one afternoon at the dentist office ...

whew! what a busy couple weeks it's been! i need ... spring break ... desperately. for lent i decided that i needed to slow down ... take time to breathe ... and to just be still. like psalm 46:10 says so simply "be still and know that i am god."

then i decided that maybe i could "be still" but that i would need to learn to say no sometimes. (i wish i could say NO to work deadlines!) it seems like once i made this commitment to "be still" that life got crazy busy. there's days when i put my shoes on at 6:30 AM and head to work ... and wear them until 10:oo PM or later because i have not had the time to stop and take them OFF ... horrible i know. i'm tired ... overwhelmed ... you name it. this is my prayer ...

"come to me ... all who are weary and burdened and i will give you rest." matthew 11:28

and ...

" ... but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles ... they will run and not grow weary ... they will walk and not be faint." isaiah 40: 31

please pray with me and for me.

now to the list ... my 25 things to do while 25 list! this excites me because i have REAL updates to make!

update #1: number 16: watch a sunrise.

about a month ago i chaperoned a youth retreat to the beach. i asked one of my best friends (who was also chaperoning!) to wake up super early with me and watch the sunrise ... and since she's my BFF of course she said yes ... thanks amber! so after being up way too late with some super youth we woke early the next morning and walked out on the beach to watch the sunrise. it was beautiful ... peaceful ... and the perfect way to start that day.

straight out of bed ... ready to enjoy the sunrise! :)

beautiful sunrise on panama city beach ... home.

update #2: number 8: read 5 books!

well i have not read 5 yet but i did read 1/5 ... and it was SO good! i started it when i went on my trip to philly. i literally read the book the whole 2 hour flight to philly and back home! then decided i had to finish it late one friday night ... there i was laying in bed ... reading ... sobbing (sad/happy tears from the book!) ... all while listening to ben (the rat!) in the attic (obviously this was prior to his capture!) ... but i finished the book that night and have since recommended it to everyone! want to know what i read ...

i highly recommend this book!

i'm now open to more book suggestions so please feel free to leave some recommendations. :)

update #3: number 5: run a 5K in under 25:00!

well i really didn't know if i'd be able to pull it off but seems i did! i ran in the strides for scholars 5K this past saturday and coming around the last corner i looked to the finish line and saw 23 something on the clock and took off! my official time was 24:19 and i placed first in my age group! last year my kids all signed a cherry street shirt and gave it to me for teacher appreciation day ... i decided i'd wear it and run for me! now there's some motivation!

brittany and i at the 5K!

so that's my update ... today i was at the dentist for a teeth cleaning and it was the first time ever that i appreciated the dentist office and their dental chair and their dental instruments (we all know the dentist is not exactly your favorite place!) it was the first time i feel in two days that i've been able to just sit/lay and not have to speak ... basically to relax ... at the dentist of all places. then a song came on and the lyrics really hit me.

"bring your love to life inside of me. why don't you break my heart til it moves my hands and feet. for the hopeless and the broken ... for the ones that don't know that you love them ... bring your love to life inside of me."

i feel like i've been so bogged down by what i need to get done and how i can just simply make it until spring break that i've overlooked my purpose. i've been busy moving my hands and feet to meet deadlines and to make sure my kids have learned the next important math concept but i haven't done these things in a way that people/kids will see his love inside and through me. i've been so tired ... overwhelmed ... that i'm broken and truly need him to bring his "love to life inside of me." now ... this is my prayer.

number 26?

number 26: spend time with a rat named ben. (yes ... a rat ... rodent ... yuck!)

if i were 26 and needed to add a 26th thing to my list this would be it. ben (the rat) and i have spent the past two weeks together. i love my house and have always wanted to live in an older house with "character" but i didn't really know this could possibly mean rats. our relationship started about two weeks ago when ben decided he wanted in the house ... scratching at the ceiling to the point i literally thought a hole would open up and he would fall through. i called the landlord and packed up and moved to mom's temporarily. over the past two weeks the landlord set numerous traps and i decided to NOT be chicken and move back in. since then ben has brought me many sleepless nights when he decides he wants to play with the traps at ... 3 AM!

well ... we FINALLY caught ben! i had a friend's husband come over to check the traps and the insulation that was coming from my vents and as he walked up the stairs to the attic there was ben ... caught in the trap! there was also insulation in the attic and a fist size hole in my duct work. AWESOME ... not! good thing i'm renting! long story short ... i hope ben is a loner and has NO friends and i hope the landlord solves this problem quick! the end.

back to things that matter. prior to the rat event i traveled north to spend some time with my dear friend wendy! i flew to philadelphia and stayed with wendy in princeton. we journeyed to nyc on saturday where we had lunch at a mexican resturant in hell's kitchen. of all the times i've been to nyc i've never heard of hell's kitchen. it's an area of the city full of resturants ... my kind of place! we joined some of her friends for lunch at a mexican resturant called el centro! it was so good! we then just walked around the city and eventually ended up at the met where we spent the afternoon! i really enjoyed it! we were also able to have dinner at another resturant in hell's kitchen with some sweet friends of mine from auburn ... lauren and daniel! they were in nyc for the weekend so we decided to meet up have dinner ... see a broadway show ... and of course eat some post-show cheesecake at juniors! even though we spent just a few hours together we had a great time! i'm truly blessed by their friendship!

wendy and i in central park

lauren and daniel at dinner in nyc!

and ... i was able to mark number 18 off my list!


number 18: see a broadway show/musical! check!

wendy and i at memphis! AMAZING show!

so glad lauren and daniel were there to help experience number 18! :)

while in nyc we were able to see the show memphis! it was amazing! to see as many broadway shows as possible is on my life list! maybe i should aim for one a year ... hmm ...

my trip up north was made complete with a visit to philadelphia to see my newly married cousins! wendy and i woke up sunday morning and drove to philly to have brunch with my cousins ... ciara and jt! it was a cold ... cold ... morning but i enjoyed the walk from their place to this cute cafe called the gold standard! it was delicious! ciara and jt were able to show us their little part of the city and i loved their apartment ... especially climbing the fire escape!

ciara and jt! love them!

best brunch ever! the gold standard in philly!

everyone going up the fire escape! HAH!

wendy and i concluded my trip with a nice trip to a church her professor planted followed by a nice dinner at the professors house with his family and other seminary students. i really enjoyed meeting and sharing a meal with some other seminarians (if that's a word)!

i'm seriously so thankful for wendy's friendship! not only is she one of my best friends ... but so much more. i'm word-less trying to describe what she means to me!

needless to say ... life has been eventful! i have more to updated about the list but i will save that for the next one! :) enjoy your saturday everyone!

i've been really bad about updating. however ... this post will include pictures and captions/descriptions to catch everyone up on what happened in december. :)

to start with ... i'll update y'all on my list. the twenty-five list.

5. run a 5K under 25:00

well ... back in october i ran 4 - 5K races back to back. each time shaving about one minute off my time. which is why i decided to add this to my list. well ... i took a little break and in early december decided to jump back on the 5K race circuit. i won 1ST in my age group ... however my time was 27:04 ... 26:27 is my best. boo! so needless to say i have not quite accomplished number 5 but plan to get back on track starting ... tomorrow. stay tuned.

20. enjoy a night at a dueling piano bar

i love dueling piano bars! love them! i just love the atmosphere and all the music! we went to rum runners for amber's birthday back in november and had the best time! so this has been crossed off the list ... however i plan to keep it on there because i would love to enjoy MORE nights at dueling piano bars!

okay ... now to december ... i already shared that i ran the 5K ... i've also been on christmas break from school which has been great! i've been able to relax and catch up on things and spend time with people i love!

news flash #1: one of my best friends ... brooke got ENGAGED! she will marry kelso in april 2012 and i absolutely can't wait to be part of their special day! enjoy the picture below of the happy couple!

the future hamiltons!

news flash #2: another one of my best friends got a job in england moved last friday! AH! i really hope to be able to visit her this summer. i was able to spend some really good quality time with amanda while she was home. she's truly one of those friends that will ALWAYS be there for me!manda ... i hope by the time you read this you are settled in and enjoying life back in europe! praying for you and love you!

amanda and i at rum runners while she was home!

news flash #3 (probably the most important!): my dad got a new job!!!!! AHH! we found out 2 days before christmas that dad got a really good job offer in ... ... ... LOUISIANA! random i know. but really exciting! i'm really excited for my parents and can't wait to experience some very cajun holidays! i won't lie it will be somewhat weird not having a "home base" in panama city but at the same time i know they will find their way back this way in a couple years! please pray for my family during this transition! dad moves next week and starts january 17TH ... mom will join him in may when the lease at the condo is up. what a journey this will be!

news flash #4: this past year i met my friend ana. she's from el salvador ... went to penn state ... ended up in panama city working for trane (she's an industrial engineer!) ... we met her at the rescue mission! we like to say we picked her up at the mission but really we were volunteering ... she was volunteering ... and a friendship bloomed! since then we have enjoyed many beach days ... movie nights ... nights out ... and yummy dinners! we LOVE when ana invites us over for dinner because she's an AWESOME cook! well ... i say all this to say that ... ANA GOT MARRIED like 2 days ago in el salvador! she got engaged over the summer and since then we have learned ALL about el salvadorian wedding traditions. you get two weddings ... how cool is that! the recent wedding was her civil wedding so she's legally married but not must wait until may for the religious wedding to be truly married! still hoping to maybe make it to the wedding in may. CONGRATS ANA!

ana & i this summer!

i think that's it for the updates. i spent new years in montgomery with brooke and amber! we had a really good time ... we watched AUBURN WIN their bowl game then headed out to this place called alleybar. we danced the night away ... and guess what? they had dueling pianos! great way to ring in the new year! happy 2012!

well to conclude this little update ... i'm looking forward to see what all god has in store for me this year! there's so many changes taking place around me ... so many opportunities ... plans ... and just dreams i have that i can't wait to see how it all unfolds. wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2o12!

jamal, kellis, and jameel

"break my heart for what breaks yours ... everything i am for your kingdoms cause ..."

not only do i love this song ... but these lines speak my heart. i want my heart to be broken ... i want to be stirred ... i want to be challenged ... i want to respond.

number 21 on my list of twenty-five things to do while twenty-five reads:

21. shop for a christmas angel child

i added this to my list not because it's something i've never done but because it's something i've always done that "breaks my heart." it puts me in check. it breaks my heart ... it stirs me ... it challenges me ... and i can respond. when i see the salvation army trees set up in stores this time each year my heart becomes heavy. in my case i encountered the tree at wal-mart over thanksgiving break. my brother was home and we had made a trip to wal-mart to buy who knows what. on the way in i noticed the tree and on the way out i spent at least 20 minutes trying to decide whose wish-list i should take. i can never walk away with just one child ... this year it was 3.

i selected jamal who is 3. he wanted a little tikes basketball goal. i always like to pick a little one! kellis who is 5 wanted sheets/blanket and a doll. love to pick a girl too! :) and last but not least was jameel who is 17 and he wanted a MP3 player and basketball.

mom and i went shopping last thursday and we had such a good time! we bought purple sheets and a blanket ... an MP3 player ... basketball ... and clothes ... clothes ... and more clothes! we were able to buy kellis a bratz doll and jamal his little tikes basketball goal too!

i helped mom take all the goodies home and we organized this into piles. she had to write a code on each item. see the pictures below to see all the goodies!

kellis and jameel's goodies!

jamal's goodies!

when i made it home late thursday night ... once again my heart was heavy. i prayed that these kids would be blessed and that these kids would be made whole and would know howmuch they are loved! i thought about the students i taught last year and the students i have this year. i thought about their stories and prayed that they would know how much they are loved. once again ... i was broken ... i was stirred ... i was challenged ... and the only way i knew how to respond was with prayer.

so the goodies have been dropped by the salvation army and i hope and pray that these 3 precious kids know how much they are loved. i will probably never meet these kids but they will always be with me. they were part OF MY story. one thing down on my list 24 more to go but what a blessing number 21 has been and always will be. :)

"break my heart for what breaks yours ... everything i am for your kingsdoms cause. as i go from nothing to ... eternity."

the year of lists

today is my sweet friend ... taylor marie's birthday! she's now twenty-five too! this year will be a special year for her because SHE'S GETTING MARRIED! :) i can't wait to travel to kentucky in october 2012 to be part of their special day!

taylor & i on my last visit to kentucky

taylor's birthday marks one month since my birthday and twenty-five is still GREAT! :) i've been really busy with work lately, but with christmas around the corner i'll have a break to regroup soon!

when i turned twenty-five i decided to make a list of twenty-five things to do while i'm twenty-five. well it took several weeks to complete the list and since then i've also created about 10 other lists ... things to do here, things to do there, things to do by this, things to do by that ... my solution to everything is to make a list! my dear friend, jenny, has decided this is the year of the list.

so i'm now ready to share my list, and i plan to use this blog to keep everyone up to date on where i'm at and what i've accomplished!

this is how the list started

the list:

1. run a 1/2 marathon (crazy i know!)

2. visit CHICAGO (i have a friend who teaches there and i'd love to see the city!)

3. learn to water ski (my aunt and uncle just bought a lakehouse so that's a start!)

4. get passport (just something i need to do!)

5. run a 5K under 25:00 (my best time is 26:27)

6. play in snow (anywhere, but i have a trip planned to new jersey/nyc in january!)

7. visit john at ole miss (my little brother will be a senior)

8. read 5 books (haven't decided what to read yet, ideas?)

9. write hand-written letters, send them snail mail :)

10. throw a REAL dinner party!

11. take the GRE (grad school in the future maybe?)

12. save $2500

13. attend a charity event

14. attend paint your art out (paint class at the visual arts center)

15. volunteer 25 hours at the rescue mission

16. watch a sunrise

17. attend a bar/pub/wine crawl

18. see a broadway show/musical (this may be accomplished on my trip to nyc!)

19. buy addison a gift and hold her at 1 week old (my friends, shana and todd, are having their 1st baby! she added this to my list!)

20. enjoy a night at a dueling piano bar

21. shop for a christmas angel child

22. go paddle-boarding

23. go golfing

24. go camping (never been!)

and ...

25. post a youtube video and get 250 hits! (stay tuned!)

i'm twenty-five

on november 4, 1986 ... i, jessica marie williams, made my entrance into the world.


on november 4, 2011 ... i, jessica marie williams, celebrated twenty-five years.


i took leave from work to spend the day with the world's best mom. we headed over to south walton, hwy 30A, to ride bikes and eat! it was the perfect day! i'd say we rode bikes for about 10 miles, needless to say we had some sore hineys. we stopped to have lunch at bud & alley's. they had been in business for twenty-five years too! the weather was beautiful! we had the best time, couldn't think of a better way to spend the day.




later that day, i enjoyed a really nice dinner with friends and family! i even had a sweet auburn friend come to town to help celebrate! and now ... i'm twenty-five.


i feel like twenty-five will be a very GOOD year. i know every year should be a GOOD year, but this year is "the year".


i had some hard decisions to make this past year, but as i continue/start this new season i can't contain my excitement!




"there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven ..." ecclesiastes 3:1




my God is faithful, my heart is full, and i'm twenty-five.