You Are Being Loved

I don't normally share my personal journal with anyone. It kinda defeats the purpose of a "personal" journal. :) However on this rare occasion I would like to share the entry I wrote today. I haven't blogged in a while and I've had a couple people ask me if I was ever gonna blog again, so here ya go :)

Monday, November 15, 2010-

"Dad just built the first fire of the season in our fireplace and it's sent me into a state of reverie. It takes me back to last December. We had a fire in the fireplace all the time and we'd all read or roast marshmallows, or play cards in front of the fire. December wasn't exactly the easiest month for me last year. Sister got married and moved to a different country....ok so just Louisville, KY, but at the time it seemed like a different country. And in that month I also said good-bye to another best friend for very different reasons. It was a hard winter for me. I was torn between what I wanted to do and what I knew was right and best. There were many times I wanted to give up and leave home. Times when I thought it would make me happier if I just ran away. But it was the good times, the happy times around the fire that kept me here. Sitting and talking and laughing with my family helped me realize what I would be throwing away if I left. It was there that I felt the warmth of my family's love and the closeness of God and His loving hand, keeping me right where He wanted me.
Now, looking back, I'm so happy that I stayed. I'm so thankful that God protected me from making even more stupid mistakes than I had already made.
I know that someday this stage of life will end and I'll begin another and things will never be how they once were...it's called life. So I want to cherish this time, this stage of life when it's just us four at home. I want to be able to look back at now and cherish those memories as well, instead of wishing it away and rushing into the next stage.
Thank you God, for giving me such a wonderful family.

-JRae

P.S. Happy Birthday, Ross :)

Great is Thy Faithfulness

Oy. Today was just one of those days. Ok so, take that back. This week has kinda been one of those weeks. I've been really really struggling with discontentment and just anxiety over God's plan for my life. And a lot, a lot, a lot of impatience. On top of that, I was having a bit of a pity party. Ok, so a really big pity party. I am a really good pity party thrower. I mean, I can really throw down on some self-pity. Like I said, it's just been one of those weeks. Consequently, when today rolled around, I wasn't really in the mood to go to Bible study or even prayer meeting. Confession: I was thinking of saying I didn't feel good and just stay home. Thankfully, I didn't do that. And God was so good in giving me exactly what I needed to hear in Bible study....in fact it was slightly creepy how, it was almost directed straight at me. I don't think Jeremy is a mind reader, but after tonight, I have my suspicions. And then! On top of an awesome Bible study in Luke, prayer meeting was so very encouraging and uplifting. Talking about Christ and His amazing-ness and encouraging each other in our struggles. And come to find out, I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO STRUGGLES! Gee, who knew? ;) I also had an opportunity to have a more in depth conversations with people who are older and wiser, and just after talking things out, it helps me to put things into perspective. And realize that it really is going to be ok and everything really will work out. Sigh.
I think I just mostly rambled in the above material, but it had to come out somehow before I could even think of getting any sleep. :P
Please keep praying for me!!! I so appreciate it!!!

-JRae

P.S. I miss my Mommy. The End

perfect pie & prayer

Today was grocery shopping day. Woo.Hoo. Not my favorite day, but Starbucks has a way of making anything all better. :) I tried the new toffee mocha frappacinio(sp?) and it was SO YUMMY! Then I came home a baked a chocolate cream pie. The crust came out perfect! I'm taking it to The Farmhouse tomorrow. I took an apple pie in last week and they sold it and it was a big hit! So exciting! Hopefully this one will be worthy of putting on the fun dessert chalkboard. :)
I wanted to blog tonight because I haven't blogged in forever!...but I'm kinda not sure what to blog about. Besides waiting on niece/nephew to be born, it's pretty much the routine work, bake, eat, sleep, repeat routine.
There's a lot going on in my head and heart, but I'm not exactly sure how to express all that into words...or if I even want to put that on a public blog. It seems more of something you'd talk about with a close friend over coffee...
But, I would like to send out a prayer request to the cyber world. I'm struggling with discontentment. A lot. So please, pray for me.

-JRae

Complaining

I've been complaining a lot lately. Every morning when I wake up dis-contentedness threatens to ruin my entire day and I start whining about the things that aren't exactly how I want them. I hate complaining. It is SO annoying. And I hate it when I constantly have that attitude. It's rather exhausting. So, that being said, I'm asking God to help me refocus and realize how much I have to be thankful for, first and foremost, my salvation in Christ alone. Along with a million other things, here is a list I made in an effort to be more thankful.

Thanking God for:
-cute aprons
-music to cook/clean house to
-my trusty car, Vinny
-the time off to go visit Sister and Brother-in-law
-my awesome church family
-God's grace in keeping me at home, keeping me from making stupid mistakes
-My Dad, who keeps me smiling
-my first niece or nephew on the way!!!!
-the privilege to make food for Wednesday night Bible study and serve the body of Christ
-dishwashers
-Coca-Cola (especially from Sonic)
-my Love story....even though it hasn't played out yet and I don't know when it will, God has it all planned out and it's going to be beautiful
- Olivia Jane, ya, uh-huh.
-Inside jokes(even the stupid juans)
-forgiveness
-A mom that I can talk to about anything and everything, and how she brings me back to reality when I'm lost in my dramatic world of extremes. :)
-words to express thoughts, feelings, and emotions with

The Big Picture

Confession #1: I don't know everything.
Confession #2: That really bugs me sometimes. To the point that I try so hard to figure it out that I totally miss the big picture and end up knowing less than when I started.
The past couple of weeks haven't exactly been a piece of cake for me and I found myself going, "why? Come on, God, clue me in here. You say this is gonna work out for my ultimate good, but...quite honestly, I'm not seeing it." Then I was reading in Hebrews about faith. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1. It reminded me of a Sara Groves song that says, "I want to know the ending, things hoped for, but not seen, But I guess that's the point of hoping anyway." In other words, I don't have to know how it's going to end, why it's happening, or what's going on, because the God of the universe has it perfectly under control. And if I knew everything, what good would faith do? And since God really knows what He's doing, there is no point in me trying to figure it out. Honestly that is quite a relief because trying to figure it out is exhausting. So, I will put my faith in the God of the universe who made me and planned out my life and keep reminding myself that, it's ok that I don't know everything.
O God, give me the grace that I need for today. Give me faith to believe in my heart, the stuff that I know in my head. And thank you that for the trials you put me through that draw me closer to You. In Jesus name, amen.

-JRae
P.S. I'm preaching to myself here. It's possible I will forget tomorrow and need reminding again...feel free to do so. :)

Oops...

Ok, so epic failure at blogging...sorry guys. I don't really have much to blog about, but I'll give you the short story.....I went to the beach last week with my mom and had a blast. Me and my Dearest Twin are reading Hebrews together which has been very good for the both of us. I'm making really hard choices and learning really hard lessons. Words of the wise....listen to Mom's advice the first time. She really does know what she's talking about. The End. Other than that, I've been waitressing, cleaning, and who knows what all. There ya go. You're updated. For further detail, talk to me in person. :)

-JRae

I want a hammock. The end.

So ya....

If you haven't already discovered....I'm back on Facebook. Long story short: I've set some guidelines for myself and am gonna have like a trial period to see if I can stick to those guidelines. If I can...then I'll be back for a while. :) If not, then well....I'm back off again for good. See you in cyber world!

New Favorites

Ok, so at the Farmhouse we have a new menu. Which other than making me have to memorize a whole new menu, it's pretty awesome. Not only is it a new look, but we've added a few things and improved what was already there. I thought it my duty to try as many of the new items as possible in order to be better equipped to serve my guests. I know, I know, it's a tough responsibility, but hey, someone's gotta do it. So, I started out the tasting with the new Sweet Potato Pancakes. I almost fainted after the first bite. They were simply WONDERFUL!!! The pecan praline syrup on top was just sinful and I ate all three giant pancakes on my plate. :) We've also got a couple new sandwiches on the menu: The Farmhouse Club and The Catfish PoBoy. I've had both. The club is super yummy and you get like 4 big wedges of sandwich! Add a side of the new sweet potato fries with homemade ranch and you're in business. Ok, so I thought the club was good....but then I had the PoBoy.......and once again people were catching me so I wouldn't faint. IT IS SO YUMMY!!!!!!!! Like "make you wanna slap the person closest to you" yummy! It's also one huge sandwich...which means you get to take the other half home to drool over the next day for lunch. Needless to say I am counting the minutes until lunch time. I keep opening my fridge to stare at my recyclable to go box that has the pure goodness inside. WaHAHAHA! Food is so fun.

Enough of food for now. On to another new favorite. A new song. And with that last sentence some of you are already cringing at what will come in the next sentence. Because, ladies and gentlemen, most of you have guessed....it's a new Owl City song. :D He wrote it for that new movie coming out later this month about...you guessed it....owls. The song is about flying and since I've always wanted to fly I immediately fell in love with it. It is easily in my top five favorite Owl City songs. So of course I went straight to iTunes and bought it with my hard earned tip money from the night before. :) It's called To The Sky and it's wondermous!

? m laying here, dead tired, but my brain is going a mile a minute and I can't fall asleep! Blast! Just sayin... -JRae posted from my phone.

? Ya know how in Star Wars C3PO has that turn off switch that Han Solo is so fond of switching off?...well i could really use one right now on my brain. I'

$8

Monday night + Farmhouse Restaurant= Deadsville. I made $8 in tips tonight and folded napkins till I was blue in the face. Thank you, God for a job that I enjoy regardless of how much money I make. Thank you that I get along with my co-workers. Thank you that even after a really disappointing night of waitressing that I can come home to a cozy home with the people I love in it....and tacos. I love tacos too. Next Monday is the last Monday that Fontanel Attractions will be open on that day of the week so hopefully there won't be many more nights of $8 in tips.
I got to see my sister and brother-in-law this past weekend and we celebrated sister's birthday. :) I made a really nasty coconut cream pie and we went to Rose Peppers for dinner. (actually I was told the pie was good..but I think anything with coconut is vile.) Any-hoo, I miss them like crazy already and I hope to see them this next weekend. Today was Sister's actual birthday and I'm so thankful that God gave me the coolest sister on the planet!!!! Happy Birthday Sis!!!
Other than that, there isn't much to blog about. My life is really just been rather routine as of late. Get up, clean at Fontanel in the morning, come home, shower, do stuff around the house, go waitress at night, come home, collapse into bed. Repeat. :) O well, anything but Greystone Kitchen Staff. :P
At present, I am headed to bed for a bit of Psalm reading, then sweet slumber. Night everybody!

-JRae

November 20 is the best day ever.

This post is dedicated to my Greystone friend, Cat. :) She and I share a birthday and she's pretty much just a super cool person. She helped me stay sane at camp. I am honored to have inspired her to start her own blog, where I was even more honored to see that her first blog post was dedicated to me. :D So, I'm dedicating this post to you dear Cat. Can't wait to stalk your blog all the time. :P Love ya!

-JRae

Favorite Song. The End.

-JRae

Good Story

I was piddling about on the Rabbit Room website this morning whilst I drank coffee from my new Rabbit Room mug, and stumbled upon this rather entertaining story. I thought you might enjoy it, as I did. http://www.rabbitroom.com/?p=9165

On a completely different topic, I just watched the movie Two Weeks Notice for the first time a couple of days ago. It's a Sandra Bullock/Hugh Grant film and I absolutely loved it. Very witty and a grand love story. Consequently, due to Mr. Grant's British accent, I find myself talking, thinking, and typing in a British accent. I quite enjoy talking this way, although it drives my brother batty. He might have died had he been with me at camp, because for at least 3 days straight we all put on British accents and said nothing without them. Some of us found that we couldn't stop after talking that way for so long. But any-hoo, I feel as if I'm just rambling now, so I'll bid you good day!

-JRae

Digging

At the Do Hard Things conference I found myself staring at the book table trying to narrow my purchases down to one or two rather than buying the entire table like I wanted to. Here's a little bit of the conversation I had with myself....(silently of course): " I'm at a Do Hard Things conference and I've never even read the book! I should get that one...wait...maybe a different one since I'll know the gist of the book by the end of the day?....No, because the book will have more detail, I'll get it. Ok, so maybe one more book.....I'm not even touching Systematic Theology....O! Here's Joshua Harris' newest. I bet that's good. I'll get this one. Well...I don't know....maybe I should get something that wasn't written by a Harris brother, since I'm already getting Do Hard Things and I've got two of Joshua's other books at home. Maybe I should get that book over there called Humility......Nah! We'll stick with the Harris Brothers." Before I could talk myself into another book I hastily made my way to the check out.
So, a couple of nights ago I couldn't fall asleep (surprise), so I turned on my cute little lamp and started Dug Down Deep by Joshua Harris. I'm on the 3rd chapter and I can already tell it's going to be a great, challenging book. I love the way he writes and I was immediately into the book at the first sentence. I'm not going to tell you what it's about, because you just need to go get it and find out for yourself. So there! :)
I will give you a quote from the book though,
"Dug Down Deep is my reveling in theology in my own simple way-not too polished, sometimes awkward, less than scholarly, hopefully gracious and faithful. Even though these are deep truths, I don't pretend to be swimming in the deep end of the pool. I'm splashing in the shallow end. But if my splashing can inspire you to dive in, I will have succeeded."

When he signed my copy of the book, Josh wrote " Dig Deep!" And dig deep I shall. Thanks Josh! :)

-JRae

This one time at church camp....

(This is me on one of our Kitchen Staff outings at the mall)



Sigh. I'm home from camp. Thank God! Not only am I home, but I survived 2 weeks of Camp Greystone Kitchen Staff Dish Crew. That right there is an accomplishment, ladies and gents. Trust me. The past 2 weeks were extremely challenging in so many ways. God had several lessons he wanted to teach me and I'm ashamed to say that I was not a very good student. I failed several times, but in the midst of that, there was grace and I made it through. And I came out on the other side stronger...I hope. :) So for those of you wondering if I had fun at camp...not really. For the most part I was homesick, tired, annoyed, and angry. Not to say that I had no fun at all, but over all....let me put it this way: I won't be going back to camp. The End.

Enough of that. The day after coming home from camp, I went to The Do Hard Things Conference. It was FABULOUS! Hand clap to Lily for all her hard work in bringing it to Nashville! The Harris brothers are talented speakers and had a great message to share to Christian and non-Christian teens. It was also super cool that the twins Alex and Brett had there brother Joshua Harris come a speak at the last session. I bought his latest book while I was there and he signed it for me and Hannah and me got to chat with him and his daughter for quite a while after the conference. He and his daughter are also Owl City fans, by the way. Just sayin'. :) I also got to talk to Alex and Brett and they signed there book for me too. Awesome family. Hannah and me really wanted to find out where they were headed to eat afterwords and "just happen to show up". But after thinking that idea through and how terribly stalker-ish the notion was, we decided to not to. :) So we ended the great day at the Farmhouse Restaurant where I felt like I had just returned from a different country the way they were so excited to see me. :) It was fun and I'm excited to get back to waitressing today.
So here I am back in my own house, in my own kitchen, with the familiar sound of the washer and dryer going and music to sing-a-long to. It's good to be back. But even though the struggles that I faced at camp are gone, there's a whole different set of them here at home. I left them here for 2 weeks and they were right there standing with my family to greet me home, threatening to make discontent even here in my own comfort zone. So I'll suit up once again with the armor of God and prepare to fight the temptations that will come my way today. And when I fall, Jesus will pick me back up again and with His help I'll keep fighting...because it's worth fighting for.

-Jessie Rae

"There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
Sin's curse has lost it's grip on me..."

Toothpaste

TOMORROW, TOMORROW, TOMORROW I'M COMING HOME TOMORROW! I'M ONLY A DAY AWAY!!!!!
Troy says I should blog about toothpaste....I use Colgate Total. The End.

This is the worst game of bowling in history. I stinketh.

Headed out to go bowling. And for those of you who don't know I am an expert bowler...NOT! :P just sayin

We Both Young When I First Saw You

"Romeo save me, I've been feelin so alone,
I keep waiting for you but you never come.
Is this in my head I don't know what to think,
He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring and said,
Marry me, Juliet, you never have to be alone.
I love you and that's all I really know.
I talked to your Dad, Go pick out a white dress
It's a love story, Baby, just say, Yes."

:d

Ring Ring

Got my phone back.

"Several state lines keep us apart, but don't lose sleep cause I'll always keep you in my heart"
-Sky Sailing (also Adam Young)

I'm an idiot

So last night was pretty fun. We went out for dinner, mall, and movie night. I saw Charlie St. Cloud.....it was good/ strange/ "who in the world thought of this story line?" I ended up bawling like a baby through half of it. Ya but the reason why I'm an idiot is that I left my phone at the theatre. Nice. So one of the sweet girls has to go into town for burger buns and is going to get it for me. So if you've tried to text me and I haven't responded, do not despair, I still love you, I just don't have my phone right now. :/
I also bought some new music at a music store in the mall. Good times.

I want to come home. The End. 4 1/2 days and counting.

-Jessie Rae

That's What I Love About Sundays

Today is my favorite because not only is it the Lord's Day, but here at Camp Greystone.....it's my day off!!!! :D I slept until I woke up, took my time getting ready, and went to church. Just got done with lunch and now I'm going to do absolutely nothing. :) Napping is definitely on that agenda. :P

Miss you everyone! I've got a week left to be here and then it's Home Sweet Home. Can't wait!!!!

Love,
Jessie Rae

Dish Crew Life

I have a new and deep appreciation for our dishwashers at the Farmhouse Restaurant. Just sayin. I never want to see another dish again. But I can want in one hand and wish in the other. :P Today we had BLTs and sweet potato fries and regular fries, plus yummy bread....which means that we had a million and one sheet pans to wash. Good times. Ya.

Hey ya'll

At camp. Workin hard. Dead tired. Havin' a blast. Miss everyone a lot!!!!!!!!!!! I'm gonna have enough exercise these 2 weeks to last me the rest of the year. Just sayin'.

? ll miss you dreadfully tomorrow! To my sweet Momma, I miss you already. :) -Jessie Rae P.S. French fries make me happy, as do milk duds. The end.

? Despite the rainy weather my hair remains un-frizzy... Thanks Twin! :) However the rain threatens to follow us all the way to NC. To my church family, I'

I'm Leavin' On a Jet Plane....not really.

Well, I am leaving, but not on a jet plane. :) Tomorrow, I'm headed to an all girls camp in North Carolina to work as kitchen staff for 2 weeks! I'm going with a family in my church and it's going to be really fun. I have been to this camp a couple of summers ago, but I taught track and cheer leading and it pert near killed me. :P I'm definitely more cut out for kitchen stuff. Any-hoo, I will miss all you family and friends!!! Don't miss me too much. :)
This is totally off subject, but I wanted to say thank you to my Christian guy friends. All of you. Thank you for treating all girls with respect and honor. Thank you for being gentlemen. I think you gentlemen are slowing fading into non-existence. And I think sometimes I take it for granted. That is until I was recently exposed to another type of guy that I thought only existed in movies. So anyway, I just wanted to say thank you, and I appreciate it immensely!

-Jessie Rae

Day 2- The meaning behind my blog name

Well, I wish I had some deep philosophical meaning to tell you about the name of my Blog....but alas. I don't. Basically I wanted a clever way to name the Blog that would be about a whole bunch of subjects like my struggles, hope, fears, what I had for breakfast, recent music I'm into, really meaningless random thoughts, and whatever else I felt like sharing with the Blog world. My brother actually came up with my Blog name and as soon as he said it, I knew it was perfect. So ya, there ya go, that's the meaning behind the name of my Blog....just sayin.

-Jessie Rae

Copy Cat

So, I am going to copy my dear friend Lily and do this here blog challenge thingy. Now who knows if I will do it every day, but it will eventually get done. So here we go:

Day 01- A recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself.


Here is me and the guy with the brick I told you about a couple of posts ago:








1) I would be content to live and die in the kitchen. 24/7. The End.

2) I almost failed Algebra in High School. (and ladies and gentlemen, that's pretty sad when you're homeschooled...just sayin)

3)My new year's resolution this year was to not cut my hair...what was I thinking?

4) I want a tattoo....really bad.

5) I have a freckle on my ear. Let me clarify, I don't really see this as "interesting", but most people think it is when they discover it randomly. Shrug.

6) I am anti-Twilight, Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, and Just Beiber......

7) I was a preachers kid for 12 years.

8) In my 20 years of life I've lived in 13 different houses and 5 states.

9) My nickname is Messy Jessie....wonder why?

10) I'm an obesessive person. For example, past/present obesessions include, the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, Josh Groban, Facebook, red shoes, and Owl city.

11) I would love to be a storm chaser! Storms fascinate me and I'm just stupid/crazy/nutty enough to love something like that.

12)When no one is watching I turn up the music really loud and sing at the top of my lungs and dance around like a lunatic....but hasn't everybody done that at some point in their life....ya it's just that it was probably in their childhood rather than in their twenties....oh well. :)

13) I can burp louder than most guys. Thanks Aunt Cheryl. :)

14)I can hang upside down on the back of a horse...of course I need a trick riding saddle, but ya I can do lots of fun trick riding stuff thanks to Rodeo Camp in Colorado.

15) I've met Kenny Chesney, Big & Rich, Gretchen Wilson, Casting Crowns, Joe Nichols (sorta), and Steven Whitson.( he's gonna be really famous someday...just sayin)

-Jessie Rae

Are we gonna die?

Last weekend I went with a group of buddies to the Ocoee River and went white water rafting. IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!!!
After getting up really early I was picked up and taken to Starbucks where we met the rest of the gang and hung out for a while drinking sugary drinks of caffeine goodness and eating scones. :) Then we set out for a little bit of a road trip. I had fully intended on sleeping most of the way there. But what was I thinking? We sang loudly, Anna and I got better acquainted, helped Michael drive, and Steven and John told corny jokes. Anna and I also counted how many times Steven announced, "We should've taken my truck....". I think the count was somewhere in the 50s? Good times.
Anyway, we finally made it alive to The Fat Frog, where we were given a paddle, a dorky helmet, and a life jacket that made the skinniest of people feel like a fat oompa loompa. Then we took a little bus ride to the river, met Jesse our super cool guide, jumped in a raft, and headed to find some rapids. We got really wet and the water was super cold and it was SUPER FUN! Plus, no one fell out of the boat and we didn't tip over. Woot! At the end of the ride there is a stretch of river where you can jump out of the boat and float along in the ice cold water which despite being numb, was really fun. :) On one of the really notoriously crazy rapids they snapped several pictures, and (as you can see) we split the cost of the best one. Ya that's me with the blinding white legs and my mouth wide open.

After the trip was over, we were wiped out and STARVING! So we headed to Cracker Barrel where I ate 6 biscuits covered in gravy and apple butter. And drank what felt like gallons of water. Then it was back on the road again to head home. Again, I intended on sleeping on the way home. I think I got maybe half an hour in.....ya. O well, it was super fun and I enjoyed getting to know Anna more. Dear girl, what would I have done without her?! We became kindred spirits on the spot and before the day was over we were reading each other's minds. :P

If you ever have a chance to go white water rafting, you should SO go! It's well spent money!

Quotes from the trip:
"Do better!"
"If we had taken my truck....."
"Are we gonna die?"
"I don't wanna die..."
"It's a Jeep thing"
" Are we gonna get wet?"

-Jessie Rae

ABC, swimming, and bricks.

Wow. It has been a total whirlwind of a week. I can't believe it's already Thursday. Here's a run-down of my week, since I know you are pacing your floor going, "What do I do? I don't know what Jessie Rae did this week....I can't function...How am I supposed to live?"

Monday- Housework duties in the morning, went to work and had lunch/dinner depending on who you are with a friend and then made absolutely no money waiting tables until about 8:00.

Tuesday-I slept in really late that day....then had lunch with my Carmenita and we talked wedding stuff and she promised not to make me wear a ugly dress. :) Then I went to work.

Wednesday- O this was a fun day....kinda. I spent 5 loooooong hours in an ABC card class so I could serve alcohol at the Farmhouse Restaurant. It was very very very boring. The End. After that I was a hop, skip, and a jump from Maurices and Shoe Carnival and in no time flat was swiping my card to buy a pair of red shoes, jeans, and 2 shirts....one of which was half off since I bought jeans. Great day! Then I went to Bible study and heard some awesome singing and teaching. Then to prayer meeting where God was very present.

Thursday-Also known as today, I got up and peeled/slice/froze some peaches. I then put on my swimsuit and went swimming with my Hannah Twin and Ben Friend where we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and I got very red in the face. :) I then went home, got cleaned up, and went to work. We were pretty busy tonight and I made some good money. I also did the unthinkable....I wore a pair of crocs. Blah. I apologize to all you croc lovers including the sweet Lily that picked them up at the store for me, but as comfy as they are....They are hidious on me. But alas, I wore them anyway. Another highlight of the night was when I served a guest a brick....yes I put a foil covered brick on the plate and gave it to him. You know, it's funny, I've never seen anyone so thrilled to receive a brick before. But apparently it made his day. :) Glad I could help. :P

Any-hoo, I am SUPER SLEEPY and am off to bed for a busy day of grocery shopping tomorrow. Goodnight All!!!

P.S. Have I ever mentioned that I have the coolest Mom on the planet?? Well, I do...just sayin.

Andrew Peterson - Dancing in the Minefields (Official Video)

Andrew Peterson in all his brilliant-ness. This is such a sweet song. I love it. The End.

You gotta friend in me.....

So, I finally saw Toy Story 3 last night. Yes I know, it took me long enough, but now everyone can stop saying, " GO SEE IT!!!!!". :P I went in with high expectations and was not disappointed. I LOVED IT! Super cute, super funny.....and I didn't cry like some people I know. ;) I won't say too much about it in case someone hasn't seen it yet, but I will say...Spanish Buzz =my favorite. And even though he was evil, I thought Mr.Lotsa was cute with his southern accent and strawberry scented hugs. :P
Any-hoo, it was fun and I ate way too much popcorn and milk duds.....

Presently, I'm in my pj's on the couch, drinking my coffee, trying to wake up, and thinking about what a great God we have. And how un-thankful I often am when there is so much to be thankful for. However, this morning I am flooded with thankfulness for:

-Christ's death on the cross to pay for my sins
-Adult conversations with new friends and parents alike
-Milk Duds and popcorn....together.
-COFFEE!!
-a copy of the Bible
-My mom....I wish I could convey in words how wonderful she is, but I don't think that's possible. Particularly I thankful for the way she is so practical when I am not. :) Thanks mom.
-My daddy....for the way he protects and loves me. :)
-music...all kinds

I could go on and on, but I need to get off of this couch...:P See ya, Dear Readers!

P.S. Previously on this blog I have mentioned marriage to a certain Adam Young/Owl City.....Clarification: That was a joke....:P

Sailboats Wish that they Were Stars....

"Take me somewhere nice.
To some tired island,
In your heart,
Called Paradise"
-Sky Sailing


Today I am in a giddy, happy, thankful mood. :)
I'm thankful for:
-sonic cherry cokes
-real visible evidence of answer to prayer
-cell phones to call friends and share good news
-His all sufficient grace
-Forgiveness
-boldness to share the Gospel with co-workers
-coffee made by my brother :)
-summertime
-true friends
-The most gorgeous wonderful mother ever!
-and a whole host of other stuff that I don't have time to list!!!!


Hope your day is super fantabulous!!!!

An Airplane Carried Me to Bed....

"Farewell nightmares I am free
Welcome streams of sweet dreams
That settles over me
What lies out there?
No one knows
The tide could bring in anything
So steady as she goes
Steady as she goes"

-Adam Young (a.k.a Owl City/Sky Sailing)

He's brilliant...brilliant, I tell you.

Love

I've been thinking a lot about love lately. Not necessarily romantic love, but just love in general. What it really means, what it looks like, what if feels like. There are a lot of songs out there with the world's idea of love. A selfish, easy going, fuzzy kind of love. But is that really love? Is love really easy? I'm pretty sure true love isn't easy and I know that some of you are emphatically agreeing with me, that love is anything but easy. It's powerful to be sure and can do amazing things. The Bible tells us that love is long-suffering, kind, gentle, not boastful, selfless, not rude. Love never fails. However it doesn't say, love is all of these things as long as it's easy for you. Only love the people that are easy to love. Be long-suffering with the people that never get on your nerves. All the while the world is telling you to do what will make you happy and what is easiest for you....love yourself it says. These two views couldn't be any more opposite. And as I examine my life against the truths of Scripture, I realize just how much I am influenced by the world's standard of love. I realize how many times I am loving because it's easy. And perhaps it is easy in some situations, but we are called to love in the easy and hard situations. I keep praying that the love I show will be more and more Christ-like and less worldly....less self-serving.

At this point I feel like I just rambled in the above paragraph and I'm struggling to really convey the thoughts that are bouncing around in this crazy head of mine. But maybe Andrew Peterson can help me out. He has a knack for saying what I 'm trying to say in a much more poetical way....he should really stop reading people's minds....

These are lyrics to his song, Love is a Good Thing:

"It knocked me down, it dragged me out, it left me there for dead. It took all the freedom I wanted and gave me something else instead. It blew my mind, it bled me dry, it hit me like a long goodbye, and nobody here knows better than I that it’s a good thing.
Love is a good thing. It’ll fall like rain on your parade, laugh at the plans that you tried to make, it’ll wear you down till your heart just breaks and it’s a good thing. Love is a good thing.
It’ll wake you up in the middle of the night, it’ll take just a little too much. It’ll burn you like a cinder till you’re tender to the touch. It’ll chase you down, swallow you whole, it’ll make your blood run hot and cold. Like a thief in the night it’ll steal your soul, and that’s a good thing. Love is a good thing. It’ll follow you down to the ruin of your great divide, and open the wounds that you tried to hide. And there in the rubble of the heart that died you’ll find a good thing. Love is a good thing.
Take cover, the end is near. Take cover, but do not fear. It’ll break your will, it’ll change your mind, it’ll loose all the chains of the ties that bind. If you’re lucky you’ll never make it out alive, and that’s a good thing. Love is a good thing. It can hurt like a blast from a hand grenade when all that used to matter is blown away. There in the middle of the mess it made you’ll find a good thing.Yes, it’s worth every penny of the price you paid. It’s a good thing.
Love is a good thing.
Do not fear."



-Jessie Rae

A cat, A trampoline, and a Twin

My dearest twin came over last night and we had a grand time! We watched a couple of movies and talked and laughed and were generally silly. :P Then we were in an adventurous mood and since all of our adventure ideas we came up with were illegal, we decided opt for something more pre-teen. ;) We grabbed our blanket, our comfy pillows, flash light, and bug spray and spent the night under the stars on the trampoline. :D However, Arwen, my rather attention hungry cat, was determined to sleep right between us. And what's worse....she didn't sleep. Instead she paced back and forth, stuck her nose in our faces, and just wouldn't lay still. And even after I threw her off several times, she wasn't getting the hint that she wasn't wanted. So, a combination of annoyance and frost bite drove us indoors at about 4 this morning. We commandeered my parents bed and slept quite snugly until around 9. Presently, we sit, eating eggs, drinking coffee, and getting our morning dose of Owl City. :) Good times. The End.

-Jessie Rae

Fascinating

Yesterday, my sister and me were sitting on the couch and at one point she grabbed my hand and pressed it to her pregnant belly....and my little niece/nephew kicked me...or maybe it was a punch? At any rate I felt the baby move. :D It was SO fascinating and weird feeling. I can hardly wait to meet little "Pumpkin"!!! Anyway I just wanted to share that fun little moment with everyone. :)

NEW MUSIC!

So I just read on Owl City's awesome blog that he is releasing an album...but not just any album, ladies and gentlemen. No this is an old album. What's so great about that, you ask? Well I shall tell you. It is his first album that he ever made in the basement of his parents house before he ever thought of being Owl City. It hasn't been released yet, but I pre-ordered it and discovered another exstatically wonderful surprise....one of the songs has been released already!!!! So I now have a little foreshadowing of what the album will be like, and let me just say that I am hopelessly giddy with excitement because it's going to be WONDERFUL!!!!! If you are a current fan of Owl City there is no doubt that you will love it. For those of you who hate/despise/boycott/don't care/ think he is a whining wimp.....you might give this stuff a try. The reason being, that this is a different sound of Adam Young that we haven't heard before. It's got a more acoustic sound than his present electrical sound. So I'm posting it here and you must must give it a try. If you don't like it....I suppose we can still be friends.....:P just kidding.

-Jessie Rae

P.S. He doesn't know it yet, but I'm going to marry Adam Young (Owl City) someday....just sayin'.

Less Like Scars

This morning I wanted to blog a bit of how I'm feeling spiritually right now, this second, this moment. But as I tried putting it into words, my efforts at really telling you what's going on in my heart completely flopped. However, I found a song that has written my heart out already. I think that's why I love music so much. Because someone much more brilliant than me can put into words what I want to say but can't. So I'll just post the lyrics and play you the song. It's by Sara Groves, one of my favorite Christian singer/songwriters. This song is so beautiful and I think everyone has been here at one point or another...and if you haven't...you will. :) Enjoy, Dear Reader/Listener!

Less Like Scars

It's been a hard year
But I'm climbing out of the rubble
These lessons are hard
Healing changes are subtle
But every day it's

Less like tearing, more like building
Less like captive, more like willing
Less like breakdown, more like surrender
Less like haunting, more like remember

And I feel you here
And you're picking up the pieces
Forever faithful
It seemed out of my hands, a bad situation
But you are able
And in your hands the pain and hurt
Look less like scars and more like
Character

Less like a prison, more like my room
It's less like a casket, more like a womb
Less like dying, more like transcending
Less like fear, less like an ending

And I feel you here
And you're picking up the pieces
Forever faithful
It seemed out of my hands, a bad situation
But you are able
And in your hands the pain and hurt
Look less like scars

Just a little while ago
I couldn't feel the power or the hope
I couldn't cope, I couldn't feel a thing
Just a little while back
I was desperate, broken, laid out, hoping
You would come

And I need you
And I want you here
And I feel you

And I know you're here
And you're picking up the pieces
Forever faithful
It seemed out of my hands, a bad, bad situation
But you are able

And in your hands the pain and hurt
Look less like scars

And more like
Character

Worth Fighting For

Instead of getting ready for work, I went looking for this speech from Lord of the Rings. :P I don't know why but I was thinking about it yesterday and wanted to watch it. It is my favorite part of all the movies and I tear up every time I watch it. And I think if we listen closely there is a deeper meaning than just a pep talk for the plot of the movie. It can apply to everyday life. Anyway, I won't ramble about it, I'll just let you watch it. Pure awesomeness right here:

Pics from the recent past

This is me in my brother-in-law's truck. IT WAS SO MUCH FUN! We took it to my home away from home...Sonic. :) Like for real, I live there.





And this is Sister and me in our awesome shades. My awesome shades are, at the moment, missing. :( I had hid them at work so I wouldn't have to carry them in my apron and when I went back to get them they were gone, so I'm pretty sure someone is "walking around with a stolen set of shades!" (and if anyone can tell me where I got the previous quote from, besides Ashley, you will win the awesome movie quoter person title)

-Jessie Rae

Not so random

I love how God knows everything. Like yesterday and even just this morning, He knew that I needed encouragement and even a slight nudge in the right direction. So He sent what some would call random texts and an e-mail with exactly what I needed in them. But I know that they were not so random. God planned it that way, cause He's just awesome like that. So this morning, I will suit up once again to fight the good fight and by God's grace I will do the same tomorrow and the next day and the next.

Here is a quote that was in my "not so random" e-mail from a dear Sister in Christ:

"We are not battling by ourselves―God battles for us! James is saying [in James 4], 'Don't you know that the Spirit who lives inside you envies intensely? In the middle of the battle you can't forget that God is a jealous God. He loves you too much to make room for other lovers. He will oppose your proud and self-absorbed living, not because he is against you, but because he loves you.' Praise God that he will settle for nothing short of the final victory in our hearts. Our hope to be who we were meant to be is directly tied to his jealous desire for our hearts. ...This jealous God is a giver of grace, the most powerful weapon in the war for the heart."

And in case I haven't said this lately: I LOVE MY CHURCH FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!! A LOT. THE END.


-Jessie Rae

P.S. Apparently I have a sparkly frugal ninja in my bedroom. Long story. Kinda creepy. O.o.

So here you have it! If you haven't already seen Jack, here is a pic of him. :) We took him to get tags transferred from the previous car I had bought(some of you will remember Juliet) and on our way to the downtown county clerk office, my Dad and I saw a somewhat humorous sight. A red pickup passed us only to get pulled over by a motorcycle police man about 2 seconds later. This in itself is slightly entertaining...but when Dad looked to see who might be in the drivers seat, it was none other than Coach Fisher of the Tennessee Titans. Hehe! He was most likely on his way to football practice since we were just a hop, skip, and a jump from the practice stadium. :P

I don't work till 4 today so I'm getting things done around the house...including making a coconut cream pie. Why, you ask? Because one of the guys in the kitchen at the Farmhouse Restaurant doesn't believe I can bake.....so I thought I would show him a thing or two. Watch it completely flop and crush my pride.....:P I am taking a chance here, because I don't even like coconut, so I can't say that I even like my own coconut cream pie. So, I am relying heavily on the compliments and opinions of my family and friends.....I hope you people were being honest. :)

Today I am thanking the Lord for the music to dance to, a job that I love, co-workers that I get along with, His control over the weather, a car with a/c, a mom that I can call my best friend, a Dad who makes coffee every morning he's home without fail, a brother that keeps life interesting, a sister who gets my stupid humor, a brother-in-law who can quote P&P with the best of them, the grace to get up this morning (even if it was almost 10:00), and simple pleasures of life like cute aprons. :)

Captain Jack

So for those of you who didn't know.....I now have a car! A 2001 Ford Taurus that is a boring sort of greenish grayish color. It is sooooo awesome and wonderful and I love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't have picture yet but when I do I'll post it.
I'm also going to probably post my work schedule on here so everyone will know when I'll be at the restaurant so you can come see me. :) Tomorrow I go in at one o' clock and I'll probably be there till 6:30 or 7:00. Yummy food and on weekends, live bluegrass. :)

-Jessie Rae
p.s. The car's name is Captain Jack Sparrow.

I HAVE A CAR! details to come later. :)

Rusty Armor

I keep a journal....very different from a diary, by the way. I don't normally show or read my journal to anyone. It's one of those few things I am very private about. But I thought I would share my latest entry that I wrote on Wednesday night after coming home from the Bible study and prayer meeting, in yet another attempt to stay "wide open like a lake".

"The weather here in Nashville is very hot, but inside I feel as cold as stone. I went to a Bible study in an apartment complex in a rough part of Nashville last night and saw hurting, broken people. I listened to their tragic stories of death, addictions, and hard pasts and was somehow unmoved...somehow hardened....and quite honestly, just didn't care. I am ashamed of this and I walked away asking myself, "why am I not hurting for these people? Why am I not moved to tears and prayer by their burdens?" And I immediately knew the answer. Perhaps because I have been so absorbed in myself, my life, my petty problems, that I have been to selfish to look past myself and see the needs of others. Perhaps because my "armor" lies in a rusty pile in the corner of the room, untouched and unworn, for some time. No there is no "perhaps" about it. Those are definite reasons.
And as those broken, hurting people (who I am not so different from) opened themselves up to me and my church family, little did they know how they were being used by the Lord to convict me of my lack of openness, of my lack of burden, of my lack of genuineness.
I know that Satan would have me continue to be selfish and only care about my problems. He would have me continue being the hypocrite and pretending to have it all together. But through the power of Christ in me, I will fight to die to self each day. And seek to live for the glory of Jesus Christ."

There is nothing better than homemade whipped topping. The end. Cool whip? What's that?

The pie phase continues as I prepare two more pies for Sunday lunch. This week it's Loveless Cafe's peanut butter pie and Betty Crocker's banana cream pie. :)

I'm working from 4 to 9 tonight at the Farmhouse Restaurant at Fontanel. COME SEE ME! The food is fabulous and sometimes there's live bluegrass. :)

Huzzah!....I mean... Hey ya'll!

Last night was my very firs night as a Farmhouse Restauant at Fontanel waitress! It was SO much fun!!!! For a while we had some live bluegrass to wait tables to and all of the serbvers were practically line dancing to our tables. :P I got there an hour before my shift started so I could figure out what in the world I was doing and after a little observing I tackled my first table. :) Actually I didn't really tackle them...that might have gotten me fired, so I decided smiling and walking up to them was a better idea. Everyone I waited on was very friendly and I've decided that Canadian people are the funnest people on the planet. Eh? I had two different tables with people from Canada and my stomach hurt from laughing so much! One of them was like, "where is he healthy food?". The answer to that is, "not here". :)

The computer system we use is really simple and once I get used to it I think it's going to go much faster. I only handled two tables at a time since it was my first night, but they might give me three tonight. It is really tiring work but so fun and there's nothing like crashing into bed after a night of good hard work. I slept like a baby last night and my feet were protesting when I put them on the floor.....I have got to find some major comfy shoes. I thought I had some, but apparently not. Maybe waitressing has no hope of coming home with not-aching feet?

Any-hoo, it was a blast and I can't wait for tonight! Come eat at the Farmhouse Restaurant and see me!!!!! The food is FABULOUS, everything from the veggies to the meat is from local farmers, and the desserts are homemade. I haven't stopped hearing about the hummingbird cake and I personally had a bite of the bread pudding....AWESOME! And I had fried chicken for dinner....oh goodness...there just aren't words....and the same goes for the baked mac and cheese. I work 4- close tonight so come on over!!! Pretty Please!!!! with butter on top!!

-Jessie Rae

Who needs therapy when there's baking to do? :P Look out church family, I've got 2 pies coming your way tomorrow. Blueberry and chocolate cream. :d

Simple Pleasures

Earlier this evening I found myself alone at home. And instead of going to bed at 7:30 like I was inclined to do, I began doing a few things that needed done in the kitchen. I scarcely do any sort of housework without music and this time was no exception. I turned on my Owl City playlist and threw the volume up as loud as it would go. :) As I ran water in the sink to do dishes, I glanced up through the windows of the sunroom that look out into the backyard. And what I saw made me smile....fireflies. :) My wheels began turning and the dishes were forgotten. I grabbed my iPod and it's speakers and a mason jar and went outside to be a kid again. Thankful for outside electrical outlets, I plugged in my music again and thought it only fitting to catch fireflies to the song.....Fireflies by Owl City. My lightning bug catching technique is a little rusty and I wasn't to successful, but I had fun. My Dad and brother came home to find me prancing in our backyard in my pink plaid pajamas with a glowing mason jar in my hands. Ross was all too happy to join and with his rather good firefly catching skills we caught at least 6 or 7. I enjoyed it thoroughly and was glad to make a great memory with my brother. To any of you who may have been worried about the well-being of the fascinating little insects, they were promptly set free and none were harmed. :)

Jessie Rae

P.S. Sorry to those of you who would prefer that the music not start automatically..but it was a must for the effect of the post. Thanks for understanding. :P

New Job

Cue the Hallelujah Chorus!!!!!! Tomorrow is officially my last day to clean at The Fontanel Mansion!!!!!!!!!! And what's even more exciting (squeal of delight) is that I will be start training to be a waitress at the Farmhouse Restaurant that they just built at Fontanel. I am SUPER excited to start something new! It involves people and food....what else is there??? :)

Matt and Ashley came down this weekend and I (as always) enjoyed having them around. I REALLY REALLY hope they can move to Nashville soon. Sister looks rather adorable with her baby belly and I can't resist talking to her belly like a crazy person. :P O! While they were here, Matt let me drive his truck!!! IT WAS SOOOOOO AWESOME!!!! I've never really understood that whole "driving is fun" thing....but if you have a vehicle like that....everything becomes clear. I want one. The End. I have the coolest brother-in-law EVER. THE END.

At present I'm actually at Fontanel, in Mom's office drinking a cold coke in a can and enjoying some Vanilla Twilight after working for 10 hours. I should probably start planning what I want to meal I want to fix for the Bible study on Wednesday that I'm a part of. It's at an apartment complex in a part of town that most people find a little intimidating. And I won't lie, I was a little nervous when I signed on to be a part of it. And have already seen some things that shook me up pretty bad. But what boggled my mind, was that those same things were everyday life for the people who live there. It makes me thankful for the little things and even guilty for my petty worries and "problems". It shows me how self-centered I have become, when there are plenty of opportunities for me to forget about myself and serve others who need it more than I do.
The people that I've met have been so very encouraging, sweet, genuine, transparent people. And I have begun to grow attached to them and look forward to each Wednesday when I can cultivate deeper relationships with each of them and with the power of the Gospel show them Christ. In a way, they are easier to get to know than most Christians that I know, because they have nothing to hide, they don't try to hide anything and they will flat out tell you, ya I'm messed up. It's convicting to me, because even though I like to think of myself as a very transparent/open person, I know how to put a face on and I'm good at it....we all are. Being around this group of people has been very sobering and humbling for me and I'm excited to see what God is going to do in my heart, as well as theirs.
So ya, I totally did not even intend to write the above paragraph...I was actually on my way to ending the post, but out came that. :P Any-hoo.....

I want to go home now and go to bed. The End. :d

There's a Wocket in My Pocket

Reading children's books in the children's section at Barnes and Noble is super fun. Just sayin....:) I heart you Dear Twin!

Arrrrgggg!!!!

* meant to be read with British accent*


This weekend was Pirate Weekend at the Renaissance Festival and Ross and I took that glorious opportunity to dawn our pirate costumes and talk in British accents. We were graced by my dear twin's(Hannah's) presence and we had a marvelous time shopping, eating, Arrgg-ing, cheering jousters, admiring costumes, and wishing we had been born a few centuries earlier. :) (Ross had the coolest pirate hat, by the way.) I presently sit at the office table typing on a 21st century computer in a 14th century nightgown that I bought at the festival.....slightly contradictory I know, but indeed these garments are extremely comfortable! And extremely entertaining to wear...:)

I just finished some revisions on the first verse of a song I am working on and that in itself is exhausting much less after a day of such fun as was afore mentioned. I'm sure that song writing is not supposed to be this difficult and I know for sure that many others are much more skilled at it, but I am having fun with this challenge and I feel like the song has a message that everyone can relate to at some point in there lives. So, for now, I shall continue my efforts. Any advice from you experienced song writers is welcome and, indeed appreciated! With that being said...er blogged....I shall now say so long, farewell.....and if I knew how to spell in German I would continue the line of the song, but alas I have not the energy or the motivation to look it up. In short.... Goodnight!

Jessie Rae(your friendly, late-night, rambler)

P.S. We also saw some really awesome friends at the Renaissance Festival...3 of which were riding a camel....just sayin.

P.S.S. Have you ever tried to spell "Renaissance" without looking it up?....I find it nearly impossible, not to mention frustrating. The End.

Twins for Life

Last night I spent the night with my Dear Twin, Hannah. Now, let me explain, we really don't look alike at all. But the scary ways that we are alike is rather astounding and has been super fun to discover how alike we really are. :) Any-hoo, we stayed up till past 2 in the morning, talking, laughing, crying, sharing life stories, encouraging and being encouraged by one another, and glorying in Christ's love together. I am excited to see what God is going to bring out of our new found friendship and I am so thankful for her.
After we finally exhausted all topics for the night we decided to go to bed. And it was one comfy bed, by the way,(thanks Lily!!!). The plan was to get up at around 8:30 to get to Pancake Pantry before it got to late in the day. Ya well at about 10:30 we finally got out of bed. :) But we still went to the wonderful Pantry of Pancakes and shared a FABULOUS plate of French toast and consumed a fair amount of that sweet nectar of life, also known as coffee. Thoroughly satisfied with our brunch we set out to do some shopping at the cute stationary/knick knack stores that are around Pancake Pantry. We found a few treasures and proceeded to Starbucks where we drank more coffee..Frappacinos(sp?) to be exact. And once again we talked and talked and discovered more ways we were alike and a few that were different to the shock of both parties. I so enjoyed sitting there with her in the sunshine and feeling like I'd known her my whole life, as opposed to only around 6 months....3 or 4 of which we had no communication due to our lack of commitment to letter writing. :P
After Starbucks she drove me home with the help of our trusty GPS who, by the way, is in desperate need of a good name. We parted with many hopes of similar future outings.
At present I sit at my dining room table, listening to Sara Groves, and feeling the love and warmth of a cozy home and a family that I wouldn't trade for anything. God is faithful and I'm so thankful that He is.

My Dream Job

My Senior year of high school I was in a Little Women play put on by the drama class of the homeschool tutorial that I was a part of. I played the part of Meg, the oldest March sister and had a marvelous time learning about acting, stage etiquette, and what happen when you forget your lines. :) I really had a blast and think it was one of the funnest things I've ever done. In fact, if you were to ask me what my "dream job" would be, I would have to say an actress. However, as much as I loved doing the play, I want to be in a movie....really bad. Sometimes when I watch movies I look at the different characters and think about how I would act out certain scenes or which characters I would like to play. Also when I watch behind the scenes stuff, it looks like hard work, but it also looks so fun and so interesting! I'm not even sure how one would go about getting into a movie, but I am going to find out.
What brought this subject up, you might ask?.....I spent all day organizing recipes and watching behind the scenes stuff on all of the Harry Potter movies. Thanks to my dear brother-in-law, I am now addicted. Thanks Matthew! :)

-Jessie Rae

Hutchmoot 2010

*squeals of delight*

Ok so for those of you who are Andrew Peterson fans and have heard of the Rabbit Room....you are so in for a treat. The Rabbit Room is having a gathering called Hutchmoot 2010 with concerts, story telling, and food! The coolest people ever are going to be there including Andrew Peterson. Go check out the website for a much more detailed and eloquent description. I SO want to go. The only downside is.....$$. I'm thinking about taking up donations or having a fundraiser of some sort....and I'm only half joking. I seriously want to be there! It's like a dream come true!!!!