yellowstone. Anyway, I am a fan. 

Favorite Free Sleeperstar/Jillian Edwards Concert

I am so so excited about this. If you have never heard of Jillian Edwards, please click on her name and check out her lovely music. She was a year behind me at Baylor, and would lead worship at UBC when dc*b was on tour. She is absolutely precious and I love her music. 

On September 9th, Sleeperstar is having a fan appreciation concert at House of Blues Dallas, and Jillian will be there. If you order tickets HERE before September 5th, you can get as many as you want for FREE. Holler!

And now, a short update: 

We were supposed to be in Missouri at this time, and moving to Providence on September 30th. However, the apartment we thought we would be living in became unavailable to us, and we found out 2 days before we needed to leave for Missouri. As you might already know, during this time of transition, we have been living with my grandparents in the DFW. Last week, my Papa fell and broke his femur near the hip. He had to have surgery and is now at a rehab hospital. He is doing GREAT. However, Nick and I felt very uneasy about leaving my grandparents during this time. We were still planning on moving, and then the apartment fell through. The lofts had another apartment available, but it would be over $200 more a month, which is not in our budget. So, we decided put a hold on a cheaper apartment with a move in date for the beginning of October and stay and help my grandparents for the next month.  We have been trusting in God's timing with those whole thing. His timing has definitely been a comfort over the past couple of days with news of the hurricane heading toward the Northeast.  Rhode Island is preparing for an emergency, and I am grateful we will not be moving in the middle of a tropical storm.

So, a summary: We will be in Texas for another month... God is good... Pray for my Papa and his recovery.