Two Years Ago Today...

I married the man of my dreams.

Marrying Brian was the easiest and best decision!

Our wedding day was full of joy and celebration--a moment in time I'll never forget!

Our marriage has been a blessing--a journey through time together with my soul mate.

Love * Loyalty * Lifetime

I love you, Brian! Happy Anniversary!

Doves...Like Pigeons, Only Cuter!

Since moving to this part of Texas, I have been so amazed at how many doves are EVERYWHERE! As I was walking down the stairs today, I saw this Mama Dove with her two babies sitting on the ledge of the window.

Just out of curiosity, do any of you know the difference between a pigeon and a dove?  They look very similar to me.  Doves are just smaller and maybe a little cuter.

To the People of Iran: I Stand With You!

To the Courageous People of Iran, those Marching in the Streets:

At a time in history when there is so much about which to worry, so much about which to despair--you are not wallowing in worry, nor are you cowering in despair.  You are taking it to the streets and making your voices heard!  

You are braving tear gas and police batons and asking as loudly as you can, "Where is MY vote?"

You are risking being beaten and even killed because freedom is more important to you than your very lives.

As I sit in front of my television, watching the videos and messages that you are sending out through Twitter and Facebook, I am amazed and inspired by your courage.  I want to do something to help you, but I'm not sure what to do or how to help, other than to pray and to write this post on my blog.

If you even have access to the internet, please know this:  Your voices are being heard by the world and we are watching! We support your valiant efforts to be heard and to be free!  You are my brothers and my sisters and I am with you!  I am for you!

May God grant you the freedom for which you so yearn!

Celebrating Father's Day at The Women's Colony

The Women's Colony is honoring the special men in our lives for Father's Day weekend. I wrote a post about my step-father, John, which is featured in "The Rec Room". You can read it by clicking here.

While you're there, poke around some of the other rooms of the Colony. Johnny Depp was spotted in "The Cabana" on June 2...seriously!

Backyard Follies with Samma-Lamma!

Have I mentioned lately how much I love my nephew? SO MUCH. (!!!) 

My mom and I went over to Jilly's house today and we took Sam outside to cool down in his makeshift "pool".

Bubbles!

How about those eyelashes?

"Ah ba baa!"

Happy Birthday, Brian!

Happy Birthday, Honey! 

Beloved

Reliable

Inspired

Awesome

Noble

I love you!  May God bless you with an awesome year to come!

If you'd like to get to know Brian a little better, you can check out his blog here.

You Know You're Domesticated When...

...you can't stop running to your window to see how many birds are feasting at your bird feeder now!

My mom gave me this squirrel-proof bird feeder and shepherd's hook on Mother's Day this year. If she is trying to prove to me that I really do have what it takes to be a bird-watching housewife, it's totally working.

These Three Abide

Remember when I was working on an art project prototype?  Well, I finally created the actual pieces, and on Monday my sister helped me hang them over my desk in the office.

Here they are individually. I decided to go for a geometric look of three big squares containing lots of smaller squares.  The medium is watercolor and black pen on white poster board.  After I painted each of the three pieces, I cut them into smaller squares and then mounted them with foam mounting tape on black foam board. My sister gave me the suggestion of just using the foam mounting tape to affix the completed artwork to the wall. She said it wouldn't ruin the walls if I ever decide to take them down, and I just chose to believe her!

Here are some broader shots of the room, to give you an idea of how the office is coming together. As I sit at my desk and work on our adoption paperwork, it is encouraging to look up and remember that faith, hope and love are three major forces that keep us motivated through the process!

There are still a few more things I want to do in here, but I'm really liking how it's pulling together. It is by far the most contemporary and COLORFUL room in the house, which is probably why I enjoy spending so much of my time in it!

Happy Birthday, Dad

I'm finally coming back from being knocked down by some kind of a viral respiratory thing.  It definitely felt like the flu with aches, chills, headache and fever, but I tested negative for the flu (which is a good thing!).  Now, I'm just dealing with chest congestion and fatigue. I'm sleeping a lot and napping, too.  Anyway, enough of those boring details!  I would like to say one more time, though, that Brian rocks and has been the most selfless, sweet caretaker I could ask for!

In other news, I thought I'd give a brief update on our settling in process. I'm still feeling really good about our move. Our transition to our new life here has been much easier than I ever expected. God has blessed us with some new friendships at our church, and that's been so great. Our church is really big (2600 members), so to help everyone have a smaller community to really get to know people, there are small groups that meet in homes throughout the week. We joined a small group called "Orphan's Hope".  All of the people in the small group either have an interest in orphans & adoption or they are adoptive or foster families. It has been the most amazing place of support as we have begun our adoption journey. One of the other families in our group is traveling to Ethiopia this summer to adopt a 2 year old girl, and another family in our group is adopting from Kazakhstan. I feel like we've landed right where God wants us! 

In case you're interested in what our adoption process will be like, I have written a post on our adoption blog detailing the process.

To take this in a different direction, today is my Dad's birthday--the first since he passed away. He would have been sixty-nine years old today.  He died ten days after his 68th birthday, so I'm kind of dreading the anniversary grief that I may be experiencing in the coming days. Although, I know it is natural, grieving is never easy.  I do find a lot of comfort, though, in knowing that my Dad is in Heaven, free from suffering and pain.  Happy Birthday, Dad!  I love you!  XOXO

Jill, Dad and Me - October 2005

Dad's arm was in a sling because he dislocated his shoulder roping a calf.  He loved playing cowboy!