April 09 Newsletter article

I was thinking about Easter and everything that it encompasses. The different family activities, the Easter egg hunts, the choir specials, the planning of meals and the general business of this time of year for those involved in a group of believers. I want to slow down for a second (or two) and focus on this though:

We all have a longing inside of us to be wanted. We need to feel like there is someone out there, some cause, some purpose needs us. There are moments that capture us and our hearts and make us feel like we are needed. However, those moments are fleeting at best. They are temporary and never really satisfy the thirst for us.

Enter Jesus. And the cross. His death. For YOU. He wants you.

That is amplified for me in this song by Squire Parsons called "He Came To Me":

The gulf that separated me from Christ, my Lord,
It was so vast the crossing I could never ford;
From where I was to His domain, it seemed so far;
I cried, "Dear Lord, I cannot come to where you are."

He came to me, O, He came to me.
When I could not come to where He was, He came to me.
That's why He died on Calvary;
When I could not come to where He was, He came to me.

He came to me when I was bound in chains of sin,
He came to me when I possessed no hope within;
He picked me up and He drew me gently to His side,
Where, today, in His sweet love I now abide.

He came to me, O, He came to me.
When I could not come to where He was, He came to me.
That's why He died on Calvary;
When I could not come to where He was, He came to me.


He came. He died. He lives. All for You.

What will you do with that kind of love?

4 months

Sarah is 4 months today! Holy Cow!

It is Amazing to think that in two weeks Sarah will be half way through having Baby Jelly! For real...

It has been fun and definitely exciting at every turn so far. We don't even know if we are having a boy or girl...we don't know a lot of things but we are so excited to finally be on this journey!

Sarah is doing well. She isn't having any major physical problems. She is INCREDIBLY, and UNCONTROLLABLY tired all the time. She is handling it great though...she is such an incredible person, friend and wife! You're going to be a great mom

New ImNotBuyingIt.com Video

this video makes my heart ache...i just wanted God to use it to touch your heart as well

Update from Jellyland 3.06.09

Hey all...

not a ton to post about recently...but here goes:


10. We got our tickets yesterday to watch IU play in the Big Ten Tournament next thursday. I am so looking forward to getting away for a bit.

9. That Friday, we are spending time with friends in Anderson and I am playing some ball with the SPEDS and others that night...I miss those guys!

8. I have a pastor friend who is able to get jerseys, like the real jerseys, for cheap and I am enjoying my Roethlisberger jersey as I write this. I don't like the Steelers but I wanted a black jersey and the Steelers are a franchise I respect because they do it right.

7. I am so ready for Spring and warmer weather...we grilled out last night...yum

6. Sarah will be 4 months next wednesday! YIKES!!!

5. We heard the heartbeat of baby Jelly last week...it was an amazing start of some amazing things over the next few months

4. Sarah is doing well...no sickness yet...just some uncomfortable days and tons of being tired

3. We are in the process of finding new vehicles...Sarah pretty much knows what she wants...I on the other hand am still quite uncertain.

2. We turn in our leased Honda's soon...we have never gone through a return-leased vehicle and are quiet unsure about how much they will charge us for wear and tear.

1. My Scrabble winning streak ended after I was beaten by Sarah and then my mom in the same week...oh well...nobody ALWAYS wins!

have a great weekend and don't forget to set your clocks back if you have to...later!

American Idol recap 3.4

Here's what my mom wrote first and then I my opinion second

1. Von Smith.......he was just ok for me
I thought he was much better tonight than previous times I saw him

2. Taylor Vaifanua.......she was ok.....she didn't blow me away
ummm...she was overcooked and the song was not good on her

3. Alex Wagner Trugman........his growling was weird....kinda different
I really liked this guy's personality but he just doesnt have the voice and yeah what was with the growling? seriously?

4. Arianna Afsar........beautiful voice......my favorite so far
Abba...for real? she was not good in my opinion...she was shaky at best!

5. Ju'Not Joyner.........very good voice......fav guy so far
he was silky smooth and I loved his spin on Hey There Delilah...really good

6. Kristen McNamara...............she

was ok...not my fav
ummm...no...she was fake all the way to her smile...she couldn't even get all the words in for the song she was singing because it was too fast

7. Nathaniel Marshall.............not too impressed
haha...Meatloaf? figures...he did ok...I felt bad because of his story and stuff but he isnt that good

8. Felicia Barton..........high notes were not the greatest for me.....just ok
she was my favorite girl not named lil rounds...she wasn't perfect but she was really good

9. Scott MacIntyre........he did a good job....still not my fav
dude is blind...he is an ok singer...but I wonder if he'll get votes because he is blind...he picked a really weird song...it's funny...sarah is liking most of these weird songs and I have no idea why...

10. Kendall Beard..................she could sing but not sure she's good enough to go on
uh oh...it looks like there might not be a top12 girl that sings country this year! what are all the hillnecks going to do? she was just not that good

11. Jorge Nunez........very good voice.........could go through
i told sarah it looks like enrique iglesias and marc anthony had a baby together and jorge came out! he did ok...he was too shaky for me...had the best line of the night though..."I get thinking so fast that I start thinking in Spanish"!

12. Lil Rounds...............good voice......could go through
wow...she is very good...the best girl of all three rounds so far. she is polished and fresh...gonna be a shining star...


My favorites were:
1. fav guys were Ju'Not Joyner and Jorge Nunez
2. fav girls were Arianna Afsar and Lil Rounds


Top 3:
Girl- Lil Rounds
Boy- Scott Macintyre or ju'not joyner
other- Scott or Ju'Not

I think that Felicia, Von, and Kristin could all be singing in the wildcard round

What do you think?

American Idol recap 2.24

The top comments are from my mom...mine are below ...
1. Jasmine Murray.......didn't care for the song..... didn't do the greatest, disappointed.
Everything she did was overdone...she wasn't that good.

2. Matt Giraud.....he seemed really nervous......didn't care for him. Liked him in Hollywood.
We really liked this guy and we hoped he'd do better...he didn't but i voted for him anyways

3. Jeanine Vailes.....sounded off key at times.....not very good.
Everything about her was wrong...she was needy and she picked a really bad song

4. Nick Mitchell.....what is there to say about this guy, I think he could maybe really sing, but he is more of a comedian. Shouldn't make it through.
I love Norman Gentle...we had to pause it once I saw that he was dressed like Norman...wow...he is so funny...I voted for him like 15 times!

5. Allison Iraheta.....sang really well.....one of the best so far tonight.
She did a good job but she was dead behind the eyes...she was like a singing robot...I didn't really like her

6. Kris Allen......he was ok.....nothing exceptional.
If he was allowed to play his guitar, he'd be going through...BUT he didn't and he won't...we liked him though...but we really never knew ye!

7. Megan Corkrey.....not too bad.
We loved her voice but she didn't do so hot...she was too focused on her dance and stuff that she neglected her song...

8. Matt Breitzke.....he just did ok.......not a good song.
Nice guy...ok singer...thanks for playing

9. Jesse Langseth......weird song for me.....unsure about her.
Not good...you can't pick weird songs and expect to get through...

10. Kai Kalama.....liked him...thought he had a good voice.
we liked him a lot...however...his song was boring and there was nothing that made you go wow!

11. Mishavonna Henson.......liked her voice........did a good job.
In our opinion...best girl of the night...she was on it and just needs some more personality and to not be so serious

12. Adam Lambert.......I think the kid has a voice..... yelled through part of the song, it seemed........good chance of going through.
Least favorite of the night...seriously? He was yelling and sounded like an altar boy who hadn't hit puberty yet...he'll probably get through but I will cringe all the way...yuck...
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Mom's picks...........
Boy..........Adam Lambert
Girl............Allison Iraheta
Third person........Mishavonna Henson

My picks
Boy... due to all the Twilight loving-emo-esque tweeners- Adam Lambert
Girl....allison Iraheta..
3rd...Norman Gentle-Nick Mitchell

I would love for it to be
Norman Gentle
Matt Giraud
Misavonna Henson

but we can't always get what we want...