Wow, it's been a long time...

Things are going well here in good ole Louisville. I'm so excited that the weather is warming up-could not be happier! Finally we can let Annie (our dog) outside, rather than keeping her cooped up in the apartment. Speaking of our apartment, Stephen and I are considering moving to a cheaper complex, so please keep that in prayer!

It is hard to believe that Stephen and I have been married for the better part of a year, and that we're already talking about where we should go to celebrate our anniversary in July. We're thinking of going to Cincinnati, Ohio to stay at a nice bed and breakfast, and maybe visit the aquarium there, or go to a Reds game. I am excited about it already!

Church stuff is going well. I am meeting on a weekly basis with another married girl, Amy. She's a little bit older, and therefore has a ton of experience and advice. Her husband, Wade, is also a cool guy, so we enjoy hanging out with them-they are an excellent example of what a Christian marriage looks like. It is almost surprising how much we have to learn about marriage and how essential it is to keep Christ at the center. Marriage definitely makes us realize how selfish we are, and how often we need to sacrifice little things every day. But it is of course a joy that I wouldn't trade for anything! I love getting to see my best friend every morning and night, and learning more and more about each other all the time.

Well, our community group (weekly co-ed meeting) got a bit too large, so we "multiplied" and now the new group is meeting at our place, which is nice, because Stephen and I love to be the corny hosts who offer you a drink as soon as you walk in the door. And we are still trying to coerce people into staying late to watch Lost with us, but no one is interested, oddly enough.

A few weeks ago I was able to fly back to California to see my family, friends, and go to a friend's bridal shower. It was a super quick trip, but very good to see almost everybody I wanted to see. I even got to see a good friend, his wife, and their new baby while I was there, which is very lucky since they are always traveling all over the place for missions, from Hawaii to England to Africa, and now back to Hawaii. I also got to have a good old-fashioned sleepover with one of my best friends, Brandi, so that was awesome! I wish I could have had more quality time with my parents, but they are just consumed with the business, so that was a bit disappointing. I am hoping to go back sometime in June for my friend's wedding, but we'll see what happens.

Oh yes. Annie had her first trip to the vet last weekend, and Stephen and I were so proud of her, because she was sooo well-behaved! She didn't even flinch when he shot some sort of medicine up her nose, which he said dogs usually  hate! We were such proud parents of our little puppy! Also, Annie is getting much much better at being housetrained. It is a nice relief to not have to clean up after her every 20 minutes-no exaggeration! Now we are actually starting to really enjoy her company. I took her to the park alone the other day, and I had so much fun letting her off the leash, and not having to worry about her running away!

Anyways, I'll stop rambling-for now. I hope everyone is doing well. And remember, there is always a place to stay if you come visit us in Louisville!

Yay, Stephen and I have a new addition to the family...no, not a baby-a puppy!

She's a really adorable, 8 week old beagle/lab mix, named Annie. She's so loveable and sweet, but she is quite a handful. So right now we're working on potty training her, getting her to sleep through the night without whimpering, and getting her to stop biting me til I'm about to go crazy! (She's biting in a playful way, but I bruise easily!)

Hopefully we can get some pictures posted soon.

Hope everyone is doing well. It was great to see all you J.C. peeps over Christmas. We loved hanging out, eating Buck's, and playing Friends Scene It! Now it's your turn to come visit us in Louisville :)

Well, my first Thanksgiving as a married woman has come and gone, it's hard to believe. Stephen's family (my family now) drove to Louisville on Wednesday to spend Thanksgiving with us. We had an amazing meal at the Cheesecake Factory that night, and an even better home-cooked meal the next day at our little apartment. It was nice to just relax, eat, relax, go to the movies (Stranger Than Fiction) and eat and relax some more. Too bad I had to wake up bright and early this morning to come to work. Oh well, it's been a very relaxed day, the phone hardly ringing at all. I really can't complain. I'm getting paid to listen to Christmas music and blog.

I got into a car accident last Wednesday night, while on my way to pick up Stephen from Starbucks and head off to our Thanksgiving dinner at the Wilson's with our community group (which I was so stinking pumped about). I guess I shouldn't say "I got into" the accident, because really the other woman got me into it. I was going through the intersection on Hustbourne and Ormsby Station (btw I have always hated Hurstbourne!) on a yellow light, me in the left lane. This woman turns right on red, from Ormsby to Hurstbourne, and comes all the way into my left lane. She took out my rearview mirror, scraped up the side of my car, and jacked up the alignment. So, that has been a bit frustrating to deal with, especially since I didn't have current insurance on me, so now I have to prove it before Nov. 29th, which is my court date. This wouldn't be a big deal if I didn't have to have my proof of insurance plus a signed letterhead mailed here from California. Anyways, I think God is just teaching me patience through all of this. Please pray that everything works out, though, and that we can get my poor car fixed. That thing has gotten beaten up big time since moving to Louisville.

Stephen's parents brought us our fake Christmas tree with them, so I believe we will be erecting and decorating it this weekend! I'm so excited! Of course I hate the idea of not seeing my family for Christmas (in fact I don't know when I'll be seeing them) but I'm ready to start new traditions with Stephen.

Merry Christmas season to everyone!

Update:

Things are going great here in Louisville. Every day I just cannot get over how God has blessed Stephen and me. I think we are definitely starting to really feel at home here, which is nice. I sorta feel like I haven't had a permanent home since high school, what with moving in and out of dorms and apartments during college, living in TN for 9 months last year, and staying with my parents every summer. Now I am in my home with my husband (who is seriously sooo much fun to live with!), for an indefinite period of time. Hopefully in the future when we start to have kids we'll move into a house, and I suppose that will be our first official home for our family. So weird, the whole shifting of the family dynamic thing.

Anyways . . . I have been reading through Romans lately (which may be my favorite book of the Bible, however Corinthians is tough competition) so here are a few awesome verses I've been trying to meditate on:

"For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life." - Romans 5:10

"For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin." - Romans 6:5,6 (I like this because it reminds me to keep in mind that my troubles are only temporary, but also a means to become more like Christ through suffering.)

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God." - Rom. 8:18,19 (This verse is kind of a slap in my face, like, Jennifer, quit complaining. Also, I read this verse and I think, do I wait with "eager longing" for God? Sometimes it is so easy to get caught up in this life here on earth, and I forget that my citizenship is in Heaven. Well, that throws a new perspective into my whole "permanent home" musing at the beginning of this post, huh?)

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." - Rom. 12:2

"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good...rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer...bless those who persecute you...rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep...Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." - Rom. 12:9-21 (These short phrases are just so good to meditate on during the day, especially as every day is spent in a world that lives in direct opposition to this, the Word of God. Evil is a very real thing, and I think we, myself included, don't spend enough of our energy fighting against it with the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells in us. Just dwelling on the holy word of God is holding fast to what is good, and if we dwell consistently then we will truly abhor what is evil rather than just hating it or disliking it or tolerating it, or even embracing it.)