Jen & Dave Booth

And the birthday love just keeps coming!

2008-10-06T08:31:00.000-07:00

So I just got a delivery! Dave sent me flowers! They are so beautiful and such a precious surprise. I love my husband! He treats me so special each day, but he knows what a sap I am on my birthday and goes the extra mile :)

So Loved...

2008-10-06T06:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we all (Dave, Joy, Sara, and Andrew)went out after church to Michael Deans for the best brunch ever! There is an omelet bar, a pancake and waffle bar and a million other amazing things to choose from! Joy is so sweet and got me the beginnings of an art project we're going to do together!

After one of the worst night's sleep of my married life...the dawn of my birthday could have been a bleak one... Except I have the best family and best friends anyone could ask for!!! Dave had a sweet card laying on my bed after I got out of the shower... Not to mention the gifts from my mom and Shell and from Dave's mom that had been tantalizing me all weekend sitting on the dining room table. And now I could open them all!

I got 3 gorgeous shirts and earrings and a necklace! And a book about Elizabeth Darcy... And as much as I love new stuff... and I do :) I really just loved opening gifts from people who love me and know me so well! Everything fits beautifully and is just so me!

So then I head into work to a desk covered in confetti and streamers hanging from the doorway! My boss is so good to me!

Leigh and Sara both brought me such personal and sweet gifts... again, God has given me such special friends! Not to mention phone calls and messages from Jaime and Tim and Jenny... It's just been a good day so far! And it's only 9 a.m.!!!!

Remember us?

2008-09-30T06:03:00.001-07:00

While I'm at it I thought I'd go ahead and put up the few pictures that we took of ourself in the last week. That way you can all be reminded of how adorable we are. Ok, that might be pushing it, but I'll share nonetheless...

Dave says goodbye to an old friend...

2008-09-30T05:50:00.000-07:00

As Dave dashed down to the car early this past Saturday morning he was surprised by the crispness of the morning. There was dew on the windshield of his car and the smell of fall was in the air. With the 68 degree weather, he couldn't help but be reminded of a Christmas day in Florida... Just that morning he had slipped on flip-flops and thought that the weather called for something a little less summery. So he opened his car door to grab his favorite pair of shoes for the fall. That's when he discovered something terrible. His Crocks, which he had left in his car for the past several hot months, were not at all as he had left them... One fit comfortably on his foot as it always had and the other... well, the other... the other had shrunken to pigmy size and wouldn't even fit over his toes! Needless to say... Dave needs a new pair of fall shoes...and if there's a one legged pigmy running around do we have a shoe for you!

Because we can!

2008-09-30T05:41:00.000-07:00

Well, Dave and i finally ordered a charger for our camera. So we have a renewed desire to actually commemorate our lives. We have had a really busy semester so far, but we're still having some fun. This last week we worked on our bedroom furniture by replacing the hardware and the mirror. Here's a before and after... I'm pretty proud :)

BEFORE

AFTER

Ranes Wedding Memories

2008-08-01T07:59:00.000-07:00

So two blogs in one day...it's getting scary, right? Well, this one is for Dave. He had a really special weekend with his best friend Zak a few weeks ago. Zak and Shannon, good friends of Dave's got married on the 19th of July (almost a year to the day of our wedding). The wedding was an awesome time to reconnect with old friends and really just celebrate what God has done in these lives. Dave cried when he gave his best man toast at the reception...I sure wish I has a picture of that! I've created a monster! He's now in touch with his emotions, thanks to me, and there's no turning back!!!

Ridiculous...

2008-08-01T07:45:00.000-07:00

So now that I have Facebook I have basically abandoned my blog... I know, anyone reading this is ashamed of me. But the reality is, that this is a pain in the butt to me know that I have experienced the ease of Facebook...Oh, well, here's some pictures of our trip to Florida 2 weeks ago just to keep this sad little blog hanging on for dear life. By the way, can I just say that I REALLY am dying to spend money on myself. I mean, clothes, shoes, jewelry. It's not pretty... and it's tax free weekend! Oh the temptation!

Sara Has Arrived!

2008-04-01T05:55:00.000-07:00

Sara is finally here and she already has more friends than I do! It's great! She turned 26 this last Thursday and we celebrated by going to dinner and then on Saturday Joy threw here a party at their apartment. All the best turned out for it and we had a great time! I thank God for such a special friend in our lives!

Loving Louisville!

2008-03-24T11:13:00.000-07:00

Dave and I took Thursday off of work to make our trek to Louisville, Ky. It was a very long, but very pretty 8 hour drive! We got in just in time for dinner with Tim and Jaime. They made us feel so welcome and at home with them! We went to the park for a picnic and then out to dinner that night... it was a perfect day for being outside! Jaim and I were able to do what we love most--shopping, working out, cooking together, and just laughing! Tim and Dave were able to do what they love best--watching sports, relaxing on the couch, and eating! Then we had a wonderful morning on Sunday visiting Jaim and Tim's local body to celebrate Easter. We can't express how grateful for this time that God provided!

Office Fun

2008-02-29T12:43:00.001-08:00

Our very own Mike Young had his 44th birthday party and we had lunch to celebrate. I really do love having such great people in my life--Sandy, Don, Mike, Pam, Andrea, and Sam. We laughed and talked and ate great food at Red Robin. Mike is a complete Harley Davidson/motorcycle freak. So we, of course, put his face on the Fonz to mark the occasion. What a great time! Who else has this much fun at work?

Groupies...

2008-02-11T07:43:00.000-08:00

So the Spring Chickens (Leigh, BJ, and Ben) performed at the most recent Coffee House. They rocked the house. And about 15 of us sat there cheering like 15 year olds at an NSync concert. It was not pretty, but we had an asolute blast!

A "Relaxing" Weekend

2008-02-11T07:36:00.000-08:00

It seems whenever we decide something is going to be relaxing, it ends up being anything but. This was exactly the case with our trip to Amy's parents for a weekend in the snowy mountains of western NC. It was relaxing in the sense of being our very good friends, incredible food, fireplaces and lots of laying on comfy couches. It was not relaxing in the fact that half of us ended up sick by the end of the weekend and absolutely no one was ready for Monday to come as quickly as it did. It was an incredible weekend. We went tubing with a bunch of 10 year olds and had a fabulous time. What a blessing!

Christmas Time!

2008-01-17T09:07:00.001-08:00

Here are just a few pictures from Christmas. Dave and I drove down to Florida for time with both of our families. The time was incredible! I love being a Gray-Booth! Of course there are no pictures of my new Booth family...It's not personal, I just don't use cameras very well!

Thanksgiving 2007

2008-01-08T07:45:00.000-08:00

So now that it's the second week of the new year, it seems the perfect time to remember Thanksgiving (which was 2 months ago). Sorry I'm so slow with this blogging stuff. I'm working on it! We had an amazing Thanksgiving. You will notice that I did officially pull the innards our of the turkey--you can do it too, Lou! Mom, Dad, and Shell drove up for our first married Thanksgiving. It was awesome to scrunch into the apartment and just have a wonderful time. Joy and the Allards came over for a bit on Turkey day as well. Dave and I are so thankful for a God who gives us our natural families as well as places us in families no matter where we live.

Sushi & Lights

2007-12-20T13:14:00.001-08:00

So we started a Christmas tradition this year...it's called, eating sushi, drinking Starbucks, and driving around looking at Christmas lights until you want to hurl. We really think it may catch on. It was basically the brainchild of Leigh and BJ and seemed great in theory. And perhaps it's still a great idea, but maybe it just needs work on the execution. Anyway, it was a happy time. BJ and Amy had their first exposure to sushi which is huge. And even though Dave didn't make it until after dinner, it was still a wonderful time with wonderful friends!

Our Wedding

2007-12-14T09:26:00.000-08:00

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Finally some wedding pics!

2007-10-22T05:11:00.000-07:00

Home Sweet Home

2007-09-04T09:13:00.000-07:00

First of all, one of my favorite things about marriage is making a home together. Second of all, this is the cleanest our new little home has or will ever look....thanks to my darling husband.

A Few Pictures...

2007-08-23T13:12:00.000-07:00

No, we do not have our official pictures from the wedding, but I thought I'd put up a few of my favorites that I have so far from Jenny and Lou. Thanks, ladies!!!

Mr. and Mrs. Dave Booth

2007-08-03T06:54:00.001-07:00

First of all, we love being married. There aren't really words to explain how much fun just spending time together has been. Here are some pictures from our amazing honeymoon in Asheville.

Friends are Fun!

2007-06-27T11:19:00.000-07:00

Over the last week I've had some good times with my friends and I thought I pay tribute. Now, of course, I didn't take any pictures with Jenny and Jerry--mostly because Jenny is the photographer but also because we were too busy to take pictures. So there are pictures of Christina, Amanda, Jessica (the new mom) at Red Robin's opening on Friday night. Then there are some pictures of my overnight excursion to Roanoke with Leigh yesterday. And finally some memorable moments at work with BJ in a bib claiming to be a "Tennessee Girl" and Lindsey with her handiwork. Love you all!

A Home Away from Home

2007-06-18T08:59:00.000-07:00

So I spent the weekend with my Roanoke family! What a trip! Leigh and I left on Saturday evening and surprised her dad by showing up at dinner at Outback. Poor John B did NOT see it coming! It was great. We had a great time with the fam--Leigh's sister has two great kids, Kenzie and Peyton. Father's Day was all about family time and well, cows. But all in all, a pretty fabulous trip to the country for this city girl!

More Fun in Florida

2007-06-14T10:17:00.001-07:00

There is nothing like spending time with Dave and time with my family! I can't believe that this is about all the pictures that we actually took!!! Too busy to be bothered, I guess. I do need to give a shout out to Michele who rocked my world and did such an incredible job on my hair. And how patient and wonderful was Dave with all the wedding planning. I really am getting such a wonderful husband. And mom and dad are two of the people I respect the most on this planet and they're also so much fun to be around. Love you all!

Some Pictures by Jenny

2007-06-13T09:28:00.000-07:00

This last weekend was incredible. It was incredibly special, incredibly busy, and incredibly short! I flew to Florida to be with Dave on his birthday and spend a few days pulling wedding plans together. As sweet as it was, it was beyond difficult to say goodbye. But this was our last time to only visit one another. We just kept saying how glad we were that we wouldn't have to do this much longer. Here are some pictures that Jenny took of us on Dave's birthday at the beach. I love having such talented friends!

My Best Friend Came to Town!!!

2007-06-04T07:58:00.000-07:00

My best friend, Kristi Breeden, came to town! It was the BEST weekend of my life! We saw each other Friday and had a great slow motion reunion. Then Saturday it was all about Kristi. She came and saw me at the pool...which made it the best trip to the pool EVER. Then we went out shopping together at the mall. I really love my best friend. But she left for home in Tennesee. Here is a short poem to honor her visit:

You Are My Best Friend, by Francia Diego

You are my best friend through thick and thin.

When You reach for my hand you touch my heart.

You are The bestest friend that i can have.
You are there for me when i need you the most.

You Cheer me up when i am down.

If i am about to cry u Make me smile.

You are my bestest friend and i can Not lie.
You listen to me and give me advice, advice that comes

Straight from the bottom of your precious heart.

You are My best friend in the whole wide world

and i couldn't ask God for a little bit more.
We are going to grow older, and things will change

but our friendship will forever still remain.

I'll make new friends but that won't change

because you will always be my best friend.
I'd like to mean as much to you as you mean to me.

I'd like to Be some help to you as you have been to me. I'd like to know

That as we grow old our lives will change but that our
Friendship will still remain.
Me and you will never be apart maybe in distance but never in

Heart for our friendship is way to strong to let it go off just like that.
All i can say is that you are my best friend and i swear to God

That i don't want it to change. I may move to a different state but

That doesn't mean that our friendship will end, because you will

Always be my best friend.

No matter what life has destined for us I know that our friendship will never die.

64 Days and Counting!

2007-05-17T11:24:00.000-07:00

So it turns out that I am NOT a very patient person! I'm so excited to be in Florida for this giant party on July 20th! And even more than that, I am beyond words thrilled about being Mrs. Jen Booth!!!

Trip to the MD to see the MG

2007-05-16T06:47:00.000-07:00

So I'm still recovering from a crazy weekend with Michele. First of all, I absolutely love my sister. Every minute of the weekend was incredible.

I drove up Friday night and got in around 8:30. Which gave us just enough time to go get ice cream and rent a movie...and take ridiculous pictures of our weird faces.

Then there was Saturday. Saturday I watched Michele sleep...and yes, there is a picture of that...We spent time at Panera Bread and Shell tried on my ring--which did not make me very happy. And goodness, we got so much done on Saturday! We had Shell's phone fixed and shopped for honeymoon outfits and clothes for Shell. We had my oil changed and Shell had her hair cut. Her hair looks amazing, by the way.

Then it was Sunday. Sunday was all about the wedding. Aunt Deb is hooking us up!!! She has done such a beautiful job with centerpieces and other decorations. I just love it! And of course we had to see Niko and Bella (we love Aunt Deb's puppies).

So all in all, a wonderful weekend! God is so good to allow Shell and me to have this time together.

We got showered!

2007-05-08T07:39:00.000-07:00

What an incredible weekend! From Dave's graduation (pictures will be up soon) and the bridal shower, I don't think I've had a second to even think! But I can tell you that it was one of the most special weekends of my life. Every thing about Dave and family and friends just keeps getting sweeter. The gifts of course were wonderful, but the encouragement and love of everyone was absolutely overwhelming. From Shell surprising me and flying in, Jaime sharing at the shower, shopping for wedding stuff with mom, spending time with my new mom-in-law, getting so so spoiled by the ladies at CLA and Liberty, and the huge reunion with everyone at Trinity--especially Jenny and Sara...life just doesn't get any better! Our God is GOOD to His children and He deserves all the praise!

I'm a bride!!!

2007-04-30T05:25:00.000-07:00

It's official--I'm a bride and people love me!!! I was so overwhelmed with gratitude this weekend. Joy, Lindsey, Leigh, and Kristy organized a bridal shower for me and they really made it perfect! God is so good to give me a home here and such precious friends!

I love puppies!

2007-04-04T13:04:00.000-07:00

Lindsey's dog had 8 beautiful chocolate lab puppies...and that makes Leigh and me aunts!!! We're so proud!

My Girls...

2007-03-28T09:36:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to take a second to thank God for the incredible friends that He's given me. A favorite verse of mine is Psalm 68:6, "God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land." I truly believe that God has given me my physical family and a family of friends that serve as evidence of His faithfulness. So I thank these women who will stand with my at my wedding and are a beautiful picture of God's friendship to His children!

So Excited for My Man!

2007-03-27T09:26:00.000-07:00

My amazing fiance will be graduating with his BA in just a little over a month! And then just one month after that he'll be turning 26. I'm incredibly proud of how hard he's worked especially over the last year. I love him so much!

My Belle

2007-03-21T05:51:00.000-07:00

That's my girl! Michele turned 20 this month and I just wanted to share some of the awesome memories that we've had together. Shell is my best friend and an incredible sister. God totally hooked me up when He put her in the Gray family!

The Scoop...

2007-03-13T12:08:00.000-07:00

Here’s the official engagement story—right after midnight on New Years with the fireworks going off--a little too close to our heads to be considered actually romantic--Dave asked me to marry him. Everyone had been relentless for the last several days harrassing Dave about asking me when he was going to propose. But believe it or not, I was actually very surprised when he asked. It's not as if he hadn't had opportunity...just earlier that same night we were playing Mad Gab and Dave had to read a card that said "Wheel Yum Air Ream He?" That’s right. Read it out loud… Yup, he asked me to marry him completely by accident. I was the person checking him so it made for a totally unplanned proposal. As everyone but I knew, Dave had the ring in his pocket the entire time. But it wasn't until later that evening that he said the words intentionally. To which my dad responded with a hearty, "FINALLY!"

The Beginning...

2007-03-13T08:06:00.000-07:00

Tracing all the way back to Trinity College in 2002, who would have thought the two of us would be together? But here we are, and our life together is just beginning! From the moment Dave proposed on January 1st of 2007, we've only grown closer and more grateful for the long, rather complicated history that we share . As amazed as we are at how our relationship has grown, there is so much peace in knowing that God is sovereignly working in our lives. We're not the ones planning our lives together--we're prayerfully submitting to His plan for our lives.