The Best Christmas EVER!!!

For the first time in two years, me and all eight of my siblings were home for Christmas.

Plus, my fiance, my nephew, and my sister's boyfriend were all here, too!

This led to lots of goofy antics and LOTS of pictures. It was very hard to pick my favorites.

With everyone home, it definitely was apparent how much everyone is growing up. At times it was strange to see the changes that are coming to my family. But, that did not change how close we were. And, as far as my sisters and I are concerned, we will always be Daddy's little girls.

I'm Taken!!! :]

So, for those of my friends who only see me on Blogger and not on Facebook, I'm ENGAGED!!! Devin proposed to me Wednesday afternoon. We had spent the day in Helen, GA browsing the shops and eating good German food.

Then, we went to see the Anna Ruby Falls before heading back home, which are absolutely beautiful. The park was getting very close to closing, so we were the last people the ranger let hike up the mountain. As a result, we were the only ones at the Falls when we got up there.

I was somewhat oblivious to what was about to happen, so I was concerned about making sure we got a picture in front of the Falls before having to get back down the mountain before the park closed. Can you tell how nervous Devin is in this picture?

There, he surprised me with a bucket with little notes, flowers, and flipflops. He also lit a couple candles. The notes were thoughts he had all throughout the six months we were dating that he'd wanted to share but weren't appropriate at the time. After having me read the notes, he got down on one knee and proposed! I said yes, of course! :]

And, Devin custom designed the ring himself. Without ever even asking me, he made the exact ring I'd always wanted!

Since then, everyone has wanted to know wedding details. About as far as we've gotten is Devin trying to persuade me that our registries should be at Best Buy and Toys R Us. (Don't worry...that won't happen.) To be honest, we haven't even had time to discuss it. Today, Devin graduated and is now a real Astrophysicist who is in the process of getting into medical school. Tomorrow we are headed to PA to spend Christmas with my family. But, once we know any details, I will be sure that everyone knows! :]

Holiday Baking

One of my favorite parts of the Christmas Season is my holiday baking. This past Thursday, I kicked it off with my mentee Kadeeja.

We ended up with a whole plate of yummy sugar cookies!

On Sunday, I did a whole bunch more. And, I got a chance to use my new candy thermomoter!

The whole purpose of my baking was to give out goodies to my co-workers and other people I care about. :]

The final result was pecan brittle, chocolate fudge, peanut butter chocolate fudge, chocolate chip cookies, and white chocolate chip holiday cookies!!!

In the Doghouse...

Devin says he keeps waiting for the day when he messes up, and I "put him in the doghouse." This Sunday, he decided to do it to himself as a preemptive measure...I just never knew there was a doghouse under my desk!

Christmas Shopping!!!

The countdown to Christmas is on...only 16 days away! And, I'm leaving for home in just 10 days! So, while trying to finish up finals, work on my GA commitments, work at St. Mary's, and get ready, I fave been very absorbed in Christmas shopping. Amazon.com has gotten a lot of my attention this year. Today included browsing a few stores and a Walmart run for baking supplies, goody boxes, wrapping paper, and ribbon. I've been very good at being selective this year in what I buy. At this point, thank goodness, I'm almost done with just a couple presents left to go! Whew!

Seven Years

Happy Anniversary MomDad!!!

Seven years ago today, my family came together. And, while we've had some rough times here and there, we really have become a family and have amazing times together. I couldn't ask for a better family. Thank you Mom and Dad!

Here is our first "family" outing before Mom and Dad were ever married.

This is the unofficial engagement photo.

This was the first picture of us kids together. Of course, we didn't get it quite right on the first try.

So, here is the retake of the "first" photo. Thankfully, we've taken better ones since!

Crazy November

So...it's been awhile since I've posted anyhting new. And, it's not that anything hasn't happened...it's that too much has happened! I have had a very busy November. With semester's end coming so quickly, grad school has been crazy! My classes are just about finished and I've had the work to prove it. That doesn't mean I haven't found some time for fun, though!

This month has brought with it a lot of football. Some has been exciting, some depressing. The highlight: in the WVU-Louisville game, my boy Pat White rushed for 200 yards to set an all-time NCAA rushing record for QBs with 4,292 yards! In that same game, he became the all-time leading scorer in the Big East! Let's go Mountaineers!


Also, Wall-E came out on DVD. Devin took me to see this in theater on my birthday, and we both loved it. So, we had to get it the day it came out and have been spending some fun times since pouring over the bonus features.

Of course, an amazing Thanksgiving day falls into the time I've missed, too! I got to enjoy my first southern Thanksgiving dinner. While not entirely different from what I've always known, there were a few new dishes. My favorite was probably the green beans almondine, but I loved getting to help with the dumplings! Plus, I have so much to be thankful for this year that it made it extra special.

Now, I am just counting down until I get to go home with my family for Christmas. All nine siblings haven't been together for two years, and we will be in just three weeks!!! So, I'm at 21 days and counting!!! :]

Mary's Birthday

Devin's neice turned 2 just this past Saturday, so her family got together to celebrate yesterday. Her "Uncle Dinner" (Devin) and I got her a tea set, kid high heels, and a dress-up necklace. This went perfectly with the new ballerina/princess outfits from her parents. It mad for one very girly second birthday. Mary didn't mind though as she spent the rest of the evening doing deep curtsies, dancing, and parading around the living room.

Ensign Star

For any of you who know my sisters, you'll recognize this picture as Kassie!!! She was featured on page 90 of the LDS Magazine, the Ensign, in the November edition. This picture was taken as she was exiting the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, and she didn't even know it! Isn't that exciting?!? See more of it in the online copy of the Ensign!

Daisy, Daisy

Daisies are my absolute favorite flower. So, what can make me happier than getting a daisy? Having it come from an amazing boyfriend who picked it for me as a super cute gesture. I couldn't stop grinning for a very, very long time! :]

Halloween Fright!

This year, my mentee Kadeeja and I decided to visit the Haunted House on Atlanta Highway to celebrate Halloween. Kadeeja also brought her cousin Asia along. The three of us had fun eating doughnuts, dodging characters, and screaming our way through the super scary Dr. Horrible's House. After running from this clown in terror, the girls decided that it would be fun to pose with him...go figure!

I've Been Shot

Every year, I debate getting the flu shot. Through high school, I always tried to claim that me getting sick every winter was not the flu. In undergrad, I started to get it but was often very late in the season. Last year, I got really sick in February. Now, I work at a hospital, and get it for free! Flu shots started on Monday and already nearly 600 St. Mary's employees have been vaccinated! CrAzY!!! I got mine today (I don't work til Wednesdays), so hopefully there will be no flu for me this year! And, now I have an excuse for a lazy evening tonight! :]

m&m's

So, today my four youngest siblings were working on making a haunted gingerbread house. While cutting m&m's in half, Matt (age 12) says, "Hey Jess...we should work in a m&m factory together someday." Chaz (age 14) then responds, "No...because you would spend all your time eating the 'deffective' ones with W's on them!" After some laughter, Jess (age 16) asks Tanner (age 9) if he actually understands why they were laughing. "Yes!" he responds, "because if they had W's they'd be wimenems instead of eminems! You would never guess he's the best speller in his class...

Football...Southern Style!

So, for all my West Virginia friends, I have to preface this blog with an apology! Don't worry, I still bleed Gold & Blue...I'm just also learning to enjoy UGA football, too! So, here goes...

This past weekend was the football gameday to end all football gamedays. My roommate and I planned a tailgate with our friend Natalie for the UGA - Tennessee game on Saturday. We had so much food, friends, and laughter to get us ready for some action in Sanford Stadium. This was one major part of what made it such a special game.

Practically since the day Devin and I met, he has been begging me to be fit in with the SEC girls and wear a dress to a game. I realized this was going to be my last chance because any other games would be too cold. So, Devin took me on a date to the Mall of Georgia last week where he helped me find a dress I love! (He was actually the one to pull it off the rack!)

To end it all, we ended up sitting with two other couples in some decent end zone seats. We had lots of fun. The game was intense at a couple points, but we pulled off a respectable win and had fun laughing and talking all throughout.

I wouldn't feel right if I didn't end this post by saying "Go Dawgs!"

Faith Factor

For those of you who weren't there tonight, we had quite a fun time at FHE! I promised I'd make some of these pictures available, so here are some of the best recaps of the night. (I'm osrry I don't have ones of everyone, there were 60 some pictures on my camera alone!)

Here they are trying to sing "Called to Serve" with bubble gum in their mouth...

Barbara and Jamie are looking for the green gummy worm...

Nate just bravely downed a can of "Green Pea, Corn, & Rice" baby food...

They are trying to identify foods by smell, touch, or taste...

This is a battle to eat a bunch of saltines and then whistle "Jingle Bells" first...

Towards the end the competition got a little fierce...

And, Matt won the overall prize for his team by eating his whipped cream pie first!

Autumn

I love autumn. I love being able to call it autumn and not fall, too. It's such a fun word. Today was absolutely beautiful, too. We had a social workers' lunch that was at a fun, outside cafe today. Then, I got to do a very social worker-ish thing by recognizing a non-medical need in a client (getting out of a hospital bed after nearly a month inside) and meeting it by taking a trip outside to sit in the beautiful sunshine and soak up some Vitamin D. Both my client, the other Intern, and myself came inside much improved in our attitudes and outlook. This wonderful weather today reminded me of one of my other favorite autumns visiting one of my favorite places...that's why I've included this picture...

Going Bananas

What happens when you add an extra banana to your banana bread?

After adding the banana, I couldn't remember what temperature to bake it on. Then, it decided to start to overflow, burn on the outside, and stay uncooked in the middle. When I tried to remove it from the pan, only the inside wanted to come out. Needless to say, that was a bit of a disaster. But the inside that fell out still tasted good!

Mark Richt :]

Today I ate lunch with Mark Richt!!!!!!!! St. Mary's hosted a pep rally/picnic lunch for the staff out in the parking lot as part of their "employee appreciation" initiatives. The social workers all sat together after getting our very delicious, very Southern food. The tables seat 8...there are only 6 of us. All of a sudden, Mark Richt comes to the table and asks if he can sit with us!!! The president and vice president of the hospital also joined...they pulled up an extra chair. Better yet, I talked with him about the 2006 Sugar Bowl! It went something like this:

Co-worker #1 : Becky's a West Virginia fan.

uh-oh...i'm in trouble...

Mark Richt : Really? Have we ever played them?

is he being sarcastic? and light hearted?

Me : Yes...in the Sugar Bowl a couple years ago...

he has to be being sarcastic...

Mark Richt : I don't remember that game...

he's smiling and laughing over his great BIG failure!

Me : Yes...we definitely played you!

Mark Richt : I don't remember that at all...

okay...i'm ready to let it go...

Co-worker #2 : Becky...who won that game?

oh no! is this going too far?

Me : Wait...what was that?

why am i playing along and rubbing it it?

Co-worker #2 : When West Virginia played Georgia, who won?

okay...here goes! i hope that laugh is sincere!

Me : (quite triumphantly) That would be us! West Virginia!

i did it! i rubbed salt in one of his biggest failures of recent years!

Mark Richt : Hmmm...

and he laughed! it was a good, full, not half hearted laugh!

I love that I now have this great story that I can tell...at least in West Virginia. I'm not sure home much people in Georgia will appreciate it. I can honestly say that the man behind the glasses and under the middle part is a good, sincere, fun person. It was all followed up with seeing Uga, posing with Hairy Dawg, and watching cheerleaders and older nurses do the Cupid Shuffle together. How great was that lunch hour?

Puppy Love

Kadeeja (the 13-year-old young lady that I mentor) and I have been very interested in pets lately. We have gone to the dog park with my roommate and her dogs as well as visiting two pet stores. And, we both have puppy love!

I almost adopted this rescue dog at the pet store today. I'd felt going to the pet stores as opposed to volunteering at the a shelter was safer because I'd never be able to afford a store dog. However, this store had an adoption program with the local shelter. We took him out and played with him for a very long time. The only thing that kept me from getting him was the fact that I couldn't take him home today. As I walked out, though, a couple was just getting him out themselves. Hopefully he'll get a good home with them!

Bangs!

Today in class, I got bored...surprise surprise. So, I started thinking about things I need to do...which included cutting my hair. I have been a little bored with my hair always looking the same lately, though, so I wanted something new. And, I really like my long hair so getting it shorter was not an option. So, I got bangs cut into my hair today! This is the first time in a while that I've had them, and I love the way they look! :]

Recovery Atlanta

This summer I had a great experience helping develop a drug and alcohol resource website for the Atlanta area as an extra part of my Addictions and Social Work class. It is a sister website to a similar one developed last year for the Athens area. Because September is National Recovery Month, it has just been launched! It's a really exciting initiative if anyone wants to take a look at it!

http://www.recoveryatlanta.org/