Now introducing our newest creation... the reversible chevron moustache placemat. Are you in love? Don't rush to our Etsy shop yet. We haven't put them up for sale. Our fabric providers are out of this lovely chevron fabric so I'm waiting anxiously for them to put it back in stock. Be lookin' out for them soon!!
The only finished set has gone to this lovely couple... Matt and Julie.
Matt is one of JD's closest friends. It's because of him and JD's other best friend, Chris, that we take pride in the name Jitney. Matt and Julie are getting married next weekend and we couldn't be more excited for them!! The first time we met Julie, people asked if her and I were sisters. She's super cool. Matt and Julie inspired our matching bowling shirts (yes, we wear them every time we go bowling now) and these moustache placemats (Matt can grow a mean 'stache). We gave them the set of placemats last weekend at their wedding shower. We're pretty sure they loved them. ;)
What do you think about the placemats?
What other kind of images would you like to see on the placemats... bird, heart, cross?
Maybe you were a little baffled at the fact we didn't post photos of the place Jesus actually prayed upon while Peter, James and John were snoozin' against the olive trees. After a few steps through the garden, it was hard to miss the quick transition back to reality. Would it surprise you if we told you they built an actual church around the rock where Jesus fell on his face and cried out to his Father, "Not as I will, but as you will!"
The church was pretty epic. Elaborate murals consume the walls and ceiling while flags represent each nation. The Basilica of the Agony is the original name of the church. It was built from 1919-1924 with funding from twelve different countries, thus giving it the nickname, The Church of All Nations.
In the center, the high altar overlooks a large slab of rock, which is said to be the rock on which Jesus prayed in agony the night of his betrayal.
We were just about to leave when we heard a group of people singing hymns beside the rock. They had just begun a church service. Hearing the angelic voices echoing through the church built around the rock and upon the Rock sent chills down our spine.
When you're standing at the Garden of Gethsemane, this is the glimpse you get of the Old City in Jerusalem (where the Via Dolorosa is, etc.). The particular part of the Old City Walls is the Golden Gate, a closed gate located above ground level and below the Temple Mount. It is only visible from outside the city.
According to Jewish tradition, when the Messiah comes, he will enter Jerusalem through this gate. To prevent him from coming, the Muslims sealed the gate during the rule of Suleiman.
As Christians, all we can say is, "Praise God that the Messiah has already come and defeated the grave! Now we wait eagerly for his glorious return."
We're linking up again this week with Ruthy over at Discovery Street for:
We are behind on sending out our Jitney Year 2 CD... even though we planned way in advance to get them out by May 29, my optical drive on my computer crashed. We debated on getting the drive replaced or just giving in and replacing my ole' faithful Mac. Unfortunately, the drive won. :) Apple replaced it and we were back on our way. We designed, printed and put together our CD covers (photos coming soon); and now we're just waiting on our super cool "recycled newspaper" envelopes we ordered from The Container Store. My inspiration for the cover of the envelopes are these beautiful calligraphy creations:
This season, we wrapped our brown couch in a white canvas sofa cover. Thanks to Organize Your Stuff Now, we will now be wrapping the four giant brown pillows in super sweet chevron fabric. I was planning on sewing pillowcases for the couch pillows but this approach may be a bit easier. I wonder if they come untied easily though?
However, my ---hands down--- most absolute favesie of this week is....
Yes. This guy. You see, we celebrate Mother's Day and Father's Day for each other simply because one day, eventually, we'll be the mom and dad to some pretty cool kids (whether by birth, adoption or both). I enjoy celebrating the fact that JD Todd is going to be an incredible dad to our kids and vice versa. So I woke up early Sunday morning, cooked him breakfast, set it on our wicker breakfast tray and carried it into the bedroom.
Whit: "So what do you want to do today? It's your day. We're celebrating you."
JD: "Honestly? I want to eat this delicious breakfast and then spend the day rearranging your office so you can hang up the crates we bought on our way back from our anniversary, plus you can really focus on organizing stuff for the Etsy shop."
Seriously? And that's why he wins the Friday Favesies post. :) We spent the entire day taking stuff off the walls, laying it all out and then nailing it all up again. Here are a few shots of the new and improved office in our apartment... We're leaving out a couple of things to post later so be on the lookout!
This wall took quite a few hours to put up, but it was worth it!!
I finally crafted this pushpin Mason jar. What do you think?
This is the printing and shipping wall -- everything I need to grab when putting together one of our Jitney's Journeys packages. Perfection. :)
We found the three wooden lock boxes at an antique store on the side of the road coming back from Chattanooga. The guy who sold us the boxes (for $10 as a set) said he was pretty sure the boxes were a piece of junk. However, we are super drawn into the TV show Storage Wars right now, so we thought we may have a unique find here! Even if we don't, they make awesome storage and organization boxes. :)
This "Pop Shop" crate was propped up at Knitting Mills Antique in Chattanooga, just calling our names. JD picked it out. The crate holds my yarn upright and is the perfect size for large Mason jars.
I have been searching for months to find an old Coca Cola crate that I could store my thread and bobbins in. Cha-ching!! We found this beauty at Knitting Mills Antique in Chattanooga on our anniversary trip.
Old coat hangers from an antique market that I now use as my packing dispensers.
My fabric station -- these lovely old suitcases are PACKED with fabulous fabric!
Throughout our tour of Jerusalem, we realized that the atmosphere and landscape of the sites were not even close to what we had imagined... until we arrived in the Garden of Gethsemane.
It was as if we had traveled back in time. We could actually visualize Jesus telling Peter, James and John to "sit here, while I go over there and pray" (Matthew 26:37). In this peaceful setting, Jesus falls to his face and prays to his Father. "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will" (39).
Peter and the brothers fall asleep while they are supposed to be keeping watch... not one, not two, but three times. You know Jesus' frustration with the guys had to be pretty heated by that point. However, in all fairness to the disciples, look at these trees!! Who wouldn't want to curl up in the little nooks of the olive tree's massive trunk?
We seem to bash Peter a lot for his mistakes of sleeping, not having enough faith, etc., but he was a fleshly human being just like the rest of us. How often is it that we beg for a few more minutes of sleep in the mornings, sacrificing the time we could be spending with our Savior? We miss so much life and freedom that Christ desires to offer us because we succumb to temptation, to our flesh.
One of our new favorite songs is "Slumber" by Needtobreathe (video at bottom of post). The first stanza goes like this:
Days, they force you back under those covers,
lazy mornings; they multiply.
Glory's waiting outside your windows.
Wake on up from your slumber, baby open up your eyes.
Don't miss out on the blessings and adventures God has waiting for you because you sleep through life. JD and I are consistently guilty of doing this but we praise Jesus in the fact that He draws us back to Him, back to His mercy and His transforming grace.
Kellie, Leah, Kandess and Rebekah. They have become such dear friends of mine here in Huntsville. (This was a photo from a crochet class - yep! finally took a class!) The girls wanted to start training for 5Ks, the first one being the Cotton Row in downtown. They raced and conquered, while JD and I were in Chattanooga celebrating our 2 year anniversary.
Once I started training with the girls, JD decided he wanted to start running with me so he could be prepared for the 5Ks too. JD and I have been wanting to jog a little on the local mountain here. What better time to start than now? JD jogs the entire trail (3.5 miles) but I try my best to jog fully to the first mile marker. :) His training and endurance encourages me to push harder.
While training one day, we ran past this massive nest. Tracker jackers, anyone?
On that day, we got lost and stumbled upon this breathtaking view!! Fortunately, we found our car a few minutes later.
Note the hardcore guy who is running with a hiking backpack...
Runner #4209: JD
Runner #4210: Whitney
These dri-fit shirts are awesome.
Leah and I got to snag a photo with the girl Chick-fil-A cow! Oh yeah!
The gun was fired and we took off. We hit the first mile marker and JD looks over at me, "Ok. One mile. Let's pick up the pace." I shake my head, "Nope. Nope. I'm just going to keep on at this pace. My only goal for this race is simply to jog the entire thing without walking." And I did! Fortunately, a little girl named Gloria with a "Runnin 4 Chikin Nuggitz" T-shirt ran beside me when I started giving out towards the end.
"And here comes JD Todd crossing the finish line," said the announcer. "Man. He's got a NICE head of hair!!" Haha - he gets that compliment a lot but that must've been one of the best ones! His time was 32:57. Incredible. :)
Gloria and I round the corner towards the finish line. "Surely Whit will finish before that little girl," said JD to his buddy Davy.
Around that time, Gloria looked like she was about to give in. "It's sooo hot!!!" she said. But I encouraged her saying, "Alright sister, it's time. We have to finish strong here! Ready? Go!"
Gosh. Bad idea. She took off!!! Left me in the dust. She must've beaten me by several seconds! Haha!
But I finished. Right behind a man in the 80+ category. Well done, ole' man. Well. Done.
I finished with a time of 36:09. It's not that great, but at least I completed my goal successfully by not stopping (well, with the exception of the one stop at the water cooler). Plus I got to witness the site of my sweet husband cheering me on at the finish line. I can't ask for a better experience than that!
Post-race card load up with free Chick-fil-A biscuits...
Leah finished with a time of 32:34! She also ran it without stopping! She did a fantastic job. :)
And here's JD and Davy waiting for the results... Davy finished with a time of 19:56, taking a medal away with pride. He smoked us all.
JD and I may just run a few more 5Ks but we will definitely continue training on the mountain. It's glorious up there! Training has been a fun thing to do in our marriage and it allows us a new way to challenge each other. On the mountain, trees lift their arms in praise to the Father and creation declares His name. Plus, it kind of feels like we're in the Hunger Games up there. That will make a person sprint...
We're taking a break today from our travel posts to join up with Ruthy at Discovery Street. She has this awesome thing she started called...
She started it as "a collection of things I've found and loved on the interweb over the week and wanted to share, PLUS, it's a great way to introduce you to some awesome bloggers." Who wouldn't want to be a part of that?! Go to her site and join her ventures. :)
So these are the things the Todd Family has been lovin' this week:
We eat chicken or salmon, broccoli or green beans, and corn or potatoes at our house for dinner every single night. It's easy and it takes care of all of our essential dinner needs. But I know it gets super boring, especially for JD. Fortunately, I ran across this post that covers 50 different chicken recipes. What are your favorite sites for yummy recipes?
This party looks amazing! We'll have to get something going like this in our backyard one day. Plus, they have super cute free downloadable printable templates for popcorn bags. :)
My mom cannot stop talking about this recipe she found via Pinterest. Fresh Strawberry Upside Down Cake. She says it's the best thing since even before sliced bread.
I ran across this DIY heart on Pinterest which looks sweet, modern and awesome. Sadly, it doesn't link straight to the original post. However, it took me to this site which is in Portuguese but the photos speak louder than words possibly could. [Plus, Google should offer you the option to translate to English.] Enjoy getting inspired!
Tomorrow morning, JD and I will be running our first 5K together since we've known each other. Ahh!! We loaded up on carbs tonight and we've been training by jogging (and walking for me) 3.5+ miles of mountainous terrain every other day. Ankles have been twisted, muscles have been pulled and I have blisters the size of quarters on my feet. It's worth it though. We're ready to rock. :)
And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this.
Luke 22:14-35
Obviously this all took place before Jesus walked the Via Dolorosa but we're posting about places in the order we walked through the sites. :) This is the room where The Last Supper took place. It was hard to get a grasp on what it truly would have looked like during Jesus' time. Cats were running rampant and there was an unbearable stench that was present. Still, Jesus made his name known.
Isn't it baffling that through the stench and degrading habits we have in our own lives, Jesus still makes his name known to us with authority? Even when we betray him and deny his name (which, let's be honest, happens every day), he still chooses to bless us and shower grace upon us? There is no god that could even come close to comparing to the wonder of our God, our Savior and our Healer!
At our wedding, JD and I asked our guests to join with us in partaking communion. Some people thought it was odd since that happens at most Catholic weddings and well, we aren't Catholics. But we realize the gravity of communion, as it is a time where the Body of Christ joins as one to celebrate the death and resurrection of our Savior. It was a risk though. With that gravity, the responsibility of our confessing and submitting to Christ bears a lot of weight! In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul says that a person should examine himself before partaking, "for anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself" (vs. 28-29).
Until JD showed me more in-depth detail about communion (i.e. wait until everyone is ready to take it as one and don't partake on an empty stomach), I didn't take communion that seriously... especially when I was a child. I knew I was absolutely restricted from touching the tiny little crackers and juice cups (even though they looked so tempting!) until I walked down the aisle and became a Christian. For years, I would eat the crackers and drink the juice whenever the preacher spoke the words, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. And this, this cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this in remembrance of me." Oh! How different that light of perspective is for me now! It's amazing how much the Lord can transform our views and our hearts when we just dive deeper into Scripture, His words.
"For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes" (1 Corinthians 11:26).
I'll be completely transparent with you on this... I've had a bittersweet dread towards writing about our trip through Via Dolorosa. First off, an entire blog could be dedicated to the Via Dolorosa, Jesus' suffering and His death. To merely dedicate one post on a blog to this journey deprives the multitude of truth there is to these steps. If you don't have time to read it all, just skip to the bottom and at least watch the video at the end. :) Secondly, I am in no way a theologist or biblical scholar. However, I will attempt at describing each section of the pathway with as much truth from Scripture as I can.
Via Dolorosa means Way of Suffering or Way of the Cross. The sign below marks the beginning point of the route Christians believe Jesus started carrying his cross from his trial to the place of his crucifixion and burial.
The guide told us that this is believed to be an imprint of Jesus' hand. It is located at this point, as a dedication to Simon, who helped Jesus carry the cross. "And as they led him away, they seized on Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus." Luke 23:26
We just had to get a snapshot of JD touching the same spot where Jesus touched. :)
This landmark is dedicated to the woman who wiped Jesus' face. "And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him." Luke 23:27
This is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, also known as the location of Christ's death, burial and resurrection. The entrance, specifically, is the place where Jesus was stripped of his clothes... "And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take." Mark 15:24 The church was actually destroyed and rebuilt several times over the centuries. The building standing today was built in the 12th century.
Inside of the church, this marks the site of where Jesus died on the cross. A silver disk with a central hole, underneath the altar marks the spot where the cross stood.
Christians lighting candles at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
This was the best shot we could get...
"So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews" (John 19:40). The body of Jesus was laid on this stone after being removed from the cross. Most people present were stretching out with all of their power to simply touch it, kiss it and pray to it.
And this is the actual burial site of Jesus. "Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there" (John 19:41-42).
Because of the masses trying to enter into the tomb, we were unable to go inside of Jesus' tomb. We went into another one. It was about what you would expect when entering a tomb: dark, cold, eerie and small.
THEN... the best part (which we obviously do not have a photo of)... "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" says Jesus to Mary Magdalene. Eventually, Mary becomes overwhelmed with excitement, tears, joy, and awe... "Rabboni! I have seen the Lord!"
HE. HAS. RISEN!!
PRAISE JESUS that He continuously claims victory over all things, including death!...
Death couldn't handle Him and the grave couldn't hold Him!
For lack of a better word, the Wailing Wall devastated us a bit.
Weeping sobs belted from many men and women with their faces to the ground, while others quietly placed their small pieces of paper filled with wishes and prayers into the crevices of the gigantic wall.
According to Jewish record, when Rome destroyed the Second Temple in 70 C.E., only one outer wall remained standing. The Romans probably would have destroyed that wall also, but it must have seemed too insignificant to them; it was not even part of the Temple itself, just an outer wall surrounding the Temple Mount. For the Jews, however, this remnant of what was the most sacred building in the Jewish world quickly became the holiest spot in Jewish life. Throughout the centuries, Jews from throughout the world traveled to Palestine, and immediately headed for the Kotel ha-Ma'aravi (the Western Wall) to thank God. The prayers offered at the Kotel were so heartfelt that non-Jews began calling the site the "Wailing Wall."
Men and women are separated here too. Less than a quarter of the wall is for the women to pray at (on the right side) and the left side is for the men. Women are squished against each other in several lines, shoulder-to-shoulder, merely to get a chance to touch the wall. The men have enough room to spread out across the wall. Do you see how small the entrance is for the women (single-file line) in comparison to the men's entrance where ten men (at least) could fit through at a time. You haven't seen oppression of women until you dwell in the Middle Eastern culture for a few days.
All men must cover their heads. The site offers free yarmulkes for men that don't have one. When you leave the wall, you must not turn around with your back to the wall as that is a sign of disrespect. You must walk backwards until you reach the entrance, always facing the wall.
Below is the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount. Muslims remove their shoes and express their devotion to Allah inside the Dome of the Rock, which was built around the rock on which Abraham bound his son Isaac to be sacrificed before God intervened.
Non-Muslims were not allowed near the Dome of the Rock, thus we were not allowed any closer than where this photo was taken.
The city's name may mean "peace" but it has had more wars fought over her than any city in history. Jerusalem is filled with way more history than we could even begin to write about, so we'll keep our posts in line with only the places and sights we experienced throughout our day's journey there.
The first thing we saw before walking into the Old City was The Biblical Restaurant. Gosh. We hated that we couldn't eat there. ;)
Being the photographers that we are (we take pictures of pretty much everything and anything), JD requested that we take a photo of this lovely large ball of steel yarn. The tour group was walking fast so we only got this off-kilter snapshot of the art piece...
And we reach our first point of true significance: King David's Tomb. We actually didn't reach this point until the very end of the tour but saw the sign at the beginning. As it was Shabbat, we were not allowed to take photos of any holy landmarks so you won't be seeing any photos of the tomb on this blog.
The best description we could give of the tomb is: massive and royal.
Because of the strict cultural divide between men and women in Israel, we were not allowed to enter the tomb together. The tomb was separated in half by a cloth curtain. On the women's side, females were crying while reading from books aloud and swaying as they recited words in Hebrew. King David's Tomb is the second most holy site to the Jewish people, second only to the Wailing Wall (we'll discuss this in a few days).
We've read that he is not buried here since scripture indicates he was buried in the city of David (1 Kings 2:10). However, this site marks his burial and has done so since about 1173 A.D.
Quick Overview.... The Old City is divided into four quarters: Armenian, Christian, Jewish and Muslim. People reside in the quarters just like they would a regular small town. Many years ago, the government would actually pay people to live there just so they could fill the space. Now the cost of living there is pretty expensive.
