Song of Solomon 3:4

"I have found the one whom my soul loves."

Song of Solomon 3:4

A little over 2 years ago, I walked down a rose petal covered aisle towards a handsome man in an Air Force uniform. I remember the beautiful church, my dad's hand holding the crook of my arm, and being surrounded by our family & friends. But even more than those things, I remember locking eyes with my best friend and mouthing "I love you" because I just couldn't wait any longer. I was walking towards my new life; a life filled with adventure & spontaneity. A life spent with someone who God purposefully made, just for me...and me for him. A life of understanding, support, and unconditional love. Our anniversary this year was especially meaningful as we had spent more than a month apart before finally reconnecting in Vegas. Being apart so much is often times really (REALLY) tough. But it also reminds us both how important we are to one another, and how imperative it is that we not take each other (or our relationship) for granted. As I threw my arms around him when I first saw him in Vegas, my heart was instantly flooded with memories of our wedding day...it was a sweet, sweet moment. I look forward to a lifetime of those moments, of many more happy memories, and of love that takes my breath away.

Chris ~ I love you more today, than yesterday. And I will love you more tomorrow still.

Happy Anniversary!

San Antonio Rose

Deep within my heart lies a melody,

A song of old San Antone,

Where in dreams I live with a memory

Beneath the Stars all alone.

~Bob Wills : New San Antonio Rose~

I am proud to say that I am indeed one of the "crazies" who swear, hand over heart, that Texas is, by far, the best state in America. Though I don't live there anymore, after spending the past month reacquainting myself with my hometown, I realized how much I miss it. I had almost forgotten how much I love the slow & steady pace, the brilliant blue skies, the low-key down-to-earth people, and the soft southern drawl that greets me like an old friend no matter where I go. I went to the Ft. Worth rodeo and teared up when one by one, cowboys on horseback took off their hats while riding past the American flag. When the lights dimmed, and the Star Spangled Banner was played, everyone stood (EVERYONE), took off their hats, and sang. Maybe it's because I've been out of the country for the past year, but I haven't been filled with that much pride in a long time. I went to Canton with my mom for 1st Monday (it's a Texas thing) and spent about 15 minutes talking an older gentleman about his faith, his land, & his family. We had just stopped in his stall to browse his merchandise and he brought up the Lord (in that ever-present drawl that I was describing before!). We talked, and the conversation turned to Chris and him being in the military. This man, this total stranger, stopped the conversation and told me how proud he was of Chris, of what he is doing, and thanked him & I both for our commitment to our great country. It was touching & kind, and it reminded me of all the loving support we have...even if it's not always portrayed that way on the news. I went with my Dad to a Bob Wills tribute concert at the beautiful Bass Hall in Ft. Worth. Asleep at the Wheel did an amazing job of "tipping their hat" to the great Texas Swing icon. We heard the Quebe Sisters Band as well, which was a trio of fabulous Texas-style fiddlers who sang as well. It was an awesome concert, and I had a great date too :) I ate at the scrumptious Manny's in Dallas w/ Gayle (Chris's mom) & Shirley (Chris's aunt), and continued the Tex-Mex trend @ On the Border w/ Chris's grandmama & his aunt Dianne. I got my fill of some much needed country music too...England is severely lacking in that arena! All in all, it was a great trip home. I spent some wonderful, quality time with my family, and had the chance to catch up with a lot of my old friends as well. I miss Texas already, and I can't deny that a tear rolled down my cheek as my plane rose above the Dallas skyline.

Dad, Me, Casey & Michael @ the Ft. Worth Rodeo

Michael & I...bowling!!

Mike, Grandmama, Me & Donna...eating at Olan Jack's...Yummy!!

"You American...You Pay!!"

My friend Kelly and I decided to take a trip to Italy a few weeks ago to visit one of her friends in the beautiful village of Lapadona. From the moment I stepped on the airplane, I knew it was going to be a trip to remember! We arrived in Ancona airport at around 1:30pm (right at the start of "siesta time" for those of you who are not familiar with Italian snoozing hours). We quickly found our rental car and proceeded to try to reverse out of our parking spot. (I will mark this exact moment as the starting point of the continuous fits of laughter that I experienced for the remainder of the trip). That Italian reverse gear is tricky, but luckily with a little help from our friendly Avis representative, we were on the road in no time! We stopped in the small town of Loreto, known for it's remarkable shrine to Mary. We found a quaint little restaurant and politely asked if they were open for lunch. The cliche'-ness (is that a word?) of this sweet little restaurant is one of my most favorite memories from our journey. The restaurant was run by a family who were all sitting around a large table enjoying a feast of delicious Italian food. And when I say they were ALL sitting there, I mean ALL...mother, father, kids, grandmother, grandkids...everyone. That is, until we showed up...at which point a kind older man got up and acted as our host/waiter/possible chef. He didn't speak a word of English (no, not even one), but I can't tell you how gracious he was, and how hard he tried to communicate with us (picture hand signs, large gestures, and LOTS of smiling). After an amazing meal of lasagne (it's the only thing we could understand him say) he gave us both a charm of the Madonna, a postcard of the Pope, and a tiny silver manger scene. It was a fantastic way to start the trip.
Our next stop was Fermo, a town that was rumored to have a great little market. Well, we didn't see the market, but we did get very familiar with the local police :) We accidentally went down a one-way street...the wrong way! Hey...we were Americans in a foriegn country, how were we supposed to know?!? (No, I don't really believe that...but yes, we did try to use it as an excuse to get out of the ticket...no dice.) Anyway, next thing we know, there are sirens and flashing lights coming from behind us, and plenty of sleepy Italians hanging their heads out of their windows to see what all the commotion is about. Long story short, the policemen speak no English (I'm beginning to see a trend) and the only words we understand are, "You American....You Pay!" Suffice to say, we were 36 Euros poorer, but one truly awesome story richer when we left the town of Fermo. (Don't tell Kelly, but I totally think it was worth it!)
The rest of the weekend was filled with great food, great conversation, great wine, and amazing Italian hospitality. I loved the Italian culture...the slow pace & the family values. Since we went to a very rural area, we were able to enjoy the non-touristy side of Italy. We went to the St. Antonio celebration where the townspeople all brought their pets to the town center to be blessed by the priest. Families showed up with dogs, turtles, cats & horses to participate in this great ritual. It was so fun to be able to be a part of that. We ate lunch with a group of about 14 people who all spoke several different languages. It was another experience that I will never forget. It was incredible to even be included in company like that...what a tremendous blessing! Kelly's friend, Gina, her husband & their triplets were the best hosts in the world. They embraced us like family and showed us a truly spectacular time. It was a great way to spend a weekend, and I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to meet such terrific people.

Hairnets & Chef's Surprise

This week I was granted the privilege of subbing for the lunch monitor. A privilege you ask? Well, just hear me out. I must admit, I wasn't really looking forward to it; however, it wasn't near the smelly rag-toting, hairnet-wearing job I imagined. The lunchroom is like it's own world...rules & expectations go out the window. The kids get to be kids: silly, care-free, happy kids. I remember being one of them not so long ago. Racing in to see who I could sit with, wondering if my boyfriend of the moment would respond to the oh-so-important note I had passed him in class, searching for my mom's note in my lunch box (pretending not to be disappointed if I didn't get one that day). When I'm in the classroom, I always marvel at how different the kids are today...but, being in the lunchroom, I realized that they really aren't that different at all. They still love to hear that their dress/jeans/shirt/wheelies (oh, don't get me started on those things!) are really cool. Their eyes still light up when they see their mom or dad waiting to eat lunch with them. And they still love to hear that "yes" they can get a cookie since they ate more than 3 bites of the Chef's Surprise! I so enjoyed sitting with some of them and talking about "life things", not "school things". Even if "life things" for a 3rd grader is whether or not they got Dance Dance Revolution for Christmas or not. It was nice not having to tell them to stay on task, to correct their spelling, or to stop throwing things at their neighbor :) I liked seeing them be kind to one another because they wanted to be, not because it was a "rule". I liked watching the pressures lift off their tiny shoulders for that brief 30 minutes. It was sweet, and yes, it was a privilege.

A Good Day

I've had the opportunity to spend a little bit more time with my girlfriends lately, and it has been so much fun! Above is a picture of Kelly & I at a New Year's Eve party...and yes, that is a pilot's helmet as a decoration in the background (funny how that doesn't seem strange to me at all anymore!). I went to see American Gangster a few nights ago (though the movie wasn't awesome, the company was great!) and had a really yummy Mexican dinner with a few friends last night. Tonight we had bible study at my house, and I got the chance to catch up with the girls yet again. I feel so lucky to have the friends I have... such loving, compassionate, supportive, & encouraging women.

On another note, I applied for a job yesterday...Chris is jumping for joy at this very moment!! It sounds like a great fit for me, and would allow me to work in the Social Work field again. I'm excited about hearing back from them, even if I don't get the job, because it has sparked my desire to work in non-profit again...something that I am unbelievably passionate about. I should hear back this week, so I'll keep y'all posted!

Cheers :)

Bring the Rain

I discovered the song "Bring the Rain" by MercyMe today. Since today was a difficult one for me, I thought it was really fitting. If you've never heard it...google it and take a listen. I think you will be moved.

Here are the chorus lyrics:

Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory.
And I know there’ll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that’s what it takes to praise You
Jesus, Bring the Rain!!!

C.S. Lewis

“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world”

I love quotes, and I'm constantly looking for good ones that can provide me with inspiration or encouragement. I found this one today by C.S. Lewis and I was instantly moved. I always write about our happiness's, our joys, and our triumphs. I am eager to share our many blessings with family & friends, and I enjoy hearing about theirs as well. I am not so good; however, at expressing my trials & tribulations with others. I grew up thinking that if I could put a smile on my face, then surely my heart would quickly follow suit. I was under the impression that expressing my hurts would somehow make me a weak person, or that no one would really want to know about things that were hard specifically for me...how conceited that would be, I thought! Those were my views in the past....

A friend of ours passed away recently. She had been battling Breast Cancer for more than four years when God finally called her home. Her husband has been blogging about their experiences w/ cancer and has continued to write following her death as a way to heal. About a month ago, I sent out an email requesting prayers for this very deserving family, and little did I know how far that email would go! I have had friends of friends, of friends, of friends tell me that they started reading his blog and praying with/for them as their struggle continued. It is amazing how many lives this family has touched due to this husband's willingness to put himself out there and let his grief, patience, submission, and faith be known. Of course it's important to share our blessings, but it's equally as important to support each other in our pain. You just never know who might be hurting too, and searching for answers in your words and actions.