Far Above Rubies

Babe - Today is your 33rd birthday.  I remember when we were first talking, right before we "officially" started dating, and you had just celebrated your 18th birthday.  It's amazing how quickly 15 years goes by... I want to thank you for the incredible person you are.  You lead our family, and do it selflessly.  You love our children unconditionally and, to them, you are a hero.  You are my biggest supporter, while helping to make sure I don't get in over my head.  You are an amazing son and brother, son-in-law and brother-in-law.  Your nieces giggle at you.  Your friends appreciate you.  Your co-workers respect you.  You have an ability to lead complete strangers into worship when you sit behind the drums.  God has used and is using you to touch the lives of so many people! I love how motivated, passionate and driven you are while still kindly dealing with others feelings.  My heart skips a beat when you send me random ...

From the time I found out I was going to be a mom, I began praying fervently for two things... 1.) That my child(ren) would come to know, love and accept Christ at a young age. 2.) That my child(ren) would have a servant heart like Jesus. I grew up in a home where my parents showed my sisters and me what it is like to love God by serving.  They serve together in my childhood home as husband/wife and parents.  They both serve in church ministry.  They serve other people by; opening up their home for counseling, providing meals for families when they are going through an overwhelming life change, speaking words of encouragement during difficult times, supporting their children and grandchildren unconditionally, and the list goes on... We are products of who are parents are.  I had the best role models and now I want my children to see ME serving.  I want to teach them what it means to serve your family inside the home, to volunteer your time and resources a...

I wrote this post in 2015 and thought, at that point, that I had finally found the perfect stroller.  That was... until I discovered the REAL perfect stroller last week!  I. Am. In. LOVE. Here is what our stroller journey has looked like... I have a slight stroller obsession. Since Isabella was born in the summer of 2009 we have officially owned 15 strollers!  It is something that drives my husband crazy, yet he's the reason it's so difficult to find something we love.  At 6 foot tall, pushing strollers is awkward for Dave.  He ends up hunched over or kicking the back with each stride.  It is uncomfortable for him, and he sincerely dislikes the task. Our first stroller was a Graco Travel System, and was a baby shower gift.  It was perfect for our infant and toddler needs with both Bella and Abbi.  However, as the girls got bigger we wanted something that folded more compactly.  When we sold our car seat and bases, the stroller went with...

For 4 years and 10 months I have been a stay at home mom.  It is something I've always wanted to do and am thankful, in an economy where it is financially difficult for many women to be home with their kids, to have the opportunity.  I love being the one to meet my children's day to day needs; to wipe away the tears, put band-aids on boo boos, check out the zoo, go the the museum, run around the yard, spend afternoons baking, and simply be their most influential role model. I love being a stay at home wife; cleaning and taking care of our home, cooking the meals, washing and folding laundry, grocery shopping, helping maintain the lawn and gardens, shoveling (although I'm completely over that right now) snow, and running errands. However, there are times I feel swallowed up.  Moments where the days just blend together and I wonder what, if I had time, my hobbies would be.  I gave up a career teaching, a career I thoroughly enjoyed and spent my years at college pre...

One of the nice things about cold/flu season, and a house full of sick lovies, is the chance to actually sit and write.  Today, 3 months after our anniversary, I'm finally having the chance to write about the amazing 10 years Dave and I have been married and how we celebrated our anniversary...on a budget of course. For any of you who know me, I am a planner.  I don't do things last minute.  I read 100 webpages and blogs to find out the best places to visit, the best things to see, the best times to go, and all for the most cost effective price. For our anniversary Dave and I were sure of two things; we wanted to go away without the girlies, and we wanted to have friends go with us.  So, we talked to Alfie, Kimi, Dave and Donna, who all agreed to join us, and the planning began! As we discussed where we wanted to go in the blustery month of November, we were unanimous that it needed to be someplace warm.  We looked into all inclusive resorts and cruises. ...

In the spring of 2010 I had a horrible sinus infection which was treated by amoxicillin.  My intestinal track did not respond well to that medication and I ended with Clostridium Difficile Colitis (more commonly known as c-diff) which took months to get under control.  During that time I was teaching kindergarten at Bread of Life Christian Academy and taking care of Isabella, who was still just a baby.  It was exhausting and challenging. That May, Dave and I made the decision that this would be my final year teaching.  I was going to be able to live my dream as a stay-at-home-mom while working on getting myself  physically  better.  What we did not  anticipate  was the surprise that, when Bella was just 10 months old, we were having another baby! It had taken us over a year to get pregnant with Bella.  A year of disappointments and heartache when each month would go by and still no baby.  A year when  fertility ...