A life without Facebook....

Maybe some have noticed and maybe no one has noticed but I've been MIA from Facebook this past week.  Last Friday I was going through the personal bible study I'm doing (What Happens When Woman Say Yes to God), and after reading one of the questions I heard God quietly whisper to me: "Give up Facebook for a week." My initial thought was "Umm really? Why? That sounds like a pretty trivial thing for me to give up..." But as the day went on, each time I got on Facebook, it was like God was yelling it louder and louder to me.  By the end of the day, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I needed to do it.  For whatever reason, God thought it was important for me to do.  And frankly it hasn't been that hard necessarily.  I deleted all social media apps from my phone to get rid of the temptation to click.  My mind hasn't been bothered by what I'm missing out on.  And as the week is ending, I started wondering why on earth God asked me to give it up.  Was He just asking for me help me learn to say yes to Him more?

Each night after Lyla's in bed I try to head out on a 2 mile walk.  It's become a favorite part of my day.  And tonight seemed to be no different.  I turned on Lauren Daigle's album (which I've been having on repeat lately, seriously an AMAZING album!) and headed out on my walk. Just a few steps in it all came rushing in like a hurricane. (I've also decided to include some photos from my walk, because the beauty of it all tonight stirred something in my heart)

It's no secret we live in a fallen world.  The world screams in our face constantly how it keeps getting farther and farther from Jesus; and clings more closely to sin.  We only get a moment on this earth compared to the eternity that awaits us in heaven.  For some of us that moment is 90 some years.....while others is far far shorter than that.  We don't know when our sweet Jesus will call us home or quite honestly, when Jesus will say enough is enough and return to earth.  

Because of this simple fact, we as the body of Christ need to be more aware of every single person and thing around us.  I wouldn't say I'm addicted to my phone but I sure use it as a boredom thing.  While watching T.V....while nursing the sweet babe to sleep.....while waiting in line at the store....while riding in the car.  It's something for my hands to do and frankly if we all fess up to it, I can pretty much guarantee most of us do the same thing.  But what if while we are staring at our phone or even just simply be so consumed with our own thoughts about our own life that we miss out on a chance to show Jesus to someone.  What if we miss Jesus' sweet whispers to our hearts to say hello to a stranger....to pay for their coffee..... to help them with their groceries...to be a listening ear to an elderly woman who is lonely.... or even the hardest of all to admit: To make sure our kids know they are more important than the phone.  That one is a stinger.  Maci recently heard my phone go off and I was busy with Lyla.  She quickly ran to my phone and brought it to me saying "Here you go mommy..." This sweet 3 year old gave me the realization that I don't want her to think that I need to look at my phone as soon as it goes off.  I want them to see me completely and totally living in the moment.  

Our world is so broken...it's so broken.  So many times I get on Facebook and my heart breaks.  I'm consumed with how so many people I know and love are hurting.  I'm overwhelmed by all the evil and sinful ways of our nation and world.  I'm angered by how it seems sometimes God is just cast aside because we want to do our own thing.  This world is NOT our home and I want everyone I encounter to know that fact about me.  That I don't belong here.  That I may be living in the world but I'm not conforming to it.  Just because we are society of selfishness does not mean I am. Romans 12:2 has been playing over and over in my mind lately: 

"Do not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing, and perfect will."

When my time on earth is done and I'm standing before our Lord Jesus I want Him to be able to say, "Well done my good and faithful servant." I want that to mean that I took every. single. chance I got to listen to His voice and make this world a better place.  That I smiled a warm genuine smile at every one I met.  That when they saw me, they got to see a glimpse of Jesus in me.  That when God whispered to my heart to strike up a conversation with someone that looked like they needed it, I did it without question.....even if I had no idea who they were.  I want that to mean that my kids saw that serving Christ was my top priority.  That I was a woman who without hesitation said "YES!" to God.  I don't want people to just see it on my Facebook that I love Christ with all my heart, I want it to ooze out of everything I do.  I want them to feel how much I love Him when we are in the same room.

If I'm being real with you all I can honestly say this:  This nation we live in is trying to silence Christians who want to live for Christ and Christ alone.  And because of that fact, it is so important now more than ever for all of us to rise up and make our voices heard.  And by that I don't mean shove it in everyone's face how we are sinning as a nation.  By that I mean let's take a stand and show Christ's love more than we ever have.  Let's say enough is enough and do our best to win every heart for Jesus by listening to God's voice and serving Him like never before.  God needs His army of believers now more than ever.  No one will ever be able to silence my love for our sweet Jesus.  I want to plant seeds everywhere I go that will help win hearts for Him. In the words of Lauren Daigle:  

"So take my everything, my flesh and blood

I'll lay me down on the altar altar

I am forever covered in your love

So let the rain fall hard"

We only get one life.  One life where we have the power with Christ to help every one we meet to have an eternity.  Let's not waste it looking down or at ourselves.  Instead let's live it in the most radically obedient way we can. Let us pray for God to show us ways to serve Him....even if it seems like the most trivial thing to us.  In the bigger picture....it might mean everything to God's plan for that person.  I leave you now with a song that created the fire in my heart.  The fire for us to rise up and impact our world like never before.....

P.S. I'm still MIA from Facebook for a few more days....and frankly if we didn't have people we loved scattered around the country I might give it up for good. However I know there would be people that would miss seeing my sweet kiddos faces ;) See you all in a few! :) 

When God uses "Lava" to speak....

Have you ever heard God's voice in the most unusual place? A place where you just kind of scratch your head and think: Really God?? Did you really just use that silly thing to make me hear you? I have had many 'aha' moments in the past almost 2 years now especially.  And in a lot of those cases they came in the most unlikely form.  Take this past weekend for instance...

On Saturday we got to take Maci to her first movie ever.  We were so excited to spend some quality one on one time with our girl and watch her sweet face as she saw the huge TV screen play a movie.  She got the full theater experience.  Best seats in the house as well as her own kiddie pack of popcorn, pop, and candy.  It was so much fun watching her face as the previews started and she got excited for each and every new kid movie coming out in the next 6 months.  After what seemed like ENDLESS previews the movie finally started.  Or so we thought.

Instead an ocean filled the screen and the theater filled with a man singing.  Soon the screen filled with this cute volcano's face:

The narrator introduced him and talked about how he was happy but he wanted someone to 'lava'.  He was hopeful and every day he would sing this song:

"I have a dream

I hope will come true..

that you're here with me

and I'm here with you.

I wish that the earth,

sea, and sky up above

will send me someone to lava"

Now this went on for years and years.  Thousands of years to be exact.  As the song continued we soon saw the big tall volcano turn into a short, old, tired volcano.  He didn't look as happy and full of life as the beginning and yet he sang the song up above knowing it would be his last time being able to sing it.  As he sang we are taken down under the sea to a beautiful girl volcano who had been listening to him for all those years.  She finally knew it was time to be able to rise up above the sea and meet him.  As the song ended though, the original volcano descends under the sea. His face says it all, he feels as though his dream is gone.  And as he descends the girl volcano shoots up and rises just missing the other.  Not seeing the man who sang to her all those years she remembered his song and started to sing it.  Now under the sea, the boy volcano hears her angelic voice and knows she was the one sent for him.  And yet he is sad because she won't know that he is there for her and listening.  As she continues to sing, his lava rises and he is shot up to the top again to be with her.  Finally after thousands of years of singing, his dream is a reality and he has some to 'lava'.  

While this short film is silly and volcanoes can't talk or sing or have someone to 'lava', the message was clear.  We can't ever give up on what God is promising us.  His timing is perfect and He knows the best way for us.  We might not like it and we might have a point in our journey where we feel the 'dream' has died but how often is it when we feel like all hope is gone that God shows up in a mighty way and says "Look my child! LOOK!! Here it is! You have been waiting faithfully and you haven't stop believing in me.  And now the time is right and I want to bless you and give you what I have been promising"  Take a look at Abraham.  Abraham waited years and years for God's promise to be fulfilled.  And God did exactly as He said He would.  Probably not in the way or timing Abraham wanted but it happened.  God promises that if we wait upon Him, he will renew our strength. (Isaiah 40:31).  So when it takes Him longer than we want, He will keep giving us the strength we need to carry on if only we call on Him.  

We need to always have our ears and eyes open for ways Jesus is trying to speak to us.  I could have just watched that short film and thought "Well that was kind of cute" and yet God had a message He needed me to hear.  It seems I ask Him daily these days to make His voice known and clear to me.  Some days He chooses to stay silent and the other days He whispers quietly into my heart and makes it known that He is everywhere and He can use ANYTHING to make me hear Him.  

From this day on when I see or hear about that Disney short film called "Lava" a smile will form across my face.  And I can't wait til we have the movie at home so I can watch it again with our sweet Maci and have the conversation about God always fulfilling His promises.  Let us all spend the rest of the week keeping our ears and eyes open for the most random of ways God will try to speak to us.  Because every time He speaks....it is SO SO worth it.  

Don't expect it to be perfect....just extend some grace.

We got out of the van, and I carefully looked over Maci's outfit one more time.  I looked down at my own and then quickly grabbed her hand to cross the street.  An older couple had just got out of their own car and started walking towards the doors as well.  I looked at Trav one more time and took a deep breath.....we were trying a brand new church this morning.  That's right.....a brand new church.  And this wasn't like any other church we had been to in the past.  This was a small town church.  A small town church where you knew the moment you walked in, the congregation would notice and wonder who you are and why you were there.  Would they like us? Would they be friendly? Would my kids be on their best behavior? Would I say anything to make myself sound stupid? You know those questions....those questions you ask yourself anytime you do something new and a little scary.

Well I am happy to report we survived and everyone was so friendly.  We no doubt felt welcomed.  Before too long we were having a nice chat with a friendly mother of another little girl that Maci quickly warmed up to and was running around the room with.  She asked where we lived and we said Canby.  Her response was this: "That's quite a far drive isn't it?".  Great I thought to myself.....let me back up a little.... 

We were going to an amazing church we fell in LOVE with in Marshall. However Marshall takes us about 45 minutes to get to and we started to wonder if it was the right fit for us when we wanted to get to know more people in our own community.  This new church is about 20 minutes away from us....half the distance.  We wanted friends that wouldn't find us to be too far from them....so when this sweet woman said this...my heart sank a little.  I thought to myself, "Awesome...we are gonna be in the same boat we were before...." 

When the music ended the Pastor got up and started telling us some announcements. One of which was stating that they wanted to try something new.  Starting in June, one Friday a month they would all be getting together to play games and get to know each other better.  How fun! It gets even better....soon he said something that made me think....like really think.  And I'm not sure he knew what a profound moment it would be for someone.  He looked around and said this:

"I want you to come and not expect it to be perfect. At some point, I'm going to say something to hurt your feelings and then at some point you are going to say something to hurt mine.  We need to be willing to extend grace to each other."

Did you hear what I did?? We don't need to be perfect.  We will mess up.  We will say stupid things.  We will say the wrong things sometimes.  We will hurt people....we will offend people....and visa versa.  It's going to happen but you know what the amazing thing is? It's ok.  Let me say that again: IT'S OK!!!  We are all humans.  We are all sinners.  We all need God's mercy and grace.  So why can't we do the same for our brothers and sisters?? 

99.9% of the time I can almost guarantee our brothers and sisters in Christ don't do or say things to purposely offend and hurt us.  Most of the time it's unintentional I would bet.  We don't get to see what's going on in their own lives and the truth of the matter is we are all struggling with something.  So many people are going through some really really rough tough things.  My own family included.  So instead of thinking that just because we go to church that we need to be perfect with each other.....how about we start thinking that because we go to church we aren't perfect.  Because the truth of the matter is....at the heart of the reason we are there....is simple because of this:

I AM NOT PERFECT.  I AM A SINNER.  I NEED JESUS.

So then as I'm sitting there and hearing this I realize....that sweet lady probably didn't mean that simple phrase in the way I took it.  She probably didn't mean, "Oh gosh you live in Canby?? Well we can't be friends then because that is such a long drive."  I just chose to take it that way in that moment because of other things I'm going through that she has no idea about.  

We need to stop thinking that just because we are in a church means we can't mess up.  That we have to be perfect.  Because we all know that we aren't.  That we are all just sinners who need some grace.....

So this week I challenge you to extend a bit more grace that you normally would.  That person who did or said something silly to you that you chose to take offense to or let it hurt you....give them a little more grace this week.  Because they just might not have meant it the way you thought.....and they just might be going through something you don't see....

In an Instant.....

On Saturday I was driving to Brookings to meet up with my family to celebrate my mom's birthday.  As we drove down there it was gloomy and you could tell the rain was slowly moving in.  The grass was dull and looked pretty lifeless.  We hadn't got much rain or snow at all this year and the ground was screaming out for the sweet taste of water to bring it all back to life again after a long winter.  I'm not gonna lie, the 24 hours prior to leaving for Brookings were hard on my soul.

The day before was filled with a screaming toddler who was having some tummy issues, which brought on a screaming 3 month old who didn't understand why her big sister was so upset.  Which then also brought on a mother who was sitting on the bathroom floor trying to encourage one daughter to go potty while also trying to feed the other one in order to calm her scared little spirit.  It was a day filled with being on the verge of tears from being frustrated.  And of course bedtime was also a huge disaster.....the 3 month old was overly tired.....and the 3 year old got up 2 hours after going to bed to scream some more on the potty.  I was looking forward to curling up with the hubby and some pizza after the girls were in bed and let it all out about what a rough day I had had.  I was looking forward to having him to help make me feel better.  To tell me what a rockstar mom I was. But of course that couldn't happen either.  He came home really really sick and was in no mood to talk.  So alone to bed I went hoping I would awake the next morning with all right in the world.

The next morning wasn't much better.  The husband was still sick and the 3 year old was still having tummy issues (along with getting up at 5 am...which is WAY earlier than the norm).  And yet off to Brookings the girls and I went to hopefully have a joyous celebration.  The night didn't go smoothly but it ended on a good note and was so good to see my family as usual.

On the drive back home it was raining.  Finally much needed rain.  PRAISE THE LORD! As I looked around the fields and ditches on the ride home I noticed something that took my breath away.  The grass....the grass that looked dead and lifeless on the drive to Brookings was beautifully green and full of life.  In just a few short hours and with a little water, everything had changed.  Everything looked different.  And it got me thinking, isn't that what Jesus does for us? He can take any situation, any hurt, and any thing that is wrong, and in an instance turn it all around making it right....making it beautiful.  All we have to do is call out to Him.  Ask Him to fill our empty and weak souls up.  Ask Him to heal our hurts and pains.  Ask Him to come into our situations and move in ways only He can do.  While having these thoughts running through my head a song came on my playlist from Lauren Daigle.  The chorus fit so well with what I was thinking and feeling:

Oh o'Lord 'o Lord you hear my cry

Your love is lifting me above all the lies

No matter what I face I know that in time

You'll take all that is wrong and make it right

You'll take all that is wrong and make it right

-O'Lord Lauren Daigle

While those 24 hours prior to that drive where hard and stressful, they didn't last forever.  Eventually we got relief from the stress and everyone was happy again.  Whatever situation we are facing we need to remember to cry out to God for help.  Ask Him to breathe life into our trials and sorrows.  Relief might not come right away, but everything everything can change in an instant.  As quickly as the grass changed from dull and brown to vibrant and green, in God's timing He can change anything.  All we have to do is lean on Him, and let Him.    

But I don't want to leave it behind....

Haven't wrote in such a long time.  A lot has happened in the past 6 months.  We moved to be together as one family under one roof....had a beautiful baby....and had to get used to taking care of 2 kids instead of 1.  I've honestly just been trying to relish in the newness of everything.  The newness of the house we will in, the newness of the little town we moved too.....the newness of sweet Lyla and having 2 little girls to love and raise.... And honestly....I've been trying so hard to just love it.  No matter what.  It wasn't how we wanted to get here and it's not how we wanted to be living but it says in James 1:2-4 to take joy in our trials and sufferings.  So I've been trying my darnedest to do just that.

And yet here I am on a beautiful spring morning not feeling so joyful.  I've hit that wall.  That wall of saying, "God I don't get this. Why oh why are doing it this way? Why have we had to sit here and wait and wait AND WAIT to get to our finish line with this season? Why are we living somewhere that is way too expensive? (and a place that has way too many spiders going on...but that's a whole other discussion) Why is our house still sitting here on the market and not sold? Did we do something wrong? Have we not been faithful to you and done everything you have asked? Or did we mess up somewhere and take a wrong turn?"

I hate that those thoughts have all creeped their way back into my heart but they have.  And that's the real honest truth.  The past few weeks we've had a few more ups and downs and hopes torn down.  One of those things was something we thought God was illustrating for us to bring us to our final destination. I made this timeline in my head.  This timeline that would WOW me.  I kept thinking "Wow God is this it? Is this where you are taking us? I can't believe it!" And I started being so thankful for this plan I made in my head and none of it had even happened.  But did you hear me? Did you catch that? I made this timeline....I MADE THIS TIMELINE.  God never said it would come to be.....He never gave me this sign in my head.  I just decided that's how He was going to do it.  I decided that if I was going to have it happen that was how I would want it done.  It had nothing to do with God's plan and what He actually was going to do.

I'm doing a bible study on the book "What Happens When Women Walk in Faith" through Proverbs 31.  It couldn't have come at a more perfect time.  This week's chapters have been all about how we need to go through a leaving stage.  That when we chose to walk in faith with God through our dreams, He first asks us to leave things behind.  And this morning...at the end of my chapter... Lysa asks "What is God asking you to leave behind?" After a morning with some tears shed that answer was pretty clear.  After a morning where uncertainty and doubt came knocking on my door..... a morning where I wanted to sit and question EVERYTHING God promised us... the answer stared me right in the face.  I want things done MY way....in MY timing.  Yes I have been walking in faith with God the past year and half.  Yes I have known the entire time it would all be in His timing, and yet I don't think I really got it.  I don't think I ever laid it all down at His feet and said "God take this need for me to control this situation you are wanting to solve for us.  That you are wanting to give to us.  Take this want of me wanting it in MY timing and MY way. "  So I say that to Him right here right now.

God this journey isn't about me.  It's about YOU.  It's about all you have promised us.  It's about giving you glory even when we don't want to or know how to.  It's about showing the world our love and trust in you no matter how many mountains we face.  No matter how bleak and hard the road ahead may look.  It's not going to be easy and it might not be fun, but you love us way more than we can imagine.  Help us to remember every single day that it's not going to be in our timing and it's not going to come when we want it to or even how we want it to.  Your promises are true and faithful.  You will conquer everything we face.  You have gone before us. Help us hear you always and show us the way you are calling us to go.

"I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters,

making a dry path through the sea.

I called forth the mighty army of Eygpt

with all its chariots and horses.

I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned,

their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick.

But FORGET all that--

it is NOTHING compared to what I am going to do.

For I am about to do something new.

See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?

I will make a pathway through the wilderness.

I will create rivers in the wasteland."

Isaiah 43: 16-19

Has God promised you something? Has He given you a dream but you just don't know how to walk in faith and let Him make it a realty? I encourage you to pick up this book. I'm just a few chapters in and it is so amazing.  And if God is telling you to leave something behind.  Don't hesitate.  It won't be easy and you will probably have to leave it behind day after day for awhile. But I know it will be worth it.  I'm not there yet.....but I have faith that it will be greater than I could ever imagine.  

Glimpses of Beauty: The easy road vs the hard road

Well here we are.  Finally in Canby MN living as a family under one roof.  Finally reaching a goal that we had been praying for and striving for for days....weeks....months....and over a year.  We have been living this life for 2 weeks now.  2 weeks of our new normal.  2 weeks of sleeping together under 1 roof.  2 weeks of dinner as a family together every night at the table.  2 weeks of laughter and smiles.  2 weeks of fears coming to the surface about how this new life is going to play out.  Will we make friends? Find a good church home?? Do we even know how to live together as a family 7 days a week anymore? How is our house back in Litchfield? Is it still standing? Did the tenants move in ok?? Will they take care of it?

It's funny how God will take you on a journey to get you where He wants you to be.  And the fact is you will think He is taking you one way, when in reality He has a completely different course laid out for you.  But He won't always lay out a clear path for you.  You will have to be watchful and be careful to listen.  You will have to put way more trust in Him than you even thought was possible.  A lot of times you will be blindly going onto a pathway, and sometimes that path leads to some dark corners.  Corners that are so dark, you hesitate.  You hesitate because the devil puts those little thoughts in your head that God doesn't know what He's doing.  That He isn't really there.  That He lied to you.  That the road is so unbelievably dark that you won't make it out with your head above the water.  You will drown and God will sit there and watch it all happen.  And that's when you have a choice to make.  You can either buy into all those lies.  And when you buy into all those lies, you turn onto your own road and away from God.  And 99% of the time, on that road you will get to a drowning place.  A helpless place.  The other choice you have is simple yet it isn't so simple.  See the other choice is taking those first steps into what looks like the darkest road....the longest road....the hardest road.  And on that road, you won't always see God clearly.  On that road, there will be days you cry out and say "Father what have you done? I can't do this....I wasn't made for this.  What on earth were you thinking by putting me on this path?" But on that path...on that road....that road that looks like it's tons of mountains and valleys and dark corners; you will get breaths of fresh air.  God will make sure to give you glimpses of the beauty He has coming for you.  He will give you moments where you can't even deny His presence because it's too great to deny.  On that road He will be holding your hand every second.  He will be carrying you when your feet can't seem to walk another step.  And when you finally get to your destination at the end of that journey, the view and the air will be far greater than any glimpse He's given you.

Right now, in this moment, we are just getting a glimpse of the beauty God has in store for us.  We have had to trust Him with every fiber of our being the last year.  Our faith has been stretched far more than we could have ever imagined.  And even though it's been a hard year and the journey has not been easy so far, I don't think Travis nor I would change it.  Because in the midst of it all, we have got to see more of who God is and what He wants for us.  And we have been praying so hard for so long for us to move to Canby and for our house to sell.  God has answered half of that prayer in the last few months.  We are all moved under one roof and there are no words to describe how amazing it feels.  My daughters smile every night when daddy walks through the door makes my heart soar.  Hearing them chase each other and giggle hysterically every night blesses me more than I could ever  imagine.  Knowing my husband is getting a good home-cooked meal every.single.night. is AMAZING.  Not sleeping alone in a big empty bed feels AMAZING.  But we still have to trust Him.  We do still own our house in Litchfield.  We have renters in it and that was something that scared the crap out of us.  But God has perfect timing and told us to wait to rent it out until we did because I firmly believe He found us the perfect renters and they probably weren't ready to rent our house a year ago.  I also firmly believe He had the house we are in picked out for us.  While it certainly is not the ideal house and isn't perfect...the fact is, it wasn't available or ready a year ago.  There is a reason our house hasn't sold yet.  There is a reason we are having to rent it out and in turn rent a house for us to live in.  So our journey isn't over.  We are still on the path God placed before us and we are still choosing the path that without God's help looks like the darker path.  But with all that He has done for us in the past year, and looking back and seeing the ways He has never left us; we know.....we know the path He wants for us is the better path.  It has our best interests at heart and in the end when we can finally say we are completely DONE with this journey, we will be looking around and saying, "My God how you are good.  My Lord look at this.  We couldn't have dreamed up a better ending.  I wouldn't change a thing."

So the next time you come to a fork in the road and there are 2 paths you can take: An easy brightly lit one or a hard uphill darker road....just take a few more moments before you immediately go to the easy road.  God never said following Him would always be the easy road.  And even though it's not the easy road...if God is the one leading you down it....it will always....always....ALWAYS be worth it.  Even if it takes you way longer than you imagined......


**This is one of the many many songs people told me to listen to through the dark times of our journey.  So when you are on the hard road and in the place where you aren't sure what He has planned for you....pull up this song and sing it from the depths of your heart.  And if you need more...I've got plenty to share :) 

A love letter....

My sweet hubby,

I know our life is so hard right now and not at all what we dreamed it would be like when we first said I do.  Back then we thought we'd be living this picture perfect life, the fairy tale kind.  We would have a kid or 2 by now (which we do) and we would be living the American dream.  Dinners as a family at the dining room table every night at 5:30......reading bedtime stories together to our little angels......both climbing into the same bed exhausted....and falling asleep knowing that all is right in the world because we are together.

But as we have learned over the course of our lives together that life isn't a fairy tale.  And it doesn't always go how you dream it will.  There are times when we aren't sure how we are going to make it...how we are going to hold it together and survive whatever storm we might be in.  Times where the future isn't completely clear and we honestly have no idea where we are going to end up.  Times of frustration, anger, hurt, sadness, uncertainty, fear, anxiety.....

And while I know there has been and will continue to be those dark times in our lives together here on this earth, I'm so extremely grateful and happy that when I look over I see you by my side. Because I know that no matter what gets thrown at us, that we will make it through.  That our love will survive.  And while this sounds corny and cheesy, I know it to be 100% true.  With Christ at the center of our marriage, as long as we continue to look to Him for guidance in every circumstance, we will become stronger and a tighter unit through everything that life places in front of us.

And just because I don't say the words enough my handsome guy: You are kind.  You are thoughtful.  You are strong.  You continue to amaze me with each passing minute. I am so thankful for each and everything you do no matter how tired you are to make sure my life is easier.  The way you love our daughter is priceless and makes my heart soar.  I feel completely safe whenever you are near.  You provide for our family in more ways than you even know.....

The fact that you chose me to be your girl for the rest of our lives still makes me giddy with excitement.  You are my guy and I will always continue to thank the sweet Lord for bringing you into my life.  Thank you for being you.  Remember that, no matter what my face and voice might say sometimes, these words are the truth of my heart and they my dear will never ever ever change...

Love,
Your one and only