Sweet Valentine

Well, another Valentine's Day is here.... I woke up, well by myself, because my sweet Valentine was leading his Saturday morning Bible study. I found roses, candy and a couple's devotional on the table for me. I also found the sweetest card that brought tears to my eyes. You see, I absolutely LOVE cards. I can spend hours upon hours in a Hallmark store just reading the cards. I usually leave with a bag full of cards covering the next few birthdays, anniversaries, etc, etc for the ones that I love. I have so many Hallmark points!!



I shared my sweet guy with another girl the other day...our precious daughter, Rebecca. They went to a Father/Daughter Banquet and they were just adorable. Charles knocked on the door with the intent of greeting her with her coursage; however, Andrew beat her to the door and answered asking "Daddy, why are you knocking on the door?" I decided to take Andrew out for a special night. I wanted Outback. He wanted McDonald's (ugh). We compromosed with Ye Ole Fashion...enjoying a sandwich and icecream!

I never have been someone too obsessed with this holiday; however, it does hold a special place in my heart because it is the day that Charles propsed...both times, 2 years a part. Obviously, the 2nd one stuck! :) When I think back over our 12 1/2 years of marriage, I know there have been struggles, irritations, and hard times, but those are not the things I remember. I remember the sweet memories of having him by my side. Given the choice, I would go back...knowing exactly what I know and what we've been through...and I'd do it all again, without question or hesitation. I love him more everyday that I know him and am so excited about the journey still to come.

Doin' the Charleston...

We played tourist last night when we strolled through downtown Charleston! Well, we actually went downtown because we were given tickets to see "The Charleston Christmas Special" which was at the Charleston Music Hall. It was so wonderful. It was filled with singing and dancing. I was also so impressed that such a Christian emphasis was shown! We grabbed someone after the show to take this picture...guess what will be on our Christmas card??? :)

After the show, we did walk down to Marion Square because the we wanted to see the tree that the kid's school had decorated there. It was so beautiful as we walked down King Street. I sometimes take for granted that we live in such a city!

Happy Birthday, Andrew!

Today is my sweet Andrew's 7th birthday. I was SUPER excited when he announced last night that he wanted his birthday dinner at Miyabi's Steakhouse! I was salivating all day as I thought about their rice, veggies and steak. I was relieved that our days of birthday dinners at Micky D's were over. Then...as we were about to walk out the door, he exclaimed, "I changed my mind. I want to go to Ryans." I could almost taste the Miyabi filet mignon. I tried my best to sway him, reminding him of the cool fire and how we get to watch them cook our food. He could not be persuaded. He wanted a plate full of cantelope from the food bar and nothing was chaniging his mind. I reminded myself that it is his birthday and tradition is that the birthday honoree gets to choose the dinner. Oh well, it was about 1/2 the price of what the Miyabi bill would have been and we had a wonderful time together. He even agreed to have the Ryan's crew sing to him but looked like he would crawl under the table once they actually came and sang! Next year, he'll celebrate his birthday with a turkey dinner at Nana's! It will be the first time that his birthday falls on Thanksgiving because of leap years causing his birthday to skip over Thanksgiving.

On that note, I want to wish everyone a Happy Thankgiving. We have so much for which to be grateful even in difficult times. As I sit back and think of the many blessings that God has bestowed upon us, I am humbled at His great mercy. Many blessings to you all. (and...if you're going to be out bright and early to shop on Black Friday, I'll look out for you!)

Festivals of Marriage

A couple of weeks ago, Charles & I headed off to Ridgecrest, NC for the Festivals of Marriage retreat. We had an incredible time! The conference was amazing and the scenery at the campus was breath-taking. Living in Charleston sometimes makes you forget that some parts of the country actually get to see the changing colors on the trees! Plus...some landscapes are NOT flat! :) We decided that we have to schedule a trip to take our kids to the mountains during a fall season. We really knew that this trip was a MUST when we started to go over a bridge and Andrew said, "We're going over the mountain!"

Anyway, if you ever need a weekend away with your spouse, this retreat is the way to go! We're already making plans to go back next year!

What Been Happening Around Here...

Well, I have kind of neglected our blog for a while. With school back in session, our lives seem to race into turbo speed. Between soccer games, piano practice, homework, church activities and so on, we seem to be running at all times! Speaking of that, Charles & I went to a Family Driven Faith conference over the weekend with pastor and author, Dr. Voddie Baucham. It was by far the most incredible, practical seminar that I have ever experienced. From his conference, we have incorporated family worship into our daily lives. We have always had Bible and prayer time as a family but we are now being diligent about worshipping as a family. This involves us being in the Word, praying together and singing worship songs to God. It is such a sweet, special time!

Let's see what other exciting things have happened...we did have the "scare" of Hurricane Hanna ~ I use the words "scare" and "hurricane" very lightly since it was barely more than a thunderstorm. We didn't even lose a twig or leaf off of a tree! The kids did get a hurricane day because of the threat of the storm so they were home on a rainy day! It was also the day that we had new carpet installed so on top of being home on a day where they could not play outside, we were all stuck in the master bedroom for a good portion of the day! We watched more Disney and played more board games than I thought possible! They did have fun making carpet angels on the carpet once it was finished. (notice the "big kid" who was also down there...)

This past Sunday, September 14 was our 12 year wedding anniversary! We enjoyed dinner at Miyabi's Steakhouse. Charles wanted sushi and I wanted steak so that was the best compromise! It was so yummy! Then today is our sweet Rebecca's 9th birthday. I cannot believe how quickly the years are passing. When she was born, people told me all the time to enjoy every minute because the days flew by, and I never realized how true those words were! She is in her last year of single digits! We went to dinner on Monday for her and my mom (whose birthday was yesterday) at Moe's. She is having a belated birthday party because she wants a sleep over. We have decided to do this on October 24 which is the opening night of High School Musical 3 so we'll take her friends to the movie and then come back home for a girls night out filled with dancing, make up and all kinds of fun girl stuff! Should be a weekend to remember...

First Day!

Well, say goodbye to summer vacation because off we went to the 1st day of school this morning. I ALWAYS get a picture of the kids right before walking out the door on the 1st day. Rebecca (going into 3rd grade and school being old hat now) moaned a bit when I pulled out the camara. Oh well...she'll understand one day. Andrew was so excited about his 1st day of 1st grade. He came into my room this morning at 5:30...(boy takes after his daddy on that) and crawled into the bed with me. I hoped (to no avail) that he would fall back asleep and I could enjoy the last sweet hour of sleep before being awakened by the alarm. Instead, we spent the hour talking about 1st grade and having desks instead of tables and Mrs. Folsom and the new kids in his class and his new bookbag and his new shoes and... and ... and...! :) Although I'm a little tired this afternoon, that hour with him was precious and I even got a little sappy (which if you know me, is quite uncommon) thinking how fast the years would fly by and I wouldn't have my sweet boy cuddled up to me sharing his thoughts, excitements and fears!

Rebecca was even up by 6:30 and I was afraid that I would have to drag her out of bed since she slept until 8:30 or 9:00 all summer! With all of us up early, I jumped into super mom mode (again, not my style) and made everyone omlettes! They enjoyed them so much that I didn't break the news that next week, we'll probably be back to cereal and maybe a piece of fruit! After they were safe in their new classroom, I met some friends (other moms who had just dropped off kids) for breakfast. We had such a great time!

Since I had already started the day with a bang, I decided to keep it up. So, before going to pick up the kids, I packed up the beach bag, boogie boards, shovels & pails and changed into my swimsuit for a surprise trip to the beach. I was so proud of myself because I was sure to be nominated for mom of the year after today. Well, God must have thought that I needed to be brought down a notch or 2 because about 1/2 way to the school (I only live about 3 miles away...), it started to drizzle. ...just a summer shower, it will be gone by the time I get there... well, by the time I got there, it was pouring. Teachers were using golf umbrellas to walk the kids to the cars. When Rebecca & Andrew got into the car, Andrew asked "why are you dressed like that?" thinking that his mom must surely have lost all sense to be in a swimsuit and cover up when clearly we were in the middle of a thunder storm!

So now we're home, I'm typing this blog and they're watching cartoons on pbs.

God's Blessings

Well, today my parents are celebrating 37 years of marraige. It is so awesome to see firsthand how 2 people (who, I promise, could not be more different) have stayed together in an age where divorce is so accepted. I have seen them walk through just about every hardship and trial possible and come out on the other side stronger and better because of it. Because of my wonderful parents and their shining example, there is nothing that Charles & I could face that would cause me to walk away from the vow that I made to him and God. Thanks mom and dad.. I love you more than you'll ever know!

Before I close, I want to ask you to keep Chris & Shelley Talbott in your prayers. They were blessed on Friday with a beautiful baby girl. They learned that she has Trisomy 13 which has a grim prognosis. We know that we serve a God Who is so much bigger than our minds can comprehend. There is a link on my page to their blog (The Talbotts). Please read their story and you will see how they have put everything into God's hands. They are a true testimony of faith during the hardships that we face as married couples. Please leave them comments of encouragement and most of all pray for their sweet family as they walk through the days to come.