How beautiful this love

Our friends Chris and Anna founded an amazing ministry called Restore One.  Their mission is "combating human trafficking and human exploitation by means of public awareness, practical prevention, restorative care and building domestic and international partnerships."  If you've never heard of sex-trafficing, as many have not, it is REAL and happening ALL around us.  Check out the Restore One facebook page and website for more information and to learn about human trafficking.


https://www.facebook.com/RestoreOne
http://restoreonelife.org

Friday night Chris and I went to the Restore One Celebration Banquet.  We enjoyed lots of good southern food (ie-- mac and cheese, cabbage, green beans, 3 types of chicken, ham, rolls, hush puppies and banana pudding or peach cobbler), an amazing and inspiring survivor share her story of hope and powerful gospel music!  

Saturday morning we rose early, made a quiche, and headed over to enjoy breakfast with Sharon, John, Rachel and Desi (Rachel's friend).  Everyone seems to be traveling a lot this month so wanted to make sure we spent some time together before another month goes by in our busy lives!  There's nothing like spending time with family... especially since they are like 3 minutes down the road.

Many of you may already be aware but I was very surprised and excited when I started to do some research about homemade cleaning products-- they are EXTREMELY easy to make and INCREDIBLY better for us and the environment!!!  The website I used to find a lot of my recipes is:  http://homemademothering.com/  My first batch of homemade cleaning products are straight up white vinegar which has LOADS of uses for cleaning windows, mirrors, counters, baseboards...it's just as good if not better than the Windex multi-purpose cleaner with vinegar I was previously using...and WAY cheaper (1 gallon white vinegar $2.38 + spray bottle $0.98 = less than $4.00!)  I also made a furniture polish...which was a combination of a few different blog recipes I found.  The recipe I used was something like 1 to 3 parts olive oil to water + a few splashes of white vinegar and a few drops lavender essential oil.  Used with an old rag or sock this stuff works quite well and again, DUH, cheaper than Pledge and less wasteful compared to the throw away wipes or cans.  Needless to say-- our apartment is SPOTLESS due to my new found green cleaning products...this place has never been as clean as it is today-- I think it quite possibly may be cleaner than when I started renting it.  I should charge them for all my hard work today.

Since we both worked so hard today, Chris wrote a paper for school and I cleaned, we decided it was a good evening to treat ourselves to a meal out.  We went to Japan Inn where I got sushi and Chris got hibachi.  It was really good for the most part.  I learned something new tonight, I do not like mayo on my sushi.  EW!  A perfectly good sushi roll, but they put mayo on it.  Yes, I knew it was coming but I didn't think it was going to be like it was.  No.  Gross.  Never again.  I will stick with the raw sushi with NO MAYO please and thank you.  

We are very excited!  There are many fun things coming up this week.  Friday Chris's brother Aaron will be graduating from Navy boot camp, we are so incredibly PROUD of him.  End of this week I get to go with FUSE (the college ministry at Ignite Church) on their fall retreat to Washington DC.  

Tomorrow Chris will make his debut playing his bass guitar at both services at Ignite Church.  I am so EXCITED for him.  I know he is very excited to be playing again.  Yes, I will be there for both services =)  It's late...time for bed!  Thanks again for keeping up with us.

It's all about the Butter Syrup.

Yet another week almost gone, time for another update for our friends and family afar...

Beginning of our week was started with hosting our college co-ed small group at our place.  God really blew us away with 12 college students cramming into our tiny apartment!  It was a blast and amazing to study and get to know our Father with the students.  We are going through The Basics series by Francis Chan.  This week Chris led us in studying the fear of God.  I am excited to get back together with everyone this coming week.  Chris and I are so thankful for the opportunity to lead this group of students, it has been such a blessing to us.

Tuesday night we have FUSE at ECU.  Chris and I helped tear down and enjoyed a few "HOT NOW" Krispy Kreme donuts with the gang for all our "hard" work =)  Yes, Jessica RD likes a good Krispy Kreme donut every now and then too!  It was so good.  The best worst part about hanging out at Krispy Kreme is you smell like a walking donut when you leave!

There are a lot of really cool things happening at Ignite.  We can't wait to share with some of you the exciting things we've been up to.

We had some friends over for dinner mid-week.  Chris and I love cooking and sharing a meal with others.  Yet again we are blown away by the people God places in our path.  It was so fun to share a meal and get to know our friends.  We got to talk about fun questions like "how did you meet?" =)  ...one of our favorite questions to answer.

End of the week Sharon and John had us over for dinner and we  Chris made SUSHI!  It was so yummy!  We had California rolls (one of our most favorite! --it's imitation crab, avocado and cucumber) and salmon and cucumber rolls.  Sharon and I also enjoyed the sushi items rolled in the egoma leaves.  They have a very distinct licorice/minty flavor we both really enjoy.

After dinner we enjoyed some milano mint cookies and watched October Baby-- a great movie.  I stayed awake the ENTIRE movie.  It must be really good.

Saturday morning we woke up rather early for a good cause-- Yoders Dutch Pantry!  Took some peeps from our small group and headed out to Grifton early Saturday morning.  The food was incredible, as always.  Hopefully next time Persida and Stefan will be able to join us!

The before--  French Toast with bacon and BUTTER SYRUP

The after--  Yes I finished it all but one bite!

This afternoon we have been hanging low, Chris is coming down with a cold and I am hopefully not catching it.  We watched Dive! and Food Fight this afternoon, two very good documentaries I'd recommend.  I could watch documentaries for days.  They are so interesting to me and I learn so much.  Dive! is about food waste in America and Food Fight is about our messed up food industry and a movement in California to eat local.

We also watched a DVD from Liberty University Chris got in the mail...really makes us consider living closer  to Liberty University so Chris can experience what it's like to actually go to college (...maybe for grad school).  Since moving to NC for college I have learned so much and cannot replace the experience I had actually being at college.  Some more food for thought in our not busy brains =) lol.

Tonight we got out of the house for a little bit and enjoyed a walk around a pretty neighborhood we love here in Greenville.  Then, we whipped up a pot of KILLER vegetable soup (carrots, broccoli, corn, sweet potato, garlic, onion, celery, crushed tomatoes, zucchini with a splash of beer, vegetable broth and a few herbs) and enjoyed it over some egg noodles.  Yes, we always eat well around here.  It's all about teamwork.  Chris and I love to cook together and love the fact that we always get to cook together...not alone.  Marriage is such a blessing to us in so many ways =)

Tonight I'm listening to my husband practice his bass because he is playing for children's church tomorrow...the songs sound so fun!  Have a great night, thanks again for checking in on us!

Beer can chicken

 

This Picture deserved a Post of its own.  Start with a 4LB chicken. Dry rub with spices.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Set your timer for 1hr. Instal beer of your choice in bottom end of Bird (make sure you open beer can, there has been confusion with this step lol). When skin is dark golden brown, enjoy the best chicken of your life!!!!! mmmmmm mmmmm mmmmm Good!!!!!!

A New Week

Another week has passed!  It seems like the older we get the faster the days fly by.  The weather this week has been amazing!!! Reminds me of the beautiful San Diego weather I miss so much.  Jessica went to a painting party on Friday, where she got to paint a picture of a Pirate and have a glass of wine.  It was called Wine & Design.  

Here is her master piece!!!!

 

We have found a new site on facebook called pitt county yard sales.  Today we cleaned house and posted everything we could find in the house we dont ever use.  You would be supprised the amount of stuff we fit into a one bedroom apartment (we were).  So far we have sold a laptop, a decorative water container, and a old flatware set we had laying around.  So crazy the things people will buy!!.

 

I start my fifth week of school on monday! So excited for everything I have been learning and will learn in the future.  I am halfway through the Old Testement and will start the New Testement in a couple of weeks when I change classes.

 

  Tonight we went to the preview service Ignite Church did for the new campus in Martin county.  It was so amazing to see Graham preaching and the people so engaged and excited to be there. 

 

Here are a couple of pictures from the weddings we went to over the summer

What An Awesome summer of weddings it was!!! 8 I remind You!!! (=

 

 

Fav Painting !!! I was so close I could touch it. The gaurd would not have liked that though lol

 

 

 

 

Dinner at the Wharfside in NJ with Jason & Susan.  So much good wait Great Food!!!

 

 

Well thats about all for tonight.  It is 1AM and I need to go to bed. No more coffee at 7PM any more (=

 

 

We are back !!! (=

Hey bloggers,

      We have been gone from the blogging world for a while, but it is time to jump start the page and let you all know what we have been up too!!  We are coming up on a year and a half of being married this month.  We have learned so much about each other and ourselves as we learn and grow together.  I (Chris) have started back school and am in my second week at Liberty University.  Over the summer I took the last of my prerequisites at PCC, and am now going towards my BS in Religion.  The classes are really cool because all I get to do is learn about the bible!!!! we are on a regular semester schedule, but the semesters are split in two so we have 2 classes the first 8 weeks, and two classes the last 8 weeks.  All of my classes are online because Liberty's campus is in Lynchburg, VA.  Jessica is still doing grant based research with UNC.

 

     We have recently started going to Ignite church!  We cannot tell you enough how much we are enjoying the atmosphere and all the people God has brought into our lives.  We are helping with FUSE campus ministries through Ignite Church, as well as leading a co-ed college small group on Monday evenings.  It has been so much fun hanging out with all the college students and slowly trying to remember all of their names lol.  They put on a bowling nite the other day and had 56 students come out and bowl!  Most of our FUSE meetings have over 180 college students!!!! It is so amazing to see them all worshiping and wanting to grow closer to Christ as they continue on their college adventure. 

http://ignitesite.tv/index.php

http://ignitesite.tv/fuse.php

 

      My little bro has been away at Navy boot camp for 4 weeks now.  He has sent a couple of letters to the family saying he is doing really good and briefly explained what he has been doing.  I am so excited for him and what the future holds!! Rachel is a junior in high school this year!!!!!
Man she has grown up so
fast and is still growing
everyday. 






      I have signed up to run the tough mudder in October with Team Ignite.  For those of you who do not know what the tough mudder is here is a link http://toughmudder.com/ .  It is 11 miles of trails and 25 obstacles!  cant wait to see how we do as a team, and how I do on the obstacles. 

      Our garden had a rough start this year because of the soil I originally bought.  Never buy Walmart brand potting soil and plant your potted in them.  It stunted the growth of all our plants and we had in infestation of mold gnats from the soil.  I finally bought good soil and replanted everything and it shot up like weeds!  We have a ton of types of cherry tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, green peppers, jalapenos, and habaneros. 

 

This summer was for sure the summer of LOVE!!! We went to 8 I repeat 8 weddings this year!  It was so much fun, but we were all over the place this summer. 

Well that is about now for now.  We will post more later (=  Hope you all are having a great Labor day!!!!

Chris & Jessica (=