7 years and counting

Today is our 7th wedding anniversary. My how time flies! Even though it feels like I have always known him this 7 years married to Ian has just flown by. The Lord has brought us on some amazing journeys and we have met some wonderful people along the way. I thought I would do a little time line to show where we've been and what we've been up to...

2001:

 Married at Florida Blvd. Baptist Church

Lived in student housing New Orleans while we finished school

Both of us working at Dillards

2002:

Still at school and working at Dillards we begin commuting to Baton Rouge to start working with the college group at Florida Blvd. Ian soon became the College Ministry Intern.

2003:

Graduated from 

moved to Atlanta to work at Peachtree Corners BC.

made some great friends that I love and miss!!

bought our first house

2004:

still working at PCBC

found out we were having a baby!

2005:

had Bianca in May

got pregnant again in late December

2006:

found out we were having TWINS in Feb.

had Eliana and Giada in Sept.

Called to East Bayou in November

moved to Lafayette in late December

2007:

felt the Lord say now was the time to make the move towards missions

2008:

continued through the process to the mission field and were approved for service in June

Throughout the last 7 years we have made many wonderful friends, grown our family, learned a ton about who we are as a couple and as individuals. The most important lesson I have learned is how important it is to be obedient to the Lords leading. I have told people many times that I did not choose Ian. I didn't even really like him romantically, but I heard the Lord say to me VERY clearly that he was the man I was going to marry. I grew to love him and I am so happy that I listened to the Lord and was obedient. Ian was created for me! He is absolutely everything I need and want in a partner. I am so blessed to be on this journey with him and am so looking forward to where the Lord is leading us.  

360 Camp

Wow!! I just spent a week with 250 students and adults at Shepherd of the Ozarks in Harriet, Arkansas. It was great and awful all at the same time. Nothing quite like climbing 10,000 steps everyday, 3 times a day to eat holding at least one baby and sometimes two. The work load was awful but the time I was able to spend with 2 beautiful and Godly women was priceless. I spend most of my time at the camp with my friend Jessica Head. For all of my non-Lafayette friends, Jessica's husband is the middle school pastor at the church. She has two sweet girls and her oldest Janna is Bianca's best-friend. (so the girls say anyway!) Then our worship leaders wife, Heather, rode the 10 hours there and the 10 hours back in the car with me. What a servant she was to me as she took care of the children while I drove.

I loved spending time with these women, getting to know each of them better and for the first time since being here in LA, really being able to connect with other women in an intimate way. I loved it and despite all of the miserable work it was to be there everyday I wouldn't trade a moment of my time with these women. 

I am so thankful to the Lord for friends who love, encourage and most of all challenge.

Thanks to Jessica and Heather for spending the week with me and still loving me!

Grateful

Yesterday was a rough one. I got news that a good friend lost her first grandchild and some sad news about my grandfather, and an emotional e-mail from my mother. As a result of just thinking about all of those things, I have been thinking the last two days about things that I am grateful for. I know that sometimes we get into the ick of life and just forget about all of our blessings. Here are things that came to mind:

-healthy children

-loving/supportive husband

-that I don't have to please man, only God

-friends who laugh and cry with me

-unconditional love from my children

-parents who taught me to love and obey the Lord

-in-laws who taught Ian the same

-that the past can be just that-PAST

What do you have to be grateful for?