A random collection of thoughts, musings, questions and adventures in everyday life... Greetings to you all from the frigid north! I apologize for being so slack on the blogging. It's just because I was so busy hanging out with so many of you over the last couple of weeks that I had no time to sit down and post anything! I will do my best to get caught up and share as much as I can with you over these next days. To begin with, Happy New Year! The start of a new year always fills me with various emotions as I look back over the past year and ponder what lies ahead. I've never been a big "New Year's resolutions" kind of girl, but it is a good time to take stock and see if there are areas in my life that I would like to see change. Earlier today, I went to the hospital to visit my friend Rachael and got to hold her not even 24 hours old son. To look at something so tiny and yet so complete is awesome. I don't know how anyone can see new babies and not believe in God. To know that He cares so much about us that He formed each unique detail of us, down to the things that scientists are still learning about the human body... He loves us, He knows the number of our days before we are even formed....and yet we waste so much of life worrying about things beyond our control. Check out baby William resting peacefully in his new world.  I'm not sure what the northern traditions for New Year's are, but in the south, on New Year's Day, you're supposed to eat black-eyed peas and collard (or turnip) greens - black-eyes for good luck and greens for wealth. I love black-eyed peas, but I detest greens of any kind (sorry Dad!)....and I'm not superstitious enough to eat them just for prosperity. Anyway, on New Year's, some friends were over at our house and had brought these dishes for dinner. My cousin and I were talking about why you eat each thing and he said something about not caring if he had a good year. I responded by saying I'd really like 2009 to be a good year. A very wise person standing next to me asked me what I would consider to be a "good year". I have to admit, I was pretty stumped and didn't really have an answer at that time. What would I consider to be a good year? What would have to happen or not happen for me to look back at the end of 2009 and think, "now that was a good year!"? What would make you have a good year? I think this is something important for each of us to ponder because when you stop and think about it, most of the things we dream about happening, if we're honest....well, maybe they aren't as important as we might think. Or maybe they are important but maybe they're not really the point. I challenge you to consider this question as we begin a new year. Don't let life just happen to you this year. Be intentional in every aspect - in your relationship with God, with family and friends, in how you spend your time, in what you say....everything. May we live 2009 like baby William - completely dependent on God for our very next breath, indeed our very survival - and yet completely at peace in His love and grace. Many stories and pictures to come, but for now, I leave you with these shots of some of my favorite people in the world. I love you guys!   
Hi everybody! Merry Christmas a little late to you all! I have been enjoying my time at home immensely, and I just haven't had time to blog. I have so much to share with you - pictures and stories, so I will be trying to catch you up over the next few days. I have had a great time hanging out with my family, seeing friends and extended family, and having some cool experiences that have provided some more closure as one chapter is closing and a new one opening before me (and my family) in 2009. So there is much to share, and I promise to do so soon. For now, I'll leave you with a few pictures. I got a wii for Christmas, and it is SOOO fun! I think I have developed tennis elbow from playing it, but we've had a blast. Enjoy the pictures, and have a Happy New Year!     
Ellie really hates the snow. I found that out today when I tried to get some pictures of her in the snow that was on our porch. The poor cat was quite miserable. Check out this hilarious picture to see...  And before you report me to the animal rights people, I did let her in and held her and dried off her feet after this moment. Well, after she begged to go inside.  Hahaha...Anyway, to gain a little perspective, here are 2 pictures off of my deck - one from the summer and one from today.   Amazing, isn't it? The weather today has been interesting. It snowed for most of the morning and afternoon - gorgeous fluffy snow. Then it started sleeting, then raining. It is now sleeting, freezing rain, and it's supposed to change back to snow to give us up to 3 inches more before it stops. It should be a nice skating rink outside tomorrow. As long as we can get out on Tuesday, we'll be fine. It's been an awesome weekend, and I've enjoyed every minute of it! Can't wait to be in GA in TWO days! Love you guys!
As I sit here and type this blog, it is STILL snowing outside! It started yesterday afternoon and hasn't really stopped since. We have probably about 12 inches on the ground at the moment. It is supposed to stop snowing later this evening only to start again tomorrow, with another 6 inches expected. It's a Winter Wonderland out there! Earlier this afternoon, I decided to go for a walk to try to get some pictures. It was a little difficult because it was snowing at the time, and I was trying to keep my camera somewhat dry. So I didn't take as many as I might have otherwise. But I thought I'd still share with you what I captured. To begin with, here is a picture of a car that has been almost buried by snow and the plow...  Here are some pictures just of the scenery with snow on them.      Then we have some Christmas decorations with snow on them. I love these pictures - I love seeing the snow covered decorations. There is something so quaint and right about it. :)    Finally, a self portrait. I put my camera on a bench to take this picture. I was trying to show how deep the snow is, and as you can see by my legs - well, it's deep!  Right after this picture, my camera fell in the snow. Oops. It's drying out now and seems to be just fine. Depending on the weather tomorrow, I'll try to get some more pictures taken. I wish you guys could be here for this. There is nothing like walking along in the snow, while it's snowing, with the ocean in the background, in a peaceful, quiet, magical setting. God's power shows itself all the time here in this creation I am surrounded by. But His peace and majesty and stillness and silent awe that is present when it snows....words and pictures fail to describe. More to come soon. It's supposed to stop precipitating after tomorrow, so we should be able to fly home on Tuesday with no problem. See you soon!
I love Christmas! It is an awesome time of year. And I love snow! Snow is a glorious creation, and the beauty of a good snowfall just takes my breath away. So imagine my great delight that these two things are being combined - and before I leave to come to GA where it is 70 degrees! We are currently under a winter storm warning, with the potential for a foot of snow to fall tomorrow. A foot!! Do you know how cool it is to see Christmas decorations with snow on them?? Anyway, even here in the north, precautions are being taken. Our office is closing at noon in an attempt to get everyone home before the roads are no longer safe. It's actually fascinating how awesome they are at clearing the roads off up here. The only trouble we have is when what is forecast for tomorrow happens - when it snows an inch or more an hour, the plows can't keep up with keeping the roads clear, so then we can run into trouble. Once the snow stops though, they'll have the roads clear in no time. Can you imagine if we got a foot of snow in GA? The state would shut down for days!! Anyway, I am taking Christmas gifts into my office tomorrow. Each cup has soft peppermints in them and a few chocolates, but I thought the cups were awesome coming from me. Check it out:  I got Ellie a Christmas present today - this is a squirrel filled with catnip. She really likes it!  Finally, here is Ellie herself, looking very cute.  If this winter storm happens as predicted, I will be sure to take lots of pictures and post them for you to see. If I can't have a white Christmas in GA, at least I can enjoy an almost one here! Can't wait to see you all very soon!
Greetings, dear friends and family! It has been a crazy past week, and it doesn't show any signs of slowing down! I love the holidays because you get to spend so much time with people you care about, but it makes for a lot of craziness as well. Last Thursday evening, we had our community group Christmas gathering. It was a really special time. We wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for all they had done for the past year and share briefly why we were thankful for them. The leader and I didn't think it would take all that long, but when we started, we gave everyone in the room the option to join us in thanking each person if they so chose. THREE HOURS later, we finished! While it made for a very late night, it was an amazing time that we shared together. We so often fail to let the people who mean the most to us know what we appreciate about them and why. We're so quick to point out the faults and issues and problems, and we just assume they'll know we care. I would challenge all of you to be intentional this Christmas about letting the people you have the opportunity to share life with know that you care about them and why. Life as we know it can change in the blink of an eye - we all know that. Don't let this holiday season go by without letting those in your life know they are loved. And let's work together at being intentional about this all year long - then maybe it won't take 3 hours at a time to do!! This past weekend, brother and I had the fun of having a friend from home pop in for a visit. We showed him around the area on Saturday, and it was COLD! Here are a couple of pictures of Michael and Jack and one of me and brother. Jack was a trooper - the high that day was only 25, and we had winds from 10-20 mph.    Then last night, I had my office Christmas party. It was at a BBQ place right outside of Boston, and it was really fun! I got to meet some of our managers that I had never met before, and I enjoyed hanging out with my coworkers. I am very thankful that I get to work with people I enjoy being with! Here is a picture of me and my boss, Leanne, and then me and my friend Brandi.   It's supposed to rain/snow for the next 2 days, so we'll see what happens with that. I have Christmas gifts to get finished up this week, lots going on at work and out of work, and I only have 5 days of work left before I get to come to GA for a visit! Can't wait to see all of you! Have a great week, and I'll be in touch soon!
....how having the windchill be negative 3 degrees makes 45 degrees feel quite warm. This is a phenomenon that I had not experienced prior to living in the north. When I come to GA for Christmas, if it's 50 or higher, we're breaking out the sunscreen!! My cat was walking around the apartment meowing incessantly, so I picked her up and held her and patted her for a few minutes while she purred, and now she is fine. Maybe she is preparing me for children someday? Many fun things are happening between now and Christmas, beginning with our Community Group Christmas party tomorrow evening. I'll post pictures and stories of all the fun events that lead up to me getting to come home to GA for a nice long visit! Looking forward to seeing lots of you soon! Greetings, adoring public that flocks to my blog and leaves so many comments that I never question my loyal readership! Haha...seriously, hello everyone, and even if I'm the only one who reads my blog, I continue to write it for my own enjoyment. It is cold here in Boston. Horribly cold. When I got in my car this morning, my temperature said it was 13 degrees. This was without the windchill added, which made it -3 degrees. I love being so cold. It just reminds us that one must have proper clothing, and then one is much better. Get a scarf, Pa!! Speaking of Pa, I spent the weekend with him in Baltimore and had a fantastic time. It was really nice to see him and be able to hang out, and of course it was extremely helpful for me to be able to see where he and mom are going to be living. Here are some pictures of their apartment.    Those pictures are mainly for my mom because she wanted to see the rearranging my dad had done. If you want to see more pictures of their apartment, feel free to visit her blog here. Here are some more pictures of their living place. This is me standing at their entrance with the harbor view behind me, another picture of the harbor view, and Pa standing in front of a restaurant within walking distance of them where we had brunch. (and yes, it was really cold there, too!)    I also got to go see my dad's office. It is very big! The coolest thing is that he has his own fireplace right there in his office!  It really was a very nice weekend spent with my dad. I think he and my mom are going to enjoy living in Baltimore very much, and I am looking forward to seeing the sorts of adventures God has for them to share for this time in their lives. Their home is going to be awesome in the spring, summer, and fall for walking around and enjoying the beauty. I would encourage all of you to go and visit them often! Thanks for having me, Pa - it was awesome! I love you and look forward to seeing you in 2 weeks! 
Hi everybody! On my mom's side of the family at Christmas, we have a "white elephant" gift exchange each year where each person brings a serious gift under a certain price limit, and we play the game to see who gets what. It's a lot of fun and a great way to celebrate together without everyone going broke. I won't be in GA yet when they gather for the event this year, but I am sending my gift with my dad so that I can participate in spirit. For those of you who are family and read this blog, this can give you a preview of what to expect. I decided to send 4 of my photos - one from each season - so they can be framed as individual pictures or all in the same frame or whatever the person who receives them wants to do. The pictures I chose are:     I just picked up the prints, and if I do say so myself, they look lovely. :) Good luck, family! I am going to Baltimore this weekend to hang out with the Pa. I can't wait to see him and to see a bit of the city that will be another place to call "home". Hope you are all well, and as Christmas is 3 weeks from tomorrow, I will be seeing a lot of you very soon!
From the Northern representatives of the Jones family, Happy Thanksgiving to all! While we miss the opportunity to share this time with family and friends at home, we are so thankful for the people God has placed in our lives here who opened their home and let us share this day with them. I am learning in this journey that even when "family" is defined differently than we might have thought, when people love the same God, life can still be shared and enjoyed. God is good! We love you all! 
As promised, here are a few pictures from my new office. This first picture is of my desk and so you can see the glorious window that I have. I am so excited to have that window because since it is pitch black by 4:30, I get to see the sun when it is out. AND I'll be able to see the snow fall! The second picture is a picture from the door, and you can see a window that is between my office and my friend Mark's office next door.   It's a little hard to tell the exact green color from these pictures, but this at least gives you a bit of an idea. It's very soothing, and I love it. This next picture is a close up of the window between my office and Mark's. People have taken to drawing pictures with erasable marker on the glass, which is hilarious. And just for the record, I didn't write my name - someone else did!  This is to show you the scarf my mom sent me in the mail. It's currently hanging on my window sill. Everyone loves it!  I do plan to put pictures up on the walls, so I'll take more pictures once it's actually finished, but this gives you at least an idea of my very own office! I got to leave work early today for the Thanksgiving holiday, and there was a glorious sunset and big waves, so I took some pictures. As we are here on the eve of Thanksgiving, I am very thankful that I live in a place that is as beautiful as this. Love you guys!     
Hi everybody! Greetings from the frigid north, where temps have not risen out of the 30's for a week now. Windchills have been down to about 11 or so pretty consistently. But no worries - it's supposed to be in the 40's this week, which will be practically warm!! Lots of interesting stuff happening here lately. To begin with, I now have my own office at work!! We have expanded into the offices next to us, so I am able to have an office now. It's lovely - it has a window, which is a huge blessing. Since it gets dark here at 4 and is pitch black by 4:30 or so, it'll be nice to see the sun while it's out AND I can watch the snow fall when it does! I painted my office over the weekend - a fabulous light sage green color that is very neutral but gives it some color. I'll take some pictures and post them soon for you to see. Tomorrow I have to set my desk up and then start thinking about what to put on my walls. I love having a space to make my own! This week is Thanksgiving of course, and I hope that you all enjoy it very much. I will miss not being there with family and seeing friends. It's interesting how weird it is to spend holidays away from your family. But, we have some friends at church who have invited us to have Thanksgiving with them. There will be 12 of us, all who go to church together, and it should be really fun. I'm excited that we'll be able to enjoy the day with other people. Last year we didn't know anyone, and it was really sad to just be on our own. Even though I'll greatly miss spending the day with my family, these folks are my family here, and it will help make the day special. I am very much looking forward to this week and having a few days off. I plan to get a few things done, enjoy resting and relaxing, and have some fun hanging out with some friends. I'll post stuff and hopefully get you more caught up on life here. For now, I am going to go to bed, where my electric blanket has been warming my bed for me. When I get in bed at night, I am SOOOO thankful for the person who invented the electric blanket - I thank God for them often. :) And now I shall leave you with a picture of me and brother - maybe not the best picture ever, but this post needs a picture. Have a great week! 
We've had a very mild fall for the most part so far this year. Maybe I'm just getting even more used to the cold, but there have only been a few days that were yucky cold. That all changes this week!! Our highs are supposed to be in the 30's, with lows in the 20's. I suppose that it is getting close to the end of November, and I live way up north, so this makes sense. But there's still a moment of having to decide that you can't really whine about it and just have to deal with the fact that it will be cold. I am even more thankful for heat and coats than ever! So now, the focus shifts to....WHEN WILL OUR FIRST SNOW BE???? I can't wait!! I remember scenes like this from last year and look forward to seeing what beauty God gives us this year.  If you feel like leaving a comment, put down a date for your prediction of when our first snow will be, and we'll see who gets the closest! More stories and such to come soon! Hope you have a great week!
I apologize for the lack of blogging. I am fired. Make that tired, and it's pretty accurate. Things have been zany here lately. Work is extremely crazy, so when I get home at night, I don't have a ton of energy left. Sigh.... Being a grown-up is so overrated! In an attempt to continue to enjoy life with the heart of a child, I offer several stories of fun. For Halloween, Michael borrowed my Tigger costume. I was trying to get a picture of him holding Ellie, but I think she thought Tigger was trying to eat her and wasn't very cooperative. This is the best I could do.  As mentioned in a previous post, Uncle Bob came and visited us this past weekend. We had a great time hanging out and showing him around our part of the world. Here are a few pictures of him while he was here. It was a very foggy day that he had to experience the area, but he was a good sport. The last picture shows you how foggy it was - this was at about 2 in the afternoon!    Thanks for everything, Uncle Bob! We had fun and hope you did too! My parents leave in the morning to drive to Baltimore. Prayer for safe travel would be much appreciated! More blogging to come soon....
So I was given bad information. Being a follower of my blog does NOT mean you will get emailed each time I post a new blog. Alas, you will still have to check in often to see if I have updated. You can still be a follower if you'd like though - it makes you (and me!) look cool. Hahahaha.... Have a great Friday, and I'll be in touch soon! Hi everyone! There is a new feature that blogger has added to blogs that is kind of cool. If you look on the top right side of my blog, you will see a "blog follower" area. Anyone who decides to follow my blog will automatically receive an email whenever I post a new entry. That way, you know when to check my blog to see new entries or updates. If you'd like to do this, simply click on the "follow this blog" link, and follow the instructions. Then you'll get emails to come check out the latest news. How fun! :) Hope you are all well. This has been a LONG week, but the weekend will be here soon. We are excited because Uncle Bob is in Boston for a business trip and will be staying with us Friday night in Gloucester, where we'll get to spend some time with him and show him around where we live until he has to leave Sat. night. We'll be sure to take some pictures and post them! I took family photos for one of my coworkers for his family's Christmas card. Here are a few samples. It was lots of fun!     
 We dressed up at work today. I was a "southerner" because they make fun of me all the time for being from the south. I was also trying to represent UGA since they play Florida in a big game tomorrow. Below is a picture of me and my friend Brandi and then most of our office. Have a great weekend!  
Don't you just love those beautiful "Indian Summer" days that God gives us? It had started to get really chilly here - Michael and I finally had to turn our heat on at the first of last week. It was dreary and rainy yesterday, and then today has been GLORIOUS! I went for a walk earlier today and took some pictures. Some of them look fake, but they are all real, and this is where God has allowed me to live for this time in my life. How lucky am I??! Enjoy the pictures, and I hope you all have a fantastic week!      
 As I'm sure most of you have heard by now, there is some crazy, exciting, scary news for the Jones family. My parents, after much thought and prayer, have decided to move to Baltimore. When my Mom and I were here earlier in the spring, I would have never imagined they would be living in the same city by the end of the year! I guess it just goes to show that we never know what God has in store for us. My Dad has accepted a job with a printing company there, and he is very excited about the opportunities that he will have to impact a plant, get to know new people, and experience a new city and culture. I am thrilled for my parents as they embark on this adventure. When they were in their early 20's, they were raising me and my brothers, and we were much of their adventure. I am thankful that now that we're all out on our own and such great people :) they now have the opportunity to share some of those adventures together that they maybe couldn't do early in their marriage. I believe God is going to use this in great ways in their lives as they learn to trust Him in new ways and see their worlds expand. Is it bittersweet? Yes, of course. Georgia has been all of our homes for most of our lives, and our family and dearest friends are there. There will be sadness as they leave, and there are many adjustments ahead. It's been a little hard for me to think about them not being there anymore. But if there's one thing I've learned in moving here, it's this: God is present all over the world, and when we're willing to follow wherever He leads - even if it's scary or difficult - He expands our worlds and changes our lives in ways we can't even imagine. As much as we want to hold on tightly to people or places or security in this world, He is the only One who will never change. So in this time of transition, we would all appreciate your prayers. My dad will be living in Baltimore and he and my mom will take turns flying back and forth on the weekends. Michael and I will be coming home to GA for Christmas, and then my mom will join my dad full time in Baltimore after the first of the year. You can keep up with them and their story by following my mom's newly created blog: http://www.hampandjill.blogspot.com Pa and Ma - I'm proud of you for following God into the unknown, and I look forward to all that is in store for our family. Greater things are yet to come.... I love you! 
Today is my Mom's birthday! YAY!!! I love birthdays!!! :) Happy birthday, Mum! I hope that you have had a most fabulous day celebrating your birth. I just wanted to take a moment on my blog to say how thankful I am for my Mom. God really outdid Himself when He gave me the two parents that He did. My mom has been my kindred spirit and closest friend for all of my life, and I count that to be a huge blessing. I thank God often for giving me a mom who can also be a friend. She's introduced me to some of my favorite things in life, she gives great hugs, and she "gets" me. We've shared the best of times and the worst of times, and I love knowing I can talk to her about anything. So, Mum....on this day that is your birthday, thanks for being an incredible woman of God, for loving well and with your whole heart, and for encouraging me in this journey. Our relationship is one of the things that makes me long to have a daughter of my own. I can't wait to see all that God has in store for you as you go through this next year, as we continue to learn that even when it doesn't look like how we thought it always would....well, God knows what He's doing! And He always brings beauty out of ashes. I LOVE YOU! :) 
I love my Pa! :) I think that he is an incredible man of integrity and character, and I'm thankful that God made him my dad. I am proud to be Daddy's girl! I have discovered in life that new beginnings can only occur when something comes to an end. Sometimes we are desperate for the chapter we're currently in to end and sometimes an ending is wrapping up what has been a really nice story. Tomorrow is my dad's last day at his current job of many years. God is in the process of directing his path for what comes next - much more to come on that soon. For now, I just want to say - enjoy your party!!! I am excited for you, proud of you, and honored to be your daughter. I love you! 
My Mum is safely home in Georgia, but we had a fantastic weekend together! It was a lot of fun, and while we got to enjoy many various activities, we also were able to relax some. We got to go to Maine, which I blogged about in an entry below. We went to Salem on Sat. and braved the Halloween madness to go to a knitting shop. We went to church and Rockport, and we even went shopping together and I found some new clothes! I am so thankful for my Mom and the relationship that God has blessed us with. I love her so much and enjoy spending time with her. One of the hardest parts of living up here is being so far away from family and friends I have shared life with. I do appreciate the times we get to share much more now though. And we have so many ways we can stay connected! So come visit us anytime - we'd love to show you around! :) For now, here are some snapshots from our times together this past weekend. Love you Mum!       
My Mom is teaching me to knit! Who knew?? :)  Here is a closeup of my new scarf that I am knitting for my brother in UGA colors.  I have had fun learning how to knit, and I'm looking forward to making some scarves and maybe learning how to make some socks and who knows what else. Something to do in the cold winter months, right? My mom and I enjoyed hanging out in Rockport today after church and spending some time down on the rocks by my house. The weather has been perfect, and it's been such a treat to be able to spend time with her. There will be many pictures to come, but here's one from earlier this evening. Love you guys! 
Greetings from BEAUTIFUL New England where fall is in full swing. We are having gorgeous weather right now, which is a nice gift from God as Mum gets to enjoy her time hanging out with me and Ellie. Today, we decided to go try to look at leaves, and we were trying to decide whether we wanted to drive to Maine or New Hampshire for leaf peeping. We ended up driving up to Portland, Maine, and it was really cool. I didn't realize exactly how close I live to Maine, and it was fun to explore a new place. We spent most of our time on the coast, and the leaves weren't quite as bright there, but we did get to see absolutely amazing leaves on the drive up. Tons of reds, orange.... I wish you could all see it with your own eyes! Anyway, it's very nice to have some time to hang with my mom, and we're looking forward to the rest of the weekend. For now, here are some of the pictures from today. Our first stop on the way to Portland was in York, ME.      We saw multiple lighthouses today, so here are some pictures of those.      Finally, I'll end with a few random pictures. The first is just a cliff I thought was pretty. Then we have a cute dog who was playing in the ocean. The last one is a picture we took while on the highway to try to convey what we got to see. The picture doesn't really do it justice, but maybe you can get an idea.    That's all for now. More to come soon! |
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