Life In Our Fishbowl Link-Up and Our Love Story Part 6

If you missed part 1 of the story - go here

If you missed part 2 of the story - go here
If you missed part 3 of the story - go here

If you missed part 4 of the story - go here

If you missed part 5 of the story - go here

I read the words,

 "And I just wanted to ask a big question, 

It is serious Ann, you didn't expect this today!"

I looked up slightly confused but yet hopeful and he pulled out a ring (a real one!) and said "Ann, will you marry me?" I was overjoyed and forgetting all about the ring I leaned over and wanted to do what was natural and hug him the way I had been doing. He was anticipating our first kiss and we totally bonked into each other face to face. The first kiss was definitely nothing spectacular unless you want to say it was memorable! As the day wore on, we definitely got it down just right! 

He put the ring on my finger and we were engaged. We had only been dating for eight weeks. But let me tell you ladies, when you KNOW that this man is the man that God has determined for you, you KNOW. You don't have to wait once you hit that point. And we didn't! 

22 weeks later on November 12th, we had the most beautiful and special wedding ceremony EVER. We spent a mere $3,000 for EVERYTHING - yes you can have a gorgeous cheap wedding. 

My daddy and me

The bridal party! 

We gave the guys "permission" to score our kiss :0) Only one of the guys had his nine upside down - but he fixed it! hee hee

Our best man decided to have a kissing basket because we were so broke - which we were! For money put into the basket - we kissed. We got $300 in that basket!! Funny thing was, we did not get tired of kissing!

By the way, there is a reason most people do not use rice at their weddings. It HURTS!!! Think little tiny ROCKS being thrown at you! 

Another memorable moment was we had to leave TWICE! On our way to our honeymoon, we realized that we had forgotten to sign the marriage license!! Oops! Had to do that!

So this it the end of the beginning - the continuations are still going on and I love my husband more now than I ever loved him on that beautiful memory day. I am such a blessed wife to have a man like I do. I wouldn't change him one bit because his shortcomings are defining and growing me and his strong points build up on my weak ones. Thank you for joining in on my love story! and thank you 

Sam Stringer 

for being my man! I love you forever and ever babe! 

LINK-UP Ministry Wives!

If you are a Ministry wife: Pastor's wife, youth Pastor's wife, evangelist's wife, or a Missionary wife, LINK-UP a recent post - ANY TOPIC - from your own blog so we can blog hop and meet one another! Oh, and be a sweetheart and include this button so other Ministry wives can get in on the fun too and so you will qualify to be featured! There are not many Ministry Wives who are linking up and there are even some linking up that I'm not sure they are ministry wives or not so please make it public somewhere on your blog so I can find it! Otherwise, I may have to do some deleting and that would be sad!


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Love you all and I pray for my readers often! 

In HIS Grip, 
               

Our Love Story Part 5

Part 1 of the story - go here

Part 2 of the story - go here
Part 3 of the story - go here

Part 4 of the story - go here

Part 5 of the story - go here

Part 6 of the story - go here

He called. And Sam and I traveled together to go and meet my parents so my dad could meet him face to face. He was SOOOO nervous. I have no idea what happened even now during those meetings between my dad and Sam. But on the ride home Sam asked me "Would you do courtship with me?" And I gave an incredibly happy "YES!" 

Things were shy at first and somewhat uncertain but we got to know each other more and more every time we got together. We wrote little notes and emails and he wrote poems and silly things to me. He even wrote a couple of songs and played them on his guitar for me. I baked him cookies and left him little things. We went to Spring Banquet together. We even had our college graduation party together! We made a couple of commitments for our relationship. The first was that we would not kiss until we were engaged. The second was more on my side because it was important to me. I told him that I would not say the words "I Love You" until I knew that he was the one I was committed to marrying. 

We had been dating for about six weeks when all of a sudden I got a text message from Sam while he was in his classes. I thought that was a little strange and when I read it, my heart completely dropped. It read: "I think we should take a couple of days off and think about this." Which in my opinion meant - He couldn't be with me. What was he DOING? I prayed and prayed and prayed and I told God, "I have been here before with this man. Why does he keep DOING THIS TO ME?" I can't keep putting my heart out there and letting it get hurt. But this still small voice came to me and said "Wait on me." So I waited and waited TWO WHOLE HOURS. Then I got another text message that read "I'm so sorry sweetheart, I don't know what I was thinking, forgive me?" I read those words and I was amazed and completely relieved! I don't really know exactly what was going on in his mind at that time but I do know that from that point on he was completely committed and he said the words "I Love You" shortly after that day. 

Because he had placed a little bit of doubt in my mind, I couldn't say the words when he said them. I was too scared that he would leave me. I wanted the first time I said them to be to the man I was going to marry and with him, I wasn't sure if he would marry me. 

One night after going out together, I dropped him off at his apartment and we stood in the parking lot talking and all of a sudden for no reason at all I knew I wanted to say it. I knew that I could say it because it was real. I wanted to say "I Love You." I was in love with this man. I wanted to marry him. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this man. If he left, it would break my heart. But if he did leave and I never told him how I truly felt? That would break my heart more. Out of the blue I said the words, "I Love You, Sam." He looked at me surprised and then he gave me the sweetest hug I can remember. 

Three weeks later he came to my home to ask my dad if he could marry me and my dad said yes. Sam had told me though that he was disappointed though because he didn't have enough money for the ring yet. So after he asked my dad for permission he said he had something he wanted to give me - a pre-engagement kit. So he took me to Red Rock State Park - one of our favorite places to go on dates and gave me my kit. Since we had decided to not kiss until our engagement there were a lot of things related to that! He gave me a MASSIVE fakey ring to "fool" everyone so they would know I was taken. He gave me Starburst to practice unwrapping with my tongue (which I can do quite well! If you're confused, they say that if you can do that, you're a good kisser). He gave me chapstick to make my lips nice and soft and gum to make my breath fresh. 

The last thing in the pre-engagement kit was a song that he had written himself. He took the song "The Heart of Worship" and rewrote it to be "The Heart of Ann." The song was completely ridiculous and it had me crying tears of laughter because it was so silly. But then it got to the last verse and . . . 

To Be Continued. . . 

In HIS Grip, 
               

Our Love Story Part 4

Part 1 of the story - go here

Part 2 of the story - go here
Part 3 of the story - go here

Part 5 of the story - go here

Part 6 of the story - go here

So we were friends. And as far as I was concerned, we were going to stay just friends. 

Then one day he called me. And he asked me to go to a restaurant with him. He was extremely nervous! For whatever insanity was playing in my mind I said yes. After hanging up the phone I looked at it and said "WHAT WAS THAT ALL ABOUT???" more at myself than at the phone. My roommate aka my best friend asked me what was going on and I told her. I said I didn't want to go out with him, my dad DEFINITELY would not want me to go out with him so why in the world did YES come out of my mouth??? I told my roommate how nervous he was and how I didn't want to hurt him by calling back and refusing. So I decided to go on the date and let him down easy. I would just tell him that I appreciated his friendship but I wasn't interested in anything right now. 

So we went on the date together and the car trip was pretty quiet but not uncomfortable. I think we were both deep in thought about what we were going to say. 

We got to the restaurant and ordered our food and then he started to ask me questions. One after the other in an incredible fashion. I was too shocked to say ANYTHING other than answer his questions. My mind was not going fast enough to comprehend what exactly was happening. He asked me:

"How many kids do you want?"

"Are you wanting to be in the ministry?"

"If you could live anywhere, where would it be?" 

"What kind of husband are you looking for?"

"What kind of wife do you think you will be"

"How would you raise your children?" 

"Do you believe everything that our college believes?" 

"How did you get saved?" 

On and on and on the questions went and I answered them one by one. This was obviously not just a date. Once again Sam was playing me like a yo-yo but this time it was obvious he was going to keep the yo-yo in hand. 

After our date Sam walked me to the door and he was dragging his feet completely and walking so slow I wasn't really sure what was going on. I got to my door and he said "Wait a minute." I turned around and he was almost in tears. He said "Ann, would you go out with me?" I drew in a breath and paused a moment. I knew Sam was for real and I knew that I was for real suddenly too. A man like this did not come around every day and he had just shown me what was truly important to him and those same things were important to me too. I said, "You'll have to ask my dad for permission first. I should have told you! I really messed up somehow. I wasn't really supposed to go out with you those two times but for whatever reason, I did. But if you want things to go further you need to ask my dad's permission."

I could see it in his eyes. He was SHOCKED. That was the LAST thing he expected me to say. I honestly think at the time he would have preferred it if I had just said no! I wrote out my dad's phone number and handed it to him. But by the look on his face, I really wasn't sure if he would call or not. But if he didn't call, that would only mean one thing - he wasn't really interested. 

To Be Continued. . . 

In HIS Grip, 
               

I am linked up with: 

Our Love Story Part 3

Part 1 of the story - go here

Part 2 of the story - go here
Part 4 of the story - go here

Part 5 of the story - go here

Part 6 of the story - go here

So I forgot about him. I in turn ignored him and stopped talking to him. But for some reason, every time I WAS around him, (I went to church and college with him remember!) I was VERY aware of his presence. 

Months passed. Yes, months. I decided to forgive him. He obviously wasn't interested and therefore, I wasn't interested in him either. So I asked him if he would help me and be a sponsor for a youth all-nighter I was helping put together. He said "Sure!" Needless to say he called me the DAY OF the event and canceled on me.  (He had a really good reason which I found out later!) Then I was REALLY finished with the guy. 

Time passed and in March I found out that the school had changed some requirements for graduating and somehow I missed the memo and I had to complete 6 separate occasions of evangelism within my local church.  Since it was March I was in trouble - graduation was in a couple of months! So I talked to my pastor in charge of things like that and he invited me to join him and another college student who had also missed the memo about the requirement. Guess who. Yup. Sam. 

This Pastor was a wonderful godly man who I respect completely and apparently had been bugging Sam for quite a while to consider me as a potential wife. Unbeknownst to me, Pastor decided to use this opportunity and he PLANTED me alongside Sam to do door-to-door witnessing for 6 different days. If there is ANYTHING that can make you become fast friends, it's door-to-door witnessing. Trust me, witnessing to strangers was not anywhere NEAR my comfort zone and it was the same way for Sam. But we plodded along and knocked on doors and played Rock, Paper, Scissors to see who would talk to the next one. We ran away from dogs and ran away from people not wearing anything. It was a complete, insane bonding experience every time we went out together. 

But I was still not interested in letting this man come anywhere NEAR my heart. I had opened that door a little bit and he slammed it shut so there was NO way I was going to think anything more than a "just friends" relationship with Sam. 

To be Continued. . . 

In HIS Grip, 
               

I am linked up with: 

        

Love Story Part 2

Our Love Story - Sam and Ann

Part 1 of the story - go here

Part 3 of the story - go here

Part 4 of the story - go here

Part 5 of the story - go here

Part 6 of the story - go here

My mind was racing but something inside me told me to be quiet and not worry about it. And of course the thought of "What dad doesn't know won't kill him (or me!)." 

I settled back convinced that it wasn't my fault and still confused as to how this whole thing happened in the first place! It wasn't really a date because he had asked both me and my roommate at the same time! Doesn't count. Then we started talking and talking and talking. . . we didn't stop until suddenly we realized that we were driving out in the country and Sam had missed the turn for the mall. TWENTY minutes later we got back to the turn and laughed about how we had been so distracted as to miss the turn. 

It was a wonderful time! We walked through the mall and barely touched the stores! We were too busy talking and sharing. Honestly, I can't even remember what we talked about only that we never stopped. After going to the mall we were both hungry and we went to a restaurant. But when Sam told the server it was going to be all on one ticket, I somewhat stopped talking. I was not sure what was going on here. I thought we were just friends but this was seeming more and more like a date all the time - just without an official beginning. Not only that, but I was having a fantastic time! He was a great guy and I had never noticed in the three years I had known him just how great. 

Following that date, Sam began to sit with me in classes and at church and people began to notice that something was going on. Then all of a sudden it stopped. Cold turkey. He stopped talking to me, he stopped sitting next to me and I even began picking up on him trying to avoid me. 

I got angry. I was hurt. I was done with him. Within a span of ten days he had grabbed my heart and pulled it toward him and then suddenly like a yo-yo spinning he let me go. That wouldn't happen again. I wouldn't let it. 

To Be Continued. . . 

In HIS Grip, 

               

Male Brains vs. Female Brains!

I saw this video for a Valentine's Day message at our church and it makes me laugh every time I see it! It is SOOOO true!!! If you are married or in a relationship or have men in your life at ALL . . . you should watch this! There have been many times in my relationship with my husband where I have to remind myself that he doesn't see things the way I see them and work on communicating with him in a way that will bless and not hinder my husband. God made us differently on purpose! But it wasn't to confuse us or cause tension, it's a beautiful thing how we go together to compliment each other both in strengths and weaknesses! Enjoy!



I am linked up with Sarah Beth at His Loving Presence today!

My Hubbie Loves Me.

Before we were married, my husband would write these little sayings on the tiniest little papers and slip them to me when we were in class. Or he would text me the sweetest little things. Now, we're married and those little nothings don't happen as much as they used to. BUT last week my hubbie wrote this and emailed it to me. And I have read it OVER and OVER and OVER. :0) 

I just wanted you to know that every day...

-You become more beautiful to me.

-I learn more of the mystery of who you are (and I like it).

-I find that I love you more than the day before.

-You become more of the woman I knew you could be.

-I am never disappointed in my choice to marry you.

-I see the great worth that you have even if others miss it.

-Your smile never changes.

-You are fun to be around and you're my best friend.

-I'd still never spend my best time with anyone else.

-You help me to become a better man.

-You see in me what others don't.

-You understand me when others can't.  :)

-You touch me with a touch that no one else has.

-You can't be replaced.

I love you!

Sam

Awww. . . I love my man! So very much. I couldn't help bragging on him. Valentine's Day is coming and I STILL haven't figured out what I'm going to do. But I will! It's now only 14 days away! Yikes! What are you doing for your man? 

It's COMING!!! Valentine's Day!

Yup, I'm already thinking about it. You see, Valentine's Day is always really special to us. Sam is my true love. God created him for me. God created me for him. It's so very obvious to us that we CANNOT and WILL not allow Valentine's Day to go by without celebrating that. We never do the typical, we go for more from the heart "I Love You." And usually it's not the amount of money that you spend that you will remember it's the good memories surrounding the gift and the going out to eat. Every year, it takes me FOREVER to figure out what I'm going to do for my hubbie. So because I've had such trouble figuring out what to do, I thought I would share what I have done on Valentine's Days past, and maybe help you out! And if you have anything YOU'VE done! PUH-LEASE post it in my comments and help me out! :0) 

I'll never forget our first Valentine's Day. My hubbie came home from work to a path of fake rose petals leading him through our little apartment and leading him to little gifts and notes along the way, by the time he got to me (of course I was at the end!) he had completely forgotten the cares of the day and was ready for a fun and blessed time with his wife. 

Our second Valentine's Day my husband came home to a house full of balloons! Inside each balloon was a little slip of paper with one thing that I loved about my husband. So he popped them and we read them together. And I got him a gift - Nacho Libre. With a note on it that explained that even though I DESPISE that movie and he loves it, that I loved him enough that I would not only give it to him but I would watch it with him. Sacrifice let me tell you! :0) 

Our third Valentine's Day in 2008 I took a TON of post-it notes and wrote a ton of things like "You and me go together like peanut butter and jelly" and stuck it to the peanut butter. Or I put a note in the oven that said "You're HOT!" or on the toothpaste that said "I can't get over your smile." But my favorite one was "I love how you always put the seat down!" and I stuck it to the inside of the toilet seat. I tried to find the most random spots to stick them and then come up with a little something that I liked about him. I put one in his Bible, on his hot sauce, in MY bag of chocolates because he snitched my chocolate! :0) There were SOOO many notes, he was still finding them 3 days later and laughing. 

2009 Valentine's Day I went to his office and surprised him before his lunch hour and brought him balloons and a gift basket then we went out for lunch together. So that time I beat him to expecting something right after work! 

Last Valentine's Day I created coupons for my hubbie. Coupons that he could use AS MANY TIMES AS HE WISHED. They never expired and were ALWAYS redeemable. My intention for that was that he would know that if he ever needed something from me that I would do it for him. You know, be the really good loving wife. Yea, well it kinda backfired a little bit. One of the coupons was for a back rub. He TOTALLY ABUSED that coupon because that is his ALL-TIME favorite thing I do for him. My arms can only rub for so long! I ended up hiding it from him so he wouldn't be reminded! hee hee - now I'm probably in trouble because he'll read this and it will all come back to him! But seriously, most of the coupons worked really well. Things like a kiss, a hug, some listening time, a date night, cooking his favorite food, all things that I love to do for him and if I simply know when he's wanting something, I can do it! 

As you can see, these things take a little creativity and some careful planning ahead of time. And I'm really NOT all that creative, it takes TIME for me to come up with those ideas! And doing an internet search to help give me ideas works too. To be honest, I'm not really sure WHAT to do this year. But even if I did, I wouldn't tell you! Not yet anyway! So now is the time to start thinking about it! After all Valentine's Day is only 27 days away. Yikes! 

Christmas Memories

Five years ago my husband and I were married on November 12th. We were the PERFECT couple! One of those couples that never disagreed, never fought, were always lovey dovey! Until Christmas Eve that is. That ALL changed! It was the worst Christmas EVER. You need a little background here to help you understand why it was so horrible. Sam and I were raised in different families. DUH! But really, when it came to Christmas and gift-giving, our families were NIGHT and DAY! 

For Christmas every year, Sam would make a Christmas list and give it to his parents. (Yes, he was still doing it when I married him.) So CHRISTMAS EVE he would open presents with his family and basically know EVERY single gift he received because he had asked for them. Disappointment was felt if certain things were received instead of other things but he was still basically happy because it was all things he wanted. 

I, on the other hand, would never DREAM of making a Christmas list for my parents because we were raised that if you ask for it, you WON'T get it!!! So a Christmas list would be for the sole purpose of nixing everything on the list. EVERYTHING I opened on CHRISTMAS MORNING was a complete SURPRISE! I had no idea what I was going to get - unless I happened to peek under my parents bed - but that's another story! 

Our first Christmas as husband and wife was set up for complete disaster but we had NO CLUE it was coming. 

Sooo imagine my surprise when my husband kept nagging me with questions of what I wanted for Christmas. So I would tell him basic ideas like a necklace or a new decoration for our new apartment. NO SPECIFICS! Poor Sam was desperate to find out what I wanted for Christmas so he took me shopping. The guy was really good. He took note of EVERY SINGLE THING that I noticed or said that I liked. He made me try on a coat and would make comments like: "so you would wear this size then?" Needless to say, I thought he was simply trying to get an idea of what I would want for Christmas - surely he wasn't going to buy EVERYTHING I said I liked, he was just figuring me out for a future grand SURPRISE present. I was WRONG!

On my part, I was pretty frustrated at how obvious Sam was being about telling me what he wanted for Christmas. I would have it all figured out and then he would TELL me he wanted it! There went that idea! I didn't want him to KNOW what he was getting from me. So I had to be pretty creative with my gifts and avoid EVERYTHING he informed me about wanting for Christmas. I accomplished it! He had NO CLUE what he was getting for Christmas!

We were both extremely excited about our first Christmas together and had all of these romantic visions of what it would be like. We were WRONG! 

We opened our gifts together and BOOM!!! It was a disaster! All of my gifts were the EXACT same things I had basically picked out for myself and there were NO surprises. For Sam, as he opened present after present, he got more and more and more disappointed because they were not what he was expecting!

The rest of the night was not the beautiful first Christmas together we had dreamed about. It was a mess! 

Now obviously, we worked it all out (we are still happily married after all!) and we both truly enjoyed the gifts we received from each other that Christmas. Several of the gifts are still around and they have fond memories attached to them! Now we laugh about our first Christmas and we have learned how to combine our two family traditions into something that works for both of us. We have learned that Christmas is not about the presents but about the heart and the love behind the person GIVING the gift and not at all about the gift itself. 

God's Christmas gift to the world is still not accepted with appropriate thanks from everyone. But the love behind the gift, God's LOVE for us is still just as constant and sure as it always has been. Are you one of those who have received God's gift? Have you believed that God sent His Son, Jesus into the world as a baby to one day grow up and pay the price for the sins of you and me by dying a cruel death on the cross? He was the only perfect One who could do that for us! But after dying, He did not stay dead, He miraculously  came back to life and is now making a place for those who believe in heaven with Him. If you only believe in what He has done for you, you will be a recipient of the greatest Christmas gift of all time, eternal life. 

Merry Christmas! 

May your Christmas have wonderful memories that will be passed on from year to year! 

An Excellent Wife Who Can Find?

I received a phone call from a loved one that broke my heart. The loved one did not break my heart but our conversation did. I've been married for five years and in those five years I have learned a lot about marriage (and I still have a lot more to learn) but I have not had to learn as much as some people have learned. I am BLESSED beyond measure by God for allowing Sam and I to have the love, the communication, the respect, and the commitment that has given us the marriage of which we are so unworthy. Others have not been so fortunate. I have seen heartache in precious friends lives that I myself have never had to experience.

If you're at all like me, you've read the marriage books or the books about being a good wife. I've read Proverbs 31 and read myself into the text so many times that I pretty much know by heart where I need to change and become a better wife. I'm definitely an imperfect wife married to an imperfect husband. But the things that bother me or irritate me about my husband pale in vast comparison to some of the marriage problems that I've encountered in my friends lives.

Don't misunderstand me! Right now, my husband and I are doing very well in our marriage. So well in fact that I almost want to hide this post from him in case he might misunderstand the context of this post. But for all of you wives out there that do have good marriages and forget what blessings our husbands are, here are some of the things God has been teaching me through the heartaches of the hurting wives that have impacted me.

Sometimes I can get so angry or hurt at how my husband may not notice me exactly when I want him to. Some wives' husbands only notice other women.

Sometimes I ask my husband to do something for me and he fails to accomplish the task on my time table. Some wives' are afraid to ask their husbands to do anything for them.

Sometimes I feel neglected or unloved by my husband. Some wives don't just feel it, they are neglected and unloved.

Sometimes I complain because my white towels are now tinted gray because he did not sort the laundry properly. Some wives would pay money for their husbands to do laundry.

Sometimes I get so angry that my husband doesn't notice our children's needs when they are right in front of him. Some wives keep their children far away from their husbands in fear they will be noticed.

Sometimes I strive to impress my husband by fixing a fantastic meal for him and he is late for dinner. Some wives go for entire nights not knowing where their husband is.

As you can see I have struggles in my marriage that should not be considered struggles. If you noticed in each of these sentences they all start with "Sometimes I." I become so wrapped up in what I think my husband should do or say or think that I fail to recognize that the problem lies within myself. I am not focusing on loving or respecting my husband. I am only focusing on my own selfish desires. This thought may seem to be a total twist in what I was saying earlier but let me explain. 

As wives we all have the same responsibilities before God to carry out. It is our responsibility before God to obey Him regardless of our circumstances. But only He is ultimately in charge of how wonderful or how blessed or how difficult and painful our marriages are. Our marriages can fail. The marriage that appears to be the most godly one out there can still fall apart. We cannot make saving or perfecting our marriage our goal. Our goal must lie in truly glorifying God and God alone. May I encourage you to strive to not look on your husband and his faults but look on your own and how before and with God you can strive to truly become an excellent wife.

"However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband." Ephesians 5:33

Proverbs 31

10  An excellent wife who can find?

She is far more precious than jewels.

11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,

and he will have no lack of gain.

12 She does him good, and not harm,

all the days of her life.

13 She seeks wool and flax,

and works with willing hands.

14 She is like the ships of the merchant;

she brings her food from afar.

15 She rises while it is yet night

and provides food for her household

and portions for her maidens.

16 She considers a field and buys it;

with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.

17 She dresses herself with strength

and makes her arms strong.

18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.

Her lamp does not go out at night.

19 She puts her hands to the distaff,

and her hands hold the spindle.

20 She opens her hand to the poor

and reaches out her hands to the needy.

21 She is not afraid of snow for her household,

for all her household are clothed in scarlet. [6]

22 She makes bed coverings for herself;

her clothing is fine linen and purple.

23 Her husband is known in the gates

when he sits among the elders of the land.

24 She makes linen garments and sells them;

she delivers sashes to the merchant.

25 Strength and dignity are her clothing,

and she laughs at the time to come.

26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,

and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

27 She looks well to the ways of her household

and does not eat the bread of idleness.

28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;

her husband also, and he praises her:

29 “Many women have done excellently,

but you surpass them all.”

30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,

but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,

and let her works praise her in the gates.

(emphasis mine).

By the way, my husband did read this before I posted it! I love that man! :0)

Five Magical Years!

My wonderful hubby just celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary yesterday and it was absolutely fantastic! We decided to go to Toledo, Iowa! Woo hoo! Okay, honestly, there is not much there just another small Iowan town. Nothing wrong with those! I've lived in a few of them and cannot complain! But in Toledo, IA we stayed at Designer Inn and Suites. When we drove up to the place it was slightly disappointing because it looks like a place that we would stay just simply for somewhere to sleep not exactly a romantic anniversary getaway but then we got to our room and opened the door and . . .

we were in a RAINFOREST!!! Yes this is a round bed - which I have to say was AWESOME! Loved it! and sooo want one now! I don't know if you can see it but above the bed on the back there are tiki torches and 4 light switches. Each one is for lights that light up the foliage along the floor, the tiki torches and the STARS above the bed, lights in the ceiling which enable you to see everything, and ambiance sounds! LOVE IT!!! Anyone ever seen the movie "Pillow Talk?" Yup totally!

Here's a little better pic of the switches and the tiki torches and the painted mural on the wall - which was through the whole room.

Here's my hottie hubbie!

Yup whirlpool tub in a cave with mirrors and a misting waterfall in the corner - SWEET!! I was excited that it was a whirlpool tub and not a jacuzzi since I'm pregnant I could still use it!

This was Sam's FAVORITE part. The 16 point - steam shower. He woke up early at 6 and used it for AN HOUR before I woke up! Crazy man! But I'm glad he enjoyed it! As much water as it uses I'm pretty sure we would have to take out a loan to pay for having one! :0)

And of course what would a hotel room be without a TV? We had a special time with this TV tho because we watched our wedding videos for the FIRST time!!! Yes, I know you are probably wondering why we had not watched it before but to be honest, we did not have them! After asking around for one of them and having a friend of a friend put them on DVD's for us we were set for our 5th anniversary. Watching those videos and seeing the beginning of our married life together was VERY special and quite the kick-off to another five years (and another and another. . .)  of loving this special man that God has blessed me with!

I love you Sam Stringer! I am so very proud and content and blessed to be your wife! xoxo!

 

By the way, I have a $10 off coupon to give to someone who wants to book a night in a fantasy suite at the Designer Inn and Suites.  Or go to the link and check out their other rooms! All of them look really amazing!Be the first one to contact me with your confirmation code and address and I will put it in the mail for you asap! Guarantee it will be completely fantastic for you too!

Lamps: Ugly to Gorgeous in seconds!

My mother-in-law recently bought some beautiful lamps at a garage sale and I commented on how much I loved them and told her if you find any more lamps like that at a garage sale, pick them up for me and I'll pay her for them! I shouldn't have . . . I really shouldn't have! She immediately responded by telling me that Grandma Betty just got new lamps and wouldn't I like the old ones? I did not want to seem ungrateful or too good for the lamps so without seeing them, I said "Oh, ok, sure!"

They were wrapped up in plastic and put in our van to be seen later on. They were pink. PINK! I used to despise pink and now I will occasionally wear pink because I think pink looks good on me but when it comes to decorating anything but my 3-year old's bedroom (who's fave color is of course PINK!), PINK is OUT!!!

So the lamps honestly went into a closet until yesterday. My husband and I went to Menards. This is always a dangerous place because sometimes we get motivated to do "projects" on our home. But this was a good trip because all we purchased was a doorknob to replace a broken one and this:

So we took the two pink lamps and another lone lamp that had lost it's brother in one of our moves. We also grabbed a silver floor lamp that I had purchased in college that still works great but silver doesn't really match our decor. We wrapped up all of the workings and cords and stuff in little baggies and taped off all of the parts we didn't want painted, and my hubbie went to work painting them for me! Here is the before pic of the smaller lamps!

My parent's had bought some lamps with shades that were fairly dark and my dad did not like them but I loved them so they worked perfectly with the smaller lamps! Here is the after picture of all of my lamps!

and a closer picture so you can see the smaller lamps a little bit better . . .

I L-O-V-E them!!! They are perfect for my bedroom and the floor lamp and lone lamp are perfect for our living room! I love matching my decor! And they only cost me $5.77 for the can of paint! Yay!