Mary Sofia is Finally Home!

Our dear friends, Carrie and Billy, have been on a year-and-a-half long journey to bring their daughter, Mary Sofia, home from Guatemala... and we are thrilled that the three of them are finally home in Memphis!

Hang, Carrie, Mary Sofia and me - with our homemade "Welcome" signs - at the airport

A big group of us met them at the airport last night - we were so blessed to be a part of their homecoming! Mary Sofia is absolutely stunning... all that hair! those eyelashes!!

What a beautiful and precious girl!

And there is no doubt that Carrie was made to be her Mom! Look how in love they are with each other :)

Mom and daughter greeting their friends

She's having a hard time warming up to Billy, but they know that will just take some time. Before they know it, all of this transitional stuff will all be a memory!

Carrie's Mom, Carrie, Mary Sofia and Billy's Mom

So welcome home, Mary Sofia! God has blessed your family, and has finally brought you all together. It will be a joy to be a part of your life and we can't wait to see you again!

Welcome home, Mary Sofia!

-JessWill

Being A Christian

I got this from a friend today. I think it's very powerful and I wanted to share it:

Christians by Maya Angelou

"A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ
that a man should have to seek Him first to find her."

When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'"
I'm whispering "I was lost, Now I'm found and forgiven."

When I say... "I am a Christian" I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible but, God believes I am worth it.

When I say... "I am a Christian" I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner Who received God's good grace, somehow!


What a beautiful reminder of what being a Christian is all about. Thanks, Barbara, for passing this along!

-JessWill

What's Up

Just thought I'd fill you in on what's been happening in our lives the last few months...

At the end of February, I threw Lance and his twin brother, Reed, a surprise 30th birthday party. Our closest friends and our families were able to join in on the surprise - and as you can see, both Lance and Reed really didn't have a clue!

The big reveal!

We had a great time and enjoyed having all of our favorite people together too. As you can see, Caroline (our friends Amy and Steve's daughter) and our nephew Quentin really hit it off!

You're FUN!!!!

Lance is still in awe that so many people would come together to celebrate just for HIM (and it's this humbleness that's one of the things that I love the most about him!). We are so thankful that so many people could make it for a wonderful evening.

Lance and me with our awesome families :
Martha, Lance, me, Bill, Reed, Erica, Quentin, Joe and Dad (Mom was sick and couldn't make the trip from Texas)

Lance and me with our amazing friends :
Reed, Billy, Carrie, me, Addison, Nate, Lance, Helen, Steve, Caroline, Hang and Amy

We recently had a fun night out with our good friends Carrie, Billy and Hang. Carrie and Billy are thisclose to bringing their daughter, Mary Sofia, home from Guatemala - and we enjoyed a night out in celebration of this life-changing event! After a yummy dinner, we played a game of Trivial Pursuit. And of course, the girls won - would you expect anything less? :)

Hang, me and Carrie post-victory!

We also went to the wedding of our friends Catherine and Brandon. It was great to be a part of their special day, and to enjoy a night with some of our favorite people!

The happy couple

Lance and me

All the girls (almost!) :
Me, Amy, Lashlee, Shelley, Hang, Molly and Stephanie

Billy and Carrie

Carrie and me

Hang and me

This month has also been full of other great things: the Return of Breakfast Club at Hang's house! She got the ball rolling again on this yummy tradition, and hosted the group at her house for a Cereal Buffet last weekend. She is such a wonderful hostess, and we had a great time.

I helped host baby showers for two good friends, Jen and Christy. Christy is an old friend from church, and Jen is one of her old coworkers who I was blessed to become friends with myself. They are both having boys, and really loved being pregnant at the same time. Jen and her husband, Corey, welcomed little Jacob last week - and we are all counting down until Christy and Jeremy welcome their son, Wesley!

And the latest news.... Lance and I got back yesterday from three days in Little Rock. We were there for the 1st and 2nd rounds of play in the NCAA Basketball Tournament! Go Tigers!! Four games on Friday, and two games yesterday - I'm pooped! - but we really had a great time. And because this is the middle of Lance's busy season at work, he had to work all day on Saturday from our hotel room while I did some shopping :) He and I really enjoyed these days together, since it is a rarity this time of year for us. We had some really yummy meals, went to a local comedy club, and mostly just enjoyed some "us" time. And of course it helps that the Tigers made it to the Sweet Sixteen! yay!!

So that's all from here... I hope each of you are doing well and that God is continuing to bless each of you as He has us.

Will have more to share soon.

-JessWill

I've Been Tagged

I'm supposed to share 10 weird or quirky things about me. Oh gosh, how in the world am I supposed to narrow it down to 10?!? :)

1. I hate feet. Absolutely hate them. I have a hard time wearing flip-flops because I know that's forcing the rest of the world to look upon mine. Wonder whose God-awful feet traumatized me as a child?

2. I have to sleep at night with the TV on. I used to have the sound on too - just loud enough to hear, but not loud enough that I could understand what was being said (because of course I would just lay in bed and watch TV). But Lance got me to agree to mute it while we sleep. I don't know, I guess it's like having a night light?

3. I have to park on a certain side at Sonic. Somebody told me this was "the cool side." I don't know about that... all I know is that I have to be facing the direction of the street. Don't ask me why - these are quirks for a reason.

4. I can't eat anything off of a bone. Nope. Just something about tearing meat off a bone with your teeth and hearing the tendons rip. Ugh...

5. I have OCD! After I clean I have to put every picture frame, every decoration back in the exact same spot. If it's turned even a slight bit from its original position, it drives me insane. And yep, I'm the girl who straightens the crooked photos on the wall at your house.

6. One of my secret obsessions is "The Hills" on MTV. Kind of embarrassed to admit it... but a new season starts up tonight and I'm already counting down, ha!

7. I have a little bit of a photographic memory. If I'm recalling something from a book that I'm reading, I can remember which side of the page and how far down the page it occurred.

8. I do not like to shop. At all. Hate malls like the plague.

9. I can't leave the house without mascara on. Anybody who's seen me without mascara on knows why :)

10. I am always "typing" with my fingers, either physically or in my head. I'm always spelling out conversations or song lyrics. And the craziest thing is that I'm counting the letters, and always try to go for an even number of letters in a sentence or phrase. If it's not even, I go back and "re-type" it until I'm convinced it can't be worked out right. Crazy, huh?

So there you are. If you read this blog, you're officially "tagged" and you have to do it too. I can't be the only one who shares her quirks with the world! :)

-JessWill :)

60 Things

Just saw this funny survey online - and since I got "tagged" I have to post it myself. You know, the rules of "tagging" are finite and unquestionable. Yup.

60 Things You Possibly Didn't Know About Me

1. What is in the back seat of your car right now?
a basket that I specifically bought to put junk in that would normally be on the floorboards or back seat of my car - it's full of random papers, our Bibles, fuzzy purple gloves and empty manilla folders

2. When was the last time you threw up
hmm... probably been 6 months or so

3. What's your favorite curse word?
like I'd write that on my blog

4. Name 3 people who made you smile today?
Lance, Alison, Diana

5. What were you doing at 8 am this morning?
eating donut cake (yummmmmmmmy)

6. What were you doing 30 minutes ago?
starting on a new project at work

7. What will you be doing 3 hours from now?
hopefully arriving home and staying there for awhile

8. Have you ever been to a strip club?
nope

9. What is the last thing you said aloud?
"bye!" (our part-timer gets to leave at 2:30 - lucky)

10. What is the best ice cream flavor?
Baskin Robbins pecan pralines n' cream

11. What was the last thing you had to drink?
water

12. What are you wearing right now?
jeans and a shirt that has a big blob of BBQ sauce on it - nice huh?

13. What was the last thing you ate?
ribs, baked beans and rolls at the Rendezvous - it was bday lunch day at work - I tried to be good but I got sucked in...

14. Have you bought any new clothing items this week?
nope

15. When was the last time you ran?
hahaha

16. What's the last sporting event you watched?
Lance and I watched a little bit of a college bball game one night this week

18. Who is the last person you emailed?
Hangerz

19. Ever go camping?
nope

20. Do you have a tan?
the last time was 2003

24. Do you drink your soda from a straw?
sure

25. What did your last IM say?
don't IM

26. Are you someone's best friend?
I like to think so :)

27. What are you doing tomorrow?
getting my hair did at 10:30... hopefully meeting up with my friend Heather... cleaning up around the house... organizing my recipes (fun Saturday huh?)

28. Where is your mom right now?
home sick :(

29. Look to your left, what do you see?
my bulletin board covered in pictures of people I love

30. What color is your watch?
don't wear one

31. What do you think of when you think of Australia ?
boomerang

32. Would you consider plastic surgery?
never say never :)

33. What is your birthstone?
Emerald

34. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru?
I'm a drive thru kinda gal

35.How many kids do you want?
2

36. Do you have a dog?
nope

37. Last person you talked to on the phone?
my Dad

38. Have you met anyone famous?
don't think so

39. Any plans today?
heading home from work in exactly 2 hours and 1 minute - then Lance and I are chillin' at home tonight

40. How many states have you lived in?
two

41. Ever go to college?
yes - go Texas Tech!

42. Where are you right now?
work

43. Biggest annoyance in your life right now?
debt

44. Last song listened to?
listening to "Put Your Records On" by Corinne Bailey Rae - that girl can sing!

46. Are you allergic to anything?
nope

47. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time?
comfy Bass leather slip-ons

48. Are you jealous of anyone?
I try not to be

50. Is anyone jealous of you?
yeah right

51. What time is it?
3:01

52. Do any of your friends have children?
yes, and they're adorable :)

53. Do you eat healthy?
I'm trying to eat healthier these days (just ignore question 13)

54. What do you usually do during the day?
work

55. Do you hate anyone right now?
hate isn't good

56. Do you use the word 'hello' daily?
sure

58. How old will you be turning on your next birthday?
29

59. Have you ever been to Six Flags?
I love me some Six Flags

60. How did you get one of your scars?
rollerblading down a steep street in the middle of Mineral Wells with David Burch... got going too fast and out of control... slid on my side down a sidewalk... ahhhhh to be young and stupid again

Merry Christmas!

I just wanted to wish everybody a very Merry Christmas! Lance and I are very blessed - God has shown us once again how gracious He is - we hope that everyone can recognize the same feelings of peace and love that He shows us all every day.

Merry Christmas!

Love,
-Jessica and Lance

New Pics Coming Soon

I HATE that I cannot post pics on my blog from work. For some reason I can't view the same post options as I can from home, on our PC. That's why I've been such a slacker and haven't posted any pics for a while - because once I'm at home I barely get on the computer, since I'm on one all day at work. Sorry excuse, I know, but it's true.

Ugh.

But I do promise to try to remember to do a post from home this weekend. I have lots of new pictures to share. I don't even remember the last time I put some up here...

Anyway, I hope everybody's having a mahhhhhvelous week - ciao for now!

-JessWill

Five Things, continued

Okay, so I received another fun survey and thought this would be a good way to answer it. Besides, I know my friends are sick of receiving these kinds of things from me over email. Yup.

So here it goes:

FIVE THINGS YOU FORGOT TO DO TODAY

1) Shave my legs - my poor husband! I usually don't do that until the weekends because I could use that extra four minutes in the morning to sleep. And believe me, that extra four minutes makes all the difference. Cuz I am NOT a morning person. And again, I say - my poor husband!
2) Bring my lunch - I slept in late this morning (ugh!) so I didn't have time to stop in the kitchen on my way out the door. Luckily I have about 27 Lean Pockets in the freezer at work, from all those other days that Burger King or Arby's sounded better. Sometimes being a (former) fast-food-a-holic IS a good thing!
3) Bring a movie to a coworker to borrow that I've been promising for a week - I swear, I need to start setting everything out at night before bed because in the morning, the only two words that I can focus on are "shower" and "keys".
4) Mail a card to a friend - I was going to stick it in the mailbox before I left for work this morning, but... well, please refer to numbers 2 and 3.
5) It's only noon, so luckily anything else that may have slipped my mind before now will come to me before I go to sleep tonight. Unless, of course, it involves me making any sort of effort in the morning.

FIVE THINGS YOU WOULD BUY TODAY IF COST DIDN'T MATTER

1) An airplane - so I would never have to pay American Airlines or Continental to fly me to Texas again.
2) A pilot - well, please refer to number 1. I don't think having a big jumbo jet parked at the airport will do me much good.
3) A new house - closer to the city, with enough rooms for all the kids that we can now afford to have since money doesn't matter. Also a pool, a guest house, and a bad-ass kitchen. Oh, and a whirlpool tub and a... Well, you get the point.
4) Brad Pitt - only so I can watch him clean our new, aforementioned pool. With no shirt on. Actually, now that I think about it, let's go with a naked Brat Pitt cleaning my pool. Why? Because I can.
5) A new computer - I'm sick of having to restart our current computer every time we want to get on the internet. It kind of defeats the purpose of having high-speed internet if it takes you 19 minutes to restart every time, huh?

FIVE PLACES YOU WOULD VISIT IF YOU COULD LEAVE RIGHT NOW

1) Pangkor Island, Malaysia - cuz it rocks. And last time I went I forgot to buy the all-important shotglass to commemorate my trip. And a trip isn't a trip without a shotglass.
2) New York City - it's definitely on my list of places to see. And since I'm assuming cost doesn't matter on this one either (just because I like it that way) we'd stay near Central Park and see every Broadway show we could squeeze in. Oh, and bump into Matthew McConaughey a few times on Fifth Avenue.
3) The beach, any beach - because it's so darn cold here right now, the thought of being some place warm makes me happy. Not the thought of being in a bathing suit in public, of course, but I think sun trumps cellulite.
4) The church where my parents were married - it's always been on my list of places to visit, but every time we're in Houston we're busy with something else. They met there and sang in the choir there and did who-knows-what-else there - it'd be nice to see where the whole thing started.
5) Dallas - to tuck my nephew Quentin in to bed tonight. Cuz I miss him so much and I just want to see him again. Oh, and to see Erica and Joe too. Sorry guys, but now that he's here you're at the bottom of the list. I hate it for ya, but that's just how it's gonna be.

That was fun. If you have a blog, copy this quiz and answer it for yourself. And if you don't - well, email me your answers. I can't wait to see what everyone else will say. Pretty please!?! Come on, how can you deny a girl something as simple as this?? (I mean, I already know I'm not gonna get Brad Pitt - the least you could do is make it up to me by answering a stupid quiz).

Um, yeah.

-JessWill :)

Thank You

So I was thinking today of all of the people who make my life as wonderful as it is: family, friends, coworkers... And thought it would be a good time to say a few Thank Yous:

Thank you to my husband - for some reason, God has deemed me worthy of this man. He is literally the most patient, honest, thoughtful, doting, carefree, relaxed, and faithful soul I have ever met. I never thought that I would find my soulmate at this point in my life (I truly thought I'd be single for a few more years) - but Lance came into my life and I haven't looked back. I cannot imagine life without him, and I look forward to waking up next to him every day for the rest of my life. Thank you, Lance, for being you.

Thank you to my girlfriends - I am blessed with the absolute best and dearest friends I could ask for. They are my prayer partners, my shoulders to cry on, my EP-obsessed happy hour buddies, my "inside joke"-sters, my email pals and my make-me-forget-all-about-my-bad-day gals. I truly don't know what my life would be like without each and every one of them. I hope that they all know what a blessing they are to me, and that I consider them all my sisters. Thank you, friends, for being you.

Thank you to my parents - I feel blessed every day to have been raised by these two people. Every day in our house growing up was full of heartfelt laughter, passionate conversation, true interest in each other's lives, and a true sense of belonging and acceptance. I hope that someday I can pass on these qualities to my own children. I know that the close relationship that I have my parents is rare, and I fully realize what a blessing it is. They also provided me with the best gift possible: the example of a loving marriage. I am thrilled to not only be their daughter, but their friend. I can only hope that I have been as good of a daughter to them as they have been parents to me. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for being you.

Thank you to my sisters - oh, where do I even begin?? I'm getting a lump in my throat even thinking about these two women. I literally cannot think of a single day that one of my sisters has not lifted me up, encouraged me, laughed along with me, cried with me, or inspired me. Erica has truly been my soulmate since the day we were born. We learned each other's language before we could speak; we held each other's hands as we ventured into this big bad world together. I do not have one single childhood memory that does not involve her (when I tell childhood stories, I even say "we" instead of "I" because she was along side me every step of the way). She is interweaved into my life in a way that can never be undone. And Cynthia - she has blossomed into a confident, funny, outspoken, caring, nurturing, and loving young woman. Watching her grow up has been such a blessing; she has found her place in this world in a way that is inspiring. She makes me laugh every time we speak. She is the girl that I never was; the young woman that I always wanted to be. I hope she knows how special she is and what a mark she will leave on this world. Thank you, Erica and Cynthia, for being you.

Thank you to my coworkers - I spend more time with these people each day than anyone else, and I could not have picked a better group of people to spend my day with. From the laughter and the music-playing to the honest conversations and the encouragement, I appreciate each and every one of them. I have had so many heart-felt and enlightening talks with these people, and have learned so much about myself and about this world. This is the first time I have ever felt "at home" among my coworkers, and I thank God every day for the opportunity to come to work here with them. Thank you, Disciple Design, for being you.

Okay... well, I think that's a good place to end for today. Obviously there are many more people out there that I could write for hours about - but these are the people that make my world turn; the people who literally allow me to wake up every morning and smile.

Thank you, all, for being you.

-JessWill

A New Year, A Time for Change

Hello 2007! I really can't believe that the year is already over. It really does go by faster every year (wow, I really am starting to sound like my Mom) :)

So, we (Lance and I) have decided that 2007 is a year for change. We have a wonderful life - but know that there are a few things that we could be doing for ourselves to improve our outlook a bit.

We have already started a big change: we joined Weight Watchers in November with several friends, and so far have done very well. We managed to stick it out through the holidays, the hardest part of the year. My weight loss has varied according to many different scales, so I don't know an exact number - I just know that my pants are already fitting differently and in a couple of weeks I should be down a pant size! Whoo hoo! I'm really proud of both of us, and for our friends and family for making it easy on us through the holidays. I also took the step of joining Curves, a women's-only gym, last night. I really think it's going to be a motivating place for me to get healthy and start to work on having a body that I can be proud of.

We are also going to be taking more control of our financial future. We came into this marriage with some debt, and Lance has been diligent about doing what we could this past year to get us to where we need to be. We sat down last week and made a financial plan for the next two years. It will take some sacrifice on our part (no more vacations for awhile!) but we both feel like this is the time to make some changes. We got ourselves in this position, it's our job to get us out of it. In two years we plan on being absolutely debt-free (except for the mortgage and my car note) - and that will be the time to start looking for a new house. Two years sounds like a long way off, but it really isn't: two years ago from now we were newly-engaged and planning our wedding. Amazing, again, how time flies!

Beyond these two major changes this year, these are my New Year's Resolutions (they're not promises, they're goals - because a broken promise sucks):

1 - I will try to not yell at other drivers, even if I am cut off by someone not using a signal and turning from the wrong lane and blocking my way (I think I just described every Memphis driver).

2 - I will do a better job of telling my husband how much I appreciate all the special things he goes out of his way to do for me. I am so blessed to have such a sweet and doting husband - and I want to make sure that he knows how much all of those everyday things mean to me.

3 - I will do a better job of eating leftovers. I'm notorious for letting old food sit in the back of the fridge until it grows its own twin - and I will try to do better and not waste as much food.

4 - I will do small random acts of kindness. This is something that I used to do quite often, and I need to get back into the habit of passing on "happies" to strangers: give the person at the drive-thru window 5 extra bucks to help pay for the person behind me, let the person in line behind me at the grocery store with two items go ahead of me, etc. I think those little things add up - and I never know how that small act can change someone's entire day.

I'm sure there are plenty more, but I'll start there. I'll come back and add more as my list grows.

2007 is going to be a wonderful year, I can feel it. And I can't wait to see where it will lead!

-JessWill

Blessings

Yep, I'm a slacker.

Let me just skip that part and get on with my blog...

This has been the week from Hades!! I am relieved that today has been somewhat calm and relatively normal. I needed a break from all the madness!

I had a big project at work - knew I would have to work long and hard on Monday - and I couldn't figure out all day Sunday and Monday why I felt so sick. It's amazing what stress can do to your body! I just have to learn how to take deep breaths and close my eyes while I'm in the middle of the craziness. Tuesday and yesterday weren't any better - I even cried at work yesterday - so you can see why I'm thrilled to have relative calm today :)

But what this blog should really be about: my wonderful friends! Monday night was a regularly-scheduled Girls' Night Out. I was really debating whether I should go, since the day was so crazy - but I am so thankful that I did! My friends have a way of making me forget all about my problems and letting me focusing on the blessings in my life. I can laugh and cry and burn my fingers (long story) - and all else falls away. Amazing, huh??

Tuesday night was great too. Carrie had a Taste of Gourmet food party at her house. What's better than friends and food? My girl Shelley cracks me up! Plus, we got to eat some yummy treats that I would've never served at my own house :)

So bottom line - I have the best friends in the world! - I just need to slow down and realize the blessings in the middle of the chaos sometimes.

-JessWill

This World of Ours

Isn't the Age of Technology just wonderful??

I was just thinking about how many of my friends have websites/blogs. I love that at any moment I can catch up with what's going on in their lives (assuming, of course, they keep the sites updated). Hopefully they're better at posting than I am!

Do you even remember the days before the internet?

Before email?

Before webcams and chat rooms and Google?

I honestly don't know how I kept up with everybody so well before email came about. I guess I was a much better phone-talker then. I would so much rather send an email than pick up the phone and call somebody... Don't know why, I guess it's that "instant gratification" thing.

Plus, I can do it at work without everybody hearing my conversation :)

My new nephew has his own website (themaesefamily.babywindow.com) - and I've so enjoyed checking every day for new pics and a new journal entry from Erica.

When Lance and I planned our wedding, we absolutely loved having our own wedding website (which is active til October, by the way - whooda thunk??). It was a wonderful way for people - in town or out of town - to keep updated with our plans. I loved that so many people left us guestbook entries - it made us feel connected to people while we were in the middle of wedding planning chaos.

Anyway, that was my Random Thought for the day...

Thanks to those of you who made it to the end of my rambling blog. You deserve a cookie - and I'm not even talking about a fat-free low-carb cookie - a gooey, chocolatey, sugary treat. That's how awesome you are :)

Til next time...

-JessWill :)

August Already???

Wow... I really can't believe that the summer is almost over! Although I must admit I'm soooo ready for fall to be here - I can't take any more of these 100-degree days. I've had some hot summers before but I think this one takes the cake. Ick!

Okay, so we've got a lot of catching up to do...

First of all, our new nephew Quentin is six weeks old! Erica's officially back at work this week, so they're working on their new schedule. Fortunately, she and Joe picked the World's Best Babysitter so they feel happy with where he spends his days. I know that is such a relief to them!

We had a lot going on the past month. Where to start...

I got to hang out with my girlfriends several times (dinner with Barbara, an old CSG buddy; happy hour and karaoke night this past Friday with the girls to celebrate Hang's birthday). I am blessed with the absolutely best girlfriends - I thank God every day for each and every one of them. My life in Memphis would not be complete without them!

We also had a lot of family time with the Willises - Lance's great great aunt Gladys was in town and we enjoyed a nice visit with her. I want to be as smart and happy and thankful when I'm 97!! We even got to have dinner and see a movie with Reed two weeks ago. For those of you who don't know, that's a rare occurence - his schedule is always crazy - so Lance and I enjoyed catching up on his life. We had dinner with Lance's folks one night last week, and got to spend this past Sunday evening with the whole fam - parents and bro Reed. That doesn't happen very often, all of us together, so that was a blessing!

Lance and I had some wonderful times together this past month too - some fun days, some romantic dinners - but every day we're together is better than the day before!

This Saturday we're meeting everybody for breakfast club - we missed last month so we can't wait. What a great idea Helen had for us all to get together every month. Now that folks are having babies, weekends are much easier than weeknights since our schedules are all so different. Can't wait to catch up with everybody!

Well, that's about all for now. I'll post recent pics of Quentin when I can get to it. They're about to shut down Blogger for maintenance in 2 minutes - so I don't have time. Hopefully tomorrow.

Til next time...

-JessWill :)

Caught Up?

Okay, so hopefully I'll catch you up from the last couple of weeks...

First, our trip to Dallas to meet our beautiful new nephew went so well! He's absolutely precious and such a good baby! We had some loooong nights (the only guest bed is in Quentin's room, where Erica does the nursing and diaper changing) - so when they were up, we were up. But it was worth it to spend some quality time with the two of them in the middle of the night. It was a great trip. Hard to believe we won't see them again until September - but we tried not to focus on that and just enjoy our time together! Lance and I got a hotel room for our last night, just so we could catch up on our sleep - and on the way there we got to see some 4th of July fireworks! How fun!

That next week, Lance and I had a great night out in downtown Memphis. We saw Les Miserables at the Orpheum - it was a great show and I'm so glad that Lance got us tickets! He loves live theater, and has really gotten me hooked since we got together. This was his favorite show so I'm glad we got to finally see it together.

The next weekend, we traveled to Birmingham with Lance's mom, Martha, for his cousin Jill's wedding. It was really nice to see his family again and just to have some time to spend together. I wasn't feeling very well, but overall it was a nice trip. Birmingham is such a pretty place! Tons of lush trees and rolling hills. Not what I was expecting!

The next night was a cookout at Helen and Nate's - our friend Jason was back in town visiting after his big move to Florida. The band seems to be doing really well (check 'em out - OneLessReason.net) and it was nice to catch up with him and his girlfriend, Katie, again. We had some yummy food and got to spend some time together as a group.

This past weekend was great too - Lance and I finally got to see the new Superman on Friday night. It was okay - not great - but I was glad to finally get to see it. One tip to parents out there: if you have a child under 8 years old, DO NOT bring them to an adult movie and let them talk through the entire film. I was sitting next to a kid that was talking, literally, after every scene. He had a comment about everything. Which is understandable - he's 7, that's what 7 year olds do - but his parents weren't doing anything about it. It got so annoying that HIS OWN FATHER moved three rows up so he could hear the movie. Ugh!! Lance and I finally moved ourselves about halfway through - I couldn't take it any longer!

Saturday night we had a wonderful time at our friend Tony's house for a good old fashioned fish fry. He had caught some fish at some lake in Arkansas with his folks, so he was good enough to share the bounty. It was great - Helen, Nate and Addison, Ronnie and Starr, and Hang were all there too, so we did some good catching up. After the feast we played Trivial Pursuit 90s and, as usual, Lance and I continued our world domination of All Things Trivia :) We tried charades after that - toward the end it got really silly! - but lots of fun to hang out with our friends.

Yesterday Lance and I went to Canale Farms for his office family day. It was a beautiful - a park with boat rides, wagon rides, horses, games for kids, a big lake to fish in - all sorts of family fun. The only bad thing was that it was over 100 degrees! I was proud of myself for not complaining til the 2nd hour :) We got to spend some time with our friends Jason and Kristen and their kids Cole and Ella. We got a little sunburned, but there's no harm done - Lance and I are pale as ghosts so we needed the boost!

Today we're back to the grind... nothing too exciting coming up this week, but we're looking forward to another down weekend again. We don't have too many of those, so we enjoy them when we can get them!

Hope this finds everyone doing well and happy and healthy!

- JessWill :)

Day Two

More pics of our precious nephew!

We can't wait to head out of town tomorrow so we can see him ourselves :) Of course we'll take tons more pics, so I'll post those next week.

Happy Independence Day!

-JessWill :)

Here He Is

Introducing our nephew, Quentin Andrew Maese!

He finally made his arrival last night, June 26, 2006 at 8:08 p.m., weighing 8 lbs, 2 oz and measuring 20" long. Erica did beautifully and all are well this morning.

Lance and I head out Friday to meet the newest member of the family! We'll post more pictures soon!

-JessWill

This Says it All

Thanks to Shelley for the awesome cartoon :)

Five Things

My girl Shelley "tagged" me - not that I really know what that is, because I'm new to this blogging thing - but basically I got double-dog-dared to fill out this quiz:

FIVE ITEMS IN MY FRIDGE

1) Leftover apple turnover that I made last week - still there cuz, well, it wasn't very good and my husband is too nice to tell me that it's not edible!
2) Ranch dressing - anyone who knows me well knows that I slather it on almost everything. That's how I got my girlish figure, ya know :)
3) A bag of lettuce that I swear we bought last year - I have a tendency to forget to look in the bottom crisper drawer and whatever's in there usually turns green (the fuzzy kinda green) before we find it.
4) Half of a 2-liter of Diet Dr. Pepper from a party last month - neither Lance or I drink caffeine, so it's just in there til someone stops by who does.
5) Velveeta cheese - cuz a good wife always has a block of processed cheese ready to add her cookin'.

FIVE ITEMS IN MY CLOSET

1) A big box of holiday things - Easter, Christmas, Halloween, Arbor Day...
2) Every sweater I own - Lance and I have been lazy this year and haven't switched out our winter and summer clothes yet. Maybe by October?
3) Fifteen pairs of flip flops - what can I say? I'm obsessed.
4) My robe and tassel from college graduation - cuz I just know it will come in handy someday.
5) Two suitcases - from our trip to Atlanta in April. We still haven't put them away. Have I already mentioned that we're lazy?

FIVE ITEMS IN MY CAR

1) A basket to hold all my "crap" in the back seat - it was supposed to help me stay organized, but I don't know how well it's working...
2) A dispenser of tiny trash bags - in case that organizing thing didn't work out.
3) Loose change - ya know, for all those toll roads in Memphis.
4) My yoga mat - for the yoga class I seem to have abandoned in favor of Happy Hours.
5) A plastic cup - it's been rolling around on my back floorboard for two weeks. Guess that basket didn't work after all.

FIVE ITEMS IN MY PURSE

1) Gift cards - from our wedding that we still haven't used. Whooda thunk I could hold on to "free money" that long!?
2) Business cards - some from folks I haven't seen in years. Guess I should go through 'em, but they make me feel important!
3) Makeup bag - cuz ya never know when you may need a new layer of mascara. Right, ladies?
4) Kleenex - for my perpetually runny nose. Some things never change.
5) Calcium chews - I've decided to start taking better care of myself, so I bought a 90-pack of calcium chews last month. But of course I can't commit to anything for longer than 7 days - well at least my purse won't have osteoporosis.

FIVE PEOPLE I BULLIED INTO LISTING 5 THINGS

Yeah right, like 5 people read my blog...

-JessWillis :)

Here We Go Again

Yep, I've been a blog slacker again. But I'll digress, since every entry begins with the same regret...

Life has been busy - but good! - since I last posted.

My 27th birthday was one of my best celebrations so far! Lance was gracious enough to host a big party at our house for 25 of our closest friends, which was a blast. It was really nice to have so many great friends in the same place. Some of them are from different circles (church, work, etc.) so it was nice for some of them to see each other again. It was a Sugar Tooth buffet, so instead of grilling out like we normally do for parties, we had everyone bring their favorite dessert to share! Of course we all got overloaded on sugar, but it was so much fun to sample so many wonderful treats!

But the best part of my birthday was that we were able to celebrate with some great family and friends in Texas. On our way to Houston for Erica and Joe's baby shower, we stopped in Waco to visit one of my best friends from home. Andrea had never met Lance, so it was really special for me to have them finally meet each other (Andrea was a bridesmaid in our wedding, but unfortunately couldn't make the trip to Memphis at the last minute due to medical complications from the birth of her daughter, Alaina, a couple of months earlier). We got to see Alaina, who is 8 months old and just so precious! She was crawling all over the place, and seemed to be enthralled with everything and everyone around her. It was a really great visit. We had dinner with Andrea, her husband Jonathan, Alaina and Andrea's parents (who I grew up around). They even surprised me after dinner with a mini-birthday celebration! They had a cake and presents. I felt so humbled and blessed!

We made it to Houston the morning of the 12th. Being with Erica on our birthday, which we haven't done since we were 21, was soooo wonderful! The whole family - Mom, Dad, Cynthia, Erica, Joe, Lance and me spent the day together. We went to Pappadeaux, our favorite restaurant, for dinner, then back to Mom and Dad's for our birthday gift exchange. How fun!

The next day was Erica and Joe's baby shower. Cynthia, the other hostesses and I went all out - and I think it showed! We had about 25 friends and family members over, which was a great turnout. I know Erica and Joe were thankful to be able to celebrate Quentin's pending arrival with so many special people! They got tons of great things for their son, and they even endured some silly baby shower games! What good sports :)

Of course, at the time of this shower, we all thought Erica would have a good six weeks before Quentin made his arrival - but the week after the shower, she started having contractions. The doctor told her that Quentin could come any day, so the family started getting anxious and ready! At first Erica and Joe weren't ready for him - there was still so much to do! - but once the idea sunk in that he'd be coming early, they were thrilled! She kept progressing - dilating, effacing, etc. - and the doctors continued to say that he'd be arriving any day. Lance and I even drove to Dallas over Memorial Day weekend so we could be there to witness the birth!

Unfortunately, Quentin had his own timetable! Over three weeks later, he's still not here. Erica is one uncomfortable momma. She still has two weeks til her due date, but she's hoping that the doctor will induce soon. She's just finding it hard to do just about anything without being in pain. She had no idea that her "false labor" would last so long. She and Joe are just anxious to meet their son!

If anything, at least we'll have a good story to tell Quentin someday, right? :)

So here we are, anxiously awaiting the birth of our first nephew! We know he'll come when he's good and ready - we are just all hoping that's sooner rather than later. We're just waiting for the phone call from Erica that the time has come! We know we'll be in Dallas either this weekend or next, we're just waiting. Which everyone knows is hard for our family :)

That's all from here. I'll post pics of our beautiful nephew whenever he finally arrives!

-JessWillis

40 Days and 40 Nights

I know, I know... it's been 40 days since my last post. What a slacker I am. After you get over your shock (yeah right), I'd like to share what's been happening in the Willis family over the last month...

April was a very crazy month for both of us. Lance was, of course, wrapping up his busy auditing season, so the weeks seemed to drag on as the end was near. But lo and behold, toward the end of April his long hours were over! Whoo hoo - I actually have my husband back! Now he's actually only working 45 hours a week or so, which is a nice improvement over the last three months. It's been nice to have him here at home again. We're still newlyweds, remember? :)

We were also very blessed with visits from some members of my family in April. Erica came the first weekend in April for our last "girls' weekend" before Baby Quentin comes (yep, they finally picked a name!).

Erica and moi hammin' it up for the camera

We had a really nice together. Lance was even around for some of it, ha! My friends were also gracious enough to throw her a mini-baby shower too, so it was nice to have my sister and my best friends together to celebrate her big event.

On Easter weekend, my Mom, Dad and little sis Cynthia made the long drive from Houston to come spend a few days with us. We hadn't seen them since New Year's, so it was a long time coming! We had a wonderful few short days together. We got to eat some yummy food, visit with Lance's family together, and even go to a Redbirds game (they're the local AAA baseball team). The visit was way too short, but we really had a wonderful time. They had to get back on the road early Easter morning, so Lance and I were able to spend the day with his parents and extended family. What a blessed Easter weekend!

In the middle of all of this, I started my new job - and let me just say that it has exceeded all of my expectations and then some. I feel very blessed and humbled every day that I get to go to a job that I love so much. I still keep waiting for someone to come tell me that they've made a mistake, and that I don't belong there :) My new coworkers are absolutely wonderful - they were very welcoming and I know they liked me because they started making fun of me and ragging on me on Day #1 - that's always a sign that you've been accepted! I've gotten to do some amazing things - I've worked on several logo developments, two magazine layouts, one book layout (over 200 pages!), etc. Our big project right now is redesigning the Message bible covers. This is a huge account for our company, and it is amazing to know that in a little over a year, I will be able to walk into any Christian bookstore and see a bible that I designed! I can't wait :)

One of the biggest events that Lance and I had been counting down to was our visit to Atlanta this past weekend. As everybody knows, Lance is a huge Mets fan, and we had decided back in January that we would travel to Atlanta to see the Mets vs the Braves. It was perfect timing since it was at the end of Lance's busy season - so it was a mini-celebration for us as well. We really had a wonderful time - I think we both agreed that it was the best weekend trip we've ever been on. We ate some wonderful food, went to the CNN Center where we got to go behind-the-scenes of the news-making experience, and we even visited the Georgia Aquarium. That was an amazing place - there were thousands of fish and even sharks and whales. I was nervous that I would get claustrophobic in there, but it was so overwhelming and beautiful that I forgot to be scared :) But of course, the best part of the weekend was the Mets game. It was so great for me to finally see Lance in his element. I know that he is very passionate about it, but to see him in the stadium, at the field, was really wonderful. We were lucky enough to sit in a section with lots of other Mets fans, which made it even better (plus, the Mets won! whoo hoo!).

So as you can tell, April has been one another crazy month for us. But we continue to feel blessed each and every day that God has granted us these times together. Even through these busy days, we continue to thank Him for all that he's blessed us with.

Until next time...

-JessWillis