And Now Let's Recap...

Lingerie Brunch with Girlfriends+Mimosas....

I've gotta crown and a veil so I must be the Bride

The Nail Bar - manies & pedies are MY FAVORITE! ---

Onto the P-A-R-T-Y BUS!

Gotta throw up the Deltas!

There was a pole...

Yes, we are close friends.

I told ya'll that Jeni + Champagne = kisses for everyone

GOODNIGHT!

The Nail Bar & Pompeii Purple!

Ok, as promised, here are some more pictures from The Nail Bar. Pictured above Collin, Brandlyn, Brittany, and and I are en route to the Nail Bar! I chose OPI Nail color Pompeii Purple for my nails and toes. Loved it then. Love it now. As with most things in life, I either love it or I hate it. There's really no in between with me. I'm an all or nothin' kinda girl. Anyway, here are a few more pictures of our fabulous trip to the Nail Bar at Mud Island!

Watching a classic - Father of the Bride

Kelsey, Kendall, Jessica, & Collin getting pedies

Kendall & Jess enjoying their glass of wine with a pedi on the side

I was so surprised when I found out Kels brought Sprinkles Cupcakes!!!

Me & Meredith showing off our pretty toes

Let The Bachelorette Festivities Begin!

Kendall, my MOH, hosted a lingerie brunch and bachelorette party for me this past weekend. It was amazing! My sisters and I began the weekend with a road trip to Kendall's house in Marion, AR. The drive there was tons of fun because we had 2 solid hours of catching up on girl talk, something I have really missed doing with them. Once we arrived in Marion, they told me about all the fun surprises I had in store for my bachelorette weekend! And wow...What. A. Weekend!

Mmmmmmmimosas, cheers!.

The lingerie brunch was Saturday morning and let me just say those girls know how to shop for lingerie! Kendall cooked up some very delicious hors d'oeuvres, Meredith brought petit fors all the way from Rick's Bakery in Fayetteville, and Kelsey flew to Little Rock from Dallas with Sprinkles Cupcakes in hand! It was a great beginning to a very unforgetable day! Kendall had very cute table decorations and party favors too!

Me & My Sisters

Collin (to my left) flew in all the way from Washington D.C. for my bachelorette party and Kelsey (to my right) flew in from Dallas with Sprinkles Cupcakes!

Veil, check! Tiara, check! Furry garter, check!

Now, where's my groom?!

Woo hoo! Lots of pretty, frilly things!

A close-up of my lingerie display. I feel like one of the girls on 'Price Is Right'.

Kendall's hubby, Keith, stopped by to take a group snapshot!

Back: Kendall, Joanna, Mallory, Kelsey, Meredith, Jessica, Collin -- Front: Allison, Brandlyn, me, Brittany, Lauren, Whitney

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After the lingerie shower we were off to The Nail Bar, where we all got manies and pedies while watching Father of the Bride and sipping champagne and wine. They closed the salon for 3 hours just for our party!

Brittany, Brandlyn, & Lana lounging at The Nail Bar!

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After 3 hours of being pampered and about 5 hours of sippin' cocktails we were obviously relaxed. So we went back to Kendall's house and took a nap. After all, we needed to be rested for the night's festivities! By the time the Party Bus arrived we were rested, make-up was done, & hair was teased and poofed! Yes, that's right, I said A Party Bus! Complete with music, strobe light and pole! It was not a limo. It was so much better. And, Kendall's post says, 'I Gotta Feeling' by The Black Eyed Peas was definitely the night's theme song. It played at least 5 times that night, and each time was better than the one before! I still have the song in my head...too bad we had to return the party bus...
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Dinner was at a very unique, swanky lounge downtown called Mollie Fontaine Lounge. They serve small plates & cocktails. It is such a great place for a bachelorette party or even just a night out with the girls! I'm jealous that Kendall has all these awesome places right at her back door.

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And the cocktails were soooooo good too!

Blueberry Mojito, anyone?!

Just call me 'Sackett', okay! Jeni+Champagne = kisses for everyone!

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After dinner we went to a bar, but the party bus was just too much fun! We just wanted to sing and dance all night long so we spent most of the remainder of the night doing just that! The party bus was awesome!

My Delta Girls Me & Jes...Glamourous

"Ok, who gave Jeni the bottle of champagne?!"

Oh, my dears, Tina Bonnie & Bonida Hold on to your champagne, we're turnin'! And I will conclude this post with a classic Jeni facial expression, one which is rarely captured on camera. If you know me well, then you know the face: "What? What'd I say?!" or "I'm just sayin'........" Sometimes I just say whatever comes to my mind!

I would love to have some more pictures (especially from the Nail Bar) so please send them to me. Brittany, that especially means you! Thanks girls for such a great bachelorette party!

Hans, Franz & Me

Remember waaaaaaay back when Hans & Franz were on Saturday Night Live? Well, I found one of their outfits in Sam's coat closet. No, he never made it to SNL! This outfit was from a skit he did at DePuy's National Sales Meeting. Apparently he kept the outfits. I am still looking for the video and I definitely plan to post it if I can find it! Anyway, here's how all this went down...

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So it's Monday, July 20th around 5:30pm and I am doing my normal routine and heading to Sam's house to start dinner. I walked in the door and noticed that I accidentally left my rain coat out the other day and I finally decided it was time to put it where it belongs. Much to my surprise, when I was going through the coat closet I found a grey sweatsuit stuffed with some kind of material. After I picked myself up off the floor and got my laughter under control, a tiny voice inside my head said "try it on". I couldn't resist...

I put the sweatsuit on and let me tell ya, it was HOT! And I don't mean sexy! I had that darn thing on for 10 minutes before Sam got home. No need for a workout today because I was sweatin' up a storm just sitting on the couch with the thing on! I heard the garage door open and ran to the door, flung it open, and proceeded to do a few Arnold Schwarzenegger bodybuilding poses in the doorway. Sam's reaction was, ummmm, priceless. It was kind-of a mix between hysterical laughter and thoughts of "What have I got myself into?!". We decided to capture this moment with a few photos. It's a shame we don't have a video of his reaction. It was even better than the picture of me in the sweatsuit!

A Jen-ventory...

Yes, I combined Jeni and Inventory and made a new word, Jen-ventory. And yes, I think it's brilliant (but I am a little sleep deprived these days)...
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A few months ago I took an inventory of where I am in life. I have so much going on right now that I think it's good for me to just stop, take a breath, reflect, and thank God for what he has given me. For the past few months my life has been crazy, wonderful, exciting, and even sometimes sad (missin' the fam). Crazy and exciting because all of the past 7 months have been devoted to planning 1 day. I mean, don't get me wrong, I've done other stuff too, but I feel that a wedding should be personal to the couple and let me tell ya, personalizing takes time! Since we became engaged this past December we've been wedding planning, house hunting, and enjoying all the fun and exciting aspects of being engaged (showers, parties, cake tasting!, and even our pre-marital counseling). We have mostly enjoyed living in the same city...same state...same area code! So, lots on my mind, now onto the inventory...
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Right Now I Am:
Watching 'So You Think You Can Dance' and doing laundry...yes, I live a glamourous life!
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A Song Which Has Captured My Attention:
"Stand" by Bebo Norman. Love him, love all his songs-very uplifting! I have all his cd's except for the latest one, which I plan on buying soon.
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A Great Story:
I have to dote on my 8 year-old nephew Hunter. He is on an All Star Baseball team and they just won 2nd place in the State Championship out of 51 teams! He is headed for Regionals on July 30th...that's National Regionals, people! Yes, I will get autographs for everyone!
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I'm Missing:
My family. so much. I'm heading to Arkansas next Thursday and I can hardly wait! I also miss my girlfriends back in Arkansas. I tell ya, I'm a lucky girl because I believe I have the best girlfriends in the world, both here and back home. I am also missing some of my jewelry and have been since December. I hate misplacing things, but I do it often.
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I'm Relieved:
That all the bridesmaids have their dresses now, and that I have mine too! I was getting a little worried about theirs coming in on time.
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I'm Procrastinating:
Uh, yeah, story of my life. Just to name a few things: school stuff, rescheduling my flight to Arkansas in August, cleaning up my mess in the kitchen, cleaning out a closet.
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I'm Looking Forward To:
#1 Seeing some chick-flicks and spending time much-needed time with my girlfriends while Sam is outta town!
#2 My lingerie shower and bachelorette party in Memphis next weekend!
#3 Wrapping gifts for my bridesmaids brunch!
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I'm Excited About:
OUR WEDDING! 1 month from today!
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I'm Discouraged About:
Sam being out of town working most of the next two weeks. Who will I cook for? And if I cook, who will actually eat it?!
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I Want To Bake:
Something sweet and delicious for my honey when he comes back from Chicago!
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You May Also Want To Know:
Sam and I have realized that "the honeymoon" idea was thought up by someone brilliant. We are so ready and excited to become Mr. and Mrs., but we also need a vacation!

Things That Make Me HAPPPPPY!

Let me just say...GREAT WEEKEND!

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Friday after work Sam brought home the most beautiful Gerbera Daisies & Lillies. My favorite thing about these particular flowers was the bright orange color, which reminded me of my dear friend Kendall's brother, Kyle Bollen. I took a picture of them alongside my 'Happy Everything' plate. If you were blessed enough to have known Kyle then you already know why the two are a perfect pairing. Kyle was always happy all the time, and he always made people laugh...hysterically...all the time!

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Saturday was a very exciting day for me! I slept in. This is actually a great time to interject my Saturday Rules: #1. Don't call me before 10am. #2. If it is raining, don't call me...I'll call you when I wake up. I LOVE sleeping in when it rains! #3. If there is a chance of rain my phone will be off.

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Sam and I spent most of the afternoon rearranging furniture for the week's upcoming house showings. I love rearranging furniture. Sadly, we said "goodbye" to the foosball table....kidding. When Sam moved into his house a few years ago he put the foosball table in what most would call the dining room. Yes, that's right ladies, the dining room! I have to admit that it hasn't really bothered me at all. We stored the foosball table at his parents house (along with 4-5 other boxes of stuff), and turned the foosball table room into a reading area, which is actually quite cozy!

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Saturday night, Sam's brothers and their lovely wives hosted a Couple's Shower & Barbeque for me and Sam. We had such a great time. Lots of food, lots of friends, lots of gifts, a keg. They definitely how to entertain! To my detriment, I forgot my freakin' camera! Yes, me, Jeni Bennett forgot the camera! Luckily our family and friends did not forget this necessary item. I don't have the pictures yet, but I will post them as soon as I do! We've got some cute ones!

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Sunday was Noah T. Sackett's, 8th birthday party! Today (7/14) is his actual birthday so I decided to post this today. He got lots of great gifts and everyone had a great time. And the party favor....ok get ready for this....Keri gave all the kids Slip 'n Slides! I've said it before and I'll say it again, she is such a fun and creative mom! Below is a picture of the birthday boy! He was an excellent Slip 'n Slider!

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The kids were ecstatic! Ok, so were the adults; however, we quickly learned that there was a warning label on the box and no one over 100lbs would be allowed to slip or slide. This was probably a good thing because you never want to see adults fighting with their kids over whose turn it is to play with a toy.

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Owen wasn't interested in sliding, but he sure loved playing in the water!

The men brought their own toys to play with...water guns, ballons, and a water ballon launcher. I've gotta feeling it's only a matter of time before Sam buys one of these ballon lauchin' thingamajigz. They're so proud of their ballon-launching skills....

Logan always attracts the older ladies! Courtney, Me, & Keri soaking up the sun!

A weekend full of social gatherings is my favorite kind of weekend! Hopefully I can post pictures from our couples shower soon!

Cookin' 101

I have had so many mishaps in the kitchen since I started cooking more often that I decided to make a new posting label called Cookin' 101. This label is much different from my successful cooking experiences, labeled "Recipes". Cookin' 101 is for people who I like to call "beginner cooks", who like myself have been afraid to try the delicate art of cooking. Please have them read some of my stories and they will soon realize anyone can cook!
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The latest cooking drama occurred Tuesday night while I was attempting to cook shrimp for the first time. Sam and I had about 45 minutes to cook, eat, freshen up, and head downtown for our ballroom dance lessons. Speaking of dance lessons, I just realized that I haven't even blogged once about that. I promise to tell y'all all about it soon, but for now let's get back to Cookin' 101. The instructions on the peeled, deveined, frozen, raw shrimp said "Boil 3-4 minutes, then immediately place shrimp in cold water." Simple right? WRONG! I turned my back for maybe fifteen seconds to measure 1 cup of white rice, and then I heard the sound of water overflowing from my shrimp boiling pot. The water was all over the kitchen floor and you could already smell shrimp all throughout the house! Ugh, I can still remember the nauseating smell like it is still there!
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Sam came running into the kitchen when he heard all the commotion and asked how he could help. Ha ha, I was so overwhelmed with the whole deal so I just looked at him and remained silent. Me, silent?! Yep! I knew he was just trying to help, but I also knew that if I opened my mouth I would either start screaming or crying and I wasn't sure which one. Somehow I mustered out the words "NO! Dinner will be ready in 5 minutes." He took out a wine glass and poured me a very generous serving of Chardonnay. What can I say, the man knows me well! Wine is an instant relaxor for me!
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5-10 minutes later we sat down at the dinner table to eat overcooked honey-ginger shrimp, undercooked rice, green beans, and bread. THANK GOODNESS for the bread because it was the only edible thing I cooked that night! Sam is wonderfully appreciative and supportive of my cooking so he had seconds and kept telling me it was good. I knew it was awful, but he has a way of making me feel good about everything. I'm a lucky girl! We had to leave everything out...dishes, pots, pans, and the smell. After our dance lesson, we came home to Bubba Gump's Shrimpin' Boat (or atleast the smell of it). Now I am on wine glass #2. We change clothes and start scrubbing! 1 half gallon of Lysol, 2 yellow rubber gloves, 1 mop & bucket, 1 Swiffer Wet Jet, 1 peaches & cream scented candle, and an hour and a half later we finished. Kitchen's never looked so clean and fresh! Lesson #1: Don't try cooking a new dish if you are in a hurry. Lesson #2: Always have a bottle of wine at home.
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Sam stopped washing dishes to take a quick picture of me cleaning. Clearly, I have that "I am NOT amused" look and fake smile on my face.

Happy Birthday, Spencer!

Today is Spencer's birthday and I sure wish I could be in Arkansas to give him a big birthday hug. I introduced Spencer to y'all in one of my posts back in April. He is a great guy and we all just love him to death! So in celebrating Spencer's 23rd birthday, I have decided to make a list of things I love most about him. This list is in no particular order...

Even though we are hundreds of miles apart, he always texts or calls me back. Some family members could learn from him! Just kiddin' ...kinda :)

Along with one of our good friends, Dustin Jones (below on right), we set the world record for longest trip to Fayetteville from North Little Rock. I believe it took us about 7 hours and 3 1/2 of those were spent on a freeway bridge. Best time I've ever had sittin' on a bridge!

He is my whiskey-pong partner.

He has given me some great advise to keep the Fort Wayne wildlife away from me! *Get Justin to wrestle them!

He always has a smile on his face!

Though I have never been brave enough to face the bitter cold winter at 3am to go duck hunting, I have heard he's an awesome duck guide!

My sister loves him (so he must be wonderful)!