housewife 101

I lived in a house full of amazing chefs...why would I ever want to cook?
Since December I found that I've been missing out something completely enjoyable! Ian and I love to cook! We make homemade pizza, guacamole (more on that later), and this week we became grill masters!
We made:
homemade sweet potato fries
breaded eggplant and zucchini
grilled eggplant and zucchini
and steak marinated in the good ole Dinosaur BBQ.

sweet potato prep!

breaded and ready to go!

grill, baby, grill!

delicious

the star of the show!

florida

 Our honeymoon was amazing. We seriously had the best time! We went to Jacksonville, Florida. We walked everywhere, visited the beach, and most of all spent quality time with each other.
I'll soon post pictures from the reception, and updates about our lives. I thought that these two pictures would kick it off!

behind the scenes on my wedding jewelry!

my beautiful necklace

I wanted to tie my nautical wedding theme into my jewelry and luckily I knew exactly who to go to!
See a post on Variya's blog about my custom jewelry:
http://variyajewelry.blogspot.com/2011/05/our-latest-beautiful-bride.html
More behind the scenes coming soon!

2011!

I started 2010 out believing it would be the best year of my life. All I can say is 2010 totally blew me away. It the most heart-wrenching, soul-searching, life-changing/altering year of my life. It wasn't static. The ups were the highest ups I've ever felt. The lows were completely devastating. I'm not going to recap everything here because some of the experiences were so extremely personal that I don't think this is the proper place for them. However, I will highlight the most life-changing events.

I began a relationship with Ian and he is now my husband as of December 19, 2010 (you can view our photos here http://www.lesjonesphotography.com/jones/slideshow). Sidenote: Ian's dad photographed the entire day and created that slideshow. The pictures are absolutely beautiful.

"2nd bedroom aka music room!"

Ian lured me off of Long Island and we both moved to Syracuse. We are involved in a church plant (http://www.axiomchurchny.com) and we are extremely blessed/excited to be a part of what God is doing in this city. I never in a million years thought I would live "upstate" (a dispute that I am still having a hard time giving up...apparently Syracuse is NOT "upstate" but I believe differently). We are renting a 2 bedroom apartment in Tipp Hill and we love it.

I am adapting to the snow, new city, new marriage, our apartment, and I am still searching for a job. I'm extremely excited for what 2011 brings.

vows

I wrote out my vows to Ian today. On Sunday we are getting married. I am so extremely blessed to be with such an amazing man. I started crying while I wrote them and found myself thanking God for bringing him into my life. I don't think I've "arrived." I don't think I ever will "arrive" however today I couldn't do anything else but thank God for answering my prayers. I always hoped for, wished for, prayed for "him." Today I was able to truly say and see one of the deepest desires of my heart be answered.

Friday morning I'm moving to Syracuse. I never thought I would subject myself to 3 feet of snow and here I am...my room is all packed. I wouldn't move for anyone else. As scared as I am I know that Ian is who I've been looking for and Syracuse (although it WILL NOT be easy) is where the both of us need to be. I'm so excited to begin our lives together and experience the story that we live out together. I'm excited to be a wife (hopefully I'll be good at it...the cooking is a whole different story). Once I'm settled in I plan on updating this more often. So stay tuned!

Don't worry little lamb.

John 10:7-18

⁷Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. ⁹I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. ¹⁰The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
 ¹¹"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹²The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. ¹³The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
 ¹⁴"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— ¹⁵just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. ¹⁷The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. ¹⁸No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."

Til we get hitched~