Father's Day 2015

To my wonderful husband. The father of our children. You have shown exemplary love, compassion, and godliness toward our two children through the years. Even through the rough times when you may have felt you have failed, you have always stepped up to your God given role and kept going on the best you could, raising them in a godly home with God's word & truth, you have given each of our babies a firm foundation to lean on in their young adult lives and forever they will cherish that. What a blessing and privilege that God chose you to do such a task. Happy Father's Day to the best Father I know! Thanks be to our Heavenly Father for such a gift!

It was a great Father's Day...We spoiled my hubby with breakfast, gifts, a trip to the bookstore, late lunch out, ice cream for dessert and a little night cap.

Year Twenty~One

We celebrated year Twenty~One this weekend. 

I remember our wedding day as if it were yesterday. Waking up in the morning with my Nieces and my In Laws, they curled my hair and helped me get ready for the biggest day of my life. We went down to the Chapel and there waiting for me at the alter was my dear Mr. Darling who was smiling from ear to ear. My father in Law walked me down the aisle, tears streaming from my face. Mr. Darling reached for my hand, we shared our vows...in which I cried the whole way through them. They were not sad tears, they were tears of joy!

I finally married my best friend, my one true love. 

It was Easter Sunday...

Our reception was an Easter lunch with my new family. 

A day I will always cherish!

We have been through a lot! 

These many years have brought us joy and sorrow, life and loss, and happiness and hardships. 

I feel these things have grown us mentally, physically and spiritually, and have only brought us closer to not only one another, but closer to our Lord. His hand has been there through it all. A life we are thankful and grateful for, a life we truly don't deserve, but blessed by. He has opened our eyes to so much, even the hate that people have for us...But we endure these trials and conflicts with outsiders, knowing that we (As Christians) will be persecuted just as Christ was. Yet, He has also shown us much love through His people (fellow believers) A love that only a believer would truly know. We are truly blessed by those He has put into our lives, those who love us for who we are, who accept us for what we are and unconditionally love us and never seek something back in return nor stab us in the back.. or speak ill of us... We have on so many different accounts been lifted up and loved through prayer and acts of kindness and pure generosity from others through the name of Christ. It has been humbling and amazing. We are blessed to walk this life with the family of God. 

I think of Ruth in the Bible, who left her people to be with Naomi, her mother in law. Making Naomi's people her people. She trusted in the Lord and never looked back. When I married my husband we were given this scripture from the Chapel Pastor who married us.

 For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” 

Ruth 1:16-17

This quote from Ruth means a lot to me, for I feel this very way.

I am prepared for the road ahead, which will surely not be an easy one. But we will not be walking it alone. The Lord is with us to carry us through. I am ready!

I pray the Lord will bless us with many more years in marriage together.

Our Nest Is Empty For The Week....

Our girl took her first plane alone to Southern California to celebrate her birthday with her bestie whose birthday is just three days after hers. She was so excited yet very restless and filled with anxiety just thinking about her going up in a plane all by herself. Our sweetheart was so nervous, she cried right up to the time she got on the plane. Poor dear. Thankfully it was a flight where she was able to text us...We waited and watched her plane fly away before leaving the terminal. then about 15 minutes later we got a text that she was fine...It was a piece of cake. All those nerves and she realized it wasn't so bad after all. We are three days in...I miss her dearly. She has been calling us every day giving us the scoop on her day. In the meantime it has been just me and my dear Mr. Darling... He had been busy earlier in the week preparing for some exams before his official ordination floor exam....So I spent a couple days alone...Yet gave me a whole lot of time to think over things we are going to be changing in our lives as we enter the new school year. The evenings have been spent just hanging out with my darling and watching movies that we normally wouldn't have Freckles watch. This morning we woke up. He made me a nice smoothie for breakfast and told me he was taking me on a picnic.

We got the picnic basket ready along with our quilt, picked up some drinks, chips, sandwiches and cookies. We headed over to a park, found a sweet spot in between a bunch of big trees. Set up our picnic, ate, talked, giggled and took some fun pics...

Since Seminary and all the hubbug from moving and with my darling doing the internship this last year on top of getting the church plant going, we have not had any alone time let alone a time to date. It was perfect and just what we needed. A way for my dear husband to just decompress and not have to think about all the exams...I was so touched that he planned our day out today. I am so in love with this guy.

It was something we both needed. He is so tired and burned out. He deserved a day of doing absolutely nothing. It was nice just to eat together and talk about stuff..we even lay on our backs on the quilt and looked into the trees, at the sky, at the bugs flying around us and the spider webs among us. ANd he held my hand. That's when I felt like we were younger...my heart skipped a beat and my feelings for him grew even more. I felt so good, so happy and had a fun time just being goofy with him.

(this was our view as we gazed up into the sky...Notice it is also heart shaped)

It was a little taste of what it will be like not very far off in the future. Our nest without our baby birds. It has been kinda strange not having Freckles home with us...Yet, it has been good for all of us. For our girl to spread her wings a bit and for us to be us...in love all over again.

Mr. Darling

Through the years I have referenced my dear hubby as Mr. Darling here on my blog. It is a sweet endearment to him. I just love this guy of mine. We celebrated his 20th year of Fatherhood this last weekend. It has flown by just as quick as our kids are growing. He's been a great dad to our children, loving them both unconditionally. He has given them a wonderful foundation in their faith in God, he has passed on the wisdom that he has gleaned from throughout the years and has loved and nurtured them with his whole heart. When things ever go south or he lost his patience he is always sure to ask for forgiveness and he has given a whole lotta grace in turn. We were young when we started our family and were not married long before our first child came into our life, but he sure was a natural at being a great daddy. He has been the rock in our home, even though he has felt at times he has failed. I think and know he has done an excellent job with the gifts he has been given. His beautiful children have been nothing but the apples of his eye. I am so proud of him. My dear Mr. Darling, the father of our children...It was meant to be. I love that.

For Father's Day weekend we had a lovely picnic at the park with a couple of families from our church plant. It was really nice spending part of the afternoon with them fellowshipping. Later that night Freckles and I took him out to dinner, then we simply hung out together at home. Sunday we had a little photo shoot of Daddy and Daughter. So sweet...I just love those two...Our son is too far away to have shared this day with us, but he is always with us in spirit...Sure do miss him being around. Later that evening we had our evening church service...It was great. My dear Mr. Darling preached a wonderful sermon, we were with our sweet church family and couldn't have asked for a better day.

We are so blessed.

Hoping you had a great Father's Day too!!!

Fathers Day 2013

Sunday was a very busy morning, it was Fathers Day, yet, everyone was scurrying to get ready for church.Now that Mr. Darling is working for the church, he had to leave ahead of us for the first service, then come back to pick us girls up. There just wasn't time to have a special breakfast or anything. So, off to church we went. After the service we did manage to take our dear special man to lunch. Just the three of us this year since our son is not here.

We had a quiet afternoon...Freckles gave her daddy a handmade card and we even fit in a little picture time. I love it. Mr. Darling and his sweet Freckled girl. Then off again to church for an evening gathering...Got home late and just conked out for the night. Since Mr. Darling didn't get his special breakfast, we made him a brunch the next day. We cut stars out of bread and grilled it in a pan with an egg in the center with some bacon on the side and a nice big glass of orange juice.

 It was good and he was happy.

Dear Daddy,

A hero is someone that is admired deeply 

Whether it be through the eyes of one or through the eyes of many.

He stands apart from most men and has far more character.

The magnitude of his importance is measured greatly by his actions.

Yet, the hero is humble and feels unworthy of his rightful title.

It means nothing until he sees the love and adoration in the eyes of his child.

Then and only then does it gain significance.

He means the world to our kids and me...

 We are blessed to have such a loving, special person in our lives.

 Our children's Daddy, My dear sweet Mr. Darling the Father of our children...

Our hero...

Blessed. 

Seminary Class Of 2012

 



Four long years of Seminary is finally over. A big sigh of relief is over us. The day has been long anticipated. The graduation was wonderful. Our children, parents and Mr. Darlings siblings were with us to share in the happy day. We were also blessed to be in the company of our church family. It went just as we imagined it would. For that we are very grateful.
   
After the ceremony we threw a party for Mr. Darling & our friend Geoff who spent the last four years laboring along side my man. Thanks to our dear friends for opening their home for the festivities and to all who contributed to the wonderful food and drink. The party was a delightful success.
 



Now that it is all over...Mr. Darling doesn't know what to do with himself. I told him, he needs to just relax for now. Thankfully we are planning a long over due vacation in a week. We will be relaxing for five golden days before moving on into our new chapter.
I am sighing a BIG relief.
Whew.