A few pics

Here are a few pics from this past weekend. Christmas pics are coming soon :)

This first one was taken at the Bridesmaid Brunch

In case you haven't met these pretty ladies yet, let me introduce (from left):
Meredith Adams (tall, gorgeous from Fayetteville)
Me (you already knew that)
Mrs Bekah Hopper (heart of gold school teacher from Mountain Home/God's country, now lives in NWA)
Jeni Bennett (my sister from another mother! from NLR, now lives far away in Indiana)
Mrs Stacia Petrancosta (formerly known as Miss Outten, she's the bride here! from Hot Springs, now lives in Virginia- again, too far away)
Collin Ward (soon-to-be pharmacist extraordinaire from Ashdown)
and on the end is Mrs Kelsey Hency (she's the mod, super cool one who lives in Dallas)

Pretty Collin at the Rehearsal Dinner

The bride with her entourage. 11 little pretties in navy. We were missing one because of the nasty stomach virus. It was a beautiful military wedding!

Jessica and I at the annual ornament exchange


Our crew with our new 2008 ornaments. And we are minus one here, Jeni, because of the nasty stomach virus!

Happy Holidays

I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas! I feel like we've been in a whirlwind after returning from Hawaii. But, it's been so wonderful!

I worked on Monday and Tuesday and ran errands every free second I had. By 2:30 am on Wednesday, I finally had all my presents wrapped. I've never been so behind on my Christmas preparations! My parents came to our house that afternoon and joined the entire Jones family as we went to dinner in Memphis at Houston's restaurant. It was a great time! That night, we opened gifts at my in-laws house and, as always, Penny went overboard with gifts :) She's too sweet!

Christmas morning was very special for Keith and I- a first for us as Mr and Mrs! We prepared a special brunch for my parents and his family (I'll post a delicious recipe for "orange pecan french toast" later). We opened presents and hung out in our pajamas all morning.
Keith got me a beautiful ornament that has our names on it and "2008 First Christmas". It's gorgeous- just perfect! He also gave me money to buy a piece of art for our living room. I've been wanting to buy it since September :)
I got him a new golf driver that he had been waiting to buy, too. It was really special all around- I'll add the pictures tomorrow.

On Friday and Saturday, we were in Hot Springs for Stacia and Chris' wedding weekend. It was so nice to see my Tridelt girls- I've missed them so much! Everything was beautiful- just a winter wonderland! Despite the stormy weather and stomach virus that went around the group, it all worked out! The groomsmen were so impressive in their military uniforms, too. And best of all, Stacia married the man she loves!

Today, I went to Whitney's house for our annual ornament exchange. It is a tradition for Whit, Joanna, Jess, Lauren, Jeni, and I to have this with Shelly Jones, our high school small-group bible study leader. She's like a second mom to us! This was the perfect finishing touch to a busy week. I hadn't seen the girls since Thanksgiving, so it was great to catch up- and finally see Lauren's ring!!

Well, now it's back to reality- and I have to work Monday-Wednesday. I've really enjoyed having this time off and I'm looking forward to a 4 day weekend ahead... I'll post some pictures and other things in the next few days...

Elf Yourself

Keith and Meagan (his sis) created this "Elf Yourself" last night of my family. Notice, there are 2 dad elves. I think it's hilarious!

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/ZV3qpKx9xl3Tin5UTk5s

What I'm reading...

So, I've officially been sucked in. I read Twilight, by Stephanie Meyer, while on vacation (to see what all the hype was about) and loved it!! I'm had to buy New Moon while we were there and I'm already 3/4 of the way through it. They are quick, easy reads and keep you addicted! Now, I can't wait to see the movie that came out recently. Chances are, by the time the holidays are over, I'll have the whole series finished. But, I don't want it to end!



Recently, I also read Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. My mother recommended this book to me. She is an avid reader and has a great library. This was excellent, just beautifully written. I'm starting to read more often now, so I'll try to post my latest good reads on here...in case anyone is looking for advice ;)

Safely Home

We are back home in Marion tonight after our week in paradise. It was an incredible trip! We flew all night and arrived around 2 today. So, we are exhausted and so happy to be in our warm home. Something about flying all day makes you feel so gross! Now that I've had my shower, unpacked, and started the laundry, I'm feeling much better! There's only a couple of days until Christmas, and I have LOTS to do! Mom and Dad are coming here and I'm having the whole gang over to our house for breakfast on Christmas morning. Then, we'll be headed to Hot Springs for Stacia's wedding this weekend. Tis the season for busy schedules!

Anyway- here are a couple of pictures. Between all of us, we took about 500+! Overkill? I think so!




This is Charlie, our little Lego horse. We discovered him on Black Sand Beach. More to come on him later...

Road to Hana

Yesterday was great! At the beach right here at the hotel we watched a pod of 25+ dolphins swim and play for an hour. It was amazing! We relaxed and snorkled off and on.
Today, we drove the road to Hana and made some great stops along the way. We saw lots of coastline views, waterfalls, beaches, etc. Some of the hiking trails involved "off-roadin'" and at one point, I was up to my shorts in mud! But, it was all worth it and we saw some breath-taking sights.
Tonight, we had a huge sushi dinner and I'm so stuffed! I can feel the pain, but who can resist the fresh fish?
I'm off to bed- more to come later!

Sunburns

Well, the sun has been out the past 2 days and my skin shows it! We've been sight seeing and snorkeling on this beautiful island, and we are lovin' it! I have seen whales, swam with sea turtles, and snorkled in a gorgeous coral reef. The islands are amazing- the way they formed from volcanoes. Being with the geologists (my sis and her husband) makes it even better cuz they can tell us so much about what we're seeing.
Everything is going great so far. I'll try to post some pictures soon!

Aloha!

We've arrived safely! And are already enjoying things. Right now, it's rainy, buy we're optimistic for sunnier days ahead! Mom and I have had our first tropical drink to kick things off.
It's 4 hours behind AR time here, so today has really been a long day. We woke up at 5! So, we're off to bed soon to rest up. After all, the boys play golf tomorrow!

More to come later!

Hawaii bound

We're sitting in the Phoenix airport now - about to board our flight to Maui. Mentally, I've been on vacation since 4:00 yesterday! I'm so excited to get there and begin the relaxation and adventures. Plus, I haven't seen Jen and Jerry since the wedding, so I can't wait to be reunited with my sis!
We've got plenty of magazines and books to keep us occupied for the 6 hour flight. I'm hoping for a good movie, too. Keith surprised me with a pre-trip gift: the Twilight book! From what I hear, I'll be through it in no time.

Oh, and PS, I'm blogging from my phone. Never done that before! Hopefully, it works. I'll try to post upates throughout the week.

Mele kelekimakka!

1/8 of a dentist

Victory! Keith finished his first semester of dental school yesterday with a big final.
He survived (and passed) the semester. Yay! He worked hard, especially in the last week. He had two tests & a comprehensive final within a week's time. Needless to say, he and I didn't talk much. He stayed back in our "study" room with papers everywhere. I would bring drinks and snacks in to him just to say hi :)

So, I feel like I have a husband again! He's 1/8 of the way there and I'm proud of him. They say the 2nd semester of D1 year and first semester D2 year are the hardest. So, I'm bracing myself for the study time to increase in 2009. But, for the next month- he's mine!

I called him a minute ago to see if he had started on my honey-do list that was so nicely written and put on the fridge. Low and behold, he was still in bed at 11:00, just watching TV! A well deserved break, I suppose. But, just for today :) Then, he'll have to help me out with a few things!

Packing!

So, tonight I finally drug out the massive red suitcase. I could fit in that thing.
Have I told you that Keith and I are headed to Hawaii on Saturday? We're tagging along with Mom and Dad and we'll be joined by Jennifer and Jerry (my sis and brother-in-law) once we're out there.
Yep, we're excited. 7 days in paradise. No work. No school. I can't wait! It's a much needed vacation for us Joneses. He's been studying till his eyes cross and I've been workin' hard pretty much since we moved here :)

Anyway! Off to Maui we'll be on Saturday A.M., bright and early. So, the time has come to start packing. Of course I have swimsuits....from the honeymoon this summer- check. Flip flops, that's easy- check. Camera, sunscreen, pjs, a good book- check, check.
Clothes....Yes, I see them hanging there all organized. But, the wind is howling outside. It's an iceberg. The last thing I want to do is try on a pair of shorts right now. Not to mention, the nice pasty-white skin I have achieved at this point in the winter. Hey, there are parts of the world where that is considered ideal beauty. But not here- or in Hawaii. So, tomorrow I'm planning to go to a tanning bed. Just this once. I hate them and I know how terrible they are. And I think I'll get a pedicure before the trip, too. That'll help get me in the spirit!

In the meantime though, I'm getting back to my cozy blanket. I'll try this packing game later.

Australia

Mmm I saw a GREAT movie this weekend. Australia is wonderful and I'd recommend it to anyone! The cinematography is beautiful, and so is Hugh Jackman!
Kayla and I went together while our poor husbands studied all weekend long. Too bad they couldn't come! We missed them...

Happy Birthday!

Today is my sister Jennifer's birthday. I think she's 29 again? Ahh, who's counting! And tomorrow is my grandmother's birthday. I got to see her today when they dropped by for a visit on their way home from Florida. And, last Thursday was Kyle's birthday. It's hard to believe he would have been 22! December is full of lots of birthdays, so happy wishes to all those I love :)

She's finally engaged!

Big news! My sweet friend, Lauren Quick, is engaged! Lee proposed this week while they were out in Keystone, CO with her family. I'm so happy for them!
They've been dating since I've know her and they're such a perfect fit. I know they'll be so happy together! Keith and I love to go on double dates with them. So, I'm excited that they'll soon be a married couple, too! Congrats, guys.

Mom's Chili

This week I made my mom's chili. It's so yummy and easy! Perfect for a cold night....

1 lb. ground beef
2 cans Bush's Best Chili Beans, Mild
1 can Rotel
1 can Stewed Tomatoes
1 pkg McCormix Chili Mix, Original

Brown the ground beef and drain. Combine all ingredients in pot, and cook for about 30 minutes.
Top with Fritos, diced onions, cheese, sour cream.

Mmmm!!