This is Our Story

The Story of Us

2011-08-10T22:48:00.006-07:00

Lots of people have been asking to hear the story behind Ryan and me. So, here it goes :) I will try to be as objective as possible, but this is my blog, so if I choose to take a little license here and there, thats my own business :)

Meet Jen and Ryan Walters. I think she is gorgeous, and he isn't too bad either. I have never met Jen before, but I have talked about her for hours on end, and feel like she is a close friend. They met and married in the Salt Lake Temple in 2002. They were both born and raised in the Salt Lake area and settled down there with their new family. Ryan worked and went to school to become a nurse and Jen worked in her career of community health. When Jen was 20 weeks pregnant with their first son, Noah, they discovered that the horrible headaches she was having came from a tumor that was growing in her brain. Fastforward through grueling treatments, remissions, miracles, and finally a relapse, and she passed away in May 2009, right after Noah's third birthday.

Meet Cory and Brooke Jenkins. I will spare you too many details because I am assuming if you are reading this blog, you know most of them. But suffice it to say, Brooke and Cory were married in the Mesa temple where they both grew and up and then promptly made a move to Ft. Lewis, Washington. Cory was beginning his career as a Physician Assistant in the U.S. Army. Their daughter Reagan was born in June of 2009 and Cory was gone by that August. He was killed when an improvised explosive device hit his vehicle during his deployment to Afghanistan.

After a year and a half had passed since Jen and Cory's deaths (mind you, I am skipping the description of that time cuz it is boring and slightly depressing), both Ryan and I were struggling to get back into the dating scene. The experience felt a little bit like cruel and unusual punishment for both of us. How could we ever find someone to love and still be able to honor the eternal love and covenants we had made in the temple. We both decided that the only possible solution was to find another person in the same situation, someone who could totally empathize and respect that love. Now here comes the embarrassing part, though we are trying to get over it :) Ryan decided to sign up for the online dating site LDS Planet. He spent a grand total of about 3 weeks on there. I, on the other hand, hold proud to the claim that I was not online dating. So then how did you meet, you ask? Well, my dear friend Angela Barrus was also signed up for that website. One night she was over at my home and we were messing around and looking at her LDS Planet profile online. I asked her to do a search for widowers because I wanted to prove to her that there were none, that I could never get married because there was no one who fit my criteria (spirituality of a general authority, brains of a rocket scientist, the looks of Brad Pitt, and a widower who won the Father of the Year award). We laughed at some of the profiles that our search returned. And then there he was. And all of us in the room knew it. Angela convinced me to let her send him an email telling him to get in contact with me, which he did not do. Jerk. So then she sent him ANOTHER email to tell him he was really going to miss the boat on this one if he didn't act now. He finally looked me up on Facebook, decided I was attractive enough, and sent me a message :) We clicked right away and it was obvious. We chatted back and forth via email, phone and skype. Three months later, in March, he took the plunge and came down for a visit. We spent the weekend together and went paddleboarding. These are a couple of pictures from that day. He said he wanted to let me know that he was interested in me, so he developed an ingenius plan of splashing reclaimed canal water all over me numerous times. Doesn't that just scream romance?

I am going to skip a few details at this point. We traveled back and forth, seeing each other about every 2 weeks. Please be sure and ask him about the first time he kissed me and his smooth line "smell my hair" that was designed to get me close enough to go in for the kill.

I went with the Jenkins family a couple of weeks ago to vacation in Park City, Utah. Ryan drove out our first day and took me out for a night on the town. We went to Deer Valley Lodge and and rode a ski lift to the top of the mountain. We could see a million miles in either direction and it was gorgeous. After Ryan shoo-ed away the other people that were up there, he sat me on a bench, got down on one knee, and told me that he wanted to take care of Reagan and me. Then he asked me to marry him with the ring of my dreams. Well, I said no at first. Got to keep them on their feet, ya know? But I quickly changed my answer :) Then we grabbed a scrubby looking twelve year old who was the only other human being around to snap this picture. We can't describe the comfort that comes from being with someone who understands our hardest trial so completely, the ease of being able to tell each other story after story about our husband or wife and the person only wants to hear more, and the awe that comes from knowing we have SOMEHOW, SOMEWAY managed to find TWO people in our short lives that we are meant for, when there are others who toil their whole lives without such a privilege. And that is the story of us, in a nutshell. I have included a few more pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Reagan and Noah playing Captain America in the Target. Don't these look like the kind of kids who get shoved in lockers at school?

Enjoying a great Diamondbacks vs. Dodgers game

This is the moment I knew I loved Ryan and wanted to marry him. Can you tell why?

Trying to capture a group shot in the blacklight of Kangaroo Zoo

Lunch at the Olive Garden with my sister Phoebe's family

We took an old fashioned western picture at Rawhide. They thought they were the stuff :)

Attempting some bowling in Arizona

What.a.stud :)

After a carriage ride in Salt Lake. The boy is a crazy romantic.

Hanging out at Temple Square

Self Photograph
At the Phoenix Zoo

At the Easter Pageant. This is the first day he knew he loved me. Cheesy.

This Is My Story

2010-08-24T21:41:00.001-07:00

Sooooo,lacking the emotional energy to be original tonight, I will post something that I wrote out 8 months or so ago. This is my story.

"August 25, 2009"

I just realized the other day that I had not yet recorded the events of this day. Even though it was the most horrible day of my life, I am convinced that I am going to want to read this and remember in the years to come. Go figure….

I woke up that morning with a long list of things to do. I was trying to be productive. I needed to get a box off to Cory that I had been procrastinating for awhile. I ran around town trying to gather pictures, treats, etc. to put inside the box. I also dropped off a birthday present for one of my Beehives, Cassandra Cridlebaugh. I was in a really sentimental mood that day, so as Reagan napped, I looked through all of our wedding and engagement photos. I felt soooo close to him at that time. I laughed at the goofy pictures of us and I wondered over the experiences we had been through up to that time in our marriage. We had grown so close and still had years and years to grow old together. I finally ran the box down to the post office. The worker there told me it was better to use a flat rate box, so she sent me away to re-pack it. Instead of going straight home, I drove to the gas station for some gas and bought a bag of Funyuns and a cherry Slurpee. I drove around aimlessly until I had finished it, just thinking about my life and feeling a little lonely. When I got home, I decided to take Reagan for a walk to the library. I wanted to check out some books on cooking for one and baby development. We wandered around the library for awhile and then walked home. It was time to feed Baby Reagan, so we sat down in the rocker in her room to nurse and opened one of the books on baby development. Just a couple of minutes after we started, I heard a knock on the front door. I thought that was strange because I wasn’t expecting anyone. I quickly made myself presentable and dragged Reagan to the front door. I peeked out of the little window to see who was there. I thought I saw two men in Class A green uniforms, but one of them looked to be the chaplain that just moved into our ward. I swear I did not know what was coming when I opened the door. I opened the door to see Chaplain Coleman and Captain Harmon. I remember thinking that CPT Harmon looked really scared. I said “Hi! Come on in”. I went around turning on lights so that we could see in the front room. I was feeling REALLY nervous and anxious, but couldn’t put my finger on why. I figured that if the guy from our ward was here with another military person, they must be doing some kind of military/church liaison program. I sat down and invited them to do the same. The chaplain sat down, but Captain Harmon would not. Then he started in on his script. “Mrs. Jenkins, the Secretary of the Army has asked me to express his deepest regret that it is believed that your husband, Captain Cory Jenkins, was killed in action in Afghanistan August 25, 2009”. After that, things get a little fuzzy. I remember that I latched onto those words “believed to have been killed”. So, they aren’t sure? There is a chance he is still alive? Captain Harmon went on to explain that they were on a reconnaissance mission and they were hit by an IED. Everyone in the vehicle was trapped and they all burned to death. A million questions went through my head. WHY was the PA on a reconnaissance mission? This didn’t make any sense. I was sure they had him mixed up with someone else. But, in my heart of hearts, I knew. It was the thing I had feared and almost knew would come since I first found he would be deployed to Afghanistan. So, instead of asking all of my questions, I just said “Oh My God” over and over and over. I sat on the couch and clutched Baby Reagan and felt my whole world fall apart. I sobbed and moaned and cried oh my God until I was too tired to do it anymore. Chaplain Coleman said some things about remembering the promises I had made with my husband. It rang true, but couldn’t sink in at the time. In a strange out of body way, I felt really bad for Captain Harmon for having to be responsible to bring me this horrible news. He looked like a little boy who was about to cry the entire time. Captain Harmon asked if there was someone I would like him to call to come over and be with me. I told him to call Tiffany Mortensen, my first and closest friend since moving to WA. The chaplain also volunteered to call the Bishop and Relief Society President. I did not want anyone to see me this way or be told the bad news, but I new it would help to have these leaders around me. When neither of them were home, he volunteered to call his wife Carolyn, who came right over. With each new person who walked through the door, I could feel myself fall apart as I told them with the expression on my face. I know I must have looked like a train wreck. Chaplain Coleman volunteered to give me a blessing, so Tiffany called her husband Jon to come over and help with the ordinance. When he arrived, they gave me a beautiful blessing. I can’t remember much of anything that was said, and I felt so numb at the time that it didn’t seem to penetrate, but I know that it helped. Jill Beyler later wrote down all that she could remember so that I will have those blessings recorded. After all of the formalities that the military had to do, I decided that Jill, Tiffany and I still needed to go on our walk that we had scheduled that afternoon. It seems a little irrational now, but I just had to get out and get moving to get my mind off of the pure insanity of the situation. Jill and Tiffany determined that they would stay with me that night at my house. I put Baby Reagan in the front pack carrier and we walked around the lake. It was so strange, almost like any other day, except that there was only one thing on my mind. We talked about random trivial things. I just needed to focus on something else. I also had this really strong desire to find out what was going to happen with us financially. I felt really guilty, at the time, to be worried about such a temporal matter, but it was so consuming. I think I was obsessed with this because I was in a fight or flight mode. I was fighting and that included figuring out how we were going to survive. After our walk of a couple miles, we went to get pizza at Little Caesar’s. On the way there, I called my family to tell them. I was dreading calling them so much. I really did not want to break down on the phone with them and then have to put myself back together again. I determined to try and make it quick and painless, like removing a band-aid. I called my mom and said “Mom, I have something to tell you that I need you to call and tell the rest of the family”. She said OK. I said “Cory has been killed. Can you please tell everyone?” She said “Brooke, No! What happened?” I told her I couldn’t go into details just then but just to please relay the news to the rest of the family. When I got off the phone, I felt a measure of relief that this task was done with. We got the pizza and brought it back to eat. People began stopping by the house (President and Linda Stevens and the Pattersons). They all stayed for awhile and chatted and shared a message and brought ice cream. I dreaded the time I had to go to bed that night. I knew that the quiet and the time by myself was going to be like torture. I set my friends up in the TV room and then went to my room. I lay there for about 30 minutes and knew that this wasn’t going to work. I came out and set up a bed in the TV room with my friends. I just lay there and watched TV and talked a little to my friends the entire night. I think that I slept less than an hour. At one point, when I thought Jill and Tiffany were asleep, I let myself go for the first time. I pulled the blankets over my head and felt the pain and the loneliness wash over me. I sobbed great big gulps and my body heaved. I was doing all this as quietly as I possibly could, but Jill reached out and grabbed my hand and told me to just let it all out. I cried until it hurt. I did that several times that night. I also remember watching a very early morning (3 am) news broadcast that announced that 4 unnamed soldiers had been killed in Afghanistan. They showed video footage of the burned out stryker. This image tormented me in my dreams. I don’t remember too much after that first day except there were a lot of visitors, which wore me out. I bought a plane ticket to go home the morning of the 27th. I also decided that day that I would move back to AZ and live in our house we had there.

Happy Anniversary?

2010-07-18T20:24:00.004-07:00

I struggled with starting this post, mostly because I didn't know if I would have the emotional energy to finish it. I decided finally to do it today because I definitely won't have what it takes tomorrow.
I love good anniversaries, the kind that give me butterflies of excitement for my husband to come home from work so that we can go on a trip to celebrate the time we have been married. Or how about the kind that involve watching my baby open gifts and smash her face in cake. Sometimes it is just nice to commemorate the passage of time and the growth that has occurred. But, I am learning all to well lately that not all anniversaries are wonderful. How about the anniversary of the last time you ever saw your best friend and love of your life in this life? Yea, I know. Sucky. July 19, 2009. This post is the story of that day, a journal of remembrance more for me than anyone else. I can run the film strip over and over in my head a million times, but there is something about writing it down that burns the memory into my soul.
The night before he left, we decided to go for a short walk alone. My mom was in town helping with Reagan after she was born, so she stayed back and watched her for us. It was dark outside, so it must have been after 10. We headed toward Fort Steilacoom Park, a place with huge expanses of grass where we knew we could be alone. We chatted lightly about the plan for the next day and the things he had to get in order before then. When we came to a soccer field, we both plopped down and lay on the grass. It was dark and I was laying with my head on his stomach, so we couldnt see each other's faces. Our conversation turned more serious. I asked him, trying desperately to keep emotion out of my voice, if he was afraid at all. I will remember what he said forever, "No. Not at all. Maybe I should be". He asked me if I was and I couldnt lie. "Yes", was all I could get out. We lay in silence for several minutes and just enjoyed each other's company until it started to get cold, and then we headed back. I put Reagan to bed, and then myself, and he continued puttering around the house, finishing up some last minute items.
When my alarm went off VERY early in the morning, he was still puttering, though a little more frantically. I really don't think he went to bed at all that night. He was excited to go. That hurt my feelings, but I understood that this is what he had trained for for years, and he couldn't wait to put it into practice. I got up and then Reagan woke up. I asked Cory if he wanted to get her ready while I showered and got dressed. He jumped at the chance. He wanted to do everything for that little girl. When I got out of the shower, I saw him with her on the bed, getting her dressed, and there were tears in his eyes. It was the most beautiful father daughter moment I had ever witnessed. He was soaking up his last experience with his little girl, for what he thought was a whole year. When he returned, she would be a different baby....a child.

When he was finally done packing, we all piled into the truck with all of his gear, and headed onto post (a 10 minute drive). I felt nervous as we pulled up and I saw all of the other soldiers with their gear and the other families, following their husbands and dads around like they were stuck with glue. Cory ran somewhere to run an errand and I sat in the truck and wrote him a letter to be opened after we said goodbye. I think it just told him how proud we were of him and how grateful we were to have a man of God at the head of our family. When he came back, we walked around outside and chatted with some of the other families. Cory was so cute about showing off Reagan. He wanted everyone to see his girl, and she was dressed appropriately. I was struck by how many other men were leaving behind newborns. It just didn't seem right, but at the same time, it gives you the strength to buck up and be strong when there are so many others in your shoes as well.

After visiting, we went upstairs to his office. I sat and nursed Reagan and he tried to sit, but got fidgety and ran in and out to take care of some business. It was at this point that he told me they were going to all leave for a couple of hours, but they would be back to say goodbye. I would like to shoot the person that gave him this impression. We spent the last time we had together nursing the baby and doing paperwork. Then he ran back and said they are getting ready to leave, so I finished up real quick with Reagan and we ran downstairs and outside and ran over to the buses. I started to get a little nervous when I looked around and saw all of the other families crying. Something didn't seem right. Something seemed too.....final. I had been really strong up to this point and almost prided myself on the fact that I had not cried. When almost everyone was on the bus, all of a sudden he came bounding over to me. I snapped this picture while he was coming. I thought he looked so proud in his uniform.

He ran up and said "Um, I was wrong. I won't see you again. We are leaving right now". I grabbed Reagan out of her carrier real quick and threw her into his arms. He hugged her and then I hugged and gave him a quick peck......and then he was gone. He ran back to the bus and loaded it right away. I remember standing outside the line of buses, fighting back tears as hard as I could, and texting him like crazy "Can you see me? I can't see you!" over and over. The buses were starting to pull away and he texted me "You can't see me, but I can see you". I think that's how the rest of our marriage is going to be. I watched the buses drive away and then went back to his truck, drove away, and fell apart. I drove down the tree covered road from Ft. Lewis to our home and thought that I would never be able to make it a year. A YEAR! It seemed like a lifetime. I am glad I didn't know that it would end up being an actual lifetime, or I never would have let him go. As he said in his letter to me that I got the day after he died "we are apart for a year, but we are together forever". I can close my eyes and see him as he was then, every little detail from head to foot. I can see the scar he got on his shin from running into a weight bench at Sport's Authority. I can see his laugh that you can't really hear because all he does is rock back and forth silently. I can smell the combination of Kenneth Cole "New York" aftershave and Irish Spring deoderant as he kisses me every morning before he goes to work and I am still in a comatose state. I trust all of these things will be the same when I see him again.

Slippin' Through My Fingers

2010-06-14T10:41:00.006-07:00

Today my baby turns one year old. If I am going to be completely honest, this scares the living day lights out of me. Here's the deal. She is all I've got. I try not to be weird about it, but she is pretty much my lifeline. She has been a lifesaver for me. I don't know what I would do without her. Hi, my name is Brooke Jenkins,and my best friend is one year old. I know, weird. I would pay every penny I have to own a time machine. I looked through several of her newborn pictures last night and was struck at how she doesn't even look like the same kid anymore. I guess my only option is to take one day at a time and enjoy every minute of it. How do you suppose, out of all the children in the world, I got the best one?

To celebrate, we had a little shindig last night. I tried to keep it small, with just immediate family on both sides and a couple of friends. We had pulled pork sandwiches and everyone brought sidedishes. I made a little slideshow to music of many of the pictures of Reagan taken over the last year and we watched that while we ate and talked. After that, we sang to Reagan and let her go to town on her own cake. Considering I limit her sugar considerably, she freaked out over this little treat. Betty Crocker and I made my own cake and it feel apart, but as lame as I am, I was still soooo proud of it. I have ZERO creative or baking abilities. Finally, she opened, or more accurately, I opened, her presents and we sat around and talked for a long time. It was chill and it was perfect. I couldn't have asked for anything better for her first birthday.

Reagan Abby, one day old

Enjoying some pulled pork and a kiss

Okay, think what you may, but my child is THE CUTEST baby out there.

stressed out that she can't have that cake right now

She loves lemon

working her new cheesy smile

The cake. Yea, I know. You're jealous.

playing with some of her new toys

Thanks mom. That party was awesome!

I thought I would try to capture the portrait of what Reagan is like on her 1st birthday:

You can't walk on your own, but you cruise around furniture with the best of them and you can stand without holding onto anything. And geez, are you a fast crawler!
You've got sweet hair, a little more than the average kid with all kinds of highlights in it.
Green Eyes
18 lbs. 10 oz.
When I say "Where's Jesus?", you can find his picture on the wall every time. That's your best party trick.
When I say "Close your eyes. It's time to pray", you automatically clasp your hands to get ready for prayer. I used to think you were destined for sainthood, but then I realized you clasp your hands in prayer every time I say the word "close". Close the door. Let's put on your clothes, etc. Also, you get ready for prayer every time I shut a book, because we always pray right after I shut the scriptures we have just been reading. We'll keep working on this one.
You give the best sloppy kisses in the whole wide world.
You aren't afraid of the water at all. I can let go of you and you'll sink down a bit and not even be afraid.
You have allergies like nobody's business, so your nose is always running. You can thank your daddy for that. He used to tell me he was just preparing me for when you came whenever he would get snot on me :)
You have 1.5 words learned. Maybe "Hi", and maybe "Mom".
You freak out over balloons, balls, and animals of all kinds.
You can read. Okay, maybe you can't, but you sure try ALL the time. Your love of books is really encouraging.
You know what a bear says, where your nose and feet are, and how to do a couple of words in sign language.
You just started doing the most ridiculously cheesy smile I have ever seen. It sure doesn't look real, but it makes everyone smile who sees it.

Poor Unfortunate Soul

2010-06-10T10:46:00.005-07:00

Being that this is the year of my 10 year high school reunion, I have been reflecting a lot back on who I was at that time. I have been wanting to do a blog post for awhile that captured the essence of Brooke in high school, but last night clinched it. I was having a conversation with four 15 year olds about....well, I don't really remember about what. Anyway, I made the comment that I was a tragic nerd in high school. THEY DIDN'T BELIEVE ME! I insisted and then one said (you know who you are) "Well, when did you all of a sudden just become really cool?" I looked around to see who the conversation was being directed at. Oh......me. Well, the truth cannot be hidden anymore. I was a Poor Unfortunate Soul in high school, and I am not talking about the Disney movie where a voluptuous octupus shakes her shimmy in a way that is scandalously marketed to 4 year olds. I was the epitome of a nerd cake, and I am about to prove it to you. And just so you know, this is nothing like the clip I saw of Jennifer Aniston where she swears she was a nerd in highscool. I think she may have been referring to that one day she got a pimple.....

I was Captain of the Badminton team. Yes, badminton.
I had a uniform that I wore almost everyday to school. It went something like this: run the brush through your hair, put on your oversized polo or t-shirt, slide on your baggy jeans or khakis, and slip into your canvas, boy-like shoes. Done. Once or twice I wore something that my mom convinced me was "feminine". All day long I was sure that boys were looking at me inappropriately, so I went back to the uniform.
I earned the "Outstanding Orchestra Member" award. You know that whatever I had to do to earn that can not be good.
I think the grand total on my friend count was 6.
I am recalling an experience that scared me away from makeup until I was 18 years old. I decided one day in 8th grade that I was going to wear some makeup. This was not a regular occurence for me, though I owned all of the neccesary equipment. I think my mother had purchased it for me, hoping I would somehow overcome my ugly duckling status. I did my best and then went about my day, including Mr. Granio's Honors Earth Science class. The next morning, when I went to put on my makeup, my mom said "Oh, sweetheart. Can I help you?" I went back to science and as Mr. Granio was passing out papers, he stops at my desk, analyzes my face for a second, and says "Much Better".
I loved grownups way more than I loved people my own age. I was on a quest to make them all like me and be my friend. I think I did a pretty good job, because every adult I ever came in contact with was convinced that I was a saint.
I was nominated as "Math's Student of the Month". Once again, whatever that required surely put me on the nerd list.
I never went to any "boy ask girl" dances. I suppose I could have paid someone to take me....
Oh yeah! I forgot! I liked two boys my senior year. Now both of those boys also like boys. It's probably safe to say that those relationships were dead in the water before they even started.

I am having nightmares just reliving some of these experiences, so I will stop here. I am sure the pictures will fill in the details.

This was my 16 birthday. Hmmmmm, Looney Toones and a walkman.
PROOF!

This is a good example if the uniform.

The day I got my driver's permit. What I remember from that day was I was 5'5'', 105 pounds, and I thought I was fat. Oh, and somehow I convinced them to let me play softball at Highland, which was kind of a cool sport.

Practicing away

I think the point of focus in this picture is that I am 16 years old and wearing one piece pajamas and holding a stuffed animal. If I remember correctly, this was supposed to be a blackmail picture.

I gave this picture of me sitting barefoot on a dirty bench outside of target to the boy I somehow convinced to go out with me because I thought it was cute. Baggy polo, baggy jeans.

You see that green and purple huge tie dyed t-shirt. Yea. I wore that way more than I would like to admit.

Grrrrrrr. First day of 11th grade.

I thought my boom box was suh-weet. Funny thing is I couldn't have told you a top 40 song to save my life, but I could have written a 10 page paper on Buddy Holly.

This is a good capture of me and my friends. I think there is only 2 of them missing. Also, I do not possess the ability to be serious in pictures.

Morp, Junior year

I really don't know what is going on this picture, but someone should really rescue that tree.

Senior picure, 17 years old. I think this was the high point of my highschool looks, and I can't take any credit for it. We just came from the salon where someone cut and styled my hair and my mom did my makeup.

Praise be, it's over!

In retrospect there was no one day when "all of a sudden I became really cool". I don't think that's ever going to happen. Some people were just never meant to be cool :) But I did gain confidence somewhere along the way. This came in two waves. First, about the time I turned 18 I discovered that it was okay to be a girl. I could pluck my eyebrows, wear makeup every day, wear clothes that showed off my figure, heck, shower everyday! Second of all, I had a profound life changing experience when I was 21 that taught me that we are all worth so much in God's eyes. So, I started trying to get to know people just for the sake of getting to know them, and no one intimidated me anymore. This has made all the difference. I think I am ALMOST as cool as Jennifer Aniston now......

A few of my favorite things

2010-06-08T10:34:00.003-07:00

I am in a good mood, so I thought I would make a list of the things that put me that way. I believe we are put on this earth to have joy. So, here is my joy!

1. pulling Reagan into bed with me to drink her morning bottle. She is just so.....squishy!
2. decluttering
3. A good book that I just want to feast on till 2 am and cry because I have finished it
4. A clean house
5. A recurring daydream that goes a little something like this:
knock, knock
Me: Yes? Can I help you?
The guy in the uniform: Are you Mrs. Jenkins?
Me:Yes I am
guy: Mrs. Jenkins, this is extremely embarrassing, but the Secretary of the Army has requested that I inform you that your husband has not, in fact, been blown up. He has been conducting a secret mission in Afghanistan that has secured the safety of our nation. And, since we sent you ALL of his clothes, he has been doing it naked.
Me: Sweet. Atleast he won't have any tan lines. Tell him dinner is at 6.
6. A good cry. You know, the kind with lots of snot.
7. My calling in Young Womens
8. Teaching in any way, shape, or form
9. Someone who understands and empathizes with me completely
10. IMing with realling interesting people
11. Intellectually stimulating conversations
12. Hearing stories or seeing pictures of my husband that I have never seen/heard before
13. Pinning people down and making them listen to MY stories about Cory.
14. Really wet and openmouthed kisses.....from Reagan. Geez! Get your mind out of the gutter.
15.Music that takes me somewhere else
16.Salt: french fries, chips and salsa, crackers, etc.
17. Facebook-I know. This is embarassing that this is even on here. But with HOURS of dispensible time every day, it has been good to me.
18. The Biggest Loser
19. Best friends
20. Learning instruments
21. Going to lunch with somebody, not because I am hungry, but because I like their company.
22. Watching my baby grow
23. Trying new things. Veganism, anyone?
24. Feeling like I have made my husband proud
25. Traveling. There is so much out there to see and so little time!
26. Random signs from the universe that Cory just might be watching me and cheering me on
27. Prayer
28. Watching the numbers on the scale be just a LEETLE bit lower than the week before. My goal is to have this baby weight off by the time Reagan starts school.
29.Staring into space in a trance like daydream
30. thrill seeking: surfing, bungee jumping, skydiving, etc.
31. Finding money on the sidewalk
32.my family
33. Studying History. Those old guys are just so fascinating. And Hott!

Alright. This list is not comprehensive, but it is a good cross section. I am grateful for my life, even if its the kind of life that no one else would trade with me for a billion bucks. I guess thats the beauty of THE PLAN.

Life's Lessons

2010-06-05T10:35:00.005-07:00

Excuse me as I turn this post into a little bit of mental upchuck. I just have had a lot of stuff on my mind lately. I need to start keeping a "real" journal so that I don't have to put anybody who reads this through the psychotic rollercoaster that is my thought process.

I included the picture of myself shooting because over the last month this is mostly how I have felt, like killing somebody. Maybe everybody if they don't stay out of my way. I don't know if it was the onslaught of Memorial Day or the fact that reality is FINALLY starting to sink in. It could be that all of Cory's comrades that he served with are starting to come home. But ultimately, here's the deal. I miss my husband.......bad.

But that is not the subject of this post, only the precursor to it. I have been in a trance for the last 10 months. I was being someone else, not myself. I used to love people and thrived off of my friends. Nothing gave me more happiness than getting to know people and trying to serve them. I have been so self-absorbed that I forgot that, and it turned into a cyclical downward spiral. I was hourding all of my energy, afraid that I wouldn't be able to function on a day to day basis if I spent it on anyone else. But, how could I feel better if I wasn't doing the things I loved the most? So, It was high time I had a wakeup call. That wakeup call came in the form of girl's camp.

I have always adored working with teenagers. If I can dare say so, I feel like it is kind of my calling in life. I chose to teach middle school for this reason, and I have had the chance to serve in the Young Women's program in my last 2 wards. Someday they will catch onto the fact that I am no more mature than a 14 year old and they will stop having me be responsible for them.

I had the distinct privilege this year to be in charge of the YCLs (Youth Camp Leaders). These are the girls age 16ish-18ish. It was a TON of work, but the girls were superhuman and I couldn't have asked for anything more.

Dani, Caryn, Alyssa, Anamaria, Alyssa, Lacey, and Me!

So, what the heck does this have to do with anything?! Well, I had a Nephi moment at camp. "Awake, my soul"! There is this Einstein quote that I have always loved, "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results". Whatever I had been doing over the past year was NOT making me happy, but I was holding onto my method for dear life. In the words of the genius Garth Brooks, I was "standing outside the fire", spiritually, socially, and in every other way possible. Christ was right when He said that "whosever shall lose his life for my sake shall find it". I found my life again. I found what makes me happy, and that is my relationships with others. I am excited to get back to the "old" me. I have so much good around me and it is time to dive in. Wahooooooo!

I needed a change....

2010-05-13T10:17:00.004-07:00

I am trying to stick to my resolution to blog more often. As a result, you will be hearing about the very mundane details of my life until I can come up with something funnier and more "light your pants on fire" to blog about.

First item of business: I needed a change. BAD. I was sick of looking at the same thing over and over every day in the mirror. So I mixed it up a little bit. Nothing too drastic, just enough to keep the masses entertained. I finally cut my hair a bit. I am ashamed to admit that it had been since just before Reagan was born. I got a little distracted right after that time. And secondly, I did something I have never done but have always wanted to do. I got my hair colored professionally. I just went a few shades darker and its only semi-permanent so I can wait and decide if I want to sign on the dotted line for this color. I must have taken a dozen pictures of it, trying to capture the look just right. It took me awhile to realize the problem was less with the hair and more with my face. I look pathetic! Please tell me, do I look this way all the time?

Second item of business. I am still going strong with the Vegetarianism for the month of May. The hardest thing for me to stay away from is cheese. I actually stink at staying away from cheese. I rationalize by saying that it is to keep the family together. I am pretty sure if my husband found out I had cut out cheese, he would leave me. Eggs and milk have been much easier, with only a couple of instances since the month started. Meat has been the easiest. I gave in and ate meat on Mother's Day. Come On! It was MY day and she made BBQ chicken! I am only human. I got bored pretty quickly of nuts, black beans, and tofu shakes. I had to come up some more variety. One of my faves so far has been tofu and lentil tacos. I swear on my grave that they were delicious. I didnt even miss the meat. Here is a picture of the finished taco and what the filling looked like when it was done.

Recipe (I am choosing to believe that some people will actually want this):

1/4 cup green lentils

1/4 cup onions, chopped

1/2 cup water

Add these all to a saucepan, bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Simmer for 20+ min. or until lentils are soft.

Add:

1, 8 oz. can of tomato sauce

1 taco seasoning packet

Bring back to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 5 min.

Add:

8 oz. of firm or extra firm tofu, finely chopped

Warm all the way through then spoon into taco shells and top with cheese, tomato, lettuce, and salsa. Yummy!

The Good Ol' Days

2010-05-04T21:34:00.011-07:00

I was surfing this morning, and I came across some vintage advertisements that FASCINATED me. I know that sometimes we yearn for "the good old days", but let's take a little moment and say a prayer of thanks that somethings have changed.....

WHY am I dieting, again? Apparently I can just swallow some tapeworms and, POOF! (My favorite part is the "no ill effects").

Does anybody else relate personally to this ad? My husband is always spanking me we I bring home bad coffee.

Ummmm, I am sensing some pedophilia charges here in just a little bit.

I don't know what they are advertising, but call the exorcist, because that girl obviously has a problem.

This one gave me nightmares. Really.

As a woman, I am choosing to take just a little offense to this.

Her Papa is an idiot.

Okay, maybe I do miss the good ol' days just a little bit. Nothing like Heroin on the drugstore shelf.

Buy our thermos or your baby will DIE! I believe they exaggerated just a titch for effect.

This one is mildly offensive in mixed company, I suppose. "Your married happiness depends on the real you...confident you, never doubting your intimate feminine hygiene. Don't risk becoming another you". Got it. Douching=Lasting marriage.

This cow has a nickname....Benedict Arnold.

Ever wonder the connection between decaf and child abuse?

Why don't you just come right out and say it?

The other day Reagan was saying the same thing. "Please smoke, Mommy. I don't want you to be mad at me".

This toy was only on the market for a year. Then it was pulled for exposing children to the same toxins linked to Gulf War syndrome, cancer, leukemia, and lymphoma. Seriously.

If your mom lets you get a sunburn like that, you might want to get the phone number to CPS along with that Noxzema.

You too can have a perve with a telescope looking into your home if you buy our bra.

Here's to Trying New Things

2010-05-01T13:30:00.007-07:00

Alright, I hate to admit this to the entire world, but my life is just a titch boring sometimes. I know, I know. You are all thinking "How could that be possible seeing as you are a suburban stay at home mom of one with an invisible husband?" Well, believe it folks. That's why sometimes I have to create adventures for myself.

My most recent adventure starts today. I have dubbed May "Vegetarian Month". To be completely forthcoming, it was going to be "Vegan Month", but after extensive research, I don't think I have the guts for that. So instead, I am going to be a stricter vegetarian with only limited amounts of dairy and eggs. It was also originally only going to be a week, but I decided I needed more time to get over the withdrawal of all things meaty (read:tasty).

Some people may ask where this retarded idea came from. If you know me, you know that I LOVE food, and I can pack away more food faster than most competitive food eating contest contestants. I seriously just need something interesting to focus on. Also, ever since I had Reagan, I have been researching a little more about the food we put into our bodies. I want to set her up for success as best as I possibly can. I recently switched to organic animal products and by-products, but I wonder if that is still not enough. I have been trying unsuccessfully to lose the last handful of pounds from my pregnancy. Who would have thought that training for a marathon wouldn't be enough. I want to throw my body for a loop and see if that is what it takes to get it out of this rut.

I will report from time to time how my journey is going for the benefit of the millions that read this blog. I will do an AAR (after action review) at the end of the month and then I will either make it permanent or you will find me at IN-N-OUT with a huge burger in hand (which is where I was last night :)

All the food in my house with animal products in it. I was going to throw it away, and then I felt guilty.

Start for me, finish for Cory.

2010-04-22T20:50:00.002-07:00

Dear Cory Baby-
You have loved to run for a long time. It is how you clear your head and stay sane. When you are running, you can conquer the world. Also, you are just darn good at it. Remember when we ran the Tacoma City Half Marathon together? You didn't train one single minute and you came in 5th place in your age division. You were built to run: skinny as a rail with LONG legs.

I was not born such an amazing runner. I haven't been doing it for long, and I don't really like it. When I run, all I can think is "I can't breathe. How much longer till this is over?" Remember when we ran the Tacoma City Half Marathon together? I trained for months and came in 58th in my age division......

Babe, I know you wanted to run a marathon in 2010. I am running one in just over a day from now. So, make sure you run with me or this will all be for naught. I am nervous and know it is going to hurt. I guess you don't have to run the WHOLE thing with me, just push me from behind when it hurts the most. You know, like you used to do for Dusty on the way to school.

Here's to accomplishing our goals!

2010-04-20T00:29:00.008-07:00

Alright. I am back, and I am ready to commit to posting regularly. Or, maybe, it's 12:30 am and I can't sleep AGAIN and my resolve will wear off in 4 days. I guess it's always just a crapshoot with me.

I thought I would post some random things that have made me happy lately. As you will quickly notice, it will be mostly pictures of my small child. She's my life. So sue me.

Reagan Abby

I hate when I get stuck in chair prison....with my sun glasses on.

Its a recurring theme. She has been in and out of prison a few times already. I don't think this bodes well for our future.

Learning to eat with a spoon....Easter. This picture makes me really happy.

Her laugh is just so dang funny

Endangering My Life

Torturing Myself

The Nashville Country Music Marathon is in 5 days. Ready or not, here I run. I would never do this on my own volition. Cory always wanted to run a marathon. He had a goal to run one in 2010 when he returned from deployment. So, here I find myself in quite an uncomfortable position. Oh well, it's almost over. Now that I think about it, he also had a goal to get me pregnant in 2010. You don't see me trying to fulfill THAT goal!

Chillin' With Friends

What's Good

2009-12-05T22:48:00.000-07:00

This is my current favorite picture. It represents what is good in my life right now. When everything else seems to be falling all around me, my day begins and ends with this.

Some Days You've Got It, Some Days You Don't

2009-10-11T15:19:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I feel as if Reagan's growing skills are a metaphor for my life right now. She has been learning some killer tricks with her body lately. There is nothing more entertaining to me than watching her play on the floor. But, sometimes she has an easier time than others.

This is her at her best. She is strong, ready to rock, and she can take on anything the world throws at her.

Other days are not so awesome. She tries really hard and gets through the day, but she never quite takes off.

Why did I get out of bed this morning?

Time Flies

2009-08-20T16:46:00.000-07:00

Alright. I realize that a significant amount of time has passed since I last wrote and that I have neglected some pretty important events in my blog. It would be virtually impossible to do them all justice. So, suffice it to say : #1 I had a baby girl June 14, 2009. We named her Reagan Abby Jenkins. #2 Cory deployed for a year to Afghanistan. I will be better about keeping up in the future. Here is a feeble attempt to tell the story in pictures. By the way, she is sitting on my lap as I write this post. She is a born blogger!

Baby shower

Within an hour of Reagan's birth. She is adorable. I look disgusting.

1 Day old in the hospital

Chillin' with Dad during a nap

4 days old at home

She started out with a really chill personality.....I don't know where that went.

Cory called her "my parrot" because she like to fall asleep perched.

3 weeks old with cousin Natalya

In her blessing dress, 3 weeks old

On Reagan's blessing day

Matching with cousin Corrine, 3 weeks

I thought the flower that was bigger than her was cute. Dad thought it was ridiculous. Luckily, I get to make all decisions when it comes to dressing her. 4 weeks

Goodbye party for Cory (Jenkins, Mortensens, Beylers, Braughtons, Van Woerkoms, Storys). July 16

Cory's departure day, July 19. I realize her flower looks like a headlamp....It slipped down.

Getting on the bus to leave.

Cory running back to tell me goodbye for one last time.

6 weeks old. Just woke up, or not.

Showing her new talent. She really is freakishly strong for her age. 8 weeks.

A family pic, 8 weeks and 27 years :) She does this little number a lot. I was getting her ready to go to bed.Another new talent, a shifty side smile. It takes alot of effort to get this on camera. 9 weeks

Yesterday. I wanted a pic of her in her first blue jeans. She is stylin'!

The Perfect Day

2009-04-13T07:54:00.000-07:00

Cory and I both had a DONSA (Day Of No Scheduled Activity) on Friday, so we decided to take advantage of it. We have lived in this blessed state for 16 months now and we had never been down to see the sights in Seattle. So, in true tourist fashion, we packed up our cameras and walking shoes and headed into town. Its about a 50 minute drive from our home to the city center of Seattle. Our first stop was the Pacific Science Center. This was my suggestion mostly for Cory's sake. But do you know what? I had an absolute blast. It was mostly geared towards little kids, so we had a fine time acting very juvenile and trying out all the little experiments.
My favorite parts were the IMAZ 3-D movie "Under the Sea" and the butterfly house. I had never been to a 3-D movie before and it sufficiently knocked my socks off in the IMAX theater. I thought we looked pretty hot in our glasses.The butterfly house was seriously one of the sweetest things I have ever experienced. They have this big tropical rainforest where they released thousands of butterflys. They let you to walk around and get close to all the beautiful creatures. It was kind of like a petting zoo, but way cooler. They landed on people all the time and they had to check you for butterflys as you left the building. It was awesome to be that close to so many magnificent creatures.

After the Science Center, we walked to this little local burger joint hot-spot called "Dick's". It was sort of like IN-N-OUT, but not quite as good. Then we walked FOREVER down to this huge indoor/outdoor marketplace called "PIKE PLACE MARKET". This is the place where they throw the fish through the air to each other when you buy one. We didn't buy one. I made a personal choice long ago to never spend 650$ on a halibut.
That was cool, but the coolest part was all of the international little "hole in the wall" restaurants. You could literally buy food from just about every country on earth. We had some pastries from a french bakery and then Cory bought a piroshky (meat pie) and borscht from this little Russian cafe. He was in heaven....I thought it was really greasy, but palattable.
After the meat pie, I deserved a real treat, so we stopped at Starbucks and had Frappucinos(non-coffee, silly) and hot chocolate. I....Love....Frappucinos. They are one of my worst weaknesses. They may even keep me out of heaven. Anyway, here is our horrible tourist picture. The whole day was FANTASTIC!

Give the people what they want...

2009-04-13T07:27:00.000-07:00

I am not sure what the fascination you people have with how fat I am getting is all about, but after multiple requests, I decided to post another pregnancy profile pic. I have recently started doing water aerobics to keep my girlish figure. Here is a candid action shot that was taken during our class.

Just kidding about the aerobics class. I would never do that much exercise. I didn't have anyone to snap my pic, so I will call this one "Brooke alone in the bathroom taking pictures of her fat self". Or maybe I'll just title it "30 weeks-The Journey is 75% Over" (I'm a math teacher...can you tell? :)

A Game

2009-02-20T22:16:00.000-07:00

Chess is just a game....until your husband becomes the pawn. Most all of my posts are light and tend to be humorous (or atleast I think so:) ). This one is intensely personal. We have known since we were engaged that Cory was scheduled to deploy to Iraq in 2009. This was something that caused me anxiety and worry. But, Iraq is a war that is deescalating. The troops are not even allowed inside the cities anymore. He would go and spend 99% of his time in a building with four walls out in the country. Contact with families was much more established and phone calls and emails were a regular occurence. I figured "Hey, if things have to suck, atleast this is as good as I could ask for". The Department of Defense made an announcement on Tuesday that those plans were changing. They need emergency troops to go to an extremely hostile region of Afghanistan (I hate that I even know how to spell the name of that country) and open it up for occupation. The danger is multiplied umpteenth times and means of communication with families has not been set up in the same way. He will probably live in a tent. Also, they need the troops NOW. We don't know if he will be around for our baby girl's birth. Everything feels like it is temporary and unreliable. I sometimes wonder if the "big guys" consider, think about, or even care about the ramifications of the movements of their little pawns.....

Please take a look at the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcK7Dtdxz_Q

Two views

2009-02-08T21:27:00.000-07:00

Outside of me at 21 weeks

Inside of me at 21 weeks.

I think that so far she looks like a Bertha. What do you think?

When did HE grow up?!

2009-02-08T21:19:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to do a shout out and announcement for my little bro. First of all, I need to start with the fact that I think I am in denial that this is even happening. My LITTLE brother apparently is old enough to go and get married. I don't know if you know my brother, but he's kind of....weird. I mean that in the nicest form of the word. It really is a compliment. I look up to him and he is a hero of mine. Somehow, he convinced this lovely young lady that she could handle that weirdness for time and all eternity. So, congratulations Spencer and Ashley on your engagement. March 14 is just around the corner.

Don't worry. She's not mine.

2009-02-08T21:10:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of catch up to do. First of all, my sister Phoebe had her sweet adorable little baby girl. Yea! Her name is Corinne and she was born on 21 January. She weighed 6lb. 3 oz. (a whopper for Phoebe). I think she has attitude. She'll fit right in :)

The Turning of a Page

2009-01-20T16:42:00.000-07:00

I wouldn't be able to call myself an historian if I didn't pay homage to the events of today. I will try and make this short and sweet. I did not vote for Mr. Obama and there many points of his policy that don't jive with my own idealogy. But, I respect him as a good man and a charismatic leader. I think American's needed a fresh change, and they got it. The significance of today in regards to equality in America also does not escape me. We have come to the point where race really does not matter, and I believe that is exactly as God would have it. But, to sum up my feelings, I will quote a man who wrote a note to the new President. He said "I sure hope you are everything they say you are going to be, because you are going to need it." May God continue to bless America.

18 WEEKS!

2009-01-20T16:33:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are asking, I am due on 6/21 and I find out what I am having on February 2nd. I am finally getting to the point that I feel less like I just ate a big lunch and more like there is an actual kid floating around in there (though I can't confirm any movements yet). I saw an old soldier of mine in the store a week or two ago. After we chatted for a bit, and as we were parting, she says "Are you pregnant?" Wow! You are good! Uh, yeah. I am. But you are the first person who has asked without me telling them first. Her response? "Well, you just used to be so skinny"....... Thanks. I think.

The Tooth Fairy

2009-01-20T16:15:00.000-07:00

I know this isn't about me, but it was the funniest story of the day. My friend Tiffany's 6 yr. old daughter Madison lost a tooth on Sunday. She was so excited she ran up and told me at church. I always love talking to her because she has an older sister named Brooke as well. In order to distinguish between us, she calls her sister by her beautiful first name and she calls me "Silly Brooke". I don't know where she got that from. Anyway, I digress. She showed me her tooth, or lack therof. We of course engaged in a conversation about the great loot she would find under her pillow the next morning. Well, apparently the Tooth Fairy also had MLK day off. We went out to dinner with them for family night and she disclosed to me that, in fact, the tooth fairy had not come by the night before. I told her to believe her mother, that the Tooth Fairy also takes federal holidays just like the rest of us. I almost peed my pants this morning when I called Tiffany and she told me that the Tooth Fairy AGAIN had not made the drop the night before. She said she felt so bad she went to her purse to get money to give her daughter and she did not have any! So, while her daughter prepared for school she snuck in her room and stole 4 quarters out of her daughter's piggy bank and gave her her own money! You really can't find good help anywhere anymore.

A Pinch of This, a Dash of That

2009-01-02T17:13:00.000-07:00

SKYDIVING

So, Cory didn't really get me a Christmas gift......But he made up for it, and POOF! All was forgiven. He took me skydiving, something I have wanted to do for such a long time. I surprised myself by not being that scared at all. It wasn't any more scary than a great thrill ride at Six Flags, plus a whole lot more fun. I know, I know. Some of you may be saying "Girl! You can't be skydiving while your pregnant!" Well, I just did. Anyway, the research on skydiving while pregnant is inconclusive..... :)

Us in our hot jumpsuits

Cory slowly descending to earth.....

For a perfect landing! Not!

That's me coming down. I don't even need to include a pic of the landing. It was textbook, like a butterfly.

Me as a conehead with the good man that preserved my life for the ride down.

STUPIDITY

Cory has a bit of a tradition going. I am still trying to figure out the hellish origins of it. Every single New Year's day, he feels compelled to jump into a icy lake for a "polar bear" dip. It is truly one of the most masochistic things I have ever witnessed. If you will notice, he convinced some other poor sap to go with him, not myself. Hey! I paid my dues last New Year's in a lake surrounded by snow in "beautiful" British Columbia, Canada. I get a pass.

Christmas

Just a hodge-podge of pics. I had to include a picture of our rather pathetic tree. As an army widow this December, the task was up to me to go out and pick a tree, load it into the truck, and single handedly set it up in the stand, not to mention decorate it. I am extremely proud of my accomplishments. I firmly believe that setting up a Christmas tree with only 2 hands should be an Olympic sport. 3 hours later...TADA!

Would you believe me if I told you it doesn't actually snow in our neck of the woods? You can imagine the mess it created when it did for over a week this year.

I took advantage of the snow. I put on all my snow gear, went to the corner gas station to buy a hot chocolate, and went on a one and a half mile walk in the snow that took me over an hour. Some people never grow up...

We went down to my sister Phoebe's house in Hyrum, Utah. I couldn't believe how fun it was to spend Christmas with little kids again. They make everything an experience. I can tell you what wasn't fun, though. A 13 hour return home drive that turned into 24 hours + due to road closures and driving 30 mph most of the way because of a terrible snow storm.

Phoebe and Greyson decorating gingerbread houses.

Brooke and Natalya working on their architecture.

Christmas morning. Go ahead. Try and tell me it gets cuter than that.

Brooke and Cory Christmas morning, in our tradition PJ's.

Actually, one of the highlights on the trip for me was driving down to Ogden to see some friends from my mission. We stopped by President and Sister Joyce's house and had a great chat. She asked me if I had lost weight....I swear the good Lord reserved a place in heaven for that woman.

PREGNANCY PROFILE PIC-15 1/2 weeks

slowly but surely

My new sweet baby - The Lump!

2008-12-14T20:46:00.001-07:00

It's been a long time....too long. Too bad you'll never know what great and exciting events happened in my life from August until now. I'll just dispense with the ceremony and jump right into another fascinating episode of "Stranger than Fiction".

I know. The first question you are asking yourself is, "Who are these adorable and slightly creepy children Brooke has posted in her blog?" Well friends and family, I would like you to meet "The Lump". This is going to remain the poor child's name till a few months from now when it emerges into the world and requires an actual respectable title. Yes, ladies and gentleman, Cory and Brooke are having a baby!

Actually, maybe I should post a slightly more accurate and current picture of The Lump so you can get a better idea of what it really looks like.

I thought I'd post a pic of the belly so you could get an outside view. It may not look like much now, but believe me, if you could see me naked, it's a whole different story. So here it goes, pregnancy profile pic #1 of a zillion-13 weeks along.

Domestic Goddess

2008-08-24T20:37:00.000-07:00

There comes a time in every girls life when she needs to cross a line, a point of no return. For me, that time was tonight. I have to say that I am a freaking domestic goddess. I, Brooke Lynn Jenkins, baked homemade bread all by myself for the first time. I have to admit that it was a little touch and go for awhile. At one point it looked like drywall mud. I also got a little nervous when I realized I don't own a single bread pan (the goddess thing is a gradual process). But, after some quick thinking, the end result looked like half of a soccer ball, but it tasted like heaven on earth. In fact, it was so good that we made hot chocolate and called it dinner. It was raining outside, so we sat on the threshold of the house and enjoyed our scrumptious meal. MAN! I'M GOOD!

Superman

2008-08-24T19:59:00.001-07:00

You know how sometimes you get that little voice telling you that you shouldn't do something you are about to do? Just for the record, that little voice is screaming at me now. I am sure Cory won't appreciate this post, but if my luck holds out, he will continue to pay absolutely no attention to my little "family embarrassment" blog.

My husband is Superman. He decided a week ago to do an Olympic distance triathalon. For those of you who are not triathalon officianados (?) thats a 1 mile swim, 25 mile bike ride, and 6 mile run. I am pretty sure I couldn't do any of those by themselves, let alone back to back. After putting in 40 minutes of training for a whopping three days, the race day arrived. We dragged ourselves down to the lake........and, well, the pictures tell the rest of the story. From what I hear, it was 2 hours and 58 minutes of pure hell :) I enjoyed myself on a blanket with some snacks and a book. I couldn't help myself. I had to blog about it. He really is Superman to me.

Land That I Love....

2008-07-07T05:46:00.001-07:00

I have been up since 4:30 this morning. This is particularly annoying to me since this is a vacation day from work. I have too many thoughts tumbling around in my head. I need to get the bathroom cleaned so I can invite the apartment repairman to fix the showerhead. I really should try another crack at those wedding thank you notes. The list goes on and on. One recurring visitor in my mind is the experiences leading up to and including Independence Day. I guess I figure if I blog about it, my mind will be free to let it go.

I have always been an extremely patritotic person, almost an oddity to others while I was growing up. Even from the time I was a little girl, a good song about our country could bring tears to my eyes. I went into my chosen profession (the study of History) because I was fascinated by the background of America. My dream is to steal the job from that chic who reports on the elections for NBC. I know. I am a nerd. I already joined a twelve step program for the problem.
On Sunday the 29th we had an amazing sacrament meeting. A young couple in our ward (in their early twenties) spoke on the role of Latter-Day Saints in America. She had recently returned home after being deployed to Iraq for 10 months. Tears fell as she described her experiences guarding Iraqis at the F.O.B.. She quoted the French statesman Alexis de Tocqueville:
"I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers — and it was not there … in her fertile fields and boundless forests — and it was not there … in her rich mines and her vast world commerce — and it was not there … in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution — and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great. "
Her husband, who is also in the army, immigrated here from the Philippines. He told of how his cousins, aunts, and uncles live in abject poverty there. Their homes have been destroyed by unrest and natural disaster, but they are not not jealous of him. They view him as "the chosen one" and are proud of his opportunity to live in America. After the talks, we all stood to sing our national anthem. I have seldom heard a hymn rock the chapel, but this day it did. With 90% of our ward being immigrants, military, or retired military, we sang that song with so much pride it hurt. I couldn't help it. I cried.....
Cory and I spent the week before the holiday watching all the parts to a miniseries about World War II. What we enjoy today certainly didn't come cheap. I imagine that the sacrafice of those who came before us who made our lifestyle possible cannot even be numbered. May we never forget.
I had the privilege to march in our itty bitty home town parade with my cub scouts. I have never been in a parade before. It was humbling to march by the parade viewers. They always picked up their cheering when our cub scouts walked by. I think there is something inspiring and stirring about an eight year old in a uniform representing the ideals of American. It gives you the feeling that everything is going to be okay.

We spent the evening barbequeing and setting off fireworks at a new friend's home from our ward. I don't think I have felt that much joy in a really long time.

Lovin' Life

2008-06-29T16:07:00.000-07:00

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Western Washington. I know. I complain about it alot. It rains 90% of the time, the speed limit is 35 mph, and if I forget to recycle something I have 5 people jumping on me in a minute. But, If I take the time to push those petty issues aside, I realize there are some pretty amazing benefits to living in our new home. For example, yesterday we reached the highest temperature of the year. Drum roll please...........92 degrees. That is a full 20 degrees above the average for this time of year. I can just see all ya'll in Arizona salivating right now. We decided to take advantage of the beautiful, although unseasonal, weather and discover the outdoors. We had a picnic beside the lake that is 10 minutes from our home. After that, we went for a swim in it along with the rest of the free world. Also, in keeping with our nature-loving trend, we spent our date night out in the rain forest (literally, I swear!) making s'mores and reconnecting after a very busy week. Here are some pics from the second half of our adventure. (C'mon! Did you really think I would include pictures of me in a swim suit?!)

Let's hear it for the boy!

2008-06-17T22:37:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to do a little shout out to the old guy that lives below us in our apartment complex. He keeps making inappropriate advances that are masked by his oldness. So, hears to you, old man. You're creepin' me out!

A tribute to Dads

2008-06-15T22:53:00.000-07:00

I am waxing sentimental tonight. I think I will blame it on the chips and salsa. I was thinking about all the different men who play the role of "Dad" in my life. They each hold a unique and special place in my heart.

My Dad

For as long as I can remember, we have always been good friends.

"You have always given me wings to fly, and I loved you for it."-Marjorie Hinckley

Grandpa Stott

I have distant memories of sitting on your lap and in your recliner as you show me magic tricks. Those are my favorite. I love joking back and forth with you. You can always make me laugh (or blush :)

Grandpa Burr

Sorry Grandpa. I didn't realize you would be sideways in this picture. I don't know how to set you upright. I hear you are not feeling so hot right now. I wish I could visit you in the nursing home. Thank you for taking over the empty space where a Grandpa should be.

Grandpa Chatham

I've never met you, but I have heard lots of stories (good and bad). I look forward to meeting you some day. Thank you for giving life to my Mom. She is pretty swell.

Stan-My Father in Law

Maybe you don't know this, but I don't think there any other pictures of you that exist in this world. I couldn't find one anywhere! Thanks for being an amazing father to my husband and for teaching my that the word "father" can mean more than a blood relationship.

Cory-The future father of my babies

I love this picture. You look just like a little boy, playing with your transformer truck. The first thing that made me feel comfortable with the idea of marrying you was how amazing you are with young people. I knew you would be an amazing dad. Now, if we could just get pregnant next year will be a real Father's Day :).....

This is what happens when you leave me alone...

2008-06-15T00:40:00.000-07:00

I always said I would never create a blog. "It is dangerous and its demand for time and energy will suck you dry" I said. Cory went out of town today for a week. His job as a Physician Assistant in the Army takes him away often. I have come to grips with this fact, and I am so proud of him for the work that he does. But, I never can seem to find enough activities to keep me from being bored stiff. It reminds me of the time when I was 3 and my mother left me alone with a cake "we" were baking. She had to run next door to borrow an ingredient for the cake. She made me swear on my life that I wouldn't touch or add anything to the cake. I made the oath. As soon as she was out the door, I promptly added a few cups of the most conveniently located ingredient....flour. When my mom came back, I was in big trouble. Well, guess what. You leave a girl to her own devices for long enough and she does the unthinkable.This time I was left alone and after exploring many other options, I succumbed to the danger of the blog and decided to give it a go. Hopefully this adventure won't get me into so much trouble....