13 and 20

Happy Anniversary to my biggest blog fan & follower!
Together for 20 years!!! Holy COW! That is more than half of my entire life!
And married for 13.
I'll never forget that day.
I never smiled more than on that day.
And I never felt more beautiful than on that day.
The weather was perfect.
The church was small...but perfect too.
Pastor Weed read from Ecclesiastes 4:12 "a threefold cord is not quickly broken".
It is true.
Thank you Lord...
You took our relationship which was tattered & torn
And you made it new.

I love you Bill...for the man you are & the man God is making you.

Back to School!

School for us started Friday. The morning started off with a scavenger hunt with a few little treats at the end. Bill then took all 3 to TJ's for the Blue Ribbon Special while I dressed in my best teacher dress (this will most likely be the last time they will see teacher all dressed up :). I then had some extended time to pray. Teaching all 3 this year brings with it some worry and trepidation...and excitement as well. So when they all arrived home I greeted them outside and introduced myself. They laughed & Matthew said...."mooooommmmmm...I know it's you!" My goal for this year is to 1. really focus on Math & reading with Adrienne. 2. Begin math & writing with Matthew as well as encourage him to keep reading his little books. and 3. Encourage more independence in Madison...doing her work without asking mom for help. 4. Enjoy school  and most importantly 5. encourage godly character as they interact with each other & with Bill & I. It is a huge task I know. But after watching a great movie last night called Facing the Giants, I am reminded that NOTHING is impossible with God on my side!

What About Glenn Beck, Politics & Christianity?

I haven't posted anything political lately...but that doesn't mean I stopped watching Fox & listening to Beck and Hannity. Mostly I listen to figure out why people hate them so much :) And come on...have I really the right to judge them? Or do I?  But I often find myself wondering "what stance should I have? What should my opinion be on all of this left vs right thinking?"  I am a Christian so my perspective should be biblical. I found this blog by Russell Moore that has a good post on the recent rally in Washington. Here's a little bit of what he said:

"The answer to this scandal isn’t a retreat, as some would have it, to an allegedly apolitical isolation. Such attempts lead us right back here, in spades, to a hyper-political wasteland. If the churches are not forming consciences, consciences will be formed by the status quo, including whatever demagogues can yell the loudest or cry the hardest. The answer isn’t a narrowing sectarianism, retreating further and further into our enclaves. The answer includes local churches that preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, and disciple their congregations to know the difference between the kingdom of God and the latest political whim.

It’s sad to see so many Christians confusing Mormon politics or American nationalism with the gospel of Jesus Christ. But, don’t get me wrong, I’m not pessimistic. Jesus will build his church, and he will build it on the gospel. He doesn’t need American Christianity to do it. Vibrant, loving, orthodox Christianity will flourish, perhaps among the poor of Haiti or the persecuted of Sudan or the outlawed of China, but it will flourish.

And there will be a new generation, in America and elsewhere, who will be ready for a gospel that is more than just Fox News at prayer."

Vacation 2010

Vacation came & went...I still am amazed by how fast summer flys! We drove to Hilton Head on Saturday morning and stayed at a Holiday Inn that took time share points. It was tough all being in one small hotel room...especially since Madison was coughing all night. The good part about this was we spent alot of time together which was nice. Also the Hotel had a great pool and it was right on the beach! So after swimming in the ocean you could just jump right into the pool. I especially liked the pool...I have never been an ocean girl ever since watching Jaws...and the jellyfish stinging me and Adrienne didn't help out either. Those suckers really hurt! It burned for like 2 hours and then left this swollen red brush burn mark...yikes. Anyhow...on Wednesday we drove to Orlando to go to Aquatica (Sea World's waterpark) on Thursday and drove back to SC on Friday. Aquatica  was fun...especially Roa's Rapids. You put a life vest on & it's like floating in a really fast river...a total blast! We stayed at Nana & Poppy's time share at Orange Lake. This was a nice break from the beach at HHI. On Saturday we moved into our townhome. Here we rode bikes all around the Island searching out alligators, spent time on the beach fishing & flying kites. At night when the kids were pooped, we enjoyed playing "Spite & Malice" a fun card game with Nana & Poppy...of course it was more fun when Bill & I won :) We also did pony rides at the local horse stable where we met Harley. He was the sweetest horse I ever met!!! He came right up to us & ate grass out of our hands, let us pet him & he especially loved Matthew. He nuzzled him on his back & head, he almost knocked him off the fence he was standing on! I also read 2 big books from Francine Rivers' series The Mark of the Lion...great books...I cried through them!
Such wonderful memories we have...I am so grateful!
I feel refreshed & ready to take on the new schoolyear!

Happy 40th Bill!

Here's a little slide show of Bill's surprise Party...thanks for the picture CD dad & for taking all those great pictures!
Happy 40th to my honey. I know it isn't official till the 21st but since we'll be soaking in the South Carolina sun and far away from this computer...I thought I would tell you now.
I love you babe! And though 40 may bring a few more greys...you are more handsome now than you were at 20!
Thanks for being an amazing husband and father...and the best best friend any girl could have.
I love you...SHMILY!

No More Surprises!!!

Well...Bill's 40th surprise was a huge success. 80 people (40 kids), lots of silly string, 8 boxes of pizza, a ton of fruit, and 2 cakes!!! Yes 2 cakes. The first one toppled due to the shear weight of Hip-Hop sitting on top (fondant Hip-Hop that is). I felt like I was in an episode of Cake Boss! All the planning went pretty smooth but the whole thing was stressful! I actually lost 4 pounds in the process...woohooo! (but probably gained it all back eating cake :) Could not have done it without the help of my parents who brought food and worked like crazy helping me set it all up...I was grateful they came!!! Bill was so blessed by all his friends, the cards & gifts...and just being with all the people he loves so much. That was my goal...so it was a success. I don't think I will put myself through it again...but who knows...when Bill turns 50, I may have forgotten about the 40th by then :)

Thank You...

Thank you Jesus for saving me...