Jury Duty

This week I spent Monday through Thursday serving on a jury in Conroe... It was a very interesting experience that I will remember forever. Being apart of the judicial wheel was very rewarding and a great learning experience. It was fun to have a case that I understood to talk with Jay about. I told him yesterday that I might have missed my calling… being a prosecuting attorney. Just kidding… I think I will leave the law to him.

The case was an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon with 4 counts charged... the testimony and evidence was very sad and definitely kept my attention. The folks involved were homeless, day labors; just trying to survive day to day… they stayed in abandoned houses with no running water or electricity and at one time even lived in a tent behind a shopping center. Most of them didn’t have cars, which made it very difficult to keep jobs and keep themselves safe. It opened my eyes to the basic daily blessings we have that I so often neglect to realize truly are blessings from God. Just recognizing that having a roof over my head is a blessing and gift changes the perspective of so many little non-important things.

If you ever get chosen for jury duty I encourage you to take it seriously and give it the time and respect it is owed. A person's future along with their family and friend’s futures are on hold until a verdict is reached and the jury is responsible for that decision to be made.

In this case our jury was split 8 guilty to 4 not guilty and would have been considered a "Hung Jury", but the state and the defendant reached a plea bargain where he plead guilty on one count to a lesser charge - "aggravated assault with bodily injury” and received 2 years in prison. For some of the jury members they were pleased to have the weight of rendering a verdict off their shoulders, while others felt that not enough justice was served. I left feeling that my time as a juryman was well spent. The defendant got off with a lesser charge and a lesser punishment and the state got their conviction.

Now it is Friday and the weekend has begun. Jay headed north this weekend to spend time with his family and buddies in Dallas and I am off for dinner and a girl’s night with some great friends.

I hope everyone has a great weekend and takes some time to remember and thank God for the basic blessings in our lives.

Happy Friday.

Catch up!

So much has happened since my last blog... where do I start. Well, first we celebrated my 26th birthday and enjoyed a wonderful dinner with my family and a night out with our closest friends. I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful family so close by to share special days with.

And it worked out that quite a few of our friends were in town for Easter weekend and we were able to get everyone together to enjoy drinks at Crush on Friday night.

Then Saturday I had a special morning brunch with my wonderful bridesmaids at my house for them to be measured for their dresses. It was fun getting everyone together even for a short time and I got to try a new recipe for everyone. It is called "Monkey Break", one tip for anyone who wants to try it make sure it has cooled a bit before you flip it over... if you do it too soon it will ooze out everywhere. Click here for the recipe.

We spent the rest of the weekend relaxing and enjoying our 4 day weekend. I volunteered Saturday at the Muddy Trails Race and enjoyed some AMAZING crawfish... probably the best I have ever had. I am really looking forward to next years event.

Then Sunday we enjoyed church at Woodsedge with my mom and sister, dad had to work, and even got to see some friends from Dallas who were in town for a quick weekend trip. And Monday Jay prepared for the Duke game... it was a nail bitter till the end. Jay was super excited to see Duke win. I was almost more entertained by watching Jay then watching the game... if I can get the video I took of Jay watching the game to work I will upload it for all to enjoy.

This last weekend we enjoyed The Masters, Arnold Palmer Ice Tea, Pimento Cheese Sandwiches, The Annual Landry's Crawfish Boil and great weather... not exactly in that order, but all equally enjoyable. Jay even petted a 1 year-old crocodile... the guy said he will get up to 24 feet long, and could bight off a finger with one snap... Good thing the nose was taped.

Go DUKE!

Tonight is the NCAA National Championship Basketball game and we are cheering for Duke. If you know Jay you know he is a die heart Duke, Blue Devils fan... and is extremely excited about tonight's game. Once the game starts here will be no chatting or non-game related conversation... he will be zoned into the game and cheering on his favorite team and coach!!!

GOOOOO Duke!!!!!