Completing Him Challenge - Week 4

This weeks Marriage challenge is:
Admire Your Husband

If you are a blogger write a post all about your husband and what you admire in him and then show it to him! He will smile! If you are not a blogger, list the things you admire about your husband in the comment section and show it to him! You may THINK he already knows the things you admire about him - but I'm afraid we don't tell our husbands often enough how much we do. So here's your chance to selflessly gush about your man! And don't forget to link up over at The Women Living Well Blog




Here is what I admire about the man I love:

- Allen has such a gentle calming presence. His voice, his touch ... no matter what the circumstance he can put me at easy.

- He reassures me and our kids often of his love and delight for us. We know he loves us, but it is so so nice to hear it regularly.

- Gotta say I those muscles ... and not just because they are so attractive. He can carry my over packed suitcase with easy. He can open any jar or container I hand him. He can lift a four year old in one arm and two year old in the other and still master several flights of stairs!

- He is such a hard worker and cares very much about doing a good job at whatever he is working on. He is a wonderful leader and provider for our family.

- He has the amazing ability to fix things! I've only called a plumber once in our 17 years of marriage. Stoves, washmachines, toilets, electrical wiring, cars, trucks and old lawn mowers ... he understands it all.

- He cares very much about treating others with kindness and respect. And I adore that he is teaching that to our kids.

- He cares deeply for our extended families and goes to great lengths to make sure we spend time with them. Family is very important to him and close to his heart.

- He is an amazing listener ... I knew this long before I married him, even before I dated him. He is a great friend, cares greatly about what his friends think and feel.

- He has the most amazing eyes!!! And when he smiles there have always been these tiny lines in the corner of his eyes ... not sure how to explain it except that I am so drawn to those eyes! And two of our boys have almost exactly the same eyes.

- He has studied me and knows me like no one else. He sees my feelings, he cares and he listens. He has always let me be just me. I am completely comfortable to be just me with him. He knows when I need encouragement, and when I need silence. He knows when I need his tender embrace but also knows when I need my own space.

- He makes me feel safe, protected and cared for.

Completing Him Challenge - Week 1

It's Week #1 of the Completing Him Challenge, hosted by Courtney over at Women Living Well.

Proverbs 5:18b&19 tells husbands "May you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer - may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love."

The challenge this week is to remember those dating days ... those days of courtship before you were man and wife, back when he first captivated your heart and you captivated his. Share pictures or stories from your dating days. So here are a few of our dating memories:


As you can see (by the prom attire) we were indeed highschool sweethearts. Its hard for me to believe that this picture was taken over 20 years ago. There are a lot more photos from those days ... but I just have to find time to scan them in. We have 5 kids now, so time is something I'm a bit short on.




This picture was taken at his graduation party. He graduated 2 years before me ... this was such a bittersweet day for me. Happy and proud for him, yet I knew it meant having to say goodbye soon as he was joining the NAVY. Long distance relationships are tough, but God knew what He was doing. We grew closer through letters and occasional phone calls. Those were most certainly not easy years, my heart ached for him every day. I remember wondering if something that hard was really "worth it" ... was it worth the loneliness till we could be together again? We were engaged just after I graduated and married the following summer. If I could go back in time I would tell my then teenage self to hang in there because it is so much more than "worth it". I could not have even imagined the life and blessings that God would bring our way. I still thank my hubby for making me his wife, for waiting through those lonely times till we could be together.

25 Days of Christmas Ornaments #9 and Happy Birthday to the Man I Lovve!

I just love the ideas my friend Carrie comes up with!! First the Alphabitty Moments and now 25 Days of Christmas Ornaments. Please visit her blog to see the MckLinky and take part or just to look at all the beautiful ornaments and stories that other bloggers are posting.


And I should probably explain that today is also my wonderful, adorably gorgeous husband's birthday. Happy Birthday Honey!!! His mom was great to save some of his childhood ornaments too ... this was an arts and crafts project he made and painted one year:

Count your blessings Monday

Thanks to Marci for hosting Count Your Blessings Mondays


Hmmm ... How did it get to be Monday again already?

Well, today as I count my blessings, I'm counting to 15 ...
I've been blessed to be married my WONDERFUL man for these last 15 years
Yes, I know ... we look awfully young






See the wonderful blessings of 15 years of love,and marriage ... ok, so 15 years of marriage and 5 kids has been lots of hard work, too, but certainly the best years of my life. Years full of joy and sorrow, ups and downs, fun and stress ... And there is no one I'd rather share it all with than this wonderful man who married me 15 years ago (on July 17th). I love you!

My Wonderful Hubby

My laptop has obviously been a God send and sanity saver for me over these last few weeks on bed rest, but laying on my side is by far the more comfortable position, but not very agreeable to typing. Works fine for reading stuff online, because I just use my wireless mouse to scroll and click. But when I want to type I either have to lean on my left arm and type only with my right or sit up quite a bit, which can cause my belly to get really hard ... I was telling Allen I needed a break from typing emails for a bit, so I could lay back down & he asked what I meant, so I explained to him what I just explained above. My adorable husband got this huge grin and said "I'll be right back!" When he came back he was carrying an old key board to our desktop computer (kids use it as a toy now). Allen plugged it into my laptop and then I could lay back, put a pillow under my right hip, so I'm not laying on my left side, but tipped that way (laying on my back is very uncomfortable, too). I can rest the key board on my leg and type while lying there and it does not make my belly hard at all!!!! Isn't he just the cutest, smartest, most adorable guy ever!?!? OK, no answers really needed. I know how great he is! Just thought you'd like to see how cute he has me all set up.

Notice: laptop up on a tray, TV and DVD remotes in a basket, so they don't get lost in the covers. And the remote to my stereo is on the window ledge behind me. Plenty of pillows, Z's stuffed puppy, a bottle of coke & my bottle of water, my bible, lotion for dry hands and both a home phone and my cell phone. A couple things you can't see are the card games and chapstick in the bottom of the remote basket and the reading materials in my book bag sitting behind my laptop. Guess this is where I'll stay, at least until I have to pee again

Rejoicing in not understanding

Why is it that all of our boys have loved things that have wheels and make loud noises? Our daughter never thought those kinds of things were extraordinary :) But all of our boys fight over who gets to "help" dad mow the lawn. Now, from the paranoid mama mind ... this seems like a very bad idea (as a lawn mower could potentially cause bodily harm), but I trust my hubby and I see how very much the boys enjoy helping dad with his "chores". I do hope they grow up to be just like this dad they adore so much. God has blessed me with a wonderful man! Lots of things I'll never really understand about him or our sons, but that's OK, they are wonderful sons of a living God and I'm proud to love them.