The Anniversary : Rose Petals, Flooding & a New Home

We have finally moved into our new house! 

We were planning on staying our first night the weekend after we signed the contract. Unfortunately, I began washing our sheets for the bed and quickly found out that the washing machine drain was clogged.

Yeah.

First day of move-in: The laundry room floods. 

Good thing it has tile flooring down there.

So we called Roto Rooter out to unclog the drain and decided to wait it out a few more days until our anniversary.

Ends up, the first night was more than perfect. Way more perfect than it would have been if we stayed there the originally-planned evening. JD had a few wonderful surprises waiting for me on our screened-in back porch (candles, bouquet of flowers and scattered rose petals surrounding our tiny chairs). 

My sweet husband is so brilliantly romantic that he scattered rose petals on the bedroom floor - on top of bubble wrap so that our floors wouldn't get stained. 

That's love, right there, y'all.

We prepared the popcorn, got cozy in our completely unorganized living room and watched "Up", the first movie we watched together on our first date four years ago. I cry more and more during that movie as each year passes. Only now I don't need 3D glasses to hide my tears. ;)

In the past week, adventures in home ownership have thrown us for a few surprises and left us with several moments of frustration. 

{we'll tell you more about that later}

Yet, we are truly having the time of our lives. After our first shock of an old-house issue (laundry room flood), we laugh about all of the other huge and tiny problems that arise.

It's our house now.

Our home.

No maintenance guys to call or leases to let run out. It's our responsibility - and challenge - to take care of.

And it's awesome. 

For now, we will share at least one small victory from our first week: a freshly mowed lawn. 

Whoop whoop!

Another Blissful Year Flies By : Celebrating Our Three-Year Anniversary

Today marks our third year of sweet marriage.

And what an amazing year it has been!

Every year that passes, we look back and realize that God continues to carry us through an even crazier journey than the year before. 

Here's a look into the adventures of Jitney's Journeys Year III:

Spent our first major trip away from each other

Regardless of how long you have been married or the circumstances, 24 days is a really long time to be apart from one another. We wouldn't wish that on anyone.

Then we had to do it again

a few months later

...

In totality, survived being apart from another for at least six weeks

Took photos at the film location of

Jurassic Park

in Hawaii

Experienced the first

blowhole

either of us have ever seen or heard

Competed together in our first 

Warrior Dash 

ever

Ran through the course alongside amazing friends and family

Took a road trip from Germany through the Swiss Alps into Italy

First trip to

Italy

Attained new

leather working skills

, which is super fitting because the traditional third year anniversary gift is leather

Served beside one another on our first international mission trip

And finally...

Looked for a new house

and found one!

This house is our first true home, or nest, if you will.

We can finally decorate, paint, tear down and build up, as we please. 

We promise to show you photos soon but everything is still in turbo-move mode.

The plan was to stay the first night in our new home last Thursday but we had some plumbing issues plus immaculate windows without curtains, so we kept putting off the big first night's stay.

Then we decided that the best anniversary gift we could give one another is to spend our first night at our new home on our anniversary. 

Here's to a great night's rest in our new nest! 

Cucumber Water

First off, a HUGE thank-you goes out to the women who hosted our Guest Blogger series for May.

Now that your worlds have been rocked by those amazing ladies, you probably need a nice refreshing drink to hydrate yourself. 

Thus, we will continue rocking your world with this delicious cucumber water recipe.

Our dentist in Georgia serves this to all of his clients. We immediately asked for the recipe when we took the first sip.

You will need:

mint, rosemary, cucumbers, water

Venture out to your herb garden (or farmer's market or local produce section) and clip a few sprigs of mint and rosemary.

Rinse.

Grab an old glass milk bottle (or serving glass of your choice) and gently arrange the herbs into the jar. 

Slice your cucumbers and toss them in the bottle too. 

Add cold water.

Allow to infuse for a few hours in the fridge.

Pour.

Sip.

Be refreshed.

This display is also gorgeous in a large beverage dispenser 

Photo from hosting Emily's bridesmaid luncheon. 

What is your favorite water infusion?

Guest Blogger : Meg @ Henning Love

Hello Jitney's Journeys followers! My name is Meg and my blog is henning love, where I love to write about life with my husband, our two dogs and share my many many baking adventures with everyone. 

When I describe myself, my identity is not as a wife first but as a daughter of a King. God is my first priority in life and I would be nothing without Him. When Whitney asked if I would guest post, I wanted to share something with you all that God has placed on my heart lately as a priority and that is prayer and the purpose of prayer.

Back in February, my husband brought home a 30/30 challenge prayer book, 30 minutes a day for 30 days.

My relationship with God dramatically changed during this challenge. In this book, I was taught so many different ways to pray, pray using Scripture, pray for other nations, pray for our government leaders are just a few examples. As a result of this challenge, I have found that I continually stay in prayer throughout the day. When I am feeling sad I talk to God and when I am feeling happy I express it to God. I realized through this prayer challenge that I don't have to always be eloquent with my prayers, but being mindful that I am talking to the Creator of the Universe and of my life. 

Undergoing a prayer challenge opened up to my eyes of how much more dependent upon God I need to be for everything and I mean everything. My husband and I were needing more friends in our life so I prayed for that and God has answered that. I am currently unemployed and while He hasn't answered that prayer request yet, I asked God for help and He brought to my mind two past situations and He told me didn't I take care of you through those situations, I will take care of you through this unemployment. 

Our God is a great and mighty God and I am humbled today to be able to share with you more about prayer, the importance of it, bringing all and every requests before God and remaining constantly in pray with Him throughout the day. He wants every part of us, He wants to know when we are in that low valley or when we are standing high on that peak. 

*If any of you are interested in taking this challenge, the university where my husband is a coach at, publishes this books and I have a few copies which I am more than willing to mail to any blogger who wants. 

Guest Blogger : Molly @ Still Being [Molly]

Hey everyone! My name is Molly and I blog at still being [molly]. I blog about fashion, my faith, my friends and family, being married, and food! I am SO excited to be guest posting for JD and Whitney today! I absolutely LOVE them and their blog and so I was so honored when they asked me to guest post while they are on their next travel expedition! Well, since the weather is getting warmer and Spring is finally here, that means it's the PERFECT weather for a good burger! I mean, really though, anytime of year is a good time for a burger, but you know what I mean. Well, I want to share with you one of my recipes for my delicious homemade salsa + turkey burgers!

Molly’s Homemade Salsa & Salsa Turkey Burger Recipe(s)

For Molly’s Homemade Salsa (just combine all these ingredients in a blender and boom! you’re done):

• 1, 14 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1, 14 oz can fire roasted tomatoes (I used Great Value brand at Wal-Mart)
• 1 medium red onion, quartered
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1-2 jalapeno(s), seeded or not (depends on if you want it spicy – I like it really spicy so I use two fresh jalapenos)
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
• small handful of fresh cilantro, washed
• 1/2 tablespoon orange juice
• juice of 1 fresh lime -or- 1 teaspoon of lime juice

Ingredients for the Patties (Yields 4-6 burgers (depending on how big you make the patties)):

• 1lb of lean ground turkey meat (you can also use ground chicken or ground beef)
• 2-4 tablespoons of your favorite salsa (I use my homemade salsa – recipe provided above, but you can use any salsa)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 clove minced garlic (or use 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder)
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Ingredients for the “Decoration” of the Burgers

• 100% whole wheat hamburger buns (I like the Nature’s Own kind)
• Chipotle Mayo
• Jalapenos (you can use fresh or pickled… for these burgers I use pickled)
• Pepperjack cheese
• Lettuce
• Tomato

MAKING THE PATTIES: Okay, after you’ve made your salsa (or picked out which store-bought salsa you want to use), you’re going to take the ground turkey and place it in a bowl. This part can get kinda gross, and it’s good to have a helper because you want to avoid touching ANYTHING after you’ve touched the raw meat. Combine the turkey, salsa, and ALL seasonings for the patties in a large bowl and mix it with your hands. I actually used one hand to mix it all, that way I know I have one clean hand that I can pick up the ingredients with. Once you’ve got it good and mixed, now you make the patties. You can make the patties small or large depending on how big you want them, BUT, make sure they are FLAT. They will puff up in the middle when you broil them because they’re filled with juices… so make them as flat as you can before you put them in the oven. COOKING THE PATTIES: Now, you can totally GRILL these patties and they would be delicious, BUT, I actually BROIL these patties in the oven to keep them super juicy. If you decide to go this route, here's what you do: BROILING THE PATTIES: On a greased baking sheet, place the patties down with a little bit of salt and pepper on each side. Once the patties are on the baking sheet, place them in the oven with the oven on BROIL. Now, these cook FAST. Flip the patties every 4 minutes and pat them down with a spatula or whatever to flatten them out as they broil. Do this until the center of each patty reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. FOR THE PERFECTLY TOASTED BUNS: On the stove, place your buns with a little bit of Chipotle mayo spread on each side, face DOWN onto a large pan or skillet. Have the heat on low-medium. You can have these toasting while your patties are broiling. MAKING THE BURGERS: Okay, so once the burgers are cooked all the way through, you’re almost ready to eat! Put your patties on a plate and get your desired ingredients out. You’re ready to EAT! Here’s how my burger looks (in order of ingredient top to bottom):

• Top Bun
• Chipotle Mayo
• Salsa
• Jalapenos
• Lettuce
• Tomato
• Pepper-jack cheese
• Salsa turkey burger patty
• Chipotle Mayo
• Bottom Bun

Yeah, it's pretty much the most delicious thing ever. Now, time to enjoy! What about you? Do you have any delicious burger recipes you'd like to share? Be sure to stop by my blog and let me know! Thanks again to Whitney and JD for having me today!

Guest Blogger : Lindsy @ LMR Photos

Hi, there!  I'm Lindsy and I blog over at LMRphotos.com with my husband, Dan, but as a travelling musician and full-time dad he doesn't show up very often.  I'm a photographer, work at home mom, and we have a kiddo whom the internets shall call "BB", "The BeeBs" or "Baby Bread".

I am so honored that Whitney asked me to post for her while she travels!  I wanted to post about something very near to my heart:  foster parenting!  There seem to be so many misconceptions about foster parenting and I hear some crazy things from well-meaning people so I wanted to give my two cents.  We haven't been doing this long, just a little over a year and a half.  Being foster parents has radically changed our lives and we are beyond blessed by all that God has done for us. I've been getting some great questions in response to our Why We Became Foster Parents post so if you're interested go ahead and check that out and ask us anything!

Becoming a foster parent:  While you do have to pass a background check and complete an application and interview process, you don't have to be a lot of things that you might think you need to be! Race, ethnic background, and income level are not an issue for foster care. You dont have to be rich, married, a homeowner or live in a huge house and you can be a first- time parent.  We were licensed in 90 days and start receiving calls right away!  There are so many kids in the system that it doesn't take long.  This is awesome for adoption-minded families that may not want to wait months or years for a private agency.  As far as costs and services, our kiddo gets free daycare, food assistance, therapy and tons of hand-me-downs.  The stipend that you do get paid is, um, well, not much so you can guarantee that no one is signing up for foster care to make the big bucks.  Which is a good thing because it means that we're all doing it because we want to. 

Attachment:  To be honest, my love for BB was pretty shallow at first but it has grown as he's attached to us and we to him. When it comes to foster parenting, you can never hold back your love for these kids. These kids desperately need to know that they are loved whether they're with you for a day, week, year, or forever. We were told by a long- time foster-mom, "You are the adults, you can handle the loss and that is never a reason to withhold love!"  Loving just for the sake of loving, loving no matter what, that's true love.  I guess that's what we do. What fostering a child has done for me and my heart has been life-changing. Being a foster parent has been the most rewarding experience of my life. I'm taking care of someone's child, loving him as my own, attempting to give him the best childhood possible and showing him that there is a God who loves him. It’s awesome. Simply put.

We are so honored to have gotten many messages from people who have told us they're considering foster care now, too! That is the best news! If you feel a little tugging at your heart strings, please consider becoming a foster parent or donating your time/resources/hand-me-downs to a foster family. It is truly the best gift you can give a child.  If you want to know more, find a local agency and start asking questions and feel free to contact us, too!  

Guest Blogger : Ruthy @ Discovery Street

Hi there! I'm Ruthy from Discovery Street; a lifestyle blog documenting my days as a wife, new mom, and homeowner. Pre baby my life was about adventure, travels, food and making something from nothing--currently life revolves around a 17 pound blue eyed ginger haired girl named Parker Penny...I swear she's my daughter...but she clearly took after her father. 

Our path to where we currently are in life was not the road most traveled; but we wouldn't have it any other way.

WHAT I LEARNED IN PRE-MARITAL COUNSELING

I LOVED going to pre-marital counseling. But that probably doesn't come as a surprise to those who know me; I'm totally into psycho babble regarding personality assessments. I heart taking "get to know yourself better" tests. I love Myers Briggs, birth order analysis and learning about love languages. So seeing how my partner and I "matched" up was really fun and interesting. I think it helps that we were already "pre-determined" as compatible based on e-Harmony's matching system, but it was pretty confirming to hear our counselor say that we were one of the highest scoring couples he's ever counseled. (Aww yea!) I realize that points and answering questions on-line regarding our viewpoints on finances, children, roles, communication, etc are not the be all end all of determining a successful marriage. But it sure was great to learn that we have similar outlooks on the "big stuff."

The most significant thing I took from this experience was the answer to this question. Our counselor asked, "Five years from now, when the romance and novelty has worn off and you've had the fight to end all fights and I ask you, why did you marry _____, what is your answer?" We each answered sincerely and lovingly and looked back at our counselor pleased with our answers looking for affirmation. We learned our answers revolved around how I made Andyfeel and how he made me feel. He told us our answers revolved around ourselves....that the other person was fulfilling our individual expectations or desires. But what happens when those expectations or desires stop being met? This is when a lot of marriages start falling apart because this is the basis of "why I married _____." 

Our counselor explained that marriage is a calling. (*We went to a Christian counselor, so "calling" includes a spiritual connotation). Five, ten, or 20 years from now if Andy and I are going through a rough patch and someone asks me why I married him...I'll say without hesitation, I was called to. When you feel called to do something, when you know without a shadow of a doubt that your marriage is a divine appointment, you don't let anything stand in your way. This truly was an "ah-hah" moment for me. I wonder how many marriages might make it through the rough times if they truly understood before hand that they were called to be husband and wife. Called not to just love each other, but called to honor, respect and serve one another even when we don't feel like it.

Guest Blogger Intro!

Prepare yourselves.

The next four blog posts are going to rock your world, all thanks to the help of these lovely ladies:

We've asked Ruthy, Lindsy, Molly and Meg to entertain and challenge you while JD and I take off for a couple of weeks.

Y'all are going to love reading the posts these women have prepared. 

In the meantime, head over to their blogs and you will instantly see why I asked each of them specifically to share something amazing with you. They all have hearts for the Lord that will blow your mind and encourage you to live out the Gospel in a more beautiful way.

Ruthy @ Discovery Street

{scheduled for may 2}

Lindsy @ LMR Photos

{scheduled for may 7}

Molly @ Still Being [Molly]

{scheduled for may 9}

Meg @ Henning Love

{scheduled for may 14}

We're excited to return mid-May to share some amazing stories of how God is moving through our family!!

House Search Update

It's official. We have found a house!!

We signed the contract for it Monday and are having our home inspection TODAY!

I can't believe how quickly everything is going now that we have found a house we love.

The last few weeks have been uber stressful since our apartment lease is up at the beginning of July but we had to notify the apartment complex 60 days before moving out (beginning of May). Time was running out. We were at the point of either finding a house reallll quick or staying in the apartment for another year.

We looked at eight houses in one day. Not gonna lie, that day transpired from complete excitement to a major headache by the end of the home tour. Only one house blew us away though.

It was an older home, vacant, freshly painted in neutral colors, move-in ready, super amazing accents, a huge master bedroom suite and had a FABULOUS garden. Those were merely the small bonuses though. (Yes, an old home was a bonus for us.)

We're waiting to actually close on the house before we show photos or write much about it, as we're still trying to guard against loving it too much (sometimes things don't go as smoothly as hoped). Granted, I have already designed the "We've Moved" postcards with the new address so I guess we're not guarding our hopes too much.

Whoops!

We are so ready to move into the house and transform it into a home. The Pinterest boards have been filled, revamping lists have been created / prioritized and our minds have been racing with tons of ideas.  But it will all have to wait until the final documents have been signed.

With the crazy and stressful month we've had, I haven't had hardly any time to read about my bloggin' buddies lives. Please know that I miss y'all and can't wait to catch up soon!!

Obviously the next few weeks will be crazy still because of the house goings-on as well as another big adventure we'll be embarking on (we'll discuss later), but no worries. A few of my favorite bloggers will be taking over Jitney's Journeys in our absence to keep y'all entertained and challenged.


Do you have any suggestions for new homeowners / people who are buying their first home? What was your biggest joy and challenge in the process?

Phoster : In Love's Service, Only the Wounded Soldiers Can Serve

Did you get the free Phoster app two weeks ago from the iTunes store? 

I've been waiting to use an awesome quote and this one seemed pretty amazing. John Piper has a daily devotional app {John Piper Daily Devotional} that you should check out if you haven't already. This particular devotion was actually from March 6th but still wanted to share it with y'all.

The eternal God is your dwelling place and 

underneath are the everlasting arms. 

(Deuteronomy 33:27)

You may be going through things right now that are painfully preparing you for some precious service to Jesus and to his people. When a person strikes rock bottom with a sense of nothingness or helplessness, he may find that he has struck the Rock of Ages.

I remember a delicious sentence from Psalm 138 that we read at our breakfast devotions last Saturday: “Though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly.”

You cannot sink so low in despairing of your own resources that God does not see and care. In fact, he is at the bottom waiting to catch you. As Moses says, “The eternal God is your dwelling place and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27).

Yes, he sees you trembling and slipping. He could (and often did) grab you before you hit bottom. But this time he has some new lessons to teach.

The psalmist said in Psalm 119:71, “It was good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.” He does not say it was easy or fun or pleasant. In retrospect, he simply says, “It was good for me.”

Last week I was reading a book by a Scottish minister named James Stewart. He said, “In love’s service, only the wounded soldiers can serve.” That’s why I believe some of you are being prepared right now for some precious service of love. Because you are being wounded.

Do not think that your wound has come to you apart from God's gracious design. Remember his word: “See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god besides me. . . . . I wound and I heal” (Deuteronomy 32:39).

May God grant a special grace to you who are groaning under some burden. Look eagerly for the new tenderness of love God is imparting to you even now.

“Only Wounded Soldiers Can Serve”



We hope this has been an encouragement to those who have been wounded, those who have hit rock bottom and those who are living out the precious service of love in the midst of healed wounds.