OUR ANNIVERSARY

On August 3, 2011, Mike and I celebrated our 20th anniversary.

Wow. I really can't believe it sometimes.

I've been thinking over the last few weeks about why we have made it this far. Let's be honest. When 2 18 yr olds with a baby get married, our first reaction is, "Uhh, yeah, that's probably not going to work."

We had quite a few people tell us that. Some were nice about it, some weren't.

So, why? Why have we been able to keep it going all these years?

First and foremost, God's mercy. Look, being married is wonderful when we are at our best. Horrible, when we are at our worst. I've not been the easiest person to live with. When there are insecurities, which I have had, there are rough patches.

When we first got married, I wanted to please everyone. My parents, his parents, sisters, brothers, cousins, uncles, the man walking down the street, the person behind me at the check out counter. I felt that if I just did whatever was expected of me they would be happy. Everyone would be happy. Everyone but me.

So I tried. I really did. I could write story after story about how I tried. But, at the end of the day, I was MISERABLE. And I made my husband miserable in the process. It took me years to realize I was killing myself. Slowly. Painfully.

I only had myself to blame. I had all these expectations on myself that I thought Mike wanted out of me. He didn't. He has made it clear through out our whole married life that all he cares about is me. Not what I can or can't do for him. Not what I look like. Not what I dress like. Not anything outwardly.

He loves me because I am me.

He models to me daily Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it.

We haven't had a perfect marriage. There's no such thing. We know that the odds & statistics were stacked against us. Thank God He doesn't go by odds & statistics.

We do have a marriage steeped in love, honesty, forgiveness, & commitment. Sure, we wear battle scars but anything worth having is worth fighting for.

There are times when those old insecurities creep in and the doubts start to take over. Moving to a new place will do that to you. The One who made me and knows every single, ugly thing about me, loves me.

I want to honor God and my husband every day. Sometimes I get it right. Sometimes I fail. At the end of the day I know I am loved and that is really all that matters.

Happy Anniversary, again, my love. You are truly the one I love the most.

I didn't know what I was choosing at 17.
I wasn't looking this far ahead.
Now almost 19 years later,
I am so glad that I chose this man to be the father of my children.
He sacrifices daily for us.
He is patient. He is kind. He is funny. He is mine.
I love you, Michael.
Happy Father's Day!

YOU CAN COME ALONG IF YOU CAN STAND MIKE'S DRIVING

For the past two days Mike and I have been plugging away at cleaning out the garage.

Geezz~it's like everything in there had babies, grandchil'rns, and great grandchil'rns!!!

I can honestly say I have thrown away more in the past two days than any other time in our 17 (almost 18) years of marriage~~and that's because obviously I have never thrown anything away:~)

I came across a big storage container full of papers from back in the day and to be perfectly honest my family didn't get supper til 8:30 last night because I was so engrossed in some of these notes from high school.

I got rid of a lot of them but some of them I just could not part with.

I didn't keep a journal but my best friend and I kept a "note" notebook that we wrote back and forth in. We didn't go to the same school and we lived about 15 miles from each other so we mostly kept up with each other by writing notes and exchanging them at church.

Back then, it was also long distance to call her house so we did not talk on the phone all that much but we wrote pages and pages and pages of notes.

I love them! They are full of teenage angst and unrequited love. When I read those letters I think about how my friends have shaped my life.

One other note I found was from my husband's best friend David. In this note I asked if he minded if I go with him and Mike to lunch. I get the giggles every time I read it because he writes me back and says, "I don't mind if you go but you might not be able to handle Mike's driving." Were you trying to warn me, David???? (I can still see Mr. Garvin up in front of the class with his polo shirt pulled real tight in the front:~)

Man, that note was written a long time ago!!! Well~obviously, David, you had little faith that I could handle Mike's driving. I am proud to say I have endured for almost 20 years and it has been a wild ride:~) We have been in multiple wrecks together~2 before we were married and I am still riding along side him today~literally and figuratively.

What have you done with your notes from high school?

WOW.....I lied!

I told you I would be back and I meant to be back sooner.

Ahh, well, let's start afresh, shall we?

Since my last post I had my 36th birthday.

I can't believe I am sliding down the hill to... to....

Oh my, I can't even type it:~)

My husband took me to our favorite restaurant.

The non-chain restaurant, you know, the kind where the waiters have the little thing that they scrape the bread crumbs off of the REAL tablecloth, where there is live jazz, and the chef comes to your table to see if you are enjoying your meal.

Awesome.

We also had the one year anniversary of Mike's accident which was on the same day as my birthday so I guess it was a double celebration.

I spent the days leading up to April 9th reflecting on what has happened over the last year. I'll be honest I was REAL emotional all week.

The girls and I drove down the road that the accident the Tuesday before the 9th and all I could do was cry and praise the Lord that He did not choose to take Mike that day.

I know that He sustained us then like He does every day. When I think about the days in the hospital I know that He was there and He sent others.

We had so many prayers going up in our behalf and we felt them. We had many visitors and calls. We had people give to us in amazing ways. God provided as only He can and He used His people to do it.

And I would love to put here that I had the best attitude in the world during this ordeal but the truth is there were many moments of doubt, anger, self~pity, fear, anxiety, and more.

I remember asking my sister to bring me a Bible and I read it some but not everyday. I remember praying some but some days I could hardly put two words together to tell the Lord how I was feeling.

I remember feeling helpless to ease my husband's pain. I knew that I could do nothing for him but ask people to pray and pray myself.

I remember him try to move from the bed to the wheelchair and seeing him just cry because he could not physically do what they were asking him to do.

I remember visitors coming in and asking how we were doing and just verbally vomiting all the frustration on them~they took it all and smiled. (I don't think any of them hold it against me~they all still speak to me:~)

I remember the calls from my friends back home and doing the same to them.

I look back and feel sorry for all of them because they surely felt just as helpless as I did. They could not do anything to help the situation but pray.

And I know that they did because that is how we made it.

God answered prayers and I know that He has used that accident for His glory.

Life is hard but the Rock is harder.

The Solid Rock.

AND.....HUH???

Mike went to see a lawyer yesterday and~well~we get what we get and we won't pitch a fit.

In other words, the lawyer is not on the payroll and whatever the insurance company has offered(which is minuscule compared to Mike's injuries) is what we get. That's it. Nothing more.

It is what it is.

A pleasant surprise today: Trev and I went to register him for his composition class at the college. We had applied for a grant in the fall but we never received any info about it.

So we just assumed he didn't get it. When they printed out his bill today it had a negative balance from last semester. WOO~HOO!! Three hundred smackers!! Now we only owe a G. Good for us:~)

Life is good and God is faithful.

Peeps~peace out.

MY COLLEGE MEN

Not really~~but kind of. Trevor has dual enrolled at college and as a senior in high school. He will take English at the college for credit.

So this will be how I send them off three days a week. Mike has classes on Tuesday and Thursday, also. I think this will be good for them. They aren't big talkers so this gives them time together without us big mouth girls around.
They were cracking me up with the looks on their faces. They knew I wanted a good picture so they did this on purpose. Such goof balls!!!!

WELL THERE YOU HAVE IT

My goodness!! I must have had a sentimental journey last night!! That post yesterday was heavy.

This one will be light as a feather~ I found an Ikea table at Goodwill for next to nothing. WOO-HOO! I was looking for a small square table to replace the Little Tikes table the girls have been using for years. Shelby is growing out of the chairs.

Mike was given the go ahead today so his first day back at work will be September 2nd. I'll miss him~~very much. Pray for us over the next couple of weeks~changes aren't easy.

SWEET SUMMER HAIRCUTS

We took the girls and got their haircut today. Shelby decided she wanted hers short for the summer and Abby needed a cut badly. They look so cute and they are FULL of themselves tonight. Every time they pass a mirror they have to take a look and run their hands through their hair. Take a look at these beauties:





Mike goes to the doctor tomorrow and he has to be there at 7:30 a.m. 7:30 a.m.!!!!!!!!!!! That means we have to get up wwaaayyyy early to get the girls to my friend Ruthie's house and then get downtown AND did I mention that the CMA Music Fest (aka Fan Fair) starts tomorrow~~~~that means traffic, traffic, and more traffic. Oh well, maybe we will miss the traffic since we have to be there at the crack of dawn.

Pray that Mike gets a good report and he the cast on his arm gets taken off permanently. He wants them to tell him he can start putting weight on his legs. We'll see.

THESE DAYS

These days are making us slow down and enjoy each other.

These days are teaching us humility and patience.

These days are teaching us unconditional love.

These days are teaching us that we are fragile.

I could go on and on. We are playing card games, going to the park, and reading books. We are also learning about physical therapy (and doing it:~), having a wheelchair be a permanent fixture in our house, and dealing with insurance companies.

Mike is doing good and we are taking everything day by day. We are slowly getting back to normal~~whatever that means:~) We are looking forward to the summer and living it to its fullest.

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I wasn't sure if I would start blogging again.

I don't have the time or energy right now.

I know that I want to tell the blessings we have experienced after Mike's accident~and the ones before it.

I will try to post at least once a week for awhile. Who knows~I might find this to be a good outlet.

I love all of you!!!

T.E.A.M.W.O.R.K.

My sister has hi-jacked my vacuum cleaner since she moved here last month. We have been making do with the Shark and it has brought out teamwork in the girls. One holds the vacuum while the other goes over the floor with the hose part.


I have no idea why Abby is wearing a bucket around her neck. It is funny though!

Mike is out of town on a preaching trip. It is just overnight but if you know us in real life you know Saturday night is sacred. It is the only night of the week Mike is home. All night. And we get to wake up together. Just one night a week. I am bummed that we will miss it this week but I know that it is good for him to go on these trips. Still, I will miss him tonight. And, yes, I typed that with a little tear in my eye.

I failed to mention another tidbit of info in my previous post. Not only did Mike make the Dean's List but he was also awarded a $1500 scholarship 2 weeks ago. He was so excited. Gosh, I love him. He is such a hard worker and I am honored to be his wife.

Hope ya'll are having a good weekend!!!

ARE WE BEING WASHED AWAY??

It is POURING here today and it is supposed to continue til tomorrow. Everything is so lush and green. Beautiful.

We tackled the girl's room today for our cleaning project. It gets pretty messy~fast!! They did some great cleaning.

I hope everyone is having a good Thursday.

Oh, one bit of info more, we have celebrated today because Mike made the Dean's List. Woo-hoo!! Way to go, babe!!!! All your hard work last semester really paid off. I am so proud of you!!!

DON'T FAINT WITH SURPRISE!!!

I have blogged twice in a week!! Can you believe it??

It has been one adventurous week to say the least. I could tell you some good stories. One of which is very cool and I will be sharing that one soon:~)

Mike had his birthday on Saturday. He is now 35 yrs old. I feel so blessed to have shared so many birthdays with him.

We had an Easter egg hunt at church after our soccer games on Saturday but my girls only got one egg between them because Abby's game ran long. There was a little weeping but we were able to distract them with promises of candy the next day. One of their little friends shared her eggs with them so that also dried some tears.

Sunday was busy as usual. We had an early service, then breakfast, and then another service. Everything went well but we were tired when we got home. We all crashed for a couple of hours
before we ate Lupper. That is what we call the meal we eat around 3pm to 4 pm. It is a combination between lunch and supper. Pretty funny, huh?

I will upload pictures later.

THAT IS A LONG TIME TO HAVE A CASSETTE

The girls have a cassette.

It is a cassette that their Daddy made years and years ago.

It has him talking and saying all kinds of goofy teen stuff.

They ABSOLUTELY love to put it in and listen to it. Isn't it funny that we probably would have pitched it a long time ago if we had really known what was on it?

The label on the outside says that it contains, "She's A Good Skate, Charlie Brown!" but that is not what you hear when you put it in the tape player.

And let me tell you~~Trevor sounds just like his Dad did when he was that age. It is very strange to hear Mike talking on that tape because it sounds just like Trevor does now.

The girls will play it, rewind it, play it again, turn it over, and play it over and over.

It is quite comical and his sister adds her share of antics on there.

That tape would not mean much to many people but it is a little treasure at our house for now.

UMMM, UMMM, GOOD!!!!!

I just got finished drinking two big ol' mugs of hot chocolate. I just could not get warm this afternoon. It is cold!!

I have been slack the last couple of days with the girls' schoolwork. Trevor pretty much knows what to do next in his subjects and unless he has a test or something he works independently. It makes me feel like a bad mom when I get like this.

I have to remind myself they will still learn and they do. We talk about stuff all day long that keeps them asking questions and in turn keeps them learning.

Shelby has done writing and Abby has done verbal math. So, I guess I should not be so hard on myself.

Mike is not sleeping very well this week and I get all bent out of shape about that. I KNOW he is tired and I KNOW that we get loud sometimes during the day. We have hardwood floors with no rugs so our footsteps are loud when we have shoes on. AND the girls have a bad habit of running down the hall. I have threatened life and limb if they do it, but every once in a while they forget and then I have to go through the whole, "NO RUNNING IN THE HALL!!!!!" in a VERY loud whisper.

It would be different, I think, if we had rugs and a two story house. We have neither:~)

Tomorrow is another workout with Isabeau. Gosh, I am dreading it!!! But, I have done lots of jumping jacks and jump rope so I am hoping I do a little better than last week. This week we will be a fitness center which will be a little better than laying on the extremely wet from melting FROST, hard, cold ground.

I'll let you know tomorrow~if I can still type or sit or stand or breath.

GETTING BACK ON TRACK

This is the third straight day of exercise for Mike and I. We are getting back on track after the holidays. We were hitting and missing our walk for about a month. Truthfully, more missing than hitting.

A neighborhood where a friend of mine lives is having a "Biggest Loser" contest. She invited me to participate with her and we start that next week. I am looking forward to getting back to my routine and having more energy.

I'll let ya'll know how things go during the contest.

GOLF TRIP OF THE YEAR

I dropped Mike of at the church this morning to go on an overnight golf trip. He was excited but apprehensive because he hasn't played in a loooonnnnggg time. (That is a long time:~)

He went to the driving range yesterday afternoon and he got a large bucket of balls. That's a lot of balls!!! I just looked at him and said, "Are you sure you want to hit that many?" He seemed quite confident that he did want to hit that many.

The girls and I sat in lawn chairs and watched. 5 and 7 yr olds get bored pretty quick when there is only watching involved. We had to go get blankets out of the car because they (me, too!!) were cold and whiny.

By the end of that LARGE bucket of balls, Mike was thinking maybe he shouldn't have set his goal so high. He was kinda sore this morning so I sent him on his trip with a bottle of ibuprofen and a note that says he is excused from playing if at any time he can not stand straight up:~)

I am going to the movies this evening with the other golf widows and we are seeing Bella. I will let you know how it was. We are hoping it will live up to the hype.

MY MAN MEME

The Game of Tag about your MAN

1. Who is your man? Michael Christopher
2. How long have you been together? We fell in love 18 years ago and been married for 16.
3. How long did you date? On and off for 2 years.
4. How old is your man? 34
5. Who eats more? Mike unless I am REALLY hungry.
6. Who said "I love you" first? I did only because Mike didn't say things like that back then. He does now and he tells me every day without fail.
7. Who is taller? He is almost one foot taller than me.
8. Who sings better? He does. He has a very nice voice
9. Who is smarter? He would say I am but I think he is. We love a good debate and we look at some things differently because I am a woman and he is a man.
10. Whose temper is worse? Definitely mine. It takes a whole lot for Mike to lose it.
11. Who does the laundry? I do but Trevor folds all the clothes I wash so we both do.
12. Who takes out the garbage? Our son
13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? We both do during the week because Mike works nights but on Saturday night he does but sometimes we switch.
14. Who pays the bills? I do. I have done the bills since we have been married. We just started a different kind of budget and I am excited to use it.
15. Who is better with the computer? He knows a lot ore than I do.
16. Who mows the lawn? Mike does and I am thankful for it. I don't even touch the lawn mower
17. Who cooks dinner? I do mostly but I love it when Mike cooks cause he is really good at it. He grills because I don't know how and he makes a mean batch of pancakes.
18. Who drives when you are together? Mike unless he is real tired.
19. Who pays when you go out? Depends, usually Mike.
20. Who is most stubborn? We are both pretty stubborn.
21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Me.
22. Whose parents do you see the most? Let's see I have seen my parents 3 times this year and my in-laws twice so I say it is about equal.
23. Who kissed who first? We just kissed
24. Who asked who out? Mike asked me to a Christmas party so he asked me out.
25. Who proposed? He proposed to me at Ryan's Steakhouse in April 1991
26. Who is more sensitive? Me, me, me!!!!
27. Who has more friends? Me.
28. Who has more siblings? We each have a brother and a sister but Mike also has a half brother and sister that he doesn't know very well.
29. Who wears the pants in the family? Mike, absolutely and I love the way he fills them out!!! I love you, baby!!!

I am tagging Seven4Heaven and anyone else that wants to participate!!

LOOK AT US, AFTER ALL THESE YEARS TOGETHER. LOOK AT US, AFTER ALL THAT WE'VE BEEN THROUGH.

IF YOU WANT TO SEE HOW TRUE LOVE CAN BE, THEN JUST LOOK AT US.


Today is our 16th wedding anniversary. When I look back over our years together I can only say that the Lord has been the tie that has bound us together.

We were both 18 when we got married and people thought we were too young. I am sure they thought it wouldn't last. I know of at least one person that said it was a mistake. Her marriage ended years ago.

I told my friend on the phone last night that I am thankful that the Lord knew what kind of husband I would need because I was so young I didn't have a clue.

We are going out to celebrate tomorrow evening. I am so in love with my husband I am busting at the seams. Thank you, Lord for your gift in my life. You deserve all the praise for this marriage.

Ecc. 4:9-12 It is better therefore that two should be together, than one: for they have the advantage of their society: If one fall he shall be supported by the other: woe to him that is alone, for when he falleth, he hath none to lift him up. And if two lie together, they shall warm one another: how shall one alone be warmed? And if a man prevail against one, two shall withstand him: a threefold cord is not easily broken.

My Honey's 34th Birthday

Today is my husband's birthday. Yes, I know that I just blogged yesterday about my son but, today is Mike's day! He had to go to school all morning and didn't get home til 1:30. He had to go to bed so we gave him his gifts when he go home from school.

He has been such a great husband to me. I have blogged about that in the past. SO, today I am going to blog about him as a person.

He is a genuine, transparent person. He is not the macho, he-man type. He loves all things manly like cars, fixing things, God, etc. He can play rough with our son and turn around and play tea party with our daughters. He is not one to blow up at the drop of a hat. He is more of a "slow boiler". When he raises his voice you know he means business because he RARELY does!

He doesn't put on airs and try to impress people. He is who is, take him or leave him. When he preached his sermon this past Sunday, he said,"Some people don't like me and I am okay with that. I don't try to make people not like me but not everyone is going to like you. The sooner you realize this the easier your life will be." He is totally right.

He tries hard to be the best he can be. Sometimes he gets down on himself but for the most part he just keeps on keeping on. He hates working night shift because we don't get to sleep in the bed together. (Except on Saturday nights, Woo-hoo) He is trying so hard to do good in school and I am proud of him for that.

He is dependable, loving, caring, and wonderful. I am his biggest fan and he is mine. He is a husband that I can respect and admire~and I do. I am glad that I am his wife and that he is committed to me and the kids.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY!! I LOVE YOU!!!