Love is in the air!

Our summer has been filled with weddings. We had two of Josh’s siblings get married, as well as several friends and acquaintances. There are several that we must miss also, due to distance or timing. That is very depressing to me–I love weddings! It doesn’t really matter whose wedding it is–I am glad to go. (Josh does not feel likewise.) I was telling a friend the other night that once I even went to a wedding reception uninvited….but that is another story, better left untold from my crazy college years. (Keep your mouth shut, Erica!)

To top off all of the romantic happenings of the summer, my sweet husband and I celebrated our 6th anniversary. Now some of you may think that is no time at all–others may think of us as an “old married couple”. To me, it hardly seems possible that I could have been married for six years already!!! Time has flown by, filled with vacations, househunting, a child, soccer, jobs, another child, more soccer, romantic dates, the occasional trial, oh, let’s see–another child and more soccer….. And there is so much more to come! I am so blessed and unworthy to have such a wonderful man as my husband.

So, in honor of love, I am posting some of the wedding pics and a few of me and the love of my life.

“Love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together

in the same direction.” –Antoine De Saint-Exupery

Pride goes before a fall…..

Ashamedly I admit that my devotional life has been far from satisfying lately. You know how hard it is when you get out of a habit and try to get back into again…especially if you are as unmotivated as I am. And it is very hard to admit to yourself–not to mention others–that you are struggling in that area. I started out by finding excuses for not making the time to study the Bible (“I have two small children”, then “I am pregnant and working”, then “I am just so tired with a newborn”….) I think many of you know how it goes. Then I began to use more bold excuses in my own mind (“It will be o.k.–I meditate on thoughts about God”, “I really listen and learn at church”, etc.) Meanwhile my parenting skills, my marriage goals, my responses to others, and my desire to serve have not been Christlike at all. In fact, I have felt like a crazed lunatic, similar to someone trying to stop a huge boulder with a feather. That is basically the comparison to a busy mother and wife trying to be successful in her life while never soaking in the truths of Scripture! Every effort I attempt falls sadly short of the goal….
As I was going through an old devotional journal the other day and praying about my apathy for the Word, I found a quote from an unknown author that has always convicted me.

“Pride is a vice which cleaveth so fast unto the hearts of men, that, if we were to strip ourselves of all faults, one by one, we should undoubtedly find it the very last and hardest to put off.”

How true that is! Every problem or “wrong” in my life can be traced back to one thing and one thing only…..my pride. And so is the case of my non-existant devotional life–I am ultimately too proud to admit that I cannot be successful or even cope really without God’s guidance and wisdom. That carries out into my relationships, my work ethic, my organizing, and even my thinking. In order to begin fresh in God’s wonderful Word and a close relationship with Him, I must first lay aside my ugly, clinging pride and admit that I need Him in order to survive. How simple…..yet so hard.

A little advertising never hurt…..

My hubby has become addicted to saving us money (not a bad thing to be addicted to, right?!) and as a result has interested me in several avenues of cheap shopping. One that I absolutely LOVE is Ebates. We buy quite a few things on-line (it is easier than driving 45 miles to shop for gifts, etc.) and this is the perfect place to buy stuff and get some cash back. I have already earned $15.20 in just a few months!!! It is really easy to sign up and you don’t have to give any personal info. When you sign up, I get $5 after your first purchase, you get $5 just for signing up, and you can also refer people and earn even more money!! The biggest thing is remembering to go through Ebates’ site in order to earn the money. I forget all of the time–in fact, I just ordered prints at Snapfish and could have earned 10% back for going
through Ebates So all of you computer-savvy women out there (well, men too, if you are reading this)….you should sign up and start saving!
If you decide to try it out, please use my referral link:
http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?id=32898824
so I can earn $5 for signing you up, and you will earn $5 just for signing up!!! My e-mail address is oregongirl77 at charter dot net.
Have fun shopping (and let me know how much you earn!)

Better late than never, right??

I just realized that I never posted a Father’s Day post about my wonderful husband. What a great wife I am….
I could not ask for a better father for my children. He is always willing to care for them (even when it means changing diapers!!!) I am so grateful for the partner that he is. I think I would go crazy without him. The girls adore him, and I’m sure Little E will soon be trooping along behind him, trying to copy everything he does.
So, although I am late, I just wanted to thank you, Joshua, for all that you do for our family. You are the best daddy (and husband) ever!!!!

Daddy and Big E heading off to go canoeing (she chose to wear the skirt,we didn’t make her)

My two handsome men!

All dressed up for Aunt Jill’s wedding

Daddy protecting Middle E from the loud trucks

Happy Independence Day!!