27 Years!!

It's our 27 year anniversary on Friday!  Here's a little tribute to being married to this guy!

27 things I love about being married to Larry:

1. My life is a constant adventure.
2. I have grown out of my comfortable box in many ways.
3. I get to laugh and laugh and laugh.
4. He gets my puns.
5. He melts when I put on perfume.
6. He cooks me the most amazing gourmet meals from leftovers.
7. I've learned what really matters.
8. He tempers my temper.
9. I've learned about the stars and the moon rise/set.
10. I get to really know the words to those Journey songs.
11. He plays Word feud with me.
12. He can usually cheer me up from a bad mood.
13. He will take on my hobbies as his and enjoy them! Hooping!
14. He loves to go with me geocaching in cemeteries.
15. I never need to worry what I'm going to do on the weekends.
16. He's taught me to march to the beat of a different drum.
17. He shows me the importance of evangelism.
18. He's my biggest cheerleader.
19. He fully trusts me.
20. I know what 100% commitment is like.
21. He gets on board with my crazy ideas when I get them!
22. He doesn't mind me shopping on Amazon every day 😊
23. He's my fun multiplier.
24. I get a best friend.
25. He rounds out my rough edges.
26. He's the Tigger to my Eeyore-ness.
27. He challenges me to grow closer to the Lord.

Thank you for the last 27 years Larry!  It's been great (and sometimes not!) but that is life! I pray we have many more to come! Love ya! 💗💗

Thankful heart is a happy heart

Giving Thanks this season for....

(in no particular order)

a job that I love and the ability to make money

a husband that encourages me

kids that are grown and responsible for themselves

My Savior Jesus

a memory that is holding in Philippians so far

beautiful fall weather

time to be able to research things

people that encourage me
a new grandbaby on the way

friends that make me snort when I laugh

bacon and all things keto

pounds I've shed

music and hooping together

a good book I can get lost in

a big comfy bed and going to bed early

a hubby who loves to go on walks with me

the beautiful full moon and a hubby that takes me to see it rise

1 Thessalonians 5:18

in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you

Leviticus 22:29 

And when you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord, offer it of your own free will.

1 Chronicles 16:8 

Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples!

Psalm 69:30 

I will praise the name of God with a song, And will magnify Him with thanksgiving.

Ah....vacations...

Ah, the vacation life.  No place to be, no commitments, no bad news...just pure bliss and relaxation. Yes, I love vacations.  I love the traveling, the relaxing and most definitely the getting away.  

We just got back from a cruise with 4 other couples!  We went to the Caribbean and it was blissful!  If you haven't been on a cruise yet--I highly recommend it!  It's super cheap for all that you get!  The food!!  And there's so much to do..or if you prefer to just sit in a chair on the deck and read a book --you can!! That's the best part!  I love going with our friend every year.  The best part about going with a bunch of people is that's there's always someone to hang out with!  

We played lots of dominoes, danced, ate, snorkeled, swam, hooped and laughed. 

If you haven't tried a cruise! Do it!  It's amazing!

What do we require in our relationships?

Well, I gotta get on my soapbox a minute.  My heart breaks for girls today.

Girls today sell themselves short.  They are quick to give their hearts away in a relationship and even quicker to jump into bed with someone they aren't married to.  They move in with them in the hopes that "probably" they will get married.  Probably?  What are you requiring of him?  You give your all to the relationship without expecting anything in return.  You aren't requiring a solid commitment from him!

Why is this completely accepted in not only the world but also "Christian" circles?

Ladies!  You are worth so much more than that!  You don't need to sell yourself short!  Don't give in to the physical pressures of the guy.  They are requiring you to give in.  What are you expecting of them?  A maybe, someday, hopefully proposal?  That's not a good way to start off a marriage anyway. The statistics on divorce after co-habitation are grim.

Marriage is a wonderful covenant!  It's two people fully committed to one another.  It's two people who completely trust each other.  It's two people who come together with an understanding that they will do whatever it takes to protect their relationship.

So, ladies, protect your virtue.  It is a virtue to remain chaste.  Require a commitment from your guy.  If he is a gentlemen he will honor that.  Don't you want to be married to a gentleman after all?  If he's a gentleman before marriage-he will be a gentleman during your marriage.

And gentlemen, treat your lady right.  Honor God.  Respect her and she will respect you.

Galatians 5:19-22 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders,drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.


The problem with living together

Test driving marriage

Ok, off my soap box now.

What do we require in our relationships?

Well, I gotta get on my soapbox a minute.  My heart breaks for girls today.

Girls today sell themselves short.  They are quick to give their hearts away in a relationship and even quicker to jump into bed with someone they aren't married to.  They move in with them in the hopes that "probably" they will get married.  Probably?  What are you requiring of him?  You give your all to the relationship without expecting anything in return.  You aren't requiring a solid commitment from him!

Why is this completely accepted in not only the world but also "Christian" circles?

Ladies!  You are worth so much more than that!  You don't need to sell yourself short!  Don't give in to the physical pressures of the guy.  They are requiring you to give in.  What are you expecting of them?  A maybe, someday, hopefully proposal?  That's not a good way to start off a marriage anyway. The statistics on divorce after co-habitation are grim.

Marriage is a wonderful covenant!  It's two people fully committed to one another.  It's two people who completely trust each other.  It's two people who come together with an understanding that they will do whatever it takes to protect their relationship.

So, ladies, protect your virtue.  It is a virtue to remain chaste.  Require a commitment from your guy.  If he is a gentlemen he will honor that.  Don't you want to be married to a gentleman after all?  If he's a gentleman before marriage-he will be a gentleman during your marriage.

And gentlemen, treat your lady right.  Honor God.  Respect her and she will respect you.

Galatians 5:19-22 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders,drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.


The problem with living together

Test driving marriage

Ok, off my soap box now.

Carpe Diem!

I've been thinking a lot about death lately.  Morbid I know, but hear me out.  I just went to a funeral for a friend's grandma.  She was 94 years old.  She lived life to the fullest.  She was super active right up until the end.  She got to see her great-great grandkids!  What a life!

I have another friend that is barely in her 40s and was just sent home on hospice care.  She has cancer.  Cancer stinks.  She has a young family and a sweet husband.  It just doesn't seem fair.  She also lives life to the fullest. She is the happiest, sweetest person through all this yuck.  Even now.

I've just been contemplating living life.   Why do so many people put off things -- "I'll travel when I retire" "I'll have kids after my career gets started" -- "I'll go see that relative when I build up some vacation time".  Why the wait?

Shouldn't we be living our lives NOW!  Shouldn't we Carpe Diem and all that!

I know, it's easy to get stuck in a rut.   It's easy to think we have lots of time to do things later.

It's so easy just to fall into the lull of life.

But I want to get out there and live!  I want to do those things now!

Maybe they are big things like traveling, or moving, or learning something new.

But it's also the small things--like visiting with that person, or saying hello to someone, or having a conversation that you've needed to have with someone, or giving a hug.

Take time to do the things you've been wanting to do. Time is a valuable commodity.  It's the only thing that once we use it we can't get it back.

I don't want grass to grow under my feet.  I want to go and do and see and live my life NOW!

So go out and seize your day!  You won't regret it!

Grandma Status!

So the big news of the year.... I'm going to be a grandma!!! A friend told me don't say "I'm going to be" because I already am! Yes, that is true! There's a new life growing right at this moment.

I can't believe my daughter and her hubby are going to have their own little sweetie pie.  It's a surreal feeling.  Your kids having their own kids.  I'm really happy and excited for them!

I just want to spill out everything I think and know and have learned.  But that wouldn't really be helpful.  They will learn and grow into their own.  I'm sure they will do things differently than we did.  (Thankfully!) I'm sure I'll disagree with things and wish things were done differently.  But they will probably do some things similar too.  Either way, I need to be OK with it.

I'm looking forward to this new role.  I'm excited to be a grandma!  I'm wondering how do I be an influence, show love, and be involved without being "the mom".  I guess it's probably a lot like I'm doing now with my adult children.  I stay involved, text, send presents, ask questions, show them I'm there if they need anything, keep the lines of communication open.

It's an exciting new chapter!

Grandkids!

I really feel too young for this to be happening!

But I'm just thrilled to see my kids raising their own kids.

Doing the happy dance!!

Any advice for this new grandma?  Comment below!