Happy Fall!!

Hello, friends!

It is so hard to believe fall is right around the corner.

Oh, wait, no it's not. Who am I kidding? This summer has been a long one!

FALL! Finally! Oh, how I've missed you! I adore your cool weather and caramel and pumpkin everything. I love that I can finally put on a scarf without feeling like I have a heating blanket on my neck. Halloween, Veteran's Day, my birthday, and Thanksgiving...some of my favorite holidays take place in the fall as well.

(Well, technically my birthday doesn't count as a actual holiday, but I like to pretend it is!)

I hope you're preparing for the start of autumn with some fun and festivities. I also hope you had a grand summer creating many memories with loved ones.

What were some of your fun and favorite moments this summer?

Here are some of mine:

More sleeping on Pepe! (She did that a lot back then!)

Evie snuggling up to daddy on a Saturday morning. My heart just melted into a puddle!

Orion and Pepe outside of the USS Midway in San Diego, California

Evangeline at almost 12 weeks. Gosh, she was so small!

Orion and Evie standing by his favorite plane.

San Diego harbor

Mommy and Eviebug

I kinda think she looks like baby Tarzan here...

Evangeline's first time at the (Pacific) beach! She wasn't particularly thrilled by the cold water. 

First 4th of July!

Evangeline's Birth Story

I never thought about recording Evangeline's birth story, but now I'm starting to think that it might be a good idea to have a copy of it for when the details are far more fuzzy, and come less readily to mind. It was such an incredible day, and I definitely want to be able to remember it in the future.

My original due date was April 14, 2014. Husband Orion is in the Service and so my obstetrical care was done on base. I know some women who have had negative experiences in teaching hospitals (both military and civilian), but I place my full faith in their skills. Medical students and trainees need to learn their trade somewhere, and I knew there would always be others who were both more experienced and higher ranking on hand to assist should anything go wrong.

I had been having my weekly checks from 36 weeks onward. I was really hoping Evie would come early or right on time since I wasn't looking forward to any extra time carrying a bowling ball in my belly. At my 38 week appointment, I was already about 1cm dilated and 10-20% effaced. I was ecstatic that there were already some changes. I had quite a bit of pelvic girdle pain during my last trimester and knew that Baby Girl was slowly preparing to make her grand debut.

The first weekend of April was likely to be one of our last together as a two-person family, so Orion and I made the best of it. We went on a date that Friday evening and had dinner and game night with some close friends on that Saturday. Sunday morning I woke up and had some mild discomfort that I assumed were Braxton-Hicks contractions. They weren't exactly painful, but didn't feel great. I remember laying in bed and telling Husband I wasn't sure if it was the start of labor, and that even if it was, the contractions were much too far apart to do anything.

I also went to a baby shower that afternoon. I had already purchased the gift for the expectant mom and figured I had better attend so that gift wouldn't sit around my house forever afterwards (I'm sure glad I went!). Some of veteran moms present didn't think I was in labor since I was in such good spirits. Sure, I was enormous and uncomfortable, but I was there after all, and conversing with everyone like normal. Some of the women present shared their own birth stories, and I was really hoping I wouldn't end up with an C-section like some of the other ladies.

I returned home that afternoon to finish up some work and was experiencing more mild contractions. I figured they were just stronger Braxton-Hicks, and wasn't particularly bothered. Later that evening Husband and I go to pick up Thai food for dinner. Our anniversary was that coming Tuesday, but since we were both working, we figured we should enjoy our favorite meal together while there was time (ha ha).

In the car, I was in quite a bit of pain. This was around 7:00 pm, I believe. I knew at that point they were real contractions, but didn't believe I was in true labor. We get home, eat our food while watching some T.V. I'm having contractions the entire time and not feeling so hot.

As 9:00 pm approached, I told Orion that he should get ready for bed since he had work in the morning. I told him I would probably be up, since I was already experiencing insomnia and in a considerable amount of pain at that point. His response: "Well, hopefully I won't have to go TO work tomorrow!" He valiantly stayed up with me and timed my ever painful contractions.

Between 9:00 pm and midnight, I'm having stronger contractions that are getting closer together (maybe 3-5 minutes apart). Since I was giving birth for the first time, my NP advised me to wait until the contractions were closer to 2-3 minutes apart, or else they would send me home. I also knew we would have to call Labor & Delivery at the hospital to make sure they had beds open and available.

I tied to sleep and rest between contractions, but as each one hit, I was doubled over in pain and rocking back and forth on the edge of our guest bed. Our own bed was too high off of the ground for me to get comfortable. I started to get really nauseous from the pain and would rush to the bathroom expecting to get sick. Finally around 12:00 am I rushed to the toilet and got incredibly sick. At that point, with both my stomach and uterus contracting horribly, I told Husband to call L&D. I at least wanted to go and get checked out. Technically, my contractions were only 3-4 minutes apart, but the nurse said we could come in anyways.

Man, I was really hoping they wouldn't send me home.

They didn't.

Hallelujah! Well...kinda.

We got to the hospital (after nearly being stopped for a random car check) and they start checking my vitals and putting me in a hospital gown. The nurse placed an IV since I had been throwing up, and they began to monitor both myself and Baby E. I had experienced a few high BP readings during my pregnancy, and that early morning was no different. They were concerned about pre-eclampsia, and so ran some labwork. In the meantime, they began to monitor Baby, my BP, heartrate, and gave more fluids. At this point I was only about 3 cm dilated and 50% effaced.

Unfortunately, my nausea hadn't diminished at all and I quickly found myself attempting to extricate myself from the tangle of cords and tubes in an effort to get to the patient restroom.

It didn't work.

Despite his best efforts, I simply did not make it there in time. (He says he tried to work as quickly as possible, but to me it seemed like an eternity.) I lost it again on the walls, on the trashcan, on the floor in the room AND in the bathroom. Basically anywhere but the toilet. Fortunately it was mostly fluid, but in my rush to get to the bathroom, I managed to completely dislodge my IV and was now also totally disconnected from the monitors. As I'm bleeding from the hand, I tell Orion to grab the nurse on call, who finally believed me when I said I get incredibly nauseated from the pain. My mom was the same way. She threw up while in labor during all of her pregnancies. which is something I inherited from her. Yay!

She quickly scrounged up some anti-nausea meds and put them into my IV line which solved that problem. A few hours of sleepnessless ensue and my lab results finally arrive. Negative for Pre-eclampsia! They decide to check my cervix one more time before sending me back home. The verdict? 5 cm dilated and 70% effaced. The on-call doc comes and goes, "Well, it looks like you're staying! We're having a baby!"

At that point it really sank in.

We. Were. Having. A BABY!!

My baby. My sweet little bug that I had felt kicking and bouncing around for the past several months was finally going to arrive. Reality was finally sinking in and Husband quickly let the family know.

I also asked for some sort of pain relief. I instinctively knew that the next several hours would be grueling, and wanted to get some rest. I received two forms of pain control. One was the initial narcotic to take off the edge; later I received an epidural.

(I know there are many moms out there who are completely against pain medication, but for me it was the right choice. I had some complications that made me very grateful I was numb to the birth process. This is not up for debate. I made my decision and am totally happy with it, as I'm sure many proponents of natural childbirth are.)

Moving right along. The next early morning hours are really a blur. I remember snippets of the doctor coming to check on my progress and the nurses making sure I was comfortable. My main medical team comprised of a midwife, nurse, senior nurse, medical technicians, and on-call attending. The med techs and attending would stop in every once and a while to see how I was progressing. The nurses and midwife were there the most and were AWESOME. Seriously. They were both probably close to me in age, and both still in training, but so so professional. They made me feel very comfortable, answered all of my questions, even joked with me. I have such positive memories of that team.

Finally, around 11:00 am on Monday morning, the midwife tells me, "It's time! We're going to get ready to start pushing soon!" I tell her we have to wait until Husband returns since he had gone home to feed the dogs. He probably could've stayed longer since I had to push for some time, but hey, I wanted him there!

He was great. He arrived just a few minutes later, and stayed by my right side the entire time. No fainting, no freaking out. Just relaxed, calm, and confident the entire time. He wasn't annoying, and didn't make me feel like an idiot even though I wasn't exactly sure what I was doing all the time. It took the better part of two hours to push since I couldn't quite tell when the contractions were coming, but finally around 1:00 pm, we were making some major progress. Instead of holding my breath for two rounds, they were now having me go for three which was exhausting. On top of being tired from lack of sleep, I was also getting over a head cold and suffering from major upper respiratory congestion which made it hard to breathe through my nose, and caused a great deal of pressure in my sinuses.

Evie had slight shoulder dystocia, but the midwife was great and performed a maneuver that relieved the issue. I remember everything finally coming down to a frantic few minutes. All I could think about was how I wanted it to be over since I could barely breathe. I was lightheaded from trying to take deep breaths through my mouth, my head felt like it was going to split. I was pushing through back to back contractions with everyone telling me to "Push! Push!! PUSH! Again! Push harder!" It was encouraging, but also exhausting since I already felt like I didn't have much left. They kept telling me to push and push and I dimly recall the sensation of pushing her body out. At that point, all my emotions came to head and I lost it. I was bawling and sniffling and couldn't push anymore. I didn't even realize it was over until I heard Husband talking in the background saying, "It's over, hon. You did it. She's here! Look at your daughter!" I then realized there was a tiny, warm, squalling baby on my chest (We had requested skin-to-skin contact before they did all their measurements and cleaning, etc) and I began to sob even harder.

It was the most surreal, incredible, joyful, inexplicable experience of my entire life. Seriously. I couldn't believe I had just given birth to a real baby and that she was ours. Tears just streamed down my face and Husband teared up a bit too, I think. I just held her tiny body to mine while I attempted to settle my wild hormones.

After a few minutes, they took her and cleaned her up, did their measurements, wrapped her back up, and handed her to daddy. She was so tiny and so perfect. Evangeline Annmarie was born on April 7, 2014, at 1:14 pm; she was 8 lbs, 3 oz, and 20.5 inches long.

One of the first shots of our Eviebug.

First bath. She was so tiny!

I love her squinty eyes! ^.^

To be honest, I can't even remember what I was thinking here. "My baby! She's here! Wow, she is beautiful!" (Or something very similar. I was mostly still in shock.)

She looks so big from this camera angle, but she seemed so small to us. She actually lost an entire pound after we went home, so she was only 7 lbs.

First time in daddy's arms.

Be still, my heart!

*sniff, sniff* I miss her tiny body!

Home, at last!

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is my all time absolute favorite image of our daughter as a newborn. This was taken a mere week and a half after her birth and she is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen! I even love that you can see a bit of dried milk by the corner of her mouth. This just sums up being a mommy for me. Seeing her sweet face every day and reveling in the glory of her creation. We love you so much, bug!

Labor Day

Hello, friends!

I hope you're enjoying your 4-day weekend as much as I am!


If I had to choose an image to sum up the past several days it would be this:

A beautiful desert sunset to match the beautiful weather. Finally...the end may be in sight. The endless days of summer and scorching heat may soon pave the way for cooler (dare I say autumnal?!) evenings and necessitate my absolute favorite accessory: scarves!

I digress.

Labor Day 2014 has been a relaxing one. Husband Orion's mother came into town for the week and graciously watched Miss Bug so we could get a couple days to ourselves. While it was wonderful not having to worry about feedings, diaper changes, and bedtime, we still found ourselves missing her.

It is amazing how parenting can change you.

Food caught in your hair, spit-up on your shoulder, or smelling vaguely of poop suddenly seems to pale in comparison to the victory of nap time, the bliss of brief silence, or the blessing of a tiny smile.

This cutie patootie has been responsible for my paradigm shift.

Sorry! Guess this mama had a little too much coffee earlier. Seriously, though, guys. She is adorable.

Orion and I thoroughly enjoyed the time off. We caught a movie, stayed up late watching TV, slept in, hit the pool, and talked about very mature, philosophical topics.

("So, if you were in a superhero universe, would you want to be an average human with extraordinary skills/powers, or a humanoid alien living on earth, or a human with special skills in outer space?")

All in all, it was a great staycation made even better by knowing that our sweet girl was in excellent hands. We're pretty sure Gma Dee was happy having Bug all to herself, as well.

Tomorrow is sure to be a good one, too. I've got steak and potatoes planned for the big meal. My man is all about the meat and potatoes. I try to hint that he should eat more veggies. Okay, maybe not so much hint as 'blatantly point out that too much of anything can be bad and he should really watch his cholesterol so he can live a nice long life to 90.'

Ahem.

Subtlety was never my strong suit.

Anyway, enjoy your days off, folks! I'll check in on Tuesday.





Just for kicks, here is one last breathtaking shot from our hotel room this weekend. Stunning!

Nothing like a midweek pick-me-up

Hello, friends!

This post will remain somewhat short. I haven't posted anything since last summer, but want to start writing again...mostly cause I want to document Eviebug's growth, but also because I want a way to track my kitchen encounters!

For those of you new here, I have begun cultivating a deep love of cooking and baking. When Husband left for his year of work away from home, I realized I had a lot of free time (This was obviously pre-bug). I started volunteering one day a week at an outpatient clinic on base and starting baking goodies to bring in. I know I love homemade Yum and figured others did as well.

This led to experimenting with new recipes and types of delicacies that have mostly turned out absolutely delicious. I don't have nearly as much time to bake these days, but am making it a point to pursue intentional relationships through community. My goal is to have company over once a week or so (at least once every other week) and to specifically plan out my meals for these events.

I am also really looking forward to facilitating a Bible study here soon and am thrilled at the prospect of getting to make more goodies. Here is what I made tonight: Quiche and triple berry cobbler. YUM.

But first! But FIRST! Here is my beautiful bug. Evangeline Annmarie. Evie. Eviebug. Gah. She is so darn cute!

Okay. Now onto the bacon!

Mmm. Delicious bacon.

Fry those bad boys up...then chop 'em.

Get your supplies and other such pertinents.
Cheese, eggs, veggies, milk/cream.

Take about 8-10 eggs and whisk them together.

Add your cream, cheese, bacon, veggies, seasoning.

Pour into your crust and bake at 400 for 45 mins to an hour.

So good. So ridiculously good.

So good, in fact, that I forgot to document the cobbler.
Take my word on it. Amazing. Triple Berry Amazing.

Here was my other fun friend this afternoon: Dakota. D-Dog.

And another picture of Eviebug. I couldn't resist!

you MAKE your own YOGURT??

As promised, I wrote this blog post so that the curious folks out there could see how I make my own yogurt.  To be fair, homemade anything has been around for a very long time and I got my recipe and technique from thefrugalgirl.  My mom is also a big inspiration for me since she has always done a ton of crafting, canning, and cooking from scratch for many years.  She made her own pie crust, did her own canning with homemade jellies and preserves, she made her own yogurt (my dad jerry-rigged a crock pot with a dimmer switch so she could do it while out of the house and running errands), she sewed barbie clothing and made us clothes when we were younger.  She cloth diapered, breast fed, and managed to give us a great foundation for us now that we are adults and facing the real world (how do I save more money?  How can I live more simply? healthfully?  frugally? etc).

I like yogurt, but not all the time, so I generally only need to make a large batch every 3-4 weeks.  Since my overhead cost at this point is ridiculously low -price of a gallon of milk, occasionally vanilla extract and sugar if I'm looking to make vanilla yogurt- it's also a great way to help keep my grocery bills down.  I like to bring yogurt with me to work as it is easy to store and tastes great.

You will need:

-large mouth Mason/Ball canning jars
-a large stock or cooking pot
-kitchen thermometer
-cooler or ice-chest
-gallon (or half-gallon) of milk
-yogurt starter or culture to kick off the process

Optional:

-vanilla extract
-sugar


Simplified, the process heats milk, cools it down, adds a previously prepared yogurt culture, then incubates for 4 hours or more.  I generally start by cleaning or sterilizing my jars.  I've boiled them in hot first and just plain washed with hot soapy water; both methods seem to work the same.  If you feel more comfortable, you can always boil them first.

 Once the jars are cleaned out and ready to go, I begin to heat approx. 1 gallon of milk (I generally use 2% milk....I've used whole milk, 1%, 2%, and skim.  whole milk yields the thickest and creamiest yogurt as it has the highest percentage of milk fat...roughly 3% I think.  skim milk will set but be runnier than the others.  2% is a good balance) and also fill a kettle and start boiling the water simultaneously. The hot water will be used for the incubation in the cooler later on.

You want to gradually heat the milk to 185-195 degrees F.  I don't own a ceramic or cast iron stock pot, so I continually stir my milk with a whisk to ensure it doesn't burn and stick to the bottom of the pot.

Once the water boils, I pour it into the cooler.  I then add about a half gallon of cold water to bring the overall temperature of the water to 120 degrees F.  Once the water reaches about 125-130, I close the lid to keep the water hot while I finish prepping the milk.

Once the milk reaches 195 F, turn off the stove.  You will need to cool the milk to approximately 120 F.  The easiest way to do this is to use a water bath:  fill your sink about half-way with cold water, place the pot in the water and monitor with thermometer until temp is cool enough.  This generally takes about 15 minutes or so.

You can strain the milk skin that forms if you want.  There may be more or less depending on the richness of the milk.  If you use whole or 2% milk, there will be more skin than if you were to use 1% or skim.  This is normal.  Once the milk has cooled sufficiently, you need to add your yogurt starter.  All yogurt has active enzymes in it.  I generally don't go with a specific brand but check the ingredients first to see which has a higher number of active cultures.  The more cultures in the yogurt, the faster it will turn your heated milk into yogurt.

You may have different brands depending on where you live in the U.S.  Make sure it has several cultures and always buy plain yogurt.  You can add sugar later.

Take about a cup of the plain yogurt and add to your milk.   Make sure you mix it thoroughly and completely.  I use a whisk to do this portion.  If you already have yogurt made up, you can use some of that.  If this is your first time, you will need your own store-bought starter first.  (This is also where those optional ingredients come into play.  If you vanilla yogurt, you can add vanilla extract and sugar during this step of the process.  How much depends on personal preference.  I don't really measure anymore, but for a gallon of milk, you will need several TBSP of vanilla to flavor the entire batch.  I have used between 1/2 c. of sugar and 1c. of sugar.  Both are fine.  If you are really watching your calories, skip the sugar and use fruit instead.  DON'T get clever like me and use brown sugar.  I tried that once thinking it would make a better flavor or be slightly healthier....the molasses in the brown sugar made my yogurt thick, syrupy, and stringy.  It was awful!!

Once your yogurt culture is thoroughly mixed into the milk, you will need to pour into the jars.  I find that a full gallon always makes just a bit too much, so I leave a little in the milk jug so I always have enough space in my canning jars.  Thefrugalgirl recommends the wide mouth jars since they are easier to scoop out of with a spoon.  Great tip!

Then the easy part: you get to leave the jars in the closed cooler for 4 hours.  You don't have to do anything...you don't check on the jars, don't have to open the lid, nothing.  Just go about your business and let them sit undisturbed for a minimum of 4 hours.  I have left yogurt in the cooler overnight and then put them in the fridge in the morning with no problems.  Thankfully yogurt-making isn't an exact science.

Roughly 4 hours later, you shall have yogurt!  Once they have finished incubating, all you need to do is transfer the jars to your fridge.  They will firm up overnight and you can eat it the next morning.

This was from an older batch made with 1% milk.  My yogurt I finished making this afternoon will have a slightly firmer appearance.

Yum!  Homemade yogurt and granola.  Super easy and super cheap.

Good luck!  I have done this now for about 6-7 different batches of yogurt, and other than the brown sugar fiasco, they've all turned out great.  I remember being super paranoid/nervous the first couple times, but it's not difficult.  Like most things, there will always be a bit of trial and error, but fortunately the process is forgiving.  It's ok if you heat the milk to 190F instead of 195 and its ok if you leave it in the cooler overnight.  In the end, you're still saving money and have a nifty new skill. :)

How I Met My Husband

A lot of times, when people ask how Brenden and I met, I have to pause for a moment.  Not because I'm embarrassed by our story, or because it is difficult to explain, but because I'm so in awe of how the Lord perfectly orchestrated things. 

Initially, Brenden and I met one summer many years ago.  I started attending Bethel Christian Camp many years ago as a child, and as I grew older, I experienced a deep desire to work in the place that I had so often felt peace, contentment, and true fellowship with like-minded believers.  I started working at BCC the summer before I turned 15 (2002).  I was getting ready to go into 9th grade and (at the time) thought it was just SO COOL I got to hang out with high school & college students.  I had a blast that year and returned every summer after that until I graduated college. The second year I worked at Bethel (2003), was also the summer that Brenden Marcel Boudet worked at BCC.  If you had told me then that 10 years later we'd be married, I would have laughed my head off. 

Not that Brenden wasn't a nice kid or anything, but we were 15 years old (going on that ever important 16).  If you look back at memories of yourself at that age, you typically laugh.  I was an awkward teenager who often felt out of place in new social settings, and so used sarcasm to cover my nervousness.  Brenden was a bean pole.  He was probably about 6'2" by that summer and ALL skin and bones.  He had these big hands and feet that didn't quite match the rest of his frame, a loping run, and was very hyper. 

Nonetheless, we struck up a quick friendship.  He and his friends would tease me and mine.  I distinctly remember playing a lot of Egyptian Ratscrew, a lot of blushing, and being distinctly aware of just how much bigger he was (I come from an average height family...my mom is 5'1", my dad is 5'8", my sister is 5'3"......you get the idea) and how strange it felt to have a male non-family member sit that close to me while playing.  I remember hearing a rumor that Brenden had had a small crush on me, and I knew that I kind-of liked him. 
Nothing developed, of course.  Sorry if you were thinking we were high school sweethearts.

(The most awkward memory I have is of us sitting on the small dock outside of the boathouse one afternoon with Dana, the head girls' counselor at the time.  We were just sitting and chatting, splashing our feet in the cool lake water to escape the heat and humidity of those Carolina summers.  Dana was fairly petite.  She was maybe a little over 5 feet tall, and compared to Brenden's 6'2" and my own 5'7", I'm sure she felt very tiny.  I remember her sitting inbetween us and looking down at the length or our arms and legs and feet, and simply making the offhand comment, "Wow.  You guys could get married and have feet!!"  Looking back it was something completely innocent and just her way of joking since she was so small compared to us, but I blushed and blushed and blushed.  As teenagers, we often don't know how to handle our feelings and OMG the fact that the guy I kinda liked was right there. Would he realize that I liked him???  Did he like me???  What if he did?!  What if he didn't?!?   You remember what that's like)

So summer came and went, and we went off to our separate lives.  I went to White Knoll High School, Brenden went to Covent Christian School and we lived on opposite sides of town.  We would occasionally hang out with mutual friends for coffee or someone's birthday, but nothing beyond that.  I saw him for a brief two weeks the following summer before he left for a mission's trip to Bulgaria, got over my crush, and didn't see much of him again.  He dated a few girls, nothing serious.  I dated a few guys, 1 seriously for about two years in high school.

Fast forward about 7 years...

It's February of 2009.

I am a junior in college.  We have just come back from Christmas Break, and I am getting over a bad relationship break-up.  The guy I had dated the past two years turned out to be a complete jerk and I had just broken things off.  I was feeling sorry for myself, and didn't know who I was at times.  I let the relationship control who I was and wasn't finding my worth and value in Christ.

I was in the library on campus inbetween classes, and killing time by surfing the web and checking facebook.  I happened see Brenden's profile and something prompted me to look at it.  I noticed he was living in California.  I had returned from spending a year in Hawaii, and thought to myself, 'Wow. Someone else actually left South Carolina.  I wonder how he got there?'  Next thing ya know I found myself writing him a quick message, asking how he had been and noting that I had no idea he had joined the Air Force. 

The rest is history!

Just kidding.

We messaged back and forth for a few more minutes, and I then I remember I had to leave in a hurry to make it to my class.  Without even thinking about it, I said something like, 'Well hey.  I gotta run, but listen, here's my number.  Text me sometime so we can catch up.  It was good talking to you.'  I went to class and then went to work.  That was the first day Brenden Boudet called me. 

Let me pause for a moment to explain how literally EVERYTHING to this point was a God-thing.  1) Brenden and I both grew up in Christian households.  We lived in the same city and spent one summer working together.  2) God knew we both needed time to mature in our faith and so separated us during this growth period.  3) Brenden had joined the AF but was actually sick that very day on quarters (essentially confined to his room with strep throat).  I was on facebook on a break at the same time he was.  4) He had the time to initiate conversation and talk about life over the next couple days without the stress of work and scheduling.  5)  I had just come out of a bad relationship and was looking to mend my relationship with God (I had literally come to my lowest point weeks previously and told the Lord that I needed to renew a right relationship with Him before getting involved with a guy again)  Had any one of these things been off by just a little bit, we wouldn't be where we are today.  Had I not gone to Hawaii and come back (and have a curiosity for people that also left); had Brenden not joined the Air Force and gone to California and gotten sick; had we both not had the time to chat and catch up......the list simply goes on and on.  Looking back now I can see all the little details that God set up just perfectly to bring us to where we are today.

We started talking.  He texted me that afternoon and wanted to know everything.  He played 20 questions with me and asked me about everything from my favorite color, to flower, to ideal date, to what I wanted out of life, to what my family and his family were like.  He called me that evening and we talked for a half hour maybe.  That was the start of it.  Within a week, Brenden called and told me that he liked me.  No pomp and circumstance.  Just straight up.  "I like you.  and I'd like to get to know you better.  You seem like the kind of girl I would want to date, but I need to know here and now if you can handle the distance.  I won't always be able to call you or text you.  and if this goes someplace and we DO get married, I need to know you can handle this lifestyle."  I was completely blown away.  I had never been around someone who was so direct and to-the-point.  The last guy I had dated before this had often been the 'beat around the bush' type who never wanted to step on toes.  For those of you who know Brenden, you understand.  Sometimes you can end up putting your foot in your mouth, but this is one the things I value most about him.  He always gives you the honest answer.  He never worries about what you'll say.  He just says what he thinks and deals with the consequences.

I knew automatically that I could handle it.  I liked the active lifestyle, the unknowns of getting to visit new places.  And so our courtship began.  Rocky at first, it slowly picked up momentum.  He was so busy with school and training he would sometimes forget to call me for weeks at a time.  He always said it never felt that long to him.  Though I tried calling him a few times, it never worked out.  He would talk for under 5 minutes, then apologize and get off the phone.  Eventually I took it a sign that I was supposed to wait for him to initiate things (be proud, momma!  Your girl learned well!).  I worked at camp again that summer and would get to talk to him late at night after the cabins were all quiet.  I walk a ways up the path and just sit on the white sand under the moon and catch up with what the week had been like.  We talked for about 6 months before officially dating that November.  He came home to Columbia after completing training.  He said he wanted to spend time with me in person to make sure this was the right decision.  It was.  I met his family (very nervously, I might add), I met his friends, we hung out.  We officially started dating.  We were exclusive.

And let me say, ladies and gentlemen, it changed my life.  Before Brenden I had been in an emotionally taxing relationship.  I made the mistake of dating someone with a lot of emotional baggage and it really took its toll on me.  But being with Brenden was as easy as breathing.  He was a Godly man who knew without even pausing exactly how a woman should be treated.  He had a great example in his dad, but for me it was life-altering.  Sure guys in the past were nice, but nice wasn't the issue.  He was thoughtful, considerate, always paid for everything (sometimes other guys would go Dutch), always wanted to know what made me happy, what filled my love tank.  He never thought twice about opening doors for me, and always wanted to hold my hand.  He was content being close to me.  Brenden's main love language is physical touch.  I'm more of a quality time person, but through our year and a half of marriage I have discovered the easiest way to make Brenden happy is to be near to him.  To hold his hand or touch his arm, lean against him, etc.

After the strain and stress of completely wrong guy, it was like having my eyes opened for the first time.  Two things instantly clicked in my head.  The first was that story books got it all wrong.  True love didn't work at all the way it does in fairy tales.  The second was that Brenden was definitely the type of guy (I wasn't sure if he was THE one yet, but I was getting there) I wanted to marry.  It was as if I had been underwater for ages.  I was trapped and unable to breathe.  Things were clogging my airways, I was choked by memories of the past, haunted that I wouldn't find a decent guy to spend my life with, worried that I would be bitter forever.  A lot of healing took place...and I was finally putting Christ first.  After being with Brenden, it was like my head burst through the surface.  Remember that scene in the Little Mermaid where Ariel is given legs and swims to the surface of the ocean with Scuttle and Sebastian's help?  That shadowed image where she clears the water and takes her first human breath?  That was me.  I came up to breathe and experienced the purest, freshest air possible.  Being with him was easy and filled with joy and laughter.  

I had never had a guy tell me he was praying for me.  Encourage me with scripture verses.  One day he sent me this: " "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised." Was doing my bible study and saw this. Everyday I praise God for giving me a woman who fears the Lord.  Ohh and btw, He also gave me the other two as bonuses."

Different day: "Btw, I love you and miss you! Have a GREAT morning! I thank God everyday for giving me a woman who understands and enjoys my presence."

Another example: "I have several reasons I am dating you. And now that Ive had a moment to think about it, I want to tell you. I know I dont open up enough, so here goes.
First reason, because you are a christian. You remind me everyday that I am a flawed human being, but that is OK with Christ. Neither of us expects perfection out of the other. And that is refreshing to me. "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. Proverbs 31:10" You are virtuous. You do have faults, but so does everyone else. You are a strong willed, intelligent, and know your faith.

You can keep up with me, stand up to me, and challenge me. You are gorgeous beyond anything I could hope from someone to date me, you make me happy, and I enjoy your company soo much. We not only fit well together, but you challenge me and keep me on my toes. I need that from a wife. I need you.

I love you soo much not only for your strengths but also your weaknesses. I know that all humans have faults, and that even with yours you are strong. I love that about you.

Baby, I love you. I cant wait to live with you. And find everyday that Im dating you to be a blessing.

-Brenden"


Need I say more?!

Like I said, a breath of fresh air.  We dated for about a year and then got engaged in the summer of 2010.  We were married in April of 2011.  And I am so grateful I finally sat back and allowed God to bring the right man for me instead of constantly trying to find him myself.  I have been blessed beyond measure.  My cup overflows.