A special September day

I am thinking...about 20 years TODAY when I married my best friend!

Happy anniversary, Jeff! I love you!

 
I am thankful for...the way he’s helped me laugh, grow, moan, stretch, smile, worship, cry, pray, and everything else imaginable in the past 20 years

I am wondering...what the next 20 years (well, even the next 20 days) will bring—only God knows!

In the kitchen...leftover BBQ and hushpuppies (and cholesterol) from Greenbrier’s

I am resolving...to be realistic when I make my Fall into Reading 2012 list soon

I am wearing...a yellow t-shirt, khaki shorts

I am creating...a master to-do list of things I want to get done around the house and in my heart

I am going...to drop Amber off at the Nashville airport and love every minute I get with her

I am appreciating...the Atlas V rocket. With a little help from his friends (okay, a LOT), Jeff helped build this and we got to watch it launch the Radiation Belt Space Probes (yes, I had to look it up) at 4 a.m. last Thursday morning (and yes, it was worth it) at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

I am pondering these words...

Evaluate what you hear by whether it is pointing your focus to Jesus Christ or to yourself. Does it direct your attention to what He has done or to what you’re being told you should do?
– Steve McVey, 52 Lies Heard in Church Every Sunday
(I can’t express how much I’ve loved this book! I’m sad I finished it last night)

I am realizing...as of Sunday, we 4 Corners all now have married children, and that’s a good thing!

I am encouraged...that even though my mom has been gone two years this Saturday, she’s as much alive in my heart and memory as ever

I am hoping...I’ll remember to preach the gospel to myself every day because I need Jesus every day 

I am reading...finally...Note to Self

I am praying...for Spirit-filled words and hearts between friends here, and for Jenna’s new Bible study group in Auburn

I am trying...not to be sad that Jenna is back at Auburn after being home with us over the weekend, but it’s not working so hot

I am looking forward to...the first Auburn home game in a few weekends and staying with her

I am hearing...TobyMac’s new CD Eye on It (it’s good!)

I am studying...Peter’s faith in Unshakeable Faith (study officially begins September 10, if you want to join in at Do Not Depart)

I am memorizing these words...this week with the Hiding 1 Peter 1 in My Heart group:

1Pe 1:4  to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,
1Pe 1:5  who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

A few plans ahead...open house for this great ministry; opening day of dove season (well, I’m excited for Jeff’s plans for this); a beach anniversary vacation

One of my favorite things...is my new (and first!) great-niece. We’re so in love with her already.

* * *

What are you doing today?

the simple woman's daybook
...where every day is a blank page

Past Daybooks

19 little things (that are really big things!)

We all think big things are grand, but aren’t we just as pleased with the consistency of little things?

I stopped counting at 19 little things (I could go on and on) that make Jeff an incredible husband. No wonder I love this man!

Happy 19th Anniversary to my God-designed-just-for-me husband!

1. He is first to clean up the vomit when our kids get sick

2. He knows how to successfully work a grocery store list (plus surprise us with a few goodies not on the list)

3. He apologizes that he snores

4. He puts his dirty clothes in the hamper, including socks and underwear

5. He wants to kiss me the second he gets home from work

6. He remembers to open the dishwasher when it stops so the dishes can air-dry

7. He rubs my back almost every night AND says he could do it for hours on end

8. He gets a stain out of the carpet better than me (and with a lot less whining)

9. He donates almost all the bookshelf space to me

10. He wants to get in bed at the exact time I do every night

11. He carries my bags and books (and bags of books) whether they’re heavy or not

12. He always drives so I can read in the car

13. He calls his mom and dad several times a week because he wants to

14. He tells me I’m beautiful even when I know I’m not

15. He can cry when he’s deeply touched

16. He always smiles to friends and strangers at the front door of church

17. He ends every e-mail to me with “I love you!” (including the exclamation point!)

18. He knows how to say “I’m sorry”

19. He prays with me every night (our precious new habit since March)

I love you, Baby! Thanks for making it so easy to do.

* * *

# 354—372

And so I add 19 more gifts of grace from God to me. I have far more than I deserve, but it’s the way God is....

What little thing does someone (husband or otherwise) do for you that is really a big thing?

RELATED:

• 5 reasons I love being married to Jeff
• I still vow...
• It’s our song—True Companion

photo credits: Jenna (isn’t she good!)

It’s our song—“True Companion”

Today is the 18th anniversary of my marrying the best husband ever.

Jeff and I discovered this Marc Cohn song when we were dating in 1992 (a mere 7 months from first date until wedding day). And we played it over and over as “our song.”On Sept 11, 1992, the next-to-last day of our honeymoon on the island of Kaua’i, Hawaii, the eye of a Category 4 hurricane, Iniki (meaning “strong and piercing wind”), passed directly over us.It was our first great test as “true companions.”

We’ve weathered several more “strong and piercing winds” since then, but thankfully God has seen us through them all.

And if I am so blessed, I promise to stay by your side
and be your true companion not only now,
but throughout all eternity.
~ from my wedding vows to Jeff

Listen here:

True Companion
Marc Cohn
LYRICS

Baby I've been searching like everybody else
Can't say nothing different about myself
Sometimes I'm an angel and sometimes I'm cruel
And when it comes to love I'm just another fool

Yes, I'll climb a mountain
I'm gonna swim the sea
There ain't no act of God girl
Could keep you safe from me

My arms are reaching out
Out across this canyon
I'm asking you to be my true companion
True companion
True companion

So don't you dare and try to walk away
I've got my heart set on our wedding day
I've got this vision of a girl in white
Made my decision that it's you alright

And when I take your hand
I'll watch my heart set sail
I'll take my trembling fingers
And I'll lift up your veil

Then I'll take you home
And with wild abandon
Make love to you just like a true companion
You are my true companion
I got a true companion
True companion

When the years have done irreparable harm
I can see us walking slowly arm in arm
Just like that couple on the corner do
'Cause girl I will always be in love with you

And when I look in your eyes
I'll still see that spark
Until the shadows fall
Until the room grows dark

Then when I leave this Earth
I'll be with the angels standin'
I'll be out there waiting for my true companion
Just for my true companion
True companion 
True companion

* * *

Related:
Anniversary

• 5 reasons I love being married to Jeff
• I still vow...

5 reasons I love being married to Jeff - Friday’s Fave Five

Today is our 17th anniversary!

Next to loving and worshiping God, the second biggest call on my life is to love my husband well. He makes it an incredibly joyful thing to do.

So I dedicate my Friday’s Fave Five to sweet things, big and small, about my hubby. He’s the best!

1. Family man
He loves his family, my family, and our family. When we were dating, I watched how he treated his mother. I knew I’d get the same treatment some day. It’s been a great thing.

2. Fill ‘er up
He’s one of a dying breed who still likes to pump gas for his wife. And when Morgan is home, he’ll drive her truck at least once to make sure it’s running fine and to top off the tank. It’s a little thing to him, but a big thing to us.

3. Stay-at-home
We’ve always agreed that as long as it was financially possible, I would stay at home. So far, we’ve been blessed. I love playing housewife, and he loves having me home and happy. We never have the newest or biggest of anything, but nobody’s complaining.

4. Clean up   
This one isn’t the most important, but, honestly, it says a lot: Jeff does dishes without being asked. When he’s in town, he is more likely than me to have the kitchen cleaned up shortly after supper. Who wouldn’t love that?

5. Kissy-kissy
Our kids aren’t always thrilled about this one, but we’re affectionate (maybe one day they’ll appreciate it?). The last thing Jeff does before he leaves for work in the morning is give me a kiss (I may or may not have one eye open), and the first thing he does when he returns home is the same (when I’m far more awake).

It’s been an exciting 17 years with this man! I’ve been blessed to hang out with him so much, and I pray that God will give me many more years to stay and play at his side. There’s absolutely, positively, nobody else that I’d rather be living life beside.

To see what others are thankful for, click over to Susanne’s place at Living to Tell the Story.

More of my Friday’s Fave Five

Sweet 16--I still vow...

On our 16th anniversary, I still commit to my original promise:

Jeff,

I thank God for allowing me to become your wife. I accept this precious gift from Him with a promise to always cherish it.

I vow to you this day to always help you draw even closer to the Lord along with my own strivings for deeper faith. I promise to do all I can to help you attain your goals and nurture your goodness as well as to soften your struggles and share in your trials.

I promise to lift you up as a father to our children and show them how blessed we are to have you as the head of our family.

I promise to love you and respect you and give to you. I pledge my heart and soul to be one with yours, through honesty and in peace. And if I am so blessed, I promise to stay by your side and be your true companion not only now, but throughout all eternity.

I love you,
Lisa

September 4, 1992

[I still vow...now and always...September 4, 2008]