Brett and Stephanie Jones

2012 - Already?!?!

2012-01-02T16:57:00.000-06:00

First off, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

I was just looking at the number of posts I have done on this blog: 2009 - 17, 2010 - 15, and 2011 - 3! ONLY THREE, really?!?! I wonder why, oh I know 2011 wasn't that good of a year for us. Yes, Brett came home after 7 months of being gone at training and we got a new nephew, but I think those were the highlights of the year. Not much else has changed for us. I still work in the Math department at A&M, and Brett is still Grocery Manager at Kroger. BORING!! There have been changes and events at both our jobs that have made life pretty miserable. We both are just so tired of the monotonous life we stumbled into. I even started rearranging the house and throwing out a bunch of stuff because I'm sick of living in the same cluttered mess in such a small place. It's still a work in progress, but that's just it PROGRESS.

Now that it is 2012 I feel change coming. What kind of change? I do not know at this point. I'm mean, come on people it's only January 2nd (and my birthday is in 18 days, hehe). I do know that Brett will be leaving his Army Reserves Unit to go Active Duty. The paperwork is in and we are just waiting for the approval/assignments. There are rumors that this will go in effect this month. EEK!! What happens when he goes active you ask? I don't know. I'm sure there will be more training. We just don't know yet.

But guess what??

The Lord knows!!!

I do know that the Lord is watching over us, blessing us when needed, guiding us to do what's right, comforting us when needed. He knows what is in store for us and we can only rely on Him.

"Life's journey is not traveled on a freeway devoid of obstacles, pitfalls, and snares. Rather, it is a pathway marked by forks and turnings. Decisions are constantly before us. To make them wisely, courage is needed: the courage to say, 'No,' the courage to say, 'Yes.' Decisions do determine destiny.
The call for courage comes constantly to each of us. It has ever been so, and so shall it ever be." - Thomas S. Monson

Jeff's Tree

2011-10-25T10:28:00.002-05:00

On Saturday I was visiting Mom & Dad. I met Mom at her studio and was there for a couple of hours. I decided to head home in order to watch the Aggie game and Mom would follow when she was done. During my drive I started thinking about Jeff and realized that I hadn't been by his tree at the high school in a long time. So I decided to swing by, plus I wanted to see the new highway that is now the road the school is on. Goodbye Kirby Rd, hello HWY 190. I also wanted to see how drained the lake was around Miller Rd and 66. By the way, the highway is huge and I had a hard time comprehending how different it looks. Also, the lake around Miller looks low, but normal. The lake around 66 however is a green pasture on the north side and what looks like a small pond on the south side. You can see the entire old 66 road and can walk it completely. It's crazy!!

Well, upon my arrival at the school there were some kids and adults standing around the area of Jeff's tree. I walk up and the adults were curious as to who I was and seem hesitant that some stranger just walks up to them. Well, I proceed to inform while pointing to the tree that it was planted for Jeff Blackhurst who is my brother. Come to find out these kids and adults were cleaning up the area, planting new flowers, and put down new mulch for an Eagle Scout project. The young man is Zach, didn't catch his last name, and he is a senior at Rowlett in the band who thought the area needed a makeover. Mom and Dad knew that this project was in the works, but didn't know when it would happen. Fortunately the Spirit prompted me to stop by and made the project for Zach even more meaningful. I took a few pictures and wish I got a picture of Zach. His mom got one of the two of us. I will see if I can get a copy.

Click here to view these pictures larger

SURPRISE!!!! I'M HOME!!!!!!

2011-03-29T10:05:00.001-05:00

So I had the biggest surprise of my life, well not really because I had a phone call that ruined part of the surprise, but it was a surprise nonetheless.

Brett told me that he would be returning home on March 21st. I was excited and bummed all at the same time because I had a 3 day weekend the starting the 18th for spring break. (yeah, students get a whole week off and I get only ONE DAY. thanks pres. loftin) I really wanted him home for that 3 day weekend. Well, my mom had the whole week off for spring break and she wanted to help me do a spring clean at my house and get some curtains that whole week. She ended up splitting the week up between me and my 2 brothers (2 days with each). She drove down the night of Mon the 14th and stayed until Wed evening. My brother in Montgomery had our truck so I rode with Mom and met up with my brother and his wife who drove our truck so I could get it back. Then drove it home at about 9pm.

To back up a bit, the phone call I got was Tues night from a sister missionary, who was on her mission with her husband, from Brett's ward on base just letting me know how great Brett is as a man/soldier and how much they will miss him and want us to look them up the next time we are in Utah. She also mentioned that he would be traveling home the next day and be in my arms by nightfall. So of course I'm confused. How could he be in my arms tomorrow night when he said he wasn't going to be home for another 6 days?

So the whole next day I was anxious with the thought that maybe he was going to surprise me and I have always wanted that. I always see those videos online about soldiers coming home and surprising their families and thought it would be awesome if that happened to me. And when I drove the truck home at 9pm I started thinking that maybe the sister missionary was wrong. So I got ready for bed and finally laid down at 10pm since I had work in the morning.

Well, at around 10:30pm my doorbell rings. So of course I'm freaking out because I'm half asleep (so is my dog, Ruti) and we both are scared awake by the doorbell. Who would be at my door that late at night. Ruti is barking at the front door from the kitchen, and if you know my house that's a good 15 feet or more, and glancing at me with this scared looked. So I get up and throw on some clothes, try to calm down Ruti as I do so, grab my Walther PK380 gun and slowly go to the door. Fortunately I've been keeping the porch light on at night and I could see who is standing at my door.

My heart stopped and I got butterflies in my stomach when I realized who was there, BRETT!!!! At first my thought was, am I dreaming. I've been having dreams about Brett almost every night ever since he left. So I'm setting the gun down as I'm unlocking the door and then open it and sure enough, there is my husband all dressed in his army finest. I jump into his arms and still keep asking my self, am I dreaming. He then proceeds to tell me that I don't have work the next day and that we will have a 4 day weekend together. WHOOP!!!! HOOAH!!!!

Apparently my whole family knew and my work knew that Brett was coming home earlier that he was telling me. Everyone did well with keeping the secret except for that sister missionary. He actually came home when he was suppose to, but was just telling me later so he could surprise me. So romantic. I'm happy as ever to have my husband back and since it was a surprise I have no pictures of the night, but hopefully I painted a good picture for you.

Bitter Sweet Christmas Season

2011-01-19T10:33:00.000-06:00

This Christmas was special for our family because Brett was given the opportunity to come home for two weeks. It had been 4 months since Brett has set foot in our home. Brett flew into Austin very late on Dec 18th. I was so excited and nervous the whole day that I just had to stay busy so I wouldn't drive to Austin way too early. I ended up cleaning the entire house a little too much. It was nice to have it so clean though. I didn't drive to Austin alone, I had some good friends come with me, Tanner and Sami. They wanted to surprise Brett.

We got to the airport sooner than I thought and had about 30 minutes before his flight would arrive, but once we were there the evil arrival screen said that his flight had been delayed by an hour and a half. I was very irritated that I just kept walking in circles, tried sleeping but nothing worked. Tanner then went for a walk and came back with wonderful news. The flight was only delayed 5 minutes and would arrive in 10 minutes!!!! Boy did this make me happy. If you are unfamiliar with the Austin airport the ground floor is baggage claim and public entrance. You have to go up escalators for the gates, so I stood at the bottom of the escalators waiting....When I first stood there waiting there wasn't that many people. Then as passengers started coming down the escalators all of a sudden there were people everywhere. No idea where they came from.

At the top of the escalators you could only see the legs of people so every time I saw military legs I got excited, but then disappointed. Then another pair of legs appeared and there he was, standing on the escalators looking in the crowd for me. Brett then spotted me and my heart skipped a beat just like the first time I looked into his eyes. Once he reached the bottom of the stairs I tried to run to him, but another military family stopped right in between us with their reunion..grrr. Then finally we were in each others arms and once again I started crying. So happy to have my wonderful husband back.

I hear there are pictures of our reunion, but not on my camera. It died just as we were about to embrace. If I get copies I might share them.

This reunion is bitter sweet because we knew back in August that Brett would be coming home around Christmas time, but to stay. Come to find out in November that he has training until March!! So instead of having Brett home for good, it was only for two weeks. They were wonderful two weeks. I had the 24th-31st off with paid holiday leave, so I just took vacation the 20th-23rd. So we truly had two weeks together. It was our first Christmas holiday that neither of us had to work. We were able to see our three fabulous families (Blackhurst, Jones, and Johnson) and enjoy Christmas and Birthdays. We also spent time with our wonderful friends and attend the temple. We also spent some quality time just the two of us. It was so nice to not have a schedule and just enjoy everyone's company. I have pictures, but haven't gotten them on a computer yet. Those will come later.

Then early early on Jan 2nd we had to drive back to the Austin airport. We were grateful that Brett was in uniform because he would have missed his flight due to the security line. It was insane, but he got in the priority line and made his flight. I stayed with him as long as I could and watched until I couldn't see him anymore. I did good with not crying until I got to the car. Two more months.

Thanksgiving

2010-12-14T18:41:00.000-06:00

This year Brett and I could not be together for Thanksgiving, so I was going to go to by parents. Well, they planned to go to Utah to visit my grandparents and my dad's siblings and said I could tag along!! They even bought my ticket. I am so thankful for wonderful parents who still watch out for me. We left Dallas on Wednesday where is was about 80 degrees and flew to Salt Lake where it was 20 degrees. SO COLD!!!!! The snow on the ground was beautiful though. We were there until early Sunday morning. So much fun.

I am truly grateful for my wonderful husband. I miss him so much, but we both know that serving in the Army is what the Lord wants us to do and I feel blessed every day. I'm thankful for my job, mo co-workers, my friend, and especially my family & Brett's family for supporting us and helping me out while I'm living by myself.

Here are a few pictures of the trip. Check out my facebook page for more pictures.

My cousin Chloe and Mom watching Dad carve the turkey

Chloe has grown up so much, still can't get over it

My cousin Chari and her fiance Seth

Uncle Dwayne, awesome guy

My cousin Tyler got the turkey leg, we didn't even sit down for another 10 minutes when he was handed the leg

My brother Jeff is buried in West Valley and Dad had to dig in the snow to find the marker

Snow was up past my ankles

We always leave Yellow Texas Roses and Blue Bonnets

Everyone who could come with us

My first snow angel in probably 20 years :)

My cousin Chari took me sledding. SO MUCH FUN!!!

Snowing the morning we left. So pretty and peaceful

Family Day and Graduation - Part 3 of 3

2010-11-23T17:51:00.001-06:00

Thursday Nov 4th, Graduation day! With the midnight phone call I slept through my 6am alarm. Graduation was to start at 9am and they anticipate having twice the number of people. Needless to say my father-in-law, sis-in-law, and I didn't leave until about 7:45am. Fortunately getting on base still didn't take very long. The day brought much rain, so instead of at Hilton Field it was held at the Solomon Center's gym. It felt/looked like a high school gym and very small. There was standing room only. We were fortunate have gotten there early enough to find seats near the bottom of the stands and it turned out to be right in front of Brett's company. We even got to sit next to the family that I had dinner with the night before. The actual ceremony lasted about 30 minutes. They awarded the top soldiers and drill sergeants from each company. They even had a small group of the Army band providing the music. Made me miss band a little. We ordered the DVD of Graduation and it will arrive in about 4 weeks from that day. So when you come over ask if we have it and I'll show it to you. Below are some pictures of the ceremony. I didn't take many because I knew we would have the DVD.

After the ceremony we were told 3 different things on how to find your soldier, so confusing. However, we stayed put and Brett found us. It was a sweet moment witnessing Brett see his father and sister for the first time in 10+ weeks. We then went back to Brett's barracks to pick up his stuff and for him to be signed out to me. It was a little weird to be told that I was in charge of Brett and that I had to make sure he didn't drink, consume tobacco, or drive. The first two I wasn't worried about, but not having him drive was hard. He always drives when we are together. Any who, we then left the base and Brett was very happy to be leaving those gates. We got back to the hotel and changed into dry clothes. It was raining so hard all morning that we were soaked. After watching some tv we went to Taco Bell for lunch and Wal-mart to get Brett a light jacket. Apparently I was suppose to bring his. Totally forgot, but I did remember his contacts and jeans. A note on the contacts, he wasn't allowed to wear contacts during basic had to wear BCGs (birth control glasses). Brett's prescription is strong and magnified his glasses. (He'll probably be miffed that I wrote this) He got made fun of a lot with those glasses. Then Brett and I spent some much needed alone time. When it was close to dinner time we found out that Brett's phone died from the rain and so we had to get him a new phone. During our earlier trip to Wal-mart I noticed an AT&T store across the street. My phone was due for an upgrade and I let Brett use it instead and got him an iPhone 4. Now I have to wait until April to get mine and I'm good with that. Once we got squared away with the new phone we went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. One of the AT&T guys was making fun of us because we are from Texas going to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. If you are a Texan then I think you understand why we went there. However, you could tell it wasn't a Texas Roadhouse in Texas...the floors were CLEAN!! I mean, where are the peanut shells people???? Plus NO PRIME RIB, which is sold only Fri, Sat and Sun. That is the main reason we went there, the Prime Rib is Brett's favorite. We also saw one of the lamest line dances from the wait staff. Nonetheless, it was still Texas Roadhouse and the food was so good, especially the rolls. YUM!! After dinner we all went back to the hotel and hung out until be time. It was so nice to fall asleep in the arms of the man I love.

Friday Nov 5, woke up early to have breakfast with Brett's dad and sister before they hit the road. Apparently they got up an hour earlier than us and had breakfast without us. :( We talked a bit and then said our good-byes. Brett and I had breakfast and packed up the car. Brett's next training is AIT (Advanced Individual Training) where he will learn how to be a Small Arms Repair man. His orders are for him to be in Fort Lee, VA. The drive from Fort Jackson to Fort Lee is only about 6 hours and since Brett wasn't allowed to drive I had to drive. This turned out to be not so fun. For those of you who are married you might understand that it is hard to get used to someone sleeping in the same bed as you, i.e. getting kicked in the night, punched, elbow to the face, etc. Needless to say I didn't sleep well. Usually an audio book helps be stay awake, not this time. We only stopped twice, once just outside of Fayetteville, NC for lunch and a second time because I needed to get a 5 hour energy drink, which I have never consumed an energy drink of any kind in my life. It was a life saver. Let me just say that it was weird to drive 6 hours and go through 3 states (SC, NC, VA). Back in August, Brett and I drove from CS, TX to South Padre, TX and that was 6 hours. Well, once we got to Fort Lee we found our hotel and checked in. Then we went to the base. His orders said to go to A company, so we found them and started the check in process. Come to find out that he is really in F company. We found that out after the soldier helping us told us that the training is 20 weeks. About gave us a heart attack because we were told it was only going to be 6 weeks. (On Nov 8 we found out it's really 15 weeks) Then we head to Foxtrot and since I was staying in town for the weekend they gave Brett a weekend off-post pass. So grateful for that. After a while we were released and went back to the hotel after stopping at the grocery store for some food. The next two days were blissful. Almost seemed like a second honeymoon.

Sunday Nov 7, in the morning we drove out to Richmond, VA for church with my Mom's best friend Olivia. I haven't seen Olivia in almost 3 years and she has never met Brett. It was good to see her. It was fun and interesting to have people in her ward come up to Brett and thank him for his service (he was in uniform since he doesn't have church clothes). Then Brett had to be back to base around 17h, aka 5pm. We said our heartfelt goodbyes before leaving the hotel so I could cry with just the two of us instead of an audience. It was so hard to leave him there at the base. The Sergeant in charge let me stay for a while, but then it got too difficult sitting there just waiting to be told to leave. So Brett and I said our goodbyes again and I left. Boy was that difficult. Funny thing though, around 7:30 Brett texted me saying that he could have a laptop and I brought his with me for the trip. So I packed it up and drove back to the base and got to see him for 5 more minutes. :) That last night though was hard. After spending so much time together in the last 5 days I felt weird being alone again. Again I didn't sleep well.

Monday November 8, since I did not know exactly the timing of Brett reporting to AIT I had my parents so graciously book me a flight home in the evening. My flight was at 6:30pm and I had to check out of my hotel at 11am. So what to do in the mean time?? I asked the person at the front desk of the hotel for a pamphlet of places to visit near by. There were so many historic places to choose from. The winner was Shirley Plantation. It is the first plantation in Virginia and the oldest working plantation left in the country. The plantation was founded in 1613. The family has been there for 11 generations and they still live in the main house. They have the 1st floor open to the public for tours, but the basement, 2nd and 3rd floors is used by the family. For the tour there was a discounted price for active military and since I'm the wife of active military I got the discount. The tour was pretty neat. Most of the furniture is original. The family is connected to many influential people of our history. General Robert E Lee's mother was born and grew up on Shirley Plantation and she raised Gen. Lee there during his childhood. One cool thing about the house is that the windows in one of the rooms you will see Gen. Lee's mother's name etched in the glass. It was customary for girls who recently got engaged to test the diamonds in the ring by etching their names in glass.

After leaving the plantation I headed towards the airport looking for food and found a KFC. Since I still had lots of time to kill I grabbed my new book written by my unknown relative Deanne Blackhurst. It's a sweet little story about a young sister missionary who postpones her wedding to serve a mission. The books is her entire mission and is pretty good. After awhile at KFC I decided to go ahead and go to the airport (it was only 3:30pm and still had 3 hours to go). I turned in my rental car, which the worker there weirded me out. He pointed out where I should park and waited for me to step out of the car. When I did he called me by name. Surprised me, until I noticed the scanner gun in his hand. Once in the airport there was this nice sitting area just out side of security. So I sat and read some more. I saw a big group of missionaries arrive. It was so fun to see all the new greenies. Then went to the gate and read some more. On the flight there were several new recruits for the Air Force. I sat next to one and talked a bit. They were headed to San Antonio. It was interesting to see these new recruits before they start basic after just seeing several new soldiers after basic. I had to chuckle to myself when looking at some of the guys with pretty long hair.

I arrive safely in Dallas a little after 8 (finished the book on the plane). My dad picked me up and took me to see my mom at her studio. Then to their house for sleep. Got up early the next morning to go to my dad's work, that way he could take me to the airport later in the morning. The great thing about my dad's work is it's the Dallas Temple. I was able do a session. What a wonderful way to end a nice long trip, though it would have been nice to have Brett there. Then my dad dropped me off at the airport and I flew back to College Station. Shortest flight ever! One of my co-workers, Tammi, was nice enough to pick me up and take me to work for the afternoon. Meredith Murdock was gracious enough to get me from work and take me home. Meredith also took care of our puppy Ruti, who is not so much a puppy anymore. It was very nice to come home, but again would be nicer if Brett was there. That evening is when I found out about the actual length of training. Needless to say since then it's been hard to adjust back into life without Brett. However, I do know that the Lord is on our side and is watching out for both of us. I'm very grateful for the gospel and to have the Holy Ghost by my side all the time protecting me and comforting me.

So there you have it. Hope you enjoyed reading my very detailed trip.

Family Day and Graduation - Part 2 of 3

2010-11-19T18:48:00.000-06:00

Wednesday Nov 3rd, it was finally the morning of Family day and I actually slept well so I was refreshed and so excited. Family Day Briefing started at 10am and they said to be there 2 hours early. Well, I had to go find a donut shop first per Brett's request. It took awhile but I found a Duncan Donuts. Then made my way back to the base. Let me just say driving on a base is confusing and a little scary. The map they gave me was not very good and I was scared to make a wrong turn into a restricted area, which did happen once. It didn't take as long as I thought to get on base nor park once I found Hilton Field, which is where the briefing was to take place. It was a very cold morning and overcast. I wished I had a heavier coat or a blanket. They had booths set up to buy t-shirts, jewelery, etc. I found an Army Wife t-shirt and it's pink. I know, I know, I know shocking. Brett likes me in pink so I bought it for him. Anywho, I went into the stands and found where D company was and got a seat in the 3rd row. I talked to a few family members near by. One family was from Minnesota, could tell from the first word they said, and another for Corpus Christi. Us Texans were cold. Finally the commander Lt. Col. Allen started the briefing. Told us a little about what went on during the 10 weeks, introduced us to all the Drill Sergeants, and rules for the day and what to expect for graduation the next day. Across the field was a line full of trees. We could see movement behind the trees and I texted Brett to find out if that's where they were. He won't tell me. I'm glad that he had his phone so that way I knew where to find him in formation. He is in the very back about 4 soldiers in from the right when they are facing the stands. Lt. Col. Allen told us that the person we dropped off 10 weeks ago is no longer a civilian, but an American Soldier. After that smoke grenades went off and shots were fired.

Here is a video of what happened after that. During the video I'm focusing on Brett's company the whole time. He is in the very back row. Sorry for all the movement, I stood up in the middle of it and then trying to find Brett over the camera.

Let's just say that I couldn't cheer during that moment. You can see Brett in the back row in the center.

After the song was over Lt. Col. Allen released the families to find their soldiers. They were all pushing down the little stairs onto the field. Thankfully I spotted Brett before heading down there. Once on the field I walked as quickly as I could and grabbed Brett's arm, we hugged for I don't know how long. I started balling too. I'm not sure if Brett cried because it was raining by this point. I won't go into all the details on what we felt, but let's just say it was the best feeling in the world to be in the arms of someone you love so much. I wonder if it will be the same feeling we have when we return to our Heavenly Father and our family members who went on before us. Well, the rest of the day Brett and I were able to spend together. We drove to the Solomon Center, a.k.a. the activities center, in order for Brett to get his picture taken as you see below. If you want copies of this just go to http://prophototogo.com/, click on Fort Jackson, then November 3, 2010.

E2 Jones, Brett
November 3, 2010

Isn't he HOT!!! hehe Well, while trying to find the center we spotted a Burger King, Brett was so excited. After the picture we got food and then found a little park next to lake to feast on our lunch. I'm not sure how long we were there, but it was so nice to finally talk face-to-face instead of through letters. We decided to head to Brett's barracks, because I had to pee, and try to find some of his buddies. I got to meet some really great people. Since it was family day they opened up the Officer Club and that's where we got to have dinner. The food was tasty and two of Brett's Drill Sergeants even had dinner with us. We also had dinner with the family of one of Brett's battle buddies. At the dinner they had videos playing of each company during BCT. We bought the DVD for Brett's company, so if you come over feel free to ask to watch it. It is pretty interesting. After dinner we headed back to the barracks and hung out until about 20h or 8pm. It was hard to leave Brett there, but just the knowledge that we would see each other the next morning made leaving not as bad. I then headed back to my hotel (This is when I drove the wrong way into a restricted area before leaving base). It was a long, emotional, wonderful day that I went to bed a little after 9pm. During both these days Brett's dad and sister were driving from Dallas to Fort Jackson and they arrived around midnight. I got a lovely call from the hotel's front desk since their room was in my name.

To be continued.....

Family Day and Graduation - Part 1 of 3

2010-11-18T15:58:00.006-06:00

(I've been working on this post for a few days now and it has turned out to be very lengthy, so I'm splitting it up a bit.)

On Tuesday Nov 2nd, I flew from DFW to Columbia, SC (Thanks Mom & Dad for the airfare tickets). I got there a little before noon and had a few hours to kill before I could check into my hotel. So I got in my rental car, a Nissan Versa (it was a good car, but would never buy one) and drove to Fort Jackson. In order to get on base I needed to get a pass and thankfully they offered passes the day before all the festivities. Upon getting my pass I headed towards my hotel to know roughly where it was in relation to the base and found a Chick-Fil-A and decided to stop for lunch. It felt so surreal knowing that I was just within a few miles of my hubby. Well, once I got my food I asked for a phone book and looked up the Columbia Temple address. Got back in my car and found the the temple, which was only 15 minutes away. By the way, I love our TomTom. I would have gotten lost with out. Once I arrived at the temple I really wished I could go in. I don't have temple clothes and the temple is pretty small so they don't rent clothes. I was actually surprised on how small it was. In any case I could still walk around the grounds and found a nice little bench to sit on. Just being on the grounds you can feel the Spirit so strongly. After about an hour the cold was too much and I decided to try to find the LDS bookstore near by. Turned out to be directly across the street. I walked around the store very slowly trying to pass the time and found two items to buy. A cookbook of recipes 2 people and a novel called Turning Hearts by Deanne Blackhurst! I was so shocked to see my maiden name on a book that I just had to buy it. I'm sure we are related somehow, but I don't recognize the name and neither do my parents. After leaving the bookstore it was past the time that I could check in my hotel so I head straight there. I finally got in my hotel room after a small mix up at the front desk, mostly because the person's English was not very good. I was pretty tired so took a nap, then woke feeling hungry. I didn't want fast food again so I tried driving around looking for a grocery store, my hotel room had a fridge and microwave, and after while had to go back to get the TomTom. There are so many trees in SC that it was hard to drive around looking for stores. Finally found a Wal-mart, got a few things then went back to the hotel. It was a little weird staying in a hotel by myself, but it was good and I am so grateful to even have gone. Brett got his phone back and we were texting the whole day. It was good to converse with him. Finally around 10 I went to sleep and slept pretty well.

To be Continued...

Happy Birthday Brett and Noah

2010-09-20T21:35:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was Brett's birthday and he is now 25!!! Thank goodness because now he can't tease me for being 25 since it is soooo old. At least according to him it's old probably because it's something to tease me about. Some might be wondering, did I get to talk to Brett on his birthday? The answer is No :( The only communication we have is through letters. It's kind of cool being old fashioned with writing letters. We feel like we are writing love letters like you hear from back in the day before technology. I've been getting his letters pretty quickly, but the mail to him is slow. I've sent at least 6 letters and a card if not more (lost count) and he has only received 2. I'm hoping he gets them soon. Can't wait to find out how he spent his birthday.

Well, Brett shares a birthday with Noah Johnson, he is the youngest of Andy and Diane Johnson. The Johnson family has pretty much adopted Brett and they feel like family to us. I consider them in-laws along with Brett's immediate family. Noah turned 8 yesterday and I had the opportunity to attend his baptism which was also yesterday. Here is a picture of President Johnson and Noah. It was sad that Brett could not be there, but I'm glad that I was able to attend and share the moment with family.

In the Army Now!

2010-08-23T18:24:00.003-05:00

For those of you who haven't heard, Brett has joined the Army. His goal is Special Forces. He left for basic training in Fort Jackson, South Carolina today. He'll be there for 9 weeks, then he will go to Virgina for an additional 6 weeks for his MOS training, i.e. specialty training, in small arms repair. As of right now, the plan is to have Brett return in December and then hopefully attend Texas A&M in Spring 2011 to finish his degree and do ROTC/Army Reserves. So I'm staying here in B/CS working. Brett's Marine buddy, Tanner, shaved his head on Friday so we both could get use to his new look. Check it out below. And of course, I took a picture of "First day of Army" right before I dropped him off at the recruiting center. I didn't cry...in front of Brett. It was surreal to take him there and talk to the Sergeant Murphy who has helped us get to this point. This is a path that I didn't expect to take, but I am totally excited. Brett and I are both surprised on how excited we are about this new adventure, but we have come to the conclusion that the reasoning is because it is the correct path for our family to take. We both have received confirmation that this is right and what the Lord wants us to do.

Goodbye hair!

First day of Army

Ruti The Hunter

2010-08-20T18:14:00.004-05:00

This morning I was on my way to the back yard to feed Ruti, come to find out she did her own hunting and was very proud of her catch.

Yes, my friends...that is a rabbit.

It's a pretty big rabbit, the biggest I've seen in the yard.

I did not let her keep it.

Sleeping after a hard morning of hunting.

So cute.

Vacation - South Padre, TX

2010-08-20T17:50:00.011-05:00

Brett and I wanted to take a vacation this summer and thought about going to visit our good friends the Johnson's at their ranch. Come to find out the week we wanted to go was when they were going on a family vacation to South Padre and they told us to tag along. Best vacation EVER!!! We were there from 9/8-9/15 (Sunday to Sunday). We went to the beach everyday and just walk there from the house we were staying in. The water was not too cold so we swam every day and got a very nice tan. It was the most relaxing week we have had and it was hard coming home. Thank you to the Johnsons who let us vacation with them. Here are a few pictures.

The house we were staying in.

Love birds.

Sand castle #1 - The trench was to keep the Lamanites out.

ARRR Maties - Pirate Ship Black Dragon where we got to be pirates for the evening.

Even got the pirate facial "hair".

Dolphins were swimming next to the ship.

Sand castle #2 - City built that is protected by the trench.

What to say

2010-06-17T16:22:00.002-05:00

So I've been wanting to post something on our blog, but I'm coming up with nothing. We have a few pictures from the past couple of months from a few things including a wedding up in Idaho. Me being the slacker have not downloaded the pictures to the computer in order to post.

I've started another crocheting project, Brett's brother Mark and his wife Jaden are expecting a baby girl within the next month. I have started a tradition to make a blanket for our brand new nieces and nephews and children as they come along.

Brett is still working at Kroger and I'm still working at A&M. We are basically just living day to day with no real excitement. The main thing right now is we are unsure if we are going to have a place to live come August. The home we are suppose to move to is still needing to be built (they haven't started a thing!!). It's a little frustrating and scary not knowing if you will have a home. We are currently trying to find a temporary place, but it's been more difficult than I thought considering we live in a college town. I keep trying to tell myself it will all work out and keep praying that it will. If you are a faithful person who prays a lot, please pray for us to have a home to live in come August.

Dream Truck!!!!

2010-03-21T17:02:00.005-05:00

So I have dreamt of owning my very own Dodge Ram 1500 Quad cab. About a week ago we were driving by Brett's old work, Garlyn Shelton and there she was. I mentioned it to Brett and 2 days later it was sitting in the drive way for a test drive. Got a good deal.

Ruti playing in the snow 2/23/10

2010-03-19T18:11:00.001-05:00

Here are some pictures of Ruti playing in the snow we got a few weeks ago. She had so much fun.

She looks like she is howling, but in reality she is snapping at the snow.

I love her face on this one.

This is later in the day and it kept snowing and we had at least 2-3 inches by nightfall.

Quarter of a Century + 2 months

2010-03-19T16:16:00.007-05:00

It's been almost 2 months since my 25th birthday, which is Jan 20. For my birthday I decided to cut my hair and donate to Locks of Love. Here are the pictures of the moment of getting it chopped off and from the small birthday party we had the following Saturday.

Happy 2nd Anniversary!!!

2010-03-08T08:57:00.004-06:00

Two years ago today we were sealed for time and all eternity. It's been a good two years and we both look forward to the rest of eternity.To give an update on our lives...well, not much has changed in the last year. Steph still works at the Mathematics Department at Texas A&M as a Business Associate and still loves it. There has been some staff changes leaving the office is a little short handed and Steph is feeling the brunt of it, but that's ok. Brett is still the Grocery Manager at Kroger working nights and going to school at Blinn. Brett enjoys his work and it is helping him move toward his goal. It can be difficult at times with the nights and school, but we are happy and that's all that matters. We have the possibility of moving to a new 3 bedroom house that is not even built yet in Snook at the end of the summer. We will still be renting, but it's less than what we pay now. So pray that it all works out.

Snow in B/CS Feb 23

2010-02-23T15:25:00.001-06:00

This is the snowman the student workers and myself and one other staff member made just outside our building today. We are getting a really nice snow storm with large snow flakes.

Photo shoot - Fall 2009

2010-02-19T15:09:00.006-06:00

Our really good friend, Jessica Payne, has picked up photography and asked if she could have a photo shoot with us. These are some of my favorites. She's pretty good for a beginner.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2009-12-18T18:05:00.005-06:00

Brett and I got a Christmas tree this year. I am so excited. I love Christmas time. Brett did most of the decorating, which I think he did a fabulous job. I'm so used to just random ornaments instead of actually having a theme and making the tree look pretty. I am very impressed by his tree decorating.

Putting on the tinsel.

Beautiful star.

Adding a few ornaments from my childhood.

Our first Christmas tree (couldn't afford one last year)

Family Christmas pic.

This is Ruti's model pose.

Can you belived Ruti will be 3 next month???

Gotta love those two!!!

Thanksgiving

2009-12-18T18:00:00.004-06:00

This year for Thanksgiving Brett had to stay home in CS because of work and I went ahead to my parents house for the holiday. Brett did get to have a Thanksgiving dinner with his family the Saturday after words. Felt bad for missing that one too. Oh well. Below are pictures of the dinner table at my parents house. The food was way good. Our nieces, Ava and Sydnee, made the place mats and there was the #4 by each plate to remind us of what we are thankful for. Sweet girls.

Halloween Part 2

2009-12-18T17:54:00.004-06:00

This has taken me a while to post. Sorry about that. Here is the rest of the our Halloween night. We went to the institute party and realized that we don't really fit in there anymore. Then we went to IHOP. Had good food but bad service. Don't ask. It was fun though.

50's gangster

50's gangster wife

Aren't we a cute couple???

Halloween 2009 Part 1

2009-10-30T10:48:00.002-05:00

Here is my costume. I'm a 50's Girl. We are having a party at work so everyone in the office dressed up. I'll post more pictures as the day goes by.

Memories

2009-10-28T12:26:00.002-05:00

Been thinking about my brother Jeff lately. Mostly because yesterday he would have been 28. I have a picture of him on my desk at work and was just thinking how he was such a good brother and friend to me during and after his life. So many good memories come to mind when I look at his picture and it just brings a smile to my face. I just feel peace when I think of him and know that he is in heaven working hard in the Lord's plan for us. Even though I still miss him, I know my life is better every day because of him. I know he is watching over us all. I am very grateful for the knowledge the gospel brings.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRETT!!!

2009-09-21T11:00:00.002-05:00

Saturday was Brett's birthday. It was a good day. People like him now, because people don't like those who are 23. (inside joke) We went out to dinner with 2 other couples on Friday night to Cotton Patch to celebrate and the food was yummy. The waitress new it was his birthday and they totally embarrassed him. It was fun. Saturday morning we slept in to about 11AM, that was nice, then drove up to Ennis to see Brett's family. Brett got a 12 gauge shot gun from me for his birthday and his dad and brother have a membership to a gun range in Ferris. It was my sister-in-law's birthday as well and so we spent celebrating by blowing away soda cans and boxes. Brett got to shoot his gun for the first time and loved it. His dad gave him a bunch of ammo and it is pretty much gone already. I had fun until I hurt my thumb. Don't want to talk about it, but I'm fine. Then we drove to Milford to see the Johnson's because they think of Brett as one of their own and their youngest Noah's birthday was also Saturday. We gave Noah a remote control Dodge Truck with a Hemi. He just loved it. Noah wanted a corn dog as a cake as well as hamburgers as a cake. They looked awesome and totally real. It felt weird eating what looked like a hamburger but the taste was cake. The Johnson's have pictures and I hope I can get a copy and once I do I'll post them. All in all it was a good birthday weekend. I just love my wonderful husband.

Hurricane Harbor

2009-08-27T08:37:00.003-05:00

Brett and I got to go to Hurricane Harbor for free last Saturday. One of Brett's coworkers also works for McDonald's and they gave him two free tickets to Six Flags Arlington. He didn't want them so he took them to Kroger and gave them to Brett. We were planning on going in the first place, so it worked out nicely. We drove up to Dallas the night before and stopped in Palestine for a friend's wedding reception. It was fun and frustrating at the same time b/c we got lost. Oh well. The next morning we got a little slow start, mostly b/c Mom sold our old couch and chairs that Scott had to our neighbor and we had to get it out of the packed garage.

Once we got to Hurricane Harbor, it was fun. Apparently I still get really nervous with water slides and want to chicken out. Brett got me on a few and they were fun, but I am still not too sure if I'll do them again. We wanted to stay much longer, but the park closes at 6 and we did not know that. We got to play for at least 5 hours though AND we did not get sunburned thanks to Mary Kay's sunscreen SPF 30. Brett was skeptical at first b/c apparently only Bull Frog works for him and preventing sunburns. He is now a believer. Whoop!!! So everyone should try it. I sell it so just let me know if you want it!!

Aggie Colors Day - Sept. 4

2009-08-21T16:51:00.002-05:00

This is an e-mail that I got today from the A&M Interim President - Be sure to wear Maroon on Sept 4.

To: Students, Faculty and Staff

As we prepare to kick off a new semester and another season of Aggie Football, a new Texas A&M tradition is about to be born – Aggie Colors Day on Friday, Sept. 4. This is the fifth annual College Colors Day event nationally, and I think it’s time for Texas A&M to join the celebration.

Therefore, I call upon you to put on your favorite Aggie maroon-and-white attire – T-shirt, polo, hat or maybe even a bowtie – on Sept. 4 and head to campus bleeding maroon. Also, please tell all your friends, family and Aggie fans everywhere to support Texas A&M by doing the same in their workplaces and schools. That certainly includes everyone in the Bryan-College Station community, who we hope will wear their Aggie apparel and join us in celebrating the unique relationship between Texas A&M and the local area.

College Colors Day, which is being conducted in partnership with NCAA Football, is celebrated by thousands of universities, colleges, organizations and businesses nationwide. It not only marks the kick-off of intercollegiate athletics, but it also helps increase public awareness of the importance of higher education, which is reason enough to don your Texas A&M gear and show your Aggie spirit.

Aggie Colors Day will help put the long hot summer behind us as we get ready to “fight for the maroon and white.” It’s going to be a great year, and this is an exciting way to start the fall semester. If anyone can make a statement through College Colors Day, it’s our tradition-rich Aggie community. In fact, I would be willing to bet that we can do it with more spirit – and more proud participants – than any other university in the country.

So please join me in making Aggie Colors Day an exciting new tradition here in Aggieland – beginning Friday, Sept. 4. And then join the 12th Man the following day as the Aggies kick off the 2009 season against New Mexico at Kyle Field.

Dr. R. Bowen Loftin ’71
Interim President

Ward boundary changes

2009-08-12T08:56:00.002-05:00

Well, the stake changed the university ward boundaries on Sunday. The line used to be split down the middle of campus parallel to University Dr, down Texas Ave., and Holleman Dr. Now the line is University, Texas Ave, and Harvey. So everyone on Campus is in the CS University Ward. Thankfully Jenna, my cousin, lives north of University and so she is still in my ward.

July = Craziness

2009-07-31T11:59:00.006-05:00

I guess I should update everyone on what's going on. Where should I start...

Brett is the Grocery Manager at the Rock Prairie Kroger. He is liking it, but it is harder than he thought. He also got a truck. It's a 2007 Dodge Ram 1500. It's gorgeous. We couldn't sell the Civic so when we realized that Brett and I needed another vehicle we got a truck. Brett started going to a chiropractor ever since we talked to Patrick who is in school (my brother's brother-in-law). Brett is feeling so much better and has convinced me to go. I feel a lot better two and was recommended to go once a month for an adjustment and a deep tissue massage and my insurance pays for it ALL (minus the copay). WHOOP!!!

My parents had a bad couple of weeks with medical stuff. Mom had minor surgery that turned into major surgery a week later and ended up staying in the hospital for 5 days. Dad had major surgery the day after mom got home and was in the hospital for 3 days. Thankfully I have such a wonderful job with paid leave that I was able to go up to Dallas for a week to help out. My brother Todd & his family also came up for a week. That was the most exhausting physically and emotionally week ever. But everyone is doing great!! I just hope they don't do that again.

Yesterday, there was a a chemical fire in Bryan that started around 11:45AM. The wind was blowing SSE and so several homes & business were evacuated. The line stopped right on University Rd and north, so campus was not evacuated but it did close around 4:15pm. The east boundary of evacuation was hwy 6 and so our place was not in mandatory evac. Brett happened to be on campus with the missionaries at the time I left the office. So we met up and went home in the truck. We picked up my car when Brett had to leave for work around 10:45pm.

Basically, the month of July was just one big exhausting month. We did get to float the Comal River and visit the Blue Bell Factory, however. Those were fun days.

Wedding and Birthday

2009-06-15T09:21:00.003-05:00

We had a busy weekend. Friday Brett and I had the wonderful opportunity to witness the sealing of our two new friends Marvin and Erin. We met this wonderful couple at the beginning of the Spring semester and Brett was able to hire Marvin at Kroger. We got to see Erin only on the weekends (when she wasn't playing Army, she's in the Army Reserves) because she is still going to school at Sam Houston and lived in Huntsville. When there was time we hung out and had them over for dinner several times. Marvin and Brett are the ones who really became close friends. Marvin asked Brett about a week before the wedding to be one of his groom's men b/c his cousin had some unfortunate events and could not come. Brett was honored. It was a fun filled day, with a little drama, but in the end it was a wonderful wedding and we were both grateful to be apart of it.

Saturday we went to Waco where we celebrated the birthday of our niece Sydnee, who turned 3 on June 8. We had so much fun seeing the family and celebrating with Sydnee. She got some fun presents and the best was a slip-n-slide from Grandma (Grams) & Grandpa (PopPop) Blackhurst. This slide has a huge shark in which you slide through his mouth and it even has 3D goggles which make the teeth even scarier or cooler (however you look at it). The box was very scary looking and Sydnee just stared it for a while after opening and then finally said that she didn't like it. Her face was so precious and Grams felt so bad, but the family got a huge laugh out of it. Well, Syndee's older sister Ava asked Uncle Scott to set it up anyways and while he was Syndee was looking at the shark that he was blowing up and said "That's not a real shark!" and she was the first to slide through the mouth. She even wore the 3D goggles!

Even though it was a lot of driving this weekend it was so much fun. I don't have any pictures of any of it because I left my camera at my parents house, which I did get back from mom at the birthday party, but after all the festivities and right before we went home. I did take my film camera with me, but couldn't get it to work. Oh well.

What's new

2009-06-09T08:52:00.005-05:00

Not much going on in the Jones family, expect that Steph just got a raise and Brett will probably be the official night grocery manager at the Rock Prairie Kroger within the next two weeks or so, thus another pay raise. WHOOP!! We are both loving our jobs and are so grateful that we decided to stay in Aggieland.

Well, the month of June is a busy one. We have birthdays, weddings, baby blessings, and service every weekend. Our house is feeling the pains of no one being home on the weekends to clean it. Our car is getting a workout too with all the traveling to Houston and Waco, but it is all for the people we love. We need our camera back (left it in Dallas) for all the fun stuff we are doing, plus I really need to update pictures.

My youngest niece on the Blackhurst side just turned 3 yesterday. She is such a love and growing up so fast. I am constantly amazed on how smart she is and her big sister.

We are praying for my mom and dad. They are having some health problems lately and we ask for your prayers as well. We also ask that mom's professor will lighten up so mom can graduate soon!!!

One year ago

2009-05-15T11:31:00.004-05:00

I wanted to do this post on the exact date of a year ago, but couldn't remember the day (horrible memory). I found pictures and now know the date and the same even is a week later than it was last year so that threw me off. Oh well.

One year ago on May 10 I graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Meteorology. Time has flown by so fast. So where am I now after a year. Well, I'm a Business Associate at Texas A&M University in the Department of Mathematics. I only use my degree as the office meteorologist. Every time there is a storm near by they ask me to keep them posted, or they ask me what the weather will be like over the weekend or following week. I had my performance review yesterday and I past with flying colors and expect a raise within the next couple of weeks.

I am still married to most wonderful man in the world. We hit our one year mark in March and when we looked over that year we think that it was a really good year and not one of those horror stories that you hear from married couples about the first year of marriage. We still have no kids, but we still have Rutile (a.k.a. Ruti). She is such a love and likes to see if she can get away with things she knows she is not allowed to do. So she acts like a child sometimes.

Overall, I am one happy person. I'm happily married. I defeated college and graduated. I have a full-time job that I absolutely love. And I have my family, faith, and love of God!

Changes at work

2009-05-07T09:09:00.004-05:00

My department finally hired a new person and her name is Codi. It has been really nice to have less stress with the amount of work I had to do. Now I don't have to worry about monthly payroll and the little accounting payments we have to do. I do feel like all I've been doing is just sitting and watching, but that's ok with me at the moment. However, she was at training all day yesterday so I was able to do a lot more and really cleaned off my desk. I even was able to pass on my inventory paperwork to be signed off, which means my part is done. WHOOP!!! Inventory is not fun.

For those of you who don't know what I do for a living, I'm a Business Associate I in the Mathematics Dept at A&M. I deal with Accounts payable, Travel, Payroll (now just bi-weekly), HR, and Inventory. My supervisor, Sharon, is the Business Coordinator. Codi and I do the same stuff thus with the same title. The university works with two research companies, if you will, called Research Foundation (RF) and Texas Engineering Experiment Station (TEES). RF uses the same accounting system as A&M, which is helpful if we need to do something with them, but our faculty should deal with them directly for payments and stuff. TEES is another story and I am the only person in the office who knows how to process payments, which is kind of cool and kind of not. I'm the only one, but it adds more work. Oh well. I truly love my job and I think it is an absolute blessing that I am here.

New job??

2009-04-22T08:50:00.003-05:00

So Brett had a job interview with Kroger last week in Houston. They were interviewing 12 current employees trying to see who is ready to be promoted to Grocery Manager, which is still nights. The ordered the interviewees from 1-12 with 1 being the most ready. The Store Manager at Brett's current location talked to the guy that was interviewing and found out that Brett is at the top of the list, but didn't know the exact number. They are very impressed with Brett and are working on getting him promoted sometime in the near future. The only catch might be is that he might be sent to another store in the B/CS area or even Houston. So we are hoping and praying that he will be given a promotion, but also sent to the right store in which he can still go to school at Blinn and/or A&M.

Hmmmm

2009-04-15T08:56:00.000-05:00

So I've been trying to figure out this whole blog thing and it is driving me crazy. I need to learn Html, that might help.

It's time

2009-04-09T09:27:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I was looking at a couple of blogs yesterday and made the decision that maybe it was time for the Jones family to get started. So here it is and now I have to figure out how to use the blog other than just posting. Umm....