From this Moment On....

~Here's your invitation! What are you waiting for?? Go, take your seat!!~

~Getting dressed and having a little talk with my "girls"~ ~Me and my beautiful Mother~

~Soon to be Mrs. Hill~

~Can't wait to put this on Lem's finger!~

~Minutes before walking down the aisle..a little pep talk from Daddy~

~Seconds before the doors open!~

~Escorted by Daddy down the long aisle at FBC~

~TA DA! Mr. and Mrs. Lemuel Benjamin Hill~

~Finally get to wear my wedding band!!~

~Kissing my new husband!~

~Jumping for joy, or glad that it's over?~

~Arriving at the reception~

~And they dance...~

~Daddy and Me dance to "butterfly kisses"~
~Off to the Honeymoon!~


Thanks to all of you for sharing this blogging journey with me. It has been so much fun remembering and reminiscing these last 10 years of marriage to my husband.

Something to Lem..

I love you and hope you have enjoyed each and every post! My heart and soul have been poured into this dedication for you!

Happy 10th Anniversary, my darling!!

Now...what do you think about going back to Hawaii in remembrance of our Honeymoon???? ;)

UmmmmmAhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

ONE 'til our day of FUN.....

~Rehearsal dinner with my wedding director~ ~Rehearsing those camera-ready smiles!~
~Your invitation awaits...see you there!~
The countdown to our 10 year anniversary continues..

The invitations have been sent, the T's have been crossed and the I's have been dotted..or at least I hope they were! This night 10 years ago was spent rehearsing our ceremony at First Baptist Church of Conyers and having a relaxing dinner at Seven Gables.

I have very few pictures from this night..if anyone comes across any, please send them my way! I was so young and inexperienced that I didn't understand the importance of good pictures! (Mary, if we would have been friends then, this would have been taken care of by you..i just know it!) Actually, my sister ALWAYS has a camera in hand, but she was probably already busy fixing every other little detail that my oblivious mind had forgotten!

This night was the last night that my name would be Miss Jillian Amber Allgood. Until my last day on earth, I will be called a new name...Jillian Amber Allgood Hill. Of all the names that I dreamed I would have, I never practiced over and over on a sheet of paper in cursive (you know what i am talking about, girls!) the name........ "Jill Hill"! In fact, I hated it at first, and wanted people to start calling me Jillian again. That lasted about a minute! It didn't quite catch on after being called "Jill" for most of my life!

As time went by, I learned to love my name and still do! I can promise you that nobody forgets it very easily! And every kid that I tell my name to always grins from ear to ear and says."Really? Is that really your name...cool!"

Well, it's time to get ready for dinner people! Off I go, off to the rehearsal dinner! Can't wait to see you at the wedding tomorrow!! I bid you adieu...

until then,

Jillian Amber Allgood ;)

2 til we say "I do!"...

~Kim, Ang, Me, and Erin~
~Best friends since 9th grade!~ ~The boys~
~The girls~



The countdown to our monumental 10 year anniversary continues...

This post is for the bridesmaids and groomsmen that so patiently indulged our every desire on our wedding day!! We love you guys so much!! You helped complete our day in every way!

Jill's Bridesmaids:
Angela Allgood Crowe
Kim Stone Jaynes
Erin Nevers Moreau
Jessica Hill Nix
Andrea Graham Hill
Megan Christopher
Sally Christopher

Mini-Bride: Amberlee Sierra Crowe
Flower Girl: Alex Christopher

Lem's Groomsmen:
Danny Hill
Jason Hill
Darren Greene
Drew Cannon
Bert Ramsey
Mike Rutherford
Lee Crowe

Mini-groom: Jordan Levi Crowe
Ring Bearer: Austin Fowler


Something about Lem..

Lem is just a big KID! The kids in the neighborhood come and knock on our door and ask if Mr. Lem can come out and play. It's adorable!

This trait can be annoying at times, because he doesn't know when to quit fooling around and act serious! He leaves a path of destruction wherever he goes when he is in "big Kid" mode! My freshly laundered and neatly made beds become a pile of wrinkles and treated like yesterday's newspaper on the floor, after a wrestling match with the kids! (Beka understands this one by heart!) =)

He will eternally be a kid at heart, which is just another one of the trillion things that I love about him.

remaking the beds with a smile,

Jill

Only three until "you and me"........

~Our engagement announcement Spring 1998~

The proposal has taken place and now time for the planning! Being that I was a mere 23, wedding planning was a whole new ball game for me. Thank goodness for my mom, my sister and my mother in law for helping me with all of the details!

I can't even begin to tell you how overwhelmed that I was registering for china, dinnerware, stemware, and the likes! My head was spinning after a good 6 hours in Macy's home department! I am still in awe at the one thousand decisions that Lem and I had to make regarding our wedding, house, and everything that goes along with it in a scant 7 months! We were both back at home from college and living with our parents, and figuring out where we would live was one of our most predominant concerns.

In perfect and usual fashion for him, Lem's Grandaddy saved the day just in the nick of time. He bought us a house in Old Town Conyers. We rented it from him for 2 years until we built our own home. We were overjoyed at the thought of having our own little place to play house in!! Those of you who have been with us from the get-go will remember this charming and delectable "bungalow", as we liked to call it! I really need to go by there and take pictures to have for posterity's sake.

So, this was our life at this same time....ten years ago. We were just beginning our lives together and we could not have ever foretold the story that lay ahead. The bliss of being newlyweds, the struggles of being newlyweds, the euphoria of parenthood, the trials and tribulations that come with parenthood, the devastation of losing our grandparents, the jubilation of knowing that our grandparents met each other again in their heavenly home.

All of these events, the good, the bad, and everything in between has made up our 10 years together as husband and wife. How Great is our God, How Faithful is He, is all that I can muster to say. Deserving of His blessings and His grace, I am NOT. Yet, I am thankful and overjoyed for the place he has set me in this life time.

No other place, no other home, no other family would I wish to trade places with. Flawed and imperfect as we are, I fall on my knees, prostrate before Him, praising Him, because of the sheer joy and gratification that my family brings to me daily.

Something about Lem....

His integrity is like no other. I have only seen this kind of integrity and character in two other men in my lifetime...My Daddy, and Lem's Grandaddy Still. Integrity is something that money cannot buy and that cannot be taught in a classroom. It is entrenched in a person, inborn, it comes from the deepest part of the soul.

And he has it. Through and through.

forever your girl,

Jill

Four days and counting....

A tale of two families...


~All of us!~
~The love birds!~ ~Lem, Ang, Me~
~ A smooch from his momma~

Forgive me for skipping day five...sometimes life just MUST come before blogging! Hopefully this post will be worth the delay....

The Proposal...

Lem proposed to me on February 6, 1998. I had actually thought that the "question of my lifetime" was coming the Christmas right before, but alas... no ring. Then, January rolled around, and I thought A-HA, he will propose on my birthday on January 31st!!! Ummmm, wrong again.

By this point, I had it all figured out... it would be on Valentine's Day!! Of course!! I thought that would be so sweet and of course memorable!

Well, Lem had other plans. Lem told me that we were going to a surprise birthday party for Megan Christopher..(one of my bridesmaids and dear family friend). It was a Friday night, so I had just gotten off of work. I really wasn't looking my best at all that day. And the pictures prove it!

Anyway, we headed to Reynolds at Lake Oconee where the party was to be held. The Christopher's had a gorgeous lake house and that was where the party would be.

We arrive, and not a soul was there. He said we were to arrive early to help set up or something...memory is foggy on this.

Walking in the door, he heads straight to the bathroom, and says that he will be right back. I lazily plop down on the couch, and take in the sight of the breathtaking view of the lake.

Lem walks back in and heads to the couch to join me. Or atleast that is what I thought.. but instead of sitting next to me, he drops to one knee. My heart is racing and just about to beat out of my chest! What, Here, HuH?? I am so flabbergasted I could barely hear what he was saying! You know when you know that something big is happening, but you can't seem to focus because of the enormity of the moment?? I could hear him, but it was like he was far, far away talking to me. (Childbirth is the same kind of experience..kind of out- of -body in a weird, yet magical way)

He said the sweetest words that I had ever heard up until that 23rd year of my life.
I will save those for just the two of us! Sorry, people..but I have to keep some things on the down-low!

After slipping that shiny, sparkling ring on my shaking finger, I hugged him as tightly as I could and said, or actually screamed a resounding..YESSSSSSS!!

We talked and laughed and cried for a few moments and then he said he wanted to take me to dinner.

"What?..oh okay", I say. I am secretly dying because I want to call my mom and my sister so bad that I can't stand it! I am thinking to myself.."How am I going to wait until after dinner to tell them..ughh...Dilemma, with a capital "D"!!

We get in the car and I try to quickly call them from my cell phone. NO ONE was available!! Oh well, I thought..I guess I will try after dinner. :(

After arriving at the Reynold's Club House for our dinner, we happily walk in. I am bumping into things because I can't keep my eyes off of this beautiful thing that has now taken up much-wanted residence on my left ring finger!! I must have looked like a grinning Cheshire cat!

The hostess takes us to a back room and I happen to finally look up...... lo and behold...before my very eyes..

My WHOLE family is there waiting for us and congratulating us!!! HIS family, and the Christopher family as well!!!

I was ECSTATIC!! How could this be?? My mind is racing..how did they know?? How did they pull this one over on me?? When, What, Where...HUH???

Needless to say, it ranks as one of the highest points of my entire life!

Something about Lem..

I love you, Lem. You STILL never cease to surprise me in your own special and unique way.

You knew me well enough to know that I would want my family with us on this night. In the words of the great Christina Aguilera..."What a man, What a man, What a man.....what a mighty GOOD man!!"

loving your surprises,

Me

6 days and counting..

~My dear friends...Collette, Me, Andrea & Courtney~

~The kitchen table with the LIFE game on it...they forgot to clean it up..but it's okay!~

Last night I had a much needed girls night! We laughed, ate, laughed and ate some more!! Thanks to Courtney for hosting this at her beautiful home! Special thanks to the husbands as well for letting us be silly girls..(and i DO mean silly).... and get away for a few hours.

I love you girls so much, and can't wait to do this again! Thank you Collette, for trusting your beautiful mane to my unskilled hands. (we went to wal-mart and got some hair color and did her hair!) She is so sweet to trust me so much. I have to say that she did look FABULOUS after our little hair session!

These girls know me and my love for transforming whatever and whoever I can get my hands on..so they let me indulge my make-over fantasies from time to time. NONE of them need any kind of transformation whatsoever, but they are sweet to let me experiment.

Something about Lem...

He knows how much I love and need some girl time, and he happily agrees to help with the kids to make this happen. In fact he often encourages me to go and have some girl time while he watches the children. I know this is a rare quality and I am so extremely grateful and thankful for it!

When I came home, the kitchen table had our LIFE INDIANA JONES game on the table. I couldn't help but smile at the thought of the 3 of them playing a game last night together. What a daddy!!

refreshed and rejuvenated,

Jill

Seven 'til our day of heaven....CORNY..i admit...

~Now we know why the good Lord took his hair away...Ha!~ ~The Hill Family..da na na na, dun dun, da na na na, dun dun...they're creepy and they're spooky, they're all together ooky..and people think their kooky...The Hill family..da na na na.....~


~Snow White must have lost her dwarfs...look at that face!~


TGIF!!



What a week this has been! First of all, I want to thank my sweet Lord and Savior for the blessings that He has so graciously bestowed upon me this week. My eyes are open to a whole new realm of understanding for Him. Never will he cease to inspire me and keep my mouth wide open in awe of His grace and mercy and most of all patience with me. Thank you sweet Lord, I am yours for the taking.



Okay, now on to the countdown...



7 is my favorite number!! And now, here we are already at seven!! I think I am going to miss this daily countdown...well, then again maybe not. My little fingers could use a rest.



Something about Lem...



So, you know the guy likes to have a good time. He will do things at the expense of feeling dumb, just to appease me. This past Halloween was no exception. My mom had a Halloween party last year, and yes...he dressed up. Kicking and screaming I may add, but he loves me, so he obliged.



He was a redneck beyond rednecks. Mullet and the whole shebang. Love him!! He actually thought it was pretty cool having a full head of hair full a day! (HIS words, not mine!)



And I bet my favorite Mac lip gloss that he will be just a good of a sport this year! (Nothing like putting him on the spot!)



mullet and all, you're still mine,



Jill

Eight 'til our big date....

~St. Simon's Beach July 2008~

~Taking over and showing me the ropes with our first born, Joseph..he was incredible and only 26 years young in this picture!..August 2001~ ~Daddy's little "buddy" 2002~
~Daddy's "Princess" ..December 2004~
~True love!~
~Separated at birth...heehee~

Something about Lem...

More of the same. I can't get enough of pictures with him and the children. Lem was meant to be a Daddy, and it shows.

your partner in parenting and in life,

Jill

A Birthday Wish for Royce...

~Royce & Joseph circa...2003~
~Best Friends Forever!!~

~When there were just 3..before Anna-Joy...

My nephew, Royce, is 8 years old today! I was in the delivery room the day he was born. It was truly unforgettable watching this precious child be brought into this world. Scary as it was...long story...it was one of the most memorable days of my entire life!

I always call Royce my other child. He practically lives at our house when school is not in session. He is absolutely one of the sweetest children you will ever come across. Not to mention he and Joseph are inseparable. Everyone always asks if they are twins....they LOVE that!

We love you so much Royce Warren Crowe!!! Hope your birthday is extra special!!

your adopted family forever and always,

Uncle Lem, Aunt Jilly, Joseph, and Presley

9 days and counting..

Something about Lem....

I think these pics say it all...

proud to be yours,

me