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...