I woke up this morning very much wanting to be down on the Coast in MS with my toes in the sand, breathing in the fresh sea air, watching the sun glisten as the water laps the shore.  I'd just like some familiarity.  I'm going "home" to Maryland for a day or two this weekend, and I'd like to see the face of a friend.  It's been 3 years since I've really talked to anyone in MS besides Chris or Keli.  As I'm getting ready to finish college and get married, I guess I'm just feeling a little regret at not keeping in touch with anyone there.  It just seems like there's a chapter in my life in MS that is lost. 
I need to stop being so depressing.  These past two posts are a little sad.  And there's so much to be happy about right now.  I ordered the flowers for my wedding yesterday and they're going to be beautiful.  The beach will be gorgeous.  And I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with Tyler.
Laura and I are going to church this morning to cover Erin's playgroup.  It's funny because I really don't like kids.  I know, I know...what's not to like?  I've had a few bad baby-sitting experiences, so I tend to stay away.  Once I lost the family cat.  That was pretty bad.  We spent a few hours outside looking for it, but it never came home.  Another time I was baby-sitting for this family with four kids...one little girl got a pea stuch up her nose, another boy pooped on the couch, and then the same little guy wet his bed later that night.  After dealing with poop on the couch, when he told me he'd wet his bed I sighed and told him to roll over.  Needless to say that family never asked me back.
So hopefully this morning at playgroup will go a little better.  Haha.
Have a lovely afternoon.

I wrote this earlier today and thought I'd share...
Here I am in BrewHaha, my usual coffee place here in Newark.  I guess you could call it my "place."  I'm more of a pick-up-the-coffee-and-go-girl these days.  It was nice having a coffee spot in Nashville.  nearly every morning I'd hit up Portland Brew on 12th for an almond latte.  I'd sit inside with my laptop and research, do my Bible study, or talk to friends from home.
Where is "home" anyway?  Nashville felt more like home than Maryland--which is supposed to be my home right now--has every felt.  I'm getting married in June.  Then Newark, DE will really be home.  But who knows how long Ty and I will stay?  Home is a fickle word.  My only everlasting home is in heaven.  Praise God for what He's done!
I wrote a song this week and I'm really happy about it.  I've been going through a dry spell with songwriting, and it's funny because more has happened to me in the past semester than ever before: wedding plans, deltones decisions, dad in Iraq, epilepsy complications, job decisions, marriage counseling, gigging, worship leading, working my butt off in college, and trying to keep God in the center of all things--there's tons of material here!  But sometimes having so much keeps me from taking time to reflect--and the reflection produces songs.
The song came in one of my English lit classes on Tuesday and I finished it in my Middle East history class later that afternoon.  I'm a devoted student, I promise.
The campus is beautiful these days.  Flowers are blooming, the trees are green.  Creation is praising God!  It's phenomenal!
I hope you're enjoying Spring...
-Jenny

I haven't posted a blog in a while, so I thought now might be the time.
Tyler asked me to marry him just a little over a week ago!  I know, it's really amazing.  I'm so excited.  We're going to have a long engagement, but I don't think I mind so much.  It will give me lots of time to plan.
Musically, things have been much slower than they were in Nashville.  A part of me really misses being there, but I know that God has me in Delaware for a reason, many reasons in fact, and that they're all good and bringing him glory! I've been singing a ton!  The Deltones have been doing lots of gigs and I've been leading worship with Tyler at BSM and even at our church.  It's been great.  My voice is getting better.  I like it when I can really hear growth.
Class is calling...

I'm convinced that the University of Delaware has the longest winter session of all time.  That being said, I'm still at home. 

So what have I been doing with all of my free time?  Lately, I've been baking.  I went to get an oil change today and brought my "Taste of Home" magazine with me.  I probably looked like a little domestic stay-at-home wife (aside from the fact that I look about 12) browsing through recipes, folding the edges of pages with yummy looking dishes. 

But there's a problem.  While this baking gives me something to do, the fact remains: I am a terrible cook.  For example, once I spilled an entire pot of boiling soup all over the floor and my hand.  Sometimes I still find traces of soup when I clean.  More recently I set my kitchen on fire. 

This week I've been baking muffins.  Lots and lots of muffins.  None of them have turned out the way they're supposed to.  I guess I'll just have to keep trying.

On another note...I get to back to school on Sunday.  AND Tyler comes home next Tuesday!  I can't wait.

So would you like to hear a funny story? 

My dad has a bunch of friends that he's kept in touch with from high school/college, and last night two of them happened to be in town with their families.  We had a big get together at our house for dinner. The Meads brought two seven year old girls and a ten year old girl and the Beckman's brought their ten year old son.  My sister bailed on the evening.  She had to work and then she decided to go see a movie with Kevin, and even stay the night at his house.  I wasn't sure which group I belonged to -- the adults or the kids.  At first I tried to play a game with two of the girls...that didn't really work.  Then I decided to talk with the women. I don't have kids...that didn't really work out either.

I decided to bake a cake.  This is where the evening turned sour.  I didn't have all of the ingredients for my cake, so I thought I would substitute a little.  I've done this before and it never turns out badly.  Well, this time it did. After I put the cake in the oven, parts of the cake began to spill over the sides of the pan onto the bottom of the oven.  I opened the oven and smoke billowed out into the kitchen and all through the house.  The other women came into the kitchen and subsequently began to open the windows and doors of the house.  I finally got the cake out, but a thick coating of cake residue remained on the bottom of the oven.  A little while later my mom put more food in the oven.  She turned the oven on and the cake stuff on the bottom of the oven caught on fire.  I mean, huge flames!  We had 10 people in our house and I caused the kitchen to catch on fire. Yup, nice going Jenny.

My dad brought the fire extinguisher in, but thankfully, did not have to use it. We had every window and door open in our house to clear the smoke out.  Within a few minutes I think everyone had a headache. It was a lovely evening. 

Well, another semester at UDel has ended.  I had two exams last Friday and finished two papers early, so I was all set to come home on Monday afternoon.  Seriously, it's so good to be home.  The first night I was here I sat on my couch with coffee, a big blanket, and my cat, and watched Law & Order.  I know that's pathetic...but I love it.  I'm going to work out all winter and I'm incredibly excited about that too.  I just don't have/make the time to work out at school and it makes me sad. 

 My sister came home on Wednesday and we've been hanging out and being crazy together.  Tomorrow night we're heading over to City Dock coffee in Annapolis...I've missed that place.

Yesterday Tyler and I played Christmas carols at the Christiana mall near Newark.  It was so much fun, but incredibly exhausting.  We played three sets with a full band and my voice was pretty tired by the end. 

So I hope this isn't too gross, but I like to find some funny story to write about when I post these blogs.  I can't believe I'm about to share this with all of you (not that a ton of people read this thing anyway), but I come from a family with very thick earwax.  I mean, it's gross.  So yesterday we're playing at the mall and we used ear monitors...I'm sure there's some technical name for them, but I wouldn't know that.  Anyway, so I have these little monitors in my ears, and they don't really fit, and I'm constantly having to reposition them so I can hear...and in the middle of O Holy Night, I realize that the little rubber protective part of the monitor has become completely stuck inside my ear.  So the pointy metal part of the monitor has fallen out and this rubber thing is in my ear...needless to say I kind of freaked out.  It's time for Angels We Have Heard On High...one of my big moments.  So I turn to Tyler and say, "you're going to have to sing this one," rush off stage and grab my dad.  I tell him what's wrong, and luckily one of the sound guys happens to have a pair of pliers on him.  My dad pulls the rubber thingy out with the pliers and it's caked in earwax.  Disgusting, I know.  It was so embarrassing.  I'm looking at the sound guys and I'm like, "I'm so sorry."  But all was well and I went back out to sing the rest of the set. 

Well, I think I'm going to go watch Elf. 

Happy Holidays everyone!

Yesterday was a sad, sad day.  Why?  I lost my umbrella.  I know, it's just an umbrella...but you don't understand.  I worked at the Gap this past summer and got a sweet deal on an amazing umbrella.  It was so cheap!!!  Now, it is gone. Forever.  Sadness.

So enough of that. 

It's beautiful today.  And you know what else?  You never know when God is going to use you.  Last night Tyler called me at about 10:45 said that he needed me to call a new mutual friend that we have.  He didn't really say why, he just said that I should.  So I did and she happened to be in my building and said that she wanted to talk.  We talked for about an hour about...just everything.  I was able to share the gospel with her again too.  He knows what he's doing.

Geology class this morning...who doesn't want to go?  This girl right here. 

But once again...lovely day.