A Lifetime of Love

It was a sad, gloomy day as we piled into the van this morning. No one wanted to leave, including TJ, who is not a “beach” person. That is, until I introduced him to the paradise that is the Outer Banks. As we were driving off the island, he made the comment about looking for a job out there. I laughed and said go for it! If you have never been to the OBX, I highly encourage you to go at least once before you die. There are no other beaches like it. We barely scratched the surface of things to do, and are planning to go back in mid-October for a long weekend. I am including some pictures from our week. We made it home this evening about 5:30PM. Reality set in as soon as we walked into the house. Meals to prepare, clothes to wash, kids to feed. . . time to get back into the swing of things!

It's hot today! We were at the beach by 9:30 this morning. I am sad to see our trip coming to an end. We have at times missed some of our daily luxuries, such as television, but overall it was a blessing because it allowed us to grow closer as a family. We have been up early each morning and out late at the beach each night. Instead of spending time watching TV, we’ve been watching God’s creation and thoroughly enjoying ourselves! We met another family yesterday when we went to the NC Aquarium in Manteo. We ran in to them again today at the beach. We were able to talk for a long time and found that their infant daughter and T.G. both have the same birthday! They also have a 5 year old daughter and 4 year old son. The boys had a good time playing with them today. We made plans to meet again in the morning. They are from Virginia, and are really nice. I hope to keep in contact with them after we leave. Well, everyone is napping and I am going to do the same. Until next time. . .

Just a quick note from paradise- we are having a great time! The weather is perfect, in the mid-80s and sunny. We've been to the beach every day, usually several times a day. This morning we saw dolphins swimming off the shore. I didn't get an exact count, but I guess there were probably 8. It was awesome to see them jump and dive in the water. Th was so excited! Tonight we went back to the beach after eating some ice cream so the boys could burn off their energy. It was after 8pm and the sun was almost set. Sand crabs come out at night, so on our walk back, TJ and the boys were catching them. One of them bit TJ's finger and it scared him. He ended up throwing it on Th, who screamed bloody murder. Tomorrow we're going to buy some nets for them to catch them with! :) Okay, it's late and I'm tired. I'll post pictures when we get back this weekend. Take care!! ~T.

I am washing, packing, and cleaning today to get ready for the OBX! I CAN”T WAIT!!! My mom is there, getting the cottage ready for us. She called and said the weather is beautiful, as usual. I hope my brother gets back early tomorrow so we can get on the road. The ocean is calling me! We don’t have a strict itinerary, but Sunday we are going to church (a must for us, even on vacation!), and then heading to the beach for a while. I need to pick up some things from the store, so I’ll probably do that sometime Sunday, as well. It will be a low-key day. Monday we are touring our way through lighthouses, eventually taking the ferry to Ocracoke Island. Tuesday my mom and brother are leaving. I’m not sure what we’ll do then, or the rest of the week for that matter. TJ and I both agree that we want a relaxing vacation, not one that is highly structured with strict timelines. Lots to do today, so I must be going. I will write more when I return, and post some pictures from paradise! Until then....

Father’s Day, in my opinion, was a nice day, although it didn’t start out as such. The night before we went to a friend’s house to swim, eat, and hang out. We didn’t get home until after midnight, and by the time the boys were in bed, it was almost 1AM before I got to sleep. I set my alarm to go off at 6:15AM so I could wake before TJ and make breakfast. I did wake first, and prepared eggs, sausage (his pick!), hash browns, and French toast for him. I had the food ready, the table set, and his surprise gift (a calendar entitled “Our Life in Pictures”) waiting in his spot. When he woke, he wasn’t feeling well and barely ate. Now, I really don’t like sausage. It’s not just the taste, but everything about it grosses me out! The smell while it’s cooking is more than I can tolerate! TJ felt really, really bad about not eating, especially because he knows how much I despise sausage. It’s the thought that counts, right? We were out late the night before, and the kids didn’t get a bath before ...

I am so thankful for the often small, seemingly insignificant reminders the Lord uses to encourage me throughout the day. Th said something yesterday that has been on my mind since. When we were leaving VBS yesterday afternoon, he ran ahead and opened the door for me (I was pushing T.G. in her stroller and holding everybody’s “stuff”, along with Ta toddling behind). As I walked through the door, he said, “I am in training to be a godly man, and a godly man holds the door.” Can you believe he said that! When I correct the boys, I always tell them they are in training to be a godly man. My job (and TJ’s) is to show them how to act and behave in a godly manner. I was really touched that Th said that- it reveals his heart, and God’s Word says that out of the heart come our thoughts and intents (see Hebrews 4:12). Th's little comment revealed to me that he has a desire to love and serve the Lord, and second to salvation, is the most important decision he can ever make! I didn’t decid...

Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” It has been a tiring week. I relied upon the above verse because I was feeling very overwhelmed with all of my commitments. As usual, I was being pulled in several directions and was having difficulty in prioritizing them. The reality of Vacation Bible School didn’t hit me until last Thursday evening. I met with the other teacher in the class to talk about our plan for the week. I left her house feeling both excited and panicked- I hadn’t prepared for the upcoming week through prayer as well as I should, and I had only myself to blame. The weekend didn’t provide much relief so I prayed every opportunity I had. We had our T-n-T campout last Friday, attended 2 birthday parties on Saturday, picked up my brother from the airport Saturday evening, and made final preparations for VBS on Sunday. The VBS kick-off was Sunday e...

I have added some pictures from various life events in which we've recently participated. T.G. is getting to be such a big girl, not just physically, but in every way. She never did take to a bottle, and put up a fight against the spoon, but now she loves to eat! She gets so angry if I eat something and don't share it- even if it's a burger! I have to pinch off a piece of everything for her to try. She eats pretty much anything she can get in her mouth. I was worried that she wasn't getting enough iron since she fought against eating infant cereal, but she's quickly made up for that! She eats the cereal, any type of baby food, plus whatever I can mash up enough to give her. She still doesn't have any teeth so I can't give her pieces too large. She eats regular bananas just fine, so that's a money saver! She also likes applesauce and sweet potatoes, plus toast and graham crackers. She's been sitting up by herself for a few weeks now, so that help...

I am very excited. . . I found out my sister is expecting her first child. She and her boyfriend Paul were going to get married anyway; the pregnancy sort of sped things up a bit. Nevertheless, I am very happy for her. Plus, her due date is my birthday, so that makes it more exciting! She really wants a boy. In fact, she already has a name picked out- Noah James. I love it! I would love for her to have a boy because I know how cool it is to have a boy first. I would also love for her to have a girl because her baby and T.G. will only be about a year apart. I told TJ last night I want to go and stay with her when she has the baby. I haven’t decided if I’ll go the same time as my mom or wait until after my mom leaves. He told me we have plenty of time to work out the details- I guess he’s right! Her husband is a Marine and she told me today that he is due to deploy to Iraq in March, when the baby is about 2 months old. He’s already been there at least once (I think twice) so I encourage...