mom update

So, my mom went it to have surgery this morning and her vitals were all nuts and her heart was out of line so they could not do the surgery because its 6 hours long and they werent positive that she could make it through it with her heart like that. She has to go see a cardiologist and then reschedule the surgery. Thanks to all of you who prayed for her and please continue to pray that everything works out. Love you all!

jill =)

Prayer Requests for you Praying folk

Last night Justin and i had an amazing time just lifting up our friends and family to the Lord. There seems to be so many things going on around me, and at times its hard to be happy because i just hurt so bad for all those hurting around me, but i know its all bigger than me and its all gonna be grrrreat! so here is a little prayer list for you all when you are bored at work or driving in the car, or just think about it

my mom, as i mentioned in the previous post and her dr.'s and what not
my moms cousin Mike, has cancer on his esophagus
Kristi's aunt with cancer and their family
my pops, he fell down and is a little sore and bled a lot
the spiritual warfare that is going on with a lot of our friends
and anything else you may think of!

also, if you have anymore just post them as a comment! i love you all!

river dancing's a bia

I had a long weekend full of meeting new friends, watching lots of football, and sleeping alone for the first time in a long time. It all started Friday night when Justin decided to go camping with the mens group from the church we have been going to. It was sorta neat at first to have the whole night to myself. I had some friends invite me out but I really did just want a whole night to do whatever and just chill. Well, 10:30 rolled around, and as we all know, I dont go to bed til like 2 or so, the night was still young and i was very bored and very lonely. I got in the bed with Friends on TV and didnt fall asleep til about 5. It was so hard to sleep number one, in the house all alone, and number two, without justin. I missed him so much. I woke up the next morning thinking about how hard it will be one day if for some reason I had to wake up without him there. I just love him so much and never like being away from him.

Pause: Boston Legal is on!

ok, im back! btw, boston legal was amazing tonight! so...where was i...ah yes, i love my husband, but you probably already knew that.

Justin came home on Saturday and we spent the day watching football and a good movie, and then we headed to DQ to get some ice cream and then later that night met up with some friends to eat Mexican. I, of course, was sick when we got to the restaurant, this is becoming a trend for me. I seriously get sick in some sort of respect like EVERYDAY! I cant take it anymore, with my constant weird feeling and justins constant burping and gas issues, we are just not fun to be around. Anyway, after Mexican we all headed over to the Levee to walk around and go to Barnes and Noble and listen to the live band. Justin and I decided to skip the movie with everyone and just come home since i was sickly and what not. I took some medicine and got a cold cloth and got in my bed. Sunday morning i still felt sick so i ended up skipping our leadership meeting and church.

I decided I could no longer sit at the house feeling nasty alone anymore so Justin came and got me after church and we went to BW3s for the traditional Sunday afternoon football and wings. It was a good afternoon of football, the bengals won amazingly and so everyone with us was happy, and then justin and i were super happy since the Jags won in overtime, yea!!!! so i also was excited because I met this girl named Jenny. She is the wife of one of the guys Justin plays volleyball with. She is really sweet and fun and i had a really good time getting to know her. We ended up going to lunch and looking at a fun store on Monday and getting me a packet to start subbing. i need to do something to make money until i get that amazing job i know is out there waiting for me!!! Anyway, I really like my new friend Jenny and I am excited about our weekly running schedules so i can get skinny!

So tonight after justin and i ate at moes we came home and i began to river dance just to be retarded and basically feel as if i broke my ankle (this all to explain the title)

Well, I had a long day of sleeping in and working a full two hours today so im off to bed. If you think about it and love me and my crazy mom, please pray for her, she is having surgery thursday morning at 7am, and im a worrier but im trying to trust that it will all go well. i might be going to pcola soon to see her and dad and check on them and help them out. anyway, thanks guys for all being amazing friends! love love love love love love love love!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

it brought me to tears

The other day all the guys were over, as usual on wednesday nights, playing halo2. I was soooo bored and had no TV to watch and no one to hang out with so i grabbed a book that i have had for about 6 years that has just been collecting dust on my book shelf. i went in the bedroom and began to read. I had no idea how this book would affect me within the first few pages of the introduction. Im sure most of you have heard of the book, Case for Faith, by Lee Strobel. For those of you who dont know what the book is about ill give you a quick overview. Basically the book tries to answer questions and give us a substantial case against the intellects of this world and therefore support Faith. The introduction discusses a time when the author goes to a former minster and former journalist named Charles Templeton. Strobel discusses how Templeton was once a friend and colleague of Billy Graham. There was a point in Templetons life when the questions and doubts of this world overwhelmed him and he began to question the existence of and all loving God. He put a hault to his ministry and actually wrote a book called Farewell to God: My Reasons for rejecting the Christian Faith. From a minister to an agnostic this man went, and he began to attmpt pullin Mr. Graham in the same direction. To make a long story short, the obvious is that Mr. Graham stood on his faith and is not an agnostic as you all know. Charles Templeton stated that he wasnt an atheist; he says the difference between an atheist and an agnostic is that he isnt saying there is no God, he is saying he can not tell you if there is or isnt. It broke my heart to read about this man who in Strobel's words, "wanted to soar to God, but his intellects kept him tied down." Is it possible for faith and reason to coexist? Does it really take a person doing away with reason to have faith?

Strobel goes on to describe his visit and interview with the 83 year old Templeton with alzheimers. Templeton tells Strobel of a time when he saw an african american woman on the front of a magazine, holding her dead baby. There was a drought and it had killed many people and children. Templeton says it was at this point that he questioned whether or not a loving God existed because how could He if He made the rain, yet didnt allow it to rain for these people. He said that this began a snowball effect of all the evil that had happened in the world until he began to believe that the evil and a loving God could not coexist. Templeton said he would love to believe that a loving God existed, especially as he is dying and getting ready to face death, he would like to believe he would meet this God face to face, but it would be denying the brain he was given and for him, it was impossible to believe it.

This is where it got interesting for me. Strobel then asked Templeton about Jesus. He stated that he believed Jesus lived and that he was the greatest human being to ever exist. Templeton said, "he was a moral genious. his ethical sense was unique and he ws the intrinsically wisest person that i ve ever encountered in my life or in my readings...what could one say about him except that this was a form of greatness?" he went on to say that "he adored him" and that he was the most important thing in his life. Everything good and right and decent he learned from Jesus. he sort of stopped speaking and redirected his thoughts and then he uttered these words, "If I may put it this way...i miss him." with that, tears began to flood down his face and his shoulders bobbed.

It broke my heart and brought me to tears to see that this mans intellect had torn him away from the greatest thing he has ever known. it showed me that doubts and reason can truly take over your heart if you allow them to. I believe that reason and faith can co exist and that many people go throughout their lives in disbelief of this fact.

Christian theism must be rejected by any person with even a shred of respect for reason.
~George H. Smith, atheist

"Humans are inherently religious beings, created to be in relationship with God - and if they reject God, they don't stop being religious; they simply find some other ultimate principle upon which to base their lives." - Nancy Pearcey

hmmmmm, just a bunch of random thoughts

I havnt written in about a week because well, I have acutally been soooo busy! Which I love! Dont get me wrong, I understand everyone needs a little down time and relaxation and time to meditate and focus on things you arent usually able to in your busy life...but i have had down time a little toooooo long. Anyway, I do like my new job. I am pretty much doing what I have always done over the past six years, teaching gymnastics, go figure. Its the only place in the entire city of Cincinnati that wanted to hire me. Also, I started helping out with the nursery at the church down the road. its actually the church that Justin and I have been attending because when he moved here he knew a guy that went there and is the youth minister there. I like the church alright, I just dont feel like we had a chance to find something that was, for lack of a better word, fitting. However, last week when i was driving to work, I passed by a church and it had a huge sign out front that said SEX Whats the Big Deal? It was called Crossroads Community Church and so when I got home I looked it up online just to see the sort of ministries it had and the sort of goals and missions this church had. It was really interesting to see how the church started. It pretty much started out as a just a small community and has grown into a large super church, but somehow still keep that sense of community. They had in their bulletin on Sunday that they try to keep church relevant, so they dont try to make church super different than real life just because its church and its Sunday. The minister talked about Sex and different issues surrounding it and pornography, and he was just real about it. They played a little Marvin Gaye and some other fun music, I really enjoyed it. They also seem to have a really great childrens and youth ministry that I would really love to be involved in. We arent really sure what we are doing about the whole church thing, it was just really neat to go there and see people our own age. The other church we go to has really young kids and old people, not so much people our age. im trying not to look at church as something that I have to get something out of, I understand that its about me serving as well. im not looking at it as feed me, teach me, serve me...i would just like to find a place where I can fellowship and relate to people better and maybe make a few friends, as well as serve.

So, oddly enough I have this new job right, and i love it, and they all love me and we have so much fun just goofing off and teaching kids at the gym. Well, this week, within two days, i have had three calls for interviews. I mean where were the interviews a month ago when I had nothing to do and was really really really needing a job? Such is life. Well Im going on 2 interviews Thursday and another one sometime next week. We really just need the benefits. Right now im actually really sick but I dont wanna go to the doctor because I have no insurance and it would cost an arm and a leg. Hopefully ill get some full time work soon and have benefits.

Well Justin and I had a really good weekend. I love our times together. We always have so much fun just chilling on the couch or eating with all the guys at BW3's to watch the games. We had a little date night on Friday night and saw Just Like Heaven, which was such a good movie! Then on Saturday we ran a bunch of errands, in our Florida State gear of course, and then we came back home to watch the game. Oh yea, and we won, GO NOLES! Anyway, Sunday we had our meeting at Starbucks for this new 20 something ministry we are trying to start up. Its really a cool thing and the guy who started the thinking on it is really passionate about it and has some good ideas. We have just been meeting up on Sundays to brainstorm things like where to have it, how to format it, what to call it, etc. The goal is basically to make disciples who will go and make more, go figure huh, seeing as that is what we are supposed to do. A lot of times people sign up for a bible study to learn about dating or the end times, but we want to focus on the gospel and not ever saying that the gospel isnt enough. We want to start these community groups so they can go and find lost people and share the gospel and then they will start more commnunity groups and so on and so on...

Well, I have a bunch of errands to run before work so im off! have a blessed week!

i love spaghetti night!

i never posted a wedding pic, i keep getting pics from random people emailing them to me so i figured i would share them with the world, even though, im not in denial that no one probably cares!

anyway, today was slightly more productive in the life of Jill. Justin had class allllll night and worked all day, so the job hunt continued. I actually found a place that wants to hire me! Not the job i was really looking for, but whatever. Its also not full time so Im going to keep looking for something else but at least im getting somewhere. A little money is better than none at all. I also got a call from an agency I applied to about how I wasnt qualified for the job I applied for but am more than qualified for a different job that is open. The woman I spoke with told me she would pass my resume along and I should get a call soon. Its an Administrative assistant job, which I have kind of done before and could do, its just still not what I went to school to do. I definitly dont want to do it for the rest of my life or anything, but whatever pays the bills right now. I just wish I could go back to pensacola and work at the American Red Cross. I felt so useful there and like I was actually helping people. Im a little frustrating with the stagnance I feel.

Well, something that will make me feel like I am actually useful will be starting up tomorrow night! I am starting to teach preschool at the church we go to now. They have like class type things on wednesday nights and then on Sunday mornings I am going to take care of the nursery. Im really excited about that, however Justin thinks I am going to get baby fever, which I wont. Im no where ready to have a baby, i mean, if God sends one our way, thats cool, but for now Ill settle for a dog, which I want so bad. Justin says I need to get a job first before I can get a dog, and well, you see how thats going. Anyway, Im off to bed.

the website

i forgot to put the url to the website i told you about in the previous blog, "holy spirit rain down." its www.rickpearson.org

sorry bout that!

it hurt real bad

Since my last post so much has been going on. Wait no, that was a lie. Um pretty much yesterday I did absolutely nothing but watch college football, which by the way is still awesome. Basically i sat around all day while justin was at work and wrote endless amounts of thank you notes, did laundry, cleaned the house, and watched football until justin got home. After he got home we cooked hamburgers on the grill, which I iknow realize i hate onion burgers when i accidentally buy them...gross! After that we went outside to play a little football tossing. Basically this is what happened

I put the tea on 3:17

I then changed my clothes into some football type attire 3:22

Justin and I went out side and threw the football 3:24

Justin threw the ball at me with the sun in my eyes and it stubbed my finger 3:35

I cried like the little girl i am 3:36
(ok, i didnt actually cry, but it hurt real bad)

We stopped the playing of football and came inside 3:37

I wined til I got some ice for it 3:40

Iced my finger 3:41

So basically, it hurt real bad and today it was the size of the average pickle. luckily immediately after the hitting of the finger, I removed my wedding rings, which if i would not have done this, i would have had to get them cut off!!!

Anyway, to more important stuff...

i won my first game of fantasy football, however, peyton could have done better.

Also, this morning justin preached in the youth thingy. he did pretty good, he is a little random i must say, sorta like my dad. i kind of feel like im listening to my dad, just a slower version of him. I mean I can understand the words justin is saying, its just that all the statements dont exactly make sense. i think he is learning how to better present himself and the "sermons." I just love him! anyway, also today we went to BW3's to watch the jaguar game, of which WAS NOT ON! freakin northerners dont even care about floridians! eh, they won anyway, even if we didnt get to watch them, and i got to wear my sweet mark burnell jersey!

well, im off to bed with my injury and all. NIGHT!

yay for babies!

good news...I have a new little neice! She was born this morning at about 8 and her name is Claire and I LOVE HER ALREADY and i just wanna see her! Yay for yet ANOTHER Croley!

holy spirit rain down

there are many times that i find myself overwhelmingly emotional and I sort of chuckle at myself and the ridiculous way I cry about everything. However, sometimes I fail to recognize that sometimes my tears are not emotions or me being silly, but the spirit of the living God falling all around me. Tonight has been an interesting night. I first received a phone call from my dearest friend that a boy we knew passed away today. The guy and I werent friends by any means, we had met once, and I remember who he is and that is about all. When she called me I for some strange reason just typed in his name to google and oddly enough his family had created a web site about him and his progression through his illness. I wont tell you all about it, however you should visit the web site. I began to read what had been written about him passing on today into eternity. The words these people spoke were incredible. The peace and contentment the Lord had given them was incomprehendable. As I continued reading, music started to play, it was the great old hymn Blessed Assurance. It was so amazing to hear that song about the assurance of Christ and the amazing praise that will take place when we meet him in heaven, forever and ever. It was encouraging and inspiring to me to read what his family felt and the song that was written so long ago. It was so neat to see how everything in the world can change, but what God offers to His people always stays the same. His promise never changes or falls short, He is always faithful and He always receives the glory. I kept looking through the website and read blogs written by different people, saw engagement pictures of when he asked his fiance to marry him, and much more. The strength of these people and of him was so impressive. I just wish and pray that I could be more like that. They saught Christ on their faces everyday in such an incredibly powerful way. It was amazing

As the night went on and I kept writing thank you notes, I was waiting for the Shelter from the Storm special on television to begin. there were many celebrities there singing, others giving short speeches about why we should donate money, and others answering the phones taking down the donations. It was unbelievable to see the devastation and the brokeness of the people of LA, MS, and AL. I have been watching it for a week now and it never becomes mundane to see. I still cry everytime and just want to give those people everything I have. I have missed so much working for the American Red Cross and just wish I could move back down south and help them again to better those communities that have been affected. i seem to have failed praying for those people enough, but was incredibly burdened tonight for them while watching this special.

i now realize that these tears tonight were not my usual emotional floods but rather that of the holy spirit placing on my heart a burden for these people who are hurting and a challenge to be more faithful to the God that is so faithful to me. This family that has lost their brother/son/friend to lucemia and those that have lost their homes and families to a storm are so much more incredibly stronger than I have ever thought about being. I HAVE to be more effective, I HAVE to be more faithful to the calling of God's will for my life, and I HAVE to depend on God as if my life was being pulled out from underneath me by storm or death.

taras wedding and mexican feasts!

since the last update I have been to pcola, seen one of my best friends get married, done the Fantasy football drafting, had a mexican feast, and bought 6 seasons of friends!!!! Last thursday Justin and I headed out of Cincinnati for pensacola to see my little Tara get married! We stayed in Nashville thursday night with Jo and the Corzines. Chaz and Deaver got us some tickets to the Titans game so we went and watched them play Green Bay, and I sorta like Green bay, not so much the titans, but it was so fun! The Corzines really are just the greatest people! They are so fun to be around and so generous and an all around great family! Their children are the cutest! I woke up Friday morning and eight year old ali had crawled in the bed with Justin and I and hugged me and asked if we could stay longer. It was just so cute and such a reflection of her parents. They really are sincere, and accepting, and sweet people. Well, Deaver cooked up breakfast and then Justin, Jo and I were off to Pensacola. We arrived and got all unpacked and Ash came and got me and us girls headed off to Hemingway's for Tara's bachelorette party! It was sooooo fun! After we ate we headed outside to get ready to do the video scavenger hunt. oh my goodness, there is nothing else I love better than being retarded with my very best friends! we walked around the boardwalk acting ridiculous and asking complete strangers to propose to us, and cops to handcuff us, and performing mock weddings, all in honor taras upcoming wedding. it was so hilarious to get back home and watch both teams videos.

The next day I went and got tori and we headed off to Taras bridal luncheon. it was really neat because tara wanted all of us to wear funny/huge/ridiculous hats! We were all in our fun hats and ate bagels and then made all the flower arrangements and bouquets for the wedding. that night we had the rehearsal dinner on the beach and me and justin and tori and ruco all drove out there together and played. I just love being around people like them. we always have so much fun and are so open and real with one another and laugh about the craziest things. i miss them so much when we are way up here in ohio. anyway, the rehearsal went really well, it made me sooo anxious for the wedding. Tara and morgan are such amazing people and its amazing to see their obedience to God and the ways that He reallly has richly blessed them...it is so cool! Tara's sweet spirit is so inspiring to me and i cannot believe she is so far away now. I think part of the reason that i miss all my friends so much is that they are so encouraging and uplifting, and genuinly so. i understand that i need to make new friends here and try and bless them. i just miss that sincere love from other people, knowing they have my back and have an encouraging word and sweet hug to offer to me whenever i need it.

eh, anyway, the wedding was amazing! tara did such a good job planning it and making it fun for everyone! From the ceremony to the cake to the music to the fun little details it was just perfect! anyway, after the wedding i went and got out of my pretty little bridesmaid dress and we all went to SONNYS! i never knew how much i would crave sonnys up in here in ohio where we HAVE NONE! after dinner we went to emily and heathers apartment and went swimming! basically it consisted of me and heather wripping apart toris bathing suit and her sitting topless in the hot tub while we all tried to cover her up while attempting to reassemble the bathing suit. FUNNY!

Well I had so much fun, however, it made me not want to leave. i just love those girls so much and i love the comfort i feel in my home and the safeness i feel when im with my parents...i always feel at ease and comfy. i assume that i will find contentment and comfort in my new home. Justin is comfortable to me, and the rest that he offers me when im with him is awesome. Its just those times when he is away from me or when i have been away from a fellowship or any sort of edifying relationship, that i get a little sad. i just want some fun awesome solid girlfriends! there are just some things you gotta talk to your girls about! boys just dont even get, nor should they try...it can be dangerous! haha

well, im back in ohio now and jo is here again! woo hoo! tonight we made a mexican feast for some friends of ours. we seriously cooked pretty much everything from scratch and all by ourselves! it was so fun! we made real mexican flan, which isnt my favorite but it was pretty good and we actually made it right! also, everyone likes my sweet tea! its so important to me that they do since im from the south and i love sweet tea! my mom gave me her recipe and i have been practicing! its really good i promise!

well, thats pretty much all i have been up to. i have no points in my fantasy football team yet but ill keep you posted so you can see how much i am kicking butt!!! i have peyton manning, and he IS my boyfriend! well, back to watching one of my many new seasons of Friends! night night all!

crack/cocaine/halo2

the obsession that has become of this snipe hunt is unreal. Every wednesday night, all the of justins friends come over to blow each other up. There are only two tvs in our house and only 1 xbox, yet somehow 15 guys manage to play all at once. Its unbelievable. I came home today and as i was walking down the sidewalk to the house i can hear the screams and the shrills. "Triple Killlllllllll" and "Im still respawning, Come on." I mean, i cant take it. These boys are nuts. I just need estrogen around me! I have no female friends here that i can run to their house and watch sitcoms with them while all the guys congregate at my house, and drink my amazing sweet tea. However, the boys call me the cool wife, and so its not as if I can be like, Justin, baby, can you do this somewhere else. And truth be told, I like being a host. I love when justins friend adam brings me something to bake for all of them. Thats fun for me, but it only lasts about an hour, and then the other 4 hours im so bored! i either need to learn to play, or find some friends. the friend hunt is coming along. Its just going to take some time until I meet people that i can just drive on over to their house and crash on the couch and watch tv and just talk. I am so hungry for that sorta relationship here right now. Well tonight I escaped to the gym, and then target and wal mart to get some supplies to make some stuff for taras wedding weekend! i am soooo excited about it! So I came home and made all that stuff and then talked on the phone for a bit. However, i cannot continue this for too many more weeks. It really is quite the delimma.

So, tonight i joined in on the fantasy football league that we all got going. Our league name is League Hova, and my team is the Dirty Dixie. Pretty excited about it! Anyway, i have never really gotten into pro ball but I suppose I will this season. Tomorrow night actually justin and i get to go to the Tennessee v Indy game in Nashville, Jo hooked us up, or should I say Chaz hooked us up. either way, we are going and we are pumped.

Well, justin and i are leaving tomorrow for nashville and then to pcola, and i still havnt packed. I probably should go do that and get ready for the long trip home! im so excited!