Total Thirty-Seventh

I have had a 5 day weekend like NO other! It all started last Thursday night at the Basketball game, Lee vs. Temple- one of our largest and longest rivals- I went to that game with some friends to cheer Des on, and we won 58-67!!! 

Me, Ashley and Paris cheerin 

on the Flames!!!

My handsome 

boy after the game :)

Friday night I went to the EVS (my old choir, the Evangelistic Singers) alumni get-together as it was our 40th reunion. I saw some of my lovely friends, it was soo great to catch up with everyone after such a long time!

Some of the EVS Alumni

 plus a few new faces...

After the Alumni get together my parents took Des and I out to eat at Carrabba's. It was a really nice time just catching up and letting my parents and Des get to know each other better. 

Saturday morning I had EVS practice then I had roommate pictures to take, then back to the house for a luncheon one of the roomies (Liz) mom and grandma made for us. After that I met up with my parents for the basketball game against Montreat College, who we killed at 92-66!! Then I sang with EVS Saturday night at the homecoming music festival after which my friends and I went to Applebee's...

The lovely ladies of 2250, me Liz, Courtney, Laura, Hannah and Jenny

Leaping!!!

Sepia.

"Walk beside me and be my friend..."

Bonding on the bridge :)

Mom and I at Desmond's game :)

Des and I at Applebee's after singing with EVS.

Sunday morning my parents took Des and I out to breakfast at Cracker Barrell, and then we all hung out for a few hours until I had to go meet up with EVS. Desmond and I went to the EVS concert together which was just like old times...we sang for a good hour and a half, all the old songs that still touch my heart when I sing them. I am soo grateful for the time I had with EVS, many of the things I learned there are still evident in my life today and I am a better person because of the people I met and the experiences I had during my time in EVS...

All in all it was a BLAST of a weekend...a little tiring but very fun and fulfilling!!!

Hope you all are doing well and loving November as I am!

Food for today's thought: 

"Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile." -William Cullen Bryant

Tired of T's (and dreading the F's) Thirty-Sixth

Hello blogger world! Just thought I would share a little of my Halloween with you...We had quite a party at our house this past weekend with friends and dancing all around! 2 of my friends from Atlanta even came up to hangout! Here are some pics, enjoy!!!

My roomates Courtney (as a man), me (as Dorothy) and Jenny as a sexy ladybug lol!

Another roomie Hannah as a footballer

All the roomies minus Courtney- Me, Hannah, Laura (as her boyfriend), Liz (as a gogo dancer) and Jenny

I love these girls!

I love these girls too! My Atl buddies, Kristin and Ashley- they were cobwebs lol!

My handsome man, he wasn't dressed up yet, he was zorro, it was hilarious!!!

Food for today's thought:

"Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble." -Shakespeare "Macbeth"

Truly Thankful Thirty-Fifth

Sharing a kiss :)

In August when I broke up with Jonathan, my plans for the future crumbled. 

I felt lost, unloved, used up and totally clueless as to what God wanted for me.

I decided to just move on, to let God take control even though I could not understand.

God has been working on me ever since...he is healing my heart and my mind. Changing me from the inside out. He also brought Desmond into my life.

Desmond and I literally fell into this relationship, with God as the guide...I seriously thought I wouldn't be dating again for the next several years, and he, after getting out of a rough relationship back in May thought the same thing.

We both PLANNED to stay single, date casually and let our wounds from the past fester. Little did we know that God would plop us into each others lives to heal those wounds and teach us soo much.

The past 2 months have been a whirlwind. Never have I known a guy so willing to put his heart on the line, to go all in, to commit fully and share his life with me completely. I am so honored to be called his girlfriend because of who he is and because of how he is with me...

I can't wait to see where God takes us on this road we've started, but in the meantime, I am just loving every minute I have with him.

The happiest ever,

Jill

Food for today's thought:

"Love isn't something you find. Love is something that finds you." -Loretta Young

Tenacious Thirty-Fourth

OK, so I had a nannying interview 2 Sunday's ago, and then last Friday the mom called back and said that they were having a hard time deciding between me and one other girl, so they asked me to come this week for a trial week...so I have been keeping their precious 4 month old, 5 and 9 year old boys the past 3 days... Last night the dad talked to me and said that they had a great feeling from me from my interview and that the past 3 days with me have run so smoothly, that as long as the rest of the week goes well they will be offering me the full-time position! So I will work Tues-Thur 7:15-6 and either Mon or Fri I'll work a half day. I may work some weekends, but I will be paid overtime for that and it will be planned in advance. So I will be making 300+ a week! PRAISE GOD!!!!!! I have been SO stressed about money and this is just what I need! Also, they are going on a vacation to Disney World, and I will be going with them the 18th-23rd. We are flying down, and staying at the luxury resort villas at The Wilderness Lodge!!! All of that and I'll be getting paid for it! I also get paid holiday's! This is the most amazing job ever! O AND the mom is a Physician's Assistant and so if I get sick she can see me for free!!!

YAY!!!!

"A Nanny's job is priceless, such precious minds to reach...
A job done out of compassion and love for the ones they teach." -Unkown

Tearful Thirty-Third :)

The Program.

The first kiss!!!

Walking out as husband and wife!!!

The bridal party!

Me and my super handsome date! 

The Bridesmaids with our friend Jessica

Chilling with Liz and Jessie at the Reception

Drinking some sparkling cider 

My contribution to the getaway car-Wes' g-mother's face was priceless when she read this lol!

This past weekend my two precious friends got married!!! Sussy and Wes tied the knot! If you know these two you know that their relationship has been such a long crazy story...it all started in 2003 when they met in a choir called The Evangelistic Singers, or EVS as we former members call it :) Wes and Sussy became great friends through ministering together and traveling all over the US as well as Jamaica and the Bahamas...Sussy started to fall in love with Wes way back then, but Wes just wanted to keep things at a friendship level...fast forward to December 2006...Wes tells me and a few others that literally OUT OF THE BLUE he has developed feelings for Sussy. We all are totally taken aback because he has never really had feelings for her like that. So January rolls around and Wes just tells her, I have feelings for you and they start dating! Roll forward to October 2007, with the help of me, and 3 others, Wes proposes to Sussy on a mountaintop here in TN! And now, as of Saturday they are married! This is such a short, uninvolved description of how God plans things out perfectly. He totally knows what he's doing and he does give us the desires of our hearts!!!

Food for today's thought: 

"Why is it that people get married? Because we need a witness to our lives. There’s a billion people on the planet. What does any one life really mean? But in a marriage, you’re promising to care about everything…The good things, the bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things, All of it… all the time, every day. You’re saying “Your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it. Your life will not go unwitnessed - because I will be your witness.” 

-Wife in the movie, "Shall We Dance?"

Tremendous Thirty-Second

WOW! So much to talk about...Last weekend my 20 year old cousin got married! I cannot believe it! I will never forget living together as kids, playing, swimming, laughing, talking and all of the perks of cousinhood... She was a beautiful

 bride and I am soo happy for her and her new hubby! 

This past weekend I gave my practice talk for VN and it was a little too short but I got a lot of great responses that really made me feel more confident in the whole thing... I am really excited about the weekend, I know that God is teaching me something already and its such a blessing.

Also this past weekend, my dear friend Sussy had her 

bachelorette party! She and I have been friends for about 4 years and we were roommates for 1. She is marrying one of my best friends, Wes, and I am sooo excited for both of them! I can't believe that they are getting married this weekend! I am heading out to North Carolina on Friday for the rehearsal dinner Friday night and the wedding Saturday! I am a bridesmaid so I have to get all ready for these things this week, gotta give myself a mani-pedi and figure out the shoes, jewelry and hair situation, you know, all the girly things :) I can't wait! 

Sussy and her cherry stem "v-card" haha!Me and Nikki

Sussy lookin gorgeous!!!

Some of the girls chillin at Mellow Mushroom 

Sussy takin one of several shots lol!

Desmond went home with me not this weekend but last and we had a blast! My family really liked him and he really liked them! It was just soo much fun! He and I have been having a wonderful time together and I am so thankful that I have him in my life!

Thats about all for now, love to you all!

Jill

Food for today's thought:

"What you are as a single person, you will be as a married person, only to a greater degree. Any negative character trait will be intensified in a marriage relationship, because you will feel free to let your guard down -- that person has committed himself to you and you no longer have to worry about scaring him off." -Josh McDowell

Thankful Thirty-First

It has been about a month and a half since I broke up with Jonathan and I can tell you that I am truly happy...

For three years I had mentally pictured myself with him... I had tried to mold myself into what I felt he wanted (this is really my fault), I had tried to side-step the things in him that I knew would clash with my heart and desires, I made excuses for our relationship, I tried to assure myself that time would bring about change and that maturity would come and that commitment would be there if I just did this, or this or this...

Wow, I was drained. 

There was so much of myself that I had let go of in many ways because I felt I had to be a certain person every day (this is also really my fault) and I was soo tired, and unable to see my life without him attached. 

This past month has been a huge mental, emotional, spiritual roller-coaster filled with doubts, hopes, fears and a happiness I have never known. 

I am so grateful for the time I spent with Jonathan... Being with him taught me so much about life from a different perspective, how to fight fairly, how to be fully committed and how to love... His friendship is something I will forever cherish and there will be a part of him in my heart always but I know that my decision was the right one for me...

Over the past month I started talking to a friend of mine- we've been friends for a year now- we rekindled our friendship and out of the clear blue, an attraction formed... it has been such a whirlwind, but it feels soo right. I have peace and joy and I am being treated like a queen, which has actually been hard to accept but I am learning. His words and actions have healed a place in my heart that I don't think I even knew needed healing... He and I are dating "officially" but still taking things one day at a time. I thank God for putting him into my life and I am excited to see where it goes :)

I hope that your first day of fall is free and fun and that you all enjoy it!

All my love,

Jill

Food for today's thought:

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom." 

-Marcel Proust

Thought-filled Thirtieth

Much is going on in my mind right now... decisions and hopes and concerns... not really wanting to share right now but would appreciate your prayers.

Due to the fact that gas is currently 4.99 a gallon, I have literally spent the past 3 days at home just saving my gas that I filled up last week when it was the normal 3.49ish so I have been just about crazy, sitting at home so today I went to a friends house just to hang out and it was really nice :)

Not much is going on with me right now, I am just working on finding a job and working on my classwork.

So, hope everything is going well with all of you out there around the world :)

Food for today's thought: 

"No one knows exactly where thought comes from, but it can be said that thought comes from the same place as whatever it is that beats our heart... it comes from being alive."

-Richard Carlson

The Twenty-Ninth

...ing

Savoring memories like the sand on the shore

Holding your breath til they slip back into darkness.

Wishing your mind could understand all that you cannot.

Hoping the voice of reason comes not from within

Trusting the One who cannot be seen, trying desperately so.

Wandering thoughts and tears trace against the canvas of your life, waiting to be portrayed.

Dying to know the secrets that are all around, waiting patiently for the One to reveal them.

Failing and falling again and again

Getting up and doing it all over.

Knowing He loves you is just not enough, it's so hard to completely trust.

Daring yourself to simply obey, struggling with your own flesh.

Dying to yourself day after day and you're worn down to nothing.

Anything would be better than the nothing you feel, the incompetence of your self.

Trying to be the best you can

  

Putting up walls to knock yourself down before you can fall.

Aching to feel secure and loved, to trust, to fly, to love completely...

I wrote this poem about a year and a half ago to and about God...it just truly describes so much of who I was at that time and who I am still becoming... I am still learning to trust and to let myself fall, learning to live through failure and learning to be secure and loved in the One who gave it all to me...

Food for today's thought:

“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

- Mahatma Gandhi

Truthful Twenty-Eighth

Let it go for 2008
By: T. D. Jakes



There are people who can walk away from you.
And hear me when I tell you this!
When people can walk away from you: let them walk.

I don't want you to try to talk another person into staying with you,
loving you, calling you, caring about you, coming to see you,
staying attached to you.
I mean hang up the phone.

When people can walk away from you let them walk.
Your destiny is never tied to anybody that left.

People leave you because they are not joined to you.
And if they are not joined to you,
you can't make them stay.
Let them go.

And it doesn't mean that they are a bad person,
it just means that their part in the story is over.
And you've got to know when people's
part in your story is over so that you
don't keep trying to raise the dead.

You've got to know when it's dead.
You've got to know when it's over.
Let me tell you something.
I've got the gift of good-bye.
It's the tenth spiritual gift,
I believe in good-bye.

It's not that I'm hateful, it's that I'm faithful,
and I know whatever God means for me to have
He'll give it to me.
And if it takes too much sweat I don't need it.
Stop begging people to stay.
Let them go!!

If you are holding on to something
that doesn't belong to you and was never intended for your life,
then you need to ...LET IT GO!!!

If you are holding on to past hurts and pains .
LET IT GO!!!

If someone can't treat you right, love you back, and see your worth...
LET IT GO!!!

If someone has angered you ...
LET IT GO!!!

If you are holding on to some thoughts of evil and revenge
LET IT GO!!!

If you are involved in a wrong relationship or addiction ...
LET IT GO!!!

If you are holding on to a job that no longer meets your needs or
talents ..
LET IT GO!!!

If you have a bad attitude...
LET IT GO!!!

If you keep judging others to make yourself feel better...
LET IT GO!!!

If you're stuck in the past and God is trying to take you to a new
level in Him...
LET IT GO!!!

If you are struggling with the healing of a broken relationship....
LET IT GO!!!

If you keep trying to help someone who won't even try to help
themselves..
LET IT GO!!!

If you're feeling depressed and stressed ....
LET IT GO!!!

If there is a particular situation that you are so used to handling
yourself and God is saying "take your hands off of it," then you need to...
LET IT GO!!!

Let the past be the past.
Forget the former things.
GOD is doing a new thing for 2008 !!!
LET IT GO!!!

Get Right or Get Left .. think about it, and then
LET IT GO!!!

"The Battle is the Lord's!"