The REAL Dharma and Greg

Sometimes you do learn from Reality TV

2011-12-18T19:15:00.000-08:00

First of all. I don't actually watch "The Duggars." I tried once, but the sheer volume of children that couple had terrified me and I turned the station after two minutes.

But, on the facebook today I noticed someone posted an article about how Michelle Duggar took some controversial posthumous pictures of a child they recently miscarried. I do have a few friends who have miscarried and taken similar pictures(actually it's the opposite of the Duggars those - the few sets of friends I know had an incredibly hard time conceiving)

But, I realized when I saw these pictures of Michelle Duggar with the child that she miscarried that I've never actually seen the pictures of my friends miscarried babes.

And these pictures are powerful.

Obviously Tim and I don't have children. And if you know me well then you know that I have a more than healthy fear of being pregnant. But - I've often wondered about the connection that a a mother has to an unborn child when she's pregnant.

It's understandable that I can't even fathom it. I obviously have a disconnect because I simply don't understand.

But this picture has changed my perception on a few things.

Because there is a hand holding on to her hand. A perfectly formed tiny hand.

On an end note. I believe fully and wholeheartedly that God loves the still born, that God loves those who feel as though they shouldn't have a child, and that God loves the children who were never born. And that he loves us all equally. No matter what.

Welcome to Texas!

2011-10-17T09:55:00.000-07:00

Wellllllll.....we're here!

Daily Tidbit

2011-10-05T06:06:00.000-07:00

"May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance"

-2 Thessalonians 3:5

How sweet it is to know that we're constantly being directed by the Lord into love and patience.

Big news for Team Reese

2011-09-29T15:17:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends,

I just wanted to share with yall some exciting news for Team Reese (not a baby, don't get too excited). First of all, we have really loved being on Young Life staff here in Sarasota. This is an amazing community and we feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to do ministry here over this past year. However, over these past few months we've had an opportunity open up for us in Houston, Texas at River Pointe Church. Taking this job will allow to continue to do ministry and pay off debt faster, which will make things easier when we do decide to start a family.

So, a little over a week ago Tim accepted a position as a Youth Pastor at River Pointe church. And we're moving in 8 days. I know, absolutely nuts. Thankfully, Young Life is able to bring the amazing Alex Perez from Gainesville YL here to Sarasota right away to take over Tim's position, which is a huge answer to prayer.

We would love your prayers as we make the transition into this next phase of our lives. We really want to finish strong here in Sarasota and start refreshed when we get to Houston. We would love prayers for community in our new city. We're really excited to embark on this next new chapter in our lives and we expect you all to come visit us frequently.

So....Watch out Texas! Here we come!

Love some wedding invites

2011-09-26T13:36:00.000-07:00

Our sweet friends Tsilavo Ratsimbaharison(I love to type out his whole name) and Bess are getting married. I love this invitation!

Life.

2011-07-23T09:44:00.000-07:00

Sweet Friends.

It's been a while. I do apologize.

As part of my apology please accept this precious picture of Lily Schoenleber in a peep outfit.

Life has happened. In a good way. Here's what Team Reese has been up to.

A whirlwind.

Seriously, we were gone from Mid-May to Mid-July.

Where?

1. Chick-fil-A Grand Opening in Oklahoma City. Experienced my first tornado watch/warning/whatever. We had go to hide out in an underground mall. Thankfully Mandy Brantley was there to soothe us all by showing cute picture of her children on her ipad. Oh, and there was a Chick-fil-A in the mall, and this CFA is a test market for sweet potato fries.

A scary, but delicious afternoon.

2. Summer Assignment at Crooked Creek Ranch in Colorado.

There's Tim with baby Lily Schoenleber. In case you didn't know, Tim is often referred to as "The Baby Whisperer." His manly beard and soothing voice calms even the craziest of babies. When Tim wasn't baby whispering he was the male dining hall boss. Which is a crazy, but awesome job. Being on assignment is one of my favorite parts about being a staff wife. Living in community with amazing couples and sweet children. And, not having to cook or clean anything for a month. And seeing kids come to Christ and leaders really love on kids. And just simply being at Camp. Awesome.

3. A week in the South Carolina visitng our families. My friend Elizabeth informed me that we are lacking Trader Joes here because of a crazy hold that Publix has over distributorship in Florida. So, when we're home I like to stock up. A few favorites - Cornbread Mix, Baked Cheese Crunchies, Maple Agave Syrup, and some assorted dried fruits. Cheap and tasty.

4. Home in Sarasota for a week, with our friend Katey Shelton staying with us! I made her ride double with me on the scooter everywhere. We pretended like we were tourists and went to all favorite places.

5. CAMP!!! At Windy Gap!

We went on our FIRST Sarasota YL Camp trip...and it was epic! We took 12 kids and 4 leaders to a week of fabulousity. Wrangler breakfast, private Ryan Long concert, kids coming to know Jesus. And, we had 11 girls in our cabin...no one even brought a hair dryer. Seriously? Seriously? I've been a leader for quite a while and never have I had such a low maintenance awesome group of girls. Their goal...zip and sip every day. As in zipline and sippie. Every girl in our cabin blobbed, slid, zipped, swung, moutain biked, and everything else. Awesome. And the best part? Walls that had been built up over a long period of time were broken down and kids really started to see Jesus as personal and loving. Beautiful. That love of Christ.

And now...we're back!

And right this moment Tim is trying to make me watch a scary movie.

Yeah right.

Anyways, that's what's going on with Team Reese.

We love everyone out there in bloggie land.

A double Life.

2011-05-12T05:52:00.000-07:00

It has come to my attention that my husband may or may not be leading a double life.

By day: Tim Reese.

Sarasota Young Life Area Director.

Father of our Sully Reese.

Lover of bears and X Box Kinect Sports.

And by night...reality show star

Bert the Conquerer.

(bert)

(tim)

(bert)

Seriously. I saw a commercial for this show the other day and it was a little scary to see my husband's doppleganger. He also looks a little like Duff James.

And apparently it's a cool reality show. He makes people have fun.

So, maybe Bert the Conquerer is Tim Reese?

If so, I hope that we're making good money off the show!

Cake Pops

2011-03-23T14:52:00.000-07:00

So, the seven year old girl behind me at Starbucks told me that I HAD to try this new little tasty treat that Starbucks has on their menu. Cake pops. They come in three flavors: Birthday Cake, Tiramisu, and Rocky Road (her favorite flavor is Birthday Cake).

Delicious.

Bite sized little bits of cupcake heaven.

Soon I will attempt a recreation...i'll post on that later...

Honeyed Vanilla Almond Creamer

2011-02-07T20:00:00.000-08:00

So, in case you didn't know...I drink a lot of coffee. Love it. Can't get enough. God created coffee and it is good.

And I drink my coffee with a good amount of flavored creamer. Coffee Mate to be specific. However, recently I've felt like my creamer was very unnatural tasting. Perhaps because the first ingredient is high fructose corn syrup and I don't think there's actually any cream in creamer.

So, I decided to make my own. And it is definitely tastier than it's fake companions.

Honeyed Vanilla Almond Creamer.

1 Cup Half and Half
1/2 Cup 2% Milk
5 Tablespoons Honey
1/2 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 Tablespoon Almond Extract

Measure out 1 cup of Half and Half and 1/2 Cup of 2% Milk. Really any percentage will work, I just happened to have 2% on hand.

Pour into a saucepan.

Add in 5 Tablespoons of Honey.

Turn stovetop to medium heat and whisk ingredients together.

Add in 1/2 Tablespoon of Vanilla.

Add in 1/2 Tablespoon of Almond Extract.
Continue to whisk ingredients together until the honey melts and the ingredients are well mixed.

Brew your favorite kind of coffee in your Keurig. (I couldn't resist. I got one for Christmas and I love love love it!)

Pour into your favorite cow creamer server and enjoy!
Refrigerate the leftovers in a glass jar and shake before using.

How could I not share?

2011-02-06T16:49:00.000-08:00

Drew and Ellie Holcomb. Love them.

Things to look forward to when we have kids....

2011-01-28T16:37:00.000-08:00

So, I've been substituting the past couple days at an elementary school.
Here is one of my favorite comments...

Kid: "Mrs. Reese" (By the way, they all say Reese like Reeses Peanutbutter Cups)
Me: Yes
Kid: Jonathan ate a post-it note.
Me: Um. Okay.

However, it really doesn't compare to what happened to my friend Molly.
While babysitting a little boy today he asked her if she would dig up his dead pet rat from the backyard so he could draw a picture of it.

In Celebration of Martin Luther King Jr Day.

2011-01-17T17:08:00.000-08:00

Here is the story of Young Life's Southwind Camp in Ocklawaha, Florida.
It's fitting that this story would be told on MLK Day.

Back in the fall of 1971 Charlie Scott, an Area Director in Florida was taking high school kids to weekend camp. Young Life had no camp facilities in Florida at this time so here's what happened in the words of Charlie Scott.

It was on a bright Sunday morning, and I was in the camp manager's office, preparing to pay the bill when I was stunned by a comment he made. "Look out the window at that," he said, "You're bringing too many of them here. We can't have you bringing so many of them here from now on."

When I looked out the window all I saw was a teenage couple, an African-American young man with his arm around a white girl, walking to the dining hall in the middle of a crowd of their friends. After what the manager said I was in shock. I remember distinctly thinking, as I wrote out the check for the cost of the weekend, that this would be the last one I would ever write for this camp.

We were highly committed to establishing urban ministries, right along with our suburban ministries which for years had been our mainstay of Young Life. The urban areas included primarily African-American kids, and we were taking more and more of them to camps right alongside our usually white suburban kids. Our commitment was for reaching every young person, black and white, rich or poor. We needed a place for camps where they could handle large numbers, and where everyone brought would be welcomed and accepted.

In March of 1972 the O.K. Dude Ranch was purchased and today is the Young Life property we all know at Southwind.

Updated Tandem Bike

2011-01-01T13:17:00.000-08:00

After a few years of loving usage on Sullys our tandem needed a little botox.
We saw this gorgeous bike at a shop in Columbia and declared it our muse.

So, over the break Tim and his dad worked hard on restoring our bike to glory.

Merry Christmas from Team Reese!

2010-12-15T20:02:00.001-08:00

A few Christmas pics from the Reeses.

No tree:( But, we do have a nice wreath! A birdy wreath. Here's the closeup.

Preciousness.

And below...our attempts at a family Christmas party,

It took our child a while to get it right.

Roasted Pear Salad

2010-11-27T16:48:00.000-08:00

Tonight I made this salad.
And it was delicious. So I had to share.
Tim Reese used the word "creative" but he ate it. And he does not usually eat salad.

1 cup Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans
4 oz blue cheese
1/4 cup dried cherries
3 firm pears
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Mixed Baby Lettuces

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

DRESSING: Mix 3/4 cup Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing and sugar in a sauce pan. Cook over low heat just until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside.

STUFFING: Place pecans in a skillet: toast over medium heat (watch carefully as they burn easily). Set aside. Mix cherries with toasted pecans and blue cheese and set aside.

PEARS: Peel pears. Slice pears in half lengthwise, remove cores from pears to create a hole for filling. Trim a slice from bottom of each pear half to allow them to sit upright in the baking dish. Place pears-- hole side up--in a baking dish and sprinkle with lemon juice. Spoon filling into center of pears. Sprinkle 1 tbsp. of Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing over each pear and pour remaining dressing around pears. Bake uncovered until tender, (about 30 minutes); basting 3 or 4 times during baking time (make sure to baste!).

To assemble: clean and tear lettuce into bite size pieces and toss with remaining Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing. Arrange lettuce on salad plates; place a pear in center of each plate, spoon pan drippings over top of each pear.

Delish.

Young Life Update!

2010-11-16T15:52:00.000-08:00

A Young Life Update

So, Tim Reese and I were brought here to lovely Sarasota (80 degrees today, eat your heart out Northerners) to start Young Life. First off, thank you everyone for your prayer. We covet your prayers. We still covet your prayers. There's no way we could be here without the support of everyone in Sarasota and our friends and family back home who care for us.

One of the first things Tim had to do was find leaders. We were actually told that finding leaders would be one of our biggest struggles because we aren't in a town with college students who would be interested in Young Life. So, we started out with Tim, myself, and our friends Robin and Greg. Out friends Eric and Stefan, both former rockstar leaders at FSU were added to the mix. And then we added Molly, who kids flock to like free milkshakes at Chick-fil-A. And most recently we added Katey, a student at Ringling. I pretty much want to be her when I grow up.

(Our leader Greg - and his mustache, and Eric)

We started with coed Campaigners (think small groups) instead of traditional Young Life Club (think large group) so that we could cast vision for our high school friends for their own high school friends.

So, our first week, when we thought we would have no one, we actually had 6 kids at Campaigners - which was awesome.
And, the Lord has blessed us week after week with growth and with excitement.
Also, Tim was able to be the chaplain of the Sarasota High Football team as well as the Riverview Basketball team (these are the two big high schools in Sarasota). This is awesome. It means that Tim gets to be on the field/court for all of their games. It took our friend Jim who was the Area Director 13 years to become the chaplain for Manatee High. So, seeing how the Lord has opened doors for us has really been amazing.

Last weekend we took 9 kids to Southwind for fall camp which is huge! Camp is a big deal for a new area because it gets our high school friends really excited and gives them a vision for what club looks like and really what Young Life in an area can look like.

Thanksgiving Olympics!!

This week we had our Thanksgiving Olympics. Turkey Bowling. Bobbing for apples in corn. Sack Racing. Pie Eating Contest. And More.

For those of you who don't know what turkey bowling is let me explain.
1. Black plastic sheeting covered with water and dawn dishwashing soap (think Slip-n-Slide)
2. 10 Bowling pins at the end.
3. 15 pound frozen turkey in lieu of bowling ball.
4. Excited high school kids.

I also had to explain turkey bowling to the 24 hour emergency vet.
Because when you add our sweet, but easily excitable dog into the mix, things can get a little crazy.
And sweet little Sully got hit right in the head with a turkey when she got in the path of a kid bowling. That's right. Our dog. Hit in the head with a frozen turkey. Explain that to the vet.
But, she is fine. She still crazy. No permanent brain damage(we don't think, but she is a dog, so who really knows).

A little daily joy.

2010-11-14T16:42:00.000-08:00

This video brings joy to my soul.

Christmas is coming!!

2010-11-05T13:43:00.000-07:00

It's officially November.
That means I can officially be excited about the upcoming Holidays.

And just to quote a line from one of the best movies ever...
"Christmas. In Florida. What are we going to do? Decorate a palm tree?"

-Home Alone

An Ode to Amtrak.

2010-11-04T15:05:00.000-07:00

So, when I was trying to decide my mode of travel for Chris and Megan's wedding I first thought of flying. Or driving.
But, I decided on the neverbefore taken elusive American train.
So, I packed my leopard print snuggie and was ready to go.

I will say that the Laura Ingles Wilder Little House on the Prairie book series is like one of my favorites, favorites, favorites of all times.
So, secretly when I think of train rides I really think of when Laura Ingles Wilder was riding the train with "Ma" and they rode to train to get to "Pa" and each child got a piece 1 cent candy.

So, maybe that's what I really expected, but here's what I got.

They still have conductors.
I had a big seat all to myself.
With lots and lots of legroom and a tray table.
Wifi.
Dining Cart.
Yes. I will have the cheese plate.

And surprisingly normal people.
Apparently in California they put prisoners on trains to cart them to do work detail.
But, the people on the train were great. Lots of people around my age.
People that wanted to talk if you wanted to talk. People that wanted to go sit in the lounge cart and play cards. A group of 3 moms with a group of 12 year old girls who had just gone on a trip.
A few precious babies who didn't even cry.
I feel like on planes people usually stick to themselves. I've never seen people talk over the aisles or carry on real conversations for long periods of time.
It was really sweet.
Even if Laura Ingles Wilder wasn't there.

So, all in all riding the train is the way to go.
It's also BYOB if you so desire.
Next group trip...
Party Train.
For Real.

I Love My Hair

2010-10-26T19:25:00.000-07:00

So, I was watching some sort of news show last week and this sweet little segment came on about a new song that a new muppet on Sesame Street was singing.

The creator of this new song and muppet is a a Sesame Street writer who has an adopted little girl from Africa. One day when he was with his daughter she was telling her father about how she hated her hair and wished she had "Princess Hair" aka long flowing blonde hair.

So, he created this sweet little song and muppet for her and all the other little girls who feel like they didn't have beautiful hair to let them know how beautiful they indeed are.

I.love.it.

Things Jesus Said

2010-10-19T20:57:00.000-07:00

"Go and take to heart the sense of these words.

My desire is for mercy, not offerings:

for I have come not to get the upright,

but the sinners"

- Jesus (Matthew 9:13 ESV)

I can't help but pass on this little jewel.

2010-10-12T20:59:00.000-07:00

So, I've been traveling around the country for some great Chick-fil-A store Grand Openings.

We get put up in some great hotels, but, without fail...

hotel coffee is bad.

real bad.

And early mornings + bad coffee = Difficult.

Seriously. Last week I bought some flavored creamer and even it couldn't disguise the bad taste.

Anyways, I was at the Starbucks and they had these samples of their new Via instant flavored coffee that they're pushing like crazy right now.

And I tried the Cinnamon-Spice flavor, and it was Delicious.

And I do not like Starbucks brewed coffee.

So, I bought myself a package of the Vanilla flavor. They also have Mocha and Caramel

So, props to the Starbucks.

Last week I was told that I looked tired. So let's hope that this doesn't happen this next week.

Hellooo Saturday.

2010-10-02T08:24:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite Saturday morning activities here in Sarasota is the Farmers Market. Fresh Vegetables, Fresh Pasta, Music, Crepes and Breakfast Burritos, people selling bumble bee costumes for dogs....

What's not to love?

Here is one of my absolute favorite favorite parts though.

The double decker Java Dog bus. The bottom level is where they make the goodies and liquid gold aka their own roast of coffees and then you can eat upstairs. I love it. Oh, and it's really mobile. It doesn't live on this street.

Double Chocolate Chip muffin and Vanilla Latte.

Tim looking down Main Street.

Love it.

2010-09-28T19:06:00.001-07:00

Deliciousness. Seriously.

2010-09-15T18:22:00.000-07:00

In case you didn't know, I'm kindof obsessed with Top Chef. And any sort of fritter. I love them.
This recipie from last week looked amazing. I'm sad that my favorite contestant Tiffany didn't make it to the final three, but it's all good. Anyways, I've put a link to a video at the bottom that shows you how to make these delicious banana fritters step by step.

Enjoy!

Batter:
2 cup flour
2 TBS black and white sesame seeds
1 tsp. baking powder
3 TBS sugar
salt to taste
1 TBS honey
2 large eggs
2 cups of hoppy pale ale

Mix above ingredients until thoroughly incorporated.

Bananas:
Large bananas cut into 1-inch medallions
Sambal Oelek or similar chili paste
wooden skewers for serving
2 TBS cinnamon mixed with 4 TBS granulated sugar
2 cups of vegetable oil heated to 350 degrees

Brush banana medallions with a little bit of sambal chili paste; then spear medallions on skewers and dip in batter to coat. Dunk the coated medallions in the hot oil and fry for about 1 minute, or until the fritters become puffy and golden brown. Transfer fritters to a paper-towel-lined tray and sprinkle them while hot with cinnamon and sugar mixture. To finish, put a dollop of chili paste on a plate and place fritters on top. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy!

Top Chef - Custom Video Players - Top Recipe - Top Recipe Bravo TV Official Site

I want to wear.

2010-09-14T07:12:00.001-07:00

I love these dresses from the Atelier Versace Fall 2010 Collection. It makes me want to walk the red carpet so that I can wear one.

Jesus Loves Strippers

2010-09-09T10:03:00.000-07:00

I heard about an amazing ministry the other day called "Jesus Said Love" started by a couple in Waco, Texas.

Why JESUS SAID LOVE? Simply put, Brett & Emily didn’t want to isolate their ministry to the sex industry. The burden was for the MARGINALIZED. The vision for JESUS SAID LOVE is to reach out to the marginalized...those whom the church has missed either because of ignorance or negligence. Our outreaches will be defined by people groups. And the first people group was already happening. STRIPPERS. We decided to define our outreaches with the phrase “JESUS LOVES.....” and that’s how JESUS LOVES STRIPPERS came to be.

Here's an amazing story. I am so encouraged by this.

Donna Part One - by Emily

Brett and I were leading worship in Arlington last weekend and I got a text Sat. night that Donna, a dancer whom we had given a baby shower for recently, had given birth. The text said that as they pulled the baby out via C-Section, they also pulled on her bladder and it was torn. She immediately began hemorrhaging…they had to do an emergency repair surgery on her bladder. (Background: During her last c-section a doctor "cut" her bladder by accident which resulted in a lot of scar tissue. Scar tissue and all the tugging is the reason her bladder tore this time).

The doctors told her that she could have NO MORE KIDS, that if she did get pregnant she would die giving birth. She is 25 and began birthing children at 16....a set of twins who are now adopted, two other children and now this new baby.

I went to see her Sunday night at 8pm to find her with her beautiful baby boy, perfectly healthy. She, on the other hand..in not so great condition. 18 staples in her stomach, a catheter which was draining a mixture of blood and urine, and a drain bag pulling fluid off of her stomach from the surgery. Obviously, she was going to have a long recovery. Not only that but there were NO FAMILY MEMBERS there to care for her.

We talked a lot and I helped her with the new baby, changing diapers, helping her figure out feeding, etc. It was pretty surface. We talked about her life and I got a lot of background story on her. She got to hear about Brett and my girls and she made the comment of how she wished she had a husband like that (Brett was at home watching the girls while they had a girlfriend over for a slumber party!!!! a good man!).

She then told me how much she was in physical pain and how she just wanted to take a shower...she had not showered since Friday, the day of her surgery. She called a friend but she could not come shower her. At that point I said, "You really would feel better if you could take a hot shower and get cleaned up. I could help you if you wanted me to." (I really didn't think she'd take me up on this offer being that I barely knew her well and this was our first long visit.) She jumped at the offer and said.... "Are you sure you don't mind? Well, I don't have shampoo and conditioner or a gown either."

So...I drive home to get supplies…it's now 10pm, and I couldn't believe I was about to bathe her. I prayed on my way back that the Lord would help me get over any discomfort and just focus on meeting her needs and that somehow this would open up a great conversation for us! I return with the goods in hand and immediately we begin the process of getting her ready. She needs help walking, draining her catheter and measuring the fluid…then also checking on her other drain bag. She starts the water running and gets in. I begin to take the shower nozzle and get her covered in good, clean, warm water. She is trying to relax but is scared, not of me but of the pain and of all the incisions she has. She's directing me: "Hand me the soap please. Will you wash my legs and feet? Can you see the incision and make sure you wash it good too but be gentle."

This is SUCH an intimate moment and all I can think about is how I would ONLY do this with my husband, mother, sister or very best friend. But she is unfiltered in the area of modesty and is not uncomfortable with that at all...she's taken her clothes off so many times before, this is no huge deal.

As I begin to wash her hair, I'm reminded of earlier in the day when a friend came over and we began to talk about the work God was doing in our city and how she had been directed to pray specifically for JSL. She told me of a service at her church where they gathered in the parking lot and the pastor had talked about being "wet or soaked" with the Holy Spirit. He talked about being able to truly feel the presence of the Spirit and that it is filled with joy. He brought out a water hose and began to drench the congregation as an illustration. At first it was just the kids who ran up and wanted to "get wet" but then families and adults came to play, laugh and just "let go" of their inhibitions. The joy was contagious.

As the water was pouring down Donna's head I began to pray in my spirit that the Lord would indeed drench her with the Holy Spirit. That as I washed her, her inhibitions toward God would flee and that Jesus would clean and wash every part of her wounded soul. It was a beautiful picture.

After I dried her off and helped her to get dressed, I asked if I could pray for her and her new son. She said “sure”.

I prayed for the baby. Then I moved toward Donna, she extended her arms so I would hug her close. I hugged her for a while then released to take a breath and hold her hands tight. I began to pray "Wonderful Father, I bring Donna before you as your precious creation who you long to have a relationship with...." she begins to sniffle… "would you allow her now to know you are near, to feel your Spirit's presence and to heal the bleeding in her bladder"…at this point, she begins shaking pretty hard. I paused to open my eyes and check to see if she was ok, her little legs were just wobbling. I could only conclude that the Holy Spirit must be reaching her. I start again, "Lord in Jesus name, would you do all that we've asked and allow her to know your provision far more than any family, man or job could ever do.....Amen". I'm sure I prayed more but that's the gist of it!

After that she broke and began to bawl. She just kept saying, "my mom should be here doing this, not you. I'd not even have a baby bed if it wasn't for you (referring to the JSL shower and the bed we got her)." I told her that all of that was so that the Lord could show His provision for her. That if she would trust Him in faith, that He would do a better job than anyone ever could. (Donna has a "sugar daddy", who is married with a family but pays ALL of her bills). She told me that she did realize that and that she didn't like to be dependent upon the “Sugar Daddy”.

As I left (at midnight) I told her that I was believing God would let her be released on Monday and she'd get to go home. She did.

The next day, some of our JLS team members visited Donna and they had a good visit.

Please pray for Donna’s heart to continue to soften, for the Lord to do a mighty work in her life (both physically and emotionally) and that she would come to a personal relationship with Christ. She is open.

Donna Part 2

You may remember reading a story we posted about a dancer named Donna whom we've been in relationship with for a while. As a matter of fact, it’s Donna’s feet that are on the image that has become the visual recognition of Jesus Loves Strippers. Well, there's an amazing update that you must read about.

We hadn’t heard from Donna in some time. In the past we had been working with her on job prospects and such. But then communication stopped.

About a week ago, the phone rang and it was Donna. It was good to hear her voice. She told us she had been in jail for the past 30+ days and had just been released.

She told us about her experience in jail...that she was visited frequently by a little old lady who wore extreme blue eyeshadow. The lady would come to the jail and talk with the inmates about Jesus. She would lead Bible studies and tell the women who would listen about Jesus. And Donna was one of those women who listened!

Donna told us she was really ready to make a change...that she wanted more for her life and for her kids.

We asked her if she felt like she had begun a relationship with Jesus while in jail, but she wasn’t sure and really didn’t fully understand what that meant. So we talked some more.

She then asked if she could go to church with us. Of course! So, on Sunday morning, Emily drove to pick up Donna and her kids. Prior to Emily showing up, Donna had called and asked if it was alright to bring a friend of hers...who just happened to be another dancer whom we had met during previous Jesus Loves Strippers outreaches. Of course!!

Emily, Donna and kids, and Tami arrived at church ready to see. And by the end of the worship time, Donna and Tami SAW JESUS. At the end of the message, our pastor offered a response time and both Donna and Tami responded! They told me that they had NEVER prayed like that before or heard about praying for Jesus to come into your heart! wow. Sincerely a first time experience. He then asked if anyone was ready to walk with Jesus that they come to the front after the service...that he wanted to pray with them.

So the service ended and both Donna and Tami were ready to head to the front! Emily walked them both to meet our pastor. He prayed with them and answered some of their questions. At the conclusion he asked if they had anymore questions for him. Tami spoke up and said, “um, i heard them say something about choir, could i join choir? i sing good." His response....YES!!

Jesus Loves Donna! And Tami!!

We Made It!

2010-08-25T13:46:00.000-07:00

Well Bloggerland, Team Reese has made it to Sarasota!
We apologize for our lack of blogging recently, however, we promise to return soon with a full update on our new life in our new city.
Until then..enjoy this nice picture of me and Sully at the dog beach.
That's right.
Dog beach.
In the middle of the day. Without a special colored collar.
They don't even have to be on leashes.
Eat your heart our Isle of Palms/Sullys/Folly.

Colbyisms.

2010-07-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

I was talking with my 7 year old cousin Colby the other day.
(Precious. I know)

We were talking about babies. Don't read into that. I'm not pregnant, 7 year olds just like to talk about everything.
Here was a conversation highlight.

Me: Colby, if I do have a baby one day what should I name it?
Colby: Michael Jackson, no wait! CJ Spiller.
Me: What if it's a girl?
Colby: Miss. CJ Spiller.

More of my talented friends.

2010-07-14T06:29:00.000-07:00

I just love my sweet friend Lulie Martin Wallace. And her amazing art.
Super talented and loves what she does.
Here's her website.

Checks in the Mail....

2010-07-14T06:12:00.001-07:00

I admit.
I was skeptical.
I doubted God on this matter.

Here's what happened.
Recently Tim and I had a great conversation about importance of tithing with a couple that we're friends with. It really led us to ask some questions about our life such as
"Do we really trust that God is in complete control and if so, is that shown in our relationship with money in particular our tithing(or sometimes lack of tithing)?"

Our friends also told us about receiving checks in the mail, and when I went to Bethel they prayed for checks in the mail.

But, I was like.
Seriously?
How does that work?
How do you just receive checks in the mail?
All we receive in the mail are bills and wedding invitations.

But.then.it.happened.
Tim and I had set out our budget for the next two weeks and after tithing knew that we would be short $75. We really debated not tithing, but decided that God was bigger.

And then. That day.

A rebate check to Tim for $50 from Firestone for buying new tires.
And a reimbursement to me for $25.87 from something that was over a year old.
Oh, and the next day we tried to pay our car insurance bill and it had dropped by $185.

Praise the Lord.
For checks in the mail.

P.S. Joel Osteen did not endorse this prosperity gospel message.

Not your granny's florals.

2010-06-27T07:47:00.000-07:00

Whenever I think of Wallpaper the images that pop into my mind are granny florals and pastel seashells. But, I love this wallpaper from Ferm Living. They're inspired by many places - Scandinavian nature, flea markets and from trips around the world - featuring designs combining graphic patterns, vintage throwbacks and unique modern touches.

So, Happy Sunday! Enjoy the Pretty!

Oh hello blog.... there you are.

2010-06-09T19:03:00.000-07:00

It's been a crazy couple of months.
Lots of big news.
Unfortunately, not a lot of blogging.

Beginning August 1st Team Reese will officially be residents of the Sunshine State, Florida here we come! It's been amazing to watch the Lord work through this whole process.

As many of you know we initially interviewed at for a position in New Orleans but really felt that the Lord wasn't calling us to New Orleans, and in the weeks following that decision the Lord has totally affirmed that decision. This was huge because we really loved the city itself.

But, in order for us to interview in New Orleans Tim essentially had to give up his job as the Lake Murray staff person, so that role could be filled (which, it was filled by our great friend Jonathan King and we're so excited for the future of Lake Murray). But, that left us out of the job come August if we didn't get picked up by another area, which at this point there was nothing available in the Carolinas or Georgia region. This was hard for us because Tim has felt such a calling to Young Life staff.

But moving on, Tim was introduced to Frank, the Regional Director of Florida Young Life when he was at Assigned Team training for his summer camp assignment at Southwind. Frank began working with Tim to see if he could place Tim in an area in the Florida region.

And Sarasota....

Sarasota is actually a startup area, which means that they don't have Young Life. But, there were adults interested in having Young Life in Sarasota. These adults had been meeting with the Area Director of nearby Bradenton, FL for a while and were eager to have Young Life come to Sarasota. So, Frank went and met with these interested adults to pitch the idea of having a staff person come to start Young Life in Sarasota. But, he also told them that before a staff person could come they had to form an official Young Life committee with seven couples on it and raise $35,000. They walked away from that meeting with eight couples and in a week and a half raised $25,000.

Which is amazing. We could definitely see the Lord's hand all over this process. And, I think as soon as we saw that fishing, golfing, and going out on a boat were all a part of the interview process the deal was sealed. The committee was really amazing. People that I would want to hang out with on a regular basis who were really excited about Young Life. But, they also really cared about us as people. In our interview we got asked questions like "How can we help you not get burnt out if you move here" and "How do you plan on strengthening your marriage and not get too busy for one another." Which are really great things to hear, because it sets a precedent that they don't expect all of our time, or for our whole lives to be about Young Life. Also, we really loved Sarasota. Great beaches(which are perfect for visitors, because Sarasota's tourist season is during the winter), SuperTarget. Publix galore. There's a branch of IHOP church is in Sarasota. Tons of cute, local restaurants and shops. And a Ritz Cartlon. Which is probably where we'll live. In the penthouse.

Nothing is without it's challenges - we we will have to continue fundraising pretty hard these next few months, but the Lord has already been at work in big ways, and we're excited for the challenges. But, thank you guys so much for all of your prayers! We love yall and can't wait for everyone to come visit!

Side Note.
When our friend Emily found out we were moving to Florida she told Tim that I better load up on the sunscreen.
I wonder why.
Adventures of fair-skinned girl.

Sweet Etsy Burlap Designs

2010-04-09T20:23:00.000-07:00

I was looking through Etsy for a few things for our home and came across a few burlap table runners that I fell in love with. Which, of course led me to search through all things burlap. I just really love the texture of burlap and love it when beautiful things are made out of something so rough.

This is where it all started.I really love this burlap and jute table runner from
South House Boutique

I love this bib necklace by Sewn by DCC.

Fun purse by Aeolist Design. I like that they dyed the burlap yellow.

Fun little Wine Bottle Holders from South House Boutique

What would Etsy be without all the bird motifs? Pillow by Next Door to Heaven

And finishing up with another table runner which would look great in my dining room.
Table Runner by Aeolist Design

Utopia Invitations

2010-03-30T16:06:00.000-07:00

My sweet friend Lauren Landers has finally launched her own line of invitations called Utopia Invitations.
and they really are amazing.
And her whole line is Eco-Friendly
and she's giving a portion of all her profits to environmental organizations and projects.
and they're amazing.

Here's her website.

Church Humor

2010-03-07T11:03:00.000-08:00

I love it in church when Pastors say funny things, and actual funny things, not just cheesy, scripted-feeling jokes. So, here are a few one liners that were said this morning at church.

In reference to how we sometimes justify our sin that isn't specifically referred to in the bible:

"It doesn't say in the bible "don't do crack cocaine" but we all know that's wrong."

In reference to Acts 2:42-47

"Now, this verse is not saying to go live in a communist commune, only have one set of clothes, and only come out on Triple Coupon Thursdays to go stock up at Publix for the upcoming apocalypse."

^"42They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. ⁴⁴All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. ⁴⁶Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved" -Acts 2:42-47

a few lovely things for a friday

2010-03-05T07:20:00.000-08:00

I love these headbands.

They're from blueeyed freckle on Etsy

Morning loves.

2010-03-05T06:08:00.000-08:00

So, these girls are one of the biggest reasons why I love Columbia. These are the sweet sophomore girls that my friend Katie Walsh and I hang out with and lead in a bible study.

Not only are the incredibly encouraging and press each other and myself on in our walk with Christ, they also have some great one-liners.

Here's a favorite.

"Can you have a baby before we finish college? But, you also need to wait until after we turn 21."

Hank...

2010-03-02T15:19:00.001-08:00

This past weekend Tim and I headed up to Windy Gap for middle school WyldLife weekend.

Let me tell you about Hank.
Easily the most popular kid at camp.
The guy everyone wanted to be around.
The guy that when he spoke, commanded the attention of the room.

Hank is in his eighties. He's been involved with Columbia Young Life since 1971 and was involved in Young Life in Richardson, Texas before this. Hank's wife passed away in December and for the four years prior to that was in hospice. This past weekend was the first time in 6 years Hank had slept in a bed other than the one he shared with his wife.
And in the midst of the pain of losing a spouse he had so much joy and humility and trust in the Lord.

I hope that when I am Hank's age I love and trust Jesus and desire to follow the Lord as much as Hank does.

One of the most beautiful things I've ever witnessed was the man on his knees before the Lord praying for Columbia WyldLife kids.

Hank shared this bit of wisdom with me and it's stuck with me these past couple of days

"The kingdom of the Lord advances, in spite of ourselves."

It never ceases to amaze me that the Lord uses us. Despite our selfish motives, our pride, our vain conceit...the Lord uses us. The kingdom is always advancing.

Maybe being a mom won't be that bad...if I get to wear this.

2010-02-19T06:38:00.000-08:00

Seth Aaron from this season's Project Runway is by far my favorite designer of this season.
And last night's challenge was pretty fun.
Design a fashionable look for a little girl. And then the twist on the challenge
...design a corresponding look for the models.

So, mother-daughter matchy-matchy. Usually not my thing.
You will not see us in denim family photos in the dunes at the beach
or in matching monogrammed jumpers.
Sorry.

But, can I just say that when I am a mom, I hope my kids and I look this cool.
I would definitely wear this.
(don't worry though, that won't be happening anytime soon)

You can't really see it in these pictures - but he even made a sweet little matching purse for the little girl's outfit.
And, put those grommets in the fabric himself.

LOVE this jacket!!

This one goes out to Baby Liv

2010-02-16T15:34:00.001-08:00

This past weekend Tim and I, along with some of our friends went to the beach for the weekend.

And we brought a baby.

Well... I guess I should say Duff and Kristi brought their daughter, sweet little Liv.
Liv always provides lots of entertainment. Like in these pictures from Chad's bike race.

Baby Liv in the bike basket. Just hangin out.

liv

Ashton. The Street Fighter.

2010-02-11T19:36:00.000-08:00

So, maybe in my spare time I street fight a little.

Okay. Well, maybe I fell while trying to catch Katie's dog Sarabelle.
But, I do look like a street fighter
(actually both hands look like this, but I only took a picture of one).

naptime

2010-01-31T10:26:00.000-08:00

Sundays are perfect days for naps.
And, I would love to curl up in one of these two beds!

love these

2010-01-29T07:41:00.000-08:00

I love handwriting. Growing up I spent hours practicing writing my name instead of paying attention to my teachers. So, I'm jealous of neither snow who does this for a living.

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed...

2010-01-28T03:09:00.000-08:00

I read this great nugget of truth this morning and had to share...

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead -- since he was about a hundred years old -- and that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.

-Romans 4:18-21

What a great reminder of the Lord's faithfulness and the plan and purpose he has for our lives. Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed...I just love this verse.
This makes me realize that often when I'm thinking about hope or "hoping for something" it's a totally un-Christ centered hope. It usually goes something along the lines of "I really hope there's a good sale today on that shirt I wanted" or "I really hope I win the lottery this week."
Not hopes that would actually point me towards glorifying the Lord.

I love that Abraham "faced the fact that his body was as good as dead." He wasn't lying to himself and telling himself he was a 25 year old hottie ready to make some babies. But.. he still believed. Because God promised him. Just like God shares his promises for our live throughout the word.

My prayer for myself and for my friends and family that we would be fully persuaded that God has the power to do what he had promised.
I know for myself this isn't necessarily how I live my life.
FULLY persuaded.
How different would my life look if I truly, with everything I had trusted in the Lord?

Pressing On

2010-01-20T06:28:00.000-08:00

While reading blogs of some Charleston friends I saw this on Hannah Alexander's blog - it's taken from the Iris Ministries website - an amazing ministry in Africa run by Roland and Heidi Baker.

I had to share this.

Heidi and I would both be dead by now if our doctors had been right.

A few years ago Heidi was in the hospital for a month with a staph infection that went out of control. The doctors gave up on her and told her she could write her tombstone. Then suddenly, while preaching in a lot of pain, God healed her, and the next morning she was out jogging!

Four months ago I was diagnosed with terminal dementia, and was barely alive. I needed help to shower, change clothes, put on my shoes, clip my fingernails. I didn't know what country I was in, and couldn't remember anything from the day before. Heidi built a room for a full-time caregiver for me in Mozambique. Doctors said I wouldn't live long, and family was called.

I had friends who wouldn't give up on me, and they sent me to a Christian center in Germany where I received incredible medical care in a faith-filled environment. Today I am back in Pemba ministering the Gospel, ready to fly my plane again, and reconnected with our friends and staff here. I look forward to pushing back the frontiers of missions in Sudan, DRCongo and wherever the need is greatest.

We cannot function in this world without the power of our God. Some of us haven't yet been brought to our extremity, and so we aren't fully and forcibly aware of our dependence. But our time will come. We need Him to stay alive. We need Him for our health. We need Him for our healing. We need Him for righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

We need more than talk. We need Him more than church, a missions program or financial support. We need more than any human being can do for us. We need sheer, raw power in the goodness and love of God. We need power to appreciate our God, to make Him the greatest pleasure in our lives. We need power to rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory. We need power to experience His Kingdom, to move in His environment.

How do we get power? It is the grace and gift of God. He plants in us a hunger that will not be denied. He opens our eyes to our poverty without His powerful Presence. He grants faith where there was none. In His power we can rest even while under demonic attack. His power fixes our eyes on Him. In His power we are able to discipline ourselves in everything. We can cast our cares on Him because He is willing to use His power on our behalf.

How can we be sure He cares for us? The cross. We go to the cross always to find confidence to approach Him. We will not empty the cross of its power. There and only there we find salvation of every kind. At the cross we come to know our God and His heart toward us. At the cross we learn to become utterly dependent on His power.

-Rolland Baker

I had to include this sweet picture. Here's one of their beautiful little girls lost in worship at the Machava Center.

Sometimes I have to remind myself that God hasn't forsaken me where I am. He hasn't forsaken me in Columbia, he hasn't forsaken Haiti, he hasn't forsaken any of us.

Great Man-Gifts

2010-01-17T11:06:00.001-08:00

Thank you Aaron and Anna Kate Coffey. Last night the Coffey's gave Tim a great man-gift. Man-gifts are hard to find. Especially for friends. But, I was so impressed with this that I felt as though it was blog worthy. Seriously, this is going to sound like an advertisement, but I think these are really cool and practical. The Swiss Army Knife company makes a line of Swiss Army knives for the 21st century called the SwissFlash series.

These come with the standard Swiss Army knife features like a file and scissors, but also come with a USB flash drive - which, if you use your computer at work and have to take your work home with you often, these come in very handy. They also have the option of other great little gadgets on them - like a LED flashlight, pen, and more.

So, if you have a man in your life that needs a gift....this is it!

i want to go to there...

2010-01-16T21:42:00.001-08:00

i want to go to there...and stay.

originally from here.

The dishwasher now works!

2010-01-16T12:11:00.000-08:00

It's been a nice lazy Saturday. I've been making yogurt in my crockpot (read about that on my other blog) and...fixing our dishwasher. It hasn't been running well recently and a few months ago I saw an article on apartmenttherapy.com called "10 Tips to Make Your Dishwasher Run Better" so I decided to give it a try. I never even knew you cleaned a dishwasher. But...it seemed to work, so I decided to pass along what I found. Obviously this has nothing to do with the mechanics of the dishwasher...if those are broken, I can't help ya.

Run An Empty Load With Vinegar: It’s the same concept as running a vinegar load in your washing machine, you simply toss a cup of white vinegar into the bottom of an empty dishwasher and run a normal cycle. It cleans out old food particles to keep your dishwasher smelling fresh.
Don't Confuse Scraping For Washing: No one wants to wash their dishes before they wash their dishes, it's just silly. But you wouldn't want to eat a Thanksgiving dinner and then go run a marathon right after, well neither does your dishwasher. Scrape food bits off before loading up to help reduce particulates stuck on dishes once the cycle is over.
Run The Hot Water Before Starting: Load your dishes like normal and then run the hot water in your kitchen sink until it's hot to the touch. By doing this, it means your first fill cycle will be hot instead of cold water running in until it finally makes its way over from the hot water heater. This is an especially important tip in winter time as it takes an extra amount of time!
Check Your Water Heater's Temperature: There's a joke about where to put the thermometer, but we'll pass this time around. Make sure your water heater is set between 120-125 degrees. Many units are shipped new with much lower heat. Don't be tempted to do higher however or else it will cause water to flash dry and not roll off your dishes, taking the ends of the dirty bits with it.
Use The Right Cycle: It's tempting to use a lower setting to save on bills, but make sure you're washing all your super dirty dishes by hand if that's the case. Just like doing your laundry, keep soil levels together when washing to end up with the best performance.
Don't Double Up On Rinse Aid: When looking to purchase a new soap for your dishwasher, make note if it includes a rinse aid. If it does, then there's no need to add any extra. If it doesn't, skip the extra purchase and just fill the reservoir with white vinegar. It'll do the trick every time!
Test Your Water: Hard water is killer on dishes and your ability to really get things clean. Make sure to have things tested and soften accordingly.
Don't Over Crowd: It's something that's easier said than done. It's quite tempting to layer in one more bowl or plate to avoid hand washing. Just remember, it's easier to wash a few pieces by hand than it is to rerun an entire load because things were too tightly packed.
Clean The Traps: Down in no mans land, under the lower sprayer, there's usually a piece that is removable. Under it you'll usually find bits of food that didn't make it out the drain or even pet hair (as gross as that thought is) if you have a fur ball of any kind running around your home. Sometimes the tray comes out fully so it can be rinsed in the sink, sometimes a towel is needed to remove the gunk build up.
Clean Your Seals: After a few months of use, your dishwasher accumulates a little bit of ick and stick around the rubber gasket in the door as well and often around the soap door as well. Make sure to give them a once over with a damp towel to keep the grime down.

I found the original article here.

Biggest Loser Revelations

2010-01-12T18:16:00.000-08:00

I got sucked into the Biggest Loser. Last week I watched it for the first time and I can see why people really love this show. There was a section of the show where the contestants were talking about love and relationships. Quite a few of the contestants were Two of the things the contestants said really struck me.

"How can anyone love me if I can't even love myself?"
"I'm married, and my wife says she loves me, but, how can you really love someone who weighs 400 pounds?"

My heart broke. These people believe that they are basically undeserving of love them because of the amount that they weigh. Because of a number on a scale.

Which is crazy. All I could think was "If they only knew..." If they only knew that God loved them more than anything, that when he sees them he calls them his beloved and delights in them. Which is how he feels for all of us. But, if I'm really honest with myself sometimes there are areas or situations in my life which make me feel undeserving of love - I believe that we all do. And, it's those times that the Lord reminds me how loved and how kept I am. how nothing I do can make the Lord stop loving me, and that His love knows no depths.

Tiger Woods. I still love him.

2010-01-07T06:11:00.000-08:00

So. I love Tiger Woods. Honestly. He inspired me and is one of the reasons why I took up golf. I'm really not kidding. Everyone knows what's been going on recently. I don't like to talk about it. Except for this clip which was on Fox news. The video really speaks for itself.

Le Tigre in need of redemption and grace.

We're all in need of grace. Myself as much as Tiger.

i need my burgers

2010-01-05T21:10:00.001-08:00

"I'm a girl with some girth and I need my burgers" -Queen Latifah (i love her!)

Snuggies

2010-01-01T10:44:00.000-08:00

What? So maybe the Reese family is a fan of snuggies. Tim and I received a leopard print snuggie for Christmas. It's amazing. Tim is reluctant about letting others know of the love he has for the snuggie.

What do you think of Adam Lambert?

2009-12-21T20:20:00.000-08:00

Mine and Tim's conversation while watching Adam Lambert on Jay Leno.

Tim: What do you think of Adam Lambert?
Me: I don't know. What do you think of him?
Tim: He's like a gothic Backstreet Boy.

I agreed.

I eat the Environment.

2009-12-16T21:35:00.001-08:00

"When I tell people I'm a vegetarian they often ask if I'm into the environment and all. I say uh no...i eat the environment."

-Mike Kaplan on Conan O'Brien

I love this. My mom is a vegetarian and I would consider myself a semi-veggie.
My mom's story is perhaps one of the best vegetarian stories I know. She decided to become a vegetarian after reading a children's book called 'Everybody Poops' which discussed the digestive process. She was grossed out when she learned that meat stays in your body longer than vegetables...and tada, a vegetarian is born!

However, Deb does not like many vegetarian foods and/or establishments including, but not limited to....Whole Foods, Earth Fare, tofu, eggs, and soymilk.

Deb's favorite meal is a Cheeseburger Happy Meal (hold the meat) from McDonalds.

Love you mom.

the craft mascot...the bird

2009-12-09T19:58:00.000-08:00

Today my Christmas issue of the magazine ReadyMade came in the mail. I love these little cards. In case you can't read the script it says

"I'm a sucker for anything with a bird on it"

But, what I really enjoy is what ReadyMade wrote as a caption for these cards:

"If the cult of craft had a mascot, the bird would be it. It's hard to find a Etsy page without a feathered friend. La Familia Green's tongue-and-cheek takes are welcome a welcome alternative to their mushier mates."

If you want to buy me or any other bird lover (obviously not pearls)

go here.

and a little cupcake birdy...

2009-12-09T00:43:00.000-08:00

love this too.

whitneysmithpottery

A little Christmas Birdy...

2009-12-09T00:03:00.000-08:00

I love these sweet little bird ornaments from The Purl Bee.

and here's how to make them

Christmas at Chick-fil-A

2009-12-06T13:55:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

2009-11-16T06:52:00.000-08:00

I saw this sweet little nugget that was Caitlin Binda's facebook status:

"today I choose your peace..."

"She's like my Younger Sister..."

2009-11-14T16:57:00.000-08:00

The Reese family has been all over the place recently...unfortunately though not together.

Last weekend Tim and Sully took a group of Lexington High boys on a "Mountain Man" camping trip. Tim instructed the boys to treat Sully like they would treat their younger sister (and maybe Tim threw in a few threats for good measure).

During the weekend one kid said "Sully is just like my little sister - she steals my clothes and my food and I can't ever do anything about it!"

In case you have not spent much time around our dog Sully I should let you know this.
She loves to eat. And is always hungry. And is not well trained so she will eat your food right off your plate when you have your back turned.

She also loves chewing on clothes. Particularly shoes. Especially nice shoes.
I mean she is a girl.

Where Broken Kids Go...

2009-10-27T12:59:00.000-07:00

So, Tim is on Young Life staff here in Columbia. He's considered the staff person for the Lake Murray region which is comprised of Lexington and Irmo. Last night we had our Lake Murray banquet which was really great. Every year a few kids will get up and share about how YoungLife has impacted their lives and usually how they met Christ through Young Life.

I was incredibly struck by the words of one of the Irmo high school girls who shared. It was such truth - and as truth often is - it was very simple, but profound. For all you current or former YL leaders or supporters it's a great encouragement of why we are a part of this ministry.

She said:

"Young Life is where broken kids can go and actually feel Christ's love, usually for the first time."

Mariet's Having a Baby!

2009-10-25T17:58:00.000-07:00

Mariet with her "Baby Bump"

This past Saturday I headed up to Greenville for a baby shower for my sweet friend Mariet. She and her husband Sam are expecting a little boy December 30th.

This was one of the sweetest baby showers that I have ever been to. Mariet is a friend from high school - she and Sam live in Memphis now, so I rarely get to see them. Quite a few of our other high school friends also live relatively far away, so time that we get to spend with one another is always really sweet and refreshing.

Jennifer Gluck Handy and her mother did a great job of planning the shower. Each person had the opportunity to decorate bibs and onesies - so baby Rogers will be stylin for his first year or so with our creations.

Also, and this is really one of the main reasons why I wanted to post about the baby shower - was this great idea that Jennifer had. Because Mariet is 9 to 15 hours away from all of us we won't get to see her baby very often. Jennifer set it up on her computer to record us reading children's books and then made a CD out of those recordings for Mariet to play for baby Rogers.

I love it. Seriously..can you get much sweeter?

Let me also remind everyone that I am terrified of babies/pregnant ladies. I did make a big step on Saturday though. I actually touched Mariet's pregnant belly.
Just the side, definitely not the front...but still...that's a big step for me.

BreakfastLove

2009-10-12T13:50:00.000-07:00

I've created a new blog dedicated to my love of breakfast. Cooking and baking are nice and relaxing activities for me, so I've decided to share my joy with the world.

It's listed as one of the blogs I follow on the sidebar, so follow me in my baking adventures!

Couldn't Resist

2009-10-07T07:38:00.000-07:00

This video is ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS!

My favorite kind of news story

And i'll be honest...I did enjoy a clove cigarette every now and then,
so this brings me joy amidst my pain.

WIS News in Columbia

2009-10-06T16:36:00.001-07:00

I like to watch the 7:00 news. See what's going on and what-not.

Like many local news shows WIS news here in Columbia has a daily photo deal where people can submit pictures of their pets/children/whatever and the producers choose a "photo of the day."

Here was today's. The title is "My Day and Granddad went Gator Hunting!!"
The picture was taken by the child's mom.

It's a one year old.

On an alligator.

There were 5 comments on WIS's website when I looked this up a minute ago.

"Isn't she adorable?!"
"She is too adorable - it looks like she's having a ball!"
"love it!"
"ain't even scared - she loves it!"
"gotta love it!"

Obviously they have not heard of the alligator "death roll."

Never on Sundays

2009-09-29T21:11:00.001-07:00

I love Katie Pearls for many many reasons. Here is one...when Pearls has gone to a restaurant/airport/retail store/ect. and received bad service one question she likes to ask is:

"Can I see your purpose statement? Because I'm pretty sure your behavior/actions/attitude doesn't reflect the foundation of your company."

She can make grown men cry. But, here's the thing. Almost everyday I am inspired by Katie Pearls and I think to myself "Ashton, what's the purpose statement at Chick-fil-A? And are you really living that out in your job with your behavior/attitudes/actions?"

So...here's the corporate purpose of Chick-fil-A:

"To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us.
To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A."

It's something good to have in front of me. I try to live it out. I have to pray a lot because this is something bigger than just myself.

Here's what I pray for:

Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. and Self-Control.

unfortunately, though I may try, these are not things that I can produce by myself...but the Lord will answer the prayers of those who are praying. so I pray.

Also,

Here's a great interview that Dan Cathy did the other night on a series concerning the relevancy of the ten commandments. Just thought I would share...

Never on Sundays

Shared via AddThis

Auf Wiedersehen Ashton

2009-09-13T19:56:00.000-07:00

Carol Hannah is in....

but I am out.

First of all, I wanted to say congratulations to the amazing Carol Hannah, who was in the top three this week on Project Runway! She made a really beautiful dress for this challenge. However...someone has to be out, and unfortunately this week it was me.

Except...not on Project Runway. Instead, I was out here. In Columbia. At Wet Willy's.

I know. You may be asking yourself...why? Not necessarily "Why Ashton were you out?" But more "Why Wet Willy's? Home of the alcoholic slushie?"

Let me explain.

Barclay came to visit me this past weekend! So, I decided to take the hip SanFran girl out on the town in Columbia Saturday night. The Columbia City Paper was sponsoring a Music Crawl .

We started off at Art Bar where I introduced Barclay to Columbia's hipster scene. Apparently, one can live in a city without an Urban Outfitters and still have a shiny legging and ballet flat loving group of people. Barclay and I felt slightly out of place because we'd forgotten to wear our sunglasses out at night and so we moved on to the next scene. Rust, the whiskey bar.

Now, when I think whiskey bar I think of cowboys. I don't know why. Maybe this is completely inaccurate and the rest of the population does not associate whiskey bars with cowboys. I don't know. Well...unfortunately Rust was not the honky tonk, line dancing scene I pictured in my head. Instead, a sweet hip hop band was playing and Barclay and I got to check out the VIP lounge. Rust - definitely not a disappointment.

I would like to write a Barclay comment here though. At one point the rapper said "Who here is from South Carolina?!!?" to which Barclay responded "Why would you be here if you weren't from South Carolina?" Which is ironic because she is actually not from South Carolina anymore.

Then we moved on..which is where the excitement happened. We'd read on the band roster that the group Leslie, who we knew from Charleston, would be playing at Wet Willies. Usually I'm not a Wet Willies lover. For those of you who don't know - Wet Willies serves DayGlo colored alcoholic slushies in flavors and jello shots. But, we decided to go. We both like the band Leslie and had bought wristbands so we could see any of the bands at any of the bars so we decide to go to Wet Willies.

But, unfortunately...I was not dressed appropriately.

I was in a "go to" outfit. An outfit that I know I can "go to" because it automatically works. A safe look for me in runway talk. Jeans and a white v-neck. Not even a hanes v-neck. This was a real womens v-neck from a store and I didn't even buy it in a 5-pack. But, apparently this doubles as gang apparel in Columbia. Which if you know me...I mean, I'm straight up street.

At the door I was told that I wasn't allowed in because I was dressed inappropriately. No solid white t-shirts is the rule. When Barclay asked why my outfit was so distasteful in the eyes of Wet Willies here was the response from the woman at the door "Well...it's not that she (meaning me) is necessarily dressed inappropriately. But, what if a man had come in here and he was wearing a long white t-shirt, well, he would be...and that's the kind of people we're trying to keep out. Because they may be in gangs."

So essentially they cannot let me in because then it would be unfair to the males who wear long white t-shirts and may be in gangs.

Let me say, I did laugh rather hard at this. I honestly wasn't mad. I didn't pitch a fit. Or ask to see their purpose statement. Because the fact that I got turned away from Wet Willies for being dressed inappropiately is pretty funny. But, just to justify myself and my fashion sense I found this article online yesterday.

I think that Nina Garcia would've let me in.

Walk The V-Neck Line

A plain white t-shirt; the no fuss-all year round-goes with everything-wardrobe staple. What better gift could there be to give this ‘practical gift' giving year? (Besides a classic pair of jeans of course!)

The most coveted style is the slouchy deep-v neck, which is inspired by a man's undershirt. Men everywhere breathed a sigh of relief when brands, such as Red Engine, started making jeans for women in a ‘boyfriend' fit, but with this trend there is no need for panic! Celebrities, such as Jessica Alba and Lauren Conrad, have been turning to LnA t-shirts for their simple and understated chic looks. Designers Lauren Alexander and April Leight created these super soft, loose fitting shirts to look like a man's t-shirt, but cut to flatter women. With their amazing fits, versatility and bright color range, LnA is receiving some deserved rave reviews from Vogue, InStyle and Nylon magazines.

I Ate Me Some Dat Bread.

2009-08-27T13:59:00.000-07:00

When I originally sat down to write this post I was mad.

I really do love our dog. Honestly, I do. However...when I arrived home today and our hyper little puppy bit a hole in another (yes, another) pair of my work pants with her razor sharp little teeth (I think she may be part shark). I almost killed her.

I've posted a picture below of the innocent creature of God whom I almost murdered.

But, honestly - I was already mad before I walked into the door.

Why? Hunger. I hadn't eaten since breakfast this morning.

Tim will attest to this - if you do not feed me I will turn on you like one of those creepy insects who devour their mates and children.

So, I was hungry. But it was 5:00. Too soon for dinner. And we didn't have any good snacks. So, I was hungry and mad because I just didn't feel like going back out, but there wasn't anything to eat.

So, I sat down. Mad. Hunger-inspired rage. And tried to take my mind off my hunger with blogging and catching up on friends blogs. Lo and behold, the glorious title of Katie Walsh's last blog post comes up under the "Blogs I'm Following."

Katie blog post: "I Made Me Some Dat Bread."

My mental response: "I Got Me Some Dat Bread"

If I were the host of some cheery daytime TV show (think Regis and Kelly) and had a segment entitled "Hero of the Day", today's hero would be Katie. Last night Katie gave me some of her wonderful homemade bread. I ate it with some of Nanny's delicious homemade pickles.

And thus, my world is a little brighter.
And so is Sully's.
And Tim's.
All because of the wonderfulness that is Katie Walsh.

The Reese Family is Expecting a New Addition...

2009-08-26T06:33:00.000-07:00

A baby! No, wait....a bunny!! No, a bunny and a baby!!!

Well...not really. Actually we're getting Direct TV!!

We'll probably become morbidly obese, vitamin D deficient, and get scurvy.
But listen, when you work from home part of the time and the only thing on TV is last year's school district meeting which plays on a 24 hour loop, let's just say TV channels are greatly appreciated

This graph shows the amount of TV that Americans watch each day (8 hours)
But also, seriously, Tim and I live in Columbia, South Carolina.
If we lived somewhere like New Zealand we probably wouldn't watch TV either.

Crazy Couponing.

2009-08-23T10:17:00.000-07:00

So here are the savings.

Spent $22.87.
Saved $94.99!!

Let's be honest..I love a good deal. Some may use the word cheap or frugal. I was that girl in college who went to every club meeting/event just to get the free pizza.

So, what's a girl to do when she's out of college and the free pizza party has ended?

Coupon. And I did very well this week and feel compelled to share. And no, I don't have to buy crazy things like 18,000 pounds of Deep Fried Turkey lunchmeat or 27 packages of Cookie Dough flavored poptarts in order to save some cash. Couponing has been super easy. Three steps really.

1. Get some coupons. Where? From a newspaper, from an internet site, from your neighbor's recycle bin, from the grocery store where you shop.

2. Each week the grocery store you shop at should put out a weekly ad of what's on sale that week (grocery store sales usually run from Wednesday to Tuesday, not Sunday to Saturday). Get that ad to see what's on sale. Many stores, like Publix, which is where I go, have BOGO deals. But, you only have to buy one to get the sale price. So, let's say a box of Cheez-Its are Buy One, Get One Free and if you buy two then the price is $4. Well, that means that if you buy 1 box the price is only $2.

3. When you go to the grocery store try buy what's on sale (you'll have seen whats on sale if you check out the store ad before you actually go to the store. See if you have a coupon for what's on sale. So, let's say you have a coupon for .75 cents off a box of those Cheez-It's that are BOGO at Publix. That means that for one box of Cheez-It's you would pay $1.25.

AT PUBLIX THIS WEEK:

2 Pints of Starbucks Ice Cream - BOGO $3.79 - so each one cost $1.89. I had 2 $1.00 off coupons. So, each pint of ice cream cost me .89 cents

3 Bags of Purina Dog Treats. BOGO $3.49 - each one cost $1.75. Some stores, like Publix, will let you use a Store coupon and a manufacturer's coupon. So, I had 3 store coupons for $2.50 off one Purina Dog Treat (I could use 3 because I bought 3 bags of treats). I also had a manufacturer's coupon for $1.00 off 2 bags of Purina Dog Treats. So, I actually made $3.25 off this transaction

1 Box Cheez-Its BOGO $3.99 - I bought one box, so it cost me $2.00. Had a .75 cent off coupon. So, the box of Cheez-Its cost me $1.25

1 Box Uncle Bens Wild Rice BOGO $1.50 - each box cost .75 cents. Had a .75 cent off coupon. So, free!

1.6 pounds of Grapes. On sale for 1.29/lb, so cost me $2.03

1 Bag of Romaine Lettuce Hearts (you get more if you buy them like this, than if you buy just the salad mix. $2.99 (not on sale)

1 Bag of Broccoli Florets - on sale for $1.67

5 Plums - on sale for .88 cents/lb, bought .98 pounds, so this cost me .86 cents

1 Big Container of Stoneyfield Farms Organic Yogurt - not on sale, but this is one of two kinds of yogurt that I like, so I buy it regardless. But, did have a $1.00 off coupon, so it cost me $2.59.

1 Roll of Paper Towels - Publix Mystery Penny Item - a special Publix promotion - on Sundays and Mondays whatever the mystery item is for the week (there's a limit of one of these and the coupon is found in the Sunday paper) only cost 1 penny

1 Box of Cascadian Farms Organic Chocolate Chip Granola Bars - On sale for $2.50, had a $1.00 off coupon, so cost me $1.50

1 Package of Starkist Tuna BOGO $3.20. So, 1 package was $1.60 - had a $1.00 off coupon, so it cost me .60 cents

1 Container of Stawberries - on sale for $2.00

1 Gallon of Publix Milk - 2.99

4 Bottles of Shout Laundry Spray - BOGO 2.99. Had two .55 cent off coupons and two Buy One Shout, Get another Shout Free Coupon. So, essentially each one cost me around .48 cents.

(So, at Publix - Spent $20.19, Saved $44.93)

CVS

CVS has this great program called Extra Care Bucks. Normally, I would not do my weekly shopping at CVS because they're way overpriced. But, when you buy certain marked items at CVS at the bottom of your register receipt it will print off "Extra Bucks" to be used on your next purchase at CVS. In the CVS weekly ad it will show which items in the store are eligable for Extra Care Bucks and how much of those items you have to buy. And, things do go on Sale at CVS - so if the sale item is also an ECB item and you have a coupon for it - it's usually a pretty good deal.

So, here's what I did this week. Certain Glade products were on sale this week, and for every $10 you spent on specific Glade products you got $3 in ECB to spend on your next trip.

So, I Bought

2 Newspapers - each cost $2, so $4 total.

3 Glade Mini Soy Candles - each cost $3.29 - I bought these because there was a coupon in the paper 3 weeks ago for a Free one of these candles - I had 3 coupons - so all three candles were FREE

2 Glade Scented Oil Candle Holders - on sale for $2.50 each. So, $5.00

6 Glade Scented Oil Candle Refills - on sale for $2.50 each. I had two coupons for "Free Glade Scented Oil Candle Refill with Purchase of a Glade Scented Oil Candle Holder" (which I bought two of). With these two coupons the register guy gave me $3.99 off instead of $2.50 off (which was the sale price). I also had 2 $1.00 off coupons. So, these cost $5.00 or .83 cents each.

-Now, additionally I had a CVS coupon for $4 off any purchase of $20 or more (always use these coupons before handing the register person the other coupons)
-And I had $10 in ECB from previous trips.

(So, I Spent $2.68, Saved $50.33 and got $6 in ECBs)

For more couponing questions and tips I reccommend
www.southernsavers.com

Carolin Hannah Whitfield is my amazingly talented friend.

2009-08-21T09:03:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love Carol Hannah? Who doesn't love Project Runway?

Perfect. Obviously these two go together. Carol Hannah is my good friend from college. She is amazingly talented, intelligent, down to earth, and an all out incredible designer. All of her friends are not surprised that she's on project runway (duh...did you read what I just wrote? She's incredible).

I would just like to share my memory of the first time CH and I ever really hung out. It was our freshman year in college. She was living with my sorority sister/friend Biz Hatcher Butler. I'd gone over to their house to get ready for a sorority dance that I was very excited about. Five minutes before my date got there I was literally rolling on the floor laughing, not ready, and not wanting to go to the dance that two hours previous I had been so excited about.

Why? Well..for those two hours I had been hanging out with Carol Hannah, CH's sister Rachel (also now a great friend and an amazingly talented lady), Biz, and another new friend - Susannah. The conversation and laughter flowed so easily with these ladies that I knew I was embarking upon a friendship that would be so true and genuine that it would never be easy to leave.

Even though our life adventures have spread us out all over the country I still deeply cherish CH, Rachel, and the rest of our wonderful Charleston friends and love the time that we get to spend together.

Obviously Carol Hannah did not get kicked off in the first round, but even if she had I would still be so incredibly proud to call her my friend!

Carol Hannah in the working on her first challenge.

In People magazine Tim Gunn picked Carol Hannah as one of 6 designers to watch!

Me, Pearls, and Carol hanging out in Black Mountain, NC during our hiking/camping trip.

and of course, pictures from one of my favorites of Carol Hannah's creations...my wedding dress!

Chick-fil-A of West Columbia GRAND Opening...and believe me, it was definitely grand!

2009-08-20T14:18:00.000-07:00

My First Grand Opening!

Wednesday morning at 5:00 am I helped host my first "First 100" Event for Chick-fil-A in West Columbia. I'm in love. This event is amazing and so much fun. I mean seriously, camping out with other people who love Chick-fil-A, who wouldn't love it?
I assured my operator that I wasn't going to leave our store and try to solely work at Grand Openings...yet. .

This sweet lady - 72 years old, from Florida, this was her 32nd First 100!

Ali Farmer and Daniel Black eat the CFA strips

Couponing aka a hobby for the unathletic

2009-08-16T19:21:00.000-07:00

When Barclay moved to a new city she decided to be a hard-core rock climber.
Pearls could now be a backup dancer to X-stina or B-Spears.

But...what is the uncoordinated, slightly clumsy to do? Since I'm not a fictional character named Bella I couldn't take up with the local vampires. (plus, i'm sure Tim wouldn't appreciate Edward Cullen)

When I first moved to Columbia and had no job(so thus no money), no cable, and no athletic ability. So, I took up couponing.

So, I coupon. I'm one of those crazy ladies at the grocery store who have a coupon binder make you wait an extra 5 minutes in line because of the amount of coupons I use. This wait is also due to the fact that like your favorite 78 year old aunt I still write checks.

But, this week I saved $65 and spent $20.

I owe it to Jenny at Southern Savers.

www.southernsavers.com

Sully Reese goes to Disneyland...metaphorically speaking.

2009-08-16T13:48:00.000-07:00

Here is my hottie husband with our dog, Sully Reese.

Yesterday, Sully had what I like to call a "Katie Pearls goes to Disneyland day."
This means that yesterday our 30 pound dog consumed more calories than a 300 pound man.
I'm not exaggerating.

Two full bowls of kibble.
A "Mega Chewy Jumbone" (which I find out has over 600 calories)
6 - 8 chocolate cookies and a glass of milk (I know. Chocolate = bad. Also, Sully = bad and sneaky)
A cherry snowcone
Probably two handfuls of dog treats
and the cat's food.

2009-08-15T21:12:00.000-07:00

I would just like to welcome myself to blogger-land.