Top 10 Reasons Why I Love YOU

Yesterday was my beloved's birthday. I asked him if they do anything special over there for you when it's your birthday. He said, "I didn't tell anyone it was my birthday. All they do is give you a cupcake and then give you a hard time all day!" My poor guy! He's not big on celebrating things anyway, but I always do something for him, and after 14 years, it is kinda nice to be remembered on your day. I am going to have a nice carrot cake (his favorite....that was what our wedding cake was too!) for him when he gets home!

Anyway, I had sent him a package of stuff he had asked for and some cards and pictures and stuff from us. One of the things that I had sent was a "Top 10 Reasons Why I Love You" paper that I had filled out. I put all different kinds of things on there (I REALLY love his hands, they're always hot, rough and huge!). I also sent him a blank sheet and suggested he do one for me. Now, before, he would NOT have done it, but a couple of days ago he said he was "working on it". I thought, "Golly, I just sat down and wrote it and he had to work on it?" But, at least he was doing it! Well, yesterday (his birthday) I found an email in my box. I am going to share it here because it took my breath away! Many of the things I thought bothered him about me, he has turned a different light on and are thankful for them. I couldn't help thinking it was more of a thanksgiving list to God than a love note to me. Many of you have known us for a long time, so I am sharing this so you can get a further glimpse of the great miracle God has wrought in our marriage....

Top 10 Reasons Why I Love YOU......

1. You laugh at my silly jokes, you have a great sense of humor.
2. You are very sensitive, you have the biggest heart of anyone I have every known.
3. You are unselfish, you give of yourself and don't like saying "no" to anyone.
4. You are kind and gentile, you have a spirit greater than any queen, princess, or royalty.
5. I love your elegant manners, you are never rude or crass.
6. You are not impulsive, you think about every aspect of a decision.
7. I love the mischievous side of you, it can be very fun.
8. You are slow to change, but have accepted coffee in, so I know you love me.
9. You love to be surprised in life, you enjoy the simple beauty in things.
10. You are artistic and very imaginative, you see the good that is in everything.

And he said he wasn't the "romantic type"......ha!!!

Brrrrrrrr!!

Fall has definitely fallen upon us!! Check it out! In Alaska we called this "termination dust" as it signaled the end of summer. This was taken from my front porch!!

More than conquerors!!

This morning I looked up 'humility' in my Strong's Concordance (or "conquer-dance" as we sometimes call it!) Here's what I found and then my thoughts on it:
Humility
Factors involved in a sense of:
One's sinfulness....................look up Luke 18:13-14
One's unworthiness.............look up Luke 15:17-21
One's limitations....................look up 1 King 3:6-14
God's holiness........................look up Isaiah 6:1-8
God's righteousness...........look up Philippians 3:4-7
In each area that we are weak, God's fullness steps in. We are sinful, so He sent an atonement (Christ), we are unworthy so He gives us the free gift of mercy and grace; we have limitations and God has none. We have to understand the vastness of God. Romans 8:37 "Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him who loved us." Wrap your mind around that thought....we're these puny, dirty little things, yet with God working in our lives and completing us, not only are we conquerors, we are more than conquerors. We don't just gain a victory, we gain a surpassing victory!! I just think that's so amazing!! God is most glorified in our weakness. It is clear that we are at the end of ourselves and God has stepped in.

Uh-oh!!

I could be in trouble when my True Love comes home! My friend sent me this picture (and I've sent it out to many friends, but I think it is so funny that it deserves posting here.....sorry, don't know who to give credit to for it)

"What to wear when your wife has chores for you to do."

the continuing saaaa-ga of a dishwasher gone bad...

Well, yesterday some GE guys brought over my new dishwasher. I should have been more concerned when one man carried the new one in over his shoulder using only one hand.....but I'm getting ahead of myself. Pulling out the old dishwasher, they discovered just how "inventive" the previous owner was. The wiring did not have any ground wire, and the connection to the water supply was with a gas connector (yeah, like I understood all that either!) so they put the dishwasher in place but they were not able to connect it to electricity OR water!! They told me how to fix the water situation (after a run to Home Depot) and then said I needed to get an electrician for the wiring. On the way to Home Depot I stopped by the church office and asked if there was someone who could help me out with the electrical. The secretary said that her husband could help me out. He came over on his way home and got it all wired up so I was able to wash dishes in my new dishwasher!! I should have been so very happy, but.....

1. It was very loud when it ran...could be because unlike my old one, this one had NO insulation wrapped around it
2. It clunked to each new cycle....loudly.....enough to wake you from sleeping
3. It only had one spray arm and my old one had 2
4. It had no delayed start and my old one had a choice of 3 different times
5. It seemed much smaller

So I wasn't happy but thought, well, at least I have one. However, when I woke this morning, I still was not happy and then after talking to some friends that I really look up to, I took their advice and called the Warranty Company and told them that I was not happy with what I received. Well, after 2 hours on the phone, and me having to get kinda feisty (which is NOT how I am) and talking to the supervisor, here's what God provided....

The Warranty Group is cutting me a check for the price of the new dishwasher I picked out (an Amana) plus the cost of installation. I will then be responsible for getting it myself. Yay! And they do not want this dishwasher back!!! (how wasteful after all the stupidness I've been through) So I am able to bless my dear friend K with it! :) Whew!!!! Glad that is all over!!!!!!!!!! Can't wait to tell my darling hubby!

Wow!

I stumbled across Marine Wife's blog and was amazed at the similarities!! One of her posts had this to say, and I just had to put it here too, my testament to my dear husband...

"What I have with him is worth it. It is worth every lonely night, every tear I cry from missing him, and the pain I feel from not having him close. It is worth it because he is my one and only. When I picture myself years from now, I see only him. No matter how painful distance can be, not having him in my life would be worse." - Author Unknown

More quilt pictures

Here's the first completed block. I'm still learning to match corners, but overall, I like it! :) It goes together pretty quickly.

Project for my Love

Click to play | Make your own Smilebox

Something's Lacking

Revelation 2:2-4 (please click to read)

Immediately upon reading this, the thought came into my head....How could they [I] be so industrious and patiently enduring for the sake/glory of the Lord, yet lose their [my] first love?? Why, then, would they [I] be doing what they are [I am] doing if it's not done for love?? I'm struggling with this lately, can you tell??? So, as I sat there pondering, thoughts began pouring in and I quickly ran and grabbed my notebook (journaling is the way to go!!!) and wrote down these thoughts:

• Things are done simply out of obligation rather than intense love
• Looking at our marriage, I did the things I did simply because that's what I was supposed to do. Now, with all the miraculous healing in our marriage, I am eager to resume doing those things for my dh as an expression of my love for him.
• Sometimes things become comfortable and somewhat automatic (we begin to take things for granted) causing us to lose our purpose, to lose that freshness of vision.

I hope I haven't completely lost you here. I just have kind of felt like I've been wandering on my own lately; I haven't even taken time alone with my Abba, I'm simply trying to get through each day. I finally realized that I was starving myself to death, not feasting on His word.....I was in emergency status! So I plopped down and just began reading. As always, God is faithful!!

Abba, Father-God, work this in my life. Open my eyes to again see that first love. Teach me to love more fully and passionately. In Christ's name...Amen!