Happy Christmas/New Year/Anniversary!!

Merry Christmas... and Happy New Year... and Happy 3rd Anniversary to us!!!

Yep, 3 years today.  Gonna cash in a free champagne and chocolate cake anniversary offer from a local restaurant.  Also, same restaurant gave us $30 in vouchers because they were slow last time we ate there.  So anniversary date night for free!!

Oh, what 3 years has done for us.  Really... what this past year has done for us because of Obi!

Since we have a baby, I suppose we are expected to send Christmas cards now.  So here's the picture we used for our Christmas card this year...

I didn't write a typical Christmas card letter.  I figured that everyone we're sending it to kinda already knows what's going on in our lives.  But, just for you people who like to read things... here's what happened in 2012...

Ben finished up an engineering rotational program at The HON Company in Muscatine and began a position as a manufacturing engineer at Oak Laminant plant within HON.  With all the projects he's worked on, he says he's saved the company lots of millions of dollars (sorry Ben, I forget the number...)

Jera worked as as substitute teacher in the Iowa City School District and worked frequently at one of the high schools.  I also worked three times a week teaching reading and math as an after-school program at an elementary that is just minutes from our house.  I loved it (most of the time) and I miss it (sometimes) but I LOVE my current "job" taking care of Obi now.  I was able to complete my teaching job on the due date of our baby boy... and he arrived 4 days later!

Obadiah Alan Jensen was born the morning of April 30th.  Obadiah means "servant of the Lord" and we mostly call him "Obi" for short. His middle name is after his grandpa in Heavan. Now being 8 months old, we're still waiting for some teeth to appear and for his crawling to be perfected.  He's a happy and curious boy who makes us laugh with his facial expressions and his many noises that he makes with his mouth.

We are enjoying being a part of our church, Veritas Church, and lead a connection group in our home. I took lots of little trips this summer with Obi to the Ozarks, Kansas City, and back and forth to Ames several times. My oldest sister got married in October and that gave me a new brother-in-law and also provided lots of fun things for us to be busy with!  We love our little white-picket-fence house and I have especially loved being within walking distance to lots of food and shopping.  Lots of times when Obi and I took walks, we would end up at one of those places :)

We are so thankful for 2012. 

what a year can do

Mother's day 2011.... I hopped on a plan with 11 other people and flew to China.

Mother's day 2012....   I fed my son, changed his diaper, kissed his face, snuggled him to sleep, and dedicated him with our church family to raise him to know and follow God.

Oh, what a year can do!    :)

2 years later and we're 2 1/2 :)

It's 1-2-12 and that means another tally in the years of being a wife!

Two years ago I absolutely bawled my eyes out minutes before I walked down the aisle to marry my groom.  Those tears were for lots of reasons-- but definitely not because I didn't want to do it!

Marrying Ben was a great decision.  I never would have told you years ago that I'd be carrying the child of Ben Jensen-- now I'm thrilled to tell you that!  [Check out some earlier posts in April to read about the beginning of our relationship]

We're a lot alike-- and in ways that we aren't, we're still compatible! Maybe we've become more alike the longer we've been together and the more life situations we go through.  I realize that I look to him when I'm in situations where I'm not comfortable.  I know I can look at him in certain situations and we both know what each other is thinking.  Forgiveness is one of his strengths-- and I realize that all the time.  He's reliable and dependable. He's goofy (some might not believe me on this!) and fun.

I feel very blessed to be called your wife, Ben!  Thanks for marrying me--   I'd be OK if our baby boy was just like you :)

I'm remembering that it was A LOT colder and we had A LOT more snow two years ago!!!

3 years ago today... (part 3)

Three years ago today I went on a motorcycle ride.


It was a nice day and Ben called texted me to see if I wanted to go on a ride.  I was working as a children's ministry intern at our church at the time.  Actually (little known fact) Ben and I both worked as interns there the previous summer!


He picked me up for a motorcycle ride and then dropped me back off there at my car.


It was then that I knew it was going to happen.

Ben was going to tell me that he was actually the one that I was set up with to go out on a blind date.  

But he didn't know that I already knew that.  He didn't know that I knew he was going to tell me right then.  (Oh man, this was going to be fun!)

The convo went something like this...

Ben: "So I hear you have a big blind date coming up..."

Jera: "Yeah-- do you know who it is?? Do you approve??"  
[somewhere in our friendship we had a deal where we had to "approve" who the other person liked or dated]  [I think we also had a deal where if we were both single at 35 we would get married... and I remember changing it to 40, haha!]

"...uh.... well I don't know if I approve...  Um, well I'll tell you a secret.  I know who it is."

"Oh really, well are you going to tell me?" [teehee, I was so sneaky!!]

"Yeah, I'll tell you but...

"It's OK, I already know."

"Wh-wha?? um, uh, wait. What?"

"I know who it is."

 "Wait...So you,  uh, know it's me??"

"Yep."

"Well huh. Yeah, what do you think about that?"

"I don't know. What do you think about it?"

"Yeah. Well, um, uh, I'm not sure." 

[insert nervous laughter]

"Well, I thought about it a lot.  And well I think you deserve a great guy.  And I'd like to take you out on a date and treat it like a real date. So, Jera, what are you doing next Saturday?"

"Um, nothing."  

"Do you wanna go out with me?"

"Uh, sure."  [I'm thinking 'Oh NO! Now this is like a real-deal date-- oh great... now I have butterflies in my stomach. I thought we were both going to laugh this off and not do anything about it!!  Ohmygosh this is sooo awkward!!']

And thus begins the saga of Ben and Jera...

I love this day for a few reasons.  I love it because it was the day that Ben Jensen was at a loss for words.  He told me he had a whole speech prepared in his mind... and then the second I said, "I know it's you," it all went out the window!  It's a rare moment to see Ben Jensen extremely flustered-- but this was flustered at it's finest!! 

This day also began an interesting 10 day intense talking time with God to figure out what in the world is going on with my heart.  It was one period in my life where I felt what God was doing very clearly.  But I fought it-- but as with all fights with God, you never win. 

I told myself that day that if the date goes well.... then we're going to get married.   

Well huh. Funny how things work sometimes :)

3 years ago today... (part 2)

Three years ago today I was talking to a friend who had set me up on a blind date.


He said I should really like this guy.  He said that he really liked this guy.


And then he said, "Ok Jera... don't be mad... but I set you up with Ben Jensen."


I was immediately disappointed because I knew it wasn't actually a real blind date.  This would be more like hanging out with my friend Ben.


And then I laughed-- because the idea of this was hilarious.

3 years ago today... (part 1)

Three years ago today I was set up on a blind date.  A friend had said he would set me up-- and somehow it came up that night that he hadn't followed through yet.


Well, I got a phone call later from him saying I have a date for not this Saturday night...  but the next Saturday night.


I said OK. And I didn't really think much about it and I don't think I even asked him any questions.


All I thought was, "great, it's only Monday I've got a long time from now until the blind date to dwell unnecessarily on this."


Little did I know that this blind date would change my life forever.