Carter's Mountain Orchard

A couple of weeks ago, my sweet guy and I took a road trip to his hometown.  He took me to the apple orchard that I have been wanting to go to for so long.  Now we just need to go in the Fall when all of the yummy apples are in season!

Pretty views and donuts. Does this guy get me or what?!
Once again, I am oh so thankful for him and our many adventures.

Foreign Lands

Foreign lands never yield their secret to a traveler.  The best they offer are tantalizing snippets, just enough to inflame the imagination.  The secrets they do reveal are your own - the ones you have kept from yourself.  And this is reason enough to travel, to leave home || Graeme Sparkes

Guest Post | Maggie - Daisies' Bliss | Hong Kong

 Today, I am hosting my first guest here on my blog!  Maggie and I have been blog buddies for several months now.  I love her sweet personality, her trust in the Lord, and her desire to see Him be glorified in her life.  Her sweet comments on my posts have been so encouraging and I am so glad to have met her through this crazy blog world.  I am so blessed to have her as a friend!

Because of this, it is not surprise that I was beyond excited when Maggie agreed to be a guest on my blog.  I got even more excited when she told me should would be doing a travel post.  Once again, the excitement increased again when I read her post this morning.  Come on guys, she posted about her recent trip to Asia.  How cool is that?!   

I hope you enjoy Maggie's post and check out her blog too because she is the bees knees. And thanks Maggie for writing this post! :)   

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Hey Hi Hello! My name is Maggie and I blog over at Daisies' Bliss.

I can't tell you how thrilled I am about guest posting here at Jess & Joy! I bumped into Jess's blog late last year and may I say I was hooked?! I love Jessi's fun-loving personality and the fact that she thrifts? She meets all my requirements of a gal pal.

Just kidding.

But, really, I have enjoyed Jessi's posts and I hope you will enjoy this post of mine, too! :)

I was born and raised in the city of Hong Kong; I recently traveled there to visit family and friends.

If you would, please allow me to share, from a local's perspective, a few do's I think everyone should do in Hong Kong.

1) Do embrace the culture shock: for example, a much smaller personal bubble





Having resided in the States for quite a few years, I have forgotten how small personal bubbles are in this small city!

But don't let that stop you from embracing the love of those people towards you!

See to it as a way of showing you affection - the closer they are to you, the more they like you! :)

2) Do take a morning walk - it will open your eyes to see a completely different city





^^ The picture above shows two high schools right next to each other (the yellow one and the green one), surrounded by tall buildings of condo units.





^^ a teeny tiny pineapple, anyone?!

It is so refreshing in the morning; you will unveil a side of the city you never knew existed - the quiet side.

On a morning walk, you will likely run into elderly people who will exchange "good morning's" with you.

Everyone around you is just in a happier mood; and trust me, that will make you happier, too!

3) Do be adventurous with your food choices









^^ These are a few of my favorite things

Come on. You travel half way around the Earth, you need to be adventurous to make every penny of your plane ticket count.

I would roam around in a grocery store and pick out anything that catches your eyes.

Or, if the grocery store overwhelms you, hit up a 7-eleven or a Circle-K, they will have less of a variety but will offer the best of the best.

In addition to snacks, I encourage you to visit ethnic restaurants. There are plenty of Japanese and Korean restaurants; there's also Thai, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Indian, French food and many many more available.

4) Do visit a neighborhood not featured in your travel guide







I never knew of this neighborhood until someone took us there.

It's called Park Island - it is a quiet neighborhood with a couple beaches and even a Noah's Ark museum.

I don't think a travel guide would ever take us here.

That's why I think it is a much more precious spot, don't you think?

5) Do explore the outdoor - you will realize there is different kind of beauty in this city







Hong Kong does not simply offer you skyscrapers.

I encourage you to leave the busy districts and enjoy the nature!

You will be surprised at how beautiful Hong Kong is!

There are many trails/hills to hike, just pick one and... GO!!! :)



That's all I wanted to share about the do's in this city of the East.

Hopefully you will be inspired to go visit this dynamic city yourself some day,

do let me know of any questions/comments you may have and I hope I'll see you over at Daisies' Bliss! :)

Travel Lessons | Chennai, India | Lavender

 For those of you that have spent any significant of time around me in the past (almost) year, you have heard me talk about India on multiple occasions.  It hasn't really ever left my mind, but these past few weeks it has been on my heart more then usual.  I could share dozens of stories with you all, but today I am just going to share about one sweet friend that I made that will forever have a place in my heart.

On Sunday, my pastor mentioned a story from our India trip.  It was not a long story or very detailed at all, and it didn't even have to do with who I am telling you about today.  But for some reason, I sat there in my seat and remembered my dear friend and tears came to my eyes.

I met Lavender on May 24th, 2013.  Our team was going through local neighborhoods, praying over families and for their specific needs.  My team of three headed out, but soon realized that the "leaders" of our team, two sweet ladies from the church, spoke barely a few words in English.  

This resulted in a lot of awkward smiles and nodding of heads by us and lots gesturing by them.  Do we go into this random house?  Is it okay to sit on the one chair they own?  Oops, don't forget to take your shoes off at every door.  The hardest part by far though was that I found myself becoming very routine in my prayer, as I did not and could not know the needs of these people I was praying over because of our language barrier. 

About an hour after we had been visiting and prayer over families, we ran into two young teenage girls.  The oldest came up to me with her younger sister behind her shoulder, smiling shyly.  

"Hi, my name is Lavender.  What's your name?"  I'm pretty sure at this point I hugged her right there and let out a sigh of relief as I screamed, "YOU SPEAK ENGLISH!"  She giggled, and replied sweetly that she did indeed speak English. 

After introducing myself, I realized that if I could communicate clearly with this girl I not only wanted to know her needs and pray with her, but I wanted to really talk with her and find out if she knew the Lord.  I asked her a question about if she knew of the church that we were partnering with and she said that she did.  I began to tell her that we came from a church in America, to which she quickly interrupted me and exclaimed, "You are a Christian?!  I am too!"

Lavender was such a blessing in our time of need.  She walked around with me for the remainder of our time in that neighborhood and translated back and forth for me.  Not only was she an answer to prayer in our time of need, but she taught me so much just from the two short hours I spent with her.

Lavender was then 17 years old, finishing up her last year of school.  She planned to attend university after she finished her schooling.  When I asked Lavender what she wanted to do when she graduated from university, she quickly replied that she has always wanted to be a teacher.  I had a mini freakout inside (okay, maybe outside too).  I told her that I wanted to be a teacher as well, and upon telling her that I wanted to teach overseas, she quickly told me that I should definitely teach in India.  I told her I would think about it.  Little does she know I still am to this day.  Lavender wants to be a math teacher, and when I told her that my mom was a math teacher I don't think she could have smiled any bigger.  

 After talking about why we wanted to teach for a while we moved on to other things as we were walking though the streets of her neighborhood. She talked about her hobbies, her family, and she told me her testimony of how she came to know the Lord.  Her courage, boldness, and quiet spirit amazed me.  She had been through and was going through SO much at such a young age, but I don't know if I have ever witnessed someone that sincerely trusted the Lord that much. 

Lavender lives in a small two room house in a poor neighborhood of Chennai with her parents and two siblings.  Her family was slowly falling apart at the seams, and she was doing all she could to keep her younger siblings safe, happy, and fed.  All the while, she is still going to school, and aspiring towards her dreams of teaching someday.

Whenever I remember my sweet friend Lavender, I feel so humbled.  I may be hundreds of times more wealthy then her and have healthy relationships, but that's not where the hope that Lavender is clinging to comes from.  She finds her hope, her treasure, and her assurance in her Savior alone. 

While I sit here on my comfortable bed in my warm room, worrying about what next year will hold, I thank the Lord that I met Lavender and the lesson she taught me (and continues to teach me) about complete trust, hope, and abandon to the Lord. 

As I did not purposefully take pictures during my time in India (more on that later if you want to know), I do not have a picture of Lavender.  If I did it would be on my wall, right beside my bed for me to see everyday.  Regardless, I pray for this sweet friend often and think of her just as much.  

Maybe there wasn't really an "ending point" that I was trying to make with this post, but I just wanted to share about a young woman that challenged and encouraged me through her words and faith, and changed my heart.  My hope and prayer is that someday our paths will cross again, if only for a short time.    

RVA: Brown Island, Canal Walk, and Shockoe Slip

 There are just some things in this pretty town of mine that bring me such joy.  These places are special because they're not the "big" usual tourist spots.  Being able to just walk along the canal and on the island was so peaceful.  It is such a quiet, pretty place.  Yes, we did run into a couple of runners, old couples, and homeless men, but that made it even more unique.  Fellow Richmond enjoying our city.  Also, I've become pretty good at navigating downtown if I do say so myself.  

First, we went to Tredegar Iron Works and Brown's Island.  Afterwards I told Em I had a surprise stop for her.  That's when I brought her to her heaven, a bookstore.  We stopped in at the Antique store next door, which was where I realized that it's not just crowds of people that make me nervous/anxious, but also lots of STUFF.  Note to self: DON'T go to a crowded antique store.

We also went to Urban Farmhouse.  We got grown-up grilled cheese and mochas.  It was quite yummy, especially the carrots (I love bunny food).

I just love adventure days.  We do live in RVA, after all.

Travels: NYC... maybe?

There is a possibility that I may be returning to one of the most fabulous cities ever at the end of this month.  NYC is such a magical place, and this time I may be returning with my very own camera.  Oh, how I hope this works out.  I have made a list of things I would like to see, do, and eat while there, or whenever I get to return to this beautiful city.  Do you all have any other suggestions for things to do, visit, or restaurants to eat at?  

 to see: central park. purl soho. empire state building. macy's. sunrise on the brooklyn bridge. time's square.
to eat: ellen's stardust diner. little italy. street food.
to drink: cafe grumpy. brooklyn soda fountain.
to shop: h&m. forever 21. buffalo exchange. urban outfitters. madewell.
to get knick knacks: apartment 48. pearl river market.
to satisfy my sweet tooth: magnolia bakery. crumbs bake shop.

Travels Tuesdays - Chennai, India

Hi friends!

I am FINALLY getting around to a post about my recent trip to Chennai!  I had such a great time there and I thought I would share a few pictures with you all.  I have also written as briefly as I could (which turned out to be almost four pages) about what I learned and my experiences, but I will save that for a later post.  Hope you enjoy!

 On the way there, at our connecting flight in Quatar! 

  I always tried to sit by the window when we were on the bus.  So much to look at and soak in!

 One of the churches that we partnered with while we were there.

 There were goats everywhere!  Man, I really want goats one day. 

Beautiful sunset on our second night in Chennai, as we played soccer and interacted with people on the beach.

 My pastor (such a goofball!) and our precious bus driver, Sam.  Sam didn't get much rest or sleep either all week, but every morning he would be bright and cheery, singing one of his favorite hymns. 

 Our translator, and now dear friend, Daniel.  And that adorable little girl is his niece, Abijah.

Walking through the streets, seeing the different temples before we headed to the beach.

 The girls praying together before we started our day. 

 My sweet friend Cassie and I trying to cool down in a bakery after prayer walking the streets of Chennai.

 We had the wonderful opportunity to go to a village a few hours out of Chennai.  Many of the people there had never seen white people.  Even more astonishing, they had never heard the name of Jesus.  This precious woman came to know the Lord that night and I was so blessed to be able to pray with her. 

Some of the sweet ladies that we met at the village.

Praying over a precious teenage girl.  And this is when I started weeping...

 LOVED chatting with these young ladies for an hour or so when we visited the day care center. 

 A bunch of the kiddos from the day care.

 More sweet little friends.  I was holding that little girl forever cause she didn't want me to put her down and man, did my arms hurt the next day!  So worth it though. 

We sang and did a Jonah skit for the kids.

 At one of the community centers we visited. 

 Praying with two beautiful eighteen year old girls who go to community college together.  And they also were dancers.  Instant connection. 

 Sweet welcome sign from one of the community centers we visited. 

This sweet energetic little lady took a piece of all of our hearts.

She was quite spunky, but a sweet spirit all the same.  She couldn't tell me enough how much she loved her family and wanted them to all be healthy and happy.

 Our whole team at the ruins we visited on our "tourist" day. 

 The ancient ruins. 

 I life-size elephant! 

 If I lived in India, I would probably live in these ruins.  This one was like a maze.  Pretty cool if you ask me. 

First coconut water of the trip!  Right from the side of the road too.  He chopped the top off for me with his machete.  Nifty.

 Last meal in Chennai! 

Shopping at the Indian mall.  For the record, shopping is NOT my thing.  Thrift shops, bookstores, and Kroger are the exceptions. 












Thanks to everybody once again who supported me through prayer!  I can't wait to continue to tell you about the awesome things that the Lord is doing in India!