6 ways to pray for your Man

Many know that my Prince Charming had to return to Jamaica ahead of us to carry on the work in the church we started.  It's been hard managing 5 kids by myself and keeping my sanity.  I miss my man terribly but we talk often and send messages via our phones all the time.

{Between you and me} I treasure the sweet words and thoughts he sends that normally he wouldn't write down.  I now have proof he's just as romantic as me!  No, I'm not going to share his tender side right now.  Those are for my eyes alone.  {Deep sigh}  Yep, I'm pretty stuck on him.

God has placed specific people in your life for a purpose.  If you are blessed to be married you have an even greater responsibility to this person who is your other half.  {Told you I was feeling mushy!} One part of being the wife God wants me to be is by praying for my husband.  Sadly, this is one area that I feel I have failed miserably.  I'm so blessed to have a Godly husband you loves me deeply and completely.  I don't take it for granted.  Being apart makes me more aware of the dangers and temptations a man is subjected to in this wicked old world.

1. Pray for his daily walk with the Lord and for him to keep up his personal prayer time.

2. Pray for God's blessing on his life.

3. Pray for God's hand of safety and protection over him.

4. Pray for his vision and dreams.

5. Pray for his purity.

6. Pray for his testimony and witness. 



Ok, Ladies, what would you add to the list?


read more on Embracing Marriage.

In the Woods with Robin Hood

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Walking back into the woods brought back 

lots of memories when I was younger in the same woods.

"Look, mom, a swamp!" Moriah

Alexis loved exploring.  I noticed her sitting in the comfortable grass....just thinking.

One thing I want to deeply install in my princesses is the love of daddy.  Right now, daddy is #1.  He’s their Superman and Prince Charming.  Sure he’s not perfect, but if your husband is....well, I don’t believe you.  Yesterday, he changed the oil filter in the van and then repaired someones flat tire.  Today he is changing someones faucets in their house.  Moriah asked me, “How does Daddy know how to do everything?”  

I want them to keep loving and treating daddy like that until it’s time for my girls to transfer that feeling to their own husbands.  Sometime around the age of 30.....hehe.

That being said....

Ugh...it’s morning again.  It can tell this without even opening my eyes.  The main reason being the children standing around my bed telling me they are hungry.  I’m definitely in the “no sleep” stage of my pregancy.  Mornings always seem to come right when I finally fall asleep.  I stretch my leg over to the other side of the bed....empty.  Yeah, Prince is off in the woods somewhere sitting under a tree .  (His favorite American pastime.)  I’m thinking of changing his name to Robin Hood.  {half-serious}

Now, I have to get up with these children who keep calling me “mother”.  15 or so minutes later find me drinking a very strong cup of coffee and watching the princesses eat their oatmeal.  See...sometimes I serve nutritious food.  

My cell rings.   Why do they keep making them smaller and smaller?  I never seem to leave it in the same place twice.  

Prince’s rugged, excited voice on the phone tells me that he got a 10 point buck with his bow.  {I’m telling you....Robin Hood!}

Now what does a supportive dedicated wife do?  She bundles up her three small children, braves the 40 degree temperatures and heads for the woods.  Yep, that’s right.  And that’s exactly what we did.  {Aren’t you proud?}

Crashing and crushing through the timber we sounded like a herd of elephants.  We’d have been really bad Indians.  Or maybe just really hungry ones.  Finally we found Prince with the deer.  For all you weak {or weepy} ones out there I won’t post any pictures.  But, honestly our daughters weren’t traumatized... they were enamored that daddy killed meat for us.

The girls and I did a bunch of ohhs and ahhhs.  Then came the looonnnng drag of the deer out to the truck.  Those things are very heavy.  It took so long that the girls and I walked ahead and sat down to wait for Prince to catch up.  

I put my camera strap around Alexis’s neck and let her walk around getting pictures from her perspective.  I really love the picture she snapped of me and Eden talking.

Alexis's leaf picture.  I think it is just beautiful.  {sigh}

Mommy and Eden

Life is beautiful,

 

Story Book Romance

My Handsome Prince and I.  (summer 2010)

I'm living this girl's fairytale. {content sigh}

This adventure, we call life, is what you make of it. 

You're castle may not be located uptown, your banquet table might not have the best spread,

 and your ball gown may not be from the finest cut .  

How is the view from your Prince's angle?  

Is his castle tidy?  Is his dinner on the table?  

And only you, know his favorite gown {wink, wink}.  

“Some people have a story book romance...

some people write their own.”  

Treat him like a Prince and you will always be his Princess,

Dad, Tambourines, Vitamins, Peter Pan....Ramblings of a Pregnant Lady

Hello, from my little corner of the world.  This emotional, pregnant lady has to write.  I'm not even sure if I'll hit the publish button, but writing helps me clear my head.  You'd be surprised at how many unpublished blog entries are sitting in my posting box.  My emotions are a little more in motion today, because my thoughts have been on my dad.  He has finished his deployment in Afghanistan and is traveling back to the States (and mom's waiting arms!)  I so proud of them both, it is so hard to be without your spouse.  Missionaries do have a rough time being without their families.  Still, most of us missionary wives get to snuggle up next to our honey's come night fall.  I can't imagine sleeping in a cold bed knowing your man is in a dangerous desert somewhere.  I have so much respect for the military.  I cried tears today, wishing I could be at the airport to welcome dad home.  Ugh.....what's wrong with me?  I'll see him in less then 6 weeks.  I think I may be pregnant?  {wink...wink}

O.k., {deep breath}  I've got it under control.

We had a beautiful Lord's day at Spot Valley Independent Baptist Church.  They sang the choruses with their whole heart.  The sweet sounds of their voices {mixed with the tambourine} literally burst out of the open windows!  God is so good to us.   As my husband opened his Bible to begin the morning sermon, I noticed a large goat grazing outside the window....not unusual, but it made me smile.   "Jamaica, land we love."

At 22 weeks now, my newest little prince/princess is growing fine, twirling and dancing their own little minuet in my belly.  I love to feel it's tiny presence.  I was laying on my bed yesterday (in front of a fan) and Moriah climbed up beside me.  I took her hand and placed it on my belly.  She was amazed to feel the tiny kicks.  She was 4 when Eden was born and she is at the age now where it is so exciting.  She's voting for another sister, whom she decided Friday, should be named Wendy (off of Peter Pan).  

I have felt extremely exhausted the last few days.  Don't ask.... I'm taking my vitamins, Grandma.  So I allow myself lots of breaks sitting on the couch, in front of a fan, watching good ole {educational} I Love Lucy!  I can't help it...she's my best "pick me up"!  The beginning of the week was bearable heat, but the last 4 days has been.....HOT.  The princesses and I have taken many cold showers, and even played in the sprinkler that Grandma brought us (once again...my poor neighbors!).  

It doesn't seem to help much though, cause this whitie constantly has sweat dripping off her chin.  I'm not gonna know how to react when I get back up North and makeup actually stays on my face and the curling iron doesn't sizzle as you curl your sweaty hair!  

p.s. I have a really cute "Do with What You Got" project to show.  Hopefully tomorrow.

Prince Charming in a Ford Pickup

7 years ago...
My prince came riding into my life in his Ford pickup. One of my sisters told me once, “I don’t fall for pickup lines....I fall for pickup trucks.” {blush} Maybe it’s a Missouri girl thing. One of the things that caught my eye was how he was sure of what he wanted in life and had {actual} plans. He’d known since he was 17 that he wanted to go to Jamaica as a missionary. As our friendship grew, I realized that this was the guy for me. Now, I had to convince him that one of those things he wanted in life is Me.

Our first date was on my Birthday, Sept. 2. We went to an amusement park with our good friends, Emily (Ager) and her boyfriend Andrew Aaron. Now they are missionaries in Ghana, Africa.

A few months later, in November, Josh greeted me after class and escorted me outside the College building. He had spread a quilt and picnic on a patch of Oklahoma grass. Before we ate, he reached under the edge of the quilt....handed me a red rose...and with tender eyes {sniff...sniff) confessed his love!

Then came Christmas break, I was going home to Missouri and He was staying in Oklahoma. We were going to be separated for weeks! After Christmas, I had went to my Grandma Grace’s farm to spend a few days. I was lounging around on the couch in my pj.s watching tv...there I laid with no makeup and hair up in a bun. Gram came in and suggested I get dressed. Get dressed...?....I’m on vacation! I talked to Josh on the phone and he told me he was on the way to work, after we hung up I fell asleep.

Suddenly, I was woke up by a very precious face kneeling beside the couch! I was in complete shock....and kinda embarrassed...as I gathered the covers to my chin. We looked at each other for a few seconds when Gram comes running in the room. Prince turned to her and said, “Where is it?” Gram went to her Christmas tree and took off a shiny red box and handed it to Josh. When I opened the box, there was a porcelain ornament inside. It had our names on one side and the date on the other. Joshua then handed me a spool of green yarn and told me to cut some to hang the ornament.

I hadn’t noticed that Gram had left the room, but around this time she came running back into the room and announced that she had to take a picture. {smile} hum....something is up!

As I pulled on the end of the yarn....a shiny ring came floating down. Prince Charming got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. I found out later he had drove to where my dad was working at Pepsi and while they drank ice cold Pepsi out of glass bottles, in the break room, Josh asked for dad’s approval. He then drove 2 hours to Gram’s farm, but shut his truck engine off and walked the last mile.

We were married on June 21, 2003.

(Can you see the heart shining through the clouds above us?) {true love}
We’ve had a wonderful 7 anniversary day. My friend, Tash, watched the princesses so we could go out to lunch. We went to Pizza Hut (yummy). Our pizza hut is really nice. It has a/c, and the newly remodeled inside is very modern and relaxing. We sat at a table with a beautiful ocean view. They serve desserts there also. Prince Charming had cheese cake and I had a cinnamon dessert.

After we ate, we walked across the street to the beach.

With THIS Ring

My emotional pregnant hormones are in full swing the last few days! My poor family! I'm shaky...weepy...short-tempered. I debated whether I should even sit behind the computer keys....who knows what I'd type!?! I'm afraid of scaring any of my friends away...I might start screaming and crying and running around yelling, "Just give me some Krispie Kreme!!!!"

So to steer away from completely freaking anyone out, I think I'll try to put some polish on an article I started a few weeks ago. It's been sitting in my drafts, just waiting for a day when I was having a "melt-down".

This is a picture of me laying on our roof, looking at my sweet, perfect, simple wedding band. Notice the missing engagement ring? It is wiser to not wear anything flashy or expensive here. I laugh a little...because my engagement ring doesn't really fall into that category! But i'd hate to lose it...so it's sitting in a bank in Louisiana. Better safe then sorry.


If you had one word to describe your wedding ring...what would it be. I've thought hard about this. What would my word be?

Romance? Remember that tingly, butterfly flutter that just the sight of his face gave you?

Security? The feeling that he can solve any problem and make all right in your world.

Pride? He's all yours! No one elses. Remember the feelings that you'd have when you were first married, and you walked into a room holding his hand.

Bliss? (hehe)

Happily-ever-after? White picket fence...cozy little home with shutters...and an apple tree? For us...it was a diesel pickup truck with my 22 foot suitcase hitched on the bumper.

Change? Good bye stable old Missouri...hello........?..world.

Power? Don't try to pretend that you don't have power over your hubby! Not the "chase him around the kitchen table with a rolling pin" kind of power. I'm talking about the power you have over the words you say. Or, I've known woman who have changed their husbands whole lives by one mistake/decision she's made.

I really can't put my finger on the right word. I guess I'm just happy that I've got HIS ring on MY finger.

If you had one word what would it be?