I decided to share a "throw-back" picture for you for today's Momentous Monday.

This picture was taken 2 years ago -- the kids were 1 and 2, and we decided to take in a Cubs game. We'd like, as a family, to take in a game at every Major League park. We decided that we'd wait til they were a bit older, however, as this became a long game.

I share this picture, because it sets up the week that was this past week...

I had to travel for work last week from Wednesday til Friday. I got home Friday evening, then Jon flew out for Chicago on Saturday morning. I had given him tickets for Chicago's home opener on Monday morning -- a dream for a life-long Cubs fan. He spent the weekend with his college roommate, who was our best man at our wedding. It was (hopefully) a fun, relaxing, rejuvenating weekend.

However, he flew back to town on Tuesday. I flew OUT for work on Tuesday through Thursday. We actually met in the airport to say hi, download on the status at home, and say bye (literally 5 minutes). I spent the week away for work and the family picked me up on Thursday night.

I say all this to make the following point (which is actually quite obvious): Our family works better when it's complete.

The kids have had a rough 3 weeks -- because I've had 3 solid weeks of travel. And thankfully, that's unusual. We were nervous going into it, because the kids had been doing SO well. Happy, comfortable, sleeping well, top behavior, helpful...you name it.

However, when we're not a complete family unit, all of those kind of go out the window.

It was evident on Friday afternoon. Amara did something that was not acceptable (I don't even remember what - it was minor). I scolded her - and instantly, she was a quivering puddle of tears. On "normal" days, she feels bad, but doesn't melt like that. When chaos has been the norm, she's ultra-sensitive. The result for me was a learning experience -- I was able to dedicate lots of time and attention to my sweet girl this weekend to get her "back on track."

She had lots of scary stuff during the night -- her code for, "Mommy, I miss you, please come snuggle me."

She was ultra helpful -- her code for, "Mommy, I missed you, please let me spend more time with you."

She was concerned this morning that BOTH Jon and I should pick her up from school for her soccer game tonight -- her code for, "Mommy, our family is best when we're all together -- and I want you BOTH there cheering me on."

Dominic was similarly affected by the separation during the past 3 weeks. He's not as emotionally affected, however, he's more attention focused. He turns into a little cuddle-buddy after I've been gone. He'll sit at the top of the stairs after his nap and wait for me to come carry him down. He begs for his "fishy medicine" -- because he knows I'll often hold him in my lap while he takes it (and of course because his allergies are so bad he can't breathe).

I also had opportunities this weekend to re-establish myself in his little world. I took pleasure in carrying him all over the house, in smelling the sweet smell of him as he squeezes me tight, in sending him back to bed for the 5th time as he masters the art of stalling...

We've been renovating our house. Dominic has become quite adept at removing nails. He heard us banging in the kitchen as we removed the tile backsplash and countertop. He came walking into the kitchen holding his toy hammer ready to help. Jon gave him his real tools and set him to work pulling up tile from the ground. He made some strong headway -- removed the backerboard, some cement, and two nails that were deeply set into the ground using a hammer, a chisel, and a monkey paw. As we continued hammering away at the backsplash, Dominic started wailing.

You can guess what happened.

He missed his target and hit his finger. It wasn't bad at all, but did remove a little bit of skin from the knuckle of his thumb. Both thumbs actually. All he wanted was a little TLC, some cold water, and a bandaid. He milked it for all it was worth, especially relishing in the TLC.

When he was comfortably situated in front of a movie with a bag of fruit snacks and bandaids on both thumbs, Jon said to me, "I guess that's a good reminder that he IS only 3." He's capable of so much more than many 3 year olds, so we let him do those things of which he's capable. And sometimes he gets hurt (of course, we're tempering what he does so his injuries could only be classified as minor). And when he gets hurt, lessons are learned and TLC is profusely doled out.

Jon's right. He's only 3. And she's only 5. And as the picture indicates... only a short time ago they were 1 and 2. And boy does the time slip by quickly.

To both my kiddos: No matter the travel, no matter the chaos -- YOU are our priority. We will be there for your always.

Hop on over to A Moment Cherished to share your momentous moments -- and read about how others are cherishing life in the every day.

I'm joining Tiffany again at Moments Cherished for Momentous Monday. Take a moment and reflect on your past week -- I know there were "normal" moments that will be forever imprinted on your heart.

At Tuesday this past week, Amara had a rash at day care. As her teacher described it to me, I knew (suspected) it was a heat rash. It was the first hot day of spring, and she's susceptible to rash and overheating. It has been a lifelong issue for her. Couple that with "alert level" pollens in the air, and I just had a feeling that's what was going on. However, there was a case of Fifth's Disease at school, so all rashes were being required to be cleared by the doctor. I was in the midst of week 2 of 3 straight travel weeks, and it was my ONE full day in the office. Needless to say, I was very frustrated to be called out of work to take her to the doctor for a heat rash.

But I did.

The doctor actually laughed at me, confirmed it was allergy, and was nice enough to not charge me for what she deemed a silly visit.

And I made the most of that moment -- Amara and I went to Chick-fil-a for a Mommy Daughter lunch. We don't get much one-on-one time together. To have that extra few minutes together with my first born, to share an order of chicken fingers and sing along to Veggie Tales... well... let's just say we'll have to do more of that!



While we're on the subject of Amara...

I love to just sit back and consider the character of my kids; their tendencies that are inborn. Amara has always had a nurturing and tender spirit. It was evident in her from a very early age. One of our old neighbors used to describe her as "an old soul." And it's so true. As we played with the kittens the other day, that sweet spirit was so clear. She spent hours in their little cage, lovingly taking each one up by turn, rocking them, cuddling them, kissing them... and letting them do the same to her. In my experience, kittens have the sharpest little claws... but I don't think they once clawed her. They felt safe in her arms. It's my daily prayer that her sweet spirit is nurtured and protected.



Dominic's charecter has also been very evident as well. He's cautiously fearless, if that makes sense. If he gets the nod that it's OK from one of us, he'll go forward into anything. Such was the case with this snake. Not once did he show an ounce of fear. He walked right up to not only a huge yellow constrictor (that probably out weighed him by double), but also marched right up to the handler and asked to hold it. The handler knew that there was no way Dominic could lift the yellow snake, but found him another that was perfect size for him. Dominic held it, but wanted it around his neck, so quickly figured out how to do that -- then held the snake's head. Doesn't he know that's where the teeth are? If he does, he doesn't care. I pray that his fearlessness continues to be somewhat tempered... for his own safety. But he's also fearless in sharing about Jesus, and I pray that his confidence only grows in that arena.



Dominic's also got a feisty side (imagine that). He's got the attitude of "if you fall off, get right back on." This little kitty didn't particularly like how Dominic was holding her (can't say I blamed her). She got upset, squawked, and scratched his cheek pretty good. Dominic quickly let her go, but just as quickly picked her back up. I helped him to hold the kitties more gently and in a position that provided safety. He then proceeded to tell everyone just how tough he was that he sustained a cat scratch. I love the determination and feisty "can do" spirit about him. I love how his nurturing, soft side comes out, even behind the tough facade he loves to put forth.

It's in these everyday "momentous" moments that we're given priceless peeks into the spirits of our kids. I'm glad for the encouragement to stop and reflect on them!

I "met" Tiffany through the Bloom Book Club. I've really enjoy reading her blog - she has the sweetest spirit. Hop on over to "A Moment Cherished" and meet Tiffany as well as join in this blog hop!

In Tiffany's words, "The concept is simple - share with us an everyday moment that you were able to cherish from the week before. It can be as simple as a photograph that you captured or as elaborate as a lengthy post - the option is yours."

It's a delight to slow down and recall the everyday moments that make life so special... yet I certainly don't do it often enough.

- Last Saturday Jon let me sleep in and he and the kids hung out in the living room. I love those mornings where the kids are content to read and play; there's no thought of turning on a video. As I woke up, I could hear their conversations, and I realized that they were browsing through the scrapbooks I have been making for them. I think their favorite is their respective albums from their first year of life. I heard a lot of "tell me about" and "who is that" -- makes me want to get caught up on the scrapping!

- I had to travel this week for work, so missed out on a lot of the every day. When I got home, I had Good Friday off, so took advantage of the time to catch up with the kids. We got lots of snuggle time in reading books, hugging, sitting in my lap. These are the golden moments that I know won't last long enough.

- Also on Friday afternoon, I decided that I was as tired as the kids were, so I laid down for a nap as well. But the beauty of this nap was that we all snuggled into the big bed together and took a 2 hour nap. Nothing like falling asleep with both kidlets snuggling close.

- Sunday afternoon, I was outside digging dirt out of our driveway (the silt washes down the hill with rain / snow, and it all lands in our driveway - I hauled 3 wheelbarrow loads full to the ditch). When Amara woke up, she came right outside and stole my broom -- she was determined to help me with whatever chore I had to do. I love the helpful spirit of my kids.

- Sunday evening as we were hanging out in the basement after the kids had gone to bed, we heard the pitter patter of little feet. Jon said to me, "I know it's annoying now, but I'm sure going to miss that sound when it's gone." I assured him it's only annoying when they're supposed to be sleeping.

The moments are gone too soon! So count these: Moments Cherished.

Now go link up to yours: A Moment Cherished / Momentous Mondays

I really meant to do this on New Year’s Day. Really and truly I did. Perhaps my procrastination is indicative of my desire to be lazy! I know that once I write them down, I will be accountable.

I read a quote through twitter that I thought was really a good one…

“New Year's resolutions don't last! Only our commitments to change made to Christ and relying on His power to change us do!”

I wish I knew who to quote it to. I can trace the Tweet back to the founder of Celebrate Recovery, so for now, he gets credit.

Think about that quote though – how true it is!

On my own, I have absolutely no discipline or motivation. I’m lazy and perfectly content to sit around and veg. My sitting around is not honoring to God, my family certainly deserves better, and frankly, I owe myself more than that, too!

Without further ado, here are my New Year’s Resolutions in no particular order.

Serve My Family. As I mentioned in my last Crazy Love post, I really have been struggling with the fact that I’m not serving. I enjoy doing service projects, working with youth, being active in various church groups. However, I’ve really felt like those opportunities to do so as a family were not presenting themselves well this past year. I’m not naïve – I know they’re out there. As I was cleaning my house for Christmas, I felt as if God was saying to me, “This is the kind of serving you need to be doing.” Now he wasn’t saying, “Dust your house,” (though perhaps He should have been). Rather, He was reminding me that I need to serve my family without grumbling or complaining. I need to stop keeping score of who last took out the trash or emptied the dishwasher. I need to make our house a place of respite and renewal for all of us. I need to cast off my selfishness and choose to clean. I need to be obedient to God in His request of me serving my family. And I know that this simple gesture will also make all of us happier.

Eat More Healthfully / Meal Plan. Our schedules are very inconsistent, so this one will be challenging. We often rely on frozen lasagna or other “take out” type options found in the frozen food sections or restaurants on the way home, simply because we sometimes don’t get home until 6:30 or 7:00pm. However, with a bit more planning, we can easily have grilled meat and salad, fresh fruit and veggies, or even healthy leftovers each night. I need to focus on eating less processed food and more fresh food, less sugar and white carbs and more fresh fruit and veggies. Jon is fully on board with this and is also a spectacular cook, so we really need to join forces on this one.

Go to Bed by 10:30 on Work Nights. I’m a night owl. Always have been. And I’m TERRIBLE about mornings…always have been. However, my late night habits are neither healthy nor productive. It would be different if I was up cooking, cleaning, exercising, or reading the Bible. However, I’m typically doing none of these things. While what I’m typically doing (scrapbooking, chatting on line with Bloomies, watching videos, etc) isn’t BAD, it’s not necessary or productive, and it’s hurting my time with my family.

Eat Breakfast. When I was in fifth grade, I did a speech on why breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It was all about “Breaking the Fast.” And yet, I typically value sleep over a healthy breakfast in the morning, opting instead to just grab something and go. Unfortunately, my kids often also “grab and go.” It’s SO easy to whip up some scrambled eggs and ham. My mother-in-law has a fabulous recipe for oatmeal waffles; the batter stores in the refrigerator for a couple days. Both of these options are healthier and more filling for a longer period of time than our current breakfast choices. Even choosing to sit down together as a family for a bowl of cereal is a better start to the day. And if I go to bed earlier, I can get up with adequate time to do this.

Exercise Consistently. I finally got fed up with the baby body-shifting I’ve experienced. The weight is gone…but with it is every ounce of tone I once had. I’m tired of not buying clothes because trying them on is depressing. I’m tired of embracing the trendy “baggy” style simply because I wouldn’t dream of wearing a fitted shirt right now. I’ve signed up to run a Half Marathon this Spring. Not only have I signed up, I’ve PAID! I’ve also discovered that even with a deadline and a goal, my schedule makes fitting in exercise VERY challenging. So I do feel a bit better about my lack of exercise – that it wasn’t just sheer laziness! Despite that, however, I have 13 miles to run in a mere 72 days, so I better get going! The half marathon is only one piece of motivation though – I also know that exercise makes me feel better, makes me more alert, boosts my self confidence – there are NO negative effects for me with exercise. I also want so badly to model good and healthy behavior for my kids – so consistent exercise is a must. This morning, Amara asked me, “Can tomorrow’s adventure be to the gym so we can go swimming?” Life’s an exciting adventure to her – what a great attitude! And why can’t the adventure take us to the gym!?

Draw Near to God. I said these aren’t in rank order, but this is easily the most important. Kelly at Kelly’s Korner said it perfectly. I spend many hours of each day singing or listening to praise and worship music. I pray frequently throughout the day as people and thoughts cross my mind. I interact often with other Christians and engage in biblical discussions. However, I don’t do a good job of consistently being IN THE WORD and truly getting to KNOW God by reading what He has said. I absolutely NEED to be in His word and get to know him better.

So there you have it. Those are my Resolutions for 2010.

Or perhaps I should call them “My Commitments to Change Made to Christ.”

I stole this from my friend Nancy's blog.


1) Have you started your Christmas shopping? Yes, I'm mostly done. The crafts are done and ordered. There's a few little things I'd still like to find. And I still want to have a family photo taken, but need to ask a friend if she'd be willing to do it.



2) Tell me about one of your special traditions. We've begun the Advent Calendar tradition I blogged about a little while back. It has been very special to us thus far, and has inspired some wonderful discussions. We also started (or will be starting) pj's for Christmas Eve present so that we can open the stockings in the morning with the kids wearing new jammies. Next year I'd also like to potentially start a book a day in December, so I hope to find some good post-Christmas sales on Christmas books that I can save for a year then unwrap one each night.



3) When do you put up your tree? When we're home for Thanksgiving, the Friday after Thanksgiving. When we're gone (i.e. this year), we did it the weekend before Thanksgiving.

A few months ago I discovered "I Heart Faces" and the beautiful photos just captivated me. I haven't participated much, but this week, the theme is "Sweet Dreams" and I just couldn't resist.

My first born has always been such a peaceful sleeper. I just looked back through my photos and found several of her sleeping so beautifully -- it was hard to narrow down an entry (I'll have to post the other ones, t00).

My second born, on the other hand -- I could only find one sleeping picture. He just didn't sleep long enough to get the camera out! Thankfully he sleeps MUCH better now, but he was definitely not a sleeping infant!

So here is my submission for "I Heart Faces" Week 48 Challenge. My daughter, age 5 weeks, with my husband. It's actually been made into a scrapbook page, hence the text.

Meal Planning is quite possibly one of my least favorite things to do. I'm not a huge fan of the kitchen in general, so planning meals is very stressful for me. That said.... I have a huge desire to put healthy, well-balanced meals on the table for my family. Always a challenge when we don't usually get home until 6pm or 6:30!

I discovered this receipe a few years ago in a Quick Cooking Magazine, which is published by Taste of Home, I believe. I grabbed the photo from their website. My whole family loves this recipe. My husband isn't a fan of regular taco salad because of the hard corn chips. This recipe actually asks you to fry up tortilla strips -- which is quite a bit tastier, and definitely not as hard as regular chips.

I don't have a meal planned for tonight... this might just fit my bill!

Ingredients:
1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 envelope taco seasoning, divided
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons diced green or sweet red pepepr
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon sugar
3 corn tortillas (6 inches), cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 package (8 ounces) ready-to-serve salad greens
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 can (8 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups (8 ounces) finely shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese

Directions: Remove shrimp tails if desired. Place shrimp in a bowl; sprinkle with half of the taco seasoning. Set aside. In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine 1/2 cup oil, onion, vinegar, green pepper, garlic, coriander and sugar; shake well and set aside.

In a skillet, stir-fry tortilla strips in remaining oil; drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with remaining taco seasoning. In the same skillet, saute shrimp for 8-10 minutes or until shrimp turn pink.

In a large bowl, combine the greens, tomato, beans, shrimp and tortilla strips. Just before serving, shake dressing and pour over salad; sprinkle with cheese and toss to coat. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Boy, an art bloghop.... I'm not sure if I have anything to share!

HA!

I've been addicted to arts and crafts since I was a kid. My daughter got some of that part of me, and I'm just tickled. She told me the other week, "Mom, I didn't want to do home living today, because I wanted to keep working on my art project." I told her, "Good choice. I can completely understand."

Therein lies my problem! :)

So the art I'll share on today's blog hop is that of mine and my daughters. This first scrapbook page is my daughter at age 3.5 with her school project. She was asked to draw her family. I think the "other brother" in the drawing is probably actually her, since we don't have 3 children!


This butterfly princess life-sized picture graced our kitchen wall for longer than I intended. She was so proud of her project. A biased opinion for sure, but it was definitely the best art project in her class. :)

This last page is another illustration of "art" that I enjoy doing. Sewing. I don't have nearly as much time for as it (or any crafts) as I'd like. But each year I really enjoy making their Halloween costumes. Of course, scrapping them later is quite fun, too. Last year they went as a pirate (my son age 2), and a butterfly princess in a dress (my daughter, age 4). And yes, everytime people asked what she was, she had to add "in a dress." In that regard... she didn't get that trait from me! I hate dresses! :)

Join the hop and share your art! :)

Kelly's Korner is hosting a Show Us Your Life: School Pictures today, and it made me chuckle, so I thought I'd participate. We have monthly meetings at work where we share our life with our teammates. These are pictures I pulled from my "About Me" presentation.

The first group of pictures is mostly pre-school with a couple exceptions. I'll go across the top, then across the bottom in my descriptions.

1) Talk about a tomboy. I spent more time up in that tree than I did anywhere else. Forget dolls and Barbies -- I actually owned ZERO Barbies. But that tree and a few select balls and the park across the street were awesome!
2) No wonder my cleaning skills are terrible as an adult -- as a child, I was allowed to sweep upside down!
3) Notice which of us is the angel? :) My Mom always made our Halloween costumes and they always became pajamas after Halloween.
4) My best friend and I got our hair done by her mom...then got into her cold cream... she took pictures, then gave us spankings! :)
5) The park behind my house.
6) I must have been 5 or maybe 6 in that picture with my brother.
7) I believe this is my 3 year old picture. Same age as Dominic!
8) Probably 4 there.... Merry Christmas dress.
9) Another Halloween -- I must have been a farmer or something? I'm not real sure!


These are my 6th grade through 12th grade class pictures.
6th Grade /7th Grade: As a summer swimmer, my hair was FRIED, and blond with tinges of green for both years
8th Grade /9th Grade: The "height" of big hair. I could never make mine very big!
10th Grade / 12th Grade: Didn't change a whole lot. Love the obligatory "hand by the chin" senior picture pose. And if you could see my hand, you'd see a ring on every single finger. What's up with that!?

Enjoy the giggles! :)

When I read the Blog Challenge for this week, I thought to myself, "Yeah... don't think I'll participate this week." I know that encouragement is vital, and I know how buoyant I feel when I've been encouraged. But I don't know how good I am at it, or if I really have anything to say about it.

Then I started thinking about my kids and how different they are in their needs for encouragement. I also thought about my role as a parent -- and how important it is for me to decipher their needs and figure out how to best encourage them in their faith, in their self-confidence, in their academics, in their talents -- every wee aspect of their being needs to be "inspired with hope, courage, or confidence."

How do I help them tap into their "best" and let it flow from them?

My sweet Amara...

Her very name means Eternal Hope.

I think she's my artist. My musician. At school, she sees the painting or illustration, or even one of her dolls -- and she paints it or draws it. Not perfect -- she's only 4 -- but so well that I can tell exactly what she drew. And songs -- she can hear a song once and memorize the chorus and get the melody right. She's got talent in that area -- how do I nurture it? How do I inspire her to develop that gift and give it back to God? How do I encourage her?

She also seems like she may be a perfectionist (which she admittedly comes by naturally with double doses from both parents) -- so how do I encourage her to try new things, to make mistakes, to learn from them and grow!? It's so easy to bail on things that you might not succeeed at, just because you're afraid to fail (said from definite experience).

Right now the best encouragement for her is to applaud her braveness. Assure her she doesn't have to do something...but applaud her when she does, and remark how brave she was to do it. Most often, she'll try something - but it's ALWAYS on her own time. The harder I push her to do it on my time, the less likely we'll achieve succes. And we're guaranteed frustration (on both parts!)

And my charming Mr. D-Man...

He's a "go-go-go" boy. All the time. But he's also a little lover and so concerned about others and their feelings.

I think he's my little engineer. Things don't stay taken apart or put together very long at our house. He adores puzzles and is quite adept at seeing how they should fit together.

He's a pleaser -- loves to be cheered on. Loves to know that he's made you happy, and will go so far as to ask, "Mommy, are you happy wif me?" once he's completed a task. How often we go through life without thanking or complimenting those who have helped us or done something nice for us? Even more frequently we neglect to thank our family -- those we we love the most in the world!

Dominic's best form of encouragement right now is a thumbs up and a quick hug. He loves to know that he's on the right track, that he's pleasing us, and really that he matters.

He matters...

Isn't that what encouragement really boils down to? Taking the time to understand another person's life enough that we can walk along side them -- to inspire them with hope, courage, and confidence.

May my children always feel that I'm an encouragement to them.

*Edited 8/1 after I double checked my program*

I love these opportunities to go back and remember my day....

Choosing my bridesmaid's dresses was a challenge for me. I was so conscious of not asking them to spend too much. And I had some pretty tall girls who required extra length, so that negated some of my choices. All I really cared about was that they're blue! I wanted bold, bright, vibrant colors for my wedding. The church had red carpet, so I wanted the dresses / wedding to not clash terribly with it!





My bridesmaids are the sisters I never had. I was blessed to grow up in a small town and I've known most of my friends since my earliest memories. I'll introduce you to the girls from left to right:

Karin is my "sister" from Sweden. She was an exchange student who lived with our family for a year while I was a junior and she was a senior in high school. She fit so well into our family, and I look forward to an opportunity to go visit her in Sweden in the (hopefully) near future.

Bridget was my Maid of Honor. She and I went to pre-school together, and really just grew up together. She and I also stayed in close contact through college, despite going to different schools. She's one of those people who would do anything for another person, and she means the world to me.

Ann is my "sister" through marriage. She's Jon's youngest sibling and only sister. She was only 17 (I think?) when we got married -- she was between her junior and senior year of high school. I believe she took her finals and then their family loaded up the vehicle to drive from Oregon to South Dakota for the wedding. Can you say WIPED OUT? She's now married and has two beautiful girls of her own. I've enjoyed getting to know her over the past 11 years -- she's an inspiring person.

Tara is my first friend. She lived a few houses down from me, and my earliest memories (and even before I have memories) -- she's in them. She had been by my side through literally every event in my life, and I couldn't imagine getting married without her standing up for me. She's also got children of her own now -- the cutest pair of twins you'll ever meet!

Our flowers were kind of funny... well, not funny, they were beautiful. But how they came about is funny. I love to look at flowers, but really, I've got no clue about flowers. We went into the flower shop (the only one in my home town), and I said, "I want red, yellow, blue, and green.... you know how to make them pretty." And that's what I got! HA HA! We were married in 1998, which was right when the clutch style of bouquets was starting and the cascade style was ending (at least that was the case in SD). I saw the clutch style and immediately wrinkled my nose -- I didn't like it at all. I wanted the "wedding" look of cascading flowers. Of course, now I prefer the clutch style -- but it usually takes me a few years to accept the new "in" thing.

The Bible that our hands are resting on was carried by my Grandma and Mom in their weddings. My Mom gave it to me, but told me it's really hard to carry and she recommended that I not carry it. So instead, we put it on the table with our unit candle. So practical! :)




This photo kind of shows our unity candle. While we lit it, my brother and the other two soloists (fellow choir members from college) sang, "Shine On Us" by Phillips Craig and Dean. I still just absolutely LOVE that song.

Our unity candle was actually glass oil candles. We had the center one engraved with our name and the date. The side candles were taper candles. I love our unity candle!




This last photo shows a table that was really important for me to include. It was stationed at the back of the church, and we called it our "Legacy of Love" table. We're so fortunate to both come from homes with rock solid marriages founded in Christ. Not only our parents, but our Grandparents. So the table showed photos of our Grandparents and Parents weddings, as well as our engagement picture. We're thankful for that legacy that they've given us, and blessed to be continuing it...for better or worse!

The funny thing about reflecting on my wedding.... More than anything else, I knew what I wanted to have sung at my wedding. I went to college on a choir scholarship, and music was just the be-all and end-all. Yet now, I don't remember the music I chose. So here's what I think we had...

- Pre-Wedding Solo: "In this Very Room" by Ron Harris Oops! It was actually "Surely the Presence of the Lord is in this Place" by Lanny Wolfe

- Walking into the Church: "Canon in D" by Pachelbel

- Bridal Entrance: "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring"

- First Song: "There is Love" by Paul Stookey (my dad used to be in a quartet and would sing this for weddings - I've loved it ever since."

- Unity Candle Song: the aforementioned "Shine On Us" by Phillips Craig and Dean

- Song After Vows/Rings: "I Will be Here" by Steven Curtis Chapman and sung by my brother. It was the ONE song Jon requested, so of course we had to have it.

- Blessing Song: This is the one I can't remember, but need to find (I'll look when I get home). My Dad, Jon's Mom, My Aunt, and Jon's Aunt sang a blessing song for us. It was the neatest thing. I loved it! Found it! "Go Now in Peace" by Price and Besig. It's an SATB arrangement for choirs. I urge you to go listen to it on You Tube. I hadn't heard it since our wedding, and it still moves me.

- Exit Music: "Hornpipe"

- Return to the Church for Dismissal: "Ode to Joy"

I wanted to include the lyrics for "Go Now in Peace" -- remember it was my Dad, Jon's Mom, my Aunt (who's my Godmother), and Jon's Aunt who sung it -- so special!

I found another little Blog Hop -- actually, it's an every Tuesday Blog Hop called "Ten On Tuesday". Today's theme is your Ten Favorite Sounds. I thought it sounded like another fun one to participate in.

1. My children's laughter -- the sound of a laughing child is simply music to my ears. It speaks of hope, joy, love -- all things positive and innocent. There's a purity to children's laughter that can't be found anywhere else.
"The laughter of adults was always very different from the laughter of children. The former indicated a recognition of the familiar, but in children it came from the shock of the new." Author: Elizabeth Hardwick

2. My children's singing -- again, a sound so pure it moves me nearly to tears. And their memories of the words and the tunes is shocking to me. My daughter "wrote" a song the other day -- she probably sang for 5 minutes straight. Interwoven into her song was every single Bible lesson she'd ever learned. It was so beautifully sweet.
"A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song." Author: Maya Angelou

3. My husband or my children saying telling me, "I love you."
"Who, being loved, is poor?" Author: Oscar Wilde

4. The sound of praise music -- particularly if it's sung a cappella in beautiful harmony. My family is one that sings "Happy Birthday" and "The Doxology" in harmony. There's nothing quite like it! I also love it when it's sung accompanied by a guitar in the form of campfire songs.
"O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation." Psalms 95:1-2, KJV

5. The crackle of a fire -- home fire, camp fire -- fires make me think of warmth, security, and belonging. If you partner them with the sound of guitar accompanied praise music, fires send me back to the days of my youth at Bible Camp and the days of college when I was a counselor there. Powerful days. Formative days. Magical days.
"It only takes a spark to get a fire going, but soon all those are warmed up with its glowing. That's how it is with God's love. Once you've experienced it, you spread His love to everyone. You want to pass it on." Campfire Song "Pass it On"

6. The waves slowly lapping the shore -- one of my favorite places to sit is on our back deck in the evening listening to the waves gently lap the shore. It's so calming and peaceful. It washes away all the day's stresses.
"Sit in reverie, and watch the changing color of the waves that break upon the idle seashore of the mind." Author: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

7. Crickets chirping at night -- I know the photo is of lightning bugs, but lightning bugs don't make noise. And crickets chirping say "summertime" to me, which also make me think of lightning bugs. Does that just feel like a perfect summer night!?
"In summer, the song sings itself." Author: William Carlos Williams

8. The wind rustling through the leaves as the birds sing -- another night time on the deck sound that just speaks peace to me.
"What is the good of your stars and trees, your sunrise and the wind, if they do not enter into our daily lives?" Author: E. M. Forster

9. The sound of the cheering crowd -- this is a photo of my alma mater's football crowd. I'm a sports nut. I used to play them, now I just enjoy watching them. I especially love the electricity of sitting in the hometown crowd of my favorite team -- whatever the sport. Just a bit of the Glory Days shining through!
Sports do not build character. They reveal it. Author: Heywood Broun

10. The sound of revving motorcycles or diesel engines -- an odd sound, to be sure. But to me, it's the sound of my husband coming home.
"Only a biker knows why a dog sticks his head out of a car window." Author: Unknown