A Busy Week

I have been a bit down on my posting this week . . . it’s been a a busy week!

Last Sunday was our son Ryan’s 21st birthday, and we took him out to lunch after church to celebrate.

Wednesday was our son Robert’s 24th birthday. We also spent the day with Jeff’s dad who was in town for a visit. We cooked out burgers and hot dogs, went to the park in the afternoon, and then out to dinner to celebrate Robert’s birthday.

The next day (yesterday) was our 26th anniversary. Jeff and I spent the afternoon at the movies (Star Trek) and then went shopping in the historic downtown shops that we love, followed by dinner out at Chilli’s.

So, you see why I haven’t been posting very much! Actually a few times I sat in front of the computer, just staring as I couldn’t come up with anything to say – I guess my brain was occupied everywhere else! And I didn’t even think to take pictures other than a few at the park, such as the one you see at the top.

Today I will be making a quick run to the grocery store for ingredients for a meal for our friends at church who have a new baby son. After I deliver the meal this afternoon, we will all be relaxing in the pool for awhile – maybe I’ll find my brain again floating around in the water – if there’s not too much yelling and splashing that is!

I love Friday nights because I just prepare something easy for the kids (sometimes I call an FYO night and they “Fix Your Own”), and then Jeff cooks out steaks or chicken for the late night crew after the rest are tucked in bed. Jeff always gets to pick the movie on Fridays, which we watch while enjoying our meal.

I’ve just been summoned to view the latest critter finding in the pool – a baby turtle.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings,
Nancy

Happy Birthday Jeff!!

Today is another special day at our house – my husband, Jeff, is celebrating his birthday today! We will be celebrating out for dinner tonight at his restaurant of choice – Braum’s – for some burgers and ice cream. I need to get in the kitchen pretty soon and start working on a cherry cheesecake to surprise him with – this is one of his favorite desserts. He and Tommy have gone off to a men’s work day at church this morning, so I should be able to get it put together before they get back.

I thank God every year on this day for creating Jeff and for giving him to me for my husband. He is a selfless, Godly man who works hard to provide for his family. He gets up early each morning to drive into work, so that he can get off early and have more time at home with his family in the evenings. He is always looking for ways to make his income go farther, so that he will have money to supply us with our needs (and a few wants) and to have some to give away to further God’s work in the world.

He loves the Lord and seeks to serve and obey Him in all areas of his life, growing in his relationship with the Lord and teaching his children how to do the same. He has a strong heart for evangelism and for helping those in need around the world. His heart is a tender one and he can easily be moved to tears by something that touches his heart. He has always been sentimental and sweet in giving me special gifts throughout the years to bless me.

He loves baseball and has been an avid collector of baseball cards for years. His favorite team is the Chicago Cubs, who he has followed since his childhood.

He is a fun-loving man with a good sense of humor. He loves to be silly and laugh and have fun. Here he is dressed up as Groucho Marx with Laura as Harpo at our recent family costume birthday party –

What a couple of characters! Another of Jeff’s great interests is weather and severe storms. He has a degree in Meteorology and loves to be outside during a storm while the rest of us are hiding inside. I like to jokingly tell him that he “doesn’t have enough sense to come in out of the rain”, when he does this! He has taken a number of great weather pictures over the years, and will stop the car for a photoshoot when the clouds give him a show worth capturing.

He is my comforter when I am down, my voice of reason when I can’t think straight anymore, my helper when I am overwhelmed, and my calm amidst the storm. He loves me and our children and is always working for our good, as the Lord leads him.

We are so blessed by his life, love, and wisdom and thank God for the gift he is to all of us.

Happy Birthday, Sweetie!

I love you,
Nancy

My Most Awesome Anniversary Present!!

Here is what my sweet husband gave me for our 25th anniversary –

This is so exciting because the laptop I’ve been using is really old and ready for a nice long rest!  It never really fully recovered from it’s last near-fatal illness and was running so slow and with such difficulty that I have been heard to complain daily once or twice about it.  I guess Jeff felt sorry for me – or got tired of hearing me complain – so he surprised me with this beauty!

 

I was so excited about my new gift, that I actually have named it her.  Yes, of course it would have to be a girl – with the boys outnumbering the girls around here, I’m always looking to even things out a bit.  So, “Annie” is my new blogging companion, who I hope to spend many happy hours working with.  I’m still a little timid with her – lots of new things to learn – for instance, she is running Vista as opposed to my old comfortable XP, and the mouse has been replaced with a touchpad that has amazing features, but is quite sensitive (a true lady).  I have been spending extra time trying to figure her out, and I’m sure I will get it all eventually, but for now I’m really enjoying the faster speed and the ability to actually watch those videos that some of you have posted on your sites.

Thanks, sweetie, for such a wonderful gift!

Blessings,

Nancy

 

A Lovely Evening!

Saturday night was a very special night for us. Our family held a party for us to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. Nothing big – just the family, but so much fun and very special.

We gathered at my brother and sister-in-law’s home at dinnertime. Everything was decorated so lovely! The first thing we saw when we walked in the door was this beautiful table all decorated for the occasion –

The mantle in the living room contained framed pictures of Jeff and I in our early years (some of these I had never seen before!) –

Dinner was delicious – honey baked ham, green beans, wild rice, strawberry congealed salad (the same recipe we served at my bridesmaids’ luncheon 25 years ago), rolls and a fruit platter for dipping in a white chocolate fondue fountain –

After dinner, we were presented with several very lovely gifts. The first was this beautiful scrapbook lovingly put together by my sis-in-law, sister, and mom –

This album is absolutely gorgeous all the way through, filled with pictures from our wedding and life together. These three ladies had never scrapbooked anything before in their lives, but they got together at a scrapbook store one evening and put together these beautiful pages, just as though they’d been doing it for years! (I told them that now we would have to have another scrapbook night, so I could come!) Here are a few pages from the album –

The next wonderful gift to come our way was in the form of a letter, written by Ryan, representing all of the children to us. It was so special, all about our years together and their love for us. Ryan read the letter out loud and it was hard to keep from tearing (I think Jeff probably did – he’s an old softie). Here is Ryan (and David) reading the letter –

We were also gifted with several cards and a very generous gift certificate for an Italian restaurant nearby!

The next event of the evening was the cake cutting and champagne toast. Somehow I managed to not get a close up of the cake, which was so beautiful – two tiered with white chocolate shavings and huge chocolate dipped strawberries on top. (You can see it in the first picture – just not close up). We cut the cake together using the knife that my parents used at their wedding. Then we fed it to each other, which I won’t share pictures of! My dad offered up a very sweet toast and we all enjoyed the delicious cake.

There were various mementos set around from our wedding, such as my dried wedding bouquet, wedding album, bride and groom from the top of our wedding cake, wedding invitation, many pictures, and the handkerchief that I carried in my wedding (which my mother also carried in her wedding). We used the embossed wedding napkins leftover from our reception 25 years ago, as well as the special champagne glasses and 25th anniversary salt/pepper shakers from my parents’ anniversary party 26 years ago. I brought my wedding dress, shoes and veil – which we displayed in the master bedroom –

It was a wonderful party, filled with love, family and memories. We are both so grateful to our family for all of the love and effort that went into this party! It will be a special memory for the rest of our lives! We love you all and thank you so very much!

Blessings,
Nancy

A Few of God’s Thoughts on Marriage

“For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.” -Genesis 2:24

“Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her; that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh.

This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each individual among you also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see to it that she respect her husband.” – Ephesians 5:22-33

“Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” – 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

“In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior. And let not your adornment be merely external – braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands. Thus Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear.

You husbands likewise, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker vessel, since she is a woman; and grant her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

To sum up, let all be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil, or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.” -1 Peter 3:1-9

25 years ago today, I married my high school sweetheart – “to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part.”

Lord, I thank you for the wonderful gift of my husband – and I pray that you would make me into the wife for him that you describe in your Word for Your honor and glory.

Blessings,
Nancy