On Christmas Eve...

I am sitting in my pjs listening to love songs and watching my husband play some sort of game as to which I do not understand nor care to understand, I am thankful! We are coming closer and closer to moving back to Arkansas for the semester. This excites me and yet is daunting to think about. We have to pack still. (I know I should have been packing a lot sooner.) I am looking forward to seeing and spending time with my mama and daddy. I am leaving a job ( I will come back to it though, no fear) that I love! (A preschool teacher who teaches 18-24 month olds! They melt my heart in ways that cannot be described.)

Moving back to Arkansas is a two fold move actually. Yes there is the internship to further Bob's experience as a campus minister, but it is also a support raising endeavor as I am from Arkansas (app. 3 hours from where we will be). We want to build a better relationship with the people in my home church and let them know what we will be doing as in-state missionaries on a college campus.

The church I work for in the preschool has been WONDERFUL! We have gotten to know the pastor and his family pretty well because we got our drive repaved and had to park else where and they live around the corner from us and he was seeing me walk to my car in the morning while this repaving was going on, came and talked to me one morning while I was at work to find out where we lived and the story of campus ministry spilled out and a relationship between us and the church started to form along with him, his family and us!

Bob met with the elders of the church around Thanksgiving discussing partnering with the church in campus ministry and support for us each month. That was answered a few weeks later when we learned that the church agreed to support us each month. That support increased when the pastor told us he would start supporting us personally. We were able to speak to the church last Sunday about our partnership with the church and asked them to consider supporting us as well. Hopefully God will bless that and we will see fruit from that.

Some of the other teachers that I work with at the preschool have been awesome support as well. From well wishes and threats that I better come back after moving back (what can I say, they love me :D) to some special gifts to help us. They truly have amazed me and shown God's providence.

The parents of my kids at the preschool are the same way! My lead teacher and I received SO many wonderful and thoughtful gifts! I have to write a bunch of thank you cards and you know I don't mind a bit.

So now maybe I will find the motivation to pack a bit and get ready for the Christmas Eve service. :)

Merry Christmas! May Christmas bring  you blessings beyond what you thought.

Blessings,
Jonnie

Lets Say Thanks!

This is great and SUPER easy  way to say thanks to the troops that are overseas! They are cards that kids from across the country have made and you can add a message and Xerox prints them and then sends them to the troops. http://www.letssaythanks.com/

Pozole (recipe included)

So my husband's family makes a soup called Pozole. It is super good and I really enjoy it and because I enjoy it so I decided to blog the recipe.

Pozole
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 red onion, chopped
2 cans chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp chili powder
1 can Hominy, drained & rinsed
1 can Black Beans, drained & rinsed
3/4 lb boneless chicken breast
1 cup shredded green cabbage
1 lime


In a saucepan
-1/4 cup broth
-3/4 cup onion
-salt
cook until onions are clear 
Add garlic, oregano, chili powder- cook for 1 minute
Add hominy and remaining broth- bring to simmer
Add chicken- bring to simmer and leave for 10 minutes
Add black beans-bring to simmer


Garnish
toast oregano & add to bowl of chopped onion
slice green cabbage
slice lime into wedges


I personally like to add the sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese and lime! So good even if my husband does not think so. 


And this is what you get:

Yummy Yummy! Enjoy!!

Holiday Time & a Wedding

I have not written for a couple of weeks except last night about the concert at our church. So here is an update.

The Christmas season is upon us and it is turning into an immensely busy time. We are preparing to move to Arkansas for Bob's internship which is in Fayetteville (3 hours from where I am from). I am excited about this but at the same time extremely sad to leave my amazing co-workers and sweet babies I am granted the pleasure of taking care of. :) My last day at work is December 29th. I will be back though! :)
Just before we leave for Arkansas, a couple of friends are getting married (as in December 31). We are going to be going up there (Lake George) the day before as to help them prepare for the ceremony and reception.

This is the cute couple! So excited for them! :)

After their wedding, we leave for the All Staff Retreat for Impact Campus Ministries in Florida! 

I have never been to Florida so I am interested in seeing what everyone thinks is so great about it. We will see if I agree.

In going to a wedding everyone gives a gift. Well ours will be a little more special and well personal. Until their wedding is done I will not post a picture of the finally product but here are a few pictures of the different pieces of their gift. See if you can guess what it is! :)

Any guesses?

Caleb Delamont

We are going to see Caleb Delamont. No he is not famous but he does have very good music. He is a native Canadian whom our Pastor and friend Brian French knew and had in youth group. Pretty excited to hear this guy. Brian has talked him up! :)

365 {days} cont.

So today's picture is of a burning candle in my house. It is a WoodWick candle. I love this candle! It sounds like a fireplace and smells like a bonfire (well this specific scent). We got it as a wedding gift from dear friends of my family's. They were supposed to come to our wedding but could not because the wife was diagnosed with liver cancer very shortly beforehand.

                                                     11/20

365 {days}

I missed a day but here is Thursday 11/18 and Friday 11/19

Yummy Starbucks! We have one just down the road from our apartment so we walked there and got drinks Thursday night. The only problem arose when we got home and I put mine down on the table and promptly somehow knocked it off the table, busting the bottom of the cup and my straw. 

Ice Cream Night! Since we have been married, we have most Friday nights gotten ice cream (or Starbucks) for the weekend. This probably explains my weight gain of who knows how much. Oh ice cream how I love and loath you all at the same time. 

365 {days}

My goal is to start doing a 365 {days} album in which I  take a picture everyday and post it for all to see. Here is to hoping that I can accomplish this! :)


                                                 

Here is the first day 11/14- Flowers from my sweet sweet husband! :) He is the best!

11/15- I love this photo from one of my best friends from college- one of The Twelve. 

I don't like you Mommy

I work with little kids about the age of this little boy! It fits this age group so well! LOVE it!

Vintage 21 videos!

I love these clicks! They are so funny! So sit back, turn up your volume and have a good laugh! :)

Today...

Today is somewhat of a strange day. Not in a bad day, but in a new things are going to happen anticipation way. The kind that make you scared but oh so excited as well! See my husband and I are endeavoring to do full time campus ministry at the University at Albany in New York. To do that, we must go to people around us and ask them to help us financially so that we do not have to work a regular 8-5 job. Sort of a like a missionary. Okay so not sort of but exactly as a missionary does. We are US missionaries. We don't go to foreign lands, to strange peoples and share Jesus but (in our case) across the street to the local college campus and share Jesus. Last Thursday, we met with my director from the preschool that I work at up here and that went very well. Tonight we meet with the elders (well Bob goes to see the elders) and I will be hanging with some of the wives of the church where I work. We are excited about this opportunity to work with this church because they seem excited to be able to break into the college campus ministry. 

Jonah Jonah Jonah

A friend posted this on facebook. I thought it was super super cute. Different voices and everything. :)

http://vimeo.com/16404771

I hope the link works. If not let me know. :) Otherwise enjoy it.