Important Facts About Chad

Did you know that today is brothers and sisters day?

1.Chad works the world’s worse hours, but he loves his job, loves his co-workers and loves his life. I think we could all learn a thing a two from Chad about following our dreams and passions.

2.Chad and I are night and day yet somehow grew up under the same roof. He is laid back, chill and very rarely gets upset. I on the other hand…..well I am the opposite.

3.Chad’s favorite food is steak and lobster. I pause for a moment on this statement and wonder how exactly is he my brother.

4.Chad is good everything he does.

5.Chad has listened to all my stories of heartbreak, love, drama, marathon training and everything between and still answers his phone when I call. Yet now that I think about it, he doesn't not answer my calls as often as he use to.

6.Chad is an inspiration…I hope I am at least half the person he is.

If you have a brother or sister tell them today and everyday how much they mean to your life. If you don't have a sibling get one through the Big Brother Big Sister chapter in your community, the relationship will change your life!

Love you bro!!

Family

What do you think of when you think of family.........

The words that come to my mind are:
-Strength
-Encouragement
-Laughter
-Wisdom
-My heart
-LOVE

Here is to a mother who always makes us laugh,


a father who provides support


and a brother who has made every uphill journey bearable and every downhill journey a blast!



Love you all!!

Heaven help me!

I woke up yesterday morning and someone asked me what my New Year’s Resolutions were. Not to be rude, I mentioned that I am not one to set resolutions, I tend to not follow through on them, all the while thinking………I am sorry but resolutions tend be set at the start of a new year and unless I happen to sleep through the entire 2010 year it is not time to be talking about resolutions. As fate may have it I was incorrect it is in fact 2011 and I somehow missed an entire year, heaven help me I cannot begin to believe it is a new year.

As I look back on the lighting speed year that was 2010 I find myself smiling, it was certainly a great year, one I will cherish always. I was hired to be part of, in my opinion, one of the best non-profits out there……..Susan G. Komen for the Cure which allowed me to go to D.C. and participate in the Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure and spend time with Chad and Ashley. I found a new enjoyment in the sport of kickball and as a result rediscovered a man who makes me so incredibly happy and has brought me back to life. I moved back to the pulse of Tulsa into a loft in the heart of downtown and began training a good friend for a couch to 5k race. The holidays were spent with my entire family and the year was closed out in the arms of the man of my dreams. To say 2010 was a great year may just be an understatement it may have been one of the best years yet. I am so blessed to be surrounded by amazing family, the world’s best friends, a strong and extraordinary man, a job that can only be described in one word……….exceptional, my passion of photography and more love than I possibly deserve.

Here is to a remarkable 2011 filled with love, laughter, vivid memories and wonderful health for you all.

Love ya,
JB

Number 35

Last Friday I made the long drive to Fairview to watch my baby cousin, who is now 17, play in his last Fairview Homecoming football game.



That is him....number 35, right there in the middle, the mini giant, you see him? He is no baby anymore, where have the years gone.



Fairview kicked some serious tail.



What an honor it was to there to watch Mark play.

Love ya,
Jen

The Fourth of July

What do you do when the Fourth of July is a very special day in your world? You celebrate is what you do!!!


You celebrate birthdays of very special people. Happy birthday daddy!!


You celebrate America’s birthday.


You celebrate with friends.




You celebrate with fireworks.


You celebrate with water and family.

You celebrate because after all the Fourth of July is the essence of summer and what better reason to celebrate than that.

Love,
JB

Happy Father's Day

Days like today make me miss living closer to home……..days when I want to wrap my arms around my daddy and tell him how much I love him. My daddy is the first man I ever loved, the first man to take up residency in my heart, and the first man to have me wrapped around his finger. Growing up I never thought of myself as a daddy’s girl, but the older I get I think I need to reconsider that thought. My daddy encourages me when I have lost all hope, he supports me when I think I have no more strength to give, he laughs at me when my blonde starts to come out, and he loves me with his whole heart.

Happy Father’s Day daddy…I love you so much!!
Jen

Play offs or not?

Wrapping up my whirlwind adventure in DC Ashley and I took on the rewarding task of being the two cheerleaders for Chad’s intramural football team.

However, our enthusiastic cheering went a little unnoticed.

The boys didn’t quite make it to play offs.

Love,
Jen

Best golf adventure EVER!!!!

I uncovered a hidden treasure of sorts while I was on my crazy lighting speed adventure to DC.

Alexandria Virginia has always been a little town I enjoy visiting while I am in the DC metropolitan area. A cute little colonial town with so much history situated perfectly on the Potomac River. It is also home to one of my new favorite establishments…..Top Golf!

I was beyond excited when my brother mentioned we could go play golf while I was in town, however I never knew “play golf” would consist of going to a driving range. This was no ordinary driving range however, and I sit here today questioning whether or not I may have just had more fun at this driving range than playing an actual real game of golf.

Top Golf offers a unique driving range experience in that interactive games can be played between friends or siblings.

To begin each player gets 20 balls/game each with a microchip specified for each player. Six different game modes can be played; Chad and I chose the short game. This is important to know, being we both tried to drive a few balls that didn’t count in the scoring process since a game was chosen that a driver was not necessary for. Once the ball is hit the microchip in each ball tracks shot accuracy and distance in addition to awarding points when targets, likes those shown above are hit at a range from 20-250 yards. If the hit ball does not land on a target, like many of mine, points are not scored.

All of the concentration and superb golf skills allowed me to win two out of the three games played against my brother.


Yes, I am sure it was the year and a half of golf lessons I have had, rather than beginners luck.

My brother however made a comeback and kicked my booty in the third game......

and when I say kicked my booty I mean kicked it so hard I almost ended up back in Oklahoma. He did excellent, I am not always super excited to lose, well I never am, but I was really proud of my brother and his golf game.

I determined that this establishment would be a great place to meet a guy or a fun place for a date. But that is story for a different post. In the mean time I had the best time with this guy in my life, my brother!!

It was hot, it was humid, it was a Sunday afternoon in one of the best parts of this great nation. I was happy, I was sweating, I was with one of the most important people in my life, playing one of my favorite sports. I LOVED it!!


Love,
Jen

Is it possible?

Is it possible that this little guy, holding a puppy in one hand and his brother’s hand in the other be old enough for prom?


It is somehow possible and this past weekend my little cousin all grown up went to prom. Looking beyond handsome with a stunning date at his side………


Boutonnieres were pinned on…………


Hair was perfectly fixed……..


The car was gassed up, washed, and ready to escort Mark and Sydney to prom…..



And they are off......


Uncle Erland was asked, along with many other fathers’ of prom goers, to be a valet parking attendant. He was such a sport to wear the ‘silly hat’ which went in line with the Asian theme party.



Mark and Sydney have arrived at prom……….


They looked great and had a great time!!

A day for special thanks!

Today I thank my mother, which I should do every day for being the beyond superhero caliber mother she is. A mother is many things..........

A woman of faith
A woman of selflessness
A woman of dignity
A woman of unending love
A woman of grace
A woman of strength
A woman of great character
A woman of unmatched honor
A woman that never quits
A woman of tenderness

My mama happens to be all these things and so much more, but the most important aspect of my mama is that she is one of my best friends. A friend I can share everything with (more than she probably wants to ever hear), a friend that never falters in her strength and encouragement, a friend that is genuinely proud of me when I am overflowing with excitement from an accomplishment, a friend that wants to hold me in my time of pain even when her arms can't reach, a friend that I am so blessed to call my mama!

I love you Mama!!!
Jen

What a blessing

To finish up my Easter whirlwind of a weekend......only a week and half late.

Easter weekend tends to be a tough one for most of the family. All of us for different reasons but those reasons all focus on one little boy. A little boy who brought so much life to those around him, a little boy I will talk more about in August, a little boy by the name of Bryce who lost his battle to a brain tumor on March 30, 2002. With that said there was no better time for his little sister to get baptized than Easter weekend.

Maggie is Bryce’s little sister and Mark is their oldest bother. As a side note, they are three of the most amazing kids you will ever meet.

Each person who was baptized on Easter 2010 had a sponsor; Mark was Maggie’s sponsor and read her account of when she asked Jesus into her heart.


Once Mark had finished sharing what Maggie wrote, what brought a tear to my eye, and what was filled with love and emotion for Jesus she was baptized……….



To finish out the service each child of God who was baptized was awarded a certificate…



Then it was family picture time (plus Maggie’s friend Andrea).



What a blessed ending to an outstanding Easter weekend.

Love ya,
Jen