How Sweet it is...

In a society where marriage is down played and bad mouthed a lot I would like to give testimony of a young, happily married woman. I would be lost without my husband, John. One of my greatest joys in life has become to be John's wife. I used to fear losing my own identity with being married and being so absorbed into my husband I would lose who I was. If anything, John has helped me define who I am and who I want to be. Seminary is hard for any couple- especially newlywed couples. Long weeks of work and different schedules can often make me feel like I am single again. John goes to school in the morning when I go to work and then we meet for a quick lunch and he starts his work day when I'm halfway through mine. He works a long day and we have some time together before he studies but never long enough. Our weekends are always great- Saturday night to Sunday night it's the two of us for the whole time! I hate to see those weekends end. It brings me again to a new, full week of what we have been doing for a little over a year now. And I have to remember- why. Why do we go through the separation and my husband spends long evenings studying and we invest our money into books and schooling...because the Lord has called us to the Gospel. No greater calling. This will resonate within me as long as I live and we serve Him.
Lately, I have been struggling consistently with some issues and my husband has been my encourager, the one to talk me straight to the point and turn me to the truth of the Scriptures, and the one to help me start over and get up and face it again. With him, it's easy to put so many fears aside. John is so many things I am not and I benefit greatly from his wisdom and consistency. I am so thankful to the Lord for giving him to me. I could not have chosen anything so good on my own. And after a year of marriage I love him more- I'm so comfortable with him, more trusting towards him, the best of friends with him, and so in love with him I can't help walking away from his desk after he tells me he loves me (with that impish grin, dimples, and his headset still on) with a big, toothy grin- all the way to my car. This is not merely a testament to my husband's good character and the love he shows me, but to the goodness of the Lord and what His love can bring to two mortals marriage. He binds us together to stand together during the difficult times and gives us joy to exhibit to our unsaved co-workers in the midst of overtime and long evenings apart. I have missed him much lately if you can't tell.

Happy Holidays....

I know...I grew up not listening to Christmas music until after Thanksgiving- it was wrong- well not really, but we were pretty serious about it. But I don't care- I'm listening to a Christmas cd tonight and getting out all my Christmas stuff to look at it...because this year with Thanksgiving we will be celebrating Christmas with the Varners since we will all be together. Since the holiday is at our house I have been doing planning with the menu and finding some deals on a table cloth and napkins and trying to decide on my centerpiece. Since we are celebrating Christmas too I have been on the hunt for a 3 foot tall Christmas tree for a few weeks. All the ones I found were about $30- $40.00! I knew I didn't want to spend that much on one and I had been to Garden Ridge and Michaels ane even with a coupon I didn't want to pay that much! I randomly checked Target and found a perfect one- only catch, it had no tags, so I kept checking thinking they had to put the tags on it soon. Well, today was my third time to check and all their trees were decorated- except one- you guessed it- the one I wanted. It was sitting by it's cold and lonesome self. So, I decided, "Forget this..." and began rummaging through the boxes and found my three-foot Fir tree for ....$9.99. I was soooooo happy. I picked that thing up and almost tripped up to the register with excitement (that and the fact I was wearing heels and Target really waxes their floors- yeesh!)
So, now I'm going to go rummage through all the clearance Christmas stuff we picked up last year on the day after Christmas sales and see what we have to decorate with for Thanksgiving.
I really feel so blessed to be the one to be able to host our family for Thanksgiving. I grew up in a home where half the fun was preparing the food and setting a table with beautiful flatware and glassware and freshly pressed napkins and a crisp tablecloth underneath it all. My sisters and I shared so many great memories with my mom during setting the table and preparing the food from menus we had all planned weeks in advance (while we cleaned out the relish tray and the special breads that Steph made- no wonder Dad was the only one to really eat when we all sat down!) All that to say to be able to carry on those same traditions in my own home means so much to me! So thanks to my sisters in law for letting me be so compulsive about the whole thing and nail you down to a menu item four weeks before the date. We are so excited to have you all come and celebrate with us- and we have so much to celebrate this year too!! Two Marriages, a new life, a highschool graduate turned College student and a loving family together once again! I'll miss my little Gordon Thanksgiving, but I have a feeling the love and spirit of gratefulness will still be present with my -sometimes still new- family.