We're going to Greece!!!

David and I just booked our Greek island hopping honeymoon trip, and we cannot stop smiling. We have not been back to Europe since our 2003 stint and Greece has always been a top five trip on our list. We are delighted.

Here's our topline itinerary.....
* 2 nights in Athens at the Hera Hotel
* 3 nights in Mykonos at the Alkyon Hotel
* 3 nights in Santorini at the Esperas
* And one last night in Athens at the airport's Sofitel for an early departure back to the US

Thanks to Cindy Faris, David's Greek co-worker and lots of AmEx travelers points for helping make this possible!

Toga...toga...toga!!!

8 months & counting

As many of you know, I have been (thankfully) very busy with work and traveling a lot. However, this has left me with little time to think about the wedding...until yesterday when it really hit me. As today marks eight months away from our wedding, my feelings are mixed and my stomach is in knots.

On one hand, I am SO ready to marry David that October seems like an eternity away....and I'm having to hold myself back from just going to the courthouse.

On the other hand, I am in awe with how much work a wedding demands...and how much more I have to do that I wonder how I can ever get it all done in ONLY 8 months.

Quite the dichotomy, right?

Christmas and NYE 2008

We hope everyone enjoyed Christmas, we certainly enjoyed spending time with our families. We spent the weekend before Christmas in Kentucky and the following week Jess traveled to Tampa. I don't think it will be hard to decipher which pictures are from Frankfort and which are from Tampa.

New Year's Eve was great too, we were joined by Ashton and Rob from Kentucky and Andy and Lauren from right here in Chicago. The clock was set late and we were having so much fun that we missed the ball drop! Ah well, maybe next year.

Check out the pictures HERE

Hotel Info

We appreciate that you want to go ahead and get that room but hang tight. We have to wait until March to block off rooms due to potential University schedule change. Also, we're looking into transportation to and from the hotels for guests and we don't want to have to run them all over Oxford.

In the meantime check out this: LINK

Grandaddy

As many of you know Jessica's Grandaddy passed away on November 24th. While we already miss him greatly we take comfort in knowing he'll be celebrating the wedding from heaven. He definitely was excited for us. I can remember calling to tell him that I had proposed and he said, "Well I was starting to think you were a little slow!" We're thankful for the inspirational role that he played in Jessica's life and his love to shine through in our relationship!

Thanks for keeping the family in your prayers!

Some of you inquired about sending flowers but they have asked for donations to their church. Check out the link below for more information.

Milbon "Mib" Williford, aka Grandaddy

Thanksgiving in Chicago

Jess and I decided to hang back in Chicago and prepare our own Thanksgiving feast. We really made a day of... well Jess made 2 days out of it. She spent Wednesday trecking around the local grocery store finding all of the ingredients from Oprah's Thanksgiving. I enjoyed getting a call at work to describe what a scallion looked like. I found it funny that she had also picked up a backup to all of Oprah's dishes, just in case something went arry.  

We met that night after all of the shopping/unloading and went to the Pacific Garden Mission and helped serve food to the homeless of Chicago. It really was awesome seeing some 550 people getting fed a free meal. They were very grateful and it made Thanksgiving that much more meaningful.

Thursday morning rolled around and we were up bright and early preparing our feast. We were sauteeing onions, celery, and carrots all while watching the parades. We managed to throw together a pumpkin chiffon pie, stuffing, and sweet potato cassarole to heat up later for dinner. Once we had everything pre-made we wrapped up and headed down to Millenium Park. Every year the city sets up a temporary ice skating rink. We were both a little nervous but I'm proud to report we skated for 1 hour with absolutely no falls and for a grand finale we skated the last lap all while holding hands. It was a sight to be seen.

We made it back to the house and put the final touches of our Thanksgiving feast:

Turkey Tenderloin, Corn, Ligonberries, Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Stuffing, and to top it off we had Pumpkin Chiffon pie. To share in the feast we invited my roommate Adam. I think he was surprised and full at the end.

Thanksgiving 08 was a unique experience. Serving the homeless of the great city of Chicago opened our eyes to the love we have from friends and family and we praise God that we have the ability to provide our own feast. Thanks so much to all of you and we hope your Thanksgiving was as cheerful and rewarding as ours. 

Check out the links below:

This is where we served: Pacific Garden Mission

Make this pie: Oprah's Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

See our pics from Thanksgiving '08: Click ME

The Emmy's

I thought I'd share a funny and classic moment with you. While David & I were watching the Emmy's last weekend, I was suddenly overwhelmed with emotions. I got this big knot in my throat and then started tearing up. I gazed into his bright eyes with tears streaming down my face and said "Awww, I can't believe I am going to spend the rest of my life with you." It just hit me how lucky I am that I get to be with him forever. Then, we both started laughing.

Once again, the power of television captivated its audience - or at least I enjoyed the Emmy's this year.

My dad would be so proud...

love jess~