moving time

Sometimes I can't believe that we have already been here a year and a half. For the entire time we have had a wonderful apartment in a wonderful home. The house we live in recently sold so we had to find a new place to live. We move on Saturday.

When we first came Gurnee in October of 2011, we visited a forest preserve near by to spend some time in prayer before we met the Beitzel's for the first time. We went back to the same spot the other day.

It was great to visit that same spot, and reflect on all the blessings that God has given us over the past year and a half and pray for the future. We are looking forward to the next chapter in our lives here in Illinois. Change can be hard at times, but God is good and He has everything under control!

best concert ever

The David Crowder Band was one of my favorite bands. I was very upset when I heard that they were no longer going to be a band and would set off on their last tour in 2011. Dave and I happened to make it to see the band 2 times on that tour! Not too long later, Crowder Music came about. I started to investigate and found out that David Crowder was going to be recording and touring again! Just with a different sound and band. I was very excited to hear the news and quickly downloads his new songs off of iTunes.

A few months ago I found out that Crowder was going to be in Chicago and started looking into it, and we decided to get tickets and I'm so glad we did!

The concert was just a few days after our anniversary so it worked out well to celebrate that nice, especially since we were both busy all evening on our anniversary (2 years woot!). As soon as Dave got out of class we took off to the city.

Traffic wasn't too terrible and we got there in good time. Then, a total bonus, we found a parking spot for FREE just a few blocks away from the venue! I know this doesn't sound like a big deal to some, but if you are familiar with Chicago, it is a huge deal!

Then I saw it! Crowder's tour bus! I was so excited! I'm a huge fan of famous people, especially ones I really like! It took a lot not to go up and knock on the window. You can see the venue behind the bus, a smaller place which made it even better!

We had a bite to eat in the restaurant before the show. It was great because we could tell how many people were going in once the doors opened. We were able to relax at our table watching some March Madness while we waited for show time.

I wish I was good at guessing numbers, but I think the room could hold around a couple hundred people. Not at all like the last time we saw Crowder with a thousand of our closest friends.

Get ready, here comes the best part. We were watching the opening band, and I decided to go check our coats. Dave stayed to keep our spot. As I'm walking back I see none other than THE David Crowder! I couldn't believe it! It was total slow motion and I said "Hey, David" and he turned and said "Hey." I will never forget it! It made my whole night!

The concert was so great I only took one photo :) He was funny and talked a lot. The band is great. The music is so good. It was a shorter concert, which part of me loves and part of me wanted a few more songs. He ended with my favorite, I Saw the Light, so I couldn't complain about that!

Overall, a great night and a great way to celebrate 2 wonderful years of marriage!

hi, my name is jayma...

Hi, my name is Jayma and this is my blog. I know it has been a while since I wrote on here and I believe it is a combination of me thinking I don't have anything to say along with really not having anything to say. This has been a pretty busy semester and it seems we are just trying to make it through one day at a time!

Well, I turned 31 since my last post. I can't really believe it! But, its true.

I failed with taking any family photos, but my parents came up to celebrate! It was great to have them and made my birthday very special. I think from here on out, birthday's get less and less exciting ;)

It was also our 2nd anniversary a couple of days after my birthday. My mom and dad brought the most thoughtful gift! I gave my mom my wedding bouquet after the wedding and she saved it and made it into this beautiful keepsake!

 I was very surprised and touched by this thoughtful gift! Dave and I weren't able to celebrate our anniversary on Tuesday because of a busy work and class schedule, but we were able to on Thursday. Check back for a blog on the best concert of my life! :)

Me and my momma!

ice skating

This weekend Dave and I went downtown to meet some friends from home. I was a little nervous about being too cold, but we had such a good time I barely noticed!

We met up at Macy's, then went to the ice skating rink at Millennium Park.  Here we are waiting in line.

I'm pretty sure we were in line at least twice as long as we were actually skating. But it was worth it. This was our first ice skating adventure together and we enjoyed it! I'm not the best ice skater, but it was fun.

Although I failed to get a group picture of all of us, I did get a picture of my favorite part of the evening....

THE ZAMBONI!!!

After our skating, we enjoyed some deep dish Chicago pizza. What a great night in the city! Thanks Ryan, Leda, Clint, Sarah, and Rachel for inviting us!

christmas 2012

We had a great Christmas. It has been such a refreshing break in between semesters. While looking through my photos, I'm having a hard time only choosing a few to put in the blog!

We started out with Dave's family and had a wonderful time. Our nieces were very into opening their gifts as quickly as possible!

Lilly (4 years old) and Olivelle (2 years old)

And helping others open theirs as quickly as possible too!!

Dave's Grandpa Jack and Grandma Jenny

We received many handmade items from Dave's mom Penny. Including 2 scarves, 1 hat, 2 pairs of socks, and one blanket. We love all of them!

We enjoyed a delicious dinner that included some fun magic tricks and toys.

Next stop on the trip, was the Carr residence.  We were excited for Ethan's first Christmas. Probably more excited than he was!

Ethan (11 months)

Of course, we all acted more like kids than he did when we were all gifted Nerf guns. My dad had his out of the package before he wrapped it so that he could immediately begin shooting us while we were all trying to get ours out of the package! It was so much fun. We laughed so hard and had fun acting like kids on Christmas morning.

We then proceeded to have target practice with Ethan's toys the rest of the day. It was a fun time for sure!

We also had plenty of time for resting.

The day after Christmas we got 5 inches of snow. Dave had fun clearing 3 driveways with my Dad. It was good for him to be able to burn some energy after all our resting! :) Elizabeth and I braved the storm to do some shopping. There was hardly anyone out so we got first pick on the after Christmas sale items.

What a great Christmas! Looking forward to the New Year!

surprise!

Well, we have reached the end of another semester.  I thought it would be fun to plan a special night out for Dave. I started looking around, trying to find something fun but not to expensive.

I found an old theater that was showing A Christmas Story! We went to an Italian restaurant before then the movie after. Dave loves Italian, but we rarely go. He was very surprised by both events planned for the evening.

The theater opened in 1927 sat empty for 20 years beginning in the 80s and experienced a lot of damage. In 2004, they reopened after renovating the whole theater. It was so beautiful inside and out. I can't imagine all the work it took to get it back in working order.

The Genesee Theater, Waukegan, IL

We decided to get seats in the balcony and that was the perfect place to watch the movie.

They showed old movie shorts for previews. They also showed the movie on actual film! It was such a fun experience.

view from our seats

I have to say that I've grown tired of A Christmas Story over the years, and often fall asleep when its on. I really enjoyed seeing it this past weekend. Its the first time I've watched it all the way through in a long time. It was fun to hear people around us laughing and enjoying themselves.

The smile of a relieved man!

They will be showing a few movies in January. We might just have to go back again!

cinnamon roll extravaganza

Every year for the past few years, I've been very fortunate to be part of the annual cinnamon roll extravaganza!

For many years my friends put up with me being more of a supervisor than participant. This year was much different. I was melting butter, placing rolls in pans, and getting them in the oven.

Shannon and Jodi

One of the best parts of this year was that I was able to surprise 3 out of my 4 friends! I was so happy to be able to be there, and it was a lot of fun to surprise my friends. It was a refreshing evening.

Me, Jodi, Shannon, and Joanne

This year we didn't make as many as in years past. We only made 19 pans and had to taste one while we were still there!

Me, Jodi, Shannon, Molly, Joanne

This year we met at Molly's house. It was so fun to get to see her house and all of her treasures! Check out this cool kitchen!

Overall, it was a very successful night! We made the rolls in record time, and had plenty of time to chat after. It is always a fun night and I'm so glad I was able to be there!