Top Ten Headlines in Leininger Town

10. Young Women Make Dinner at Leininger Home

I am the second counselor in the Young Women's organization in our ward, which means weekly mutual activities. We frequently work on a skill that the girls would like to develop, and this particular week, we had chosen cooking. In keeping with the "warming only" rule in the chapel's kitchen, we had the young women over to our place for the endeavor. We decided on a simple stir fry, and let the girls do virtually all of the work. We had a great time, and the food was delicious. I just love these girls!


9. Sarah Gets Her Hair Cut

I was getting SO sick of my long hair. It was to the scraggly point, and the humidity out here is very unforgiving. So I chopped it off. I neglected to take a before shot, but let's just say that I lost about 6 inches. I am a big fan of the new, short(er) hair.


8. Jon Pulls Solid "A" on Project Proposal

Jon has started grad school at Johns Hopkins in engineering, and so we're back to the homework thing. He spent hours and hours and hours in the office working on a project proposal for his class that dealt with an automatic hour logging system for big rig trucks. And that was only after the hours and hours and hours he spent deciding on a project, changing it, and deciding on another one. Lots of research and lots of hard work. It paid off though...he pulled a solid 97%. I was very proud of my intelligent and diligent husband.

7. Maryland Family Watches All Four Conference Sessions from Comfort of Own Home

Comcast does not carry any station that broadcasts general conference, but thanks to the Church's amazing new media player and Jon's tech savvy, we were able to hook up our laptop to our TV and watch conference from the couch. It was wonderful. Not only the couch of course, but the inspiring messages. I just love general conference!!! The only thing that would have made it better would have been spending the Sunday afternoon session in Fairview with the fam. We missed you guys!


6. Father Visits Prodigal Children

Having two sets of parents now that we are married is a little confusing. Therefore, for the purposes of this blog, our respective fathers shall henceforth be called Dad Doug (Jon's) and Papa Joe (mine). Dad Doug popped in for a quick visit on his way to visit Lauren at SVU for Parent's Weekend. He brought with him many gifts including lots of books that we have been wanting to read, yummy Texan bbq sauce, delicious Texan pecan candy, and a trip to dinner on him. He also brought us epic movie "The 10th Kingdom" which we spent the next week and a a half watching. It was great to see him, and we had a super fun time. Thanks Dad Doug!


5. Couple Visits Aquarium, Attends Dolphin Show

We finally headed downtown to the National Aquarium, which just happens to be in Baltimore. It is right on the water and it was fantastic. We liked the huge sting rays and the Dolphin show, but our favorite was the long-horned cowfish. If you've never seen one, well...it resembles a floating block of cheese with a cow's face. Pretty incredible.


4. Cougar Fans Reunited with Football After Long Absence

Comcast also does not carry any station that broadcasts BYU football games (I think we need to switch cable companies) so it's been a long and dreary season for us as we hear about our friends enjoying the wonderful winning streak. We, like the rest of you, were disappointed last week, but hopeful that this week would bring better news. We were thrilled that our friends (and subscribers to Direct TV) Trevor and Sarah invited us over to watch the game with them today. We were even more thrilled with the exciting win! Go Cougs! It's good to be back. Also, I'm pretty sure we saw Kirsti on TV. That was exciting.


3. Baltimore Youth Takes Life-Changing Plunge

Our friend Kayla is the newest member of our Young Women group. Though she has been attending Sunday meetings and Wednesday activities for awhile now, she was baptized on Saturday October 18th. I got to give a talk at her baptism, and felt very privileged. Kayla was raised by her grandparents, and her grandfather recently became active in the church after 28 years and introduced Kayla to the missionaries. She is really amazing in her dedication, understanding of the scriptures, and application of the gospel. She has even already started Personal Progress! We love Kayla and are so excited to continue to grow with her!


2. Sarah Turns 27

I turned 27 on Thursday, the 23rd, and feel dangerously close to 30. You think it will never come, but then, there it is, just around the corner. That's okay though. I'll be a young 30 when that time comes. I have a pretty bad cold this week, and haven't been feeling too well, so instead of a night out, Jon brought home our favorite, PF Changs, and we celebrated at home. I got wonderful gifts from Jon and from home, and a flaming cake to top it all off! Thanks to everyone who made it a special day.

1. Baltimore Couple to Celebrate First Anniversary With Bang

Yep. We're having a baby!!!!!! We are SO excited! I'm due May 24th, one day after our anniversary, so for all intents and purposes...ON our anniversary. What a way to celebrate! This ultrasound was taken at 6 weeks for dating purposes, and the little dot on the left is what was then an embryo, and is now a fetus, about an inch in length (roughly the size of a medium green olive according to the book). When we got married I thought I wanted 12 kids, but now, after a month of nausea and vomiting, I think we might stop at one. ;) However, yesterday my doctor finally prescribed a miracle drug called zofran, and I am a new woman. I have eaten for two days in a row, and might actually start gaining weight now. I can go to work without wanting to die, and when at home, do more than lie on the couch and cry, with brief trips to kneel before the porcelain throne. A big shout out to my amazing husband who made many a trip to the local 7-11 for coke slurpees (they do wonders for a sick tummy), took over all household chores, and was on his own for dinner every night for a month, and to my mom and sister Maria who spent hours talking to me on the phone, distracting me from my misery, and generally getting me through it. I know that there are many women who have been much worse off than me, and I can only say that I now have even more respect for mothers than I did in the past. Especially those like my own mom who did this again and again. And pre-miracle drug zofran at that! I am so excited for this adventure and blessing, and so glad that thanks to modern medicine, I have myself back. I cooked today for the first time in a LONG time, and I think Jon is excited too. :)

Protect Marriage

This blog is usually more personal than political, but this video shows how the two can sometimes go hand in hand in a very profound way. It is terrifying to see where our nation and world are headed, and there has never been a more important time than now to stay informed. It is well worth your time to watch this video- it's about 6 minutes long. Just follow the link, and spread the word.

Great Dates

Jon and I have been on some awesome dates lately. To keep them straight, I have given them names and described them below.

$10 Dinner
Last weekend I had the strange and irrational idea that we should save some money on dinner and go to Cici's Pizza Buffet (at $5 a person it sounded like a good deal). Jon had actually been to one before and wasn't convinced that my idea was such a good one, but obligingly did some research to find out where the nearest one was located. When we found out it was almost 20 miles away, we decided the savings on dinner wouldn't be worth the gas money, so we scrapped that idea and decided to spend our ten dollars at the grocery store instead. Even though I had just been grocery shopping and we had a kitchen full of food, we took $10 to the local Weis and tried to create a good dinner. We did pretty well for ourselves, as these pictures will attest.(That's steak strips, french bread, fruit salad and chocolate milk. We even squeezed in doughnuts [not pictured] for desert.)Mmmmmm.....

Afterwards we made up for the money we saved on dinner by going mini-golfing at $7.50 a person. Although Jon won, I had the only hole in one of the night, so I felt pretty good about myself. It was a super fun night.


Four Months? A Trifle, really...
Tuesday was our four month anniversary, and we celebrated by having a quick dinner and then heading off to the church where we met with a member of the Stake Presidency, and Jon was called to be assistant ward clerk. He already has two other callings, so he's going to be busy. I usually have YW presidency meetings after church though, so his tithing counting will give him something to do while I am there. :) After that we headed to a meeting with the missionaries and Kayla, a beehive aged girl who has been taking the missionary lessons. We have been going to them, and it's been great. That night they set a baptismal date for October 18th, and she is so excited. When we got home I surprised Jon with a trifle. Mmmmm. I had to convince him not to get a treat at 7-eleven on the way home though, so I think for a while he thought I was just being mean.

A cheap date.
On Thursday we heard about a local department store going out of business and selling suits for 80% off. We decided to head over and see if they had anything for Jon. Unfortunately they didn't have anything that worked, but we had fun looking around at all the great deals. After that we headed to Cold Stone for their Make a Wish Foundation ice cream social (read- free scoops of ice cream). They offered two flavors...both creations of kids in the Make a Wish Foundation. Jon got peanut butter ice cream with peanut butter and peanut butter chips. I got marshmallow flavored ice cream with oreos. Both very interesting. And free. After that we did some window shopping, and then headed home. Best free date ever.

Buy Me Some Peanuts and CRACK-er Jacks...
Friday night we met up with our friends Sam and Sara from BYU who are also out here to go to an Orioles game. Jon had bought the tickets off a coworker who won them in a silent auction. They should have cost $34 each, but we got four for $30, plus a pre-paid parking pass (a big deal around here). The seats were great...we were super close to the field, and Jon got (not caught, though that would have been cooler....it bounced around on the seats behind us first) a foul ball. So we are now the proud owners of an official Major League Baseball. The game got rained out in the 5th inning with the Orioles behind 3-0, but Jon bought me cracker jacks, so I felt it was a pretty good experience anyway. We left and went to Fell's Point, a trendy part of downtown, for some gelato, which was delicious, and then said our goodbyes to Sam and Sara and headed home. It was another great night, and it was so fun to get out and do something different.

I love date night, especially as we get busier with callings, work and school. What a great time to rejuvinate and spend time together.

Thank You, Grandma

This post is a couple weeks late, but I wanted to take a moment, as many family members have done, to pay tribute to my recently departed Grandmother, Gerda Pratt Haynie. She was, as was so eloquently put by President Hawkins at her funeral, the ideal of womanhood. I feel so grateful for her, and for the way she served all of us. I feel especially grateful for the fourth of me that comes from her. I have realized lately, how much I inherited from her. Her love of music and sense of rhythm...she was known to always be tapping out beats to music with her fingers or teeth...and I do the same thing! Her sense of adventure and love of travel I clearly inherited. :) And her dedication to service I am still working on, but it inspires me to be better, knowing how great she was.

Jon and I were fortunate enough (thanks to the generosity of Jon's dad in giving us some free plane tickets he had been saving up) to attend her funeral on September 8th. I was so glad that Jon got to learn about her life, and feel a greater connection to my extended family. He had only met her a few times, and it was after her dimentia was in its later stages and she was confined to her bed. So it was really neat to be able to have him there with me.

The funeral was a wonderful celebration of her life. As Jon and I talked with coworkers, we noticed how cautious they were around us, and how much they acted like this departure from life should be devastating. And while there is no quesiton that the death of a loved one can be devastating in many ways, I felt so grateful for the perspective the gospel brings. She has passed on, but we will see her again, and she lives still.

I really admired Grandpa's absolute faith and confidence that he will see her again, even as he said goodbye to his eternal companion for now. I loved his comments at the funeral, that if what we say, think or do isn't pleasing to the Savior, what difference does it make who we please. He is so wise, and I love him and Grandma so much.

The trip back to Utah also served as a wonderful reunion of family members who have been greatly missed since we moved back east. It was such a breath of fresh air to spend time with my parents and siblings. It was also a great opportunity for Jon to finally meet his neice, whose absoute adoreableness he found hard to believe, as evidenced by the look of surprise on his face.

The whole experience was one that I will always cherish, and I am grateful to all those who made it possible and who offered their love and kindness and wisdom.

Presents of Mind

In my family we have the tradition of giving "Presents of Mind" on birthdays. (Thank my dad for the clever word play.) We sit around and tell the birthday person what we love or admire about them. It seems that too often we forget to express our love and appreciation, so this tradition helps us do it at least once a year.

Today is Jon's birthday, and since we are far from family this year, I thought I would post my "presents" on the blog, so here are some things I love about my husband...

Jon is selfless. He is always looking to serve me, and sacrifices a lot to make sure I am happy and comfortable. I really admire that.

Jon is kind. He doesn't say bad things about others, and he is a friend to all. He works hard to overcome differences or prejudices.

Jon is happy. He is pretty much always in a good mood. I love that!

Jon is diligent. He works so hard at work, and when he sets goals, he achieves them. I witness this as he wakes up at 6am to go running three times a week (while I usually roll over in bed).

Jon is grateful. He always shows his appreciation for things that I do...even the little ones. It makes me feel really loved.

Jon is smart. He knows a lot, and knows how to figure out the things he doesn't. He has a natural curiosity that leads him to learn more all the time.

Jon is full of faith. I see him demonstrate that faith in his calling, as he is always saying "yes", even when it is not convenient.

Jon is handsome! How did I get so lucky?

Jon is organized. He remembers to do the little things that I forget. Like pay the bills, for example. ;)

Jon is helpful. He does the dishes every night and always takes out the trash.

Jon is patient. He overlooks my shortcomings and is never critical. I need to be more like him.

I could go on and on, but I hope he knows that I love him so much, no matter what.

I LOVE YOU JON!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Family visiting Baltimore

My family finally came to visit us in Baltimore (Balty). Sarah and I were so happy to have company that we went out and bought another air mattress. My mother came up from Austin to visit and then accompany my sister, Lauren, to Southern Virginia University (SVU). On her way back my mother stayed with us again and my brother, Chris, came from New York to visit.
My brother looks pretty bad-to-the-bone in this picture. Sarah and I took them on a nature walk in a local park and we got lost in the forest. We walk around aimlessly and arrived in someone's backyard a few miles away.This is a picture before we entered the forest. On labor day we went to my favorite childhood restaurant, Friendly's, and enjoyed a delicious Oreo Sunday.After that we went to the Maryland State Fair where we watched a pig race and went on the carnival rides. It was sad to see the family leave, but Dad is actually coming up in a month and we're excited!

What Jon does at work

My coworkers and I are singing to "You Drive Me Crazy" by Brittney Spears. This is what I do when I go away on work trips. Who says engineers don't know how to have fun?