Jacob and Jessica

If you like your crock pot, you're gonna love these!

2012-01-18T16:17:00.003-05:00

Mexican Chicken Goodness

What you need:
3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can black beans, drained
1 can kernel corn, drained
1 jar of salsa
1 package taco seasoning
8 oz. cream cheese

What you do:
Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of the crock pot. Add black beans, corn, salsa, and taco seasoning on top of the chicken. Cook on low for 7-8 hours. 30 minutes before it's done, add the cream cheese block and cook on low until melted. Then, shred the chicken with two forks and mix it all together.

*This is great in tacos, on tortilla chips as nachos, or just as a mexican dip! It makes great leftovers since it's so versatile.

Italian pot roast

What you need:
1 large onion, cut in half and then sliced
1 (2 1/2 - 3 lb) boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed
1 tsp. pepper
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
14 oz. can beef broth
8 oz. can tomato sauce

What you do:
Place the onion in the bottom of the crock pot. Place the roast on top of the onion and sprinkle with pepper and onion soup mix. Pour beef broth and tomato sauce over the top of the roast. Cook on low for 7-8 hours.

*I also add carrots. Our favorite way to eat this is over noodles!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-06T10:41:00.003-05:00

2011 was a great year for us! We experienced a lot of changes this past year with Jacob's new job and our big move to Atlanta (among other things) but it was a great year and we are so so blessed with wonderful friends and family who encourage and support us all year long in whatever we are doing. We are truly blessed!!!

New Years this year was awesome, as always. Every year, we go to Jacob's aunt and uncle's house in Phenix City, Alabama for a weekend of celebrations! We go for a few days and hang out-- we watch movies, eat a lot of good food, ride 4 wheelers, set off fireworks, and a bunch of other fun stuff. It's always a huge party at their house! This year was no different and we had a great time ringing in the New Year.

Here's to a great 2012!

Me and my sister-in-law, Jenn, and our unintentional matching outfits.

Popping the corks on the champagne!

Ringing in the New Year with good friends, Josh and Michal.

Gathering to watch the ball drop!

Tucker was a little overwhelmed with the crowd of people....haha!

Cousin Samantha and her sweet boyfriend, Kyle

Deck the Halls

2012-01-06T10:34:00.001-05:00

We celebrated Christmas 5 times this year....yes, that's right. We had 5 Christmases. Our life is pretty similar to the movie Four Christmases, if you've ever seen that. We celebrate Christmas with my moms side of the family, my dads side of the family, Jacob's immediate family, Jacob's extended family, and then we have our own Christmas with each other! It was a crazy few days, but we actually had a good schedule of events this year and it was so nice to be able to spend so much quality time with our families.

A cool thing that we did this year on the Willis side of the family is give money to a cause rather than give a bunch of gifts to each other. We went through an organization called Living Water International and gave money to fund a well for a community in Peru. It costs $5,000 to build a well there. We got the extended family in on it and ended up raising a total of $3,200! We are still raising money to make it to $5,000, so hopefully that will get finished up in the next month. We were really excited to take part in something bigger than gift giving this year...it was really special. Check out this video to see more about the initiatives of Living Water International.

On an even bigger note, Jake and I are both so grateful for the reason that we even celebrate Christmas. The fact that God sent his son into the world as an innocent baby is just incredible. He is God. He could have come into the world in a million different ways, but that is how he chose to enter our presence as a human. It is so humbling! And not only that, but he sent him here to die on the cross for our sins so that we could be in relationship with the God of the universe. How cool! The song, Winter Snow, is such a beautiful song and I think it sums it up perfectly. Check out the song here.

Also, our pastor, Andy Stanley, made this great video about the historical relevance of Christmas and I think it is so educational and interesting! Just wanted to share that as well. Check out the video here.

We hope that you all had an amazing Christmas with your families celebrating the amazing gift of Jesus!

Our Tree!

Lemon, Thyme, and Asparagus Chicken Bake

2011-12-29T16:53:00.000-05:00

Lemon, Thyme, and Asparagus Chicken Bake

What you need:

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Red potatoes

1 bunch asparagus

2 lemons, sliced

Thyme

3 or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

What you do:

Cut red potatoes in half. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and olive oil and bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Place chicken on top of cooked potatoes. Season chicken with salt and pepper and bake for 20 minutes. Place asparagus, lemon slices, and thyme on top of potatoes and chicken and bake another 20 minutes.

I love Christmas plays!

2011-12-21T20:55:00.000-05:00

This year, I've had the pleasure of attending 2 Christmas shows! I just love these little shows-- there's something about seeing kids dressed up and singing Christmas songs that just get's you in the Christmas spirit!

The first show was performed by the Weekday kids at Buckhead Church. These are the staff kids that are a part of our Weekday preschool program. And, of course, that means that our little nephew, Josh, was in it! He was a snowflake :) It was the sweetest thing.

The second show was performed by Maggie, one of the girls I babysit. She is in Kindergarten this year at Mt. Pisgah, so she got to be in the big show with some of the older kids. She was an angel and did such a great job. It was such a joy to be able to surprise her at her show!

Have you seen any Christmas shows yet this season?

The Weekday Christmas Show.

Adding in the snowflakes...they are the little guys, so they got to sit right in front!

With my sweet snowflake.

Maggie's Christmas show.

She was such a great angel!

With little sister, Abby.

With the big girl after her show!

Love these sweet girls!

Let's celebrate!

2011-12-21T20:30:00.000-05:00

Want to know what we've been doing lately? Here's another update of all the fun celebrations going on- there's so many we keep losing track! We are so excited for our friends and family!

Our friends, Callie and David, recently announced that they are pregnant with their second little one! It is so fun to watch their sweet family grow....They are due August 2, 2012.

Our cousin Stephanie and her boyfriend Miles recently got engaged! We are so excited for their May 19th wedding and can't wait to celebrate with them.

Our friend, Audrey (far left), just turned the big 3-0 on December 10th! Her sweet husband, Ben, planned a great party with all of our friends and we had a blast celebrating her! She is pictured here with Lindsey and Tiffany.

We also celebrated Audrey and the near arrival of their second little one with a baby shower! They already have a precious little boy and since they are now having a girl, we threw her a tea party themed shower.

Audrey (middle) with the shower hostesses!

My college roommate, Lisa, got engaged this summer, and we had a wonderful time celebrating with her at her wedding shower! This picture is of the shower hostesses (and bridesmaids) with Lisa (second to right). We can't wait to stand by her side at her March 31st wedding.

Jacob's grandma, Mary, turned 80 years old this December! Wow! She looks amazing- you would never guess that she is 80. We just love her and her vivacious spirit and fun personality and were so glad to be able to celebrate such a special birthday with her!

My little sister graduated from college! Yipee! Jake and I are so proud of her and all of her accomplishments. She is planning to continue school to be a Physical Therapy Assistant.

Our niece, Mackenzie, turned 3 this weekend...I can't believe she is getting so big! She has a birthday party at Chuck E Cheese, which was hilarious. She LOVED wearing her birthday crown!

This is my favorite picture. Since she was the birthday girl, she got to go into this special ticket blower. It's like a big cylinder that you get inside and the air turns on and blows all of these tickets around. She has such a blast in that thing-- it was hilarious.

Opening her presents....we got her the Candyland board game!

So this isn't a great picture, but I still had to post it :) We love being Uncle Jake and Aunt Jess!

Our sister-in-law, Calley, celebrated a birthday on Thanksgiving Day this year! We had a great birthday party for her at Jacob's parent's house. Happy birthday Calley!

Our wonderful, wonderful friends, Josh and Michal, are expecting their first baby!! We are so thrilled for them and can't wait for Baby Whitlock to get here! They are due in mid-June.

Weekend getaway

2011-12-20T21:30:00.001-05:00

Right before Thanksgiving, Jacob and I took a much needed break from life and went to the mountains for a little R & R. We stayed at my grandparents house in Hiawassee and it was so beautiful! It was right when all of the leaves were turning. We had such a great time and it was nice to get away just the two of us (and Tucker, of course).

We watched movies, cooked, and played board games. We even went hiking up to the top of Brasstown Bald, which is the highest point in Georgia. That was definitely Tucker's favorite part- he loved it!

What we did for most of the weekend....

The beautiful view from the top of the mountain where the house is!

Our family's mountain house! We love staying here and can't wait to go back.

Family traditions

2011-12-20T21:30:00.000-05:00

It's a tradition in our family to go the UGA/AU game every year. Our close cousins on Jacob's side, the Corcoran family, are big Auburn fans and went to Auburn. Samantha and Loren are close in age to us, so it was always fun in college to go to the games together. This year was no different and we had to make it a point to head to Athens for the game. We had a great time.....and it was even better that UGA won! Go Dawgs! Here's to family traditions!

Christmas pics 2011

2011-12-07T17:10:00.001-05:00

I finally sent our Christmas cards out this week and posted all the lovely photos that we had taken for our Christmas picture this year. Our wonderful friend, Calley Murray, of Achor & Eden Photography and The NotWedding, took them for us this year. She did a great job and we love them all! To see the rest of the pictures, go to my Facebook album. Thanks Calley!

One of our favorite family recipes...

2011-11-27T17:59:00.001-05:00

Source

Pistachio Cake

What you need:
1 box yellow cake mix
1 small box Pistachio pudding and pie filling
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup chocolate syrup
4 eggs
1 cup chocolate chips

What you do:
Mix together the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, orange juice, oil, chocolate chips, and water. Pour 2/3 of batter into well greased bunt pan. Add chocolate syrup to remaining batter and swirl mixture into batter in bunt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Happy birthday Tucker!

2011-11-15T16:27:00.001-05:00

Tucker-

Today is your 3rd birthday! It has been so much fun having you as a part of our family since we adopted you at only 6 weeks old. They told us that you were the only one that survived out of all your brothers and sisters. They even named you Miracle because they didn't think you would survive either. But you did and we are so glad.

When we brought you home, we didn't really know what we had gotten ourselves into :) We didn't really know the first thing about having a puppy or even training you, but we tried our best. At first, you hated being separated from us and cried all night in your crate. It was heartbreaking for us because you were so small, but we knew it was good for you to learn to be on your own. You learned a lot of fun lessons that first year. Daddy even taught you some fun tricks when you were just a little baby. You are so smart.

We have so many stories of funny things you have done. One of my favorites was when we left you out of your crate when we went to run an errand and you literally climbed into the fireplace. We still aren't sure how you managed that one, but you are a curious pup so I'm not surprised you figured it out! The look on your little face when we arrived home to the mess was priceless. You were so happy to see us and didn't think we would notice the black soot all over the place....and all over you!

One time, we almost lost you and it was so scary. We were outside in the mountains on vacation for the weekend and you got scared from a loud noise and ran away. We searched all night and could not find you anywhere. Both dad and I couldn't sleep at all...we sat up worrying about where you were and if you were warm and safe. We continued our search in the daylight the next morning, went to local animal shelters to see if someone had found you and even started working on a flyer to post around the area. We decided to drive up and down the mountain some more and I will never forget the moment when we saw you running toward the car with those cute, floppy ears of yours. I have never been so happy and burst into tears of joy and we scooped you up in our arms to take you back home.

You have the funniest little quirks...like how you bark at your bowl when it's empty, the way you try to put us to bed when you are ready to call it a night, the way you carry your food around the house in your mouth before you eat it, the funny ways in which you sleep, the special bark you have to let us know your toy is stuck under the couch, and how much you love people and want to say "hi" to anyone and everyone (you are such a friendly dog and everyone loves you).

You have made us laugh, cry, and sometimes make us so angry but we love you to pieces and cannot imagine our life without you. Thank you for being our loyal friend, our confidante, and our little cuddle-bug. We love you!

When we first saw you, we knew we had to have you. You were sweet, cuddly, and playful. We couldn't wait to take you home!

You were so small!! We had no idea how big you were going to be--thank goodness you didn't get huge.

You were never a huge fan of bath time (and still aren't to this day), but you always get so hyper and excited after your bath! Even now, you run laps around the house and have so much energy.

You were not a big fan of walking on the leash...it was something we had to work on with you A LOT.

But you do love to be outside!! This is one of my favorite pictures of you...the tag on your collar is almost as big as you are :)

You would curl up and sleep at our feet when we were hanging out at home....it was so sweet (also one of my favorite pictures).

Your first doctor's appointment! You weren't quite sure about that metal table....

You aren't always an angel.....and most of the time get caught red-handed. This particular incident was a little project you were working on while I was taking a shower.

You love riding in the car and always think we are going somewhere exciting!

Your favorite thing to do is play fetch. You are OBSESSED with the ball and want to play all the time. Dad plays with you almost every day and you love your special time together.

You also love cuddling and napping with us on the couch. Even though we don't let you on the furniture, you get to sneak up with us every now and then :)

This is the look you give us when you want to cuddle....it works more often than not. We can't resist that cute face!

Of course, you'd rather sleep in the bed :)

I think this picture just captures the essence of you! You are fun, playful, loving, and loyal.

It's that time of year!

2011-11-07T20:27:00.001-05:00

Just when you thought we couldn't celebrate more things with friends.....we can! It's just that time of year when exciting things are happening. Or maybe it's our stage of life because these kinds of things happen ALL throughout the year :) Anyway, here are some fun things that we celebrated recently.

I helped throw a baby shower for Courtney and Ryan with the other Buckhead Church Waumba Land ladies and it was so fun! It was Ryan's first shower, so that was pretty amusing as well :) They got a lot of great things for baby Ryder, due at the end of the month!

I saw this great idea on Pinterest and our cousin, Samantha, was awesome enough to make one for us that was personalized for Ryder! Basically, it's a fingerprint tree. Everyone who was at the shower put their fingerprint on the tree to make leaves. It will be the perfect addition to the nursery.

This was also a fun little thing I saw online. It's basically a book of wishes for the baby! Everyone at the shower filled out these cards with all kinds of wishes for Ryder and then we put it into a little book.

This is what the pages on the inside look like. It was really sweet to read what everyone wrote...You can get the template HERE in gray, blue, brown, or yellow.

We also went to an engagement party for Lisa and Jonathan! Lisa was my college roommate and I am going to be a bridesmaid in their March 2012 wedding. It was fun to celebrate this wonderful time in their lives and catch up with good friends.

Our cousin, Loren, got married on October 29th and they had their rehearsal dinner at this beautiful location. It overlooked a lake and was so serene and lovely.

The Willis boys with their dad. Missing Tim (he was the best man in another wedding that weekend and couldn't be there.)

Me and Calley with our awesome mother-in-law, Marcie!

The beautiful bride.

The ceremony room. It was so simple and beautiful. They did a really great job with it.

Reception! So pretty.

Their first dance. I love the draped cloth on the ceiling. It looked so good with the lights.

The most delicious wedding cake ever. They also had an ice cream bar, which was super fun!

Me and Michal

Hubby

Loren, we love you! We are so excited for this new journey for you and Paul!

These are a few of my favorite things...

2011-11-05T17:40:00.002-04:00

I absolutely LOVE Fall!! I am so excited it is finally here. To commemorate it's arrival, I thought wouldshare some of my favorite things for this season....what are your favorite Fall things?

OK this stuff is seriously amazing. Not only is it easy, it has the perfect blend of pumpkin flavor and spice. Right now, it's around $3 a box at Trader Joes. I may or may not have bought 5 boxes....

These mini apple pies were first introduced to be by my friend, Sara, who saw them on Pinterest. Of course, I had to make them and they are to die for! Apple pie is the epitome of Fall weather and the perfect dessert, especially in individual portions. Check out the recipe here.

These are the leather boots I just got from DSW and I am obsessed with them! I wear them almost every day and would sleep in them if I could....Wear with jeans, dresses, skirts, anything!

OK so I know this nail polish color doesn't scream "Fall" but I think it adds a little glitz and glamour to your day! It's called "Crown Me Already" and literally dries in about 15 minutes, which is always a perk when painting your fingernails.

One word: delicious.

Mums!! They are so beautiful and colorful. I potted these on our back porch a few weeks ago and it's made such a difference out there. There's nothing like flowers to brighten your day!

Happy Halloween!!

2011-11-04T09:53:00.002-04:00

We had a great Halloween this year! We went to costume karaoke with a bunch of friends and it was a blast! Jacob dressed up as an inmate and I was a teacher (original, I know). Our friend, Aaron, set up a photo booth sort of thing and we definitely took advantage of being silly and taking pictures with our friends! To see the whole reel of pictures, you can visit Aaron's Facebook album here.

Hope you all had a Happy Halloween!

Jacob, the triathlon chief!

2011-10-12T16:57:00.002-04:00

On Sunday morning after our weekend of fun in Athens, Jacob and Tyler got up SUPER early for their first sprint triathlon!! It was at Lake Lanier Islands and they did a great job. It was a lot for them to do after a full weekend and not sleeping much-- I was so proud of them! They had to do a 400 yard swim, 13.6 mile bike ride, and a 5k run. They had been training for a while and it paid off because they completed the race in great time. Congrats, guys!

We love us some Athens

2011-10-12T16:51:00.001-04:00

Last weekend, we headed up to Athens with our friend, Tyler, for some fun at our old stomping grounds! We went to the Luke Bryan concert on Friday night and the UGA vs. Mississippi State game on Saturday. Everything was so much fun and we had an absolute blast!!

At Luke Bryan!

I know this is a horrible picture, but the concert was so fun.
It was a field party concert, so we took some chairs and a cooler
and set up camp in a huge field with thousands of other people!

Go Dawgs! It felt great to be back in Sanford Stadium.

Live like an alien!

2011-10-12T16:46:00.003-04:00

This month, Jake and I did something crazy.

We went on the Fall high school retreat with our small groups. This means we spent the entire weekend eating junk food, staying up late, playing pranks, and hanging out with our kids! The retreat was in Jasper, Georgia at Sharp Top Cove, which is such a beautiful location. The theme for the weekend was "Live Like an Alien" and it was so much fun. The whole idea was that, as a follower of Christ, your life should look so different from those around you. You should live like an alien! It was really great to talk with our kids about what it really means to follow Christ and how to live that out in their everyday lives. It was so fun and even the limited sleep was worth it! :)

Tricia and I with our girls!

Aren't they sweet?

Happy birthday Selena!

2011-10-08T16:43:00.003-04:00

Happy 23rd birthday to my little sister, Selena! I can't believe that she is 23 now...I feel like it was just yesterday when we were playing Barbies and climbing trees together in the backyard. We were so happy to be able to celebrate with her. Happy birthday little sis-- we love you!

More babies!

2011-10-08T09:55:00.001-04:00

Is it possible to have any more friends who are having babies? Why, yes!! Of course it is!

We have been overjoyed with the good news that so many of our friends are expecting!! It has been so so much fun to share in the excitement with our pals. Here are a few more friends who have recently let the cat out of the bag :)

Brad and Anna are expecting their first little one in the Spring! Brad and Jacob have been friends for a long time and we were so happy when he met the woman of his dreams, Anna! She is amazing and I just adore her! We are so excited for this new journey for them!

This is Chris and Lindsay. I am childhood best friends with Lindsay's sister, Liane, and we all practically grew up together. She is just the sweetest thing and has always been a fun big sister to Liane (and me)! She and her husband, Chris (who is totally awesome), are expecting their first little one on February 25th.

They had a gender reveal party at their house a couple of weeks ago and it was so much fun! Everyone wore either pink or blue depending on if they thought it was a boy or girl. It was a hopping party, too! We had games, food, and delicious desserts. The best dessert was saved for last, though, when Chris and Lindsay cut into the cake to reveal blue or pink icing in the middle.

Our good friend, Jessica Rawlings, got this great shot of Chris and Lindsay the moment they saw the BLUE icing in the cake! Yup, they are having a boy! I just love this picture because their enthusiasm is just so fun and you can really see how much joy they have! They will be great parents and we can wait to meet little Elijah! Oh, and we both wore blue, so we hit the nail on the head :)

Here's the video I took of the big reveal-it was so so much fun!

Waumba Land is FINISHED!

2011-10-03T17:16:00.002-04:00

The construction on our new Waumba Land space is complete! It has been so much fun to watch and be a part of it all. We opened the space for the first time this summer on Sunday, August 14th. It was a huge hit! It has been great to have the extra space for kids- we don't have to turn anyone away anymore because we didn't have room for them- and the kids love it too. We are so grateful for the many people who contributed financially for us to be able to pull this off! It was an amazing thing to witness the church support and rally around us to get this project completed. You can also read about it on the Buckhead Church blog. It is pretty cool.....take a peek for yourself!

Our new main entrance! We got rid of the tiki hut that used to be in the middle of the lobby and got some new check in tables, so now the space is much more open. The big trees were added.

With the addition of our new hall, we had to add another entrance. This is it! It's really great to have 2 places for families to enter and exit.

This bad boy is right inside the doors to our second entrance. I absolutely LOVE this part of the hall! It is such a great focal point. The sun on the top came from the sun in the Waumba Land logo.

We wanted both sides of the hall to match and coordinate with each other, so we got these things installed on the other side.

We've got these great signs at both entrances that light up! They are really great and draw a lot of attention to the area...plus it lets you know exactly where you are if you aren't familiar with the layout of the church.

We were also able to get this really great meeting room for our lead volunteers! It is SUCH a wonderful space for us to have on Sunday mornings and we love it!!

These are just some pictures of the hall itself. We have a fabulous lady named Debbie Woodall who comes and paints our space! She has painted the entire Waumba Land hall and, of course, we had to get her to come and paint the new hall! She did a great job, as always, as we were thrilled with the way it turned out. After added the 3D elements, it was finished!

Our house, continued

2011-09-23T11:05:00.004-04:00

I finally got some pictures of our guest room, so here they are!

All of the furniture was my old furniture in my room growing up. It has been fun to transport this room into something more grown up for our guest room. I love how it all turned out!

Eventually, I really want to change out the hardware on the dresser and night stand to update it a little bit. But for now, it works great and looks awesome!

I had this old desk in my room at home, too! Me, Sam, and my friend, Sara, spend a whole Saturday refinishing and painting some furniture and this is what we worked on! We painted it white and distressed it a bit. My mom also had this chair in our house- she found it at Goodwill for $5 and painted it white and recovered the seat! LOVE! It turned out so cute.

Happy 5th birthday David!

2011-09-22T17:14:00.000-04:00

Our sweet nephew, David, turned 5 the other week and I just had to post this cute picture of him at his Batman birthday party! Happy birthday David! We love you!

Our little house in Atlanta

2011-09-15T20:15:00.003-04:00

We absolutely adore living in Atlanta and LOVE our little house there! The house was built in the 50's and has been almost completely renovated. It is a lot smaller than our last place, so we have had to make some adjustments, but it has been totally worth it. We love the fun quirks that this place have and have really enjoyed settling in and making it our own! We still have some work to do in a couple of rooms, but we are good to go for the most part! I don't have pictures of our guest room or office yet, but here are a few pics of our new place....

The room on the far right used to be a carport, but it was enclosed and is now our guest room!

I love, love, love our front door! It is original to the house and I just think it has so much character. I love the little windows in it and think the red is so much fun.

We don't really have an entryway....the front door opens right up to the living room!

The main area of the house is all open, so the living room and dining room are connected with a view into the kitchen. You can kind of see it through the windows, but we have this awesome, huge back deck that we have been loving! I am so excited for the weather to turn cooler- we will be spending a lot of time out there.

The kitchen is really the only part of the house that hasn't been completely updated. Obviously, it's not the original kitchen from the 50s, but it hasn't been brought into the millennium, either. However, we still love it!

I love having a window by the sink where I can look outside! We live in a pretty active area, so I love to see couples walking their dogs or strolling their babies :)

Had to zoom out a little for this one, but I wanted to be sure to get our fun little pot rack in the picture! Since our kitchen is uber small, we didn't have room to put our pots and pans in a cabinet. Thus, we created this little guy! Jacob's parents actually thought of the idea and put in the hooks for us and it is the perfect use of space! I just love it.

Little hallway off the living/dining area that goes to our bedroom and bathroom.

Our bathroom. This has probably been the biggest adjustment for us! We used to have a nice, big bathroom and this one is just, well, not. The door doesn't even open all the way and get's stopped by the sink! Somehow, we have made it work :)

In this house, we have learned to be very smart with storage. Since our sink doesn't have cabinets underneath it, we had to get an over-the-toilet organizer to store our toiletries. Another fun thing we did is turn the linen closet into my "dresser" area since the closets are so small.

The master bedroom! We love our room!!!

It was a little strange to put our bed against the wall with a window, but we just put up our curtains anyway! I want to eventually get a longer rod so that the curtains go out all the way across the length of the bed.

We have never had end tables in our bedroom until now! Since our bed is so high, average-sized end tables just don't cut it. In our old place, we had bookcases on either side of the bed that we used as end tables but in this house, the room wasn't big enough for that. I found these end tables at an antique store- they are from the 20s, which I loved because they fit the feel of our house so well. They actually used to be the ends of a large vanity and were taken apart and made into 2 tables. They are some of my favorite pieces.

The NotWedding 2011

2011-09-13T20:32:00.000-04:00

The NotWedding 2011 was in July and it was a BLAST!! Our friends, Calley and Michal, really outdid themselves this year. They did a fabulous job putting this whole thing together and pulled off a great event! Next year, they are planning on producing this event in 3 cities (Atlanta, San Diego, and Orlando), so it is really taking off. Jake and I are so proud of them for their hard work!

Check out some pictures below! If you want to see the rest of the pictures, you can see them on The NotWedding's Facebook page here or on their website. Also, go here to see a list of all the people who pulled this thing together and showcased their talents!

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I LOVED the theming for this event- they did a great job with pulling everything together!

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The beautiful bride and groom of the evening, Caroline and Drew!

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I absolutely loved the table decor. It was so tasteful and beautiful- every table was different! Fun fact: Calley's dad built every single farm table to be used for the event! He is a seriously wonderful woodworker! They are for rent through Ambient+Studios, too! If you are interested in renting them, go here.

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I loved the idea of using a flash card for the table number- so creative!

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The altar was so neat as well- the lanterns were handmade and the stage was made of pallets!

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The band, A Town A List, was amazing! Ryan Stewart, who sings with North Point Ministries, manages it. They are really awesome and kept the tunes going all night long! We danced so much my feet were killing me the next day.

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The lovely bridesmaids!

Happy 60th anniversary Pop and Grandma!

2011-09-08T22:50:00.008-04:00

Jacob's grandparents, Pop and Grandma, celebrated SIXTY years of marriage this summer!! WOW!

We knew we all had to do something big and fun to celebrate them, so the entire family decided to head down to Seaside, where Pop and Grandma own a condo, and spend a long weekend there together! We all rented a bunch of condos in their building so everyone was able to stay in the same place. If you don't already know, Jacob has a HUGE family! Pop and Grandma have 5 kids and they all have kids who have kids who have kids. Get the picture? His family is massive-- which is super fun!

We had a big dinner for them on Saturday night to celebrate. Before the trip, every family filmed a short video congratulating them on their anniversary and telling them how much they mean to everyone. Jacob's aunt, Debbie, put it all together into a DVD that we got to watch that night. It was really sweet and I think Pop and Grandma felt incredibly special. The gift that we all got them was really neat too. All of their grandchildren loved playing with these fake apples that Pop and Grandma have at their house. It is a strong memory that all of the kids have and they each talk about how they vividly remember playing with these apples growing up. So as a gift from the grandchildren, we bought some really nice marble apples that we each signed our name on. We put them in a basket for them so they could have something to visualize how much their family has grown! It was really neat and turned out awesome.

They really are an amazing couple and it is so exciting to see them still together and happy after all these years. Congrats Pop and Grandma for 60 years! Thanks for being an inspiration to us all....

Friday night was my birthday and Jake's dad was so sweet to plan this amazing dinner for me that night! The only requirement we had for this dinner was to bring a fork and a chair :) We had a delicious dinner right on the beach at sunset. It was so fun.

Of course we couldn't have a massive family trip without matching t-shirts?!? Here's a pic of everyone on Friday night wearing their t-shirts in commemoration of Pop and Grandma. The shirts turned out so cute. Samantha, our cousin who graduated from Auburn with a degree in Graphic Design, designed them! They say "Party like it's 1951," which is the year that Pop and Grandma got married.

Jake giving a thumbs up about his shirt

Beach picture of the whole family! Awesome!

Pop and Grandma- aren't they sweet?

The Willis clan

Tim, Jen, Mackenzie, and David

Calley, Josh, and little Josh

Me and Jake

Pop and Grandma with all of their grandchildren after their dinner

Happy birthday to me!

2011-09-08T22:43:00.003-04:00

For my birthday this year, my mom gave me the best present ever....a trip to the spa! We went to our mountain house in Hiawassee, which is right next to Brasstown Valley. Brasstown Valley just opened up a new spa, so of course we had to try it out :) We went up to the mountains to spend the weekend and got a little pampering in while we were there! We got manicures, pedicures, facials, and massages. It was heaven and I loved spending the weekend with just my mom! Thanks mom :)

Getting pampered!

Dressed up for dinner

The view from the spa...so beautiful!

What have we been up to this summer?

2011-09-08T21:52:00.011-04:00

Well, let's just say that things have been a little busy over at the Willis household this summer!

I started out the summer going on a week-long retreat to Panama City beach with my high school small group! I had a great time with the girls and the retreat was really fun. The theme was "Back in the Day" and we talked about how we couldn't know where we were going in our faith, if we didn't know where we came from. It was really neat how we went all the way back to Genesis and talked about creation and how we were created in the image of God. It was a great week full of fun and learning!

I love this picture- it is so refreshing to see how high schoolers can worship so unashamedly! It is a huge reminder to me to worship the Lord fully and with all my heart.

Our girls! Aren't they precious?

All dressed up for our 80s dance party- so fun!

The new North Point Ministries campus, Gwinnett Church, hosted an outdoor concert at Suwanee Town Center and we went with our good friends- Austin and Elizabeth, Ben and Audrey, Brad and Anna, Lindsey and Duran, and Tiffany. It was a great time and such a fun thing to do on a summer evening.

Group shot.

The kids had so much fun!!

Jacob, Duran, Austin, and Ben

Elizabeth, Audrey, me, and Lindsey

In August, we took a trip to Cozumel, Mexico!!! We went with my dad and stepmom and had such a great time. We swam with dolphins, went deep sea fishing, and scuba diving! We even brushed up on our Spanish :)

Deep sea fishing!

Jacob caught a tuna!

Eating the tuna that Jake caught when we went fishing...it was delicious! As fresh as it can be!

The whole group in a HUGE chair at Margaritaville.

One Saturday, I drove up to Athens to meet up with all of the girls that I was in small group with in college- we had a little reunion and it was so nice!! We really had a great time catching up and spending time together. Love them!

Amanda, Hannah, me, Rachel, Ashley, Caitlin, and Julie

For Labor Day weekend, Liane and I flew down to Ft. Lauderdale to visit our bestie, Christa, who is living there and going to NOVA law school. We had a GREAT time together and loved being able to spend so much time together since she moved away from Georgia.

More celebrations

2011-08-02T22:04:00.009-04:00

I was waiting on these until the news was released, but we are so excited for even MORE friends who are expecting little ones in the near future!!

Kyle and Tricia are having their first baby, due at the end of February. Kyle and Jacob used to work together at CareerBuilder and we became instant friends with them! We also lead our high school small groups with them, which has proved to be a fun adventure that we have been able to go on together.

Julie and Rob are expecting their first child as well, due on February 22nd. Julie was on staff with Campus Outreach and was my Discipleship group leader in college and I just admire her so much! Jake and I also know Rob from college and he was a part of the team I was on when I spent the summer in South Africa.

This one is not baby related, but my college roommate, Kelsey (far left), just graduated from grad school at Georgia State for physical therapy! It was a 3 year program and I know it was so so hard. I am so proud of her for all the hard work she put into it and could not be happier for her now that she has graduated! We had a blast celebrating her success. We all will be calling her Dr. Kelsey Van Camp from now on :)

A world of congratulations!

2011-08-02T21:57:00.011-04:00

We have so many fun things to celebrate these days!

I guess when you are at our age and stage of life, there always seem to be lots of things going on with our friends and family. We have been so happy to share in the joy and excitement of lots of good news lately! Romans 12:15 says to "Rejoice with those who rejoice..." and we are rejoicing!!

Our friends from college, Hannah and Craig, are welcoming their first baby (a girl!) on October 8, 2011! Almost there! We are so pumped for them- they will make excellent parents!

My coworker, Emily, and her husband, Gary, welcomed their little guy, Charlie, into the world on July 10th, 2011. He struggled with breathing on his own, and ended up being in the NICU for 14 days. It was a happy day when he was able to go home to spend time with his mom, dad, and big brother, Sam!

Another coworker, Courtney, and her husband, Ryan, are welcoming their first baby (a boy!) at the end of November! It has been so fun to experience this pregnancy with Courtney day in and day out at the office- we are so excited for Ryder's arrival!

Our friends, Jessica and Reed, are expecting their first baby in September! They are such a sweet couple and we are so excited for them and their little bundle of joy!

Our cousins, EW and Lizzy, welcomed the newest addition to their family, Grant, on May 13th, 2011. He is absolutely precious and is getting so big already! They have a daughter, Claire, who is just adorable and loving her little brother!

Brandon and Megan are expecting their second baby (a girl!) THIS MONTH! So exciting! Their little girl, Milla, is just precious and is going to be such a good big sister!

Matt and Lindsay are expecting their first baby on November 18th! They are waiting to find out the sex of the baby, so it will be a fun surprise!

My college roommate, Karen (front left), recently graduated from grad school at Mercer University and will be a 2nd grade teacher at Christ the King School starting this school year! I am so proud of her for all of the hard work she has done to get to this point! This photo was taken at Karen's graduation party :)

Josh and Rachel welcomed their first little one, Caleb Michael, into the world on July 8th, 2011. He is absolutely precious!!

This one is long overdue, but David and Callie had a sweet baby girl, Wells Amelia, last September-- she turns 1 this year on September 11th! They are fabulous parents and it has been so fun to watch them through this!!

My college friend and big sis from my sorority, Meghan, and her husband, Tom, are expecting their first baby!! We are so thrilled for them and this new phase in their life. "Jellybean" is due on January 28th, 2012.

Our super sweet friends, Ben and Audrey, are expecting their second little one (a girl!) at the end of December. They already have the sweetest little boy and we are so excited for the arrival of the addition to their family!

Our friends, Douglas and Laura, got married on June 17, 2011. They started dating when we were in college and it has been a true joy to watch their relationship grow! They are a wonderful couple.

My college roommate, Lisa, and her boyfriend, Jonathan, got engaged at the end of June. Lisa and Jonathan have been dating as long as I have known them, so I was super excited when this day finally came! They are planning a March 2012 wedding.

Our friend, Danielle, got engaged to her boyfriend, Michael on July 6th. Danielle is the sister of our good friend, Duran, and is also one of our interns this summer in Waumba Land at Buckhead Church! They are planning an August 2012 wedding.

Happy Father's Day! 2011

2011-07-22T12:45:00.001-04:00

So I really stink at taking pictures sometimes, so I don't have any pictures from Father's Day this year, but I didn't want to let the time pass without talking about our amazing dads!! Just like Jake and I are blessed with 3 amazing moms, we are also blessed with 3 amazing dads! We are so so lucky :)

Our dad are always there for us, always support us, and always take care of us no matter what. They are a beautiful picture of unconditional love!! They are all so selfless and giving to us and others and are a wonderful example of the qualities that I know I will see in Jacob when he becomes a dad one day! We are so so lucky to have men in our lives who are such wonderful examples to us of husbands and fathers!

My stepdad, Mike

My dad, Kent

Jacob's dad, Tim (AKA Willie)

A year ago

2011-07-16T22:55:00.003-04:00

Many of you may remember the roller coaster of our life last year around this time with thinking we were buying a house then having everything fall through at the last minute (and the many implications that came with it). It's hard to believe that it's been a full year since all of that happened. As I sit back and reflect on the past year and all of the changes that we have been through, all I can think about is God's provision for us in making all of our dreams come true! No, it did not include us buying a house, but it has been so much better than that.

Soon after we moved into our town home, I got my dream job working at Buckhead Church with the preschool ministry, Waumba Land, and Jacob got a new and amazing job working for at IT company called Bluewave Computing. With both of us working closer to Atlanta, the commute from Cumming was wearing on us. But since we didn't own a house, we had the freedom to move as soon as we could get out of our lease!! Only 8 months after moving to Cumming, we make the trek to Atlanta and are now renting an adorable bungalow in Brookhaven.

We recently found out that "our house" ended up selling for WAY less than what we were under contract for and the market in the neighborhood has significantly dropped in the past year. The implications of this for us could have been staggering and I am so thankful that God spared us from those! We would've been living in a house that we couldn't have gotten our money back out of, not to mention living in Cumming while we both worked in Atlanta. It would have been a financial disaster for us.

No, I wouldn't advise moving twice in one year and getting 2 new jobs at the same time! Although a huge blessing, it was a stressful time of change and transition. However, we knew that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28) and we clung to that in the midst of the stress. Now, looking back, we are so incredibly grateful that God spared us from the heartache that would have eventually come through owning that house. It would have surely been more than what we experienced when our contract fell through. And while we didn't know what was to come at the time, it has been an incredibly wonderful journey to see God's plan for us unfold over the past year, knowing that he had this in mind the whole time.

While I know this pales in comparison to what others have been through or are experiencing at this very moment, it was one of the first times in our young marriage where our faith was truly tested. We have been extremely fortunate that we have not had many bumps in the road of life over the past 3 years of our marriage. It was a refining time period for us as husband and wife and one that I wanted to be sure to document- both in the midst of it and after the time had passed.

We absolutely LOVE where we live, where we work, and the friends we have made here. We are having the time of our lives and it's all thanks to a loving, caring God who really does want the best for us.

And at the end of it all, we are thankful.

Thank you!!

2011-07-15T08:48:00.005-04:00

I cannot express how amazing it is to see a church family rally together to accomplish great things. We have officially reached our goal of raising $1.1 million for our new Waumba Land space!!!! WOW!!!

I don't know about you, but it is difficult for me to fathom exactly how much money that is. But I am extremely grateful for those who gave to our efforts (some people gave very large amount of money) and that we are able to complete this project without worrying about how to pay for it. There will be so many more families and preschoolers who will be able to attend our church and learn about God because of this addition to our space. It is so exciting to me that the people of our church have been so involved in this project, whether they are parents of preschoolers or not. A lot of them gave just out of the pure love in their heart for the mission of our church: to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. What a beautiful thing.

Thank you to all of you who gave, passed the word along, prayed, or just encouraged us as a staff as we walked through this process of fundraising and construction. We are so so incredibly grateful. Check out the Buckhead Church blog to see a short video of our pastor, Billy Phenix, announcing the good news this past Sunday!

P.S. The fun part about having this new space is that we need new volunteers to fill it with loving arms for preschoolers. If you are interested in serving or just finding out more information about volunteering with Waumba Land, you can text the word WAUMBA to 313131 and we will get back with you!

I must be crazy....

2011-06-24T09:16:00.002-04:00

....because I am about to spend the week with 9 high school girls in Panama City beach! Prayers please! :)

For your reading pleasure....

2011-06-15T22:39:00.005-04:00

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Some of my latest articles....enjoy!

Does Low-Sodium Fast Food Exist?

10 DIY Wedding Favors Your Guests Will Love

10 Great Ways Your Family Can Help Clean Local Parks

10 Fashion Lessons We Can Learn from Jackie

Your Quick and Painless Guide to Planning the Rehearsal Dinner

5 Things Parents Should Do Before a Daughter Gets Married

Waumba Land is still growing!

2011-06-09T22:04:00.006-04:00

The Waumba Land expansion is going SO well and I wanted to give you an update on our progress!

So much has happened since my last post! We are only 12% away from reaching our goal of raising $1.1 million, which is absolutely incredible to me. I am blown away by the selflessness of the people of our church! Really....it is so awesome that our church is supporting us the way that they are. So many families will be able to benefit from this- it's truly amazing.

Here are some recent pictures I took of the hall:

Our new entrance

The lobby

Hallway

One of the classrooms

One of the most exciting parts of this renovation, I think, is the giant sun that is going to be on the ceiling right in the center of our new lobby! There is a sun in the middle of our Waumba Land logo, so that's where the idea came from. We wanted the sun to be extra awesome, so it will be lit by LED lights. The pole that comes down in the middle of the sun will also be decorated with lights and other fun things (more on that later). Let's just say it's going to be pretty incredible. Check it out:

Getting ready to install the sun!

And the sun is shining! So cool! Excited to see this in action as we complete more of the renovation!

If you want to help us finish out the 12% that we have yet to raise for this project, check out our website for more information and to donate online.

Happy 3 year anniversary!

2011-06-09T11:30:00.003-04:00

Jake and I celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary this week! We have had such a great time over the past 3 years and it seems like it has flown by. We were talking about all of the things that we have done this past year, and the list was pretty extensive! It was a bit of a crazy year for us.... we moved twice, we both got new jobs, we both got new cars, we did some traveling, and tons of other stuff! It has been a crazy, but fun, ride! We are both excited for the many more years to come in our marriage and the many more crazy things that we get to experience together as husband and wife.

Congrats Tyler!

2011-06-09T11:28:00.000-04:00

Our friend, Tyler, is a phenomenal singer and has put together a little band called Tyler Williams and the Truck Stop Drifters. They had their first show this week at Grid-Iron Sports Grill in Suwanee and Jake and I were thrilled to go support them! I will post some information when they have more shows because it's definitely something you will want to check out! There's nothing better than some good, live music.

Tyler, we are so proud of you!!!

The band

Me, Jake, Tyler, and friends Michal and Josh

Happy birthday Jacob!

2011-06-08T18:08:00.003-04:00

Happy 27th birthday to my wonderful husband! We celebrated with a trip down to Turner Field for the Braves game and had a great time! Here's to another great year!

Jacob with our friends, John and Tyler

The whole gang

I love this man :)

Miss Maggie May

2011-05-27T12:32:00.004-04:00

I babysit for 2 of the most wonderful and sweet little girls and I just have to share about them! I'm like a proud momma even though I'm not their momma :)

I got connected with the family through my friend, Callie, and have been babysitting for them for about 2 years now. Maggie is 5 and Abby just turned 3 and they are just the absolute sweetest girls in the world. I LOVE babysitting for them and really do miss them after I haven't seen them for a while. Their mom, Beth, is a wonderful lady and I have really really enjoyed getting to know her and we have formed a really great friendship over the years. She always emails me pictures of the girls and lets me know about all of their recitals and plays! I love that about her and love being kept in the loop with the girls so I can go see them as often as I can!

Maggie just had a dance recital the other week and Jake and I were able to go to it, which was such a blessing. It has been a while since I have been able to sit for them, so I have really been missing them!

Me and Abby...she is so squirmy now and is so active! It was quite a feat to get this picture even if she wasn't looking at the camera :)

Maggie, the dancing queen!

Sisters

Me with the star of the show! Isn't she just precious??

My trash TV obsession

2011-05-27T12:12:00.005-04:00

Ok so I admit it: I love watching The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. I know its trashy TV, but I just can't help it! I get sucked in every time and have to watch every season.

This season on The Bachelorette, Ashley Hebert will be trying to find true love (Ha! Isn't that a statement...) on the show after being rejected by Brad Womack on last season of The Bachelor. The season premiere was last week, and of course I had to throw a party!

I tried out some delicious new recipes and I just had to share them with you...they are keepers!

1. Rose Cupcakes: Okay so these are just cupcakes made from boxed cake mix, but my friend, Meghan, posted this great tutorial on how to make roses out of icing, so of course I had to put roses on the cupcakes! How fitting :) Check out the tutorial here.

2. Hummus and Pita chips: I know it's hard to believe, but I did make the hummus AND the pita chips homemade! It was delicious. Check out both recipes from Real Simple magazine hereand here.

3. Goat Cheese with Pistachios and Cranberries: This one was my favorite!! There was just something SO delicious about the creamy cheese with the salty nuts and sweet cranberries. And this one was definitely the easiest to make! I WILL be making this one time and time again. This one is also from Real Simple- check it out here.

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4. Caramelized onion and feta cheese pastry bites: Okay, so I didn't make these, but I bought them from Trader Joes and they are so so so good! Seriously, they are delicious. Once you eat one, you will be hooked.

Enjoy!

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-27T11:35:00.007-04:00

I know I'm a little late on this one, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to talk about how much I love my momma!! She is the absolute BEST!! My sister and I were blessed to be able to celebrate with our mom and Oma this year on Mother's Day over a delicious lunch. They are both fabulous mothers and we are so so lucky that they are in our lives! They are both loving, caring, generous, thoughtful, fun, and so much more! They have taught me so much over the years and I love them so much.

3 generations!

Jacob also has a wonderful mother and we had so much fun getting to celebrate her with a yummy brunch at Josh and Calley's house! Marcie has been such a wonderful mother to the boys and as daughter-in-laws, we are all so blessed that she raised boys who love the Lord and love their families. They are all fabulous boys. She is also a great mom to us girls as well and we are constantly counting our blessings that we have such a wonderful mother-in-law.

Marcie and her boys

Jake and I are also blessed to have ANOTHER mom in our life- my stepmom, Denny! We had a great time celebrating her as well on Mother's Day! She is a wonderful mother to us and treats us like her very own. We are blessed to have her in our lives!

And no, I'm not a mother yet, but Jake did a great job making me feel special on Mother's Day as well! :)

The NotWedding is BACK!

2011-05-20T18:53:00.005-04:00

Remember this?

Well, it's back for the 4th year in a row!! And back with a bang, might I add!

You many remember that Jake and I were so thrilled to be the Bride and Groom for the 2nd NotWedding...it was such an amazing experience and we had a blast! We are super excited to be a part of it this year as well and cannot wait for the event! This year's NotWedding is seriously going above and beyond! Our good friend, Michal Whitlock, joined The NotWedding team this year and she is just doing an amazing job with helping Calley pull this whole thing off!

So how are we involved this year? Well, Jacob and his team did a fabulous job designing and developing the website (check it out here) and I have been chosen to be part of their Marketing Team. Basically, I get to talk about how awesome the event is on all platforms. It's not hard. It's pretty dang awesome.

Last week, Jake and I were invited to the rehearsal dinner to meet the vendors, mingle with this year's Bride and Groom, and enjoy a deliciously catered dinner by Sun in My Belly (who will be catering The NotWedding as well)! It was so much fun. Here are a few pictures from the event and a little sneak peek of just how awesome this year's NotWedding will be!

This year's event will be at Ambient + Studio on July 21st, 2011. You won't want to miss it! If you want to know more about what this thing is all about or want to buy tickets, just go to the website!

Zesty Chicken Orzo and Spinach Raspberry Salad

2011-05-03T19:44:00.005-04:00

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We tried this recipe the other night from Publix Apron meals and it was delicious! Had a nice kick to it but was cooled down by the oranges in the salad....really good!

Zesty Chicken Orzo

What you need:

1/4 cup mayo

1 packet onion gravy mix

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken cutlets

1 1/2 cups water

1 10 oz. can mild diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained

8 oz. orzo pasta

What you do:

Combine mayo and dry gravy mix in a bowl. Stir in chicken until evenly coated. Cook chicken on medium-high heat and cook until lightly browned. Stir in water, tomatoes (undrained) and orzo until well blended. Cover and cook for 4-5 more minutes or until hot and bubbly. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until most liquid is absorbed and orzo is tender.

Spinach Raspberry Salad

What you need:

1 bag spinach leaves

1 11 oz. can mandarin oranges in light syrup, well drained

1/2 cup pre-diced tomatoes or grape tomatoes

1/4 cup raspberry vinaigrette dressing

What you do:

Place all ingredients except dressing in a salad bowl. Add dressing and toss.

She's here!

2011-04-27T19:28:00.005-04:00

Jordyn Jace Schaeffer

8 lbs. 5 oz. 20 inches

April 25, 2011, 5:12 PM

Cody and Paul with the new addition to their family!

Baby Jordyn and Paul's daughter, Payton

Uncle Jacob and Aunt Jessica- the coolest aunt and uncle around!!

Congratulations Cody and Paul

2011-04-19T14:39:00.000-04:00

My stepsister, Cody, is expecting her first baby this month and we had so much fun helping to throw her a shower! She is having a girl and they are naming her Jordyn- so cute! We are excited for her arrival- she will be here any day now!

Sisters

Cody with her high school friends

Mom with her girls

Waumba Land Grows!

2011-04-12T19:32:00.001-04:00

I feel so blessed to be a part of leading people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ at Buckhead Church and I absolutely LOVE that I get to spend my time at work doing just that. For 10 years now, Buckhead Chuch has been continuing to grow and lead people to Jesus and we are now starting to run out of space!

Our preschool environment, Waumba Land, is bursting at the seams and we have just started a huge renovation to make room for more families to come to our church. Right now, we are averaging 750 children on Sunday and that number keeps getting bigger and bigger. We know that if we want to reach more people for Christ, we need to have space to accommodate preschoolers and families. As a part of the Waumba Land staff, this renovation is extremely exciting and I am so thrilled to be a part of making room for all of the wonderful families that walk through our doors. Not to mention we will be able to help lay a foundation of faith for hundreds of preschoolers as we aim for them to understand 3 truths before they start kindergarten: God made me, God loves me, and Jesus wants to be my friend forever!

Of course, a project like this costs lots of money, right? We are currently working to raise $1.1 million to cover the cost of this renovation. Feel free to visit our campaign website to watch a short video from our campus pastor, Billy Phenix, and to donate or pledge online. We are super excited to see what the Lord will continue to do through our ministry and our church as we create more space for our little ones!

Here are some pictures of the renovations so far:

Everyone who had an office on the 1st floor has moved up to the 4th floor (we are all like one big happy family up there) to make room for our new Waumba Land classrooms. The renovation has started!

This was taken just a couple of weeks ago- the framing is going up! Progress is looking good!

I just took this picture today- they have started closing in the rooms and it's really easy to now see where everything is going to be!

We got a new vacuum!

2011-04-09T19:07:00.003-04:00

I have been dying to get a new vacuum and I finally just went out and bought one! I ended up getting a Shark Navigator and I LOVE IT. I honestly didn't do a lot of research on what to buy, I just made an impulsive shopping trip to Target and left with a new vacuum. Ha! I have a Shark Steam Mop and love it too, so I thought this would be a great addition to our cleaning supplies. I was so excited when I got it home and could not wait to use it! Jacob said he thought I was happier with my vacuum than I was on the day of our wedding. I WAS that excited about it, but I was still more excited on our wedding day :)

Hey, it's the small things.....

Happy birthday to Big Josh and Little Josh!

2011-04-09T19:01:00.004-04:00

Jacob's brother, Josh, and his son, who is also Josh, have birthdays one day apart from each other, so it was fun to do a joint party with them to celebrate their big days! It was Little Josh's 1st birthday as well, so it was definitely a benchmark birthday at the Willis house! We had a great time with everyone!

The brothers- Josh, Tim, and Jacob

Big Josh got a Vitamix for his birthday!

Birthday cake for the grown-ups

Little Josh got his own small cake that he could completely demolish! It was pretty funny watching him eat it- it was like he did not know what to do with all that cake!

Can a girl have too many pairs of shoes?

2011-04-03T21:38:00.000-04:00

I have to share this awesome shoe-find with you all.....I LOVE these shoes! I bought them about a few months ago and wear them all the time. And they were only $30 from Target- what a steal! They were also in this month's edition of Everyday with Rachael Ray :) Get 'em here.

Park City = LOVE

2011-04-02T21:06:00.008-04:00

Right after we made our big move to Atlanta, we took a ski trip with our family to Park City, Utah!! I know...we are crazy for taking such a big trip right after our move but you only live once, right? I have to say it was pretty funny having to dig through boxes while trying to pack our suitcases....

We went with 15 of Jake's family members and stayed together in a ski-in/ski-out house right on the mountain. It was amazing. We skied for 4 days straight and had an absolute blast! I do have to say that although we are very young, all of that skiing definitely took a toll on our bodies....we were sore for a week after we got home! We both had some pretty bad falls too, so that didn't help any. Ha! We had a great time and loved hanging out with our family for the week!

Props to Jacob's aunt, Mary Kay, for the awesome pictures!

Huddled inside trying to get out of the crazy wind at the top of the mountain!

With Jake's parents, Marcie and Tim

Is my husband the coolest or what?

The whole crew (minus a few cousins)

Welcome Britain!

2011-04-02T20:59:00.006-04:00

Our friends, John and Aimee, welcomed their beautiful daughter, Britain, last week and we are so excited for this wonderful addition to their family! They will be moving to Texas shortly, as John got a new job working for The 410 Bridge. We are happy to walk with them through this exciting transition in their lives and want to soak up lots of time with them before they make their big move! They are going to be precious parents and it will be so fun to watch little Britain grow!

Britain Grace Flores

March 25, 2011

7 lbs. 2 oz.

21 inches

2011-03-26T16:22:00.004-04:00

I realized that I haven't posted any of my articles lately....and I have written a bunch since I last posted about them in October! So here they are if you want to check them out:

Is a destination wedding right for you?

5 Tips for Your Maid of Honor Speech

Buff for the Big Day: 10 Best Exercises for Brides

10 Things your Decorator Doesn't Want You to Know

10 Ways to Change your Loser Parent Image

10 Best Oscar Dresses Ever

10 Royal Wedding Dresses to Inspire Your Wedding Day Look

What's a royal honeymoon like?

10 Horrific Details You Shouldn't Share in a Wedding Toast

Home Sweet Home

2011-03-07T17:19:00.003-05:00

We have officially moved into our new house! We are so excited to be in Brookhaven and are absolutely loving it! Will post more pictures as we get settled.....Come visit us! :)

Welcome to the world!

2011-03-02T17:45:00.003-05:00

Congrats to our good friends, Duran and Lindsey, who welcomed their baby boy, Beckam, into the world! Jake and I are so excited for them and cannot wait to watch him grow! He is just precious....

Beckam Willis

February 21, 2011

9 lbs. 7 oz.

Moving ITP

2011-02-17T21:56:00.004-05:00

[source]

With all of the recent job changes that Jacob and I have had, we are making the move to the big city! That's right, we are moving to Atlanta! I know, I know....we just moved! Trust me, we are completely overwhelmed with the thought of moving twice in the span of one year. However, both of us are commuting a very long way to work every day, and it just makes sense for us to make the leap! We are actually very excited about the move and can't wait to make Atlanta our home!

We would like to buy a house, but we have never lived in Atlanta before, so we are planning to rent for 6-8 months to get a feel for what area we would like to end up before we dive into such a big investment. We are currently looking for a house to rent in the Brookhaven/Buckhead area, so if you know of someone who needs a renter, let us know!

Here's to being a professional mover!

Jacob has a new job!

2011-02-17T21:24:00.007-05:00

Many of you know that Jacob started his own company a few years ago, called Profound Creative, doing web design/development and has been working so hard at it ever since. Through a friend of mine from high school, he was able to make a great contact with an IT company called BlueWave Computing.

BlueWave does a lot of different things, but they did not do website design or development, so they contracted Jacob's company out for their client's web needs. This proved to be a great business relationship and Jacob got a lot of work from them. Recently, they have seen a great need to have their own internal web department because of all of the business they are getting, and they have asked Jacob to come on their team to be the head of that department! It took a lot of thought because that meant that he would have to leave entrepreneurship, but in the end, we felt that it was a really great career opportunity for him! So he is now an employee of BlueWave Computing in their Consulting division.

We are so excited for this new phase of our lives and I could not be more proud of my wonderful husband! He has worked so hard to get where he is now and I truly admire him for his work ethic and determination to do whatever it takes to do what he loves!

I got a new car!

2011-02-17T21:19:00.003-05:00

It was bittersweet to see my old car go.....I have been driving it since I was 17 and it holds so many fun memories for me but I am so excited about my new ride!

Out with the old....

....and in with the new!

MyLife 2011

2011-02-17T20:55:00.005-05:00

The other weekend, Tricia and I had the fabulous opportunity to go on a retreat with our high school small group! It was a local retreat, so all of the sessions were at North Point and we stayed at a host home. We used our house as the host home this year, which sure was an experience! It's not every day that you have 12 high schoolers spend the weekend at your house :) We had so much fun with the girls- we love retreats because they are such a great time for our group to bond together.

The theme of the weekend was Pressure, and it was a great thing for us to be able to talk about as a small group. The whole weekend, we talked about the fact that we are influenced by so many things around us and because of that, it is easy for us to be persuaded to be just about anyone unless we can stand firm in who we are in Christ. The girls were really able to explore the person that they want to become and then understand that knowing who you are and who you want to be helps you to not be influenced by things that cause you step outside of that! The bottom line at the end of the weekend was that we are called to be like Jesus and the best way to become more LIKE Him is to be influenced BY Him!

My amazing co-leader, Tricia! I love this girl and am so glad that I get to lead this group with her!

We had some free time on Saturday where we get to pick a free time activity. This year, we decided to have a pizza-making competition!!! We broke the girls up into 3 teams and took them to the grocery store so they could get the ingredients they needed for their pizzas. Then, we all went back to my house and each team got to make their pizza. Of course, we baked them and then ate them!! They were delicious and it was so much fun.

I love these girls!!!

Oh Baby!

2011-01-29T18:38:00.008-05:00

Today, some of us girls threw a baby shower for our good friend, Lindsey! Lindsey and her husband, Duran, are welcoming their first child, a baby boy named Beckam, next month and we were so thrilled to be able to throw a fabulous shower for her! We centered the shower around a Woodland theme to match the decor that Lindsey is using for the nursery. It turned out so cute- we had such a great time getting the food and decorations together. The shower was really fun, too! Lindsey had a great time, and that's what it was all about! We are so excited to meet their little bundle of joy!

The invitation

The centerpiece on one of the tables

The drink bar- citrus water, orange juice, and Izzy drinks

The party favors for guests- sprinkle covered marshmallows!

The food buffet! It was a brunch shower, so we had a delicious spread of brunch foods.

Sweet Lindsey getting ready to open her gifts

She racked up!

Lindsey with the shower hosts: Tiffany, Elizabeth, Audrey, and me

Lindsey and her sister-in-law

Lindsey with her mom and mother-in-law

SNOW DAY(S)!

2011-01-16T22:44:00.007-05:00

I cannot believe how much snow we got last week!! We had a record amount in Georgia and the schools were shut down for 5 days! It started snowing late on Sunday night and did not stop- I think we ended up with 5-7 inches at our house. We weren't even able to get out of our house until Wednesday night. It is now a week later and there is still snow and ice on the ground everywhere! It was absolutely crazy outside, but it made for a really great time with our friends!

Josh, Michal, Tyler, and Courtney were over on Sunday night and got snowed in with us for the week and we had a blast! We were also lucky that Matt and Liane live within walking distance of our house, so they were able to come play with us too! The boys found a great sledding hill down the street, so we did plenty of sledding (not to mention eating, sleeping, and watching movies). We did have to work during the day a bit, but even that was fun with everyone around! Bottom line: I absolutely love snow days!

Tyler and Courtney

Me and Jake

Josh and Michal

Matt and Liane

Josh and Michal's dog, Jack, joined us as well and had a great time playing with Tucker! They LOVED the snow!!

I love this picture of the boys :)

OK this one is really good too....

Going 3 deep on the sled!

This is what our house looked like for 3 days straight...it was a free for all!

A nice warm soup dinner...loved sitting around the table with such close friends!

Just a taste of how awesome our sledding was :)

Happy New Year!

2011-01-16T22:34:00.004-05:00

Every year, we spend New Years with Jacob's family in Phenix City, Alabama and we always have such a great time! This year was no exception....

Our friends Josh and Michal (far left) always join us for the fun and we love ringing in the New Year with them!

All of the ladies

All of the family around the infamous chocolate fountain....

Women of the family

(From left to right: Samantha, me, Mary Kay, Marcie, Lauren, Calley)

We are excited to see what 2011 brings us!!

We love our small group

2010-12-28T15:05:00.004-05:00

We always have a Christmas get-together with our small group before we break for the holidays and this year, we had so much fun at our dinner at Chase and Tiffany's! Jacob and I are so lucky to be part of a group of friends who we really do life with. The past year has been crazy for all of us with numerous things including job changes, moves, babies, death, hardships, and celebrations. It has been wonderful, through it all, to be able to be surrounded by so many people who not only care about you, but are encouraging and supportive through those life changes. They are some of the best friends that we have and we are so blessed to be part of each other's lives! We always have so much fun with them and really treasure our time together.

Group shot!

The guys

The girls

This picture makes me laugh! It is such a good picture of how much fun we have together!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T15:01:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from our family to yours! Wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season!

Unique New York

2010-12-23T09:31:00.001-05:00

At the beginning of the month, Jacob and I went on a trip to New York with my dad and stepmom! We had SO much fun. It was Jacob's first trip to see the big city, so we all had a blast showing him around town. It's always better to talk about trips through pictures, so here we go!

We stayed at the Roosevelt Hotel, which was right around the corner from Times Square and Rockefeller Center. Great location for walking everywhere!

Take one wild guess as to where this was taken...Macy's!! It is the most famous department store, so of course we had to go and check it out. It was absolutely insane and we ended up not staying long. Claustrophobia was starting to set in!

We had lunch one day at the famous Katz Deli! It was delicious! Made famous because of the food, but also because a scene from When Harry Met Sally was filmed here. Notice the huge line to get in!!!

We took the Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty, which is so beautiful. It is common knowledge that the French gave the statue to us as a gift signifying our friendship, established during the American Revolution. What we did learn on this trip, however, is that they gave us the statue with no base! It was an agreement that the US would provide a pedestal. But back in the old days (the 1800s), the USA did not just buy things that they did not have the money for (imagine that)! So the government used various events and fundraising opportunities to raise the money necessary to build the pedestal. It was finally completed in 1886 and the statue was assembled and then dedicated in October of 1886.

This is one of my favorite views of the city. This was taken from the back of the Staten Island Ferry as we were leaving Manhattan. It is just beautiful!

My dad's favorite bar in New York (and now ours!) is McSorley's Old Ale House. It is New York's oldest operating saloon. They only serve pints of ale there and when you order, you get 2 pints of ale per order. This is funny, because everyone you see is walking around with all this beer in their hands!

We made some friends at McSorley's who told us to check out this great Italian place around the corner, called Frank. It was delicious!!! The best part is that the main room of the restaurant is one big table, so you end up sitting at this huge family-style table with a bunch of strangers. A great way to make friends! The food was absolutely delicious as well.

During one of our day outings, we went on a studio tour of NBC studios, which was pretty neat. We saw the set of Dr. Oz, Jimmy Fallon, and Saturday Night Live and also learned a lot of fun trivia along the way. One of my favorites was that they started applying make-up to the cast with an airbrush rather than a sponge because HD television has such clarity that you could see the sponge marks! Also another fun bit: when celebrities come on the show and dress up as a character and have to wear a mask, they take a head cast of them in advance and then make the mask based off that to make wardrobe changes easier and quicker. The funny thing is that the head casts are extremely accurate and have to be done often (for those on the show frequently) because of weight changes and things like that. Justin Timberlake got one done when he had chapped lips and so now his mask has chapped lips too!

Just taking a break and having a beer at one of the many pubs around New York!

Ground Zero. They had already been working on the construction for the new memorial that will be in place there.

The beautiful St. Patrick's Cathedral. It is absolutely breathtaking....

One of the awesome things we did was go to the top of the Rockefeller Center, cleverly called the Top of the Rock. We did this instead of going to the top of the Empire State Building. The cool thing about going to the Top of the Rock is that you can actually SEE the Empire State Building!! It was an awesome view of the city, including the famous monument :)

Of course we couldn't go to New York without taking a carriage ride through Central Park!

Checking out the Plaza

Times Square

On our last night there, we went to check out this rooftop bar called 230 Fifth. It is on the 20th floor and we were so shocked to get to the top and see this amazing view of the city, including the Empire State Building! It was absolutely beautiful at night and we were so close to it! Another photo op, of course :)

All in all, we had a great time and saw a lot of stuff! Some of the things that we did that I did not include in pictures: shopping on Canal Street, seeing Little Italy and Chinatown, eating Cheesecake at Junior's Bakery, dinner at Benjamin's Steakhouse, dessert and coffee at Ferrara's (America's first espresso bar), visiting Radio City Music Hall and the Guggenheim, and much more!! We love New York!

All I want for Christmas....

2010-12-11T10:25:00.000-05:00

Still need to cross a few people off of your Christmas list this year? Here are a few things that I have come across this year that I am crazy about.....maybe someone on your list will be too!

Really digging this leather cuff bracelet from Asha Patel Designs. Asha is a friend of my moms and she runs a really great jewelry business. Her designs have been featured in tons of magazines and publications such as Seventeen Magazine, American Salon, Allure Magazine, and Fitness Magazine. These cuffs are the latest and greatest and are so beautiful to boot! A great deal at only $49.00.

If you know anyone like my husband, they probably have about a million cords around the house that they would love to be able to organize and find quickly. These cord wraps from The Container Store are perfect! Ranging from small to large, they will organize any size cord! They range from $2.99- $4.99 and would make a great stocking stuffer!

Gingerbread hot chocolate....need I say more? Get it at Hotel Chocolat for $15.00.

These personalized notebooks are awesome. For $15 you get a set of 3 from Paperwink. Personalize with names or subjects and there is even space on the inside cover to print your contact information.

Everyone loves Peppermint Bark, but they will love it even more on a cookie! Delicious and only $22.50 from Williams Sonoma.

His and Hers luggage tags...awesome. $30.00 from leathermadenice on Etsy. Get them personalized with up to 3 lines.

Ok these are hilarious. Who wouldn't love a good mustache glass? The best part is that it actually looks like you have a mustache if you hold the glass the right way when drinking out of it. $15 for one from Bread and Badger.

These personalized notecards are absolutely beautiful! I love the simple design of the initial as well as the fact that they come in a beautiful wooden box for safe storage and display. Always a great gift! $49.95 from Dewdrop.

The best apron for the cooking fanatic in your family. This apron has a cooking guide printed right on it AND it is printed upside down for easy reading from the cook's perspective :) Only $29.50 from Delight.com.

I am really digging these wooden grilling planks from A Fire Inc. They come in 4 different flavors (Black Cherry, Northern Cedar, Sugar Maple, and Golden Alder) to compliment the flavors of all kids of meats and fish. $11 for a pack of 2.

Need an awesome way to display and store all those earrings? This earring tree is so beautiful and modern! I absolutely love it.....and the price! $20.00 at Urban Outfitters.

I love my church....and Apple

2010-12-10T08:22:00.002-05:00

Seriously blown away at how cool this is....

Do you have a Gameplan for your life?

2010-11-22T09:44:00.000-05:00

We just finished a GREAT series at our church- it was way too good not to share with the world! The series is titled Game Plan and it is all about how to find God's will for your life AKA your Game Plan! I think that everyone has asked that question before and if you say you haven't, I think you are lying. We all want to live great lives....and we all have wondered at some point in time what God has in store for our future. Well, look no further. Check out this great series to hear all about what you can do to determine God's plan for your life! It was a 6 week series, so there are 5 messages, but you will not be disappointed if you listen to them all.

Our church also created a great website where you can do some exercises and check out some resources that can better help you determine what God's plan is for you! It explores your design, your gifts, your story, your plan, and your team. All in all, it is a great thing for all of us to understand!

So check out the website here. If you want to watch the messages, just click on Watch Message on the left hand side of the menu. The other exercises are on the home page. Just click which one you want to do and have fun discovering God's plan for your life!

Operation Christmas Child

2010-11-19T18:20:00.001-05:00

Last year, Tricia and I got our high school girls together to make Operation Christmas Child boxes for Samaritan's Purse. It was such a hit and we had such a good time that we decided to do it again this year! It will be a fun tradition, I think.

Basically, you take a shoebox and stuff it full of things like toys, toiletries, games, and clothing for a little boy or little girl. Samaritan's purse takes the boxes and hands them out in countries all over the world to children who may not have a Christmas of their own. The reality of how special these boxes are really hit me when I read this article as well as this one. It is such a beautiful and real way that we can show the love of Christ to others! To learn more about Operation Christmas Child, check out their website here.

What is something that you can do to spread the love of Christ this holiday season?

We were able to make 11 boxes! That's enough boxes to provide a Christmas for a small community of children!

So is your mascot an eagle or a tiger?

2010-11-19T18:05:00.000-05:00

Jacob has some cousins that go to Auburn University and since we are UGA alumni, the Georgia/Auburn game is one of the most fun games of the year for us! Ever since Jacob and I have been together, we have been to every one of those rivalry games, always attending with his cousins, Loren and Samantha. It has been one of those fun traditions that bring family together, despite what team they cheer for :) This year, the game was in Tiger Town, so we made the trek to Auburn with our friends Duran and Lindsey to spend the night and go to the game with our family. Samantha is living in this adorable house within walking distance of the stadium, so we had a great tailgate there and walked on over to the game. Even though we couldn't pull out a win for this one, we still had a great time and enjoyed hanging out with everyone!

All of the cousins...some UGA fans and some AU fans! House divided!

My sweet mother-in-law, Marcie

Me and Samantha

Me and Loren

The UGA crew!

You are never too old for slumber parties!

2010-11-19T17:55:00.000-05:00

Tricia and I hosted a slumber party at my house with our small group girls the other weekend and it was so much fun. We are going on 2 years with these sweet girls and I have loved every minute of it! Seriously, it took me back to the days when I was 15 and having slumber parties with my friends! It was great and we loved spending some quality time with the girls. They are so vibrant and fun and I just can't help but have a good time when I am with them. They keep me young :) Bottom line: you are never too old for slumber parties!

You should never tease God

2010-11-05T10:15:00.006-04:00

Check out this video of Lela, a 4 year old who comes to our classrooms in Waumba Land, tell the story of David and Goliath. It's pretty darn hilarious!

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-01T22:30:00.004-04:00

We had a fun Halloween this year! Although we don't have kids of our own yet, we LOVE having a sweet niece and nephews to go trick-or-treating with. This year, David (4) was Spiderman, Mackenzie (2) was a princess, and Josh (7 months) was a tiger. They were absolutely adorable and so much fun.

I forgot how exciting Halloween was when you were young- there was nothing more fun than dressing up and going from house to house for candy, dumping your pillowcase out all over the floor when you got home, sorting the candy out, and then giving the gross stuff to mom and dad. I kept reminiscing of the days when my little sister and I would drive from house to house in our Barbie Hot Wheels car on Halloween :)

David and Mackenzie

Little Josh's first Halloween!

The kiddos

An awesome way to trick-or-treat

OK, so we were lame this year and did not dress up...we will make up for it next year!

Happy birthday Annie!

2010-11-01T22:25:00.004-04:00

My best friend of 16 years turned 25 this week and Jake and I were so happy to be able to celebrate with her and her husband, Matt! You can imagine that after knowing each other for 16 years we have been through a lot of life's ups and downs together- I am so glad that we have been able to keep our friendship so strong throughout the years! She is a very special person to me, and I love her so so much! Happy birthday Liane! I cannot wait for the many more birthdays we will celebrate together :)

So proud

2010-11-01T22:18:00.005-04:00

One of the girls in my high school small group, Nicole, was baptized the other week at our church! I am so proud of her for making such a faithful step of obedience in her walk with God- and at such a young age too (she is 15)! I teared up watching her testimony video, especially when she said she wanted to thank her small group leaders and small group :) It was super encouraging to me to be reminded that during the times when I feel like giving up and am just exhausted from leading a small group, that it is all worth it!!!

It was a celebration and we treated it like one! I made some signs and you better believe we shouted, cheered, and held those signs high in celebration of Nicole!!

Pumpkin Pie Milkshakes

2010-10-22T09:19:00.004-04:00

Yes, it tastes as good as it sounds! I always love a good pumpkin recipe around this time of year, and this one is definitely a new favorite!!

Pumpkin Pie Milkshakes

(From Cooking Light)

What you need:

2 cups vanilla ice cream

1 cup milk

2/3 cup canned pumpkin puree

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Whipped topping

What you do:

Combine first 5 ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and top with whipped topping. Sprinkle with additional pumpkin pie spice, if desired.

Excited about trying out this recipe this week...

2010-10-16T12:31:00.003-04:00

Sweet Potatoes with Pecans and Parmesan

From: Real Simple Magazine

What you need:

3 Tbsp. olive oil

2 1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into rounds

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Salt

Pepper

3/4 cups chopped pecans

1/4 cup light brown sugar

2 tsp. thyme leaves

Pinch of cayenne pepper

What you do:

In a large bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with the Parmesan cheese, 2 Tbsp. of olive oil, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Transfer to greased baking dish and cover tightly with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the pecans, sugar, thyme, cayenne, and remaining Tbsp. olive oil, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Remove foil from the baking dish and sprinkle the pecan mixture over the potatoes. Continue to bake, uncovered, for 10-12 minutes or until pecans are toasted.

One of the many reasons why I love my job!

2010-10-11T17:59:00.000-04:00

4 more articles up and running!

2010-10-01T14:57:00.004-04:00

I have been writing a TON for TLC Weddings and it has been so much fun. I am loving it! Check out my latest 4 articles here:

10 Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue Bridal Accessories

The 5 Best Reasons to Hire a Wedding Planner

Wedding Announcements 101

5 Figure-Flattering Accessories for Plus-Size Brides

Congrats Duran and Lindsey!

2010-10-01T14:16:00.002-04:00

This is completely overdue, but I wanted to share some good news with you! Our good friends, Duran and Lindsey are expecting a baby BOY!!! We are so excited for the new addition to their family and are so thankful that we can be around them during such a wonderful time in their lives. Congrats guys, we love you so very much!

Vertical Reality 2010

2010-09-28T22:09:00.006-04:00

Last weekend, Jake and I went on the fall retreat with our high school small groups, called Vertical Reality, and it was AWESOME! You may remember us going on this trip last year. Anyway, it is always in Jasper, GA at Younglife's Sharp Top Cove, which is an awesome place! It's in the mountains and is so beautiful.

The theme was called "Brand You" and was all about how each of us portrays our own brand through the life we lead. The messages were all about how to brand God in your life by representing Christ through sharing your faith and being an example for others. It was a really great message for a lot of the girls to hear at this point in their walks with God. I think at the end of the weekend, my girls had a firm understanding of this concept and it was really neat to see them thinking through their own story of how they came to know God and how to verbalize that to others.

As much as I think that the message and overall theme of the weekend is important, I cannot tell you how great it was for our group just in terms of bonding together and becoming more unified! Our group has changed a lot over the course of the last year as we have added a lot of new girls and lost some girls as well, so having OUR WHOLE GROUP (yes, the whole entire group was there!) at the retreat was a huge blessing! The girls really got to spend some quality time with each other and really get to know each other on a whole new level outside of just seeing each other on Sunday afternoons. Unification is always a huge prayer request for us, so it was awesome to see the Lord provide that! The weekend wasn't all serious, though! We had a great time during our free time on Saturday! Sharp Top Cove has a ton of fun things to do, so the girls did not have a shortage of things to keep them busy!

It was a great weekend.....

All harnessed up and ready to go on the Giant Swing (see a picture of it here)!

All of my sweet, wonderful girls (except we are missing 1- we couldn't get a group shot the whole weekend to save our lives)!

I have a new job!

2010-09-13T10:52:00.007-04:00

It's official!!!! I now have a new job and I am SOOO excited!! I am going to be the new Groups Director for Waumba Land (preschool ministry) at Buckhead Church, which is one of the 3 main campuses for North Point Community Church.

Basically, I will get to work with all of the wonderful people who volunteer in the preschool ministry, making sure that they love what they do and want to continue to help us out every week! They are the reason that we can function every Sunday and provide an awesome environment for kids to learn about Jesus! I will also be in charge of the 9:00 service every Sunday, making sure that the preschool hall runs smoothly, that we have enough volunteers for each classroom, etc. Read more about Waumba Land and what we do HERE.

I actually applied for this exact position at North Point and did not get it! So after that and also not getting the house in Cumming, it is SO incredibly evident to us that God had such a specific plan for us and that was just not it!! It is definitely reassuring to me that I am in the exact place that God wants me to be, and I am so excited about that. Hindsight is always 20/20 and it is an awesome feeling to be on the other side of it and see what God was working on the whole time we were in the dark. We are so thankful that we don't always have to know what's going on, but that God does and he always provides and takes care of us! We are both super excited for this transition in our lives and about now attending Buckhead Church as our home church! I cannot wait to get started!! Woo hoo!

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11

Seaside has our hearts

2010-09-11T15:41:00.001-04:00

To commemorate the end of summer, we took a nice little beach vacation to Seaside with our friends Josh, Michal, Kyle, and Tricia for Labor Day weekend. It was the PERFECT time to go- the weather was beautiful and the temperatures could not have been better! We did all of the fun things we love to do when we visit Seaside! We rode bikes to town for breakfast, drank coffee by the ocean, ate dinner at our favorite restaurant (Southern Seafood Cafe- where we ate before we got engaged), cooked our signature low country boil for dinner, had a picnic at the outdoor concert, sat on the beach during the day, read books, and danced the night away at Bud 'N Alley's. It was a great trip and we cant wait to go back as soon as possible!!!!

Jacob and Jessica

If you like your crock pot, you're gonna love these!

Happy New Year!

Deck the Halls

Lemon, Thyme, and Asparagus Chicken Bake

I love Christmas plays!

Let's celebrate!

Weekend getaway

Family traditions

Christmas pics 2011

One of our favorite family recipes...

Happy birthday Tucker!

It's that time of year!

These are a few of my favorite things...

Happy Halloween!!

Jacob, the triathlon chief!

We love us some Athens

Live like an alien!

Happy birthday Selena!

More babies!

Waumba Land is FINISHED!

Our house, continued

Happy 5th birthday David!

Our little house in Atlanta

The NotWedding 2011

Happy 60th anniversary Pop and Grandma!

Happy birthday to me!

What have we been up to this summer?

More celebrations

A world of congratulations!

Happy Father's Day! 2011

A year ago

Thank you!!

I must be crazy....

For your reading pleasure....

Waumba Land is still growing!

Happy 3 year anniversary!

Congrats Tyler!

Happy birthday Jacob!

Miss Maggie May

My trash TV obsession

Happy Mother's Day

The NotWedding is BACK!

Zesty Chicken Orzo and Spinach Raspberry Salad

She's here!

Congratulations Cody and Paul

Waumba Land Grows!

We got a new vacuum!

Happy birthday to Big Josh and Little Josh!

Can a girl have too many pairs of shoes?

Park City = LOVE

Welcome Britain!

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Home Sweet Home

Welcome to the world!

Moving ITP

Jacob has a new job!

I got a new car!

MyLife 2011

Oh Baby!

SNOW DAY(S)!

Happy New Year!

We love our small group

Merry Christmas!

Unique New York

All I want for Christmas....

I love my church....and Apple

Do you have a Gameplan for your life?

Operation Christmas Child

So is your mascot an eagle or a tiger?

You are never too old for slumber parties!

You should never tease God

Happy Halloween!

Happy birthday Annie!

So proud

Pumpkin Pie Milkshakes

Excited about trying out this recipe this week...

One of the many reasons why I love my job!

4 more articles up and running!

Congrats Duran and Lindsey!