birthday-party-weekend-extravaganza

That’s right, folks. This weekend was a big one for me.

Not only did I turn 29 on Friday.

I helped throw two dear friends an all-around-the-house shower Saturday.

And then my folks came up and celebrated my birthday (again) today (Sunday).

My birthday started off with over 200 notifications on Facebook. I know this seems ridiculous but every year I look forward to reading all the “happy birthdays” on my wall. All. Day. Long.  It’s like being a kid at Christmas again.  Call me conceited but it always makes me feel like the most special and well- remembered person ever (even though I know every friend got a notification TELLING them it was my birthday. Still….it feels so damn good). So, if YOU wrote on my wall for my birthday, THANK YOU;) It made this birthday girl feel very super duper special.

I had the privilege of having lunch at High Noon with two of my favorite people in the whole world…..Seth Pennebaker and Lydia Gamble. And believe it or not, we managed to get through lunch without one single picture being taken. How that happened, I have no idea. But alas, I have no picture of my birthday lunch. that’s okay. It was so wonderful to see Seth again.

And Lydia gave me two amazing presents.

This wind-up toy knight

And this gorgeous orange ring.

And yes, I had my nails painted for my birthday. OPI’s You Don’t Know Jacques has been my favorite for years now.

 My oldest (as in longest) best friend, Catherine Dufour Moore, wrote a BLOG about me that made my day the most specialist ever. Thank you, Cath. You are amazing and I love you. You can check out her amazing blog here.

For my birthday dinner, some of my closest and dearest friends gathered at Spice Avenue and we enjoyed a delightful Indian meal together.

I, of course, had the tofu curry and it was AMAZING. I just love curry.

my sweet brother and me

my beautiful roommate and me

The gorgeous Richard and stunning Sarah

Jess and Mike

Richard, Mac, and Sarah

Me and Angela

Steven and the birthday girl

Hawmi and me

Angela and Eamonn

They brought me out Indian “sweet balls”

I only ate 1. The only bit of sugar I had all weekend.

Saturday evening, a few friends and I threw a shower for two of our dear friends, Carrie and Forrest,  who are getting married in April.

It turned out to be a lovely little party and I enjoyed getting to visit with so many friends that I don’t see all the time.

The punch looked like two boobs. Unintentionally of course;)

 The Handsome groom

 The gorgeous bride to be and her lover—Dixie

 mother-in-law to be, bride, and her mother

 my mother and my other mother

 Gifts galore

Jess and Mike

 Denise, Todd, and Betsy

 Me and my mama

 My Pops and Virden

 Me and Liz

 My silly roommate and Dixie

And I think the cute couple got some good gifts to kick off their new life together.

Carrie and Forrest, I wish you all the happiness in the world!


Moving right along to Sunday........

We kicked Sunday off right with a little church;)

And then a delicious lunch at Char.

Lydia, Moi, and Mac 

 Lydia and myself

 Me and Mac

 Clint and I

My birthday happies

my favorite present by far…because I AM a Mississippi Girl

My amazing parents and I 

I am blessed beyond belief with the two most amazing parents in the whole-wide world. I honestly can’t even begin to describe how amazing my parents are and how much they mean to me. They are my heroes. They not only gave me life but have saved my life numerous times. Without them, I would not be where I am today. Mom and Pop, I love you more than life itself and I hope one day to be just like you.

You know, I think I’m really going to enjoy my 29^th year of life. If this weekend was any indication of how my year is going to be, then it’s going to be amazing.

God has been overly good to me.

I continue to stand amazed at all the goodness and love that keeps being poured on me.
Thank you friends, for making my birthday weekend so special. Thank you for your endless love and support.

With deep love and gratitude,

Jennifer

P.S Check out my new header for my blog! Thank you, Cath! I love it! 

29, ready or not, here i come!

On the eve of my 29th birthday, i was pondering the significance of age and thinking about my life. as i do every year. as if something special changes ON the very day of my birthday. it doesn't. but i always think it will. 

as I was thinking of something profound and epic to write, i stumbled upon this little email i sent to a friend about a year ago. 

i thought it was perfect. 

summing up things i've learned in my 20s. no, really.....in all my almost 29 years of existence. 

i hope you enjoy. 

*happy early birthday to me.*

Here I am. All of me. No hustle, no half-truth, no back door escapes. This is me.

I’ve been constructively reviewing my almost 28 years of existence recently. This has been brought on by a myriad of events that have really gotten me thinking and asking myself, “What have I learned?” and “what will be different from this point on out?” You see, I’ve made a host of mistakes over and over again….which is the definition of insanity, and I am unwilling to continue to be insane. Everyday is a battle for me—a constant struggle to truly be the person I was created to be, and not the self-destructive person that I’ve created myself. I have begun to take a continuous look at my assets and liabilities because I do have a real desire to learn and grow.  So, Jennifer Nanney, what have you learned?

I’ve learned that I am NOT the center of the universe. I am not the center of your life.

I’ve learned that I am 100% responsible for my actions, reactions, and emotions. If I have a problem with you, it’s simply because I have a huge problem with myself.

I’ve learned that I have absolutely zero control over people and their emotions.

 As much as I want to save the entire world and ensure that everyone is “ok” and at peace with themselves, all I can actually do is save myself and make sure that I’m ok and at peace with myself.

I am learning that I cannot allow feelings to dictate my actions….if I want to change how I feel, I must change how I act and keep at it long enough until acting in a healthy manner is as comfortable as acting in a self-defeating manner.

I have learned that who I am in a relationship with says as much about me as it does about them.

I am learning the development of self-restraint. When I speak or act hastily or rashly, the ability to be fair-minded and tolerant evaporates on the spot. One unkind tirade or one willful snap judgment can ruin my relation with another person for a whole day, or even a whole year.

 I am learning to avoid quick-tempered criticism and furious, power-driven argument. The same goes for sulking or silent scorn. These are emotional booby traps baited with pride and vengefulness. When I am tempted by bait, it is imperative that I should step back and think….before I react in a way that later I will be very sorry for.

I have learned that all people, including myself, are to some extent emotionally ill as well as frequently wrong, and am learning to approach them with true tolerance and real love.

I have learned that it is pointless to become angry, or to get hurt by people who, like me, are suffering from the pains of growing up.

I am learning that my pains of failure are turning into assets. Out of my pain I am receiving the stimulation I need to go forward.

I am learning to examine my motives. Why do I do the things I do? Is it for good or for evil?

An honest regret for harms done, a genuine gratitude for blessings received, and a willingness to try for better things tomorrow are the permanent assets that I am seeking.

I have learned that acceptance is the answer to ALL my problems today.  When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing, or situation—some fact of my life unacceptable to me. And I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing, or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment. Nothing, absolutely nothing, happens in God’s world by mistake. Unless I accept life completely on life’s terms, I cannot be happy. I have to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world as on what needs to be changed in me and in my attitudes.

I have learned that my peace of mind is inversely proportional to my expectations. The higher my expectations on others, the lower my peace of mind is.

I have learned that I have to watch my inches on a daily basis so that I don’t have to deal with miles.

I must add a few others that i just thought of:

I've learned that my parents WERE right. they are my biggest heroes today.

I've learned that i'm a lot tougher than I ever thought I was.

I've learned that really, anything is possible....it's just a matter of changing your perception.

That's all.

Oh, my intention for my 29th year?

To Live Like I Mean It.

Here's to you, 29! May you be my best year yet.

good clean living

Since January 1^st, I have made some pretty drastic changes to my lifestyle. I cut out meat and sugar.

“Ouch” you might be thinking.

But in all honesty, I feel amazing.

And people have told me my skin looks amazing.

And I tend to agree;)

What have I been eating?

I’ll tell you.

First, every morning I start off with a Kale Smoothie. I know it sounds gross. But it is simply amazing. I could really drink 2 of these a day they are so good.

The recipe can be found here.

I found this amazing recipe for “Healthy Date Bars” and boy oh boy are they good!

They are a great healthy snack to keep handy.

I also made my own Cilantro Hummus! I might have added a little too much garlic, but hey, it was my first attempt.

I’ve been trying to eat lots of greens. I think greens are where it’s at!

Big salads are always on my menu.

As are sweet potato and quinoa.

I’ve cut out what little sugar I did put in my coffee in the morning. This has been a big adjustment. But you know what? I’m beginning to get used to it and even like it. My goal is to one day drink it black. I just think there is something so sexy and real about black coffee drinkers. Am I the only one who thinks this?

I’ve replaced desserts and candy with fresh fruit.

I could eat my weight in grapes, strawberries, and mangoes

I cut out soy milk and peanut butter and replaced it with almond milk and almond butter;) I figured I eat enough soy and don’t want to overload on it.

As far as the difference between almond butter and peanut butter, there is much debate. To learn some of the pros and cons of both, click here.

I’ve resumed my regime of running 4-5 miles a day on the trace. It truly is the highlight of my mornings.

And I’ve jumped back in the swing of things at the yoga studio. Boy it feels good to be back after my month and a half hiatus during the month of December.

Over-all I feel SO MUCH BETTER.

I’m sleeping better.

I’m in a better mood.

I’m more motivated.

I feel more alive.

I like myself better.

So there.

It feels good to practice more kindness in my lifestyle by cutting out the meat as well. I must add that.  I know it’s not for everyone, but I can’t tell you how much better I feel inside for not being a meat eater anymore.

If you made New Years resolutions or intentions, are you still keeping them? Or have you already thrown in the towel?

Whatever it is you’re doing or not doing, the only bit of encouragement and/or advice I have is to be kind to yourself. Be kind with your inner dialogue. Be kind and gentle. It will get you a lot farther than being judgmental and negative towards yourself;)

I’ll leave you with this brief passage from Desiderata.

You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

All my blessings on this seemingly dreary Tuesday,

Jen