I've Got Another Riddle For You

Bah Humbug!

2011-12-23T12:58:00.000-05:00

Ok, so the title is only slightly misleading. I'm not really feeling bah humbug about the holidays. I love Christmas and spending time with the fam and celebrating the miraculous birth of our Savior and His life that was spent in teaching us, each one of us, the great and wonderful gospel and finally sacrificing that life to atone for each and every sin you or I will ever commit in this life as well as covering for all the pain, suffering and hurt that we experience when we don't sin and are completely innocent.
Now after saying that, I feel mucho guilt about what I was gonna blog about. Don't know if I'm gonna actually post this, but if you're reading this, then obviously I did. :) If you are....please keep in mind, this is not my usual frame of mind, but it's been going on for a while now I had to get it out of my head and onto "paper" to keep my sanity, the little bit I have anyway! ;)

But now that I've taken a bit of a hiatus from typing this, I've had sufficient time to relapse into my "Blue Christmas" attitude and "Woe is me!" mindset! :p

This holiday season has been extra hard this year. It's been hard the past few years, but I don't remember crying at the drop of a hat (and if you know me, I don't cry that much, period)! I don't know why it's so much harder, but it is. And before you ask....no, it's not hormones, I won't go into details on how I know, but trust me. I really don't want to be stuck on myself and thinking how sad my situation is, cuz I know I have a great life and I'm so very blessed. I have an amazing family, great friends, the true gospel, not to mention a very nice apartment, new (to me) car (yes, it's in the shop, but it's all covered by warranty and I have a rental that's included), good education, and so many other things I'm not gonna bore you with the list. But the one thing I've always wanted more than anything else, is to be a wife and mother. And that hasn't happened yet. I'm 30 years old, and in the past 10 years, all my relationships have lasted less than a month, for five straight years there were no relationships. And correct me if I'm wrong, but it's usually helpful for the whole marriage thing to happen if you're actually able to get in a relationship! And I apologize again for the whole tone of this post, I'm not (I don't thnk anyway) really a bitter, angry old maid. But I am tired of all those dating games. I usually don't have a problem knowing if the guys are interested....it's when they stop being interested that drives me crazy. It's when they stop talking to me for no reason, ignore me for days, or just can't man up and tell me that they're not interested. I'm not some crazy, hormonal teenager. I'm a big girl, I can handle the news, it's not gonna destroy my world. Yes, I'll be bummed, cuz obviously I was interested in you if I'm upset at you being an idiot (usually don't get upset at people being idiots who I'm not trying to build a relationship with), but being bummed is part of life, and I'll recover...promise! And probably a whole lot quicker than your ego would like to admit!

But is there something drastically wrong with me? I don't think so, in fact, I think I'm quite a catch! Yeah, I've got problems and issues and baggage, but it's a light carry-on. I've got my quirks, but who doesn't. And if I had any major problems or issues that needed to be resolved, I would hope and I believe that my friends would love me enough to tell me to fix things. But they haven't, and I trust them. I'm not gonna pretend to be someone I'm not, cuz I can't. I'm a tough, red-neckish, truck-driving, wrestling, energetic, independent, stubborn and ornery woman. But the kind of guys I like, like that kind of woman. So what's the problem here? Sometimes I feel like how my mom described my sister when she went to nursery for the first time (she was a few months younger than most because my mom was called as the primary leader when she was about 15-16 months). But she would want to play with the other kids so much and they would ignore her, you know how kids can be, so she would grab them and shake them as if to say "PLAY WITH ME, BE MY FRIEND, DO IT NOW!" We laugh about how she was the youngest and the smallest there, but this sweet child was the bully of the nursery! And we all know how effective shaking someone and getting in their face is to make them be your friend. Not very! But sometimes, I want to shake some of these guys and say "DATE ME! I'M A GREAT, SWEET, NICE GIRL!! YOU'LL LIKE ME, JUST DO IT!!!" But something tells me they might not believe me if I do that! :)

And trust me, I've had everyone under the sun tell me all sorts of "great" advice, heck, I've given it to others when they've felt like me. Problem is, it doesn't help change the fact that at the end of the day, I'm alone. "But" you ask, "don't you have an amazing and wonderful family that you're super close to and great friends?" Yep, that's true, I do, I'm very lucky that way. But at 30, our relationships have changed and I no longer live with my family, so eventually I leave them, I come home alone. "But," you have another question," don't you have a great roommate that'll hang out with you and talk to you and eat your experimental dishes?" True again. She's awesome, and I've been muey blessed to live with some great girls who have inspired me and love me and I love them and they've helped shape me into who I am today. But again, at the end of the day, I leave her (and them) and walk back to my cold and empty room, slip into my queen size bed, alone. And when I have those hard moments, when the world is coming down around me, all I need is a hug from someone telling me it'll be ok. I'm alone. I know I could go see a thousand people to cry to, but I don't call people to tell them I need a hug, that's not me, so I sit on my couch or my bed, crying my eyes out, by myself, which I seem to have been doing a lot lately.

Now again, I hate thinking so much about this, and I really do try to get it off my mind. I go to family functions and enjoy them. Go to parties and activities, do my baking and shopping and errands, and it helps, but this time of year, everything gets thrown back in my face. The other day I was visiting with a couple friends, each who have a kid, one's pretty new, and they're talking and I'm sitting across the room, and I love them and I love their kids, but there's a sharp pain in my heart seeing the tableaux they made with their children and I didn't have that, and that's all I really want. Then when my single friends are all excited about new relationships that have been a long time in coming, I am so very happy for them, cuz I know the struggles and heartache they've been through, but again, that stab in my chest, cuz again, I want that and I cannot see it happening for as far as I can see. Then with Christmas shows and even the commercials, they're all about that special someone and finding them and showing them how much you care, it's throwing it back in my face that I'm single and alone. And don't get me started about Christmas songs! I love Christmas music, I start listening it the day after Thanksgiving cuz I love the feeling it brings to this time of year, but I've had to turn the station so much this year cuz the tears come unbidden to my eyes. Even my friends facebook comments about the great things or funny things or sweet things their husbands or kids have done turns on the waterworks these days.

And trust me, if all I wanted was to be married, I could have had that happen a long, long time ago, I've had offers, but you can't say I'm being picky, cuz if you knew the guys you would agree, they weren't for me, not that many of them weren't good guys, they were, and some of them married great woman and I'm happy for them. I don't know why I'm not married, but I do know I want a good marriage, not perfect, like my parents, and so many of my friends have. So I'm holding out for someone I know can complement me, not perfect though, cuz where's the fun in that! Who is 100% a partner, loves, cherishes, and respects me and I him. I want him like Mr. Knightley in Jane Austen's Emma, says about the title character, "He had ridden home through the rain; and had walked up directly after dinner, to see how this sweetest and best of all creatures, faultless in spite of all her faults, bore the discovery." That's what I want to find, someone who sees all my faults and understands them and wants to help me overcome them, but still considers me faultless. When I find that person, I will give him everything cuz I can't do anything part way, it's not in my nature. Until then, I'll work and I'll pray and I'll laugh and I'll live, cuz I know this "downer" part of me will move on and my happy, excited, cheery self will be back and I'll be ok again...might not be till next year, but hey! I'll take what I can get! ;)

No more homework, no more books, no more teacher's dirty looks!

2011-12-12T13:48:00.000-05:00

Ok, ok, so I don't think I ever got dirty looks from my teachers this semester, but the semester is done! I'm quite excited, anatomy was kicking my butt! Though I do quite love learning anatomy, and I loved my other class, but the end of the semester means I'm that much closer to graduating. I'm trying to get my internship lined up, but my procastinating skills are kicking into high gear and I'm fighting them, but I've had more experience procastinating then being organized. I'm up to the task though, cuz I'm Jenean! ;)

Updates: Shelley died....my Explorer. :( It was quite a sad experience, I really wanted her to last me till I graduated, but c'est la vie! So I bought a "new" 2007 Chevy Trailblazer....I know!!! I bought a CHEVY!!! What was I thinking? I'm 100% a Ford girl! I hate Chevy just on principal alone! But it was too good a deal to turn down, a much nicer car than I thought I could afford right now, and it'll last me a while, though I'm gonna upgrade to a Ford when I get a job that pays real money! And it is really pretty, Moonstone is the color, kinda like a silver blue. Janessa helped me with the name, and since I'm a traitor to the Ford, Janessa suggested Brutus first, but I said I was the traitor, so the car was more like Julius Ceasar, so that's it's name....JC for short, or Julius. Yes, Julius Tremble can feel quite flattered because he shares a name with my car. :)

Two roadtrips for the break, just came back yesterday from the first one to NC. It was a quick weekend trip, lots of fun, first time in a long time that I wasn't happy about coming back to Atlanta after a trip. No matter how much fun I've had on trips, I'm always happy to come back home, but yesterday I wanted to go back to NC! Maybe I'll look there for an intern? The long trip starts the day after Christmas. Janessa's starting a job out in Utah, she flies out Wed and comes home from Christmas, so I'm driving out with her the day after so she can have her car out there and I'll fly back after the first of the year sometime, right now looking like Jan 3/4 (overnight layover in Dallas), but I think I'm gonna wait a bit and see if I can get a non-overnight layover, we'll see what happens.

Now just 2 weeks before Christmas, Happy Holidays Y'all!

Confusion, Indecisiveness, and General Blech

2011-08-17T15:55:00.000-04:00

You know those days or weeks when nothing's really wrong, but you just feel blech? Yeah, today's one of those days. It seems this week has been full of little things that aren't that big of a deal, but they all together they seem multiply and increase this icky feeling. I find I usually have those days (or weeks, depending) after something that had a big build-up and then there's nothing after, so you drop from the adrenalin rush you were having. And since last weekend was the YSA Conference that I helped plan and execute, this week definitely fits into this category. But I'll get over it soon enough. I have my last softball game tonight (hopefully no bats to the head, oh yeah, I didn't write about that, well, that'll be a quick post for another day, and I have pics), then a massage appointment after. I haven't made it up to Alan and Crystal's new house at all this week, not because I couldn't, but because I had plans that ended up falling through, which also adds to the blech feeling. But they move in on Saturday, and that'll be good for them, I'm excited for them.

Classes start next week and I'm at an indecisive area. I'm not sure if I want to keep on with my emphasis or not. I've completely been procrastinating my thesis and I'm kinda debating on whether I should stop at the Master's, and if I could be sure I could get a teaching position at a junior college, I'd be more than fine with that. Or I was also thinking I might could switch to the Fitness and Health Promotion, do an internship instead of a thesis, and work in an area that promotes health and fitness outside of being a personal trainer. I would be more than fine working in a gym, but I know I'm not cut out to be a trainer, at least that not being the only thing I do. I like management positions and teaching/discussion as part of it too (yes, I'm bossy!) and I am passionate about health and fitness. So yeah, I've been debating about it. But the only thing is, if I switch to the Fitness and Health Promotion emphasis, I'm not sure I'll be able to go on and get a PhD if I ever decide to. Which right now I'd be ok with, but if I end up changing my mind down the road, I won't be. Anyway, sorry this is a downer post, but I'll add a more upbeat one soon....if I remember to write! ;-)

Let the craziness ensue....well, more so than usual at least!

2011-08-12T09:45:00.000-04:00

So this week has been slightly crazy. First my one roommates fam was staying with us through Wednesday, which they were great, but we double the occupancy of our 3-bedroom apartment, suddenly there's people everywhere and all sharing the hall bathroom. Slight chaos, but really not that big of a deal. But let's back-up a little bit, shall we? This past weekend a group of us went camping at Tallulah Gorge... so much fun!! We hiked around, some of us did the stairs, some of the smart ones didn't. One of the girls got sick from the heat and climbing all those stairs (there's over 1000 steps), and that was quite exciting, but luckily she wasn't too overheated and was fine with a little A/C and water at the Interpretive Center (essentially it's the ranger station and gift shop for those of you who've never been). And no, we didn't get lost this time! :)We got back and that's when the craziness ensued.

This weekend is the Multi-Regional YSA Conference with Elder Ballard speaking tomorrow night to a combined fireside for YSA and SA (and mid-singles, they like to differentiate themselves), and I'm the Roswell Stake YSA Rep and the only person that I can tell that's been posting info about the conference on FB. So my FB is blowing up, my phone is exploding with all these questions about the conference, which would be fine if I knew more than the people asking me....which I really don't. The conference itself is planned out, I hope! But I'm not sure how the housing situation's gonna play out, they're supposed to organize it tonight at the dance, and there are around 200 people who said they needed housing, so I pray that they have enough accomodations for everyone. Then the other thing is the activity after the fireside. The fireside starts at 5pm, which means we'll have the whole evening afterwards for people to enjoy. We're doing dinner, which should be fine, but some of us were pushing for an organized activity instead of a dance, well, they're encouraging small group discussions of the fireside, which is great, but it'll only last through dinner, I'm betting. So I'm pulling Janessa in to help me with games and possibly Mike to send a dj down last minute and start another dance if need be. So yeah, I hope this doesn't end on a lame note, but next year we're totally revamping the whole system, so that should be good.

But to get back to the rest of my week. Last Friday Alan and Crystal bought a house, then Tuesday she flew out to Oregon with Hailey for her dad's wedding this weekend (funny how everything happens at once! But the house needs cleaning and painting before they can move in, which is next weekend when she gets back (she can't do much at the house anway, she's 6 months preggers). So Monday I worked at dad's office, then a softball game, then FHE. Tuesday was the temple, then shopping for decor for the dance, then Institute, then bball. Wedneday I was over at the bro's house cleaning and prepping for the paint. Then went to help a guy pick up a bookcase he'd bought that didn't fit in his small sedan, but would in my big 'ol Explorer. :) Wednesday night a guy in the ward was taking out his endowments, so I was back at the temple, and we went to Yogli afterwards for dessert. Thursday dad needed a bunch of courier service done from Sandy Springs to Buford, and I was going to go back to Alan's and work more after I was done, but the A/C went out in the apartment Wednesday night, so the only time they could make it Thursday was between 12-2 or it would be today. I don't really get too hot in general and I was dying Wednesday night, so I came back to the condo so someone would be here when they came. That being done, I headed back up to Alan's and cleaned more and taped up a couple rooms to get them ready to paint today. And today I'm going to my gma's to help her with some stuff around the house and meeting another girl at 4ish to finish decor for the dance and get there around 7 to set up. Then I'll be down in Jonesboro till late tomorrow night. And I'm not done yet.... Sunday will be church, but there are a bunch of guys coming up from Ft. Rucker to go to the conference and temple and were asking about Linger Longer on Sunday, got me thinking we should do a potluck for any of those who we meet at the conference who are staying through Sunday evening, so I started organizing that. Then I get an email saying there's a Stake Leadership training meeting with Elder Ballard Sunday evening at 6:30pm (it'll be broadcast, he won't physically be there). Our church ends at 4:30. So I can't host this potluck anymore, so we end up switching it to another girl's house so those of us who need to be at the meeting can just leave.

Whew...I feel tired! :) But I am excited for this weekend, I think it'll be good overall, and yeah, there might be hiccups, but c'est la vie!

Yeah, bout that...

2011-03-22T23:50:00.002-04:00

You ever feel that you think you know exactly what's going on, only to find out you're completely clueless? Yeah, it's been one of those days. Nothing really happened, it's just been a blech day making me feel like I don't have a handle on anything in my life. But I'm sure I'll feel better after sleep.

Thankful...

2010-11-17T22:03:00.003-05:00

I know Thanksgiving is coming up next week, but that's not what prompted this, I actually keep forgetting that Thanksgiving is so close, though I am way excited about it! Yay for yummy food. I just haven't expressed my gratitude for all the many wonderful blessings the Lord, in his mercy, has given me.

The very first thing on my list is the true gospel of Jesus Christ that was restored to this earth by His prophet, Joseph Smith, Jr. I cannot imagine, nor do I wish to, the nothingness that would be my life without this gospel and the Atonement that only the Lord could have brought to pass with His perfect life. It has, more than anything else, made me who I am. I do not always live it like I should, but I have a solid testimony that is so very true and I am striving to do better with all that I have and am, and picking myself up each time I fall to start over again.

I am so incredibly blessed with my amazing and wonderful family. I thought I had a normal family growing up, but the older I get, the more I realize that it's not normal, thank goodness for that! My parents are so in love and committed to each other and their children and I know they're not perfect but they are sooo very good and I love them and everything they've taught me. I have three beautiful, amazing, talented sisters, each in her own way, that teach me all the time how to be the best I can be and who I can call on whenever I need help, even if it's something like coloring my hair, picture stuff, pep talks, massages, or whatever. My brother is the best brother a girl could ask for, he's always strived to be worthy of the priesthood that he holds and stays firmly planted in the gospel, he's always quick with a funny joke to lift my spirits when I'm in a funk. He married a wonderful woman, she's the perfect sister-in-law for us and thank goodness she has a bountiful supply of patience, cuz if you know us Higginbotham's, you know she needs it! :D And I don't have enough words to describe the wonderful child that is their daughter. She lights up my life!! Whenever I need to forget my worries and stressful situations, I can hear her say "Neanie, Neanie!" and it works every time. My grandmother amazes me with her energy and time and devotion she spends on serving so many people. She is 82 and does more in a day than I can do in a week! She takes care of me every time I try to do something for her. I won't go into details for the rest of my relatives (including all those friends that I've adopted into my family!) but I wouldn't be the woman I am without them, and I could write sheets and sheets on these people.

I have been blessed to acquire so much knowledge in the education world, the Lord is helping me survive my graduate classes and learn more each day about the workings of the body, His creation, and the details that go into the movement we use to function throughout our day without a second thought. I know we have so much more to learn about how the body works, both on the micro- and the macro-level, but the more I learn, the more it is a testimony to me that we were made by a Supreme Creator, He knew what He was doing and it wasn't by chance in the least. And I don't know all the details of how He did it, or even all the details of the finished product, but I love learning more about it and understanding the intricacies that are involved. I struggle with so many things that hinder me in this progress, procrastination being near, if not at, the top of the list, but with the Lord's help and by His will, I can and will finish this course that I've started on.

I could continue on and on and on with all that I have been blessed with, these are not the least nor the entire list by far. I know that I am nothing and God is everything, my stupid pride does get in the way a lot of the time, but I give the glory to God for any good that I have ever accomplished in my life, He is my Father, Christ is my brother, and I cannot, nor will I deny the truths that I know!

Graduate School

2010-09-15T22:30:00.003-04:00

Sooo, yes, it's been over a year since I updated! I would say it's because my life hasn't been exciting and it's been very boring, yeah right! ;) Anyone who halfway knows me knows that's a lie! The most exciting thing that's happened is that I started grad school a few weeks ago. I am currently a Master's of Exercise Science student at GSU.

And yes, I'm still excited, and loving it for the most part. But here's the deal...I'm a worrier....a BIG worrier, not about others so much, I tend to believe the positive and be an optimist when it comes to them, but when it comes to me....it's worst case scenario, like, worse, worse, worst. Worried that I'm not gonna be right, that I can't do it, that I'll make a fool of myself, that I'll be so completely bad that I'll never recover....yeah, I know, not true.

But then I also know, logically, that it's not as bad as I think it'll be, but until I actually get to the event I'm worrying about, I stress and worry and yeah....and to add to that in a school setting, I'm a procastinator, which I think stems from the worrying part, cuz if it's something I know how to do, no problem, I get it done, if it's got a deadline atleast. And yes, I'm worried, stressed and nothing logically that I know, which is true, is gonna get rid of this feeling until I get through all my classes. So yes, I just signed myself up for two years of incredible stress, plus another 3-4 for a PhD. Yuck, what was I thinking? :) But I also know I'll make it through and be fine, this is just how I am! Always have been, though I'm pretty good at hiding it from most people. But yes, I do like being in class and learning and all that (though definitely not like being on a student budget again - yes, another worry!). And I definitely like having a student schedule and not feeling like I don't have a life outside of work.

Other than that, all my friends are having babies and I'm loving it! Most are here in Atlanta which is great for me cuz I get to see them more often! Life's good and the gospel's true! Oh, just remembered another big event, I got released from Activity Co-chair in the single's ward, after 1 1/2 years or so, and don't have anything else currently (though I'm sure that will change soon). Kinda went through an identity crisis at first, but I did have my first thing I could say I could help out with and not have planning/preparing for an activity conflict with the other day, which was awesome! :)

Crazy Adventures....or Thank Goodness for Tender Mercies

2009-09-08T18:18:00.006-04:00

Alright, most of ya'll know my habit for having adventures...pretty much everywhere I go. I guess it's a Higginbotham thing. Two weeks in a row playing basketball a month or so ago, I first sprained my thumb....twice (I kept playing after the initial injury and then proceeded to hurt it again which took me out until the next week, but not until I had a good couple of hours in of playing) and then the next week I'm playing under the basket trying to rebound against 6'4" guys when one of them caught me in the eye with his elbow and knocked my flat on my back. I was fine except for the black eye which developed over the next couple days (my first one) and a small cut on my lower lid on the outside. So what do I do? I stick a band-aid over the cut and keep playing. :D Here's a picture of how I looked, a bandaid directly under my right eye, my right hand wrapped up to protect my thumb and I wear an ankle brace while playing cuz I sprained my ankle about 1 1/2 years ago and I don't want to re-injure it. I'm running out of appendages on my right side to injure!! ;)

So that's a pre-cursor to this past weekend, which was Labor Day. And I don't sit around the house very well, so I was trying to plan some kind of activity but the problem was a lot of people were out of town for the holiday. After basketball last Tuesday night (injury free I might add) I was talking to a friend and we started talking about cliff jumping and how we both were wanting to go. So I suggest going to Jack's River Falls on the border of GA and Tennessee this weekend, either Sat or Mon. It's about 2-2 1/2 hours away and then you hike about an hour or two to the falls, but it's really pretty and fun to jump the cliffs there. I'd been there with another group a few years ago and have wanted to go back for a while. So, I start asking around to who might be interested. We decided to go Mon and it ended up being 4 of us. John, Matt, Jenna, and myself. We drove my car up there and made it to the trail without to many mishaps, just missed one turn, but we were only a few miles away, so not a big deal. It looked like it was going to be a fun adventure. Little did we know!!

We left Atlanta around 9:30ish, and stopped for a bathroom break at around 11:30 at a Hardee's. Matt got a burger, but none of the rest of us were hungry. Jenna had not eaten breakfast because she thought we were only going 10 minutes down the road to the Chattahoochee, not Jack's River. But she said she'd be fine as it was only a few hours before we'd be heading back. So we proceeded on.

We got up to the parking lot at the trail head about 12-12:30pm and started walking. It wasn't very long before I realized I'd forgotten my water, but decided it'd be ok as it was only a couple miles away. No one else had water either or any form of sustenance of the food variety. But then again, we were only going a couple miles down the trail (are you starting to see a pattern here?) So we start hiking and I'm getting teased about it being further than I said it was going to be, cuz I'm the only one that really knew where we were going, or thought I did. We come to a split in the trail and I proceed to turn to the right thinking that was the shorter path to the Falls.

About an hour later, I don't think we're going the right way anymore and am thinking we should have turned left instead of right, but I'm honestly not sure at all, and we have the option to keep going on or turn around and head back. We put it to a group vote and decide to keep going on. A couple hours later we finally see a sign that says Jack's River Trail one way and High Ridge Trail another way, so we think we're on the right path. (I'm a little discouraged at this point). We discuss which direction to take again and decide to say a prayer. And we're still thinking we're going to make it to the Falls.

Well, an hour or so later, we see another sign for the Penitentiary Branch going one way, but we keep following the main river thinking it'll lead us to the falls. We haven't passed any living soul before we made the wrong turn till now, though there were plenty of people starting out at the beginning of the trail with us and we passed a lot of people too. We finally passed a man hiking towards us and he informs us that the Falls are back the direction we came from but that if we kept going for about another hour (we're tired, but not too exhausted at this point, and I'm very frustrated with myself for pulling everyone into this, I'm seriously about to cry, and I'm praying....a lot!!!) we'll make it out to A parking lot, he's not and we're not sure if it's the parking lot where our car is, but we decide it can't be far away if it's not where we want to be. So we keep going.

About an hour later, (I really don't know exactly how far apart all these were spaced, none of us had watches and we'd left our phones in the car, it just felt like an hour later) we stop for a break. Remember we have no food or water, though we have been drinking water from the river which we've crossed and re-crossed about 20 plus times (no exaggeration). We're talking and all of a sudden John goes berzerk, swatting at something and runs further up the trail, followed closely by Jenna, someone yells "BEES" and I feel a sting and start running, just not as far, cuz Matt had run the opposite direction. So I wait where I can see him cuz I'm not sure if he's allergic or not to bee stings, but he was just trying to see what riled them up and where the nest was, but he gets stung and again runs the opposite direction. I get stung again and turn and run to where John and Jenna are waiting. We're sitting there waiting and finally Matt comes up. We decide they had to have been yellow jackets as there were no stingers left and we all had atleast 4 0r 5 stings, but thank goodness no one was allergic to them though!

At this point we're all agreed that we definitely have to keep going the way we're going cuz we do not want to go through those yellow jackets again. And it's getting later and later of course. We go for a while longer and stop to pray again, for help to make it out and make it home that night, cuz we were thinking it could be a very real possibility that we could spend the night there. We only had a couple of towels with us and a flashlight that I had thrown in my backpack meaning to put it in my car, though I didn't know how long the batteries would last.

We decide that we can either keep going or head back the way we came, cuz we know we can get out that way, but we don't know how much further we're heading into the woods if we keep going. We decide to keep going anyway and about a half mile from there we see the trail head!!!!! Can I tell you how excited and grateful we were not to be in the woods anymore??? Except it wasn't our parking lot. We look at the map on the sign, which sucks by the way, make sure you have a good map of the area if you ever do go, cuz I couldn't tell where we were or where we needed to be, even though I can usually read maps well.

Where we had parked our car that morning, the road continued up the mountain so I figured if we walked downhill from where we were, we could get there. The road did go the other direction uphill, though I still don't know if that would have gotten us there any better. So we start walking. There were a truck and a silver car parked at the trailhead where we came out, but no one was around. It's getting near dusk at this point. And we're walking and walking and not getting anywhere. There's one T-intersection we come to where we can go straight or turn right, we turn right for a little while, but it doesn't look it was very heavily trafficked, so we turned around and went the other direction.

Everyone's exhausted, hungry, thirsty, and hurting at this point (or I was atleast, I'm assuming everyone else was too) and we just want to get to the car, praying that we'll come to something that we'll recognize so we know where we're going. I'm crying cuz I'm frustrated and angry at myself for bringing everyone down there and getting us lost and walking all over creation, but I keep walking cuz I know we have to. The sun's now down, and I've been in my hiking sandals without socks all day. And they work very well for short distance hiking and walking through water and what not, but they're not made for 8 hours of hiking, so they were rubbing and I could feel a blister forming, luckily I had specifically thrown socks in my backpack cuz last time I went I completely forgot them and I had to hike the trail barefoot cuz my tennis shoes gave me a blister on my heel. So we stopped so I could put on my socks and started walking again.

A couple minutes after this we see headlights!!! I can't tell you how exciting that was. The truck that had been parked at the trail head was being driven by a couple of men who had been hunting. They stopped and we told them we were lost and where we had parked. They looked a bit shocked and said "We know exactly where that is, you're about 17 miles exactly from your car." I about broke down at that point. They look somewhat resigned though and tell us to hop in the back of the truck, they'll give us a ride.. They were cousins who had been hunting and Lynn was driving Jason home. They ended up taking us to Jason's house cuz Lynn had to work at 4:30am and it was an hour and a half driving time to our car. They told us we had been better off turning around and walking back down the trail to our car rather than walking on the road, we were on the other side of the mountain! As soon as we hopped in the bed of the truck and started going, we immediately said a prayer of thanks for them stopping to get us. The clock on the truck said it was 8:40pm.

So we get to Jason's house and he must have called ahead to his wife, because as soon as we pull up she comes out with glasses of water (Bless Her!!!) for us and they invite us in asking if we want anything to eat. Allison, Jason's wife then proceeds to heat up some chicken alfredo for us and garlic bread and brings over cheese croissants and keeps asking us if we want diet coke or mtn dew or debbie cakes or anything. Jason does the same thing after he changes. Lynn talks to us for a little while before he leaves and tells us that he almost didn't take that way home tonight. Everyone once in a while he'll take the other way home and they had come up the way where they picked us up and were going to go home the other way, but decided to come back the same way instead. I know that was the Spirit guiding them to us!! Thank goodness for the tender mercies!

So we finish drinking and eating and drinking and drinking. And then we load up in Jason's car and head to ours. It was probably around 9:40 at this point (it took a little while to get to Jason's house too). We drive and talk to Jason and he stops and gets gas first and Matt said that it's too bad we don't have our wallets cuz we could have paid for his gas, and Jason immediately, almost offended, says there's no way he would have let us, but then he did thank us for the offer. After he gets back in the car he asks if we're still hungry, he'd buy us a hamburger and Jenna (who remember hadn't eaten all day till we got to Jason's house) starts laughing cuz her and John were just saying how they were still hungry. So, Jason pulls around to Hardee's and buys Jenna an apple turnover and a coke. John doesn't want to take advantage of their generosity anymore so he keeps quiet, but Jason would have bought hima thick burger in an instant. They were our angels!!

We then keep driving to where our car is and finally get there, after spotting a raccoon and a copper head snake on the way! I have never been so excited to see my pretty Green Explorer, even though she was all muddy! We pile into the car and say another prayer of thanks and for safety to travel the rest of the way home and take off. I didn't trust myself to stay awake cuz night driving is not my strong suit anyway so John offered to drive. I knew I could stay awake enough to keep talking to him and keep him awake so I rode shotgun. So we get out of the park and on a regular road heading towards the highway that takes us to I-75 and John notices a car behind us seems to be getting on his tail so he speeds up and then the blue lights come on. It was a cop! :( Definitely the last thing we needed at this point. It was around 12:20am.

The officer comes up and gets John's license and said he had pulled us over because John was swerving and wanted to see make sure he wasn't drunk. We told him the short version of our story and how we had just started heading home to Atlanta. He was very nice, but then asked for the rest of our licenses, but Jenna didn't have hers cuz she'd forgotten her wallet. He then informed us that in the state of Tennessee (where we were), you're supposed to always have your license on you, even as a passenger, which in Georgia, you don't. But he got her name and birthdate and had to run a check to make sure we weren't wanted. That was kinda exciting. :) But of course we all cleared and he let us go. He did tell us that there were some good maps of the trails on Chattahoocheebicycling.com or something like that, and we could get them next time we came up.

After that there wasn't really much adventure, we just stop at the gas station to fill up and Taco Bell to get John some sustenance, but we made it home safely, though tired at 2am.

I tell you what though. We were definitely watched over yesterday. We're lucky that the worst thing that happened was some bee stings. We could easily have twisted an ankle crossing that river those 27 something times. We could have gotten cramps in our legs from dehydration and not been able to walk anymore. Poisonous snakes were around the area and we could have been bitten. Some crazy people could have found us instead of the awesome, amazing people who did. We could have ended up sleeping on the road or in the woods that night. And I can't think of what else could have happened. But I do know that I was never scared that we wouldn't make it out more or less in one piece. I knew the Lord was watching over us and I knew there was nothing to fear. We had the priesthood with us too and though we might not have made the best decisions that whole day we were trying our best to live the life the Lord wanted us to live and be the people He wanted us to be. Even when Lynn and Jason first pulled up, I had some thought that it could be someone with not so good intentions, but the Spirit was there saying it was ok. I thank God that He did watch over us yesterday and He sent those men to us to pick us up and take us into their home and feed us and take care of us as if we were their kin, though they'd hadn't known us but five minutes.

Oh, and by the way, I was thinking of going hiking this Sat at Jack's River Falls, anyone want to come? ;)

April Showers...

2009-04-26T11:09:00.002-04:00

Wow...it's spring time again! I love this time of year. Ok, I love any time of year where the sun's out and it's over 69 degrees. But this time of year is so pretty and the flowers are blooming. My life has calmed down slightly and gotten back to my level of normalcy, i.e. slightly less craziness than previously, but way more craziness than your normal, average joe...or jane. I really don't know what happened to April. I remember starting with General Conference which was so good. I want to get the Ensign and read the talks again. And I remember ending with Stake Conference this past weekend, which was also really good. The whole middle part is a little fuzzy. Lots of parties.

We threw Jason Klomp a surprise birthday party for his 25th. His bday was on the 15th, so we were planning on having it on the 18th, however, before we could get the word out to key people, another pair of planners sent out an invite for someone else's birthday on that same day....sooooo, seeing as Jason's was a surprise and this other person's wasn't, we changed our day to the following Friday. The ruse was he was my "date" for a work party and was supposed to meet me at my place at 7:30pm.

The day of, Jason was running late, which was fine, because we needed more time for people to get there. :) But he called me to tell me he was running late, and he wanted to know if it would be better just to meet me at the place we were having the work dinner. I, of course, insisted that he just come on down to my place. Here's the conversation as I remember it:

Jason: So where is this place, cuz if it's north of you, I can just meet you there.

Jenean: No, that's ok, it's like south of here, just come on down here, it's not that big of a deal.

Jason: Well, I can just shoot down 85 and still probably be fine.

Jenean: (Thinking quickly and fudging somewhat) No, just come on, it's fine. (GULP!!!)

Jason: Is it something that you can show up late to and be fine, or will everyone be staring if we walk in late?

Jenean: It'll be fine if we're late, besides, you know me, I love for everyone to be staring at me, especially if I have a cute guy on my arm. (Flippancy is what I was going for to throw him off the scent!) ;)

Jason: *Laughs* Thanks for the compliment. When does this start?

Jenean: Oh, around 8-8:30. (Why is he all of a sudden playing 20 questions?)

Jason: Ok, I'll be there then.

Jenean: (Whew, I think he bought it) Sounds good, just call me when you get close.

Jason: Alright, will do.

Yeah, he doesn't call. We're all finishing up stuff for the party, cutting up fruit, I'm finishing up the cake and about 8pm (about the time Jason should have been there), there's a knock on the door. Everyone sorta freezes, then they all jump into the living room area, and I walk to the door. Of course I can't look through the peep hole because it's too high up, I should have had one of the guys look for me, but I wasn't thinking quick enough. I still have my apron on, and I start to open the door really slowly and realize it, so I take it off at the same time. It's Jason at the door, and I start to make small talk. Jason told me later that he was noticing that I had the apron on, and he was thinking, "Why is she cooking? We're late, we have to go!" I open the door wider, without thinking that there are balloons and birthday decorations right inside where he can see, Jason's thinking, "Someone's having a party, but we have to go!" All of a sudden I realize about the decorations and as he comes inside, I yell "SURPRISE!" And everyone else jumps out and yells surprise too. It took a second for him to process, but then he gets it and I confess that there is no work dinner tonight. Project "Jason's Surprise Birthday Party" was a success. :D

Wedding Cake Adventures

2009-03-30T00:13:00.006-04:00

Now on to this weekend. Ashley Graham and Brandon Johnson got married yesterday!!! And I did their cake! I started baking it last week and froze it, then frosted it Tues and Thurs nights (the bachelorette party was Wed night) and we were going down Friday night so it had to be done before then cuz the wedding was at 11am yesterday and the reception was at 1:30pm, down in Columbus, GA. So I ended up taking Friday off from work to decorate the cake.

Ash and I went through a few different designs before I came up with the final result (she didn't know what it was till she showed up at the reception). First she wanted a red and black polka-dot square cake that was like the one off "Because I Said So." But after being informed that red and black are the worst frosting colors because they turn everyone's mouth's that color, we nixed that idea, but we were thinking marzipan might work. Then she sent me a pic of a cake with stripes/ribbons on it, which would be easy enough cuz I could just frost it (which is really the hardest part) and then put the ribbons on. Then she saw a pic of a cake with a different design on each tier that she really liked, and she didn't want to be pulling ribbon of her cake when it came time to cut it. And we decided to do the top and bottom layer white frosting and the middle layer chocolate. Soooo.....the only thing that didn't change was the square cake.

So, I decided to do a wide chocolate frosting "ribbon" look on the bottom layer, with polka-dots and cornelli lace alternating design on each one, as if it was a design on a fabric ribbon. The middle layer I just did small polka-dots. Then the top layer, Mom actually ended up doing it all over with cornelli lace pattern. That was the layer everyone liked!! Mom actually helped me ton on the cake, thank goodness. She's so amazing!

Well, a couple adventures we had were that I ordered the wrong separator plates and they should have been a couple of inches bigger each. Then I added WAY too much cocoa trying to get the chocolate frosting dark brown. Then we got that fixed. Then I thought black food coloring would darken it up...sounds logical, right?? WRONG!!!! It made it this LIGHTER ugly gray color. So then I thought we might could salvage it by adding some brown food coloring...it helped....a little....a very little!!! So then, cuz we didn't use up all the chocolate frosting in this first attempt, we mixed the rest of the plain chocolate frosting with the "colored" chocolate frosting and it actually did make this really pretty dark brown that I was going for.

Then we got them done and packed in enough time (thanks to my wonderful and extremely skillful dad) for me to meet Hillary and Mark Elton and David and Whitney Anderson to caravan down to Columbus, as we were staying with Hill's parents. I wanted to originally take the cake straight to the Stake Center and unload it there Friday night, and I'd just put it together when I got there on Saturday. But then I was informed that it would be an hour round trip to get there from the Swanson's house and that they would have room in their fridge for the cake. So I agreed to just take it there on Saturday. I didn't end up putting it in the fridge, cuz it was in the boxes and this was a 16", 12", and 8" cake....in other words...really, really big! So it went in the food storage room upstairs with me, to keep away from the grandkids and it had an ac unit in there I could crank down to keep it cool.

We got up Saturday morning and it's pouring rain! We get ready and load the cake in the car. I wanted to leave early to take the cake to the stake center again, but was informed that there was more than likely not going to be anyone there. So, I would just go there straight after the wedding. We make it to the wedding site, a cute little chapel in the woods. And we go in, in the pouring rain, through the mud. And it was so cute inside the building. Very nicely decorated. The wedding ceremony was very sweet and beautiful, and Ashley looked gorgeous!!

I leave the wedding site to go to the stake center to set up and assemble the cake and I'm following Hill to get back to the interstate. The last right turn I take to get on the road that'll take me to the interstate....I cut to close, and jump the curb...BIG TIME! I of course scream, immediately pull over and put my emergency flashers on and climb in the back to check on the cake, cuz though we packed it securely, that was a big jolt. The middle layer's ok, phew. Next I check the bottom layer. AHHHH, it's smashed into the corner of the box!! I jump out of the car and run around to the back, open the door and have to smash my fingers into the frosting (why it's a good reason to buy a separator plate a couple inches bigger than the cake you're putting on it) to move the cake away from the edge fo the box. I'm freaking out now and in a hurry to get to the stake center to see what I can do to salvage the cake. I then look at the top layer....YIKES!! It's smashed into the corner of the box too!! Just not as bad, and I can move that one away a little easier.

I jump back in the car and take off down the road, flying till I make it to the stake center. I run in, (it's still pouring rain) and recruit Taylor Burke to help me carry in the cakes. Jacob Terry's there, so he finds me a table I can work on, so as not to mess up the beautifully decorated cake table they have set up in the gym. They have no room in the kitchen with the other food, so I'm having to do the repair job right there! And it's 12:40pm and the reception starts at 1:30pm. I have no idea how I'm going to fix this cake either, it's smashed pretty bad. Though luckily there are two sides that look decent enough that I can do a quick fix job and turn those to the front. Ryan Smith was my amazing helper and found supplies for me and help me hide the bottom layer, which was the worst one damaged, with the tulle on the table and the roses we pilfaged from the other tables. In my opinion Ryan saved the cake. I don't think I could have gotten looking half as good without him! Thanks for marrying such a good man Heather!!

We set it up and assembled it and I put the border on, all as they're announcing Ashley and Brandon and saying the blessing on the food, yeah, talk about the center of attention!!! But it did turn out well, and looked really good after it was all over, and Ashley loved it, which is what mattered, and as long as you didn't look too closely at the back, you couldn't tell it'd been smashed...really.

But I had a good time and will definitely do it again if given the chance....though I won't drive all over Harris County (or whatever county it needs to go to) with the cake in my car for two days. I'm taking it straight from my house (or my folks house, wherever it happens to be finished at) to the reception site in one trip. Less, though I know it doesn't eliminate all, chance of anything happening to it the less time it's in the car.

But we stayed at the Swanson's all weekend, and ate like they do in the country, way too much of way too good food. I loved every minute of it and I'm going to be eating salads for every meal for two weeks to make up for it, but it was so worth it. But it was Hillary's niece's blessing today, so we stayed for that, then they bbq'd chicken and ribs for dinner. Mmmmmm, is all I can say for that, and we came on back home. I'm thoroughly exhausted and ready to get back to some semblence of normalcy! ;)

I'll post pics of the cakes when I get them...to add to my adventure, I didn't put my memory card back in my camera so I didn't get any pics on my camera from the reception. :(

Ward Activity - Pick a Dinner, Pick a Date!

2009-03-21T00:12:00.002-04:00

So the weekend of the 21st was our ward activity, which I was in charge of. And I cannot seem to get ahead of the game on this calling. I'm just not able to get organized. So we did a date-dinner auction, without the auction part. And it was fun...I think. We had girls bring dinner/lunch for two and we had it at noon at Hammond Park. Then the guys were give numbers and we drew their numbers out of a hat and then they chose the dinner they wanted (without knowing which girls dinner they chose). We also had the girls write down 2 truths and a lie and put with their dinners so the guys could pick someone they might have something in common with and have a conversation starter.

Well.....we ended up having twice as many guys than girls show up, which also happened at the February activity, not quite twice, but definitely 3-2 odds, and I might have had more guys than girls at my January activity too, which was my first one. So we can see where my trend's going, and I'M not complaining about the odds, but I'm sure the guys aren't too happy about it. :) So, we ended up having each dinner get picked twice so that each girl was eating with 2 guys, and we had brought extra food for whoever forgot so there was plenty if the girl hadn't brought enough, but most girls had.

Matt Drake and Drew Metcalf picked mine, and they were great and awesome picnic companions. It was a cooler day, but nice and sunny. And then at the end, when we're all packing up, Matt comes running up with flowers!! Apparently some of the girls had been complaining about cooking for the activity, so he brought flowers for whoever was going to be his "date" which happened to be me. It totally made my day!! Seriously, one of the best guys in the ward. If there's any girl who doesn't believe me, send her my way, I'll have a talk with her and convince her one way or the other....ok, ok, I'm really not going to browbeat, but I'll definitly talk to her!!!

Moving and Greenwood Trip

2009-03-15T00:09:00.001-04:00

A couple weeks after the Idaho trip, Mom and Dad moved into a new house (which we were in the process of packing and cleaning out stuff before the trip as well). Well, they'd been in the old house for 9 1/2 years, had 4 grown kids storing stuff there who didn't live there anymore, another teenage daughter, and my two grandfather's things who had passed away while they were living there and still hadn't had a chance to go through everything that was left from them. So needless to say, besides just the moving part, which is always fun (in case you couldn't tell, that was said with major sarcasm) there was the sorting to go through. And poor Mom was mostly on her own, cuz Dad had to focus on the business, seeing as that's paying the bills, and I worked full-time as well, not to mention my responsibilities in a million other areas, and Alyssa has a social calender more packed than all 4 of her older siblings combined, and everyone else lived too far away (though Alan was able to fly in for a week to help her before we went out to Idaho). But we had so many precious angels that came and helped soooo much with the moving and the packing and the sorting. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!!! So that all ended the weekend of the 15th.

Well, that weekend as well, was my dad's cousin's baby shower, up in Greenwood, SC....3 1/2 hours away. They'd been married 13/14 years and were just now pregnant with their first baby (they weren't sure if they could get pregnant before as she had had some health complications), which my grandma (who's almost 81) wanted to go to. Well, she CAN drive herself, but we DON'T like her to. And she had asked me earlier that week. Well, I had been asked to speak in church that Sunday as well. And I had responsibilities with my church calling as the activitie's co-chair that I needed to take care. But I rearranged everything and drove her up that weekend cuz I was the only one available to do it. I had a great time and it's beautiful up there and I love my great-aunt and uncle's place. And the shower was so cute. They had made a corsage out of a baby's paci and sock and bow. It was cute!!! I wish I had a pic of it, but I'm horrible and never take pics ever!! But I'll have to remember that whenever we do a baby shower up here. And they had baby dolls for table decorations. It really was cute.

The present grandma brought for Aimee. It's wrapped in cloth diapers and those are diaper safety pins holding it together. Isn't she the cutest??

Hailey's Blessing and AnnaLea's surprise bday party

2009-03-01T22:44:00.003-05:00

Soooo much has happened in the past month or two. We went out to Idaho to visit Alan and Crystal and see Hailey for the first time the first of March. She was sooooo adorable, and so incredibly good. She was being passed around to all these strangers and mostly just slept, but didn't fuss much when she was awake. I love that little munchkin. And she loves music. Alyssa sang to her (she sings awesome) and Hailey was just watching her as she sang, she'd been a little fussy right before that, but there wasn't a peep out of her while Alyssa was singing. It was cool! And her blessing was that weekend, which is why we went out there. It was pretty awesome to watch my brother bless his daughter, I'll admit I teared up, and my mom cried a little too I think. ;)

What a cute family!!!

There were 4 baby girls blessed that Sunday. It was kinda wild. One of them was Jimmy Johnson's daughter.....ok, ok, not THE Jimmy Johnson, #48 Lowe's car Nascar driver (yes, this shows how much of a redneck I am), but he later got up to bear his testimony and introduced himself as Jimmy Johnson. Dad was tickled!

While we were there, we also had a surprise 30th birthday party for AnnaLea on Sunday evening. She turned 30 on the 17th, but since we were all going to be out there then, we planned it for that weekend. It was awesome, she didn't suspect a thing. Mom and I came up with the idea to have people write her a letter with a memory or something they love about her, and we were trying to get 30 of them, for 30 days of letters, but we didn't quite get there, but that's ok, it still was good. But Alyssa was writing hers at Alan's apartment Saturday night, and had just hit the print button (and her letter had AnnaLea's name in big bright letters across the top) when AnnaLea walked into the room, and I tried to subtly walk her back out to the main room, but she was trying to talk to Alyssa, so Alyssa just dived to hug her round the neck and dragged her out of the room. AnnaLea was suspicious after that, and was asking about her, while I very calmly and as seriously as I could, told her it was nothing and don't worry about it. It took a minute or two, but she atleast let it go enough to not push it, but then I think she forgot about it. So thanks to an awesome decoy named Lindsey Borg, we were able to keep her away from the place where we were having a luncheon after the blessing on Sunday in order to decorate with tons of St. Paddy's Day stuff. She was shocked....she didn't even know who we were yelling "Happy Birthday" too when she walked into the room. It was great!!

Here's AnnaLea in part of her birthday present...don't you think the hat works for her???

I'm an Aunt!!! Finally!!!

2009-01-25T00:31:00.007-05:00

Ok, this is only 2 weeks late!! I'm finally an aunt!! Alan & Crystal had a beautiful baby girl on Jan 9th at 11:20pm. 6lbs even, 18 1/2 inches. They named her Hailey Marie. Isn't that pretty?? And...she's a redhead!! :) They sent me a pic text at 6am, my time, on Sat morning. It's probably a good thing they live in Idaho because Sat was also the day of Ash W/T's ring ceremony and reception (they had the temple ceremony on Friday), which wouldn't have been a big deal, except I was a bridesmaid and NEEDED to be there. So, I wasn't torn on whether to go see my new niece or fulfill my bridesmaid duties. Good thing too, cuz I would have gone to see my niece! Alan, Crystal, and baby Hailey are doing well, thank goodness, besides lack of sleep of course!

And of course I have to say that Ashley's wedding/reception was beautiful. She was beautiful and happy, I was so happy for her! Life's so good sometimes, and that weekend was great!

Isn't she so beautiful?? (P.S. Heather Smith was the photographer, isn't she just amazing?)

Official Intro to Blog World

2009-01-08T22:53:00.001-05:00

So yes....I have finally entered the world of blogging. Though knowing me, it will probably be very sporadic and random when I do post. So do not plan on following this for an update. :)

The biggest news I have is I'm going to be an aunt in a week (or maybe even less!!). My niece (Alan and Crystal's daughter) is due to be born on Jan. 15. They have yet to decide on a name, though they have a couple of options, they won't have a definite until she's born. Sad news is that they are living in Idaho. :( So I won't see her until the first weekend of March when I go out there for her baby blessing (pray for good ticket prices!). I am way excited to see this little darling. I'm just bummed that she'll be in Idaho for the first 6 months of her life (as it stands now, Alan and Crystal are moving to ATL after her contract ends in June).

The next big news is this weekend is one of my very good friends weddings!! (There's even more story behind that, but maybe for another time. I am extremely excited for them!! If you've ever met Ashley W, you know how amazing and wonderful she is and how she's definitely one of the most deserving people ever of the greatest happiness possible. And if Jacob (her fiance) doesn't make her that happy, he definitely does his very best! I love them, they are great!! This will also mark the 3rd out of 4 weddings that have been in process since July among the Atlanta division of my close group of friends. Ash G will finish up the process at the end of March with the last of these whirlwind weddings. It's kinda crazy how 4 of the 5 original people in our little group here all will be married within less than a year of each other. And all 4 of them have married (or will marry) such amazing people that have become friends with us all, it's awesome. I definitely recognize that I'm lucky to have such good friends and that they marry such great people that we still stay as close as ever after they get into these relationships, it doesn't always happen this way.

Alright kids, stay out of trouble and don't do anything I would....er....wouldn't do! :)