I LOVE TENNIS!!!!

I just got home from playing tennis tonight and it was awesome! Tennis and I have been close friends for a long time now! I started taking lessons when I was in elementary school with Miss Schmoyer..I was in 3rd grade I think. Anyhow, we were living in Arizona at the time and when my family moved to New Mexico the lessons came to an end. Other than playing a little with my dad every once in awhile it wasn't until my 9th grade year back in Arizona that I really competed again.

Last week I started a tennis clinic Wednesday nights--LOVE IT!!! I met a girl named Lauren (in the picture she's in the middle) who just moved to Arizona about two weeks ago--she's from Dallas, Texas! Her and I got along really well instantly so after practice she and I stay after and play against each other! Tonight we stayed and played for an extra hour and had some sweet rallies going!! Nick, my coach,gave me some pointers on my forehand before he went in- so I worked on it tonight and I think I've got it :) The girls laugh at how fast I hit my backhand...we're ladies so I'm sure it's not THAT fast but it sounds fast!


Tennis for me is one of those things that when I don't play it for awhile and I get back out on the court it's on (that's my competitive side talking..haha) I may not come off as a competitve, sporty girl but don't let it fool you! :) Each time I finish playing tennis I'm reminded how passionate I am about the sport. I had forgotten what a good work out it is too!

In March I went to Palm Springs to watch the BNP Paribas pro tennis tournament at Indian Wells!! My old roommate Kambria from college came down from San Francisco and a few of her friends came down from Utah to go! I had no idea that such a huge tournament was so close to me..in my own backyard! I was in awe of the players skill and abilities-to see it in person was incredible...it put tv viewing to shame! While I was there I got to watch Tommy Haas practice. Shortly after we sat down to watch he was hit two balls to practice his serve with..as my luck would have it, one of the balls bounced over the net and right into my hands! Oh yes...that meant that this incredibly talented, good looking with his shirt off professional tennis player was going to have to come and get the ball from me! As I sat there waiting for him to get the other ball and come over all I could think about was how I better not mess up my toss to him; better not throw like a girl! People were everywhere and all eyes on me...just kidding but kind of not! He walked up looking at me straight in the eyes with his hand up signaling for me to toss him the ball and...I did...perfect toss;perfect in that he didn't have to run for it!! My heart was pounding as he smiled, said thanks and turned to continue playing!
I watched 13 solid hours of tennis in one day and got to see Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, James Blake, Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic just to name a few!

Abide With Me

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
the darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day;
earth's joys grow dim; its glories pass away;
change and decay in all around I see;
O thou who changest not, abide with me.

I need thy presence every passing hour.
What but thy grace can foil the tempter's power?
Who, like thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.

I fear no foe, with thee at hand to bless;
ills have no weight, and tears not bitterness.
Where is death's sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if thou abide with me.

Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes;
shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.
Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee;
in life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

I need Thy presence every passing hour.
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter's power?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.
Where is death's sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.

Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.
Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

The choir sang this song today at church and it was beautiful. I felt the Spirit so strong! As I sat through church I thought about a conversation I had with my mom and a close friend of ours who is also our home teacher, Corey Ellsworth last Sunday. Corey and his family are remarkable. He recently had a son pass away from muscular dystrophy; Corey was telling us about the moment Ethan was diagnosed at the age of 7 and his search to find peace and understand Gods plan for each of us and especially his young son. His answer came through a scripture in D&C 42:48 "And again, it shall come to pass that he that hath faith in me to be healed, and is not appointed unto death, shall be healed". He found peace in knowing that this illness was Ethan's appointment on this earth from our Heavenly Father. We talked about how the power of the Priesthood and Faith can heal those who are injured or ill but the outcome isn't always what we pray and hope for. Garrett would always say that he felt like when he turned 20 things would be different..he couldn't ever tell us what exactly would be different just that he would "start over"; work out more and eat better. Garrett broke his neck 12 days after his 20th birthday and has literally had to start over. Did Ethan and Garrett know what they were going to be faced with in this life? Was this the plan they accepted before coming to this earth? I believe they did; maybe not the full extent of it--they never complained or wondered "why me" they've accepted it and made the most of it. Before Ethan passed away he served a part time mission in the Genealogy Center, attended the community college here and gave incredible talks in church. He always had a smile on his face. This earth life is for us all to be tested and how we face the challenges put in our path. For Garrett, this may not be permanent; there may be medical advances that enable him to walk again in the future but this time is for him to learn all the lessons he can and strengthen his character; strengthen his testimony. I believe our patriartical blessing gives us a glimpse into what our appointment on this earth is. I find a lot of comfort in reading mine and the promises that are made if I do my part. I know that the Lord knows us individually and never gives us more than we can handle. I find peace in knowing that life is eternal and this earth life is but a small moment.

**Little lighter note***
Amber gave a fantastic lesson in Relief Society today...Good Job AA! After church the girls and I were going to take a picture and this guy came up and asked our names...I told him my name was Jessika and he asked me "2 S's?" and I said "and a K"--the picture shows just what happened next...(he told me he kisses faces too!! LOL)

Family Update

The only other time I’ve ever kept something up like this was the night Garrett had his accident and I sent daily updates to family and friends throughout his surgery and hospital stay. These days I'm surrounded by Bloggers and if I can't beat them I might as well join them ..So here it goes...

I rented my house out in April and moved back into my moms house! Its been a lot of fun and I’m glad to be able to help out more and spend time with Bubba and Mom! It’s also a mile from my office which is perfect. I’ve been fortunate to be able to travel a lot lately as well! I went to San Francisco for the first time in April and loved it; what a beautiful city! I just got back from an amazing trip to Greece and Italy for my friend Maya’s 30th birthday! We went for two weeks and went to Athens, Mykonos and Santorini Islands in Greece, Rome and Florence, Italy. I got my favorite haircut at a salon on Mykonos Island by Lucas from Switzerland! He was hilarious!! It was beautiful and a great experience! While it was amazing I was ready to be home!
My mom is amazing as always. She is Garrett's full time caregiver and started just last week coming down to my office and helping one of the other processors a few hours a day—I don’t know how she does it! Since the night of the accident she has been so strong and continues to do whatever is necessary to to give Garrett the best chance of a full recovery. She’s the most selfless person I’ve ever met and am so proud to be her daughter. I tell her and Garrett that if and when he walks again there is going to be major separation anxiety and I can’t quite tell who will have it worse between the two. They have formed such a special bond and it has been really neat to see. Her house is all remodeled and it’s beautiful! My Aunt Pam and cousin Carli came over while I was in Europe and hung pictures and put finishing touches throughout the house. They did a really nice job and my mom had darling things for them to work with.
Colby and Adam got married January 23rd of this year after 3 years of dating and are doing amazing! She is officially Mrs. Colby Barnes!! The wedding was beautiful and everything went perfectly! Especially my Maid of Honor speech! They really enjoy each others company and are the best of friends. They have a house in Gilbert with their 3 dogs…Simba, Diesel and Marley—their bulldog who was also the ring bearer in the wedding! We love Adam and he is the perfect fit! He is my 3rd brother and maybe the most protective; my poor husband (whomever that may be) will have quite the interview process! Colby works at the same mortgage company I do—LOVE IT!! They just got back from Hawaii and had a great time!
Devin also has a house in Gilbert with 3 roommates! He is waiting for his new job to start so he has been helping out with Bubba---the boys have a lot of fun together! Cooking new creations and working out. Devin is a huge help and a fantastic brother!

Garrett aka Bubba as many of you know and for those who don’t sustained a severe injury from a freak gymnastics accident November 14, 2007 in which he broke his C5/C6vertebrae in his neck leaving him paralyzed from his chest down. He attends physical therapy at Project Walk in Carlsbad, California as often as we can get him there; in fact he and my mom go back next Sunday for two more weeks of therapy. He is doing SO good! Last time he was in California his therapists could see a lot of improvement in his strength and his body responding to the treatment!! He’s going in for an outpatient surgery to blast and remove 4 bladder stones the size of olive pits! He’s been having constant UTI’s (urinary tract infection) and a CAT scan revealed the source of the problem! I told Bubba he needs to get a copy of the film because we have a copy of his appendix that burst and his neck post surgery—we need the stones! Poor kid. Bubba still amazes me all the time with his optimistic attitude and perspective throughout this entire tragedy/experience! My family and I were laughing the other night at how everywhere he goes people remember him and they just love him—even a cute girl that works at Chipotle saw Garrett at the mall and stopped to say hi! LOL He went out with Devin and his friends the other night and came home telling us how Bubba got all the ladies! He’s still got that charm!

Gratitude

**I wrote this December 11, 2008...It embodies the perspective and growth I've experienced over the last year and a half--and the perspective I strive to maintain and build upon**

Friends and Family,
My heart is SO full today and I have seen and felt many tender mercies the past couple weeks and especially today. Last week I attended the viewing for my roommate Brittney's mom who sadly lost a short, but hard fought battle to lung cancer. She left behind a beautiful family and loving husband. Today I attended the funeral of my friend Justin's wife, Susan. She too lost a very short hard fought battle to colon cancer at a far too young age of 25. As I sat at the funeral today Susan's dad stood up and gave an amazing talk and in it he challenged us to follow the feelings or promptings we were feeling that moment- improve on the aspect of our individual lives to better ourselves and in turn better those we come in contact with. That is how Susan lived and while I didn't know her as directly or as well as others I was impressed by her spirit and you could see the light she was to so many. As I sat there I realized many things in my own personal life that I need to and want to work on. Each of these families effected by loss carried themselves with such courage and a sense of peace and calm. I can only imagine what they are feeling at this time. My heart aches for them. They each have a strong testimony and knowledge of the promise of eternal families- what a comfort. My heart breaks for Justin- he and Susan dated off and on for about two years and finally just this January they were married for time and all eternity. Less than a year later she is gone...for now. I cannot imagine finding your soul mate and loving someone SO much and then to lose them so quickly. While we don't know our Fathers plan for us I do know that it's a much bigger picture than we can see. The recent events have made me reflect on and appreciate the relationships I have and reiterated how precious life is and to not waste time- make the most out of everyday. If you care about someone let them know, tell those you love how much you love them as often as you can!

I'm grateful for my knowledge of eternal families and the Lords plan for each and everyone of us. I know that is what will get Justin and his and Susan's family and Brittney and her family through this tough time in their lives. The understanding that the time on this earth is but just a small piece of eternity. I felt blessed to have been able to attend the funeral service today- it was inspiring. With the new year around the corner I hope we can all reevaluate our lives and where we are and strive to become more diligent in the things most important and strive to better ourselves.

I love my family so much and am grateful for each and every one of them. I had the privilege of helping my brother Garrett prepare a talk for church a couple of weeks ago on the Power of Prayer and his experiences since his accident. It will forever be one of my most treasured memories. The spirit he possesses is remarkable and the trials he has faced over the past year to anyone would be incredibly overwhelming but he has faced each one with such grace and faith that I'm forever in awe of him. I love you Bubba and am so proud of you. Thank you for letting me be a part of your journey! I love you!

I love all of my friends and am thankful for your friendship and your example. If I can ever be of service please let me know and know that I'm always here for each and every one of you!

These are the things on my heart tonight- writing this may be for my own selfish reasons but my hope is that we can all strive to become a better people and help to better each other.