New Year

It's going to be a new year in just a few hours...just thought I should let you know.

NYC

Ryan and I just got back from NYC on Sat. night. We had so much fun. Excluding the weather, everything was great. We saw the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Wicked, went to Rockefeller, Times Square, Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, Groud Zero, Brooklyn, and we also hit up a few shops. We had such a wonderful time. Here's some pics.

Amazing experience

I feel the need to share this amazing experience with you. Lately I've been completely consumed with Christ's love. I know that sounds very"Christianese" (as my hubby would say). But in all honesty, the best decision I ever made was to follow Jesus.

I know many people view Christianity as a set of rules to follow. Because of this view, so many people are deterred. Many people are deterred for many reasons but people who believe in Jesus and God, I feel don't whole heartedly follow Him because there are "rules" they have to follow...you can't get drunk, you shouldn't being sleeping with anyone unless you're married...ect. Well as a person who has been drunk many times and has slept with guys outside of marriage...none of that compares to my experience with God and none of that kept other Christians from not accepting me. That's another myth, people believe that you need to have it all together. I was still messing up when I became a Christian, heck I still mess up. But the amazing feeling...experience, I'm talking about is the change in my heart. I've always been a "good person" but I wasn't who God made me to be. I'm strong, more confident, everything seems like it flows better in life...it's just right. I am much more joyful than I've ever been. God is amazing and I hope that everyone will experience the love of Christ.

It's the most amazing feeling you'll ever feel. I love you Jesus for dying for me...he was beaten so bad that he couldn't be recognized...can you really imagine that? And he did it for me...and you. I am honored to live my life for him and I'm happier than ever that he is by my side.

I realized I wanted to post this when I was at a concert this past Saturday. It was amazing. We saw Shane and Shane, Bethany Dillon, and Phil Wickam. I'm a worshiper. Read these lyrics from Phil Wickham's song, True Love.

"Search your heart you know you can't deny it. Come on, lose your life just so you can find it. The Father gave His only Son just to save us. The earth was shaking in the dark. All creation felt the Fathers Broken Heart. Tears were filling Heaven's Eyes. The day that True Love died, the day that True Love died. When blood and water hit the ground. Walls we couldn't move came crashing down. We were free and made alive. The day that True Love died, The day that True Love died."

Listen to it here! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gU-ejQxEXk

What will they come up with next?

Today I heard on the radio that the iPhone has a new application. It's called Last Call. This application calculates your blood alcohol level and tells you if you're over the legal limit to drive. It factors in the number of drinks, what drink you're drinking, and your body weight. After you fill out the information, it will calculate your blood alcohol level. If you are over the legal limit in your state, it will pull up taxi companies in your area so you don't drive. Well, if it keeps drunk drivers off the road...it's a good thing in my eyes. Seriously, what will they come up with next?

Top 5 Things I'm Thankful For

1. Jesus. I'm so thankful that he died on the cross for me but not only that, I'm thankful that since I've centered Him around my life, I have a new heart...new ambition in life. To be more like Christ..to be a TRUE follower and really live Christ's message out as best as I can. And I'm so thankful for His grace when I fall because I'll never be perfect.

2. My husband. He is truely my love. He's my very best friend. I love him so stinkin much. I know God brought us together and I love the fact he's going to be with me throughout the years. He brings so much joy to my life. I love you Ryan.

3. My family & Friends. Not only my side of the family but the other side I gained when I married Ryan. I love each one of them so much. My parents have been there for me my whole life. I love my brother and Janelle, the sister I gained. I love my mother in-law (Tina), step-father in law (Bryan), father-in-law (Jeff), step-mother in law (Nancy) and brother in-law (Steven) and not to mention the step-brothers and sisters in-law. And their dogs =). I love that I have such a wonderful family...biologically and through marriage. My friends. Old and new. I love my friends so much. Some have been with me many years, some not that long at all but regardless, each of my friends have touched me in some way and I love every single one of them. I love all you guys!

4. My house. I'm so thankful for a roof over my head that I own. So many people do not have a roof over their head and there is a small percentage of people who actually own a house in this world. I'm living the American dream that many people desire to have. I'm so thankful for that.

5. My puppy. She is really like my daughter. I love that stupid dog. Ryan's probably reading this right now saying, "Did she really put her dog in her top 5?" Yes, I did.

Favorite Thanksgiving dish

I loooove Thanksgiving. I think I love it because I love food. =)
Another main reason I love it, is that we get to see family. This year we are going to Ryan's Aunt and Uncles. I also jump on the opportunity to visit his side of the family because we never see them. My family on the other hand, we see all the time. So we decided to head to Centerville, MD this year for Thanksgiving. I've never had Thanksgiving with them so I'm not sure what Thanksgiving food will be involved...but I'm sure it will be good.

I just wanted to share with you my favorite Thanksgiving food.
I LOVE stuffing. I know I could probably make it anytime but I just love eating stuffing on Thanksgiving. Half of my plate is covered with stuffing.

What's your fav Thanksgiving food?

I cracked up watching this.

I stole this from Corey Murphy's blog. http://coreyfranklin.wordpress.com/

I had to...I thought it was hilarious.

Cute

This past Sunday, we took a trip up to Olney, MD to Ryan's grandmother's wedding. She is in her 70's and has been widowed for almost 8 years. Here's some pics from the wedding.
*Side-note* it was awesome seeing Ryan's family...it's been almost a year.

Shawn McDonald was awesome

Shawn McDonald was awesome on Sunday night. He sings a lot about love and that could be one of the reasons I like his songs so much. He went on to say that our world has skewed the meaning of love. We should love like Christ and I truly believe that's my main focus in life. I desire to love like Christ. I have received so much love from Christ that I just want to pour it out on everyone I know, everyone I come in contact with, I want that love to flow from me to other people.


Here's Shawn singing his song called Clarity. The greatest line in this song to me is, "I want freedom to come, and hate to be done, and love to guide my soul, I want love."


(Sorry it's wobbly...I'm not the best video recorder)

It's going to be a good day.

Today is going to be a great day. First, I'm going to church which is always a great thing. Afterwards, we're feeding the homeless with the students. Then to end out the day, we are going to see Shawn McDonald. What a great day ahead!

Check him out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0PzZZY0ByQ

Did you know...

...that Royal Farms has sushi? Yes, it's true. I went there yesterday to get some grub and saw sushi wrapped up and all ready to go. Now I'm not a sushi eater but something tells me if I was, I probably wouldn't get it from there. Now their fried chicken on the other hand....looked and smelled amazing.

Sweet love

Now that I'm married, it seems like you just know that your husband loves you. I mean, Ryan and I say "I love you" to each other like 20 times a day because I think we both like to hear it. I know I've said this in the past but I know that Ryan and I were brought together by God. So I've been crazy about him almost as soon as I met him and I'm still unbelievably crazy about him. He knows that. I know he loves me and is crazy about me as well but I just wanted to share something that happened to me today to reassure me that my husband loves me so much.

I was getting my license transfered over to DE (FINALLY) and was looking for proof that I live in DE with my name and address. I called Ryan to see where our documents were and he said that they might be in his little fire-proof safe. I found his safe and opened it up. I've never been in this safe before and when I opened it...it was filled with every note, every card, every little writing sentiment I've given to Ryan. I started looking over the notes and cards and just was amazed that he not only keeps them but keeps them in a fire-proof safe. I told him I found it and that it made me happy to know he truely cherishes my words. He told me that he is definitely unbelievably, madly, crazily, and freakishly in love with me and that is never going to change. Honestly, I thank God every day for Ryan. I love him so freakin much.

Sorry if I was mushy....you can know throw up now if you like =)

I voted...

I voted...even tho I don't agree entirely with either candidate. I did vote, however, for the candidate that has the same views as I on the issues I'm passionate about. I encourage you to vote because I feel as if I'm honoring and respecting our ancestors lives as they have done so much for us to have the right to vote...especially women.


It's kinda funny. I am starting a Beth Moore study and last night was the first night I sat down and did the first lesson. It was about King Uzziah who was the king of Judah and reigned in Jerusalem for 52 years. In the beginning of his reign, 2 Chronicles 26:4 says "He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord". So here's a man who was very powerful and successful and followed the Lord. In 2 Chronicles 26:16 says, "But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall". The study was about how Uzziah's pride took over seeking God. He became somewhat self absorbed and was no longer faithful to the Lord. Beth Moore asks us to ask God, what each study means to us personally. So the last question of yesterday's study was "How does God want you to respond to what He showed you today?" My response was " Election Day is tomorrow and I believe God is showing me that we need to pray for whoever gets elected...that they remain focused on God and do not abuse power or become prideful." I think it was so convienent that I did this study yesterday. God has his hand over us...America. I know this election had a lot of bashing of character and is going to be a close election, but ultimately we need to look to God. He knows who is going to win and we need to constantly pray for our president...that he follows the Lord and "does what is right in the Lord's eyes". We need to constantly pray that they will not be filled with pride and remain humble.


So whoever wins tonight, know that God has his hand over us...and pray that our president will be a humble man of God.

Happy Birthday!

Today is my sis-in-law's birthday! I just wanted to give a shout out to my beautiful sis in law on her bday. I've never had a sister but I love having her as the sister I never had. She's wonderful. Love you Janelle!

Sunday=Family Day

Today was wonderful. I know a lot of people take Sundays to spend time with their family and we did just that today. After church we went out to lunch with my parents which was wonderful then Ryan and I decided to go to Rehoboth Beach for the day with the puppy. It was awesome. We live in such a great area surrounded by beauty and today we had the opportunity to take it all in. I love the beach. It such a gorgeous thing God created that I think I take for granted just because I live here. Here's some pics of my family and I enjoying the beautiful place we live.

Celebrations

On the 15th, it was my momma's birthday. Happy Birthday Mom! She turned 49 and she'll probably kill me for telling her age but I think she should be proud. She looks dang good for being almost 50. We went out Thursday night to Famous Dave's to celebrate. I had to get the family pic.

And also speaking of celebrations...my parents celebrate their 30th Wedding Anniversary on the 21st. At church we always recognize anniversaries because we believe in marriages staying together but I really think that even tho no marriage is perfect, my parents really grasp the concept of faithfulness to one another and staying together. So congrats to my parentals on their 30 years of being married!

Delaware is pretty.

Ryan and I rode 14 miles today in some pretty parts of the slower lower. Here's 3 pics.

Love them like Jesus

So I'm sorry about the book I wrote in my last blog. I started writing this blog and some how it led me to talking about my story. My fingers kept on going and there was no stopping it. So now you know a little bit more about me and I just made it a separate blog. So here is the blog, I intended to write.
Ryan has been doing a series called "Red Letters" for the youth group which was focused to use teachings right out of Jesus' mouth (hence the red letters). But let me tell you, it's not necessarily directed towards youth. I've been getting a lot out of it myself. My hubby has been saying for the past couple of weeks, that as Christians, we are all becoming. We are becoming followers of Christ. Whether we're just starting out or we've been followers for a long time, we are always growing. I am fairly new at "being" a Christian. And there is soooo much to take in and apply to my life. I wanted to fill you in on one of my main focus when it comes to being a Christian. I want...no, desire....to love people like Jesus loved. Can you imagine if the world loved like Jesus? I'm going to quote a little scripture for you, Matthew 22:36-40: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
Ok, so I love God with all my heart, soul, and mind. I try to love Him as He loves me. But lately I've been trying to work on that 2nd commandment. Love your neighbor as yourself. I'm trying to love like Jesus. I'm trying to love people no matter their faults, opinions, looks, income, what they believe in, sexual preference, ect. (I could go on and on). But let's be honest....it is hard. I am horrible at making judgments on people and I need to stop. Not like I say them out loud, I just think them. And I desire to STOP. I want to look at everyone and love them. I want to stop judging people by their looks. Looks are what I mainly judge people by and I would really like to stop. So I'm asking you to pray for me in this area and I will pray for you to love the same. Because I KNOW we all pass judgements on people. Let's love them like Jesus.

My Story

Let me just dig deeper about my "walk" at the moment.
Some of you may know and some may not, but I got "saved" when I was 9 on the beach by my cousin. At that point in my life, I didn't know what it was like to be a true follower of God, Christ, or however you would like to put it. I went to high school, was pretty much a "good person". I partied a little like everyone does...I lost my virginity to my first "puppy love" when I was 17. But to me that was basically the norm. I didn't think that I was out of control in any way. Because overall, I was a "good person". Anyways, after I graduated is where I became a little crazier. I got a job as a server in OC (party central)...not a good idea. I partied every night, broke up with my boyfriend (1st puppy love) at the time and began to be overwhelmed by the many guys I worked with that had a interest in me. Not going to go into much detail but that summer, I made some horrible choices. I calmed down a bit after summer but continued to work there for the next 2 summers all the while making bad decisions. I went to college, stopped working there, and moved in with my 2 best friends. Throughout college, I did pretty well in school, only partied on the weekends with my girls. I'm not going to lie, I had a great time in college. I made some amazing friends who I'm still close to these days. We had a wonderful time living together for 2 years and I don't think I would trade those days in for anything.
Ok, might I add something in that is VERY important. Throughout high school, the crazy summers, and college, I went to church EVERY Sunday. I'd be drunk on Saturday night but I would wake up to go to church every Sunday morning...hung over or not. Obviously, it didn't click for me for quite a while because I continued this behavior for probably 4-5 years. Finally, I had enough. I wanted to try my best to follow Jesus but in all honesty it was a pretty hard decision. 1. I didn't have any friends that were followers of Jesus. 2. I was scared what other people would think of me. 3. I didn't want to lose any of my friends because I "changed".

But I decided on December 4, 2004 to follow Jesus. My journal entry from that day reads, " I made a crucial decision today. No more going out and getting drunk. It's not worth it. I do so many stupid things. It gets me in trouble. I don't just want to hook up with random guys. I want to find a faithful boyfriend. Being drunk and hooking up is not going to get me there. I'm going to be mature, focus my time on God, school, staying in shape, my friends, and my family. Today I got my cross. Today, I'm gonna start being faithful to Him."

God was doing something in me in that moment of my life and I'm so thankful for that. My mom had bought me an early Christmas gift that day and it was my cross necklace. I was determined that if I was going to display such a meaningful reminder around my neck, I needed to get right and follow the One who died on the Cross for ME.

So that's how I came to be. You know the craziest thing is that God brought Ryan and I together on December 19th at a church service. Just 15 days after I made my commitment! I believe whole heartedly that God wanted me to pursue Him before pursuing guys. I believe that God sent Ryan in my life to help me. I believe whole heartedly that God meant for Ryan and I to be together in life. I believe that God is truly amazing for giving many chances to follow Him, for giving me my husband, and to give me so much grace and love.

So that's it, there's my story. I started typing this blog about something else and somehow, my fingers just started going and was led to type about my story. I do think my story is extremely important for youth or anyone who feels tempted. There are a lot of "normals" today in our world. Like sex before marriage...being a virgin before you get married is almost unheard of these days and society says that it's ok to have sex before you are married. Can I just tell you something...if you haven't had sex yet, don't. Don't do it until you are married to the one God sends for you. You don't realize it at the time but sex holds so many consequences. Mostly emotional baggage. Trust me, I made a lot of mistakes when it came to sex. Focus on the Lord and center your relationships around Him.

I'll leave you with my journal entries following my decision to be a true Christian and after meeting Ryan. 12-24-04: "Christmas evening was nothing short of amazing. I got a boyfriend who is possibly the most terrific guy yet. He is amazing. Ryan Fields Jackson. My man of God. He's Christian. He's funny. He's trustworthy. He's a wonderful listener. I could go on and on...smile won't come off my face. Thank you God!" And this one doesn't have a date but I believe it was sometime in January 2004: "Ryan's the true thing. True love. This is a never-ending love. I'm marrying him. He completes me. I love him more than anyone could ever imagine. He's a blessing sent by God." Boy, was I love struck or what? =) One thing I have learned over the years is that I could not love Ryan if I didn't love God. God is in the midst of our relationship. He shows us how to love...how He loves us so we can love each other and everyone else in the same way.

My new favorite song!

I love all kinds of music but one of my favs is country. I love country music and even if you don't, test it out to see if you like this song. This is my new favorite song by The Zac Brown Band called "Chicken Fried". Make sure you watch it til the end cuz they jam out country style. Hope you enjoy!

WARNING

WARNING: IMAGES BELOW MAY BE FREAKISH BY NATURE, PERHAPS A LITTLE SCARY, AND JUST DOWN RIGHT WEIRD.

This is what occurs in the Jackson family when we're bored or while waiting for a video to upload. Not our prettiest sides but all in all, quite funny.

My happiness

This is an older picture but when I'm wrapped in those arms and that furry little creature is beside me...that's where I feel the happiest. I love my family.

Good Dog

Here's Hana being a good dog while we eat dinner.

She just laid her head on the table while I eat pizza. No begging...I love it!

Laptop girl

Well folks, I joined the laptop crew. (I know I may be way behind since laptops came out quite a while ago...but that's just how my poor self was). Anyways, Ryan was given a Mac anonymously probably 6 months ago and we had a old desktop computer (the computer I've had for about 10 years...yeah it's old). Since we moved into our house (almost 2 months ago) we haven't had our desktop hooked up so the only computer access I have is when Ryan is home with his Mac and the last thing I want to do when Ryan is home is get on the computer. So on Saturday, Ryan randomly was like let's go to Best Buy to look at laptops. I wasn't going to argue so after a long and frustrating process that I'm not going to get into...ask me if you want to know...finally walked out there with a basic laptop with just a couple upgrades (I don't need much). We got a good deal and now I have my OWN laptop! Here's a pic of the new computer...don't expect anything fancy.

Now all I need is to get in the Ipod crew...yeah still don't have one of those.

Oh Texas, I still miss you

I'm still missing Texas. Here are some pics when we visited Lance Armstrong's bike shop in Austin, my first WhataBurger and Steak N Shake experiences and family just hanging out on the patio which we did every night. I told Ryan we need to make this a twice a year trip.

Texas I miss you

We just got home from Texas last night and I miss it terribly already. We had a wonderful time. Ryan's family spoiled us while we were there. We did not have to worry about a meal...we were fed 24/7 (with the most amazing food might I add...for example one night we had filet, crab imperial, baked potatoes, corn, salad plus desert), we had our laundry done, gifts waiting for us when we got back from Austin...it was just amazing. I'll show you our trip throughout the next couple of blogs but here is pics from the first 2 days.

Obama, what are you talking about?

Here is where Obama's teleprompter goes out and who the heck knows what he's talking about.

Ahhh....vacation

Despite Hurricane Ike, we made it here in TX. Where we are right outside of Austin, there was no rain and just a little wind so Ike didn't make very much of an impact here. My first day consisted of eating a wonderful lunch, taking a nap, drinking a hurricane (hmm...wonder why Ry's aunt picked that drink) while floating on a raft in the pool, having amazing beef brisket for dinner, watching a little tv, got massaged by a massaging sofa while watching The Wedding singer and now about to fall asleep. Well, I'm pretty sure that's about how my whole week will go....oh how I love vacation!

Ike...please don't ruin my vacation.

So Ryan's dad, step-mom, Jimmy, Ryan, and I are supposed to fly to Austin, TX on Saturday morning. Well, hurricane Ike is supposed to hit TX on Saturday morning. I'm really hoping that this does not mess up our vacation plans too much. Austin is far enough from the coast so there won't be any major impact but there is a chance our flight will get cancelled. I've been really looking forward to this trip. "Ike, Ike, go away and don't come back any other day".

Jesus is my friend

This is a real group....
Found it on Ragamuffin's blog...this is great.

Monopoly

Ok, so like I mentioned in the previous post...when Ry is here, we try to hang out as much as possible. So with us not having cable or even a tv downstairs, we've been playing a lot of games. We have Monopoly (the here & now version...which is the same it just has updated places on the board and larger amounts of money) but when we've usually played in the past, we just played how we always played. This time Ryan was reading the rules and directions and did you know that when you land on the free parking space, it really means nothing? I grew up playing that you if you landed on one of the spots where you have to pay taxes or something that you would put it in the middle of the board and whoever lands on free parking gets to collect the money. I like it that way. But according to the rules, you pay all your money to the bank and the free parking space is just a free space...nothing exciting happens. Am I the only one who ever played this way?

Blogging (or lack thereof)

I just want to apologize for the lack of blogging in my life. At the current moment, I don't really have the internet. Ryan and I have an old Compaq desk top that currently is not hooked up to the internet because we are being cheap. But Ry's MAC picks up wireless so I can use his whenever I want. But Ry has his computer with him all the time so the computer is home when he is home. Therefore, I can only really use the computer when he is here and to be quite honest, when he is here, I just want to spend my time with him and not on the computer. So I usually check the necessaries and then spend time with the hubby. But one day, when we're back up to speed and get internet hooked up to the desktop, then I'll be all over it. But I will keep updating whenever I have a chance. Just wanted to fill all you blog onlookers in.

September

It's September already. Can I just say that I only went to the beach 3 times this summer. What is wrong with me? I love the beach. This is what happens when you grow up and have to work full time because you have bills. Oh to be like 5 again with no responsibility...

No work

Just wanted to let you guys know that this girl right here is off work from both of her jobs for the next 5 days. =)

Hana Girl

Here's a pic of Hana driving us safely into Salisbury. She's on here learner's permit so she has to sit in Ryan's lap. Can't do it quite on her own yet but she's learning.

Here's Hana girl after she was crying like a baby while I was in the tub last night. So I put her in after I got out and go figure, she wanted to get out. Such a mess but she's my baby.

Blue Like Jazz

One of my summer reads this summer was Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. I would recommend this book any day. I loved it. It's basically about Christianity...some of the issues people struggle with it and I think ultimately this book gave me a little deeper insight about my faith. One thing that stuck out to me in the book is this excerpt, "When I'm talking to someone there are always two conversations going on. The first is on the surface; it is about politics or music or whatever it is our mouths are saying. The other is either communicating that I like the person I am talking to or I don't. God wants both conversations true. That is, we are supposed to speak truth in love. If both conversations are not true, God is not involved in the exchange, we are on our own, and on our own, we will lead people astray. The Bible says that if you talk to somebody with your mouth, and your heart does not love them, that you are like a person standing there smashing two cymbals together. You are only annoying everybody around you. I think that is very beautiful and true."
I've never thought about conversations in this way. But I also believe this is true. I challenge myself and you guys to have true conversations. Sorry this is like a small book report but I had to share this with you guys.

My family

I know this may be gay, but this is my family. I'm loving life right now with my Ry and my pup. =)

Trying this again

So awhile back in previous posts, I was trying to work out. I don't know why it is but everytime I try to be consistent with working out, I always fall off the horse. I start out pretty good and then it just goes down hill from there. Something happens, like this time it was moving in our house, and I stop for a week or two and then never pick it back up. I'm trying again. Ryan has kinda motivated me in a way because he does push ups everyday. I was like well I can do crunches everyday. So since Monday, I've been doing at least 100 crunches a day. This morning was good because Ry and I went bike riding through Plantation. It's kinda nice because we ride through the golf course and the path goes up and down hills. It gave me a decent work out. I asked Ry if we can do it again tomorrow morning and he said yes as long as we wake up in time. So I'm planning to get a little cardio tomorrow as well. Wish me luck...because I really would like to keep this up.

Dinner guests

So Ryan and I LOVE our new house. I think we say it at least 2x a day. We just walk in and say "I love this house". We love the neighborhood...everything. Yesterday, Ryan and I went bike riding through Plantation and it was amazing. We rode through the golf course and on their bike path. It's so nice to just leave your home and be surrounded by beautiful scenery. We love it here. We have in fact, had some dinner guests. We had our parents over one night and my bro, sis-in-law, and Niamh over another. Here's some dinner guest pics. Can't wait to make even more memories in this home for years to come.

Boating fun

My dad just got a new boat this summer and we've been out a couple times. This past Saturday, my bro, sis-in-law, Ry, and I all went out. We went water skiing and tubing. It was a lot of fun. Here's some pics from our boating adventure.