Saturday, December 10, 2011
Friday, December 9, 2011
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Jingle Jam...
So, for our churches Jingle Jam event this Saturday I am making a life size Candy Land board for the kids to walk on. So far I am progessing slowing over the past 2 days, but here is what I have so far.
ALOT of work still to do, but I'll update on the progess......
Sunday, September 11, 2011
BIG NEWS
I AM GETTING MARRIED!!!!!
Not only that, but it's to the man I have always dreamed of marrying since I was about 12. That's right, it's one of THOSE stories!! But it is MY WONDERFUL story.
Andrew proposed to me around 7PM on Friday, September 9, 2011. It was at the beach, during sunset. It was PERFECT. Here is a little run down on how it all happened....
We had the PERFECT day. We both took off work and headed to the beach. It was a BEAUTIFUL/SUNNY day and the waves were HUGE!! Andrew headed out to surf ( and got barreled by a couple waves!) and I snapped some photos and read a bunch. We headed in for a late lunch/early dinner and cooked up some fish we had picked up from our favorite local fish market. Then Andrew asked if I wanted to go for a walk on the beach before we headed home, and so off we went.
During our stroll down the beach Andrew was snapping photos of really random stuff, but I really didnt think anything of it, we kept on walkin'. The tide was high and the sand was really hard to walk on, and we were both feelin' some pain in our feet so I told him we should turn around, but Andrew was determined!! We headed straight for our usual spot where we like to set up the camera on timer and take a few pictures of ourselves acting silly.
We took one of ourselves standing infront of the ocean, and then Andrew went to check it out and "readjust" the lense. Well, it felt like he was up there for forever, while I was standing there solo twirling around or asking Andrew what was taking so long. After about a grand total of about 45 seconds of Andrew fiddling around with the lense bag, he clicked the button and came running down to me. I went to put my arm around him to take the picture, and the next thing I knew he was down on one knee with a ring box wide open, with the most beautiful ring I have ever seen!! And it was then and there that he asked me to marry him. After total shock and mis-belief that I was not dreaming, I said YES!!! So WE ARE GETTING MARRIED!!! I will soon be Jessica VanFossen Parham!!! I CAN'T WAIT!!!
Here is what the night looked like....
This was our amazing view....
This is me and my future husband... I am the most BLESSED woman in the world!!!!!!
And these are of my Ring!!!
Not only that, but it's to the man I have always dreamed of marrying since I was about 12. That's right, it's one of THOSE stories!! But it is MY WONDERFUL story.
Andrew proposed to me around 7PM on Friday, September 9, 2011. It was at the beach, during sunset. It was PERFECT. Here is a little run down on how it all happened....
We had the PERFECT day. We both took off work and headed to the beach. It was a BEAUTIFUL/SUNNY day and the waves were HUGE!! Andrew headed out to surf ( and got barreled by a couple waves!) and I snapped some photos and read a bunch. We headed in for a late lunch/early dinner and cooked up some fish we had picked up from our favorite local fish market. Then Andrew asked if I wanted to go for a walk on the beach before we headed home, and so off we went.
During our stroll down the beach Andrew was snapping photos of really random stuff, but I really didnt think anything of it, we kept on walkin'. The tide was high and the sand was really hard to walk on, and we were both feelin' some pain in our feet so I told him we should turn around, but Andrew was determined!! We headed straight for our usual spot where we like to set up the camera on timer and take a few pictures of ourselves acting silly.
We took one of ourselves standing infront of the ocean, and then Andrew went to check it out and "readjust" the lense. Well, it felt like he was up there for forever, while I was standing there solo twirling around or asking Andrew what was taking so long. After about a grand total of about 45 seconds of Andrew fiddling around with the lense bag, he clicked the button and came running down to me. I went to put my arm around him to take the picture, and the next thing I knew he was down on one knee with a ring box wide open, with the most beautiful ring I have ever seen!! And it was then and there that he asked me to marry him. After total shock and mis-belief that I was not dreaming, I said YES!!! So WE ARE GETTING MARRIED!!! I will soon be Jessica VanFossen Parham!!! I CAN'T WAIT!!!
Here is what the night looked like....
This was our amazing view....
This is me in utter shock!! And Andrew asking me the question I have always wanted to hear from him!!
And these are of my Ring!!!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Be real with God.
Every morning I sit down with my cup of coffee and I read. Lately my readings have taken me to Psalms. I have fallen inlove with them. Maybe it is my place in life that is allowing me to relate on a very minut scale to David or maybe God is softening my heart and giving me more understanding. But whatever it is I am lovin' it.
This mornings Psalm is Psalm 13. I have such great respect for this particular Psalm because it is raw and honest. Verses 1-4 are honest cries and pleas to the Lord.
1 How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
3 Look on me and answer, LORD my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
4 and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
Look at those lines!!! How many times do we FEEL those emotions. How many days do we wrestle with ourselves and feel totally demolished by life and those around us? If you are anything like me, it is sometimes on a daily basis ( depending on the depth of the situations ). BUT how often do we HONESTLY cry out to God in the way? David throws out the fancy "holy words" and is REAL with God. He is telling him that he feels like God has forgotten him. Left him to wrestle with himself and his thorughts. He is pleading with God to LOOK ON HIM AND ANSWER HIM!! He feels defeated.
But then look at verses 5-6 :
5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation. 6 I will sing the LORD’s praise,
for he has been good to me.
David knows no matter what GOD IS GOOD. God is the one that you put ALL your trust in. God is good even in the bad. I think this is where my lesson from David comes in. I usually have no issue telling God exacly how I feel ( even though he knows it-even If I am lying to myself ). But I need to always rememeber that EVEN IN THE BAD TIMES, God is good. He may allow bad things to happen, but he is still good.
This mornings Psalm is Psalm 13. I have such great respect for this particular Psalm because it is raw and honest. Verses 1-4 are honest cries and pleas to the Lord.
1 How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
3 Look on me and answer, LORD my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
4 and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
Look at those lines!!! How many times do we FEEL those emotions. How many days do we wrestle with ourselves and feel totally demolished by life and those around us? If you are anything like me, it is sometimes on a daily basis ( depending on the depth of the situations ). BUT how often do we HONESTLY cry out to God in the way? David throws out the fancy "holy words" and is REAL with God. He is telling him that he feels like God has forgotten him. Left him to wrestle with himself and his thorughts. He is pleading with God to LOOK ON HIM AND ANSWER HIM!! He feels defeated.
But then look at verses 5-6 :
5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation. 6 I will sing the LORD’s praise,
for he has been good to me.
David knows no matter what GOD IS GOOD. God is the one that you put ALL your trust in. God is good even in the bad. I think this is where my lesson from David comes in. I usually have no issue telling God exacly how I feel ( even though he knows it-even If I am lying to myself ). But I need to always rememeber that EVEN IN THE BAD TIMES, God is good. He may allow bad things to happen, but he is still good.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
"Why fit in when you were born to stand out?" - Dr.Seuss
In middle school, highschool and the beginning years of college, I was very aware of what others thought of me. I was aware of the clothes I was wearing, what I was saying, how things were said to me, and I was hyper sensitive to the way others "viewed" me. Sadly, It took me around 22 years to figure out that Dr. Seuss was right. WHY SHOULD I FIT IN WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD, WHEN GOD CREATED ME TO STAND OUT??
I have seen this lesson played out over and over again in my life. Once I learned that I don't have to compromise who I am people learned to appreciate and respect me more for EXACTLY who I am. I am silly, I am antsy, I am random, I am compassionate, I don't talk about others behind their back or gossip. I am 100% me. And I have learned that people may be thrown off by that at first, but then they grow to LOVE it.
I wish I had learned this lesson earlier on in life, it really would have saved me alot of insecurity and heart ache. I now realize that God did not make me to Fit iN. He made me to be uniquly me. My life does not revolve around a guy, the latest trends, the "popular" crowd or whether or not someone likes me or not anymore. I have learend that none of those things really matter.
In life guys come and go ( all but ONE, and he will love you for exactly who you are anyways, flaws and all). In life trends definitley come and go and the popular girl is popular one day and then the next she is a total loser. So WHY NOT be 100% you? Stand up for who you are. People will love you for who you are and if they don't then its ok, they don't have too. But don't make someone like you for who you AREN'T because then you will go around living a lie.
SO CHEERS TO YOU! Because you are amazing!!
I have seen this lesson played out over and over again in my life. Once I learned that I don't have to compromise who I am people learned to appreciate and respect me more for EXACTLY who I am. I am silly, I am antsy, I am random, I am compassionate, I don't talk about others behind their back or gossip. I am 100% me. And I have learned that people may be thrown off by that at first, but then they grow to LOVE it.
I wish I had learned this lesson earlier on in life, it really would have saved me alot of insecurity and heart ache. I now realize that God did not make me to Fit iN. He made me to be uniquly me. My life does not revolve around a guy, the latest trends, the "popular" crowd or whether or not someone likes me or not anymore. I have learend that none of those things really matter.
In life guys come and go ( all but ONE, and he will love you for exactly who you are anyways, flaws and all). In life trends definitley come and go and the popular girl is popular one day and then the next she is a total loser. So WHY NOT be 100% you? Stand up for who you are. People will love you for who you are and if they don't then its ok, they don't have too. But don't make someone like you for who you AREN'T because then you will go around living a lie.
SO CHEERS TO YOU! Because you are amazing!!
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