What I love most about my Hubby

Last Sunday, Hubby & I were the designated “Spotlight Couple” in our Sunday School class.  That means we went up in front of the class to tell how we met, what we do, about our family, etc.  After we tell our story, a few people ask questions.  Sometimes people ask about how he proposed, or about the first kiss…things like that.  

One of our friends asked “What do you like best about each other?”

I struggled to come up with something that I could say in just a few seconds, as I knew we were running out of time.  As I finished, I felt incomplete.  There was so much more I wanted to say about why I love my husband.  So, I’m going to say it here.

 

Why I love my husband:

* He loves me.  Really, really, loves me.

* He loves God.  He reads God’s word, and seeks affirmations from the Lord before making decisions.  He leads our family in worshiping God, praying to him and learning more about him.  He is the spiritual leader in our home.

* He absolutely loves being a Daddy.  He loves cuddling with Bug, reading to her, getting down on the floor and being silly with her.  He enjoys time with her, and takes her on dates.  He has never, ever, complained about taking care of her when I need to go somewhere or do something alone.  In fact, he encourages it.  I pray I never take this for granted! I know so many women who don’t have that support from their husbands, or the dads feel like a babysitter with the kids.  I am so thankful that God gave me the perfect parenting partner for me.

* I love that he works with me to open our home to foster children.  That not only does he love being a daddy to his own daughter, but he wants to be a daddy to these other kids that need that role model.

* He is a hard worker with an awesome work ethic.  He works hard for our family to provide for us.  He works hard at whatever job he is working on, whether it’s mowing the yard, changing the oil, or doing work for one of his clients.

* He loves my family.  He gets along wonderfully with my mom & dad, and the rest of my family too.  I also love his family, and am blessed to call them mine.

* He is my biggest encourager & supporter in all I do.  If there is something I want to do, he does everything he can to make it happen.

* He enjoys going clothes shopping with me :)  In fact, he has great taste and is very helpful in picking out things that look good on me.  He even encourages me not to always buy what’s on sale, as that’s hard for me.

* He is a great cook! I love cooking with him, and we have so much fun working in the kitchen together.

* He looks great in jeans & boots :) The boots were a recent addition to his wardrobe, and hubba-hubba, I like it!

* He is a gentleman.  He still opens my doors, carries things for me, and calls me “bride”. 

* He truly completes me.  When I am too emotional, he is logical.  When I am too quick to make a decision, he helps me wait.  When I’m worried, he is strong.  We balance each other well, and make a great team.

* He is patriotic to the core of his being! He loves his country and the people that fight for it.   He votes regularly and puts great thought into the candidates that he chooses.  I highly respect that.

* He makes me feel safe.  In his arms I feel like everything is going to be ok. 

 

I love you, Babe!  You are the love of my life, and I am so thankful that God brought us together like He did.  I look forward to spending the rest of my life with you!

We’ve joined the Army!

The roller coaster ride has begun!

Hubby signed the papers yesterday to re-enlist in the Army! For the past 6 months he has been getting back in shape to join the Army, and now it’s time.  His MOS (job) will be 74D - Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Specialist.  Get ready to read lots of acronyms as I learn a whole new language!

A little background for anyone just jumping on the ride with us:

Hubby served in the Army for 7 years…and has been out for 13 years.   After he got out, he spent some time as a SCUBA instructor in the islands, then came back home to Texas to continue teaching at a shop here, where we met.  Later, he got into the IT field working with computers for the next several years with a small break while he worked as a manager for Starbucks.  During that time, we got married, had a baby, and moved a couple times locally.

A couple years ago, we considered him getting back into the Army, but we dismissed it without much thought.  However, the idea didn’t disappear as we assumed it would, and this past summer it came back with intensity!  This time, we prayed about it and spent a lot of time seeking God’s will.  After
many affirmations, we knew in our hearts that this was where we were going. 

It’s a huge change from the dream that we’ve always had for our life.  We met while SCUBA diving, and we both always wanted to own a dive shop together somewhere in the Caribbean.  We weren’t sure when, or how, we’d get there, but we wanted to get there.  A couple years ago, we gave that dream up to God.  We prayed about it and told God that if HE wanted us to do that, that we knew He would get us there, but in the meantime, we were willing to do what He wanted us to do.  It really changed our hearts, and opened our minds to a different path that might be in store for us.

I’ve never been an Army wife.  Bug has never been an Army kid.  Hubby has never been a married guy with dependents in the Army.  This is a whole new adventure for all of us! 

We are excited! We know this is where God wants us to go, and my husband is an amazing, patriotic man who loves to serve his country. I am so incredibly proud of him and proud to support him as he serves!


He will be leaving August 30 to start training for his new job.  He’ll be away from home for about 5 months.  We will have limited communication during that time.  Toward the end of that 5 months, we will find out where our duty station will be.  After his training is done, then we’ll figure out where we’re going, and when we will all be moving.  We know we’re moving, but no idea where.  With this job, he could be attached to just about any unit, which means we could end up at any Army post.   It’s all in God’s hands!

Life is a roller coaster ride

One of my closest friends put it this way, “It's like when the cart get's to the top of a rollercoaster isn't it? You know what is coming is scary and exciting but you have no idea what's coming. Just that it's about to start.”


That sums up our life right now just perfectly!  I am so thankful that God is in control!

Our family has some huge changes coming up soon.  Huge changes.  My husband is currently in the process of re-enlisting in the Army, after being out for 13 years.  I will, for the first time in my life, be an Army wife.  We will be moving away from our current home. Hubby has done that before since he served in the Army for 7 years, but I have never in my entire life lived more than 30 miles away from my family.  For the last 30 years, I’ve lived inside the same 30 mile radius.  I’ve always wanted to travel, to live somewhere else, but I haven’t yet.

We don’t know exactly when, or where yet.  Hopefully we will be finding out the *when* soon, ideally this week.  The *where* may not come for a while.

We feel 100% sure that this is a calling for us.  We’ve been praying about this for months and months now, and God has affirmed it for us over and over again.  We’ve been preparing for this for a long time, and the time has arrived.  This is a new adventure for our family.  A chance for us to let go of the reigns and let God use us for His glory.  A chance to serve our country.  To make friends with people we would have otherwise never met.  To see places we would have never seen.  To serve others in ways we don’t even know about yet.

We are excited! A little nervous about some things, sure, but excited! We are walking in faith, trusting Him to lead us and show us where to go, where He wants us.

A long time ago, Rob and I learned that the only way we can get through anything together is by having God as the 3rd strand in our marriage.  The 3rd strand of a rope is what holds it together.  The same is true in our marriage.  We’ve been through a lot together in our 8 years of marriage, and we’ve come out of each situation stronger together, by the grace of God.  We know that this next adventure will be no different!

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.  A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. ~ Ecc 4:12


I will be updating here as I know more.  For now, I ask for your prayers as we embark on this new journey together as a family.

How do I love thee?

If a perfect stranger were to overhear the way you talk to or about your spouse, what would be their impression of your marriage? Of a Christian marriage? What if no words were heard, but one was left to judge your marriage on what they saw instead?


Today I was at the zoo with Ginger, and we saw a married couple with their toddler son in the children's play area. After one simple look at them, our hearts broke for this woman. The husband was wearing a t-shirt that displayed such a sad and disrespectful image of marriage. I can't find it online, and I admit after trying and seeing all the others out there, I gave up looking.

On the left was "Before", along with a stick figure man and woman looking very happy. On the right was "After", complete with the sad face on the man and a drawing that resembled a woman nagging/talking/yelling at the man.



It was along the same lines as this one (notice the ball & chain, and the poor sad face on the man).



That simple shirt the man wore spoke volumes about the lack of respect this man must have for his wife, and for marriage. How is his young son going to learn respect for his mother, for his future wife, when this is what is displayed when they go out in public?

Worldview would have us believe that we are too sensitive if that bothers us or we are offended by that. That it's only a joke. That's what the enemy wants you to think. He wants you to enjoy that type of humor a little at a time until he wears you down and you start believing that it's normal. What it is, is sad.


I am so incredibly thankful each and every day to have a husband that truly loves and respects me. I only hope that he knows beyond a shadow of a doubt how much admiration I have for him. I am married to my best friend. He is my partner in life, finances, parenting - everything! He works hard at his job to provide for us. He has an amazing work ethic, and practices his values at work as much as home. He is constantly trying to better himself spiritually, and as he learns new things for work. He absolutely adores being a daddy! He *never* "babysits" our daughter, but rather plans special daddy-daughter dates just because he wants to. He welcomes my opinion, but stands firm in leading us when God directs him. He prays with us, and for us. He helps around the house, is a great cook, and doesn't mind (too much) if his clean underwear is still in the basket because I was out all day spending time with our daughter. He isn't afraid to ask for help, but is also amazingly talented at figuring out a way to do something. He does without extra things, so that we can do more for our daughter, for our friends, and for the needy that God calls us to help. He is trusting. He is faithful. He is compassionate. He is supportive. He loves my family. He loves me. He loves the Lord! I could not ask for a better husband! God put us together in an amazing way that only He could do, and I hope that I can continue to grow and be the wife that he needs and deserves.



Love your spouse! Compliment them in front of others. Build them up and encourage them. Find out their love language, and use it. The best gift you can give your children is to love your spouse.

Make God the third strand in your marriage!!

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. (Ecc 4:12)

Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. (Prov 31:10-12)

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. (Eph 5:22-33)

Remember, wives are not called to submit ONLY IF the husband leads. Husbands are not called to lead ONLY IF the wife submits. God is giving us each a commandment here and we are each responsible for obeying our Father.