Thankful Thursday~Your Love Amazes Me

 





Nine years ago today, I married my best friend. The years have flown by and I can remember our wedding like it was yesterday. In fact, it doesn't seem like I have known him for 16 years, but I have. David and I met through a mutual acquaintance, yet neither one of us can remember her name! She was in one of my classes and she invited me out with some of her friends one night. Neither David nor I knew it at the time, but she was hoping to set me up with David's roommate, Pete. She had an enormous crush on Peter, but he was not interested in her. So, she was hoping to live vicarously through me, but I have yet to understand how that was going to work for her.

I was not looking for a boyfriend or even someone to date. My agenda at that time was to get out of college and I was tired of the dating scene in Athens. Yet, I met my future husband that night and he wasn't the long-haired, drummer named Pete. Instead, I met David and he had the warmest smile of any guy that I had ever seen. He is handsome, but it was that smile that hooked me!! We went on our first date the next night to hear a local performer named John Berry. John would go on two months later to hit the Nashville country music charts.

For several years prior to meeting, David and I had both spent time at local establishments(yea, bars~the library was just TOO crowded, haha) listening to John Berry's music. The venues were always small, yet we never crossed paths. I guess it wasn't the right time for us to meet.

David has been the best friend that I have ever had! He stood by me through some really tough family times and his own family filled in the gap during those years. He has supported me as a stay-at-home mom and I am forever grateful for that. When I was diagnosed with Lupus in 2003, he immediately provided for my needs whether it was rest that I needed or emotional support. Plus, he is an amazing dad to our son! The most important thing that I can attribute to him is my faith. Because of His relationship with Christ, David has been an example for me and has endured many, many spiritual questions from his ever curious wife!

David, I am excited about our date tonight. I also picked this song by John Berry because it sounds like something fun to do on our date. So, come on and "Kiss Me in the Car"


To be inspired by more thankful hearts, visit Iris at Sting My Heart.

Then Sings My Soul Saturday~My Savior, My God

My Savior, My God by Aaron Schust

The emotion in this song always takes me back to my junior year of high school. During the spring of that year, I became close friends with a senior named Linda. We were both on Flag Corps, so we spent almost all of our free time together. She had already shared many, many times about Christ's love for me. Still, I remained skeptical. I finally agreed to go with her to a Friday night Bible Study because her faith did interest me. The group she took me to had a funny name...People in God's Service or P.I.G.S. At first, I was a little put off by the name and the kids that were there. I thought I had stumbled into a weird cult, not only due to the name, but most of the teens there had come from broken homes, alcohol problems, drug problems, and the guys all had long hair,etc. My parents were(and are) still married and I had never tried drugs or alcohol because I was too scared. So, I was a little unnerved by my surroundings and not sure what to expect from the evening.

One of the guys led the worship/study time and I remember feeling included right from the start. Unlike high school, no one spoke or acted judgemental toward anyone else. I quickly figured out the most important thing that I had in common with these kids was the desire to be unconditionally accepted. As the study wrapped up, everyone was encouraged to seek out a place in the house or in the yard for some quiet time with God. I had no idea what this meant and I was unsure of what to do. So, I spent that time studying everyone else. Some were weeping, others were singing, and there were a few animated conversations going on with God, too. This fascinated me because I had absolutely no idea what prayer was, how to do it, or even why. What I noticed as the group came back together, was the peace that had settled over the gathering.

I enjoyed the summer at those Friday night studies and I went along as they ministered to other people in the community. A favorite place to serve was the local nursing home where most of the kids would visit and pray with the residents. It was a beautiful time for me, but was also extremely confusing. As the summer months went on, I expressed to someone in my family that I wanted to be baptised. It did not go over well! Christianity was a crutch for the weak and lazy to keep from making decisions for themselves, I was told. I brokenheartedly walked away from something I was beginning to believe toward an upbringing that left me empty. It was a heartbreaking turning point in my young life that impacted me throughout many seasons.

For the past few years as my heart has drawn closer to God, I have been looking for a group of believers like those awesome kids. It frustrated me that church seemed to be a place of who you knew and how you knew them. I missed the passion and the awe for God that I had found that spring, along with the unconditional acceptance. The thought that kept nagging at me was that maybe I should keep looking for THAT church and THOSE people. I even tried that out for a time, but I only ended up frustrated with the results. Recently, I have come to realize that I was given that special time to discover the fire within and to take that wherever I am planted so that others will be able to find their own way to a deeper relationship with Christ. In figuring that out, I began to see that God had placed people in my life with that same passion and thirst for Him. I love and cherish each one of those special people He brought into my spiritual walk! I only wish that I knew how to find the girl that started it all, Linda.

For more songs, visit Amy at Signs, Miracles and Wonders. Not everyone is as long winded as myself...I promise!!! Haha!

Favorite Foto Friday~Sibling??

Well, this week's theme for Favorite Foto Friday is siblings. Alex doesn't have any brothers or sisters and my own sister would have my head if I posted a picture of her. So, I will just post a picture of the little boy that keeps asking, not for a dog, but a brother or sister! Yesterday, he told me that he wanted one of each to carry around in HIS tummy! The pictures here are from an impromptu Easter egg hunt with Cousin Jacob that turned into an Easter Egg Race/Wrestle Fest. They are both only children, so they act like brothers in EVERY way!

To check out more cute photos, go over to Kiss the Frog 4 me!

Thankful Thursday~Random Thoughts

I am thankful today for my sweet husband who hurried home on Monday to pick-up Alex at school because I had suddenly become ill. He also stopped by the store without any prompting from me to pick-up necessities like Ginger Ale, Jello, soup, and Saltine Crackers. Thank-you for looking out for my unspoken needs, Sweetheart!

I am thankful to the wonderful little boy that loves me everyday, but especially when I am sick. He always offers to give me back rubs and showers me with expressions of his affection for me. I love you, TigerRoo!

I am thankful that God is not a procrastinator like myself. See, He could have created everything except Man and decided to rest on the sixth day instead of the seventh. It could have gone something like this,"Whew, I think I am going to make today the Day of Rest. Maybe tomorrow I will get around to creating Man. He is going to be a project and a half. I will have to create Woman just to keep him in line! So, I am just going to rest here in my Heavenly Hammock and I'll get around to Man one of these days!" Yep, I waited until April 14th to start our taxes and I finished in time despite my bout with the stomach flu. I guess that is what I get for procrastinating!

I am thankful that we endured our first THE TALK with Alex tonight. You know the talk I am referring, too! It is the one that all of us parents worry about from day one. I give all the thanks to God for giving me the words to explain some of the Birds and Bees. I pray that Alex will continue coming to us for those answers instead of seeking them out from the World. For those of you that missed us at church tonight, now you know why. Alex's timing is impeccable!

I am thankful for my in-laws. They are so much fun and I love being with them. My FIL sent me a joke today that I will share here.

The Human Race


A little girl asked her mother, 'How did the human race appear?'

The mother answered, 'God made Adam and Eve and they
had children, and so was all mankind made.'

Two days later, the girl asked her father the same question.

The father answered, 'Many years ago there were monkeys,
from which the human race evolved.'

The confused girl returned to her mother and said, 'Mom, how
is it possible that you told me the human race was created
by God, and Dad said they developed from monkeys?'

The mother answered, 'Well, dear, it is very simple. I told you about
my side of the family, and your father told you about his.'

For more Thankful Thursday, visit Iris at Sting My Heart.

Word Filled Wednesdays-Manna or Jello

The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan. Exodus 16:35

I am a little loopy tonight, so I might be the only one out there to understand why I chose this verse. Food and I have been on the outs since yesterday when I was besieged by a stomach monster. Ginger Ale has been my best friend through it all and I am still not hungry for even Jello. So, this is where the story gets interesting.

My son was going to get to go with my husband to our church softball game IF he ate his dinner. There was a Stouffers chicken pot pie in the oven for each of them, but my son is picky! Instead, he devised a plan to rid himself of the offending meal and still get to go the game. "Mom," the sneaky thing said as he patted me sweetly on the head, "Won't you eat my chicken pot pie so that I don't have to eat it, but I can still go to the game? You haven't eaten anything all day!" He knew that I wouldn't have one to eat, but he was hoping that I would love him enough to sacrifice for him!!

I got to thinking about this verse during dinner. Don't you know that God was probably sick of hearing how the Isrealites didn't like manna? Can you imagine how hard it would have been to get finicky kids to eat the same thing over and over? But wait, aren't we like that today? God provides for us, but it wasn't what we had in mind. So we dismiss it and beg for something else to "eat".

I think I could stand to be a little more content and blessed with what God has given me, even on days when I don't want any of the food that he provides.

For more Word Filled Wednesdays, visit Amy at

Good-bye Germs

I will be taking some time off from posting because the stomach flu has found me. Last week, I told my aunt in a random conversation that I never get stomach bugs because I have a stomach of steel. Never say never! Here I am humbled...and queasy.
And there sure are a lot of food commercials on T.V. when you feel sick to your stomach!!

I've Been Tagged!!!

Hi Everyone,
I am visiting family right now for Spring Break, so my computer time has been very limited. Melanie at The Fruit of the Spirit was kind enough to tag me for a TAG, YOUR IT game(my son's favorite game to play in real life).

Here are the rules of the game for Tag if you want to play. Anyone reading this can participate because I am too new at this to know who has not been tagged. So feel free to share in the game, but do leave me a comment if you participate so that I can visit your blog to get to know you! These are the real rules, if you don't want to cheat like me!
1) Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog
2) Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3) Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4) Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here are my 7!!!

1. My first car was a 1974 Orange Datsun 610 with two bullet holes in the drivers' side. No, I did not shoot the car, but my Mom and I were accused of that by the GBI. We had left it overnight because it broke down near our house. The next morning, we got a call from the GBI to come to the place we had left it. We arrived in a gray car, so that was the first reason we were the prime suspects-there was a gray scrub mark where the "getaway" car left its mark. The other reason that we were their suspects...bumper sticker on the car "If this car was a horse, I would have to shoot it!" They thought we shot it for insurance money, even though we only had liability on it. Later, they determined that someone had tried to shoot the lock mechanism in order to steal it. Hmmm...why would someone try to steal a broken down junker that spent more time on the back of a tow truck than the road?? The mystery of the bullets was never solved, but we were local celebrities for a short while. I can live without that kind of fame!

2. I love to go on cruises with my family. Our last one was in November to Hawaii, but my fav stop so far was Tortola, B.V.I. during a Carribean cruise.

3. I am a night owl, which is why I am up right now posting!!!

4. Before I became a stay at home mom, I was a certified massage therapist. Other than being a mom, that was by far my favorite job.

5. I am wanting to learn how to play guitar. I don't have one, so in the meantime, I am reading "Guitar for Dummies"! You might be laughing at that, but those Dummies books really break stuff down.

6. I seem to always procrastinate...ask me if I have finished our taxes yet and I will tell you that it is not the 15th yet! Oh, and it has been days since I started this post and I am still not finished!

7. I took a 5 question test to see what punctuation mark I am. I am a Question Mark and my husband guessed immediately which one I was...I guess I ask him too many questions!! :0) It was a fairly accurate test and if you would like to participate, the link is below.

You Are a Question Mark

You seek knowledge and insight in every form possible. You love learning. And while you know a lot, you don't act like a know it all. You're open to learning you're wrong. You ask a lot of questions, collect a lot of data, and always dig deep to find out more. You're naturally curious and inquisitive. You jump to ask a question when the opportunity arises. Your friends see you as interesting, insightful, and thought provoking. (But they're not always up for the intense inquisitions that you love!) You excel in: Higher education You get along best with: The Comma

What Punctuation Mark Are You?