Thankful Thursday

 

Happy Thursday, friends! It's been a while since I've shared a gratitude list here, so I thought that would be what I'd talk about today. I have started making and keeping these lists with me at school; I use notebook paper and colored pens to keep a running list going while I'm at work and not busy. Here's one I did last week...

I love doing this, and I've been able to share some of the reasoning as to why I do this with the students that I see. I'm always asking them about the good things in their lives, and usually they will share them with me in the course of a day. I'll let this be the first thing I'm thankful for this week!

I'm thankful for the students that I have in my life. I loved having young people to pour into to when my sons were little; my philosophy here at home was the more the merrier. I always welcomed their friends into our home, because I loved them too. It's been amazing to see a few students make amazing progress this week, thanks to simple things like earlier bedtimes and the medication they need to treat severe ADHD and Dyslexia. Insert mind blown emoji here. 

I'm thankful for the hope I have in Jesus. Celebrating His death, burial, and resurrection this weekend is always one of my favorite things. I'm saying that here, but I shared about why that day wasn't great for me for other reasons earlier this week. If you want to check that post out, here's a link. 

I'm thankful for the time I've gotten to spend with Chris this week! I've seen him a lot in anticipation of not seeing him at all this weekend or next. I'm traveling this week, he's traveling next week. Anytime with him is great! I'm always appreciative of how helpful he is when he comes over after work. He'll cook dinner, or clean my kitchen, and he always asks me what he can do to make it easy for me the next day. I love his thoughtfulness! It's still shocking to be with someone like this; I'm not at all used to that characteristic. 

I'm thankful for friends! They're some of my greatest blessings in life, and I can't imagine a life without them. I can't wait to spend the weekend with my blog-turned real life- friends in North Carolina! It'll be Marilyn, Tanya, Joanne, Maria, Joyce (for Saturday), and me this year. This is our third annual blogger's retreat! 

I'm thankful that Noah is moving home very soon. He needs to get out of a bad roommate situation quickly, and Jonah will go to get him moved back this weekend while I'm gone. I cannot wait to get my arms around him! 

I'm thankful for the relationships my sons have with each other. I love the thought of them all being back in the 901 (Memphis area code)! Just a couple of nights ago, Jonah went to a driving range with Graham; they regularly hang out. Drew joins them when he can, and when he's not exhausted from working overtime in the HVAC industry. 

I'm thankful for my amazing family. Not a day goes by when I don't talk to at least two of them. I call Mom on my way to work every morning! I love this about us. And then all through the day, I text my sisters. 

I'm grateful for sunshine! The weather has been beautiful here this week. 

I'm thankful for easy nights at home at the end of a long day. I was so tired last night; I came home and showered, got comfy, then settled in for a quiet night at home watching TV and working on this blog post. I skipped choir rehearsal since I'll be gone this weekend; it was a decision I'm glad I made earlier in the day. At the time that I made decision, I had no idea how much my future self would be glad for that present self.

I'm thankful to have things to look forward to! I don't have to be going anywhere to have something to look forward to; I'm a huge fan of romanticizing my life. This just means that I get excited over everything from trips to the library or a favorite bookstore, to a weekend spent with Marilyn when she moves. Of course I get extra excited when I travel. 

I'm thankful for my home, that I have nobody to answer to, that I get to make all of my own decisions, and that if I don't want to eat dinner, I don't have to eat dinner. This was the case last night; I got home from work and didn't get hungry until almost seven, so I had a couple of small pieces of grilled chicken from earlier this week. 

What are you thankful for this week? I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for reading my blog today, friends. I'll be offline here again until next week...maybe on Tuesday I'll be back. I hope you enjoy the weekend! Love to all.

Jenn 

the Wednesday hodgepodge

 

Happy Wednesday, friends! I'm here with Joyce again today for the weekly hodgepodge...this is a post that I dearly love; thank you, Joyce, for your inspiring and thought provoking questions each and every week! I'll jump right in! 

1. "Egg on your face, putting all your eggs in one basket, a good egg, walk on eggshells, nest egg, or a tough egg to crack"...which egg idiom currently applies to your life right now? Explain. I don't know that any of these resonate with me and my life at the moment, but of the ones listed I've said something about "walking on eggshells" recently. Maybe because that's the life I used to have to live while I was married. 

I loved this quote that I saw on Instagram by Case Kenny! It made me laugh and it's a true statement. Never again will I do certain things! 

2. April 7th is National Beer Day...are you a beer drinker? If so, do you have a favorite? Beer battered fish, beer bread, beer can chicken, beer brats...which one sounds good to you? Have you made any of these? I am not a beer drinker, however, every summer I think it's Busch that releases a beer with apple or peach. Last year when I was swimming with a friend, he offered me a peach one, and I turned him down. I took a drink of his, though, and loved it, so I had one while we floated and talked. I don't count that as "real" beer, though. I love to cook with beer, but I haven't made any of the dishes listed. One thing I love to make for my sons that's a favorite of their is beer cheddar Joe's that I got from Shay Shull. To this day, they love that dish! Of the dishes listed, beer battered fish sounds amazing to me, though I try to not eat fried food. 

I'm so ready for summer! I want to float around and read. 

3. Do you have siblings? What's the best thing about being your sibling? If you don't have siblings, what are the pros and cons about being the only child? I have five siblings, one of whom is in Heaven. I'm the youngest out of Paul, Terri, Lisa, Debi, and Trish. I'm going to rework this question a little and not make it about me. I think the best thing about having siblings is the companionship that they offer later in life. Not only are they my siblings, they're my friends. When my sisters and I are together, I can't think of one time that I have more fun than right then at that moment. I love being with them and feel like they feed my soul. How fortunate am I to have such amazing women in my life that I get to see pretty often? I am talking about my sisters only, because I don't often get to see Paul. He lives in Orlando, and since Dad has died, he doesn't have much reason to travel back here. I get that, but we do talk pretty often.

Aren't they beautiful? This was just a couple of weeks ago, when Mom, Trish, and I flew to Denver to see them and to be there for my niece Erika's baby shower. 

And this was us when we went to Kennebunkport, Maine and Salem, Massachusetts for Fall break last October. I love traveling with them! 

4. How do you feel about floral scents in products? Do you have a favorite? I'm not a fan of floral scents in general; they tend to make me sneezy. I prefer scents like citrus or something that smells like I'm near a beach. If I had to pick a favorite floral scent, I would pick either a tuberose, plumeria, or a gardenia. Those are the smells that you might experience when you land on a Hawaiian island and are given in a lei. 

5. What's one thing in your home that begins with the letter G that you would say is a keeper, something you'll hold onto? Tell us why. One thing in my home that begins with the letter G is glassware; I have these pretty glasses that Mom bought me one year for Valentine's day that came from HomeGoods. They're clear with a cobalt blue rim; I love them and will keep them forever because she picked them out for me! Another thing that comes to mind are the games I have that were either mine as a child or the ones that belonged to my sons. Many an hour was spent around a table in this home playing a game from that collection. 

Here's one of my beloved glasses. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. I had such a great Monday off this week; Marilyn and I went to lunch, then we ran errands together. I had a chiropractor appointment that she rode along with me to, then she had a couple of stops to make before I came back home. I love doing mundane life things together! It's my favorite thing to do with friends/significant other. I miss having days like that, when I can spend my morning time any way I want to, and when I can wake up without an alarm. 

I'm still grateful for a job that I love, though, even when I am exhausted at the end of a day. The hugs and sweet words of affirmation are all worth it at the end of each day, and so is the pride I feel when I see a struggling student excel. I feel like a proud mom! I witnessed this yesterday with a fifth grade student that I spend time with each day; he was struggling with the thought of finishing a test, but he did great on it and ended up leading the class discussion on some of the answers. I was so, so proud of him as I sat and listened to/watched him. I was telling that story to my co-worker Karen when another co-worker Heather texted me to tell me how proud she was, too. She loved that I shared the story with Karen. I'll be sad to see this group of fifth graders leave at the end of the year! 

I'm excited to read your answers to these prompts today! Thanks for being here to read mine. Love to all!

Jenn 

Tuesday Talk -- Inspired Writing

Happy Tuesday, friends! I'm back for some deeper writing on this lovely Tuesday. I hope you enjoy this post today!

"Anyone can show up one time. I'm looking for the person who will show up ten thousand times." - Katie Blackburn.

In talking to Marilyn yesterday, she mentioned a podcast that she wanted me to listen to; I did, and was immediately inspired for this post. The quote above is from an author that they were interviewing; Katie has a book coming out soon, and I immediately went to follow her on Instagram. While listening to the podcast, she said a couple of things that resonated within me. One is the quote that you see above. Another one was, "Divorce was never an option until it was." It stood out to Marilyn as well, since she texted it to me as I listened; I thought it was funny that I had just heard her say it, and I paused to think about it for a minute. 

I promised myself (and YOU) that I wouldn't keep harping about my divorce in 2026, but alas, here I am still talking about it in April. I wish that weren't the case, but honestly, when I write about it, it's like free therapy for me. If you're tired of it all by now, I apologize. I don't want you to feel like you have to keep reading about it, and we can still be friends, I promise. But maybe someone enjoys reading about the things I think about pretty often. I'll start with Sunday of this past weekend. 

I woke up in a way that I always hate: to a text from my ex-husband. Later on when I discussed this with Chris, he suggested that it was no accident that Todd texted me early on Easter Sunday (he even said, "Happy Easter!" at the end of one of them). It was as if he knew that it would almost ruin my day (or at least try to do this), and you know what? I tend to agree. It's funny how that one little thing can set off a whole trajectory of emotions and thoughts. I confess that my heart wasn't "in it" while I was at church that day, and I hate to even write that. Once the worship started, some of that feeling lifted, and I couldn't help but worship as we sang songs that are straight out of Scripture. How can you not when you sing about the hope that only Jesus offers? But still, it wasn't a great way to start off such a celebratory day. I kind of just went through the motions of that day, but the one thing I kept thinking was how grateful I was that Chris was beside me for every part. 

Because even if my life is different than the hopes and dreams I had at one point, what a blessing it is to have such a wonderful man in my life. I keep seeing things on Instagram and TikTok about protecting your peace, and that's what he reminded me of as the day kind of spiraled and I kept finding out things that set off another litany of emotions. Chris was with me late in the day when I was set off again. He immediately wants to comfort me when things like this happen. I always get kind of embarrassed that I cry so easily in front of him, but I know that's a ridiculous way to think. He came around the kitchen counter (where I was leaning over), and just wrapped his arms around me. He started talking in this really low, calm voice, and it was again in that moment that I realized how much he protects my peace. He reminds me of who I am, and what I managed to get away from. And he's right. 

That's just one of the ways that Chris shows up for me, like Katie talked about on that podcast. He offers a steady and consistent presence every time we're together. He lets me be one hundred percent myself, and for the first time in my life, I feel like this is the most authentic version of me that I've ever been. I'm not stifled or made to feel like my opinion doesn't matter. I don't have to "answer" to him, either; Chris fully expects that I will live my life with him in it or without him. He accepts that I have my quirks; I'm in a great mood a lot of the time, but I also tend to get into what I call a "funk". He loves me through all of the thoughts and emotions, and I do the same for him. He comes with his baggage as well, but I feel like we're so evenly matched there. We are both needy and need constant reassurance and physical touch. We often take each others hands and pull them over onto us; my favorite thing is riding in the car that he's driving with his hand on my leg. 

He protects my peace in the way he listens to me—not to respond or to fix anything, but to understand and hear. There's a softness in him that I've never experienced before, and he invites my heart to unfold without fear of being "too much". Let me tell you: in a world that pulls in every direction, that kind of listening feels like shelter from rain. Peace looks like the way he stands beside me, not in front of me or behind me—just right there. It's the comfort in knowing that I don't have to walk on eggshells with him or explain why a long day often leaves me quiet. He knows, and he honors that space. He honored that space as I took a glass of wine outside Sunday evening and called my sister; I think he would have liked for me to talk to him, but he respects that Lisa is the one person on earth who can talk me off the cliff. 

There's a sweetness in the small things that we share—the easy laughter, the way he notices when I'm off, or when my shoulders seem to sag a little under the weight of life at the end of a long day or week. He can turn a simple moment, like watching a sunset or eating leftovers on the couch, into something that feels like home. And maybe that's the heart of it all: when someone protects your peace, you start to feel at home in yourself again. You feel safe. Seen. Held by something strong yet gentle at the same time. Things aren't perfect in my life or in the relationship I share with Chris, but that's okay, because nothing real ever is. But it's good. It's steady. It's soul good. The kind of good that makes me breathe a little deeper and trust that, yes, I am worthy of calm, of care, of someone who chooses to bring peace instead of chaos. 

People around me notice this now, the way he is with me. My mom, who never comments on relationship stuff, said something to me about this on Sunday when Chris left the table at lunch. She acknowledged how good this man is to me; it's evident in the way his eyes crinkle in a smile when he looks at me, in the way that we are always connected by touch, in the inside jokes we share, the way that we can be together and be content in the quiet, the way that he is quick to respond when he notices that I need something. Being with someone like him is a gift that I don't take lightly. It reminds me that love doesn't just change your days; it changes your pace. It teaches that peace isn't something I have to chase when I'm with someone who protects it like it matters.

Because to him, it does. 

I just had to acknowledge all of this here today, because life felt heavy on Sunday. I need this constant reminder as I walk about my days. Thanks for being here to read today, friends. Thanks for always listening as I pour out my heart through writing. Your encouragement and support are everything to me. Love to all. 

Jenn 

Hello, Monday.

 

Happy Monday, friends! I hope you had a great weekend! I can't wait to hear from you at the end of today's post. I'm linking up with Holly and Sarah for today's blog post. I'll jump right in, backing up from Friday. 

I stopped to take a picture of my house, because I loved the way it looked when I left Friday. I still love my hot pink door! I'm a little concerned about the bushes you see to the right of my front porch; they might have been buried under the ice for too long. I'm hoping they decide to perk back up! 

I really enjoyed a leisurely morning at home! I read blogs, lingered over coffee, then got dressed and met Mom and Trish. We went to a couple of stores, then to this place called Moondance Grill, where I ate this delicious wedge salad. 

They dropped me off at my car, and I went shopping at Target for some Easter basket goodies for my sons. This big ole bunny came home with me! I haven't done Easter baskets for my sons in YEARS, because it was would have been frowned upon. This year? I went all out. They each got a t-shirt, an energy drink, a can of Febreeze, some Native body wash, a pack of hot wheels jelly beans, a chocolate bunny, and a package of Reese's eggs. I don't often get to do things like this for them, so I loved doing this!

Look who I ran into coming out of Target! We love being in the same town; this is the second time this has happened to us. She came over for a little while after she picked up her things. I rested a bit before Chris came over, then we left for the Good Friday service. I was so glad to have him back at my house! 

We were starving afterward, so we went to our favorite little Asian place and dined outside because the weather was perfect. We ate every big of the two apps and meal we shared! On Saturday we had breakfast at a favorite little spot nearby, then did a couple of things before coming back to my house. It was a rainy day, so we were kind of lazy. We stayed in that night and had leftovers in front of the tv while we watched a movie.

It was a good night. I had to be at church at eight fifteen yesterday morning! 

I bought myself a new dress at the cute little boutique with the yellow door you saw pictured above. It's my favorite brand, which is Umgee. We had two services, and I sang in both. We met up with Mom and Bill afterwards for a quick lunch, then came back to my house. He went and ran a couple of errands while I rested, then we left to go to Mom's and Bill's for an early dinner. Here are the rest of the pictures I took that day. 

It was a great day and weekend. How was yours? I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for reading my blog today, friends. Love to all! 

Jenn 

Friday Favorites, 4.3.2026

 

Happy Good Friday, friends! I'll never forget my son Noah asking me why this day was considered "good" when he was little, when it was the day that Jesus was crucified a few thousand years ago. I remember kind of being flabbergasted by his question; all I knew to say was that it was good for us now, because Jesus didn't stay dead. And this would still be my answer today! I'm so thankful for Jesus; He offers the free gift of salvation that is ours for the taking when we believe in Him. He offers hope to a lost and dying world; He extends His love, grace, and mercy to us everyday that we're alive. While I was praying one day this week, I told Him that I couldn't imagine a life without Him by my side. I certainly don't get this Christian walk perfectly right, but each day I spend time with Him and He sanctifies me along the way. And like a worship song that I love says, all my life He has been faithful. 

I love this little blog world and all the fun, frivolous things we talk about, but I would be remiss if I didn't say one thing today: if you don't know Jesus in this way and are interested in learning more, please reach out to me. My email address is allboys@gmail.com; I would love to talk to you more about this! If you need a recommendation on where to begin reading in the Bible, I can help you with that, too. I can share what I do to remain close to the Lord and we can stay in touch if you ever want to talk. 

I'm always grateful to be able to talk about this here, and for the weekend and what it represents. 

On a much, much lighter note, here are some favorites from the week.

Marilyn is and forever will be a favorite part of my week. I was so glad we had an afternoon and night to catch up this week! 

These two sunsets and a sunrise were a favorite from the week. The sky has been spectacular lately! 

New nails will always be a favorite! This is a fun color that matches my toes. 

This was a favorite sight Wednesday night! We had an extended choir rehearsal this week, due to it being Good Friday and Easter Sunday. I love seeing a full orchestra pit and choir loft! 

Getting dressed is my favorite! I had an outfit change on Tuesday, because...

...my friend and co-worker Lindsey invited me to the University of Memphis softball game after work! It was so much fun, and the weather was perfect. 

My new watchband is my favorite! Here's a link in case anyone is interested. 

Doodling at work is always a favorite! I wrote out a list of good things that Chris was quick to point out he wasn't a part of. Ha! Of course he's one of the best things in my life right now. 

Last, but not least...

It's Drew's birthday! He's 26 years young today. I love this handsome fella so much and cannot wait to celebrate him this weekend! 

What was a favorite from your week? I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for reading my blog today, friends. I'll see you back here on Monday, but until then, enjoy your weekend! Love to all. 

Jenn