a nice break

Alex and I have officially survived our first holiday away from Miami. It was tough. I knew friends and family back home were continuing on in their traditions and it pained me a little to know we wouldn't be able to participate. 

However, Alex's mom came to visit and we got together with the Schoppes (our neighbors and friends from our small group) for a delicious dinner. 

I made a sweet potato casserole from scratch and it came out delicious! I couldn't believe I actually made something that tasted so good. We decorated our place a bit and I think it didn't look too shabby...considering the limited space and resources. 

The next morning we all got up early. Alex headed off to work as Patty and I headed to the Black Friday sales. It was my first time. It wasn't as scary as I imagined it would be, but still not something I would want to do year after year. The good news is we were able to make Alex's wildest dreams come true. A new HDTV! Yay! Enjoy it, babe. ;-)

We spent Saturday taking Patty all over Raleigh and ended the night by decorating our first Christmas tree. It's a stubby little thing, but I love it. I really enjoy this time of the year and I am counting down the days for this semester to be over so I can relax and head home for the holidays. 

I hope everyone else had a great Thanksgiving break!

Here are a few pictures from Thanksgiving and our Christmas tree. 

I am thankful for...

Even though it sounds a little cheesy I thought I'd write a list of things I'm thankful for. Lord knows there is SO much, but I'll try to keep it concise...

• My amazing and wonderful husband who loves me and always takes care of me.
• My mom and dad who are always there for me...even though they live in Texas.
• My abuelita...who I miss terribly...and who spoiled me for the past 15 years of my life when we lived together.
• My sister...because I think now that we're in our 20s we can be great friends. ;-)
• My amazing friends in Miami who I miss so much... Tati, Lia, Merari, Brigitte, Steph...everyone...you know who you all are.
• Our cute little apartment that keeps us out of the cold!
• Heroes...man, what a great show!!!
• Anything chocolate...it's good for my soul. 
• Music that makes me feel good, like Death Cab and Rilo Kiley.
• Super Target.
• My school...because even though it's tough, I'm learning so much.
• My church. Again, I'm learning so much and that pastor really has a gift for communicating the Word of God.
• My small group here in Wake Forest. It's been great getting to know these people and building relationships.
• My cameras. I should use them more often. They are amazing and I always love what comes out of them.
• Sushi. Ohhh...I love sushi...it's so wonderful.
• Our first Thanksgiving...I'm so thankful to celebrate this holiday (my favorite one) with my new husband in our new home.
• My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Everyday I realize how undeserving I am of a Savior...so I'm really thankful for that one. 

What are you thankful for? Name at least one.

i am jen

Last night, thanks to Pandora, Alex and I discovered a new artist.

Her sound caught our interest so we visited her website and were amazed with everything we found. At least, I was! She's really incredibly creative. We enjoyed the videos more than anything. 

Check her out...explore the website.

i am jen.

dip baby dip

My friends over at FAWN made this hilarious video. 

It really made my day. Go on over to their blog and show 'em some love. 

Oh, and buy their art. :-)

Untitled from Stephanie Montero on Vimeo.

things that make you go "aww"

On Tuesday night I had a bit of an accident... 

Many of you are aware of the scooter accident that Alex and I were in during our honeymoon. I described my injuries here. 

WELL...it seems that the abrasion on my knee hadn't healed fully yet because while I was playing a competitive game of 'Capture The Prisoner' on Tuesday night I fell hard on my knees and the wound on my right knee reopened. 

It was gross!

The scar tissue was peeled back, revealing a pretty deep hole, and the blood came pouring out. 

I drove myself home where Alex was waiting for me and he took me to the hospital. After some x-rays and being examined by the doctor, I received quite a few stitches and was on my way home.  I'm on crutches again...they are the bane of my existence. I've been instructed not to put any weight on my leg because it's very sensitive and the wound could rip open again. Nasty! Alex posted pictures of course. 

But that's not what's going to make you go, "aww." 

Last night my co-worker, Kathy, came by and brought me cookies, stain remover [to get the blood off my favorite jeans], and several letters from the kids at work.

They are SO adorable. Kids can really be sweet sometimes. :-)

Here are a few excerpts:

• Dear Coach Kristel, Are you okay? I hope you will be back hear. I hope it didn't mess your brane up.
  

• I hope your leg gits betr.
  

• I hope you feel better...I love your hair short you are sweet pretty...My mommy said you pretty and I said I know why because God wanted a pretty girl like you.
  

• Dear Coach Kristel. Coach Kristel I hope you feel much better. Coach Kristel I think you are going to be better. Coach Kristel I hope you are not to much hurt. Coach Kristel I hope you come and teach us in school.
  

• I miss you. You been gone for two days now. Wene will you get back?
  

• I hope that you come back to the YMCA. PS I mess you.
  

::tears:: I hope you enjoyed those as much as I did. ;-)

[any typos are intended, lol...it's exactly what the kids wrote]

new classes

There are only a few weeks left in this semester. 

Crazy to think how fast it has gone by! I've really enjoyed my first semester of seminary. I'm still getting into the swing of things. I don't feel like I totally "get it" yet, but I'm enjoying the ride...for the most part. ;-)

I already picked my classes for the winter and spring semesters. The winter term is known as a "J-term" around here. It's a two week course during winter break. We have a really long winter break here, so I  thought it would be wise to knock out a class since I'll probably have so much free time.  I'll be taking Counseling Theory, Monday - Friday from 8am-12:30pm for two weeks straight. I haven't had an 8am class since I was a freshman in college. There's a reason I quit taking 8 am classes. That is just TOO early in the morning! However, since it's only for two weeks I think I'll be able to survive...pray for me. ;-)

For the spring term I'm taking Christian Ethics, New Testament 2, Christian Theology 2, and my fourth class is the one I'm most excited about. It's a mission trip to Mexico in April. I'm excited because it'll be my first mission trip, I'm getting seminary credit for it, and my husband gets to come too! We'll be there for a week during our spring break. We are basically running a baseball camp for kids and also presenting them with the Gospel. I volunteered to be the "media director," which really just means I get to run around and take pictures of everyone and everything. 

I'm really eager for the spring semester to begin...but of course I have to get through the rest of this semester first. I still have a few papers to write and exams to pass. So I have to buckle down and get things done. 

...But I'll wait until after this weekend. :-) Kat and Lenny are in town and I have to enjoy their company while I can!

death cab for cutie music video

I love Death Cab for Cutie.

Words cannot express how much I enjoy their music. Ben Gibbard is an amazing song writer. His lyrics always touch me. 

I saw them live in Miami once and I absolutely loved it. I hope I can catch their show again soon.

 

Apparently they made music videos for many [if not all] of their songs from the Narrow Stairs album. You can see it on their myspace page. 

Here's one of my favorites...

Our First Fall

Alex and I have lived in Miami our entire lives. 

Now that we're living in North Carolina we have the privilege of experiencing our first fall together. The weather has been really nice lately [except when it rains]. There's always a cool breeze and a clear blue sky. And the leaves...oh the leaves! Who would have thought that dying leaves could be so exciting?? I love seeing the bold yellows, reds, and oranges. Every time I drive I have to make sure I don't get too distracted by the beautiful trees that surround me.

Yesterday we took a walk around the park by our apartment. The sun was setting and it was a beautiful sight. Good thing I brought my camera along!

Eric & Lia Vazquez

This past weekend Alex and I were in Miami for the wedding of my beautiful friend, Lia.

When I first met Lia I never imagined that we would become such close friends and would walk in each other's weddings.  But here we are, about three years later.  I was really happy to be a part of my friend's incredibly important day. 

Love you, girl. I pray blessings upon your marriage! Come visit us in North Carolina. ;-)

Eric, take care of my girl. ;-)