40 Things You Might Not Know About Me on My 40th Birthday

by | Blog, Holidays | 2 comments

Today is my 40th birthday.  I think that officially makes me old.  I’m not sure how I feel about that.  I’ll have to get back to you . . .

This is where I'd like to be today as I celebrate my birthday - on a cruise, sitting next to my husband, watching the kids swim while enjoying a movie and a drink. Instead I'll be at home, taking kids to school, saying goodbye to my husband as he goes off to a long day at the restaurant. Just another day . . . except now I'm officially old.

This is where I’d like to be today as I celebrate my birthday – on a cruise, sitting next to my husband, watching the kids swim while enjoying a movie and a drink. Instead I’ll be at home, taking kids to school, saying goodbye to my husband as he goes off to a long day at the restaurant. Just another day . . . except now I’m officially old. Yeah!

Today as I celebrate, here are 40 random things about myself that you might not know.

  1. Only 2 people have ever called me by the name “Jen.”  Everyone else has called me Jennifer.  (Thank goodness!!)
  2. I’m 6’ 1” tall and my last name is Small.  Fortunately this was not my last name until I was 20 so I didn’t have to go through junior high and high school hearing jokes about this.  Now I love it and it makes for a fun conversation in the grocery store.
  3. I don’t really enjoy reading.  (Don’t tell any of my past students.)
  4. I don’t really enjoy cooking that much either.  Thank goodness I am married to a chef and never have to cook for myself.  (HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!)
  5. I wanted to be a Mom and a teacher ever since the 3rd grade.  I became a teacher in 1996 and a Mom in 2004.
  6. I love Butterscotch Krimpet TastyKakes, but live on the west coast and they do not sell them here.  Boo!  If you live on the east coast, eat an extra one for me today in honor of my birthday!
  7. I love all things Disney.
  8. I miss living near In-N-Out.
  9. I started dating my chef/husband when I was 15.
  10. My chef/husband is the only boyfriend I ever had.
  11. I am a Christian.  You can find my testimony here.
  12. I LOVE homemade Greek yogurt sweetened with maple syrup.
  13. I am addicted to chapstick and have it with me at all times.
  14. When we started dating, I played the piano better than my chef/husband.  I stopped practicing and he practiced a lot.  He can now play whatever he wants and I have to practice just to play something easy.
  15. We’ve moved 7 times in our 19 years of marriage.
  16. I have a small website development business that I do in the peace and quiet of our home.
  17. I hate to exercise but love to eat and love the results so I endure the torture 2 times a week.
  18. I have a BA from Azusa Pacific University in Liberal Studies with a minor in Spanish.
  19. I really have no athletic ability at all which is unfortunate because of point #2 above.
  20. I went to a private Christian school all the way through college.
  21. We got married on the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA.
  22. When someone asks me my favorite food, I usually say pizza.  Not sure it’s really my favorite, but it’s usually what comes to mind first.
  23. My favorite place to shop is Nordstrom.  Unfortunately it’s usually just window shopping . . .
  24. I care too much about what people think.
  25. I struggle with worrying about the future.
  26. My Mom died when I was 27.  I really miss her a lot.
  27. I am a morning person.
  28. I am not a night person.
  29. I love to sleep.
  30. My current favorite song is “Blessings” by Laura Story.
  31. I started working out last year to make new friends.  I ended up losing a few pounds, 2 sizes and gaining many new friendships.
  32. Every Thursday and Sunday morning I wake up really sore and wonder why I went to workout class the day before.  (See #31)
  33. I used to use coupons but gave up because they don’t make coupons for the food we eat.
  34. We had NO MONEY when we first got married and because of this we ate a lot of Top Ramen.  My husband still loves the stuff, but I refuse to eat it.  I really hate it!
  35. I have been to 4 different countries. (5 if you count the one I live in.)
  36. I am a horrible decorator.  Anything that looks nice in our home was chosen by my chef/husband.
  37. Over half of my wardrobe is black.  My last Stitch Fix box almost killed me with all the different colors and patterns. This might change in the future thanks to my new love of Stitch Fix.
  38. My favorite Bible verse is Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”  (See #25.)
  39. It would take me 19 hours of driving nonstop to get my Dad’s house.  This is too far.  🙁
  40. I would love to own a motorhome and travel around the United States as a family.

(more…)

Meet Andrea – A Chef, a Wife and a Child

by | a chef, a wife and a child, Blog, Children | 2 comments

A chef a wife and a childHaving a child with a chef . . . crazy . . . I know.  I’ve received so many emails throughout this series from so many chefwives saying how they can somehow relate to what one of us has shared.  Funny how you can instantly feel a bond with a total stranger because the circumstances in their life are so similar to yours.  I love how technology can help us connect and not feel so alone!!

Today, I’d like to introduce you to another chefwife and Mom, Andrea.

Tell me a little about yourself and your spouse.

My husband and I met in college. We were best friends for 2 years before we started dating. We’ve been together for 10 years and married for 5. I work in accounting 40 hours per week at a university. My husband is a personal chef and cheese monger. (more…)

Random Thoughts for a Late Saturday Evening

by | Being Married to a Chef, Blog | 4 comments

Things going through the mind of a 39 year old chef’s wife on a Saturday night . . .

  • It’s Saturday night and my husband is home (asleep on the couch across the room from me.)  Having him home on a Saturday makes me question what day it is as it rarely happens.  I just looked at the calendar.  Yes.  It’s Saturday.
  • Why is it raining on the last weekend of summer vacation?
  • School starts in 3 days.  I’m not ready to have my kids and husband on opposite schedules again.  I wonder if his new position at work will change his days off at all?
  • How is it that my chef/husband can fall asleep in the living room with the chaos of 3 children all around him?  Oh right, he worked about 60 hours in the past 4 days.
  • I wish it would stop raining.
  • It looks like we will be able to go to church as a family tomorrow morning.  I hope no one wakes up sick in the morning . . .
  • I turn 40 in 4 days.  How is that possible?
  • I wonder what I should make for breakfast tomorrow morning.
  • What will it be like to have all 3 girls in school for at least part of the day?  Will I cry when I put our youngest on the bus on Friday?
  • Why is it still raining . . . seriously?
  • I probably should try to wake my chef/husband up sometime soon and have him move into the bedroom to sleep.

(more…)

Meet Kim – A Chef, a Wife and a Child

by | a chef, a wife and a child, Blog, Children | 0 comments

Kim and familyContinuing on in our series about having a child with a chef, I’d like to introduce you to Kim.  Just a short time after starting my blog, Kim was the first chef wife I connected with and I’m so grateful she is willing to share her story with us tonight.  🙂

Tell me a little about yourself and your spouse. (Please include how long you have been married and what your job is (in addition to being a wife and mom.)

My name is Kim. I’m a stay at home mom in Annapolis, Maryland. Before children, I was an elementary general music and choral teacher. After I had our first child, I was the elementary coordinator for our church’s children’s ministry. I decided to stay home with my children once I had our second child. My husband Keith is the executive chef and GM of a farm-to-table restaurant in downtown Annapolis called Factors Row. We will be married 7 years this December. We are both musicians (I sing and he plays keyboards/runs sound) and we met while playing with our church’s young adults worship team. (more…)