Where Did the Time Go?

She used to be so tiny....

A goofy little snuggle bug.

Now, she weighs a 100 lbs and cracks ribs when she jumps up, with that twinkle in her eye, CATCH ME!!

If I have problems with my dog growing up, whatever will I do in a few years with children?!?

I am undeniably, certifiably, without-a-doubt much too nostalgic for little babies of any type. However, will I make it, without acquiring baby goats, chicks, kittens, and/or an entire brood of my own.

Note to self, flipping through baby pictures of any sort, is a surefire way to bring about a need to cuddle and snuggle something tiny and soft.

Lord help me.

Roasting

Oh how I wish we could catch a break....

A break in the weather that is. Texas is roasting, literally. We have seen nothing but triple digits for months.

I digress, I miss that Colorado breeze. I just need one day, one little storm to help me out.

Watering the garden at 5 am and 10 pm has made me a little crabby on a few days.

Ah well, at least we get to break in our ice cream maker today, and dip our toes in some colder water....

Summer will be over in three months.

I'm pretty sure by then I will be a french fry!

A Daddy to Me

This Father's Day is one spent far away from my Dad, but alongside another man whom I love and adore, and believe was a Daddy if only for a moment. My husband.

Our story is not one free of pain or heartache, but rather it is a story of how two people made the decision to go ahead together, figuring they worked better together and stronger together than apart.

I met my husband at a coffee shop where I worked through college. He was a sweet, kind man, who gave me butterflies whenever he walked in. I would drop everything just to help him, hoping to catch a glimmer of that sweet smile, hear that deep voice. My heart would leap up into my chest, and my breath would catch, especially in the moment he asked me to go to dinner. We ended up talking for hours, never making it to the movies, but relishing in those moments over our coffee.

It took months for my husband to tell me this (then my boyfriend), but on the night we hugged goodnight after that fateful first date, my husband knew we would get married. He had a dream a few years before about him and another woman sitting on a beach somewhere. He never saw her face, but could see that she had red hair. The smell of her hair, the freckles on her skin, all appeared to him so vividly. Then, God's voice resounded from the Heavens, saying, "Do not be afraid, I have someone for you."

On the night my husband hugged me, the night of our first date, he said I smelled just like the woman in his dream. That my hair matched hers, and my freckles were a connection of hers. I was the girl from his dream.

And since then, he has been the man in mine.

A year ago, when we said good-bye to our first little one, I thought for sure my heart would remain empty, that I would never be the same. While, I have been changed by that day, I love more now than I ever have.

We made two cross-country moves in less than four months, and now live happily and quietly in the country. Our life is not our own, this much we know for sure. But every day is a gift, and every day spent with my husband is a reminder of how God gave me the greatest gift of all.

Love.

Love beyond all measure, love without boundaries, love free from restraint, love from this amazing man.

He may have only been a Daddy for a short while, but this day still belongs to the man who stole my heart years ago.

Tomorrow we celebrate our anniversary, two amazingly celebratory days, but with the love of your life, everyday is a dream come true.

May we stay this way forever.

In a mere three days...

On Monday, I will celebrate my second anniversary, with my very best friend, one of the greatest men I have ever known. Most wouldn't believe what has happened in just two short years, but together we have weathered a violent attack, say our good-bye's to our first little one, gaining the love and companionship of Molly, moving for a job, moving again four months later, and now living here in the country, working side by side.

My husband is my greatest accomplishment, he is my whole world. Everyday I get to spend with him is a gift from above. My heart swells with pride, knowing he chose me. He chose to honor me with the title of being 'his' wife. There is no gift greater than this.

Our lives were destined to meet, and I am so grateful to God for blessing me with the love of a Godly, honorable, kind-hearted, and handsome to boot, man.

Look Up

The need is great but the workers are few

When looking out into the wonderment of God's creation, I can't help but wonder what I am supposed to be doing.....

Is there some greater plan for me? Is there something BIG I should be doing with my life?

And then I hear His voice, deep within my soul, reassuring me, that my place is in my home, writing books for little ones, my feet dirty from walking around the garden. My accomplishments for the day do not amount to a 401K, but rather, they fill my spiritual and emotional account, as I taught myself the skills of making homemade laundry detergent and homemade peanut butter. I didn't solve world hunger, or alter the world on a grandeur level, but I did (and do) love my husband with all my heart and loved on Molly girl, praying fervently to continually be molded into the wife, daughter, sister, friend that God wants me to be.

The Heavens are vast, and life is full of promise; a promise not for comfortable living, rather a promise for abundant living. It's there, all you have to do is try.

At the end of the day....

At the end of the day, when the minutes have passed to hours, and the sun begins its descent behind the horizon, when the days chores are done, the hubbub of life is hushed...

At the end of the day, all that matters is that we are loved. That someone loves us beyond all recognition, someone cares enough to hug us, to let us know how important they are to us.

In case, you haven't heard this today, I care for you and about you. If there is a prayer that needs to be said, something that needs to be asked, a wound that needs healing, a void to be filled, I'm your girl. We all need to be needed and we all need to know how important we are.

At the end of the day, we all matter.

Little House

Living here has changed me....

I look up towards the Heavens and smile....

Feeling the bevel of the wood, the crispness of the air, the warmth of the sunrise, the ease of living in the country....

Grateful every day for God's amazing plan and providing our little house....

We live by a saying here, Never despise humble beginnings.

Beginning, middle, or end....we are in it together.

And that my friends, makes me the richest girl in the world.