Revenge of the Blogger

by Jessica

Yes, I know what you're thinking: It's been almost two months since anyone's posted on this blog! How boring! I do have an explanation for this, though. The college internet has been down, and I haven't had a chance yet to take my computer off-campus to get any signal. Now I'm home for the weekend; therefore, I have the opportunity to post. I am here to solve the problem! Hehe.

I'll finish up our earlier topics by saying that we had a great time in New York! I've never taken such a fun trip and it was worth every second! I've never been out east before, so it was a very new experience for me. It was great also to get to know everyone a little better. I would go again in a heartbeat and would recommend for anyone to visit out there if they have an opportunity.

After we returned from New York, Jason came back to Iowa with my family! This was more of a restful trip than a sight-seeing trip, but it was fun just the same. He got to come to church with us and shop with us, and we all got to have a lot of fun together. One day, Jason, my brother and I went to Planet X. This is an arcade and laser tag place that was a great time! One game that I played started spitting out tickets even though I didn't even win it. The jackpot (which I didn't hit) was 210 tickets and the machine ended up giving me 650 tickets! Crazy! I got a cute little dog with my profit! :) On a different day, my whole family and Jason went to the Mississippi River Museum. That was a lot of fun! They have a variety of different displays featuring all sorts of animals from the Mississippi River. There is even a Venom exhibit showing off lots of different snakes and spiders - there was even a King Cobra exhibit! The river otters were my personal favorite though. They have a lot of personality and are very cute and fun to watch! Another evening, Jason and I got to go to the Rhodes house and have supper with Dan & Miranda, Mrs. Rhodes, and Ally Rhodes. It was delicious spaghetti and pizza from Zio Johno's (one of my favorite Italian restaurants). We played Trivia for Dummies also. I don't remember who won, but it's probably best that way! Hehe! All in all we had a great time!

Now we've been back at college for almost two months. I can't believe the time has gone by so quickly! But that's fine with me! In just a few weeks, it'll be time for Thanksgiving break - then Christmas break only about 17 days after that! Woohoo! But anyway, I better sign out for now before I end up writing a book! Below I've included a few pictures from Jason's visit to Iowa.

Days 6 & 7 - Getting Reacquainted

by Jason

On Friday, we were able to spend time relaxing at Grandma and Grandpa's house for awhile, watching TV, and eating. We seemed to find ourselves doing that alot. But its alright because I sure enjoyed it! We enjoyed so much good food that I am about ready to bust right now but I wouldn't trade it for anything! That evening, Jessica and I were able to go to my Pastor's house for dinner with him and his family. Mrs. Hack is an incredible cook and this meal was no different! Pastor grilled burgers, and there was corn and potatoes, and vegetables, and all kinds of other things! Mrs. Hack is single-handedly responsible for making me fat!

Saturday, we started out the day by going back to church for soul winning and bus visitation. I was able to go out with Pastor, and Jessica went with my sister, Alyssa. I love going soul winning with my Preacher. Not only is he a great soul winner, but he is just so much fun to spend any amount of time with. I was able to lead a 30 year old lady to Christ, and she sounded very interested about visiting the church. We got a few sign ups for the bus route in that area as well. After soul winning, we headed back down to Grandma and Grandpa's to pack all our stuff again before heading over to a graduation party for one of my cousins and Rachel. There, we got to see all the aunts and uncles and cousins that we haven't seen in quite a while. After spending a few hours there, we made the trip back up to Elmira, to the Shaw's house. This is where my parent's lived for a year before coming to Indiana. The Shaw's, who are faithful members of our church allowed them to rent the apartment they own next door for a very minimal cost. They made dinner for us and we enjoyed another night of food, fun, and fellowship.

Days 4 & 5 - The Felts'

by Jessica

Early in the day on Wednesday, we got all of our stuff loaded up and drove to meet Jason's grandparents on his dad's side of the family. We met them at a McDonalds about half way between their house and his Grandma Smith's house. We got a quick bite to eat and then loaded up again to make the drive to Athens, PA. All in all, Wednesday was mostly a resting day. That evening we had the opportunity to go to his home church, Independent Baptist Church, in Elmira, NY. The service was great and his pastor, Pastor Hack, preached a great sermon about unity!

Thursday Jason's grandparents took us to his grandpa's church to practice a song that Jason, Rachel, Alyssa and I would be singing on Sunday night. We went from there to Subway, packed up our sandwiches and took them to Round Top, a fantastic view point that looks out over The Valley. It was a lot of fun and the weather was perfect!

Day 2 & 3 - Mimi's House

by Jason and Jessica

And now we officially have started our vacation and adventure back home in the East! Monday was a day of relaxing and enjoying the fresh air of the hills of Pennsylvania, and seeing family whom we have not seen in a very long time. For me, its been over 3 years since I had last been at my Grama's house so many memories came back to me as I walked around and saw so many familiar things. My Aunt Karen and her two children, Justin and Caitlyn, came from Williamsport, PA, for dinner, as well as my Mom's Aunt Carol and Uncle John. I haven't seen any of those people since the last time I was at Grama's house. The rest of the evening was spent relaxing and enjoying being able to spend time with my girlfriend! And here she is...

We really have been having a great time out here. Jason's Grandma Smith has a beautiful house with an equally beautiful view! When you look out her windows, you're looking out over the Appalachian Mountains and the view is absolutely gorgeous! I've included a few pictures down below, but they just don't do it justice. Anyway, Tuesday we went shopping in Scranton, PA. Our trip included a few stores at a strip mall, then we went to the Steamtown Mall and walked around there for a while. I got some bottles of really good smelling body spray and some cute brown American Eagle flip-flops. We drove around the mall then and looked at a historic train station that was outside the food court of the mall. That evening we went and got ice cream at Keating's. It's a really cute place that is attached to a dairy farm. The ice cream is delicious because they make it from their own milk from their own cows! All in all we had a great couple of days! Busy but fun! Here are some pictures:

Day 1 - The Saga Begins

by Jason

Yes, the day for which everyone in our families, yay the world, has been waiting for has finally arrived. We are in Lake Ariel, PA, at my grandmothers house. We made it! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The trip was painless minus the fact that we were traveling 12 hours in a small Chevy Cavalier. But apart from that it was great! (My back is still sore though) But just to calm all worries and fears, we made it and now we will bring you some images of our first installment of this week long adventure.

(This is shortly after we crossed into Ohio, traveling on the Ohio Turnpike)

(This is in the Cracker Barrel we ate at in Pennsylvania, and our new friend!)

Starbucks!

by Jessica

Well, my mom and I made one of our semi-frequent trips to Starbucks today! She got her traditional Double Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino and I got my Java Chip Frappuccino. Delicious!!! There is absolutely nothing better on a hot day than a cold, chocolaty, coffee beverage! Or any day for that matter. My mom likes her frappuccinos on the thick side, but I like mine perfectly smooth - that way nothing gets stuck in the straw! ;)

But anyway, I just wanted to leave this blog post to see what your favorite Starbucks beverage is! Mine is a Marble Mocha Frappuccinno - but you have to find the right employee that still knows how to make them (they're not on the menu anymore). So go ahead and leave a comment at the bottom of this post and let me know what you like best from Starbucks!

(P.S. If you click on the little link at the bottom of this post that says "comments" a little window will pop up that lets you leave me a comment. Thanks!)

Fun Cards

by Jessica

One thing that I really enjoy doing is card-making. I hadn't done any for a while, but just recently I've gotten back into it - and it's lots of fun. I thought I would just post a couple of the cards I've been working on. The picture above is a card that I gave to Jason on the evening we surprised him at his group's last service. I'm also a big lover of coffee and anything "cafe" so I wanted to try something in that theme. I cut out every individual brick and glued it on - it took a while, but the end result was worth it! In case the picture is too blurry, the window says "Words cannot 'espress'o..."


And here is the inside! I also, made a little plant that sits on the display case on the right, but I gave the card to Jason before I got a chance to take another picture of it. This card was really fun to make! I also made another card (below) for a girl in our church, Victoria, who just turned seven! She really likes penguins (and even got a cute Webkins penguin for her birthday) so I chose that as my theme. The lighting in the picture is really bad. The colors are hot pink and a bright blue. The front says "It's your birthday... ...have two scoops!"

Surprise!

by Jessica

Last night was officially Jason's last night of this years summer tour for Hyles- Anderson College! This "grand finale" service was held at Calvary Baptist Church in Platteville, Wisconsin. And what a grand finale it was! My family had the opportunity to go up to hear it - the best part was that Jason didn't know we were coming! It was a complete surprise. Since it only took us about an hour and a half to get there, we were able to make the drive. It was so worth it!

The group of guys had gone out to eat at Culvers with Pastor Barna and his family, and we just "happened" to swing on by. We walked into the restaurant and went up to the counter to order. Bro. Collins came over to the counter to tell us that Jason still had no idea we were there and that we should sit at the table behind him to see how long it would take him to notice. We ordered some pops and sat down at the table right behind Jason's chair! He had no idea! ...And would have continued to have no idea if Josh hadn't said "Hey, we know those people!" Hehe! He spoiled our surprise - but, to his credit, he didn't know. Even though Joel (in pic on left) was going "Shhh..." the whole time we were walking over.

Needless to say, Jason was so surprised! It was great. And the service was amazing. The guys sang almost their entire repertoire, and every song was perfect - at least the audience thought so. The guys also learned a new song this past week called 'I Have Been Blessed.' It was the finale of Bro. Collins' sermon, and it is probably one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. It was written by a teenage girl and is just gorgeous. But anyway, it was a great service and we had a lot of fun! Jason loved the surprise!

Youth Conference Review

by Jason

I can't believe that its all over already. Unbelievable. The event we all look forward to all year long, and especially all summer long, is all over already. And now we have to wait another whole year till the next one! It seemed like it would never come and when it did it was better than expected. But it was just over way to fast! But like Jessica said, it was pretty amazing. Youth Conference is the highlight of the summer, for a tour member, and for me it was no different. All the guys in my group were looking forward to getting back and seeing family and friends and, of course, our girlfriends! It was not a relaxing time however, as we were always on the go to be somewhere to sing or try to get apps. So we were quite busy all the time. But the times when we weren't doing anything, I got to spend time with Jessica. And that was great! But Youth Conference really was great. Every sermon, skit, song, and everything else in between was incredible. Being able to sing and be a part of the services was a privilege that I have always looked forward to. Bro Schaap's message on Friday was the climax and best part of the whole conference. The invitation was absolutely amazing as so many young men came to surrender to full time service, as many others who already had surrendered came to the altar to pray. What an amazing week as God worked in a great way! Now tour is almost over and the rest of the summer is in sight! YAY!

X-Treme Makeover... Sorta

by Jessica

As you can see, I've kinda been in the designing mood lately. I put up a new header and re-did some of the buttons on the side. I downloaded some new brushes online for my Photoshop CS3, and I've been having lots of fun with them! I'm really into the whole Vintage/Paris look, but I didn't want to give to sight too much of a "girlish" look. Didn't figure Jason would appreciate that too much. ;) So when I first set up the blog I tried to use lots of blues and browns, adding a little bit of girliness with the swirls and hearts.

But anyway, I thought I would take a whack at redesigning the header, so I gave it a go. I think I like what I came up with! Feel free to let me know what you think!

By the way... it's only a little over a week until I get to see Jason again!!! Yay!!!!! We leave with his family on our adventure to New York next Sunday, August 3rd. I am so excited! I'll be getting to spend a whole 10 days with Jason and his family visiting his hometown of Elmira. I just hope they don't get tired of me... hehe. We're planning on keeping up our posts whenever we can while we're on our trip so that you can all see photos and everything we're up to!