Saturdays

We have a little tradition every Saturday now that it has gotten warm. There is a summer farmer's market down the road from where we live! Tons of local vendors and farmers come out with veggies, plants, pastries and bread, drinks, meat, fish, cheese, and eggs. It's in a big park, and so many people bring their kids and dogs to play. There is also live music, which is pretty cool. We have made it a habit to go every Saturday morning. This past week, we got a zucchini plant for our garden, some dried cranberries infused with pomegranate juice, and some apple butter.  Nick loves the apple butter on his toast, and I just eat it with a spoon.

We have another weekend tradition we hope will take place almost every week: The beach!! We live 30 miles from some pretty stellar beaches. Nick got a surf board for his birthday, which gives him something to do while I lay on the beach! Fun for all! I want to try surfing but I will wait until the water gets warmer.

Also, a mom at my work brought in sunflower seed butter from Trader Joe's yesterday, and it was DELICIOUS!! So you should try it for some non-peanut fun! :)

Concrete Jungle Where Dreams Are Made

For our one-year anniversary, we spent a night in New York City! It was such a great little trip! I must confess, I dream of living in NYC. I know a lot of people never want to live there, but I just love the idea of it. It’s so bustling, and I am so fascinated by how life would be.

We hopped on a bus early Thursday morning… We would have gotten on REALLY early, but the bus driver of our original bus just skipped our bus stop and went straight to New York. Thanks, Peter Pan busses. After a three hour bus ride, we ended up in the heart of NYC. It was raining and cold, which was kind of a bummer, but not too terrible. 

 We found our hotel, Park Central, on hotels.com. I did a lot of research to make sure most of the reviews were good, and that the hotel was in a good location. After the bed bug fiasco of 2009, there was NO way I was taking any chances. Fortunately, this hotel was affordable, close to Times Square, and clean!

We got to NYC around lunch, checked into our hotel, and then went to lunch at Carnegie Deli. Honestly, we were not impressed. It was so expensive and not very good. But that is just our opinion. For dinner, we went to Hurley’s Irish Pub and Saloon. It was delicious! Then, we were off to the theater! We saw Wicked on Broadway! A dream come true! I had seen Wicked in Dallas, but Nick had never seen it at all. Gershwin Theater is so lovely, and the show was just incredible. 

The next day, we got up and headed to Central Park. It was drizzly and cold, so there was basically NO one around. We stopped at a French café in the park and got some hot chocolate because I was so cold I thought I would pass out. Then we walked over to West Elm, Urban Outfitters, Bloomingdales, and then Serendipity for some nachos and frozen hot chocolate. I loved exploring all the different parts of Manhattan. 

 After Serendipity, we had our first subway experience! I have to admit, I was pretty terrified but also very excited. I feel like television makes the subway look so nasty, and going underground just is not ideal for me. But we went in at a station that was actually pretty nice, and was playing music. I was pleasantly surprised! We rode the subway to Ground Zero and saw the new World Trade Center. We couldn’t go in, but were able to see the building. Then, we walked to the water and took the Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty from the water. Ferries are another thing I do not like… Totally freaks me out. To express my feelings, consider the Friends episode when Ross is like, “A FERRY!? My baby is going on a FERRY? Do you have any idea how dangerous those are?!” “Are we talking about those big boats that carry cars and go like five miles an hour?”  Anyway, the ferry was a lovely experience. It was so big, and even had a little coffee shop/concession stand on it. After a couple ferry rides, we walked to the Brooklyn Bridge… We didn’t walk all the way across, just about half way. It’s so gorgeous!

We walked through Chinatown and by the government area. I recognize the building that Dev on Smash works in! We walked by it! Then, we took the subway back to Times Square. We visited the Disney store and XXI. Then, packed up our stuff and headed back to the bus station. But we had to fulfill a final dream before leaving town. We got hotdogs from a street vendor!! It was so exciting! Nick was actually shocked that I wanted to do it… Really, I was too. They are kind of nasty if you think about it. But so New York! I felt like a local.

That was our getaway in the Big Apple. I loved it so much, and can’t wait to go back, hopefully this summer! Living three hours away is pretty awesome.

Currently...

I am currently:

reading:

Generous Justice by Timothy Keller

If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name by Heather Lende

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

listening to: 

Of Monsters and Men

Sutre

Gotye

Fun.

making:

Something for my hubby!

A garden

recording on tv:

Gilmore Girls

Smash

Glee

excited about:

Waterfire starting this weekend!

Having people over for a Memorial Day weekend cookout.

Going to the beach whenever I want this summer!
Planting the flowers and veggies in our garden!

praying for: 

The new Women's Group starting up next week

 To find peace and clarity in my role in Rhode Island

For my babies at work

For the new friends in our community group

A little recap.

Hi... so it's been almost six months since I've posted... You all must be thinking, "You move to one of the most interesting places in the US, and then stop sharing?!" Well, there is a lot to do here! :) Actually I spend more time writing newsletters for Sojourn, so if you don't get those, and want to, let me know.

Man, six months. Well, let's just say a lot has happened. I got a new job. We moved. My mom came to visit. It's not cold anymore... But it's the end of May and I'm still wearing a jacket in the mornings.

We are absolutely loving where we live right now. Seriously. I don't know if I will be able to live anywhere else. We are walking distance from a billion local food places, multiple coffee shops, bike routes, Urban Outfitters, a gorgeous college campus (Brown)... And we live on the Bay. It's pretty lovely.

We have started a new home group at Northpointe close to our home. We are excited to see how God moves on the East Side.

We visited New York City for an evening for our one year anniversary, and spent a day at Cape Cod! Can't wait to go again!

My new job is amazing! I am the lead teacher for the Yearlings, aka 15 months to 2 year olds. They are pretty cute, and I get to come up with art projects and read them books all day. I can't wait to watch these babies grow up!

Here are some of my favorite instagram pics from the past 6 months. Visit our ministry blog for more.

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.