How Do I Love Thee...Let Me Count the Ways!

Happy Birthday to my Knight in Shining Armour....
my Husband, Rick.

We, our boys and I, are having a big party for him after work on Thursday; but I wanted to express via my blog just how blessed I am that God gifted me with him and to say how proud I am of him for all that he has been through and continues to go through and still holds tight to his faith. Though he may not ever see this (because he doesn't read my blog unless I ask him to), I know that it is here and maybe one day he will run across it and feel blessed too.

Rick and I truly fulfill and compliment each other. Where I am weak, he is strong and where he may lack, I fill in. God knew what he was doing when he sent lightning through me that day in the field.

In the almost 6 years that we have been together we have never really had a disagreement over our relationship. Don't get me wrong we have had arguments and disagreed on several issues...but nothing that was directly tied to us. We, as a couple, have had to deal with so much adversity and negative situations, more than most couples ever deal with in their entire marriages, and we are still together and evolving.  And let me tell you that the devil just keeps things coming,but we have determined that we've already been there done that and came out better...so we'll just keep on going for God and for us...TOGETHER.

I'm so proud of the steps he has taken out of his comfort zone towards where he feels God would have him. He has evolved from a super quite man with no self esteem to a less quite man with better self esteem who teaches the teens Sunday school class and runs our church's youth ministry program. He is asked often about his faith is never reluctant to take the opportunity to share God's plan of salvation though never coming across as a holier than thou person.

He is a wonderful father who loves his kids to death and a super wonderful husband.

One of my favorite things that he does is attack without warning. Seriously, either me or one of the kids will be standing up and sometimes in the middle of a conversation and then in an instant find ourselves on the floor being squished and tickled. Too funny and sometimes too painful...LOL

I love it when he brings me a cup of coffee to wake me up before he goes to work and when he pumps his fists back and forth in excitement. The fist pumping is a rare event and usually takes place after a sports victory of some kind.

It is hilarious when he tells the kids (especially Travis) something and they look at me to see if he's telling the truth. Or when one of the kids walks in front of the parked vehicle and he honks the horn to scare them...Sometimes he can get them with the fake stories, but they have sooo gotten over the horn honk and he still does it...just in case.

He also drives 6 hours every week to pick up and drop off his kids (after they were moved without his knowledge or consent) to make sure that they know that he loves them, wants them, and will never abandon them.

So, here's to you my knight in shining armour. Know that you are truly loved, highly regarded, and eagerly followed.

I love you and feel so blessed to be called your wife!!!

Your Wife

Fading Strength...Renewed Faith

So I'm not really the pillar of strenght that everyone that surrounds me thinks I am...though I try hard to convince myself that I have that strength that everyone tells me I have. The strength that my name portrays...you know the little trinkets that say what your name means...well my mom picked one up for me and it says "April: she is a strong and protective lady; a female tower of strenght". What exactly do you see in me that projects that image? 'Cuz right now I really just want crawl into bed, suck my thumb, and cry for at least a week or more...OR glutton myself to death with large quantities of chocolate...NO, I'm really not kidding...sorry to burst your bubble.

I really thought that I was past the pain of loosing Jacob...but to hear, really hear that his death could have been prevented has brought some things to the surface that I thought I had suppressed or maybe they are new feelings...either way it hurts and I'm not a fan of pain...physical or otherwise.

And the worse part is that I have to figure out a way to tell my husband...I don't want to bring this back to him. Would it really be a bad thing to protect him from the information??? He does it to me all of the time. 

As I was driving home from church heading into the most ominous looking storm that I may have ever seen...I began thinking about this and why...by the way why is a friend to no one...and in between the flashes of lightning revealing a storm that mirrored my mind at that time...I said "Lord. Please. Help me." then I heard these words:Do you wonder why you have to feel the things that hurt you?

If there’s a God who loves you where is He now?

Maybe there are things you can’t see, And all those things are happening to bring a better ending.

Someday, somehow you’ll see.

Would you dare; would you dare to believe that you still have a reason to sing

Cause the pain that you’ve been feeling; It can’t compare to the joy that’s coming

So hold on you gotta wait for the light. Press on and just fight the good fight

Cause the pain that you’ve been feeling; It’s just the dark before the morning

My friend you know how this all ends. You know where you’re going.

You just don’t know how you’ll get there. So say a prayer.

And hold on cause there’s good for those who love God.

But life is not a snapshot. It might take a little time but you’ll see the bigger picture.

Once you feel the weight of glory; All your pain will fade to memory

It’s just the hurt before the healing.

Oh the pain that you’ve been feeling; It’s just the dark before the morning.

I think that God heard me...he answered my prayer...and removed my fears (Ps 34:4)...He answered me: He renewed my faith.

What strength do I have...none but what He gives me.

Have a Blessed Day.

April

Josh Wilson...Before The Morning

Before The Morning Documentary

Happy Father's Day..."Ubber Cool" Project Included

Let’s give a great round of applause and big bear hugs to those amazing guys in our lives that hold dear the roles of DAD to us and to our children. Though at times they may drive us insane, they would be sorely missed if they weren’t here. To those who for any reason may no longer be here…you are very missed and loved.


So for this father’s day, I was trying to think of something to give my guy and had intended on getting him a leaf blower…until the reality of the dreaded BUDGET took hold and I realized that the $120.00 I needed just slipped into the hands of accounts receivable reps and out of my checking account. So, what to do now… as I sat in the Dr.’s waiting room flipping through a magazine and came across a super neat and inexpensive Father’s Day project… Dad’s Tape Measure. So this morning I made one (it only took about 15 minutes from start to finish) and showed it to my older boys (10, 12, & 13) who also thought it was “Uber Cool” and here is what we ended up with…

Interested??? Here is what you need:

• Mac N Cheese Box or other rectangular box

• Strip of paper cut to fit inside the box

• Markers (desired color/s)

• Tape or double sided tape

• Duct tape (desired color)

Here’s what to do…

1. Pour noodles and cheese packet into a Ziploc bag to make later

2. Cut box in half making two square pieces

o Reserve one half that looks like a square

o Cut other half into the shape of a triangle

3. Mark the strip of paper to look like a ruler

4. Write a message under the measure marks

5. Tape the paper to the inside of the square box so that it coils into the top of the box and the message can be seen when pulled from the box

6. Slide the triangle box into the square box enclosing the tape measure message inside…make sure to leave some of the paper hanging out so that it can be pulled out to reveal the message.

7. Cover the combined boxes with the duct tape both securing the two boxes together and covering the original box covering

8. Tape a soda can tab to the paper hanging out of the box so that it looks like a lip and can be used to pull the message out and also keep it from slipping inside the taped box. I used small pieces of duct tape to make a lip on the one that I made and it worked fine too.

9. Decorate the outside of the box as desired… I had my boys write their names and the year on the bottom side of the “tape Measure”

10. TA DAAA!!! Dad’s Tape Measure…a gift he’s guaranteed to keep in his hearts toolbox.

If my boys thought it was great; then I’m sure your kids will like it too and so will dad.

My instructions may not be the greatest so I found the link to the magazine article at Family Fun.

Have a Blessed Father’s day!!!

April