A Lifetime of Love

I ended my last life post when I went on my first date with TJ. That was in April 1998. I was 19, he was 23. We have been together ever since, but here is the story of how our relationship has evolved over the years. We began to date seriously, and I moved in with him and his friends in June or July 1998. I know it was sin (1 Thessalonians 4:3-8), but I still didn’t understand how the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7) should shape my decisions. Even though I was saved, I wasn’t spiritually growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord (Colossians 1:10). TJ and I occasionally went to church together, but our schedules changed and I was going back and forth between swing (3:30-11:30pm) and mid shift (11:30pm-7:30am). Plus, there was a hurricane that devastated Puerto Rico that summer, so TJ was gone every weekend supporting the hurricane relief effort. One weekend while he was away, I got a phone call from one of my commanding sergeants and went TDY to Chile, South America and some other ...

I finished the main bag this afternoon; I still have a smaller bag that I need to make (to hold diaper creams, loose change, ink pens, etc). What do you think? I love it- I think it turned out better than the one I made for myself! I will be personally delivering it to her the first weekend in February. My mom and I are going to visit together. I am excited and looking forward to it! I begin school on Monday. I am a little nervous about taking 4 classes; I haven't taken this many at one time since my first semester. I have a break between classes for about an hour and a half on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I am hoping to be able to get some uninterrupted work done on those days. Please just pray for me. I am looking forward to the semester, especially one class in particular. I will be working one-on-one with students who have autism. If you know me, autism and mental retardation are "my thing". These two areas of special education are my passion and I have extensive k...

Thirteen Things about South Carolina Mom 13 of the many places I have lived in my almost 29 years of living. . . 1. Columbus, Ohio- born here 2. Houston, Texas- moved here at age 2 3. Richmond, Texas- moved here at age 5 4. Mayfield Heights, Ohio- moved here at age 8 5. Cincinnati, Ohio- moved here at age 9 6. Boys Town, Nebraska- moved here at age 10 7. Akron, Ohio- moved here at age 12 8. Tallmadge, Ohio- moved here at age 13 9. Wichita Falls, Texas- moved here at age 18 10. Vacaville, California- moved here at age 19 11. Travis Air Force Base, California- moved here at age 21 12. Belmont, North Carolina- moved here at age 23 13. Somewhere, South Carolina- moved here at age 24 Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment link...

I just read Mimi's latest update on Julian. I am convicted with each update I read. I take my children for granted every day, and I have found myself trying to be more thankful and kind and loving towards them. We are trying to break Ta's habit of wanting someone to lay with him until he falls asleep. We want him to be an independent sleeper. Well, the past 2 nights I haven't stuck to my guns. I've laid with him, talked with him, hugged and kissed him until he couldn't stand it anymore. Then I kiss him one more time before taking my post until he's asleep. His last images before he drifts off to dreamland are me standing at his door. Speaking only for myself, I guess I just realized I was being selfish by wanting to hurry up and get downstairs. I know, I know. I do need some time alone with just TJ, but at the same time, my kids are growing so fast and soon they won't need me to lay with them, let alone want me to. I think this is another meaning behind A L...

She looks just like my brother-in-law! I have never seen a baby with light colored hair; quite a change from my own kids' dark hair. I can't wait to meet her- hopefully it will be soon!

Kaylee Madison made her debut at 8:14pm and weighed 7 pounds, 2 ounces. She was 19.5 inches long. I haven't received any pictures yet, but hopefully soon. Mom and baby are doing great, Mom is trying to figure out the nursing thing. It's amazing how much I love this little girl and I haven't even met her; I can't even describe it!

I was talking with my sis about 11:45 this morning and in the middle of our conversation she stated, "I think my water broke." Yeah! She had a friend drive her to the hospital, but thankfully along the way they saw a police officer (the hospital is a good 45 minute drive) and flagged him down. He wasn't able to provide an escort but he did call an ambulance to take her (she was feeling extreme pressure). I am assuming she is at the hospital now, well on her way to delivering baby K. Please pray for her and the baby, and I will update as I find out more. . . ~T. Oh, above is a picture of the bag shell. I was dropping it off to be embroidered when talking with my sister. It's not completed, but the lining and shell are both done. All I need to do when I receive the shell back is attach the lining to the shell. I had it embroidered using green thread. I'll take another picture of the final bag.