Happy Birthday to Peggy (mom)! We can't wait to celebrate with her this weekend. The Fernandez family is making the long trip to south Georgia on Friday. We will also have a chance to celebrate Easter together. It will be fun to post pictures when I get back on Monday! (no school on Good Friday)
For your reading interests, here is a sermon devoted to the glory of God at Easter:
http://desiringgod.org/library/sermons/83/040383.html

CROWN HIM WITH MANY CROWNS!

Crown him with many crowns,
The Lamb upon his throne;
Hark, how the heavenly anthem drowns
All music but its own!
Awake, my soul, and sing
Of him who died for thee,
And hail him as thy matchless King
Through all eternity.
Crown him the Son of God,
Before the worlds began,
And ye who tread where he hath trod,
Crown him the Son of man;
Who ev'ry grief hath known
That wrings the human breast,
And takes and bears them for his own,
That all in him may rest.
Crown him the Lord of life,
Who triumphed o'er the grave
And rose victorious in the strife
For those he came to save;
His glories now we sing,
Who died and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring,
And lives that death may die.
Crown him the Lord of Heav'n
Enthroned in worlds above,
Crown him the King to whom is giv'n
The wondrous name of love.
Crown him with many crowns,
As thrones before him fall;
Crown him, ye kings, with many crowns,
For he is King of all.

Amen.

Aaron and I have been so fortunate to be loved on by others so far this week. God is really showing his faithfulness through other people. On Monday night Aaron's boss and his wife invited him over for a feast in Atlanta! He was able to spend time with good people. Marcela invited me over for dinner on Monday night so I didn't have to eat pretzels by myself at home. And last night, a woman from church invited me to their house for a Bible study! But even if we spend an evening alone, we are not really alone :)

This weekend was full of joy. Aaron got home a lot earlier than I thought he would on Friday and we were able to go out to a nice dinner to celebrate- the Riverhouse. On Saturday we spent time outside when it was not raining. I got to talk with Molly! She is doing well in Kentucky. She is teaching Spanish at an elementary school and really loves the church God has involved her in. We went shopping together for some snacks that he could keep in his hotel room. Aaron studied the Bible on Saturday night while I read it. He led the college S.S. class on Sunday morning! He did a wonderful job. He talked about risk as it relates to Christians. Ask him for a more detailed explanation :) I also baked him a Congratulations cake on Saturday night.
We borrowed a pressure washer from the neighbors and Aaron thrived with this toy all weekend. Here he is on Sunday afternoon...we are cleaning up a little for this weekend!

This week in my kindergarten/2nd grade class, we made a book together about a picnic. We learned new vocabulary words (one of which was picnic- they didn't know what it was and had never been on one), and used a wordless picture book to make our own story. Today I took them on their first picnic and we read our book! They loved it...there was a lot for conversation about picnics. We had popcorn, cookies, chips, and Coke. It was a great experience for me.
Another fun teaching moment happened today- we are doing a unit on "famous things" in my 6th grade class. We have read and talked about the history/facts of such things as coffee, gum, Braille, soccer, and today we did neckties. We did a listening comprehension activity in which they had to follow my directions to tie a tie. They actually got it! The funny part is that I had never learned how to do it until today- I got some directions off the Internet and taught myself before going to class. It worked great and now we all know how! They were so proud :)

Aaron has accepted a job in Atlanta with Waste Industries! This came as a big surprise (not so much to me- I know my husband is great at his job!) on Tuesday of this week. We haven't really had time to think or talk about it much because he had to start work there yesterday. It's been a blur. Since I am still working in Albany, I will stay here until the end of school and he will come on weekends- this is still our home. I am so proud of Aaron and his commitment to excellence in his work. He is a great example to me.
We are sad to leave Albany. This has been our first home that we've made together on our own and the people have been so good to us. It is the close of a good season of our life, but we know another great season is ahead. We marvel at the unmerited favor of God.
Please pray for our transition and time apart from each other. Pray that we will find an appropriate place to live there, and that we will find the perfect church (for us), a job for me, friends to know, and that Aaron will feel comfortable in his new job right away.
Congratulate Aaron, if you have a chance! His email address is afernandez@waste-ind.com
He will drive back tonight and I can't wait to hear how his first 2 days were. We'll let you know!

Aaron's grass experiment is finished. Jonathan (zorbacon) was right...the lack of drainage in our baking dish caused fungus to grow and kill the grass! I don't have a picture to show you its pitiful plight because I was quick to throw it out and wash the dish. I was getting tired of looking at it in the kitchen every day!

Acella before the birth. Even small women's bellies get round!

A happy family...

A happy and tired dad! She's beautiful. We can't wait to meet her soon.

I can't believe Spring Break has already come and gone! It was a perfect one, though. I have a lot to tell since I haven't been able to get online until now.
Not this past weekend, but the one before, we relaxed. Aaron and I saw the new movie Inside Man and recommend it (watch for language, though). He played golf on Saturday with church friends, and among other things I went to see Mussrat and her growing baby Mushan. He is a happy baby! I left on Sunday after church for Savannah. It was a nice drive...Molly, I listened to sevillanas music quite a bit! I met mom, grandma, and Marie at the hotel before going to eat at Outback across the street. We watched TV and read Sunday night to prepare for the touristy day ahead. On Monday we ate a Cajun breakfast on River Street after getting lost trying to find a bakery.

Lost...already :)

We took a limousine to our trolley tour (??) and toured all of downtown Savannah (the historical district). The old houses are beautiful and the azaleas were in perfect bloom all over the city.

After the trolley tour, we drove ourselves to Tybee Island nearby to see the lighthouse and enjoy the sound/ocean. On our way back in to Savannah, we ate again! We had Uncle Bubba's- great seafood.

On Monday night we took a Ghost Walking Tour- we walked around the historic district and listened to a man tell stories about strange things that people have seen in Savannah. He was entertaining! Mom and I of course had to stop by Starbucks on our way back to the room. Tuesday morning we slept a little later and walked to Ms. Wilkes' for an early lunch- we thought it would be an early lunch. It turned out that there was a long line out front and they were only letting 15 people in at a time. We waited for an hour but it was worth it- very impressive spread of country cooking! It's a popular spot in Savannah and we were glad we had the experience.

The ones at the top right are called Bear Claws...mMmMmM

On the eve of our departure, we relaxed in the room and made a point to see American Idol. Everyone was pretty into it :) Check out Grandma and Marie waiting for it to come on:

It was a great trip. Thanks, mom, for inviting me! On Wednesday I got home in time to have lunch with Aaron. The rest of the week was filled with errands and laundry and a new book. This past weekend we spent a lot of time outside putting down pinestraw. We're getting ready for when the Fernandez' (Aaron's parents and Brooke) come to visit in less than 2 weeks!

On Sunday I have been invited to meet mom, Grandma, and Marie in Savannah for a vacation! Next week is Spring Break for me, so this is a perfect chance to tour a new place. This is the hotel we are staying in...River Street Inn. I think mom has some fun things planned for us to do. The only problem is that I'll have to leave my husband for a few days! He'll be okay we should assume...I've already ironed his shirts in advance so he won't be at a loss. Since the blog doesn't disappear just because I'm out of town, we'll leave the posting up to him. Just don't be too surprised if it gets crazy!

Tonight Aaron is taking me out (he promised) and tomorrow he'll be golfing with men from church while I clean and clean some more. It should be a relaxing weekend!

Last night I was invited to learn how to make beaded jewelry with some girls from Sunday School. We met at Michael's to pick out our beads and then went to Ginger's home for the attempt. It was pretty interesting to say the least...but I made three pair of earrings! Everyone there had much more creativity than I, but I was still happy with my creations. We all had a great time laughing at ourselves because our fingers kept getting in the way, because we twisted so hard that the wire broke, because at times we heard little beads fly all over Ginger's kitchen, and because we were just being silly. It was a good chance for me to get to know more women in church! Even though it was a fun girls night, you can see how we anticipate contact with our husbands with all these cell phones on the table. Ginger is concentrating. I am so thankful that she got us together and opened her home! She even made dinner and served us. It was a treat.
The woman on the far right is the one who came to teach us, and she brought her friend (in front) so that they could have some good laughs at our lack of capability. :) They both go to our church as well.

Aaron left last night for Atlanta. He has to make two presentations today, about the roll-off line and the residential line ?? We all know he is doing a great job, as always! He should be back tomorrow.

Today (March 20) is my granddad's (and for Aaron-Mr. Register's) birthday. We hope you have a wonderful, memorable day...you deserve it! Sorry we couldn't be in Pinehurst to celebrate with you yesterday. We'll make it up to you next time we see you!

This is my beautiful creation from last weekend. How uniquely lovely!

On Sunday we had an unexpected party at our house! When we got to Sunday School that morning, our shower plans for Jeff and Anna had changed because Rebecca was sick (it was going to be at her house). They were going to have it at the church, but Aaron and I offered to do it at our house. I've never cleaned up so fast in my life! We had some people even beat us there after church and it was a disaster inside. Aaron and I make a great cleaning team, though. When everyone arrived, Aaron was caught outside in his suit blowing off the back porch. :)
We had plenty of goodies to eat! Everyone was gracious to bring food and it turned out to be a great shower.
Jeff and Anna are getting married in May. They are a really sweet couple...we didn't have any hesitation in showering them with gifts!
This was the most people we've had at our house at one time so far. It went well, but we decided our kitchen is just a little bit to tight.

The good thing about not having a dining room table in your dining room is that you have room to dance! Aaron and I got up a little earlier this morning to dance to Ashokan Farewell- the song we used for our first dance as husband and wife at our reception. We haven't practiced in a while, so the steps might have been a little off. Nonetheless, it was a perfectly romantic way to start off our Friday!
You can listen to the song here (it's beautiful):
http://www.jayandmolly.com/ashokanfarewell.shtml
You can click on the audio clip at the bottom of the page.

P.S. Tomorrow we will be married for 15 months!

I know we're all excited that Aaron has learned how to make postings on our blog. We are in for a treat, I promise. :) On a frustrating note, see this article I read this afternoon on foxnews.com. When I was in the Netherlands in August 2003, I saw the shame of the liberal culture swallowing the country; I wouldn't have known how ridiculous it actually was until reading this...

Dutch Immigrants Must Watch Racy Film
Thursday, March 16, 2006
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands — The camera focuses on two gay men kissing in a park. Later, a topless woman emerges from the sea and walks onto a crowded beach. For would-be immigrants to the Netherlands, this film is a test of their readiness to participate in the liberal Dutch culture.

If they can't stomach it, no need to apply.

Despite whether they find the film offensive, applicants must buy a copy and watch it if they hope to pass the Netherlands' new entrance examination.
The test — the first of its kind in the world — became compulsory Wednesday, and was made available at 138 Dutch embassies.

You can read the rest of the story here:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,188079,00.html

"there is a lot more where this came from if you will go to the prom with me"

I painted a tissue box holder. How practical :) I think it will go well in our bedroom.

You have to see this to believe it, so I took a picture. For the past 3 weeks, my Aaron has been growing grass inside our house. He seeded the backyard and decided he needed a control group for an experiment. So he's been watering this plot, keeping the blinds open for sunlight, coming home for lunch to check on it...the whole works. This little plot of "homemade" grass has received a lot of TLC! And he's sooo proud of it. He shows everybody that comes over! It's kinda cute, but a little bizarre. Only my husband... and I love him all the more for it :)

January 8th, I started a training program for running a half marathon. I started with the very beginning schedule, for people who do not consider themselves runners. For the first 5 weeks, I just walked! I've kept building up each week and now I am on week 12 and today I have to run 28 minutes and walk 2 minutes. Getting into an exercise program like this is great because you start off at an appropriate pace and don't overdo it. It lets your heart build strength so that you don't get tired so easily. I definitely recommend this schedule! After I finish this schedule, then I move up to the half-marathon schedule that lasts about 25 weeks. Check it out, even if you're not planning to run in a race!

http://www.marathontraining.com/faq/faq_br.html (scroll down the page to see the chart)

On Friday night we babysat together while Marcela took James and his friends to Fun Park for his birthday. When they got back, we sang to him and had cake. I think he felt good about hitting double digits! Below: Looks like Ariana's having a good time and Dominick an even better time being the cameraman.
On Saturday we cleaned in the morning and while I went to the Elementary school for their Spring Fling, Aaron planted pretty plants in the backyard. He joined me in the afternoon and helped me sell pickles and drinks (I had two jobs- the boiled peanut stand and the concessions. We had to come work for at least 5 hours). Spring Fling is a fundraiser that PTO puts together for the school- I think they raised over $10,000! It was fun to see everyone outside of the workweek. There was a silent auction there as well, and several people bid on a 30 minute Spanish lesson with me. Aaron and I bid for a few things but didn't win. It was a fun and different thing to do on a Saturday. That evening Aaron talked me into helping him Windex the garage floor. Yes, you read right. I can't believe it, either.
Sunday was worship together and buffet lunch at a country club nearby. We spent most of the afternoon outside spreading pine straw (it was a beautiful day!) We grilled out for dinner and relaxed together. It was an encouraging weekend. We look forward to the next one!

...you play Scrabble together! Aaron and I played Scrabble last night. We used all but 1 of the letters in the bag to make words. I put up a good fight, but he beat me 283-247 points. As I look at the picture now, it seems we got a little careless/tired/lenient at the end... some of those are not words!
...you make cute desserts for after dinner! Aaron and I made these mini strawberry shortcakes for ourselves and shared them with neighbors. What a fun night.

This post was taken from another blog, Between Two Worlds.

This has to be one of the saddest stories I've read in a while. The BBC reports that a woman in Scotland sought to abort her twins. Unbeknownst to the mother or to the doctors, one of the babies survived the attempted murder.
So now the mother is suing the hospital for compensation, seeking damages for the "financial burden" of raising the child."I have got a child now that I wasn't planning to have and I believe the hospital should take some responsibility for that," she said."They should have known, or at least warned me, that I might still be pregnant when I left. It has totally changed my life and my parents' lives.
"I still don't know if, or what, I am going to tell Jayde when the time comes. Maybe when she is nine or 10 I will sit her down and explain it to her."
Try to imagine that conversation. Then weep at the depravity. Then realize that we would act in such a murderous, self-centered way but for the grace of God. May we cling to the cross, and cry out to God for both mercy and justice. Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Yesterday Allison Roark (former Bible study leader in Raleigh) had a little boy! She and Nick named him Elijah Luke. We have to only image the joy they are experiencing. Congratulations, Roarks!

Thinking about motherhood, I want to share a story from this past weekend. On Sunday after church we went to Quizno's with some friends. We accidentally tipped the table and hot chicken soup poured all over Rebecca's pants and the floor. It was a terrible scene, but I will never forget the servanthood that was shown by a family sitting next to us. This family goes to the same church, and I have heard wonderful things about the couple. But, when their two young boys (without their mom's prompt) jumped from their seats and ran to get napkins and got on the floor, sopping up the chicken soup, I was impressed beyond words. That these children would be so inclined to serve others to that magnitude was remarkable to me. What a God-honoring mother they must have! And as we drove home Aaron and I prayed that if God were to ever bless us with children, that we would raise such servants and be the Christ-exalting parents they are.