Glorious Day.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”  John 3:16

May we remember the wonderful gift of salvation that our Lord Jesus gave us through His crucifixion and death, and may we each search our hearts to ensure we are ready for His coming!

Glorious Day -Casting Crowns

One day when Heaven was filled with His praises
One day when sin was as black as could be
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin
Dwelt among men, my example is He
Word became flesh and the light shined among us
His glory revealed

(Chorus)
Living, He loved me
Dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away
Rising, He justified freely forever
One day He’s coming
Oh glorious day, oh glorious day

One day they led Him up Calvary’s mountain
One day they nailed Him to die on a tree
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected
Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He
Hands that healed nations, stretched out on a tree
And took the nails for me

Chorus

One day the grave could conceal Him no longer
One day the stone rolled away from the door
Then He arose over death He had conquered
Now He’s ascended, my Lord evermore
Death could not hold Him, the grave could not keep Him
From rising again

Chorus

One day the trumpet will sound for His coming
One day the skies with His glories will shine
Wonderful day, my Beloved One, bringing
My Savior, Jesus, is mine

Chorus

"A Laugh is a Smile that Bursts" Mary H. Waldrip

Life is full of so many unpredictable and questionable circumstances, and unfortunately it's been proven this week.  Yet in all the sadness and heartache that has occurred, there are still so many things to be joyous about.

Tonight as I was sitting next to my dear husband working away on a school assignment, he turns to me and says "why do you do that all the time?  You need to go stand over there on that pedestal (the table) and entertain me... tell me a joke."  So I said, "ok" and marched straight over to the little end table across the room and crawled on top of it.  Laughing hysterically and seeing the surprised look in Justin's eyes, I started my joke. 

It went something like this....

Knock, Knock
Who's There?
Dwayne
Dwayne Who?
Dwayne the Bathtub, I'm Dwowning

Giggling my way through the joke while being accompanied by Justin's laughing support added a little [necessary] humor to our evening.  This was truly a memorable moment that probably will never happen again; however, because of the unpredictability of the situation – it was sincere, priceless, and refreshing.  Laughter really is medicine for the soul and I'm just thankful I have someone special to laugh with every day.

I have had so much to think about this week and it really puts life into perspective.  Enjoy every moment, take nothing for granted, laugh often and love more than anything.

Oh Brother.

Brothers don't necessarily have to say anything to each other - they can sit in a room and be together and just be completely comfortable with each other.

Leonardo Dicaprio

This is true.  Hank made himself comfortable by propping his feet up tonight... in Harley's face!

Dear Valentine.

Dear Valentine,

I love you more with each day that passes and I thank God for you every single day.  You continue to inspire and challenge me to improve upon my character in order to make me the best person I can possibly be.   I am grateful that just four years ago the Lord completed my life when he allowed our hearts to collide.  Thank you for your patient and loving heart and for all of the special times we continue to have together.

A few of my favorite things...

1. That you're a godly, Christian man and everything a husband should be.
2. Being your wife!
3. The way you surprise me and make me feel special for no reason at all.
4. Falling asleep next to you every night.
5. Eating Snicker's Ice Cream with you because we're obsessed. 
6. My new fun/big PURPLE ring!  That you put so much thought into and had made just for me.

You are my world and I'm so happy to share not just Valentine's with you, but my entire life.

I love you!

i love you too.

words can't express how much i love you.

Justin, thank you for making my day for no specific reason.

Ugh.

Stepping in dog poop is considered good luck, right?  I certainly hope so because I just stepped in some... twice.

This Really Just Happened

There are many things I take for granted on a daily basis, but I have just realized how thankful I am to have a husband that lovingly helps with many tasks.  One task in particular:  The Dogs.

Preface

This week I am a single parent to two fur babies – Harley and Hank.  Harley is my ferocious two year old Chihuahua weighing in at 6.5 pounds soaking wet.  Hank is our passive five month old Black Lab who has far surpassed 40 pounds and continues to grow like a weed with every day that passes. 

The Incident

Just a few minutes ago, Hank was standing at the door barking to go outside like he usually does when he needs/wants to go out.  So I put Hank’s leash on him and Harley’s leash on him to head outside.  Little did I know that it would be raining when I walked out of the door, but that is nothing compared to how this story progressed.

Harley and Hank both used the “potty” (this is the doggy language that we have chosen to use and is recognized by both of our pups) and then sniffed around a little more.  It’s completely pitch black outside and raining and of course the neighbor who lives down the street (whom I haven’t met yet) decides he needs to walk his dog in the midst of all of this.  I, who am trying to tend to my own business so the dogs can do theirs, become a laughing target as both Harley and Hank spot this man and his Boxer that are so gracefully passing by the front of our home.  [The Boxer is walking to the left side of his master not making a noise and the man is in full control of his dog.] 

Of course my bodyguard Chihuahua tries to be manly as he barks loudly and dashes towards this man, only to wrap himself around a tree and make me look like a fool.  Hank on the other hand doesn’t care about a thing in the world and likes to pull Harley around by his leash, so he takes this as an opportunity to pick at his little [big] brother by jumping back and forth over his leash while also pulling him in a few different directions.  I am mortified at this point and overwhelmed because I don’t know how to get myself out of the current situation.  Hank’s leash is wrapped around my right hand because that’s the only way I can keep him from pulling me all over the place and in my left hand is Harley’s retractable leash.  To give you more of a visual, Hank is to the left side of my body though his leash is in my right hand and Harley has somehow managed to go to my right side with his leash in my left hand and wrap himself around the tree behind me.  It’s a true disaster.  To semi-relieve myself of the situation and hope for an easy fix, I let go of Harley’s leash.  Big mistake.  He darts down the street after this man and his dog, but thank God for the person who invented retractable leashes!  Harley’s leash started retracting as he was doing his show-off act and the noise and sudden pull of the leash caused him to stop in his tracks, which allowed me to run towards him in time to scoop him up.  At this time, Hank gets excited and feels the need to jump on me nearly knocking me over and leaving beautiful mud prints down the front of my entire body.  All of this occurs before the man rounds the circle at the end of our street so he gets to see firsthand how chaotic my life seems and how much my dogs are in control of me instead of me being in control of them. 

While this seems hysterical, I am more embarrassed that my neighbor’s first impression of me is distorted.  I am blessed that my husband comes home Thursday and that my only responsibility is learning how to take care of dogs.

And what do you know…. Hank’s at the door again!