My hubby!

This month marks a lot of milestones in our lives. It was in May of 2006 that Jeff graduated from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville KY. It was May of 2007 that Jeff was brought on as the full time student minister at Gray Gables. It was May of 2007 that Jeff was ordained. It was also May of 2007 that we found out we were expanding our family. I'm starting to think that May might be a good luck month for us...or just God's perfect timing...yeah I'll go with that one!

This photo was taken at Jeff's graduation ceremony in KY.

Expect the Unexpected

I have always believed that you are put in certain situations for a reason. I also believe that you are taken out of situations for a reason. Thus, I also believe about people being in your life for a reason, season or lifetime. I believe that when we are first put in a new situation that maybe we can't see the reasoning behind it, but eventually God shows us.



I received an e-mail from someone in my past from when I lived in Virginia. It was from a guy that I dated for a long time and it was not a pretty break up. We "found" each other again on Facebook through mutual friends. He is married with a little boy who was born three months after we had Luke. Anyways. We hadn't talked in at least 3 years. I thought that we were way past the break up by that point since we were both married in 2005. I know I was. (reason, season, lifetime kind of thing). We've had very little common conversation on facebook: you have a beautiful family! How's your mom and dad doing? That kind of conversation. But today I got a full message from him. He mentioned to begin with that this was possibly going to be looked at as stupid or silly but to just let him say it. He spoke of how after we broke up (8 years ago) that I had said I always belonged in Florida. He went on to say about how angry and upset that had made him and that he had held on to that for so long. He wanted to let me know that he was working on finding "the plank in his own eye" and that he needed to apologize for holding on to that anger and for being upset about it. I almost fell out of my chair when I read it. But I guess that I also owe him an explanation about what I meant by the fact that "I always belonged in Florida."

I believe that we moved to Virginia for a reason. There was purpose behind meeting all of the wonderful friends that I have from there. There is also purpose behind the relationship that I had with him while I was there. But all in all, none of those things were meant to be a lifetime event. Those were seasons. I met those people, had that relationship, and lived there for only a season and then God said it was time to move on to my lifetime. By saying that "I always belonged in Florida" was not meant to be hurtful...but looking back it was the truth. I have an amazing husband that I found here in Florida. I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy here in Florida. I spent the last 8 years being close to my father here in Florida. I have a home, a great job and a wonderful church family here in Florida.

While yes, I believe that I belonged in Florida, I don't regret being in Virginia. What God has "put us through" or "brought us out of" is what makes us who we are today. So I feel very blessed that I was in that season because if not...I wouldn't be in my lifetime now.

We're All Tourists

This was in a book that I happened to look at today. It was just a book that had all these little sayings in it...nothing that would constitute the book as being religious or spiritual but it caused me to think that way a little and thus...this blog.
In the grand scheme of what we call life that's what we are: ALL Tourists. This world is just a place for us to visit for a short amount of time and then we return (hopefully if you know Christ) to the One who created us. In no way can I say that the last four months have been easy for me...but in no way can I say that it's the most difficult thing I will ever face in my life. Something I've learned is that you have no idea what the next five minutes hold, let alone the next day. If the last four months is the worse I will experience then Praise God! But if not, then in the end of it let me say Praise God! We come into this world knowing nothing and still in all honesty, leave it not knowing much more than when we started...this world is not our home. My home is with Christ. Christ allowed me to come to this world, be born to David and Pat Willwerth, grow up with a loving family, get an education, marry a fabulous husband, and have a beautiful baby...but in the grand scheme of God's Plan...this isn't it. God is allowing me to spend my days here with a loving family, educating little ones for their future, teaching students, and seeing my son grow on a daily basis... But it boils down to the fact that I am just a tourist here. My home is with Him. It has taken me these past four months to begin seeing that...and I'm still not as close as I want to be in understanding it.
I am going to enjoy the opporunity that God is giving me to look around and "take it all in" (so to speak, not literally). But I want to be reminded that in the end...He is my home.

Christmas...better late than never!

Where did my son go?



Opening a gift up with daddy





I managed to hide myself quite well!

Thirty-Onederful

Through a wonderful friend of mine who now lives in TN, I got involved with a Christian based company called Thirty-One. I haven't shared too much about the experience and thought here would be a great place to do it. The company has just over 5,000 consultants nationwide! This was one of the reasons why I chose it over some of the other at home businesses that are out there. We sell everything from home decor to purses to totes to thermal items...definately not your typical home sales!
I really love working for them on top of being a teacher, wife and mother. It actually enables me to have a little extra time with my family and still get all of my school work done. How often do you get to go to a friends house, sit around talking and eating and sharing a few products. It's like having a shopping spree in your home with your friends around!
I've held several parties so far and feel that each of them have gone great. Each hostess has come away with several free products and a large percentage off of the rest.
If you are interested in hosting a party or would even like to hear a little bit more about Thirty-One Gifts please feel free to contact me. Take a look at my site as well: www.mythirtyone.com/5287

It Finally Happened...Again!

Luke has always been a good baby. (every now and then the nursery workers may disagree...) He started sleeping through the night at about 4 weeks, but then stopped when he started teething. He would wake up in the crib crying, lay down on the couch with his daddy and be back out for the night...but not if you put him back in his crib.
Well...last night...he went down at 9:30 and slept in his crib all night until about 5:50 this morning!!! YAY!!!
So we're gonna try and do everything the same way again tonight...which also means that daddy has officially lost his nice feather pillow!

Jennifer