This Day I Will Marry My Friend…….

The One I Laugh With, Live For, Dream With, Love..

These were the words that were printed on the front of our wedding invitation. This blessed event took place 27 years ago on this day. I’m thankful to still be married to the man to whom I made a vow (and him to me) so long ago.

Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband!

Je t’aime plus d’aujourd’hui qu’hier mais pas autant que demain!

Each for the other

and both for the Lord.

Oh, darling sweetheart,

let the angels record;

Vows sweetly spoken;

may they never be broken;

Each for the other

and both for the Lord.

John Peterson

 

Valentine From A to Z For Your Husband

I came across this looking through some old computer files. I had completely forgotten about this but thought it would be good to post with Valentine’s Day coming up. Ladies, don’t ever get too old to stop being your husband’s girlfriend.

A B C’s of Being a Help Meet

And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. Genesis 2:18

Admit when you  are wrong
Be positive
Cuddle
Do it his way
Encourage him
Fix his breakfast
Give back rubs
Hug often
“I love you” should be said many times daily
Joke around in a playful manner
Know his needs
Listen to him
Manage your home well
Never hold grudges
Open your eyes in the morning and smile
Pray for him
Quit nagging him
Reminisce about good times
Show respect and honor
Trust, and earn his trust
Understand his need for reverence
Vulnerability is a feminine trait; cultivate it
Wink at him!
X is for private times
Yearn to please him
Zealously guard him with your love

 

Cool Wedding Cake

Have you ever seen a wedding cake like this one? The bride and groom are both chess enthusiasts, so this was very fitting for them.

This is Richard and Alliana, the happy couple who were married on October 18. We are happy for these two godly, dedicated young people and know that God has great things in store for them. Congratulations, Richard and Alliana!

 

Hawaii Poetry

Young Again

 

Arriving at the Kona airport

we pick up our baggage and head

to Hertz to rent a car. Walking out

to the parking lot, we come to

a sleeking looking black

Ford Mustang convertible.  Is this

the vehicle for a conservative

pastor and his wife?

Well, why not?  We’re on vacation.

So………………………………..

Let’s pretend we’re young again,

roll down the top and drive

with the wind blowing at our faces

and messing up our hair.

Let’s remember the 24 year old

young man and the 20 year old young

lady who began an incredible ,

blessed journey 25 years ago that

has lead us to this

point.

Happy Anniversary, Darling!

Only A Woman

Driving through the national park

in a black Ford Mustang convertible,

we come across acres and acres of

an old pahoehoe lava flow. It appears

grayish and chocolate brown

with interspersed cracks and reminds me

of something. “Doesn’t that look like

miles and miles of brownies?”

 I ask my husband. Smiling, he

replies that only a woman

would make that comment.

 

 

Marriage Quotes

Because our 25th anniversary is coming up, I’ve been thinking a lot about marriage and wanted to share some quotes that I found. Hope you enjoy.

Getting a dog is like getting married. It teaches you to be less self-centered, to accept sudden, surprising outbursts of affection, and not to be upset by a few scratches on your car. Will Stanton

The goal in marriage is not to think alike, but to think together. Robert C. Dodds

To keep your marriage brimming,
With love in the loving cup,
Whenever you’re wrong admit it;
Whenever you’re right shut up. Ogden Nash

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person. Mignon McLaughlin

Love at first sight is easy to understand; it’s when two people have been looking at each other for a lifetime that it becomes a miracle. Amy Bloom

Marriage is not just spiritual communion, it is also remembering to take out the trash. Joyce Brothers

Love seems the swiftest, but it is the slowest of all growths. No man or woman really knows what perfect love is until they have been married a quarter of a century. Mark Twain

Happy marriages begin when we marry the ones we love, and they blossom when we love the ones we marry. Tom Mullen

 

Wedding Of A King

This Saturday, we were privileged to be able to attend the wedding of Karissa Horton and Adam King.  Our family was first introduced to Karissa about 3 years ago through Bible quizzing.  We actually only met Adam a couple of months ago at a conference.  They are both fine, dedicated young people that live for God and love Him with all their hearts.  I have been to many weddings over the years, but this is one of the nicest ones I’ve ever attended.  There were a couple of things that really stood out to me.  The first one was the humility and grateful spirit of this couple.  Before Karissa went up on the platform to be with the groom, she stopped and read something that she had written for her parents which so beautifully expressed her love and gratitude to them for the sacrifices they made to give her a godly upbringing.  It was very moving, and my husband and I (I’m sure along with many others.) were wiping away the tears.  They also wrote their own vows to each other, which were also very touching.  The second thing that stood out to me was the prayer that they had for this couple.  Brother Nathaniel Wilson, the senior pastor had the parents, family members and other ministers come up on the platform for the prayer.  I don’t ever remember feeling the power of God like that before in a wedding.  Bishop Wilson extended an invitation to the congregation to lift their hands in worship to God, because the presence of the Lord was so evident there.  I told my husband at the conclusion of the ceremony that I felt like I had “had church.”  The weather was just right for the outdoor reception which was held at Natomas Park in Sacramento.  Below are some shots from the reception.  My pictures at the church did not turn out very good, but I’ll include a few of them as well.  I look forward to hearing great things about this sweet couple and their work for the kingdom of God.

 

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An Important Date In History……………..well

At least it’s an important day for me.  I just realized that this is the anniversary of the day that my husband asked me to marry him.(26 years ago)  How we ended up in front of the ladies’ restroom at Apostolic Bible Institute when he popped the question is beyond me, but I sure am glad that I said yes. Happy Anniversary, darling!   

 

Wedding Day

Today, July 7, 2007 is said to be the most popular date for weddings this year.  Did any of my blogger friends attend a wedding today?  We attended the wedding of our minister friend, Reverend Ari Prado to his lovely bride, Jaimee.  This was one of the sweetest weddings I’ve ever seen.  It’s always thrilling to me when two dedicated Christians choose to make the committment to become husband and wife.  I believe God has wonderful things in store for Jaimee and Ari as they serve Him together. 

Below are some pictures of beautiful Palmdale Estates in Fremont, California, where the reception was held.  The grounds were absolutely gorgeous and very well manicured.  If you’d like to take a virtual tour of the grounds, click here, and then go to the photo gallery.

I couldn’t help but focus some of my attention today on the mother of the bride.  As she walked down the aisle, she stopped at one point, buried her head in her arm and started weeping.  I’m sure it was a bitter-sweet day for her, knowing that her daughter will not be living at home anymore, but yet happy for her too, to be blessed with a wonderful ,godly husband.  If the day comes when my daughter walks down the aisle, I’m sure I will have mixed emotions too.  Anyhow, it did turn out to be a lovely day.  It had been very hot through most of this week, but the weather was perfect and a sense of happiness pervaded the air.  I’m thankful for God’s blessing upon the wedding day of these two wonderful people.

The beautiful house in which the reception was held.  I wish I had pictures of the inside.

The wedding party is in the background having their pictures taken.

These are just some of the many beautiful flowers.  I wonder how many full time gardeners are employed here.

 

A 25 Year Old Question

It was on this day, exactly 25 years ago, at Apostolic Bible Institute, in front of the ladies’ restroom, that my husband asked that important question.  “Will you marry me?”   Of course, you know that I said yes, and I’ve never been sorry for the question or the answer.  I thank the Lord for blessing me with a wonderful, godly man!  He has been a great husband, faithful provider and an excellent father.  God has truly blessed our life more than I ever imagined possible, and I just wanted to acknowledge Him today and thank Him for bringing this marvelous man into my life.  Thank you, Jesus!

 

The Matchmaker

Our whole family thoroughly enjoyed seeing Fiddler on the Roof at Music Circus in Sacramento.  All of the actors/actresses did a great job, and seeing this play has filled my mind with so many “post possibilities” for this blog.  This pictures isn’t actually from the play I saw, but I found it on Google images, and it represents the scence where Tevye’s daughters are dreaming of the matchmaker finding just the right man for them.  While musing on this scene, I thought back to the time when a friend of ours tried to play matchmaker for me.  I was 15 years old, and this friend of ours wanted to fix me up with his best friend, whom he assured me, was a very nice guy.  So my oldest sister and I went out with our friend and his friend(my one and only blind date).  J and I did end up seeing each other quite a bit after that, but when God came into my life, He let me know that this relationship with J would not be pleasing to Him, so I broke off the relationship.  My senior year of highschool I met a young man from another church in our section who was a very nice fellow.  We became good friends and talked quite a bit on the phone.  After highschool, I went to a Christian college in St. Paul, Mn., and this young man and I continued our friendship long distance.  Although I admired his walk with God and thought he was a great guy, I was never really in love with him.  I did wonder though, if maybe we would have a future together.  He came up to see me on graduation weekend of my first year of college.  We had a great time seeing the school dramas and going to the graduation together, and then, when it was all over, he told me that he just wanted us to be friends.  I was hurt at first and disappointed, but I prayed and asked the Lord to help me make it through this time.  I remember wondering if I was ever going to get married, even though I was only 18 at the time.  I wondered what the next school year would hold for me.  Would I meet someone else?  One of my favorite Scriptures is found in Proverbs.

Pro 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

Pro 3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

I realized that I really needed to give this area of my life over to God.  I remember finding a place where I could be alone and just pouring my heart out to God.  I asked for His will to be done in my life concerning who He would have me to marry and the grace to be content being single, if that is what He wanted for me.  I prayed for quite a while until I knew that I had completely given it over to Him.  Do you know what happened?  That next school year, I met my husband. Now mind you, I did not pray for a husband.  I told God that if it was His will for me to get married to send the right man, but if not, help me be content to be single.  God let me know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this was the man He had for me.  I’m glad I gave it over to God, and He became my matchmaker.  So, if anyone out there is ever wrestling with thoughts of marriage and your future, I encourage you to give it over to God.  You can’t go wrong trusting God with this all important decision.