Murphy's M.V.P.

Who is Murphy's M.V.P. you ask? She is my friend! Her name is Mary, and Mary will soon be Mrs. Murphy!! She and her fiance will be getting married this August 1st! I'm so happy for them! This picture was taken last night (Friday) at a bachelorette get together. The other women went to Hacienda and a Silverhawks baseball game 1st, but I worked till 7:15pm, so I met up with them at Mary's friend's apartment afterwards. Mary doesn't usually wear a baseball cap, but isn't she adorable in her Murphy's M.V.P. get-up?! :) The past 2 years I've heard a lot about Helen and Katie (Mary's friends who live out East). It was great to finally meet them in person and to meet many more friends of Mary's as well. This afternoon (Saturday) was her bridal shower and it was fun, and was held at a very classy place (Villa Macri's)! But you see, Mary's a classy girl and deserves the best. Mary, I wish you God's blessings on your upcoming M.V.P. role! :-)

Yesterday Was My 1 Year Twitterversary!

Friday, May 29th was my 1 year Twitterversary! :) Many of you are probably thinking, "what in the heck is a Twitterversary?". Well, I joined the Twitterverse (i.e. world of twitter) on May 29th, 2008. Twitter is a status update tool where you update your followers regarding what you are doing, in 140 characters or less. It's been a lot of fun!

Here are some of my previous tweets to give you some examples of what we do in the Twitterverse:

Good News! Kidneys are ok! Dr. thinks it may be Venous Incompetence. Who has heard of this? I had to look it up online.
8:07 PM May 19th from web

Looking forward to watching the Bachelorette in 10 minutes! Glad it's on ABC cuz that's one of the only channels I get! No NBC or CBS.
8:49 PM May 18th from web

Yikes! I just read on Yahoo that a 66 year old woman is pregnant. I have never been pregnant..but pregnant at 66 years old? NO THANK YOU!
8:47 PM May 18th from web

Just realized my last tweet was my 1000th tweet! Woo Hoo! :) It's been almost a year I'm been tweeting...a year end of this month!
11:23 PM May 17th from web

is moving into the condo in 20 days! I can't wait! :)
10:50 PM May 17th from web

had a great time visiting with family and friends at Trey's Confirmation party today!
10:50 PM May 17th from web

President Obama will be speaking at the Notre Dame Commencement tomorrow, just a few miles from me. I really hope people behave themselves!
11:25 PM May 16th from web

Heading to St. Joseph, MI in the AM for Nephew Trey's Confirmation. Will be fun to see a bunch of relatives I haven't seen in a while!
11:08 PM May 16th from web

If you are on Twitter, please follow me! My Twitter name is Jennifruit!

Excellent Devotion by Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Jealousy and Singleness

Although I have often found myself thinking, "When will it be me"? I can't say that I often get jealous of my friends who get married. I'm genuinely happy for them! For the most part, I love my life and my freedom and I know that God knows what's best for me. Even so, I found this devotion to be a great reminder for me and other singles out there.

Nancy Leigh DeMoss: The apostle Paul says, “Love does not envy.” Elisabeth Elliot has helped us think through what that means. She writes, “If I imagine that I love my neighbor, let me test my love by asking how glad I am that he has managed to acquire what I have long wished to acquire. That he is loved by someone in some way that has never been granted to me.”

This can be especially challenging for singles. Do you ever find yourself jealous of your friends who are getting married? Maybe you’re married, but you’ve never been able to have children. Are you jealous of those who are able to have children?

These are some of the most painful situations a woman can go through. Avoiding envy might seem impossible, but love is from God. The way to avoid jealousy is to be filled up with godly love.

Ask Him to give you His love. The kind that doesn’t envy.

With Seeking Him, I’m Nancy Leigh DeMoss.

Advantages & Disadvantages of Singleness

I was just thinking that I haven't blogged about singleness in quite a while. Although I want a diverse audience I would also like to use this blog as a ministry to other singles. Like all stages/phases of life, singleness has it's advantages and disadvantages. On Facebook and Twitter I hear a lot about the joys and trials of parenting. Singleness also has it's joys and trials. While I was cleaning yesterday, I found a little booklet on "Singleness; The Misunderstood World of Single Adults". There are many good things in this booklet. One part I found interesting is the part where they talk about 1,300 Christian single adults being asked about the advantages and disadvantages of singles. They indicated that the following advantages of singleness, in order, were:

Women

1. Mobility and freedom
2. Time for interests
3. Social life in general
4. Privacy

Men

1. Mobility and freedom
2. Time for interests
3. Privacy
4. Social life in general

The disadvantages of being single were:

Women

1. Loneliness
2. Financial Insecurity
3. Self-centeredness
4. Restrictions on sex life

Men

1. Loneliness
2. Restrictions on sex life
3. Self-centeredness
4. The dating grind

I would tend to agree with these (at least from the female perspective of singleness). I love my mobility and freedom, and especially love my social life! I am blessed with many friends from many ages and stages of life! The four disadvantages to singleness are things I definitely struggle with. Even with all of the friends I have, there are many times when I get lonely, especially over long weekends such as this one where I didn't plan anything ahead of time. I also find that the financial insecurity aspect of being single frustrates me sometimes (I have gotten much better at handling my God given money). If I lose my job there is no one to fall back on. I am it, no financial security for me. At the same time that can be an advantage...if I lose my job, there are no little mouths to have to feed either! My heart goes out to all of you single mom's. I seriously don't know how you do it!

Here are some awesome key quotes from the booklet:

The only true guarantee of happiness has little to do with marriage or singleness and everything to do with being obedient to the will of God.

A lot of singles yearn to be married; a lot of marrieds wish they were single again.

Godliness with contentment is great gain.
I Timothy 6:6

Whatever your age or stage in life, I pray that you find contentment in Christ Alone and I also pray that He will grant you the desires of your heart!

Taken from RBC Ministries Booklet written by Dave Egner

Rules of Life and Recovery

I found this while I was cleaning today. There is no Author's name on it, but I thought it was cool, so wanted to share it with you.


Rule 1
Life isn't fair

Rule 2
You can't change rule 1

Rule 3
If you don't accept rule 1 and rule 2 you are in deep trouble

Rule 4
We are what we feel and we feel what we do, when you don't deal with your feelings they deal with you.

Rule 5
What other people do is their fault, what you do is yours

Rule 6
Feelings are only forever if you don't deal with them

Rule 7
Don't try to deal with forever you can't, just deal with today

Answers To "About Me" Quiz!

The Answers are in bold print:

1) What cell phone network do I use?
a) Sprint
b) Verizon
c) T-Mobile
d) AT&T

2) My favorite flavor of ice cream is ________.
a) Chocolate
b) Reese's Peanut Butter Cup
c) Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
d) Mint Chip

3) How many times have I traveled out of the country?
a) 0
b) 1
c) 2
d) 3
e) 5

4) What is my favorite holiday?
a) Christmas
b) Thanksgiving
c) Easter
d) 4th of July

5) What city was I born in?
a) St. Joseph, MI
b) Mishawaka, IN
c) Milwaukee, WI
d) South Bend, IN
e) Denver, CO

6) How many Nieces/Nephews do I have?
a) 2
b) 3
c) 4
d) 5
e) 6

7) When did my Dad pass away?
a) 1995
b) 1997
c) 1999
d) 2002
e) 2005

8) What are the names of my Godchildren?
a) Trey, Gregory, Hannah
b) Trey, Lexi, Tyler
c) Gregory, Lexi, Ryan
d) Lexi, Joey, Hannah

9) What is my favorite movie?
a) Bennie & Joon
b) The Notebook
c) A Walk to Remember
d) 13 Going on 30

10) How many 1st Cousins do I have(include both sides fam minus my 2 sisters)
a) 6
b) 9
c) 10
d) 15
e) 17

Happy Blogiversary To Me!

Can you believe it? I've been blogging for a full year now! In fact my very first blog post was posted exactly 1 year ago today at exactly this time of the night/morning! :) It's been a great year! So much has happened! I love blogging because I love to write, I find it extremely therapeutic, and I love to keep my followers up to date on the happenings in my life! As time goes on, I am gaining more followers. My friend Michelle told me it would just take time! :) She was right! I just wanted to thank all of my readers who have been following me on this journey we call life! Whether you are a faithful follower, or just stop by once in a while, I appreciate you! :) Without you, this blog wouldn't be nearly as important or worthwhile to me. Thanks for your comments and for your support this past year. I hope you continue to follow my blog and leave comments when you feel the urge to do so! :) God Bless you! :)

About Me

Here's a quiz I created for my friends on Facebook to see how well they know me. How well do you know me? Feel free to answer by leaving a comment 1.C, 2.D, etc. I'll post the answers shortly!

1) What cell phone network do I use?
a) Sprint
b) Verizon
c) T-Mobile
d) AT&T

2) My favorite flavor of ice cream is ________.
a) Chocolate
b) Reese's Peanut Butter Cup
c) Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
d) Mint Chip

3) How many times have I traveled out of the country?
a) 0
b) 1
c) 2
d) 3
e) 5

4) What is my favorite holiday?
a) Christmas
b) Thanksgiving
c) Easter
d) 4th of July

5) What city was I born in?
a) St. Joseph, MI
b) Mishawaka, IN
c) Milwaukee, WI
d) South Bend, IN
e) Denver, CO

6) How many Nieces/Nephews do I have?
a) 2
b) 3
c) 4
d) 5
e) 6

7) When did my Dad pass away?
a) 1995
b) 1997
c) 1999
d) 2002
e) 2005

8) What are the names of my Godchildren?
a) Trey, Gregory, Hannah
b) Trey, Lexi, Tyler
c) Gregory, Lexi, Ryan
d) Lexi, Joey, Hannah

9) What is my favorite movie?
a) Bennie & Joon
b) The Notebook
c) A Walk to Remember
d) 13 Going on 30

10) How many 1st Cousins do I have(include both sides fam minus my 2 sisters)
a) 6
b) 9
c) 10
d) 15
e) 17

Venous Insufficiency

Good News! The Dr. left me a VM Message this AM telling me my kidneys are fine. He thinks I have Venous Incompetence AKA Venous Insufficiency. I'm glad my kidneys are fine! I guess I can rest assured that I am in good health b/c practically everything was checked totalling up to at least $2,300.00 in medical bills. Thank God for health insurance! :) I am blessed. Anyways, I had no clue what venous insufficiency was, so I found the excerpt below on Medicine.Net. I will just wait to talk to the Dr. until my next Appointment, which is June 5th. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers!

How does venous insufficiency cause edema?
The veins in the legs are responsible for transporting blood up to the veins of the torso, where it is then returned to the heart. The veins of the legs have valves that prevent the backward flow of blood within them. Venous insufficiency is incompetence of the veins that occurs because of dilation, or enlargement, of the veins and dysfunction of their valves. This happens, for example, in patients with varicose veins.

Venous insufficiency leads to a backup of blood and increased pressure in the veins, thereby resulting in edema of the legs and feet. Edema of the legs also can occur with an episode of deep vein thrombophlebitis, which is a blood clot within an inflamed vein. In this situation, the clot in the deep vein blocks the return of blood, and consequently causes increased back-pressure in the leg veins.

Venous insufficiency is a problem that is localized to the legs, ankles, and feet. One leg may be more affected than the other (asymmetrical edema). In contrast, systemic diseases that are associated with fluid retention generally cause the same amount of edema in both legs, and can also cause edema and swelling elsewhere in the body. The response to therapy with diuretic drugs in patients with venous insufficiency tends to be unsatisfactory. This is because the continued pooling of fluid in the lower extremities makes it difficult for the diuretics to mobilize the edema fluid.

Elevation of the legs periodically during the day and the use of compression stockings may alleviate the edema. Some patients require surgical treatment to relieve chronic edema that is caused by venous insufficiency.

Voice Mail Message From Lexi!

When I got out of work last Thursday I had a VM message from my 6 year old niece Lexi who lives in Milwaukee, WI. The message said:

"Aunt Jenny, I was just gonna call you and say that my tooth fell out at school on May um 6th, 2009, bye."

This message from Lexi totally made my day! I was laughing and smiling for quite a while after I heard this message! It was so darn cute for one thing! Plus, I was honored that she wanted to tell ME about her tooth. It was the first tooth she lost, so this is a BIG deal to her! I was tickled that she mentioned the date. This reminded me that she takes after me when it comes to dates and details.

Anyways, it was just so cute that I had to share it with you all! I hope this blog post added at least a smile to your day! :)

Lexi will be here in Indiana with her family for a visit this weekend, and I can't wait to see her! :)

Finally Starting To Get Some Answers!

Most of you know that I've been dealing with health issues for the past 3 months. It's been frustrating because up until now I've felt like a "Medical Mystery". The Dr.'s didn't seem to have any explanation for why my feet/ankles have been swelling so much. All of the tests have come back fine! Well, today I had a Dr.'s Appt with my Internal Medicine Dr. and he talked to me about the results of my 2nd round of tests. He said my creatinine levels are elevated and that can signal problems with kidney functioning. Don't get me wrong! I don't want to have kidney failure, but at least we are starting to get to the bottom of this!

Here are my next steps: I need to go get more blood work done to see if the creatinine levels are still elevated. Then, on Tuesday morning the Dr. is having me go get an ultrasound of my kidneys. I then go back to see him in 4 weeks to discuss the results. I know he'll call if something needs to be done ASAP. He also said my cholesterol is very high. I guess it's at 286 (I think) which is horrible! However, he noted that both my good and bad cholesterol are both high, so he isn't AS concerned. I told him when I was 16 I also had high cholesterol, so I think in addition to my diet, it is hereditary as well. He prescribed a pill to help control my cholesterol levels and I will have that checked again in 8 weeks.

I tell ya, I sure am blessed to have good health insurance! Even without my upcoming tests, my tests thus far have cost over $1,600.00! Continued prayers are appreciated! I found the diagram below online and the symptoms seem to match the problems I am having. I have fluid overload (swollen ankles) and elevated creatinine levels. Here's hoping that if there are kidney issues, they can be treated with meds. I'm just thankful to FINALLY be getting some answers!

Two Years Ago Today

I moved back to "The Bend" from Milwaukee, WI on May 1st, 2007! I can't believe it's been 2 years already!! I always said I would NEVER move back here, but God had other plans for me! I've had some rough times over the past few years, but overall I am so much happier. It's taken a while, but I'm finally back on my feet! I'm close to family! I have wonderful friends! I have a great job! I've grown so much as a person and in my faith, and I'm moving into a condo on the River on June 6th, where I will have my own bathroom, a large closet, a garage and a pool! Hopefully one day I will own my own condo! :) God is good, and He certainly has provided for me. To my family, I'm glad I'm Home! To my Milwaukee friends, I miss you and treasure the times I do get to spend with you! Distance does not separate true friends! To my South Bend friends, I'm so glad I've gotten to know you. Thank you for helping me to grow and be "real"! To all of my friends throughout the US, you all hold a special place in my heart! I'm Home and I'm Happy! =-)