Update

Wow, what happened to Jenni-isms???!!!

I've never gone this long without blogging...and, ironically, there is SO much more to blog about! I've been busy and loving every minute of my life. I truly enjoy having a blog as a journal that reflects my thoughts, goals, ups/downs, and every day life. I'm going to do my best to get back to my most favorite blog ever and ALL of my fans :)

Here is what has been a-happenin' in the land of Jenni-isms:

1) I went for a run last night...first time since OCTOBER, people. It was exhilarating! I sometimes forget about my serious love affair with the pavement. But each time I step back out there I am reminded instantly of why I run. Mike the Trainer and I have worked out a nice new schedule of 1 hour sessions every Tuesday and Thursday. This leaves the rest of the week to work on cardio. I'm still determined to take up swimming eventually, but for now I plan to run at least 3 times a week, hit up the elliptical at the gym or a spin class a few times a week. Have I mentioned that I've lost 18 pounds since moving to Dallas??!! Yay, me!

2) I am falling hopelessly and happily in love with my handsome man. Since our very first phone conversation (he called me Nov 18) we have been together. It will be 2 months this week but it feels like longer...and that's a good thing. We are definitely in a "relationship" and it's the real deal, folks. We are committed to each other, to being open and honest, to enjoying every moment we're given, and we are hopeful for our future together. It's more than I ever thought it could be...and keeps getting better. He is my sweet boyfriend and I couldn't be more happy and proud.

3) I've been cooking up a storm. I mean a STORM. I hate that I haven't documented my adventures because the recipes I have tried are amazing and turned out great! I suddenly found myself wanting to cook for my handsome man all the time and have turned somewhat DOMESTIC. *shock* What?! Domestic?? Yup. And I'm loving every second of it! I love to cook and see satisfaction on the faces of those who experience my creations. I have a long way to go before I can claim to be a great cook (like Mom and my late Grandma Ruby). But I'm very comfortable in the kitchen (well, Handsome Man's kitchen as he has a great big house). The last month or so I've made Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Spinach and Bacon Mac 'n Cheese, Blue Ribbon Chili, Classic Pot Roast, Cinnamon Chocolate Bread, Shiner Bread, and Cookie Dough Truffles. Handsome Man is very content, indeed (and lucky!)

4) I get to see my besties in a month!! Karen, one of my oldest and dearest friends, is getting married on Feb 5! She is marrying her best friend and the love of her life, Jeff. Now, even though I have yet to meet this man, I have no doubt they will live happily ever after. I've never seen or heard Karen this way before...her relationship with Jeff has transformed her into an even more beautiful, loving, thoughtful person and she literally glows with love. I can't wait to introduce Handsome Man to Karen and Katie. It will be our first road trip as a couple and will be a great time!

5) Last Saturday I started a new volunteer gig. I researched some local animal shelters and decided to apply as a volunteer with the Frisco Humane Society (Handsome Man lives in Frisco and I LOVE, LOVE the town...plus I spend most of my weekends there). I met up with Angie from FHS at the Frisco Petsmart where they have the adoptions every weekend. They need help with the cat side of things and I am more than okay with that. I spent 2 hours there learning how to become an Adoption Counselor. Basically I try to help those looking to adopt a cat by finding out what they are looking for, what their living arrangements are, and let them interact with the kitties. It's actually quite a big responsibility as I decide ultimately who gets to adopt. You can only ask so many questions and use intuition, but you always hope and pray that an animal ends up in a happy, loving home. There are so many success stories and I am bound and determined to do everything I can for those furry felines! :) I've also been asked to help out with one of their computer databases to help keep things organized. I definitely feel this is where I am supposed to be and will dedicate as much time as possible to this cause.

6) Um, did I mention that I finally graduated???? Yup, back in December I became an official graduate of the University of Oklahoma. It was pretty awesome. I drove up to Norman to pick up my cap and gown, walked around campus, and reveled in the feeling of being a Sooner. Mom and Dad attended the small ceremony for my college and we celebrated with lunch afterward. I am considering grad school and have signed up to take the GRE, but we'll see...for now I'm enjoying my well-deserved free time.

8) College football season is over :( But I am starting to get more into the NFL so at least I get to stretch out football for a bit longer. I can't wait until next season because I plan to attend more Sooner games. And it's even more fun because now I am dating a Texas Tech Raider who will go to the games with me (I like to remind him constantly that we kicked their hineys last season 45-7).

7) For the Christmas holiday we drove down to The Woodlands to stay with my brother and his family. They couldn't make it to my graduation but they had a big congrats sign and an awesome cake for me! Plus, the kids all made me special cards and I felt like the most loved Aunt ever. We had a great holiday and I just adore my family. Oh, and I actually won the poker tournament for the first time EVER in the history of family game night. Vegas, here I come...

So that's it in a very condensed nutshell. 2011 has welcomed me with open arms and I am embracing every moment! Here are some pics of the last few months...

Mom and me, graduation day



My cake and homemade cards

Mom, me, Dad at their Christmas party



Me & Handsome Man at my company Christmas party

Me & Handsome Man celebrating his birthday

Aunt Jenni and her Rugrats

 

3-2-1...Happy New Year!!!



Total awesome-ness

The last week has been a true success filled with total awesome-ness!

1) Mom and Dad came down to stay with me for the holiday. We had so much fun...we missed the rest of the family but the three of us enjoyed our time together. I think they were very pleased to see their little girl doing so well for herself! :)

2) The weather turned colder and I love it! It was pretty warm there for a few days and I have welcomed the "sweater weather" with open arms!

3) I talked to my nieces and nephew on Thanksgiving...they couldn't make it up here for the holiday and I miss those little goobers!! But we have made plans to visit them for Christmas. I can't wait!

4) The new man in my life is something special...very special. He and I are going strong. It's been a week and we have either talked on the phone or texted every day. We've been on several dates and are enjoying each other's company so much. My heart is aflutter and I feel safe, comfortable, excited, content, and hopeful.

I hope everyone is feeling as lucky, happy, and blessed as I am at this moment in my life.

Like mother, like daughter

I did some baking this afternoon...and obtained this:

 
A lovely monstrosity, this painful arm burn occurred while reaching inside the oven.

This incident is nothing new. For as long as I can remember, Mom has always had some kind of burn, scrape, or cut on her arms and hands. It is not a form of abuse...unless you can charge the oven with assault and battery. For some reason, Mom has always endured such war wounds while working in the kitchen. And now, I, too, have acquired this trait. I don't believe this is a fault, nor do I believe it stems from some kind of laziness or ineptness in the cooking realm. It's just something the Rush Women do. I like to think of them as badges of honor. We work hard in the kitchen...and have the scars to prove it.

Endless Love

Happy anniversary to the people I love most in this world...after 41+ years you still shine with a love that few are ever blessed to find in this world!!

Dad & Mom

Love,
Your Little Girl

The last few weeks in pictures (i.e. a "wordless" post)

Grandma Ruby's Tribute

Ruby Lawhorn Hopkins died on September 19, 2010, at her home in Edmond, Oklahoma, at the age of 98. Burial will be Wednesday, September 22, at 10:00 a.m., at Bixby Cemetery in Bixby, Oklahoma, with a memorial service scheduled for Friday, October 1, 2010, at Chapel Hill United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City.

Ruby was born in Pryor, Oklahoma on July 31, 1912 to Sam and Lula Mae Mitchell. Following her mother’s death when Ruby was a baby, she was raised by her Aunt Elzada and Uncle Dan Mitchell on a farm in Hartville, Missouri. Upon graduation from Hartville High School, she taught school in a one-room schoolhouse. On a trip to Oklahoma she met the love of her life, Everet Lawhorn, whom she married in 1935.

Ruby and Everet raised two sons and one daughter in Bixby, Oklahoma, and they were active in Bixby United Methodist Church. In her role as president of Women’s Society of Christian Service (now United Methodist Women) she took part in ground-breaking ceremonies for the new sanctuary in 1955. She loved to visit “shut-ins” and the elderly and often baked cakes and cookies to give them when she visited.

When Everet died, she moved to Texas to be near family, and a few years later Ruby married her childhood sweetheart Woodrow “Woody” Hopkins. With Woody, Ruby enjoyed a new life and family in California and was active in a United Methodist Church there before going to live with her daughter following the death of Woody. Until illness forced her to slow down, Ruby remained active and enjoyed life with her beloved family. Ruby was a lady of great faith, compassion, and humor who cared deeply about others and touched the lives of everyone who knew her.

Ruby was preceded in death by her two husbands, her two sons, Danny Lawhorn and Jerry Lawhorn, and is survived by her daughter, Linda Rush, son-in-law, Randy Rush, daughters-in-law, Jo Lawhorn of Sand Springs and Judy Lawhorn of Denton, TX; five grandchildren – Gary Lawhorn and wife Shelli of Sand Springs, Debbie Lawhorn of Klamath Falls, OR, Tommy Lawhorn and wife Wendy of Bixby, Jeff Rush and wife Susan of The Woodlands, TX, and Jenni Rush of Dallas; and 10 great-grandchildren – Kari Smith of Anna, TX, Tyler Lawhorn of Bixby, Cory Lawhorn and Hannah Lawhorn of Sand Springs, Brandon Lawhorn of AZ, Emily Lawhorn and Hunter Lawhorn of Bixby, and Brandon Rush, Sydney Rush, and Samantha Rush of The Woodlands and her niece, Judy Moore of Southaven, MS.

Arrangements are with Corbett Funeral Service in Oklahoma City. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Ruby’s name to Lifecare Foundation, c/o Lifecare Oklahoma Hospice, 226 W Gray, Suite 200, Norman, OK 73069.

Fly away home...

Ruby Maude Mitchell Lawhorn Hopkins

7.31.1912 ~ 9.19.2010

A holiday weekend, football, The Crud, and Texas tornadoes

I am back to the land of the living. But let's start at the beginning...my last post was 9/3. Here are some highlights since then...

Labor Day weekend: I thoroughly enjoyed a wonderful holiday weekend with family in Oklahoma, complete with excellent food, wine, beer, football, pooltime, and a painful sunburn. The drive up there was hellish as the entire world seemed to be on the highway. And no one seemed to want to go faster than 60 mph. What normally takes 2.5-3 hours took FOUR hours. Lucky for me, Mom had a home-cooked meal just waiting for me when I pulled up. It was awesome!! Mom and I did some shopping on Saturday before the football games and it was a blast. She is really getting into crafts and sewing and is making me a quilt and all kinds of neat stuff (more on that later). We went to a fabric store and I had no idea it could be so much fun! So many fabulous fabrics, so little time, and so little talent with which to utilize them...(that would be me, not Mom).

Football: My Sooners looked shakey during their first game, allowing too many penalties and barely scraping by for a win. This had me VERY nervous all week for last Saturday's game against FSU. OU's season opener-performance was less than stellar and FSU was obviously expecting a win. Thankfully, the Sooners pulled out a can of whoop-ass and laid it down...the smack down that is. Final score? 47-17. Wahoo!!!! We've moved up a few notches in the rankings and are a team to be reckoned with this season, baby! This Saturday we're up against Air Force which should be an easy win. I will be flying back to Oklahoma to go to an Oklahoma State game with an old coworker, Jane. It's the one time of year I turn into a Cowboy fan! :)

The Crud: Aptly named for how it makes me feel. It seems I come down with this ailment at least 2-3 times a year, usually when I travel, and almost always in September. The Crud consists of a sore throat, ear infection, sinus infection, fever, aches, chills, coughing, drowsiness, grouchiness, and basically me feeling sorry for myself and missing my Mommy and Daddy. God forbid I have to take care of myself, right??!! :)

I started feeling bad on Sunday before the drive back to Dallas from OKC. By Monday (an office holiday thankfully) I was miserable. Thinking it was just a sinus infection that would go away, I prepared to go into the office Tuesday. No dice. Tuesday was probably the worst, with a fever that just made me feel rotten. My whole body hurt, and the sunburn from the weekend was making me even more miserable. [It was a BAD sunburn because I fell asleep outside and then proceeded to wake up and chat with Mom while in the sun. At one point Dad was like, "Little Girl, you really need to get out of the sun because your back is getting red." Cut to my face, arms, shoulders, back, and legs being burned and almost purple. The ONE time I forget sunscreen, people!!] Okay, back to being sick...I was so cold from the fever/chills and tried to take a warm shower, but the hot water was literally stinging the sunburn. Poor, pathetic little me. Wednesday morning I get up and head to work, determined to show the boss my dedication. I don't even sound like myself, and my cough is causing heads to turn it's so full of the crud. Colleagues are shielding themselves from me, telling me to go home. The boss himself says I should go to a doctor. "But I don't have one yet since I moved here..." to which he responds, "There is a clinic near here and you need to go." (Note: Dear Mother had already urged me numerous times to go to the clinic but I didn't listen to her...big mistake). Turns out the clinic is right across from where I live, AND you can make an appointment online, AND they call you when it's time to come in. I leave work and head to the clinic during a virtual downpour. Sure, we needed rain, but 5-8 inches in one day was overkill. I was soaked by the time I got there. So it turns out I have an upper respiratory infection that could be viral or bacterial ("50/50 chance" the doctor tells me, which was of absolutey no help at all). I pay my $50 (yes, even with insurance it was $50--damn emergency clinics), take my Rx for antibiotics and head to Walgreen's when all I really want to do is shower and go to bed. I get further soaked running into the store and have to wait 10 minutes for it to be filled. So I did what any young, sick, single person does and stocked up on Ramen (at $0.39 a pop), as well as juice, cough syrup, and a decongestant. Thursday I get up and head into work again, only to practically fall asleep at my desk and continually wipe my sore, runny nose. I make it through an early afternoon meeting, coughing into my  kleenex, trying to avert the paranoid glares of coworkers, and then head back home. I finally worked a full day on Friday and started to feel back to normal. I continued to hack and cough all weekend, barely getting any of the long list of chores done. I did however get my sense of taste and smell back somewhat. I think The Crud is finally going away. I had to cancel all 3 personal training sessions last week and Mike even called to make sure I was doing okay. This week's sessions will be tough for sure.

Texas tornadoes: When I moved here from Oklahoma, I figured I was leaving most of the bad weather behind me. But not only did we receive buku amounts of rain last week (up to 10 inches in some areas), apparently 3 tornadoes touched down. One of those was too close to my neck of the woods.

To say the very least, it was a strange week indeed. But it's Monday, time to start fresh and hit the ground running!!

I ♥ 3-day weekends

I'm headed up to the Okie State this afternoon...can't wait to see the family!! This will be my first trip back since I moved to Dallas a month ago.

Things are going...fantastic, actually! Work has been nuts with more meetings and seminars then I've ever had but I love the people and the atmosphere. I've been running and working out with Mike (I had a 5:30 AM appointment this morning and as of 9:00 AM I cannot lift my arms above my head). The weather has finally cooled off a bit and we've gotten some much-needed rain. I filled out my application for graduation and will receive my diploma on December 18!! Life is good...and I can't help but find myself glancing around for that Mack truck to come careening around the corner... :)

On another note:

♪  "It's the most wonderful time of the year..."  ♫

The college football season officially kicked off last night--finally! I'm sporting a new OU shirt today at the office with pride and have already talked smack with some Aggie and Cowboy colleagues. I can't wait to watch the games tomorrow with some of my favorite peeps!!

For now I'm just waiting for the big boss to blow the horn early and let us outta here...

Have a safe and fun holiday weekend!

Happy Birthday, Dad!!

My hero...xoxoxo

Bailey.

This is Bailey. He is the newest member of my brother's family. They adopted him from a shelter in The Woodlands (yay for shelter dogs!) and gave him a new home. He might be one of the best dogs I have ever met. He is sweet and VERY well-behaved. Plus, he loves my nieces and nephew!! I can't wait to visit him again.  

 Bailey & Samantha

(photo courtesy of my brother and his kick-ass new camera)

FAT TALK ends now.

This is from 2008, but I had not seen it until today. It brought tears to my eyes...powerful stuff!!

Happy Birthday, Big Brother!

My brother turns 40 today!! He doesn't look a day over 30...

THE smoothie

I make this smoothie for breakfast at least 3-4 times a week. I used to make it with store-bought OJ, but I've found it only takes a little bit longer to use fresh oranges and it's SO WORTH IT. It's got a gazillion servings of fruit in it and starts off the day right. Okay, so it only has about 4-5 servings of fruit but that is a lot for one glass! My mom used to make these when we lived in Kingwood (TX) for a post-run snack or dinner. I usually have it on the way to work (during my 7-minute drive) and then at work I have a protein bar or cereal. Running and training means I have to eat a lot in the morning!

Mom's Post-Run Smoothie
(makes 1 huge glass)
1-1 1/2 c frozen strawberries (I usually buy 4-5 bags at a time!)
1 very ripe banana (the more ripe, the sweeter the smoothie)
4-5 small navel oranges (I buy navel because they are sweet and easy to juice--usually come in a bag at the store)

Place strawberries and banana in the blender. For the juice, I just use a cheap little hand juicer with a built-in strainer (probably bought it at Wally for $3). I not only dump the juice in the blender but any and all pulp that gets in the strainer part. I usually use enough juice to almost cover the fruit in the blender. Then just blend on high until it is all smooth! I don't like any chunks in my smoothies so I make sure it's smooth. Other than getting strawberry seeds stuck in your teeth, this is easy, delicious, and healthy!! Thanks, Mom!!

(please disregard the ugly water spots on my glass!!)

Love you, Mommy!

Thank you for being so loving, encouraging, and supportive. Thanks for being my best friend. I love you.

Happy Mother's Day!!

Somebody loves me...

These beautiful flowers are from the sweetest Valentine I've ever had...my dad.
xoxoxo

My brother, my friend

We rarely get sappy, my brother and I. But sometimes in the day-to-day you stop and realize how grateful you are for the people in your life.

We share a special bond

that grows stronger through the years.

Looking back on things we've done,

I realize that some of my happiest memories

are of times we've shared.

You give me the freedom to be myself -

there's never a need to pretend.

I'd like you to know there will always be

a special place in my heart for you -

My Brother and My Friend.

IBC Bank Christmas Party

Some pictures from the bank Christmas party last night...it was held in their new corporate office in OKC. We always have fun at this party...good food and spirits, lots of neat people. There were some 'local' celebrities there. It was REALLY cold outside but I'm glad we went!!

Me & my Daddy! Ain't he handsome???I'm sorry, but I look like a giant Shrek next to my little Mommy! :)Cutest couple EVER!

Thanksgiving '09

*le sigh*

Holidays go by way too fast, especially when I am surrounded by my most favorite peeps on the planet. It seems like the time we spend together just gets better and better. My brother, Susan, and the kids arrived Wednesday evening and we did not hesitate to get the holiday started! There was good food, beer, wine, music, movies, shopping, toasted marshmallows, swimming (yes--Dad heated up the pool), poker, and lots of laughs.

I am one lucky gal.

Backyard fire pit--S'more time!

Brandon likes his marshmallows "well done"

It was a (typical) beautiful Oklahoma evening...

Mom & Dad's pool

It's not a holiday until I lose my money in poker (and drink too much wine)

Grandma in her pretty new outfit

My favorite nieces: Sydney & Samantha

Can't wait until next year!! xoxo

Guess who's coming to dinner???

Thanksgiving here we come! They will drive up Wednesday for the holiday. My favorite time of year with my favorite people...Mom and Dad's house will be full and we'll all love every minute of it!!