T'was The Night For Love - Santa Love

T'was The Night Before Christmas is NOT the story for us this season; this year a new man is in town, and he has his own story. It's the story of Santa Love! Before we share his story, we'll provide you with some much needed background information, or it could be me making a long story...even longer.

When it comes to decorating for the holidays, I much admire the white icicle lights and battery operated white light window candles. White lights on the trees, and beautifully handmade white snowflake ornaments (probably from a unique artisan who has a workshop in Maine and whittles them from a special white oak tree) are such a cozy sight. It's like Southern Living at its finest! I picture a warm fire, eggnog being served in, of course, white mugs, and men and women in matching argyle sweaters. It's really quite nice....BUT...

At the Jenkins' we don't play like that! Our first Christmas I mentioned hanging those lights on the outside of our house, and Ryan was appalled. "No Way", he says. "If we're putting lights out, they're going to be colored bulbs and big ones at that." So, it begins. We don't aspire to be The Griswolds in Christmas Vacation (even though I bet they have a fun family Christmas), but we do like the colorful slightly over the top decor ...it's fun and joyful!

As I shared this story at work, a friend said she had been holding on to something special for a few years and she firmly believed it had just found a new loving home. We named him...Santa Love.

Santa Love was originally bought in New Orleans at a hardware store for the creator of a cartoon that aired on Cartoon Network called The Oblongs. From what I understand, the creator chooses to illuminate the rooms in his home with decorations like pigs rather than society's normal desk lamp. Being that he lived in San Francisco and Santa Love was purchased in Louisiana, the shipping dilemma began. It would have been cheaper for her to buy Santa Love a plane ticket than actually ship him through the United States Postal Service. With my friend not knowing how safely he would arrive at The Golden Gate Bridge, especially if he was not on a non-stop flight, she held on to him. Well, then came Hurricane Katrina. Santa Love resided in mid-city on Clarke Street with his owner at the time. With the evacuations, she trusted the protection of her home to Santa Love and reluctantly left him to fend for himself. After 2 months, she was able to return to her home....EVERYTHING flooded and destroyed...EVERYTHING but 3 items: some silver, a guitar, and the unscathed Santa Love. Knowing he must have a determined and special fate, she's held on to him since...waiting for the perfect home for him.

After one of my massage sessions this week, I walked into the break room. The lights were off, but a radiant glow was coming from around the corner. As I turned the corner, there he was in all his glory. He was more amazing than I had pictured...and he was ALL MINE! He stands at about 3 feet tall and weighs in at about 3 pounds or less...a definite lightweight. He's dressed in a Santa outfit, holds a Wish List, and beams a dark skin tone. His only flaw....a broken off pipe which now looks like the burning end of a smoked cigarette. He's beautiful. He's the newly named and warmly welcomed into the Jenkins' family - SANTA LOVE!!


Ryan suggested placing him on the roof. My response - "Not even a possibility for someone so fantastic. Get your own Santa for that!" He's staying safe and protected in the warm walls of our home. He's part of the family now. He's going right in the middle of the living room...where he belongs!

To view him, you'll have to come to the Jenkins' home. Be prepared to have your picture made with him. All guests have the opportunity. We'll update the photos as people have time to come in and enjoy some special quality time with Santa Love this Holiday Season.

Thank you so much, Bethann! Your generous gift has earned a permanent place in the life, the memories, and the legacy known as...The Jenk Adventure!

Chaco's Fascinated


New Family Portrait

Face to Face

Chad, Fawn, and Caedmon made the trek from Georgia to visit Santa Love!

Jim & Choyer come over to dine with Santa Love.

Jolynn and Maranda flirting with Santa Love.

The K Browns!

Gone With The Wind

Ok...I was born and raised in Georgia, and for so long was ashamed that I had never sat down and watched Gone With The Wind in its entirety. Since I've been sick for awhile, I've had some down time. After searching through our assortment of movies and wondering why we own so many and can't quite find ONE we want to watch, Ryan and I pulled out the Margaret Mitchell classic. I said I had always wanted to see it, and probably since I've been under the weather, he agreed to the viewing. It wasn't until it started that I shared with him it was nearly 4 hours.
We watched and watched, and took pee breaks and flipped the DVD over like a record to watch the second side. All the time wondering if there was a happy moment in this entire movie.
Now, I love my roots...don't get me wrong...but how depressing?!!! When Rhett Butler said his infamous phrase at the end and Scarlett walks back to Tara, the music starts and it FINALLY said - The End...we just looked at each other with this flabergasted look. What?!!!
Everybody dies, everybody's homes get destroyed, children are dying, people are racist, nobody ends up with the one they love, the nicest girl in the whole movie dies!
For it to be a classic, it was hardly one that either of us would watch again. And for it to win 10 Academy Awards...what?
Now to those of you out there who love or even like this movie, then more power to you. No hard feelings, but two thumbs down on this one. We both felt like we suffered through it more than enjoyed it.

Chaco's Montage

Chaco made herself a montage and wanted us to share it with everyone.

Merry Christmas,
Chaco

Cold Remedies

So, I'm trying to approach this "blog" thing more consistently. I figure it's like that movie Field Of Dreams..."If you build it, they will come." But in blogger world, I guess it's "If you write it, they will come." I apologize in advance for anything weird that comes out. I came down with something nasty yesterday, and I have serious medicine head. At about 2 pm yesterday, my throat started to close up, get tight, and become very sore. By 4 pm, my itchy watery eyes started to seal the deal. At 9 or so, I was so out of it I could barely talk. I drank some Emergen-C (vitamin boost), started taking cold and cough Ayurveda herbs, and started the whole gargle with warm salt water trick. I've rested today, had a couple of doses of Ny-Quil to aid in my sleeping abilities, drank OJ, sipped on soup, and religiously nursed Ricola Honey Herb throat drops. Now, I'm sitting up in bed, watching the room spin, and wondering is there anything else I can do to kick this thing?. If you've lasted this long in reading my cold blog, you are so awesome. Please feel free to pass on any cold tricks you've been taught over the years to help me in this "cold mess" or any future ones the Jenkins' will run into.
Thanks!!
Floating in Nashville,
Kari

Christmas Shopping? Any tips??

Christmas Shopping? The whole thing is bewildering to me.
First of all, I'm not a big shopper anyway...for which Ryan is always reminding me that he is grateful. On rare occasions, I'll get the shopping bug. For some reason, I'll have a little extra cash or it has been allotted in our monthly budget, and it's fun to search for the greatest deal and come back with a purchase and cash still in hand.
Second of all, it's a bit overwhelming...the gift, the perfect gift. I'm not one to just buy a gift for someone at random, wrap it up real quick, and throw it under the tree right before they walk in the door...just to pretend to look for it when I'm passing them out. I like to buy a gift that means something. Maybe I heard someone say they like this or are interested in that...when that's they case, I'm off - hightailing it...for the all-time perfect present (in my opinion). I find more joy in actually coming up with it, creatively brainstorming. I will say that yesterday I walked a few stores, and there are a few of you that showed yourself in the perfect gifts. Now, I just have to actually purchase them. Procrastination doesn't always work in my favor. But you see, when it's Christmas - I have to come up with the perfect gift for at least 20 people in a month's time.
At the end of every Christmas season, I say that I'll shop throughout the year. It sounds great, but it just doesn't happen. I admire the people I know that have their "gift" journal and buy and write the gifts down throughout the year or those who love Black Friday (Hats Off To Debbie!!), but it's the end of November and I'm wondering how I'm going to get 20 perfect gifts in a month's time.
So, for all you avid shopping guru's, please feel free to post any tips or ideas for how you do Christmas shopping. I would appreciate any advice you can give me for this season or the one that will come around again in about 365 days.

December Is Here, and We're Chasing Dreams!

It's here! We already have our lights up outside, the decorations up inside, and the shopping list done. Not the shopping....just the list! It's only a few days after Thanksgiving and we're already in the Christmas mood.
We had a good Thanksgiving this year. We hung out with a few couples that do not have family in town. A full afternoon of good food and football. We thought about going bowling...but after stuffing our faces, all we could do was raise the remote. The day before, Kari and I spent the entire afternoon cooking for the feast: sweet potato casserole, cinnamon apples, pumpkin roll, and apple pie. (Kari did most of the cooking...I just did some of the easy stuff!)
Life is being good to us but is also showing us some challenges. Work for both of us is going smoothly. Kari definitely enjoys her job. She also has been working diligently on her birth assistant certification. On top of that, she is also juggling the thought of going back to school to get a labor and delivery nursing degree. (Some of you may not know this, but she has the aspiration to open a center for expecting and new mothers that has prenatal massage, baby massage, yoga, birth assistants, among many other things.)
With me, I am just plugging away at my job. Not sure if the word has been passed around, but I am in the midst of a career change...(although this transformation may take a long time.) I am trying to change careers and become a Park Ranger. I know, I know...you're thinking "from Information Technology to a Park Ranger?" Well, after a lot of thought and soul searching, I have realized that I took my current job for the salary only, which doesn't always make for a fulfilling or enjoyable work week. I applied and had an interview for a job in a Georgia State Park, was selected as a part of the top three applicants, but lost the job to someone who had a lot more experience than me. So as of now, I am just going to try and work to save a little extra cash so I can possibly go back to school to get a Masters Degree to give me more of an edge on my application.
Yeah, we have some lofty dreams, but we're young still and have a lot of room to reinvent ourselves. That is part of the" Jenk Adventure" and the joy of this life.
Among all the other excitement in our lives, I'm going to sell my truck this week and we are going to be a one car family for a while. Luckily Kari and I work fairly close to each other, and I still have the motorcycle as a means of transportation.
So that's it mostly. I hope everyone is doing well and is having an adventurous season!

High Hopes and Lofty Dreams

Today I was checking up on a friend with a new babe and their new baby's website. I was posting a comment and sent it from this blog site. Honestly, in the last 6 months or so, we've been sucked into the world of myspace and keeping in contact with people there and totally forgot about this one. I started reading our last blog and I was like - Wow! A lot has happened. Since most of our family would check this one, I propose a new idea. When we blog at one, we copy and paste it to the other. That way we keep in touch with family and friends. What a genius idea?!
We'll do a quick rundown...
My bestfriend did have her baby 4 weeks ahead of her due date like I anticipated. I made it just in time on March 8th. Emileigh Kate is beautiful, and Amanda and her are coming up next weekend for some "Auntie" time.

After our bathroom job, we did the kitchen...tiling, painting (walls and cabinets), lights, and hardware. We painted our bedroom and got a bedroom suite...which we've been wanting for 4 years.

I finished my Infant Massage Training, a Prenatal Massage Certification Course, and now I'm taking a Doula/Birth Assistant Training at the end of October. I'm still at Practical Massage Therapy and loving it.

We went on a vacation with some of our close friends this summer. We went to Alaska and had the time of our lives! We did everything from train riding to 4 wheel driving to helicopter glacier landings to seakayaking to watching humpback whales and hiking mountains You can check out our pictures at www.picasaweb.google.com/thejenkadventure.

I (Ryan is typing now) got a chance to see my sister (Jessica) a few months ago. Until then, I hadn't seen her in about 7 years! It was great to see her and great to see that she was doing well and hear how things were going in her world in Montana. Even though we only got to see her for an afternoon, it was like we picked up right where we left off.

Chaco is still the furry kid in the house. She rules the roost and loves sleeping on the bed and barking at the squirrels.

So now, we are just working and trying to enjoy ourselves here at home. We have some more things to do to the house still. I've also been playing music and have some shows coming up that I am excited about. Kari has been doing a lot of quilting and we've both been exercising a bunch. We get up at 5 am every morning to go to the YMCA. We are also trying to do more camping.

We'll keep you updated on new things and we'll try to do this more often...(we say that every time!) I'm sure we'll have plenty of things to talk about in the near future.

For now....Jenkins Out!

February Is Over!!

February is over, and honestly we're kind of glad.

We had a lot going on this month. My Infant Massage Instructor Training is finally in the mail. Now, we go through the grading process, but the hard work is completed! I ended up taking a few days off of work to visit with my family and grandmother. While I was there, I spent some time doing some practicums for my Infant Massage stuff with some college roommates.

Ryan and I threw a couples baby shower in Cave Spring, GA for my bestfriend from high school, Amanda. And I also made a special trip down there for a photo shoot I gave her for Christmas. I've seen the pictures, and they are amazing! Now, my bags are getting packed, and I'm awaiting "the labor call." Yes, I'm a few weeks ahead of schedule, but our friend, Melanie, went 4 weeks before her due date. She caught us all off guard, so I'm just attempting to be calm and prepared for the occasion.

We finally finished our bathroom this month!! Two and a half months of working....no... slaving on the bathroom, has turned out to be all worth it. It is much, much better than when we first moved in. We tore out the sink, toilet, floor and shower walls. We tiled the floor, then put in a new plastic shower wall. We were not satisfied with the new wall so we decided to tear that down and cut out the wall and install a tile shower wall. It looks great! We then painted, put in a new shower head, put in new shower faucets and handle (which took some plumbing work!! That was fun!), put in one of those curved shower rods, a new toilet, and a new vanity/sink. It was quite the job...but we are pleased. We still have a couple minor decorating things to do, so when that is done this week, we will take some before and after photos and post them here.

From one project to another...now that we are done with the bathroom, we are going to start tearing up the kitchen floor today. We decided that if we didn't start it now, we would never get around to it!

We are frantically awaiting our trip to Alaska in June, and the Motorcycle riding season has begun, so the excitement never ends for us!

Since we are such good bloggers (can you hear the sarcasm?) we've also started up a Myspace page. It seems to be an easy way to keep in touch with friends we can't see alot. For any of you that has a Myspace page, come see us and add us as a friend!
www.myspace.com/thejenkadventure

We hope everyone is doing well and we'd love to hear what is going on in all of your worlds.

The Worst Bloggers EVER!

OK. So we admit it - We Are The World's Worst Bloggers! One day I'll think, "Hey, I should write about that." But then, something usually comes up and we don't. After a couple of times of that, then you think that you've got too much to write. We'll try and get better.
Right now we're anxiously awaiting the season premiere of Saturday Night Live...the perfect time to try and blog.

We sold our house within 1 week, and moved into Nashville at the end of November. We're now living in a 1960s ranch that we've started to work on. Ryan refinished the hardwoods underneath the carpet in the living room the first week we moved in. Now, we're tackling the main bathroom (luckily, we have one more in the basement). We took tiling classes at Home Depot and tiled the bathroom floor. We're waiting for more tiles to come in, so we can do the shower wall. We've got lots more to do!

Tiling at 3 A.M with a Cold

My parents and brother came to visit a few days before Christmas. Ryan got sick, so he was out of commission for the entire visit. We had a nice time seeing each other for the holidays. This was our first Christmas by ourselves where we didn't travel to see family. We spent it with friends this year here in Nashville. After Christmas we traveled to Virginia to visit Ryan's family. We enjoyed shackin' up with MawMaw and PawPaw and taking time to be with Ryan's family because we don't get to see them that often. We thought we were going to have to leave Chaco with MawMaw and PawPaw because they became so attached. If they weren't attached, they all did a good job of pretending. We were only there for 4 days, and we could have used another day or so to visit.















Christmas Eve with Friends




Chaco on Christmas Day

I'm loving my new job at Practical Massage Therapy. I picked up another day beginning in January.
We had a bird in our house. Ryan had to come home and rescue me from being attacked!
We're excited about our trip to Alaska in June. That's all Ryan can think about!!
Except for his new inversion therapy. He has this thing that he hung in a door frame. Every chance he can get he straps his "special" boots on and suspends himself upside down. He has degenerative disk disease and bad back pain, and this helps stretch him out and give him some relief.

Ryan upside down

I'm still working on my infant massage certification. I'm going to Atlanta soon to snag a couple of friends for my practicums. How cool is that?!! I get to see some close friends and teach them how to massage their babies and communicate through touch.

We'll try to blog more often and keep everyone up to date with The Jenk Adventure!!!