Prayer Warriors Needed.

I am writing tonight to ask my readers to pray or think good thoughts or just take a second out of their own lives to give whatever they can to a family I know.

This family has 4 members. a dad, a mom, and 2 small boys (both under 3) and live somewhere in Texas.  The father in this family found out a few weeks ago that he had a tumor on his brain, on his pituitary gland.  During his pre-op appointment, he under went a CT scan and other testing.  After his doctors reviewed his CT scan, they informed the family that the father had 5 abnormalities on his right lung.

I ask that you pray for this man, this family, and the doctors and nurses charges with taking care of him.

This family is one of the sweetest, kindest, and God fearing families I know.  The dad is also a veteran of the USMC, he served with my husband.  These two young boys need their father.  And the world needs him, because he will do great things.

The father goes back in Monday for further testing and goes in for surgery on Wednesday.  Please pray for this family.

God Bless You All.

Faith. My journey. Part 2.

When my husband deployed, I knew my faith in God needed to restored and empowered.  I needed to learn about my God, I needed to trust Him, and I needed to live a life He would be proud of.  I knew for my sanity this needed to happen.  I needed to let my burdens fall (of being a single mother with my husband deployed) and rest not on my own shoulders.  I needed to know I was being taken care of and that my family would be safe.  I needed to understand that no matter what happened, it was His plan and not my own.  I needed to know that only Heaven awaited my family and that this life is just a blimp on the radar, and therefore this deployment was just a blink of an eye, in the grand scheme of things.  I needed God for me and I needed God to cope.  
And so I connected with other women online who shared my passion for furthering our relationships with God, I started reading my Bible, I started an independent Bible study, and I started going to church.  I started praying at night and any time I felt I needed to, before meals, during stressful parts of my day, when I was upset.  I lifted it all up to Him.  And He carries the weight.  He carries the weight of a son in war, He carries the weight of a friend needing surgery to remove a brain tumor, He carries it all.  And do you know, my back hurts less, I have fewer headaches, and I feel more relaxed on a daily basis.  He is my rock.  
And over these last few months, I have found I trust the Lord.  I trust Him enough to go to bed every night knowing that even though my husband is deployed serving our country, he is safe.  I know that my family will be provided for no matter what, but that I should use my money to honor Him, not to honor myself.  (This is one reason I am compelled to share my story through the Internet, why not take advantage of this gift.). And I know that with my listening to the Lord, instead of my own heart, I will follow the path in life I am supposed to follow.  And because of this, I am at peace with my future.  It does not stress me out.  (Okay, I will be completely honest, it does not stress me out as much).  
I am proud to say I am Christian.  I am proud to read my Bible.  I am no longer ashamed of praying in public.  I will yell my belief and faith to all who will listen.  I am looking forward to further strengthening my relationship with God and giving it all over the only person who really can make or break my life.  

Faith. My journey. Part 1.

As a small child, I did not go to church.  My family did not pray before meals or bedtime.  I watched R rated movies, before I knew what R rated meant.  I had a Bible, given to me from a family member, but I never read it.  Until, I started going to church with a friend of my mom's around the age of 4.  I would ride the church bus to and from church.  I participated in Sunday school and children's church.  I remember loving being allowed to go to big people church on Sundays that children's church was not taking place.  I started going to G.A.s or Girls in Action.  I even went to a summer camp.  
I was saved and gave my heart to Jesus when I was 5 or 6, but I did it because I thought I should.  I do not remember believing in God or Heaven, mainly because I don't think I understood any of it.  As a grew older my "belief" in Jesus Christ stayed the same.  I was a Christian because my fiends were Christians.  I was saved because I was told it was the only way by the adults at church.  I memorized Bible verses, but never understood what they meant to me.  In the 6th grade my church switched from G.A.s to AWANAs, for which I was too old for.  I was also too young for the teen service.  I stopped going to church altogether.
It wasn't until high school I started exploring church again, when I went with a friend of mine to a Wednesday night youth group.  The youth group was fun, inviting, and friendly.  I remember God moving my heart that He was there for me.  But then the preacher told me if I didn't believe in Jesus Christ, I would die a horrible death.  At 14 or 15, I was too young to understand the scare tactics.  I was also too young to understand that what a preacher says may not be true.  But in my head, I did not want to believe in a God that would have no mercy on mankind.  I stopped going to church.
My sophomore year of high school, I met a guy.  He was a Catholic.  I had never encountered a Catholic.  I had never been to a Catholic church.  And so I explored what the Catholic church offered after his family invited me to church with them.  I found myself loving the church, the priest, the environment, the homilies, and everything about the church.  But I realized, I wasn't learning.  In a Catholic church you do not take your Bible, you do not receive a bulletin or program.  I did not pick up my Bible once in the almost 2 years I went to that church.  
I just couldn't bring myself to believe in a God I didn't know about.  During my senior year of high school, I read a book called Dummies Book of World Religions.  After reading the book, I realized that I was a Christian.  But I had no faith.  And so I made a vow to learn about Jesus Christ and believe in Him with all my heart.  I even started praying.
However, this vow was short lived with too many late nights and too many college classes, because as a freshman in college, I learned about partying and alcohol.  Not about God.  After my sophomore year I got married, and while my husband and I talked about going to church, it took us a long while to actually go.  It wasn't until February 2010 that we went to church for the first time together.  It never stuck, but we went occasionally, as long as Maggie would cooperate.  And it was wonderful to grow my faith in the Lord along side my husband.  But those visits also stopped as we made excuses for our not attending.  
But then my husband deployed...

Wordless Wednesday 8/17/11

Happy Anniversary. Our Story. Day 7.

     But with all the details of my wedding, I remember one thing most. How proud and overjoyed and thankful and humbled, that this man I met when I was 14 was choosing me as his wife. I remember the calm that overcame me when I said I do (both times) and how when I walked in the doors and saw my groom for the first time on our wedding day how everyone else in the church disappeared and it was just him and I. I thank God at the same moment a tear escaped my eyes, because I was about to embark on the rest of my life with the best man I have ever met as my husband.


     I remember the brief private moment in the back of the church as we exited the sanctuary and the smile that my husband gave me. It was a smile that said he was as happy to be my husband as I was to be his wife. I remember the first time my new last name was said publicly and how weird it sounded, but how happy I was for it to be my name. I remember the love the swelled in my heart as we danced to "Need I Say More" and looked into his eyes.

     I remember calling him a silly monkey during my vows and the church laughing without knowing what it meant to us. I remember driving away with a pan full of food, laughing about how we were only going to be gone one night. I remember us laughing at how long it took me to get all the hairspray out of my hair even though my hair was down for the wedding. And I remember the beating of his heart as we fell asleep that night.

      It wasn't about the flowers or the cake or the food, it was about marrying the man of my dreams. And today it isn't about the house we live in or the cars we drive or the dinners we enjoy out, it is about the growing and nurturing of that love each and everyday. And as we celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary today, I still thank God every night for bringing Scott back to me again and again. I thank God for the fact that I love my husband more today than I did the day we married. And I thank God that we can now share the love we have to one another with our beautiful daughter.

     And today as I sit celebrating our anniversary alone, I thank God that my husband is fighting for my freedom. That he is fulfilling his duty to our country and it's people. I know that we are apart, but this deployment has only made our hearts closer, our love stronger, and our marriage invincible. I just hope that my husband knows how much I do love him, no matter where he is at.

     Today I celebrate 4 years of marriage to the man of my dreams!

     Scott, I love you more than words can describe, but I will never stop trying. Please stay safe & come home soon, your family loves and misses you greatly.

Our Vows.

Scott to me...
Carla, you are my best friend. I have promised to support and encourage you in everything that you do. When you don't feel well I promise to do everything I can to make you more comfortable. I promise to love you and put you first in my life. I just hope that God lets us stay married in Heaven because " until death do us part" just isn't long enough.


Mine to Scott...
What do I say to my soulmate? There is nothing beautiful enough to say to you. All I can say is that because of you my days are brighter and rain clouds are less gloomy. You are my best friend, my other half, my soulmate. I will always be true to my silly monkey. I will be the best person I cant be for you. And I will always be there for you, through thick and thin. I will always be beside you. I love you and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you.


Today, these would be my vows...
Scott, I promise to love you no matter where you are or where you end up.  I promise to cherish every moment.  I promise to be the best person I can be for you and for our family.  I promise to always kiss you goodnight and to always say I love you before you leave.  I promise to cuddle with you and watch Top Gear.  I promise to nurture our love and to put our family and you before all else.  I promise that I will listen when you have a problem and be a shoulder to lean on when you need me.  I promise to love you forever and a day, because forever is just not long enough.  I promise to be yours for all of my days.

Our Story. Day 6.

     We still had our traditional wedding on August 11, 2007 at First Baptist Church of Geneva, Florida surrounded by our closest family and friends. About 70 people showed for our wedding. We wrote our own vows and had to scripture readings. We did not like a unity candle. We lit a candle in memory of my grandmother and let an empty stair spot in memory of Scott's good friend who had committed suicide soon after we were engaged.


     I had 3 bridesmaids and a maid of honor, Scott had 2 groomsmen and a best man. We had both a flower girl and a ring bearer. Scott's maternal grandmother played the piano for us. The groomsmen sat our grandparents and my mom. My daddy walked me down the aisle to meet my Marine at the alter that I gave my heart to Jesus on. I cried through out my vows. He memorized his. And then we were announced as husband and wife under the eyes of God.

     My sister announced us at the reception, mispronouncing our last name. We ate barbecue for our reception dinner, with sweet tea. We ate our cake, yellow cake with bovarian cream and butter cream frosting. We toasted with sherbert punch in penguin painted glasses. We danced and mingled. My maid of honor cried when I danced with my dad. And the best man made everyone laugh.

     I threw my bouquet and he removed my garter. We drove away in a 1965 red Mustang convertible with soda cans tied to the bumper. We then whisked away to our honeymoon suite in Tampa, Florida. It was perfect...

Our Story. Day 5.

     So I went back to Kentucky and started planning a wedding.  It was easy for us to set a date and we quickly booked a church. I made save the date cards with out engagement photograph. My wedding dress chose our colors. I bought decorations. I picked out flowers. I had a cake tasting. I helped my bridesmaids pick out dresses, which took longer than it took me to pick out me dress. I planned food. I made invitations. We booked a honey money, a Bahamian cruise. But then logistics got us.
     Because see, I lived in Kentucky and Scott in North Carolina, and we were getting married in my hometown in Florida. Scott scrutinized leave and travel plans. And we realized he didn't have enough leave to go on our honey moon and come to Florida in time to apply for and get our marriage license. How can you get married without a marriage license? We could not change our cruise, it was paid for but we couldn't and refused to have a wedding but not be married.

     And so after conversations, we decided that on one of my monthly trips to North Carolina we would get married at the justice of the peace on a Friday afternoon in Jacksonville, North Carolina. And so that is exactly what we did, without telling anyone, Scott and I were married by the magistrate in Jacksonville, North Carolina on June 1, 2007 a mere 6 months after our first date. After we were married we set up house, Scott lived in it, I lived in Florida with my parents for the summer of our wedding. And two months later...

Our Story. Day 4.

     And so we split ways, but we continued to text and talk on the phone. It was obvious to both of us we were together, exclusively. We were going to make this work. We were going to deal with the distance, because we loved each other and deserved to give our love a chance, when we had given up before. We were going to do this.
     In mid-January while talking on the phone one evening, I was told to start looking at rings. And I did (every girl wants to hear that line). And I found what I wanted and found that it was outside our price range. But then I called my mom. I asked her for the ring my dad had given her since she had "upgraded" a few years ago. And so my ring came together. We bought a new setting for the diamond, because I wanted white gold and had it remounted in Florida. The ring was shipped to me and I sat looking at it's box for almost a week before I was allowed to see it.

     The weekend following Valentine's Day I flew from Lexington, KY to Jacksonville, NC to spend a long weekend with Scott. The day I arrived we checked into our hotel and started getting ready. We had a photoshoot that evening for engagement photos. But I still wasn't wearing an engagement ring. I pointed this out and demanded he give me my ring before our photoshoot, because you cannot go get engagement photos without your engagement ring.

     After I was completely ready, decked out in my pink sweater and pearls, Scott had me sit down on the bed. He told me that he loved me and would love me my whole life. He then asked if I would marry him. (This was just a formality, but still very special.). He did not get down on one knee and he did not cry. But when he asked, I cried and of course said yes...

Our Story. Day 3.

     On Christmas Eve, Scott again text messages me to wish me a merry Christmas. After brief formality, he asked me to go to dinner with him on December 27th. He would tell you today it was out of boredom and desperation that he asked me, I was a last resort and he really just didn't want to go to his favorite restaurant alone. But several questions surrounded this dinner. Was it a date? What do I wear? Am I going to pay for myself? (We didn't realize until later that it was indeed a date.)


     So that Thursday, I got ready. I dressed casually but nice, since I didn't know where I was going. I straightened my hair and put on make-up. I wore a pink sweater, jeans, and my pointy toed boots. I have NO CLUE what he wore. Horrible, I know. He even picked me up. On the way to dinner, we talked about college and his new found enjoyment of country music (something he never listened to in high school). We talked about his job and his joining of the United States Marine Corps.

     I soon was told we were going to a restaurant called Seasons 52. It is a delicious restaurant, but I soon realized my company was mpeven nicer than the food. I found myself hanging on his every word, laughing at his jokes, and getting nervous. I was starting to realize that I liked him, again, again. We enjoyed dinner and dessert. We soon realized that we were not ready for the date to be over and went bowling, an activity we loved in high school and still loved years later. We joked and laughed and continued to catch up (and I checked out his butt when he bowled). After two games, we were getting bored, but again realized that we were not ready to end the date and go home.

     We decided to go see a movie. And so we saw Happy Feet because of Scott's slightly unhealthy obsession with penguins. On the way to the movie, I felt tensions rising and felt myself drawn to him. And so during the movie, we even held hands. And we may have even shared a kiss. After the movie, Scott drove me home, we shared a goodnight kiss and we parted ways.

     The next afternoon I invited him to my house for pizza and movies. He accepted the invitation. After this date, we were inseparable for the next 6 days. We got drunk on New Years, hung out with his dad, went out to dinner, and much more. One night (not New Years Eve, but not sure which night), laying on the couch watching television, Scott told me he loved me and I told him I loved him back. On our last night together, before Scott was to return to Maryland for MOS school, I watched him pack and I silently cried. I was about to say goodbye to the love of my life and there was no telling what the future was to hold...

Our Story. Day 2.

     So he hated me and I moved on. I just don't think either one of us really ever got over each other. Because as luck (bad luck, but luck) had it, Scott decided to call me in August 2005 to go to dinner. But the bad luck had it, our dinner date was the night before I moved from Florida to Kentucky to go to college. But we had a great time on our date and knew that something was still there. Though we never pursued a long distance relationship. It would never have worked anyway. We did keep in touch though through text messaging ever few months.
      During the 18 months that I was at the University of Kentucky we both pursued other relationships, I seriously and him casually. My relationship in college began to fall apart and just before Christmas of 2006, I broke things off with my boyfriend. I then went home to Florida, just wanting to have fun for 3 weeks before returning to both school and work.

     However, this trip home ended up being much different than I would have ever planned because of a man home on Christmas exodus...

Our Story. Day 1.

     My husband and I will celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary in one week.  So I came up with the idea to tell our story over the next week.  To get it down in writing.  To immortalize it.  We are together because of God and everyone should know that.  And everyone should know that I married the perfect man for me.  I wish so much that my husband could kiss me on our anniversary, but instead I will write our story.  Enjoy.


     It all started 10 years ago. I was a freshman in high school. He was a senior. And on a humid October night, fate intervened in each of our lives. See Lori, a mutual friend, brought new-to-town Scott to the homecoming football game. She introduced us. He introduced himself as Bob. I laughed as I quickly figured out that I wanted to get to know this older guy with long hair and a goatee.
     And so we did just that. At that football game, we talked. Well, truthfully I probably talked a lot and he probably listened a lot. However, I did find out he moved from Virginia to Florida just weeks prior and that he had a car (because when you are 14 that IS important). He walked me to the slushy stand and held me hand on the way back (oh high school romance). We watched the game (which we won) and hung out with my friends on the canon firing squad. The game ended, my mom called telling me she was there to pick me up, and we kissed. (Don't judge me, okay?)

     We did not exchange numbers. We did not plan a date (I am not sure I was actually allowed to date yet anyway). I just thought that would be it. But I was hooked. Afterwards, I grilled our mutual friend to find out how I could find him and how I could see him again. If he did the same thing, I will never know, but I doubt that he did. But again fate intervened. We ended up attending the same youth group concert.

     That concert was were it all sparked. We hung out the whole time, holding hands I am sure and enjoying each others company. That night we did exchange phone numbers. And from then on out, we spoke on the phone almost every night and saw each other at school as much as we could. We started going out to movies and bowling. He would come over to my house for dinner and swimming. I went to his house and made cookies.

     Our relationship was rocky and we broke up and got back together again, in good high school fashion, many times. We dated about 8 months on and off. As graduation approached, I got scared.  He was leaving me behind and because I was young, I didn't bother talking to him. And the day after his senior prom (poor timing, I admit), I broke up with him. He hated me from that day forward...