Mark and I celebrated our 8th Wedding Anniversary yesterday. We are going out of town this coming weekend so it was low key. But, I planned a nice big dinner and I kept the kids up so they’d go to bed early.

This is how it all went down:

I was exhausted after keeping them up all day. It hailed…yes, hailed right as Mark was coming home. Fortunately, he didn’t get caught in any of it since it was moving in a different direction. He got home, we parted and I headed to get some extra stuff at Target while he went to get gas for the grill with the kids. I didn’t find what I needed at Target but we met up at home. I finished the kids supper and he gave them a bath.

While they ate, I tried to make frosting for our dessert. Unfortunately, the butter exploded while I was trying to melt it in the microwave. Before that I pulled out a new stoneware pan to cook the potatoes on and when I poured the warm potatoes on the hot pan it busted! Got all that done…then I got the potatoes in a metal pan and stuck them in the oven (they were yummy roasted new potatoes). We got the kids bathed, fed, and we did our family worship. In the meantime the potatoes got done and Mark headed to turn them off. I kept smelling a burning smell and as we were putting the kids down, I went to the kitchen, thinking the potatoes were still cooking a little too much while the oven cooled down. Nope, Mark had accidentally turned the oven on to broil! Burnt potatoes, smokey and stinky house. Yikes!

After that, it went well. God blessed us with no rain while he grilled our New York Strips! I have a great marinade, which is what I crave in a good steak and we both were stuffed! We ended the night with dessert and watching our wedding video and commenting about how “country” we used to sound…although people don’t tell us that often.

We always have memorable holidays and special events!

Mark, the kids, and I all attended a beautiful wedding this weekend. It was a wedding of a young lady who attended the church I was a youth minister at during my college days. During the course of my ministry work there, she became not just a member of the youth (it was a small, “country” church) but also a great friend and one whom I was able to sort of mentor…at least I hope! She’s always been precious to me and through email we’ve been able to stay in touch. She even served as a bridesmaid in my wedding.

I can not count the number of times I cried!!! While I was at the church working, she had signed a True Love Waits card. She presented her groom with the ring she wore to symbolize her commitment to purity! They had beautiful vows that not only reflected their love for each other but also their commitment to follow the biblical covenant marriage roles. They also had a beautiful symbolism of their lives intertwining with Christ. They braided a rope with three strands. Each strand was a different color. The gold represented Christ. The purple represented the headship of the husband and following Christ’s leadership. The white represented the purity of the bridegroom as she waits for Christ’s return. I was so moved by seeing such a sweet girl grow into such a beautiful lady and beginning a new life as a beautiful wife!

We were also thrilled to see people who had been such a special part of my life during my college years.

And after the beautiful sweet ceremony…we headed to a barn! She had her reception at a cute little barn and it was just so her! We loved it! The kids didn’t like us dancing, but that’s okay…we danced anyways! The food was great and the cakes were pretty.

Thanks so much Krystal and Zach for letting us come and witness such a special beginning to your new life together. Continue to grow to love one another and never forget the looks in each others eyes as you made your commitment to each other in front of Christ and His church! We love you both (even if we just met you Zach) and are always here for you!!!

Oh, and if the rest of you are wondering where the pictures are…we left the camera at Mark’s parents’ home!!! Ughhhh!