Those Sweet Words

Wishin and hopin and prayin {lots and lots} and I can finally say that THIS girl has a new job!! After applying for lots of jobs, having 6 phone interviews, 11 in-person interviews for different jobs I finally got to hear those sweet words on Thursday "We would like to offer you a position"! And then, a short time later I got to say the sweet words I have been wanting to say for awhile "I'm putting in my two weeks notice".  I am sooo excited to have a new job, I cannot explain it in words.

Some of the things I am really looking forward to are:
*Being able to use my degree
*Truly feeling like my job will be making a difference in someones life
*Room for growth in the hospital
*My drive to work will go from 60 miles round trip from my house to 15!
*Working with people who want to make a difference in someones life and not always worried about making a profit

Though the journey was long and I wanted to lose heart the Lord was always faithful. There were times when I wanted to give up but the Lord continued to help make my current job bare able and my trust in the Lord has been strengthened through this journey. Kyle has been a great support for me during this time and I'm really glad that we were in this together. My family and friends were also incredibly encouraging through all of this and I am blessed that I have so many people in my life that I can share life with.

Now it's time to celebrate this exciting news and only 8 more work days to go at my current job :)

Too good to be true?

Back in July I went to Bridal Rama with my friend Brittany to help her get ideas for her wedding {which is one month away!}. While I was there I registered for a free trip. Out of the blue, I received a phone call for Smart Travel telling me they were doing a promotion and that I was picked to go on a three day Royal Caribbean cruise to the Bahamas with a guest with air fare included. The only thing we would have to pay was port fees and taxes {which was about $200 usually}. I was skeptical at first since I did not really believe this could be free and the only catch was that we would have to go for a one hour meeting to hear about there company. I had saw a special on 20/20 where these people would register for all types of sweepstakes {like this was all they did in there spare time} and get all kinds of great gifts/trips. So in my mind I thought I was about to get this great trip to the Bahamas that we could use for our anniversary next year {to quote Kyle "so young, so naive"}. When Kyle got home he was completely skeptical and I convinced him to call to see if he believed it. After talking to the sales people he was still not sure but agreed to go to the meeting {which was suppose to be tonight} because I really wanted to go. He also called his mom to find out her opinion on the whole thing and she gave us some great tips about how we should know if it is a scam. When I got to work today I wanted to find out more about the company but all I found was bad info like this and this. So I decided that this really was a scam and I did not want to waste our night being lured into buying trips that we don't want.

Lesson learned: if it is too good to be true it usually is :) Kyle lovingly said "I told you so". Maybe one day we will make it to the Bahamas :)

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Have you ever

Have you ever had one of these?

Kyle and I had never had a massage until this past Saturday. I found a great deal on CincySavers that you could get a full body massage for one hour for $25! Kyle had been wanting to get one for awhile and with this great deal we could not pass it up. Kyle and I were able to get a couples massage which was nice but the whole time I wanted to laugh. The atmosphere was very quiet and no one talked {since they probably wanted you to relax :)} but the whole time all I could think about was Kyle doing something silly and me bursting out laughing. The only thing I did not like was having the oil all over me when I left. It felt sticky once someone was not massaging you anymore :) Kyle loved the massage and will probably want to do it again.

We did it

Kyle and I played indoor soccer together

Here are some things you should know about our team

**It was a team full of Skyline employees or people that they hang out with {a few regulars from the Wyoming Skyline even came to watch a game}

**None of the girls had ever played soccer before {and we heard about it from the boys. Every team we played had girls that I'm sure had played soccer most of their life so they knew what they were doing, we did not}

**We did not win one game, womp womp {we came close a few times}. But most of us still had a good time playing

**Kyle is very competitive, which I knew, so he did not always like playing on the team because he did not feel like people were trying/many of us had never played soccer before

Would I want to play again? HECK YES! I really did enjoy playing even though I was not the best I became competitive/improved during the games. I enjoyed playing and would play on another indoor team that was not in a upper league :)

What we have been up to

In February I made this pretty wreath, similar to this one

 We had our ugly tree in the backyard cut down for cheap! TIM-BER

 I got tired of looking at this boring bulletin board. I bought some fabric so now it has some color :)

 Kyle lets Bentley up on the guest bed{when he's in there}. The only place in the house he is allowed on the furniture.

 I made this dessert for Easter. It was SO good, a keeper forsure. Instead of making the crust I bought one :)

 We saw one of our nephews Easter Egg hunt

 And celebrate by eating a blue cupcake, precious :)

Work Zone

Since January Kyle {aka Mr. Handyman} and his dad have been working hard to redo our basement. I do not have any good before pictures but  imagine two separate rooms covered in wood paneling and ugly carpet. Here is a picture to get a better idea of what it looks like

Here are some pictures of the progress

We ran into a major problem that I mentioned here. The basement is completely drywalled and was ready for ceiling tile to be put up, painting, new lights, but we are now delayed until we figure out where the water is coming from. I know Kyle is bummed, so I hope we can figure it out soon!

Indoor Pool?

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I wish our indoor pool looked like this! Beautiful, flawless, clean, with plants all around. Instead, the indoor pool I'm referring to in our house is our basement that keeps flooding :( It gets filled with dirt, water ankle high or more, and takes forever to get dry. Kyles hard work in refinishing our basement is now getting slightly ruined because of all the rain we have been having. Some positives about the whole situation are that we are working on the leaks now and at least we are finding out this problem now instead of the basement being finished, thanks Lord! Also none of Kyle's UK stuff was ruined by the water and we have moved practically everything out of the basement to prevent it ruining anything.  I'm not trying to complain but having our basement/garage have water in it three times and counting is no longer fun. The clean up process is long and tedious{I have a great husband who has done most of the clean up!!}

So if you visit I hope our indoor pool is gone when you come :)

O Mandy

These friends

Are going here

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At the wee hour of 4 am I ventured to take them here


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 Kyles "trusty" GPS {Mandy} told me to take this

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Now Mandy lets be serious, a ferry is never open at 4 am.

Do you have a funny story with your GPS?


To be honest I'm not impressed, sorry Mandy {kyle still likes you}

Happy Friday!!

I WONT miss

{when I graduated from Cincy State two years ago}

Working full time and taking three/four nights classes a semester has been one of the hardest things I have done. College no longer became "fun" for me anymore when I had to balance work, school, YL, family time, cheerleading, etc. I am EXTREMELY happy I stuck with it but there were many times when I thought this day would never come. Now that it is here I am excited to spend my free time doing what I want to do and I WONT miss....

1. Paying for tuition/books
2. Going straight from work to school and not getting home til at least 10 PM
3. Homework on the weekends. I have missed out on lots of fun events due to homework
4. Teachers who make you write long papers just because they can
5. Classes that I will never use in my life
6. Stress of school.
7. Summer School. I will actually be able to enjoy the summer {for the past 3 years I have taken summer classes}

I am officially DONE.WITH.SCHOOL.FOREVER!! {insert hallelujah chorus}

Dear Lord

Thanks for getting me through a long, tiresome road of getting my Bachelor degree. In all honesty, I probably did always show your love, patience, goodness with my teacher all the timeat school like you showed to me these last two years. I KNOW that you are what got me through this time. There were many times when I hated missing out on fun events due to school or I got really stressed out and the thought of quitting crossed my mind. You gave me the support of a great husband, family, and friends to help me get to the finish line! Thank you for creating me to be determined and to never give up on myself.

A New Year

2011 is going to have one major change that I am certain of, I'll be done with school FOREVER at the end of February. Having my bachelor degree is not only a major accomplishment in my book but also is a big weight off my shoulders. Here are some things {in no particular order} that I would like to do/hope I stick with for 2011

1. Get a Hobby. Work & night class has consumed much of my time and when I'm not doing those things I usually just want to relax and hang out but I have realized I don't have a hobby. I have started to become crafty which I'm sure will turn into my hobby but I want to have stuff that occupies my time so I am not bored.

2. Craft/Bake. I would like to try something new in these two areas at least once a week but that might not happen. So a realistic goal would be AT LEAST once a month. I love trying new things that do not look too difficult. Most of the time they do not turn out like the picture but at least I can say I tried.

3. Go on little trips with Kyle. With our different schedules it is important that Kyle and I make time for just us. I hope to take a few little trips over this next year. I would LOVE to take a big trip at the end of the year celebrating both of us being done with school :)

4. Be a better YL leader. With the new free time I'll soon have I hope to go to more games, meet more kids, make new relationships, maybe start a bible study but most important bring light to the lost. Our prayer as a team is that God will show us more of his plan and that we will be able to tell kids about a God that loves them for who they are.

5. Job search. I would be absolutely giddy if the Lord provided me with a new job this year. With a Bachelor's degree I hope to find a job that is what my degree is in and closer to home.

6. Bible Study. I have MISSED the fellowship of a women's bible study with women my age. I am going to be searching hard to find a bible study this year.

7. Work out. I always feel bad about myself when I don't workout and with school and work I could not commit to a workout plan because all I want to do is sleep when I come home from school at 10 pm since I have work the next day. I'm not a hard core workout person but I do like the way I feel after I work out. The sense of accomplishment and I have more energy when I workout. Kyle has P90X which I am going to try but I am also going to rent workout videos from the library and also maybe join a workout class.

These are just a few of the things I hope to do in 2011 :)

It's no longer a secret

Meet Ashley

Ashley and I have been friends since middle school! We have known each other for a long time and always get asked if we are sisters when were out. I have lots of great memories with Ashley of us growing up together and tons of funny stories. Some of my favorite memories are working at Cleves Park together, going to Ashley’s relatives in Tennessee for Thanksgiving, and hanging out at each other houses. I am so blessed that Ashley and I are great friends!

She was pregnant during our wedding but lost the baby a week later. But...now they are expecting again! She is almost out of her first trimester and I'm officially allowed to tell people now :)

Ashley & Ryan we are really excited for you guys! We will be praying for you and can't wait to shower your little one with love and gifts! 

A blast from the past

Kyle's uncle took this picture in the summer of '08. It's crazy to look back and see how we have changed {physically} and the life changing moments that have happened in the past two years. Carrie and Mike are married, with baby Caleb, and their dog Clutch. Kyle and I are married with our "precious" dog Bentley and I think we look a little older {I was growing out my hair for Locks of Love, it was sooo long}.  Timmy and Sarah are both high school graduates and are Freshman and Sophomores in college {Timmy's hair is also not as crazy now :)}

I wonder what the next two years will hold? I'm sure their will be college graduates, babies, more dogs? God has it figured out, we will enjoy his perfect plan and timing!

Tis the season

For Photo Christmas cards!

Here is what will be coming to a  mailbox near you {when they come in :)}

our little family :) {I think Bentley looks the best out of all three of us lol Kyle & I are squinting from the sun}

Here is Kyle's Parents photo

My Parents Christmas Photo

This might be the photo the Stecher's choose

This is a tradition that Kyle & I are going to do every year! It will be fun to see how our families change over the years.

From Goodbye to Hello

A couple of weeks ago I said goodbye to my 1999 Saturn. We had lots of trips {190,000 miles of going here and there}, a few dings{but none were noticeable due to your plastic exterior}, some replaced parts {a new door when I accidentally ran over something and the bottom ripped off :)}, and lots of memories. But all good things must come to an end and when you wouldn't start anymore I knew our time had come to say goodbye.

But don't worry, someone else is now enjoying you and I'm doing just fine in my new ride!!

Here are the facts:

2009 Ford Focus
13,700 miles {more now since I have been driving it :)}
What I love: Cruise Control, heats up and defrosts SUPER quickly, power windows

I had mentioned never to shop at Carmax and I still stand firm to that decision. Here is what happened, we saw a car on their website that looked like a winner: great price, low miles, and the features we wanted. Kyle and his dad looked at the car and talked to a sales lady who said they could hold the car for 72 hours for us and later that night Kyle and I went to test drive it with the intention of buying it and had a different sales lady help us. They ran our financing and were going to offer us 11% {the sales lady said this is normal, is she on drugs?}! The lady helping us told us we could get financing through a bank and bring a paper back and they would honor the banks loan. We also had her transfer a car to their lot for no charge so we could compare the two cars. So we left with a letter basically saying that was our car and that we were getting financing through someone else. So we got financing thorough US Bank for 4.5% {now that's was more reasonable} and Kyle called on Wednesday night to make sure we could come and get the car because US Bank was sending a check for the car amount. He was informed that they were selling our car and there was nothing we could do. So the people are Carmax lied/had no idea what they were talking about when they sold us the car. 1. They can not hold a car for 72 hours 2. When you have another car sent from another location it voids any other car you were working on. So needless to say we were really mad at how they handled the situation and how two different employees gave us wrong information.

But it all worked out, I got my car for 3.2%, a better price, and I REALLY love it!

This was Kyle and I after we bought my car. Getting ready to have a celebrating lunch at Chipotle.

Maybe I rely on this too much

I left this laying on the couch this morning {good thing Kyle was there because Bentley is going through a stage and probably would have had it as a snack :)}

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I don't know why I feel weird that I don't have it. To be honest, when I get it later tonight I will probably have no missed calls, maybe a few texts, and a couple of reminders I forgot to do. I think what I miss the most is not being able to text {silly I know} because if I really need to I can call people from my work phone {if I know their numbers :)}. I miss when I have down time at work texting friends to catch up, making plans with people, and getting an "I love you, have a great day" from Kyle.

So woe is me that I left my super fancy {make you want to drop what you're doing and go buy one yourself} cell phone all alone at the house ;)

Not really what I expected.....

Last night I opened our mailbox and to my surprise I saw "Jenny Crofford", my first piece of mail with my new name :) {technically, i am still legally Jenny Jackson since I have not had time with work to change my name due to their crazy hours that do not fit with my work hours} To my dismay it was a bill, {bummer} not a cute birthday card {which is coming up :)}or magazine, but something I have to pay {boo}

Dear Cincinnati Bell

You receive the award for being the first piece of mail

with my new name on it, but don't get too excited I was not thrilled to see you!

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