It's All Happening So Fast...

So many things are running through my head right now.  I only have 24 more days left in the Continental US.  Did I just read that correctly?  24 DAYS...Sweet Moses...

So much has happened this summer already.  J and I were able to travel home for my brother's graduation in June, and of course we were able to hang out with my awesome siblings...


My brother, Matt, who is getting ready to enter the "real world"...

My beautiful sister, Lauren, who doesn't know how beautiful she is...

And my brother, Jacob, who makes me laugh harder than anyone I know,

Then I had to buy a new car...by myself...again.

And I tried to sneak the beautiful Miss L in my suitcase...

Then we moved in to our new place...

And met some fabulous new friends with amazing kids...

(Jack's Inn Moms...please note that we will be taking photos shortly, so be prepared! You are not off the hook!)

All of our belongings and our beautiful car on their way to Hawaii...and shortly, we will be as well.

So much change.  So much that is unknown.  So much that is completely beyond our control.  And yet, I have to keep reminding myself that I just need to, "SUCK IT UP, SOLDIER!"

I am moving 4500 miles away from everything that I know and love.  I know Bryan will deploy eventually once we get there.  We have no house when we arrive.  I will be over 2000 miles from any land mass.  And yet the Lord tells me this...

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  Isaiah 40:10

And then He tells me this...

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.  Jeremiah 29:11-13

I have no reason to fear what we are transitioning through right now.  I have an amazing Savior that is holding my hand through the whole process.  He is my advocate and He loves me enough to never give me anything that I can not handle without Him.  And more than that, He has a plan for me!  Though this may not be an easy life, or a life that many understand, it is what God has chosen for our family and I will gladly follow His plan for us.  And on the days when it may seem impossible or unbearable, I know that I can turn to Him and he will grant me the peace and grace that I need to make it through. 

Much Love,

Jessica

Weekend with Halle: Savannah...Part 2

Savannah was gorgeous, but it was hot and I was sick of carrying my camera at this point, so there are not as many photos...

And I don't know how I managed this, but I did not get a single photo of Halle and I together!  Thankfully Halle got this awesome one while we were visiting Paula Deen's store and restaurant...

And to clarify...S.L.U.T.S. stands for Southern Ladies Under Tremendous Stress haha...

We loved eating at Paula Deen's Restaurant, Lady and Sons, and totally think it was worth waiting an hour in line for.  Did I mention that the hour in line was just to get on the list to eat???  We were lucky and were able to eat right away at the bar.  Our waiter was awesome!!!!! He was pretty stoked to meet Ernest too...

If you ever get the chance you should eat here!

Halle ate an asparagus sandwich (AMAZING!) and I had her famous pot pie (half of it anyway)...It was delicious.  And you can't go to Lady and Sons without getting desert!

Her frozen chocolate mousse pie is to die for and should be called "Death by Chocolate"!  I have made this at home and it is incredibly easy.  Here is the recipe!

I loved this store too, called Kitchens on the Square.  It made me wish I had an unlimited budget!  And Halle found an awesome souvenir there for Ryan, whose request was a sword...how funny that she found one...

And some more randomness...

I had a blast, Halle!  Thank you for coming to see me...imagine the photos that we could get in Hawaii! 

Much love,

Jessica

Weekend with Halle: Charleston...Part 1

A friend loves at all times…Proverbs 17:17a


What a great reminder from God’s word on how friends are supposed to act. I am more than thankful for my best friend, Halle (or “Howie” as “J” affectionately refers to her), who has always demonstrated this kind of love towards me. I may not be easy to love, but somehow she has managed to still want to hang around me. I think of her more as a sister, than my friend, and love her family like they were my own. We have seen each other through thick and thin, and I wouldn’t trade her for anything! We met in Kindergarten at Christian school and have been best friends ever since. Twenty two years of friendship with Halle has been a fantastic blessing!

I know that Halle must love me, because she has a tremendous fear of flying, but was still willing to get on a plane and come to South Carolina to see me. We were able to take a weekend and hang out before I move 4500 miles away, to the middle of the Pacific Ocean. I figured it would be much easier to get her on a plane to SC than Hawaii, so we gave it a shot.  Halle and I were able to visit both Charleston and Savannah, which are gorgeous, little towns! And since I am always with my camera in hand, I was able to get some great photos!

Ernest, Halle's friend, was able to travel with us and get in on some of the photos.  He really is a spectacular guy and is looking for that special lady in his life, so if you know of anyone...

I have attached links for all of the great places that we were able to see.  I love you, Howie! You are the best and I hope you all enjoy…

Blue Bicycle Books is a great, used and rare book store.  The girls here were very helpful!

Cupcake is my new favorite place to get sweets!  My Aunt Deanna has been telling me about it for awhile, so when we moved here I was so excited to finally try it (they have 3 stores: Columbia, Mt. Pleasant, and Charleston).  They change their flavors daily and are trying to make it on Cupcake Wars on the Food Network.  If they do, I hope they make their French Toast Cupcake...It is the most divine cupcake I have ever eaten!  And they were so sweet to let Ernest have a cupcake too.

And Robot Candy Company was the cutest, candy shop I have seen in a long time!  They have a ton of old fashioned candy and you can purchase by the pound.  They also carry a local chocolate from Sweeteeth!  It is a fun place to take kids, though don't expect to walk out empty handed.  The awesome ladies at this shop did not want their photo taken, but wanted everyone to know that Ernest had stopped by to see them...

And "J" was happy to stop and play for a bit with Ernest at the Riverfront Park.  I am sure Ernest was less than pleased, since "J" tried to steal his shoes and eat his foot. I wish we had known that they had sprinklers for everyone to run through...That would have been an awesome photo op...

 

More to come with some photos from Savannah!

Much Love,

Jessica