i LOVE the lake

What A Weekend! I was completly exhausted on Friday after being in class all morning and then going to Leo Junior/Senior High for the remainder of the afternoon, so Sam and I ordered Casa takeout and watched the movie 7 Pounds. We decided not to go out because we needed to get ready for the lake.

.

Saturday was the best part of the weekend! We headed off to Clear Lake to join our friends, Brent and Christina, at their lake house. I cannot believe I didn't take any pictures of their house. It was absolutely adorable! Sailboats everywhere! The water was way too cold for me and Christina, but the boys had no problem freezing their butts off. Sam skiied and Brent wake boarded while Christina and I soaked up all the sun we could handle.

Sam Skiing

Brent Wake Boarding

Me and Christina

Sam and Brent

Spring Flings

Sam and I had a fun-filled weekend and I am excited to announce that I bought a new plant, a Dahlia. Beautiful, yes! The problem is that I have to actually take care of this plant and I have not done the best job so far. But practice make perfect, right?!

Friday night was very relaxing. I went to Ella's t-ball game and then Sam and I had dinner and watched two movies with Aaron, Allison, and Nathan. The movie Taken was pretty good, but the quality of the second movie, whose name has escaped me, is debatable.

Saturday

Our good friends, Brent and Christina, had an engagement party on Saturday at the Botannical Gardens in downtown Fort Wayne. This was their very first party/shower as an engaged couple and it was a perfect day for celebrating! Sam and I met Brent and Christina through Sam and Christina's parents who live in the same neighborhood. Christina is a ball of fun and we knew we were going to be great friends the day we met. Our fiance's hit it off from the beginning too. We love hanging out with them and it is especially fun having another engaged couple around. They are getting married this November. The picture below is of Brent, Christina, me, and Sam. Don't you just love the colorful Spring wardrobes?!Saturday night, Sam and I had the Tingley's over for dinner. I made an appetizer, a yummy salad, Italian stuffed pasta shells (recipe courtesy of Brittany Bennett), garlic bread, and Liz brought over a delicious lemon pie. Yum-O! It was all delicious! Liz and I met last September while taking the Indiana Praxis test. Like women often do, we bonded in the ladies room. I was so happy to have a friend in Fort Wayne before I moved up here. I met Liz's husband, Chad, soon after I moved to Fort Wayne. Like always, Sam and I had a great time with them.

A little fun fact: I love cooking and entertaining, especially with all my new kitchen accessories like this cute apron! You can't tell from the picture, but it has the most adorable ruffles on the bottom...LOVE it!

Sunday

Sunday was very relaxing! I feel bad for skipping church, but I really needed the sleep. So I slept in, made pancakes, worked on thank you notes, cleaned house, went for a delightful car ride with my honey in the Porsche, and joined him at Franke Park to do a 3 mile walk benefitting the Arthritis Foundation. The company Sam works for, DePuy Orthopaedics, was a sponsor. It was a beautiful day for a walk outside and I met a lot of new people! I also met this cute little guy below. He reminded me of Tusk II, the Razorback's mascot, so I had to take a picture with him!

a little R&R

Lately Sam and I have been so busy with work, wedding stuff, house hunting, allergy season (yuck), and spring cleaning that we haven't been able to spend time relaxing and enjoying each other's company. So last night we decided to have a much needed and much deserved night of rest and relaxation. Our plans....dinner, movie, and red wine! We LOVE red wine!

I made spagetti because it is one of Sam's favorite dishes. I love my spagetti recipe, but decided I would use a new one just to mix it up a bit. Sam went by the RedBox on his way home and rented a movie. When he came home dinner was on the table and we opened a bottle of red wine, Chianti Classico DOCG to be more specific.

After dinner we cleaned the kitchen, put on comfy clothes, and went straight to the couch to watch the Walt Disney movie Bolt. I love Walt Disney and Pixar movies and this one was great! If you haven't seen it you must rent it today!

A Recap of My Blissful Weekend

Sam and I visited my friends and family in Arkansas last weekend and we had such a great time! The highlight of my weekend was definitely spending time with my nieces, Aspen (2) and Elli (1), and nephew, Hunter (8). I flew into Arkansas Thursday night and Sam didn't arrive until Friday so I had the family all to myself for a day. I was greeted at the airport by my parents and it felt so great to be back in Arkansas! I was kind-of bummed because it was late and I knew I wouldn't see the kids until Friday, but to my surprise I was greeted at the door by Hunter, Aspen, and Elli! Aspen held on tight to me screaming "My Jeni! My Jeni! My Jeni!" over and over! It was so cute and she is learning more words everyday! Elli was running behind her trying to jump in my arms first! Chris, Brandlyn, and Ryan were also there to greet me with big hugs and kisses when I got home. Brittany, however, is another story. Chris nicknamed her "Sleeper McSleeperson" and if you know her, you know that name is very fitting. I woke her up when I got home and she gave me a big hug, smiled, and then was out like a light again. What more could anyone ever need or want in life than to be loved this much by so many people?! God has blessed me beyond what I ever thought possible.

Friday morning my sisters, Brandlyn and Brittany, my mom, my Maitron of Honor, Kendall Jones, and I went to Low's Bridal in Brinkley, Arkansas and I found THE wedding dress! I tried on eight dresses and knew when I found "the one"! I ordered it and I will get it back just in time to take my bridal portraits in May! We had some time to spare before my appointment ended so Kendall, Brandlyn, and Brittany entertained me by trying on many bridesmaid's dresses. They looked so great in every dress that I am having a tough time deciding which one to choose! After all that we were famished so I took the girls to lunch at a great local deli called Cottage Cafe'... yumm-o! After a long day of wedding work, I picked up Sam from the airport and we had dinner with the family at my favorite Mexican restaurant, Casa Mexicana!
Saturday was even more eventful than Friday. Sam and I began our day with shopping, working on our registry, and finding a rehearsal dinner spot. For the rehearsal dinner, we knew we wanted Italian. This little fact doesn't exactly narrow our options much considering there are tons of great Italian restaurants in Little Rock; however, Sam decided pretty quickly that Ristorante Capeo was the spot! The restaurant seats 70, which is perfect for our rehearsal dinner guest list and the entire menu is authentic Italian and amazingly delicious!

The best part of Saturday was my bridal shower! Lonnie Richardson, a sweet, dear family friend, threw my first bridal shower and it was over-the-top amazing! She had beautiful floral arrangements, great food, a beautiful cake, and many other fun surprises for me! It was a family shower, which also included some of my mom's best friends in the neighborhood and everything was perfect! Sam and I received lots of great gifts and we cannot wait to start using everything! Sam and I are so blessed to have such thoughtful and loving family and friends!

My nephew, Hunter, and I had "Pogey Bait Night" on Saturday. On Pogey Bait Night we watch movies and we are only allowed to drink caffeinated sodas and eat candy and popcorn. Basically, if it is unhealthy then you can eat it! I don't know which of us enjoys this night the most! I wouldn't miss it for anything!

Sunday morning we went to Fellowship with my family and then had a big party at my parents house afterward. The entire family came over to celebrate my visit to Arkansas and our engagement. We received even more gifts and the best part was seeing everyone together! Because of eeryone's hectic schedules, we almost never all get together. This time it just seemed to all work out perfectly! I even got to see my cousin, Tiffany, and her fiance, Scott! They live in Stillwater, OK but were in town for the weekend! After the family left, we spent the remainder of the night eating pizza and watching our favorite tv shows with my parents, brothers and sisters, and neices and nephew.
We had so much planning to do and people to see that Monday morning came very quickly. I had a delicious breakfast at Satellite Cafe' with one of my very best and sweetest friends, Jessica Buckler, and then it was time to leave for the airport. It was the best weekend I have had all year and I cherished every moment of it. Sam and I will be back in Arkansas in May and I am already anticipating the trip down south!