Free Time

I (Jenny) have had a lot of free time since we've been here in Boise. And it's been difficult.
Which, is weird.
Really-free time = difficult?
What does that mean.....come on Jenny....I can't get enough free time.
I KNOW! I mean, that is how I felt when I was working 40 hrs a week and trying to clean my constantly cluttered little apartment and you know.....have fun and enjoy the life God gave me. I felt like I couldn't have enough time to do all the things I wanted to do and learn and explore and read and etc.
So now here I am in Boise and I can make anything of my day and um....I don't.
I think it's mostly a lack of motivation.
I need structure.
I need a schedule.
I need expectations.
Defined expectations, not just 'I want to get stuff done today' because, depending on my mood, that might mean: painting the house, paying bills, grocery shopping, plant a garden, learn how to sew a prom dress, make a pot roast and have a lovely dinner with my husband while we discuss world politics and the impression it has on the church because I just read a book that made me think....all while making money with the 'idea' of on online business that's been bumping around in my head.

right.
And then I feel like not only have I let myself down, I've let everyone around me down. Crazy-yes. Because, who's expectations are those? I know I can't DO all those things....no one is telling me that I need to do these things to be productive. Really, as long as I shower my husband is happy.
I need different expectations.

Expectations that are realistic are more like: work on a scarf for my mother in law, paint my nails, go for a hike, and make a pot roast.

The scarf I made for my mother in law AND my homemade manicure

So I need to make a list....of REAL LIFE things I can do in 10 hours.
For structure, for sanity....I need a list.
Amen.

*Jenny

Just a Tease

So, Michael and I went up to Table Rock with his sister Melody and her husband Evan to take pictures (and for me to regroup after the Bears lost the championship).
It was chilly but BEAUTIFUL and we took lots of fun pictures...because
well
Boise is beautiful.
I'll share more soon but here's just a tease.

Sunset from Table Rock

Sunset on the mountains

Over the Valley

GORGEOUS! Grace to you the rest of this week.

Peace, 

Jenny

My Favorite Space

Some of you have been asking for pictures of our new place, and since almost ALL of it is chaos due to my ability to be distracted 90% of the time.....it will remain in chaos for at least a little longer.
I DO though, have a place in our apartment free from corrugated cardboard and clutter. I breathe a sigh of contentment every time I enter that space. Although most of my visits there are brief.

It's our stairwell. Yes, I admit here that I am only finished putting together a total of 15 stairs in our entire apartment. Yes, I know that I have NOTHING else really productive to do with my time and I've been 'working on it' for almost two weeks. 

Remember what I said about being distracted?

Jaymay. I have rediscovered my love for her music-why did I forget....um....I don't know but she's SO GOOD. Check it out right now. 

And then know she was invited to sing at a corduroy convention. She's THAT awesome.

Have a wonderful weekend.
Jen

Athletic Adventures In Idaho

So we've been in Boise almost two weeks now and we've been settling in really well!
We have a place to live-YAY!!-that's really nice and spacious (read: extra bedroom-> come visit).
Our community here has really made us feel welcome and has tried to help with all the weirdness of transition. They have had us over for dinner, taken me out to coffee so I don't spend 12 hours with out seeing a human, and really let us dive right into being church-which is wonderful.
Yesterday, the girls decided we needed an adventure.

SNOWBOARDING!
This is a picture of Bogus Basin (at night). We went during the day to turn our collective awesomeness into learning how to board. One specific girl in the group actually KNOWS how to snowboard and so she become our fearless leader showing us how to put our boots on, locking them into the board, and then showing us how to stand up....which for almost the whole time I majorly FAILED....I couldn't even stand up! I had to like, roll over (which has to look hilarious when you have a board almost as tall as you are attached to your feet) and back it up like a dump truck to be on my feet.
Once I was on my feet dump truck style I was able to after an hour or so rocking the bunny hill actually move around with BOTH my feet attached to the board on a slight incline! It was fun and scary and really hard but totally worth it....me and my slight incline were alright.
We were out there for almost 5 hours and all of us were able to make it down a 'real' hill and some girls were total heroes and went down the BIG hills where you had to ride a scary lift.

Guess which one of us knows what she's doing

As I reflect back on yesterday, here with my coffee and incredibly sore muscles mostly my biceps from bracing every time I went to wipeout....which was a lot -everyone had a great time and I'm sure we'll get out there again. Mr. Gill is sure he'll love it and now after being out (BEFORE him) I know he will and he'll be totally awesome at it and leave me behind on the one-step-up-from-bunny hills while he shreds the face off Bogus......because  he has a way of being great at almost everything he does. Not to mention he'll be learning from a dude who (in addition to being married to our wonderful teacher) may have gone pro-snowboarding if life had turned out just a little different. 

This is just the beginning of what I'm sure will be many adventures we'll have here in IDAHO!! 

~Jenny

Packing

The Gills are moving in 4 days.

Which means we are packing.....which means I'm getting really distracted by all the things I'm finding that I had once lost so long ago or just things I want to play with and now....not packing. 

Example #1 of distraction: I found my veil-DRESS UP!

But we're super excited to get to Boise and start our new adventure and re-unite with our friends that are already there.

It has been a rough couple of days though around here, trying to get everything wrapped up to move across the country, finding time to pack and get Christmas stuff together....and saying good-bye or see you laters to all the ones we love. 

Indianapolis has been a beautiful place for us and we love all the wonderful friends and our amazing families that have been a huge part of our lives here. And, we know that these relationships may look different once we move but will still be important part of our lives as we're kickin' it in Idaho! Please continue to pray for us as we move and get settled-specifically that we'll find a great house/apartment to live in, and that jobs work out  well. Keep checking the blog because we are excited to post as Idaho-ians! We love you all and truly will look forward to our continued friendship! 

The next post will *most likely* be from the other side of the Rockies! 

Love, 

Jenny and Michael

In Honor of Thanksgiving

So, in honor of thanksgiving I'd like to share a story of traditional thanksgiving food.

Pumpkins.

I kind of love the little sugar pumpkins-they are so cute and little and full of squashy goodness ready for harvest. I bought two of these lovelies and decided after a couple of days to set them on our stoop the day before Halloween thinking they'd make us look festive and hopefully get some children to come and ask for the candy we'd purchased to give them.....yea-well, they were cute pumpkins but we had a big bowl full of candy and only 1 family of trick-or-treaters come to our door.
But anyway, as I was setting out our  pumpkins-Michael objected saying, something is going to eat them! Eat Them?!? No-wild things do not just come up and eat pumpkins! Plus, we live in the middle of the city-what on earth would munch on a raw pumpkin....a cat? That never happens-look at all our neighbors and their cute pumpkins on their steps-we'll be fine.
And we set them up on the stoop.

And then, a few days later......
Something
ate
them.

Moral of the story?


Michael is always right.


and the chipmunk that lives under the house is on his side.

Just a little crazy

So in an attempt to become healthier Michael and I have signed up to do a half marathon. We've done one together a little over a year and a half ago, so we were very much like-we totally know how to train for this, we'll be golden.
And then....
we didn't train.
At all.
Maybe we ran once a week.
For three miles.
Six at the most.

Our half marathon is tomorrow.


And we might just die.




Ok-so I'm being a little over dramatic.....like always. But honestly.
I can feel the blisters now.


But we can't quit.
Well-really...the motivation is not finishing something we (kinda sorta) started but it's because we've already paid for it.
lol-so it might be just a little crazy to do it because you've shelled out $60 a pop to run and be sore but, I hear there is free food at the end AND a t-shirt involved ;)







Pray for us.