Waiting......

Throughout the blogging process, I've found that I am starting to enjoy writing a lot more.....it's almost theraputic to me at times....and this is definitely one of those moments.

Currently, I'm surrounded by students who are eagerly working on their assignments (ok, probably not eagerly nor are they enjoying it) but since my work is all caught up (wahoo!) that gives me time to lose myself in my thoughts in between getting up and walking around the room.

On my mind right now: Johnny. He is currently in Cairo, Egypt for a business trip and I haven't been able to get a hold of him since yesterday. You see, currently in Egypt there are tens of thousands protesting their government and it's getting pretty dangerous. Johnny mentioned the protestors earlier this week, but of course, I don't think he informed me of the severity of them. And today after their noon prayers (Egypt is 8 hours ahead), there were even more protestors and the "craziness" has increased. Government officials have shut down the internet and cell phone access, so I have no way to get in contact with him whatsoever. These were shut down so that people could not join forces in their protests. There was a facebook group established for those that wanted to protest that had something like 50, 000 people join, so it was shut down....but not just facebook and twitter.....the entire internet.....I can't even get on the Cairo International Airport website!!

I haven't seen Johnny since Tuesday the 18 and he is to return home tomorrow.....this is the longest that we have been apart since we got married and it is definitely hard. What makes it even harder is not being able to get a hold of him or vice versa. He was able to make a phone call via land line/calling card to Virginia where he gave her information for the hotel he is staying at (they moved hotels because he was staying downtown where all of the protesting/rioting was to take place) as well as when he was to leave for the airport and flight info.

I know that Johnny will be just fine because where he is currently, there's no danger.....and he is an extremely smart man with excellent intuition.....but for me, it is the "what if's". And it is those "what ifs" that can drive a woman crazy!

For now....i'm saying a lot of prayers and counting the minutes until I (or Virginia) hear from him again. It does sound like once he gets to his layover in France, things will be back to normal and he will have phone and internet access. His flight will land in France around 4:30am (central time) if I have figured it correctly.

Here's to hoping! (And lots of praying!)

P.S. Makes me so thankful that I live in America!

Weekend in Columbia

Even though school was out due to the weather again on Friday, I decided that I still needed to drive to Columbia. And I'm so glad that I did. It was so much fun! Bo and I traveled for the first time in the truck and it was a huge success. He has so much more room to relax and I was completely comfortable driving in snowy conditions if need be.

While I was packing, I found Bo laying like this. He lays like this quite often.

He can even look out the window in the truck! (Johnny and I joke that this is his "sophisticated" look...lol)

Sam made dinner on Friday night and we spent the entire evening eating, watching tv and catching up. Saturday morning we got up and headed to Kelani Spa to get pedicures with another friend, Amy. We went to lunch at Panera afterwards and even did a little shopping at Target and the Mizzou bookstore (my mizzou gear was very much out of date). After the bookstore Sam and I went to visit Johnny and I's friends, Russ and Selena. They recently moved to Columbia from Evansville, so I really wanted to take the opportunity to see them. It was such a blast. Their son Lawson was so excited to see Sam and I and Emmitt was all smiles. It was really nice to see their new home and catch up with them and I really hope to be able to again in the near future.



After visiting with the Braggs, Sam and I went back to her house to get Chris then head to dinner at Addisons. And of course the evening wouldn't have been complete without ending up at the Deuce. Sam and I only stayed about 10 minutes because we weren't sure what the snow was going to do and I had ended up feeling a little under the weather. Once home, we popped in Sweet Home Alabama (a Samantha and Rachele classic movie) and eventually went to sleep.

Snow was definitely coming on Sunday so I was up and at 'em early. I left by 9:30 and got back to Evansville around 2:30. The roads were not that bad with the exception of downtown St. Louis. I was driving in snow almost the entire way back home, but it was more pretty/annoying than accumulating and hazardous, which was nice.

I really hated leaving Columbia because I just always have so much fun with Sam and her husband Chris. It is definitley on our "to-do" list to see each other more often, so hopefully we can make that happen. But, I did have to leave to come back to work. (Bo was pretty sad leaving Lucy too.....and worn out! He slept the entire way home and then went right to sleep once we got home and stayed asleep until 4:30 Monday morning when he decided he was hungry. I think he had a lot of fun playing with her!)

I had to include a few pictures of Bo playing with Lucy in the snow, since the dogs are kind of like our children....

This is to show how much snow there was in Columbia....it was somewhere around 10 inches.

Bo and I are really missing Johnny, but I've been able to talk with him quite a bit more than I had anticipated. His first day, he spent out in the community helping rebuild part of a school and then his second night, Cargill took an evening dinner cruise on the Nile which of course included egyptian music and belly dancers. He assures me he is taking pictures so I will be sure to post them once he gets back! He'll be back Sat, which can't come soon enough!

To end, I'm attaching a recipe for healthy chocolate chip cookies. Samantha and I have somewhat joined forces (her more than I) to take a healthier approach at cooking. She has used this recipe and says it is VERY good. There are quite a few other recipes of hers that I plan on trying so I will be sure and post them as well. Sam is definitely helping me out a lot in terms of what you should and shouldn't be eating.....she's a freaking whiz at being able to research things! Anyways, this is a recipe she found on a blog that she follows and what makes it healthy is the fact that it has no added sugar or white flour. AND, it has good fiber and protein from the oats and whole wheat flour. (Sam says that she didn't use the coffee and it turned out just fine.)

Hope you enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 stick butter, softened

1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup pure maple syrup (use the real stuff, fake syrup is so nasty for you!)
1 egg
1 1/2 tablespoon coffee
1/2 tablespoon whole milk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch sea salt
9 oz dark chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups oats

Preheat oven to 350. Beat butter until creamy. Add honey and syrup, beat well. Then add egg, coffee, and whole milk, beat well. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Gradually beat into batter. Add oats and chocolate chips to batter, stir well. Spray a cookie sheet and drop about a spoonful of the batter for each cookie unto pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!

Snow Day #5

I think i've mentioned before, but I am going to say it again.....snow days suck. They especially suck when you have nothing to do and your husband is out of town AND you are planning a trip out of town. On a positive note, I am probably more rested than I have been in my life or will ever be in the future and the DVR is getting show after show cleared off. 

Bo taking it easy with his buds.....which he gathers together everywhere he goes in the house.

This picture doesn't really do any justice to how much snow is actually out there....but this is looking out from our living room. The road plows haven't even touched our road.

And these next two pics are for my sweet husband. We ordered our truck cover/lid a few weeks ago and I went to have it installed yesterday so he hasn't seen it......I think it looks great. It will be especially nice for traveling this weekend. 

The Traveling Season

As the calm of the new year disappears, Johnny and I begin what I like to refer to as "The Traveling Season". Within a 3 month time frame we are traveling like crazy.....starting with yesterday.

(Disclaimer: I've probably already mentioned some of the following in prior posts.....I apologize for the repetition, but for some reason, I feel the need to ramble about the same thing, again! Oh, and items are way out of order, I will do better next time) lol.....

Johnny left for Minneapolis, MN yesterday afternoon for a meeting that he has, today. He will leave MN on Thursday evening and travel to Cairo, Egypt for what Cargill calls the Master Class. He'll be in Egypt until the 29th when he comes back to Evansville. Since living together, this will be our longest separation. Bo and I are not very excited about Johnny being gone for so long (for selfish reasons obviously), but it is such a fantastic opportunity for Johnny and I'm EXTREMELY proud of him. I am hoping that he will send me a couple of pictures every now and then and I will be sure to put them on here.

While Johnny is gone to Egypt, Bo and I will be traveling to Columbia to visit Sam & Chris and their dog Lucy (and hopefully some other friends)! It will be nice to catch up and get out of the quiet house (Lord help me when we have kids and then become empty nesters)! I will also be meeting up with some girlfriends for dinner, getting our truck bed cover installed and most likely a little shopping while Johnny is away.

In the second week of February, Johnny will be traveling to Tampa, FL for about 4 days. Then, at the end of February, we will both be traveling to Portland, Oregon for a Cargill-related conference with our friends Todd & Revkah. I'm very excited about this trip, as neither of us have been to the west coast before. While Todd and Johnny are in meetings and such, Revkah and I will be participating in some of the "wife" tours/activities that Portland has to offer. I absolutely cannot wait!!!

And that will wrap up the traveling season (at least I think). In that time, we'd also like to include a trip back to KC to see family....but we'll see if that works out.....it may have to wait until mid-March.

Life Currently:

Our jobs are going great....the truck and taurus are fantastic.......and Bo's health has improved tremendously! We've had some snow here, but not near what KC has gotten. Although, we've still had the same amount of snow days....lol....it is quite amusing to me actually. With the threat of an inch of snow there were literally at least 5 schools that had either already called school off or scheduled a 2 hour delay! I was like WHAT?!?! ......I'm headed to the mall! (I can hear my mom now.....school is cancelled for a reason.....to stay HOME, not shop!) But seriously, we got about and inch or two....(not even enough to cover the grass entirely) and school was closed for 2 days with a 2 hour delay the 3rd day. So, I headed to the gym, the grocery store, etc. I guess they just aren't as equipped to deal with the snow here as they are in KC.

My thoughts on snow days: DISLIKE! Actually, they are ok when I wake up in the morning exhausted and not wanting to get up.....and then you see the school name come across the TV screen confirming that you don't have to go into work and I send my sweet husband on his way out the door while I continue to sleep in. Snow days are not ok in May when everyone is ready for summer vacation........But, what can you do?!

We are scheduled to get 3-6 inches of snow on Thursday, so i'm praying that we still have school on Friday. (Because i'm not under a contract, I don't get paid on days that I don't go in.....when you are under a contract, the paycheck still comes!) So, I REALLY don't want snow.

This past Monday Johnny and I realized that we had been married exactly 6 months. It is really hard to believe....I don't feel like our wedding day was 6 months ago, but at the same time, we feel like we've known each other our entire lives. When I think back over the last 6 months, I am amazed at all the things we've done!

That same day, I tried a new dentist. Anyone that knows me, knows that I get major anxiety over the dentist. I've seen Dr. Carr in Cameron, MO since I was 6 or 7 and have absolutely loved him. But obviously, our insurance doesn't cover Dr. Carr, so I went to Johnny's dentist. And I have to say.....it was great! And even better....I came out with no cavities! (Which is a HUGE feat!......Usually I will come out needing at least 2 or 3 fillings--no, not because I don't take care of my teeth, but because of genetics, thanks mom! lol) I will highly recommend this dentist and it is a huge relief! Next up: a new doctor. I have an appointment scheduled, but I have about the same anxiety. I have seen Dr. Fish in Liberty, MO my entire life. He is actually the same doctor that delivered me and he is FANTASTIC. Will let everyone know how it goes with the new doctor.....to be continued......

Have a great week! Stay posted for pics from our travels!

Lately....

Our life has been pretty uneventful, which is a welcomed change compared to the past year and a half. We are able to go to work, come home, make dinner, relax and sleep.....all of which rarely happened while we were dating/engaged.

Johnny's project at work is "rolling" which sometimes keeps him at work a little later than usual. He'll be leaving for Minnesota on the 18th then he'll leave for Egypt on the 20th and won't come back until the 29th, so we're gearing up for his long time away from home. But we're both excited for the experience he gets to have.

My sub position at my current school ends on the 24th (as of right now) so i'm looking for something after that. I think that I have something lined up, but am crossing my fingers it follows through. While Johnny is away I will head to Columbia to stay with my friend Samantha. It is a long overdue trip (wish you were still there Jess!) and I CANNOT wait! Bo will be going with me, so now he can finally meet their dog, Lucy. I'm also hoping to catch up our friends Russ and Selena who just moved to Columbia from Evansville. Should be a great time!

Our plans for this weekend include a home party for me at one of my friend's (Revkah) home (which means dinner for Johnny with her husband Todd, who Johnny works with), adding some accessories to the truck and our last Christmas party. Sunday will be relaxation ALL DAY!!! We cannot wait for that.....we absolutely love days where nothing is planned because we haven't gotten much of that over the last 2 years. Although, I will say, it is kinda hard for us to do because we're not used to it....so I usually find myself searching for something to clean while Johnny checks emails....lol.....old habits die hard! :-)

Have a great weekend and HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

We just have to share....

We did it, we made our first car purchase as a married couple! After not being able to get all our gifts, luggage, etc. into our car for about the 5th time this year, we made the decision to look at purchasing a truck and bought one yesterday afternoon! We purchased a 2010 Ford F150 Platinum truck and it is sa-WEET! We absolutely love it! It was a great purchase and we are really excited about it. (Although, I will admit that it took me a little longer than Johnny, as I about had a heart attack and almost hyperventilated while the negotiations were taking place.)

Now all we need is a boat to pull!

Christmas Marathon!

It has been way longer than I like, since the last time I've posted, but due to the time we spent in KC and the amount of things to do at home once we got back, I'm just now getting to it.

We had a WONDERFUL Christmas. We are so very blessed and have many things to be thankful for. Here's how our trip went:

Dec. 23rd: We drove back to KC

Bo travels so well.

Dec. 24th: We spent the day at Virginia's helping her prepare for her big dinner that night. Johnny's aunts, uncles, cousins and 2nd cousins, sister and mom were all in attendance. We also went to my grandparents for the Jones Christmas which included my grandparents, dad, brother, aunts, uncles and cousins.

Johnny loving up on Zoe, Amy's dog

Here are our yearly Christmas pictures in front of the tree. 

Dec. 25th: We spent the morning with Virginia and Amy opening gifts and having breakfast. Then we headed to my Aunt Kay's at about noon where we got to spend time with more family and friends. Later that night we headed to my mom's to spend the rest of the evening with her, Bernie, Brad and Amiee. 

There were quite a few more people here at one time, but this gives a good idea of everyone that was there. I got to see my good friend Kristen (who I haven't seen since the wedding) and her 2 kids--it was so nice to hang out with her! We also got to see my cousins, brother, aunts and uncles who we don't get to see that often, which was really nice. 

Here are Kristen's kiddos: Enoch and Eden.....aren't they adorable?! 

Opening gifts

Johnny bowling on the Wii 

Dec. 26th: Early this morning we went to my dad's to open gifts and have breakfast. This breakfast included my dad, brother, sister-in-law, Teresa and her son, his girlfriend and Teresa's brother and nephew, and my grandparents. At about noon, Johnny and I left and he went to his mom's to help her hang her new uppercase living and relax while I went out shopping with mine. 

Dec. 27th: We packed the car and headed back home. And by packed, I mean packed....every inch of space in the monte carlo was taken up by something.....because of this, we've realize that more space would be nice so we are going to explore the option of getting a truck. This weekend we will start the process and will hopefully find a great deal that we just can't pass up. 

We were extremely busy and tired from all the things we did, but it was well worth it. We got to see a lot of family and even some friends that we hadn't seen in a while. It was a really good time!

Here are a few pics of a few of our gifts!

Johnny using his new tool belt to hang our wedding picture canvas. 

Our new wedding picture! It is a 30X40 canvas and we LOVE it!! The picture just doesn't even do it justice. The cross on the mantle was also a gift from Brad and Amiee. It's really neat because the scripture on it is 1 Corinthians 13, which was read at our wedding. 

And.....the Waffle Maker. Thanks to Brad and Amiee, we were able to make this addition to our kitchen appliances. The following is a series of pictures from our first use. Let's just say, we are getting better with practice. 

Notice the spillage... :-) 

The proud chef with his masterpiece! 

The first waffle!

Hope everyone else had as great of a Christmas as we did! We're excited for all the things to come in the new year!