Technically, I’ve known Jeni of Peace and Carrots for something like 10 years. We lived in the same town and went to church together while Rockford was in graduate school, but I didn’t actually get to know her until we’d both moved away. And then we started hanging out together on the internet. Yay internet!

Jeni has two sweet kiddos, she homeschools, and she used to live in Alaska. Where she had a horrible, horrible job that she claims to have enjoyed. Read on to find out more about that …

How did your grandparents meet?

My grandparents (my dad’s parents) met in school in SE Ohio. They were high school sweethearts. He gave her a ring. She gave it back. He gave it to her again, and she decided to keep it. They’ve been together 59 years, and have three children, eight grandchildren, and 6 great-grandchildren. My mom has parents, too, but we are estranged from them for various reasons; if I told the story you’d think it came out of a V.C. Andrews book.

What’s in your purse right now?

Oh, dear. Let’s see:

Emergency ponytail holder.

Blistex Intensive Hand Cream.

Phone.

Small notebook and eraseable pen.

Burt’s Bee’s lip shimmer (watermelon).

Two gas receipts.

A note from Wendy that reads: “Dear Mom, Mom loves me. Mom loves David. Mom loves Dad. I love you. Love, Wendy.”

A crumpled paper chain craft from Wendy’s Sunday Bible class.

Wallet.

A turquoise polka dot hair ribbon.

Pink Post-It notes.

Keys.

Aveeno Anti-Itch cream and purse-sized Cutter Insect Repellent – both leftovers from summer (I can take those out now).

Chocolate mint cocoa lip balm.

CoverGirl Outlast lip balm.

Emery board.

Half a pack of Orbit SweetMint.

A pair of dangly earrings.

A purple inkpen.

A mechanical pencil.

Warm Vanilla Sugar antibacterial gel (Bath & Body Works).

Brown Sugar Vanilla body cream (Bodycology).

Small pair of Fiskars kid scissors.

Small black velvet hairbow.

Emergency feminine supplies.

Small bottle of ibuprofen.

That’s what is in my purse today, an average Thursday. Many times my purse holds even more stuff, including but not limited to crayons, Matchbox cars, my Kindle, granola bars, baby wipes, and tissues. It depends what our plans for the day include. Church or gymnastics? You better believe that thing is loaded.

What was your first job? How old were you, and how long did you work there? Did you like it?

My first job, other than babysitting, was at a grooming/boarding kennel in Anchorage, Alaska. I fed and walked dogs that were staying there, and also took care of the 80+ resident cats. I worked there for several months, and one of my main jobs was chiseling dog poop out of the snow with a hoe. For real. I also learned how to clean the outside of windows when it is below freezing outside, and how much fun it is to sort 40-lb bags of dog food in an unheated trailer, especially when your boots are wet. All in all, I DID enjoy the job. It was hard work and I was sad to see it come to an end. I quit when a coworker blamed something on me and my boss cut my hours from 16/wk to 4/wk without even talking to me about it.

What is the worst advice you’ve ever been given?

The worst advice I’ve ever been given is “follow your heart.” Really? I don’t know about the average person, but my heart is awfully fickle and undependable. It wants chocolate chip cookies with the same intensity that it wants to end world hunger. It can’t seem to make a decision and stick to it for more than a few days. I think we SHOULD pay attention to our feelings and what is important to us, but relying on the heart as a guide seems like a recipe for a dangerous, tumultuous life. It makes more sense to follow the spirit, the intellect, and above all, to follow God’s leading.

Who was president when you graduated high school?

Bill Clinton. But I’m pretty sure you already knew that.