Plan for the marriage...

It has been almost 8 months since Destry proposed to me at the park in Lima... He took me on a picnic with my favorite pizza!! I had no clue & the proposal was a complete surprise...Just the way it should be! Destry even picked out the ring all by himself - and I must say, he did an amazing job! :o)

Anyway - since we are 8 months since the proposal, and still about 7 months from the wedding, the wedding planning has been going like crazy! I took a few months off while we searched for a house and took care of all of the necessary items to buy a house...and now decorating it. I thought it would be okay, but it has actually caused me a lot of stress. I have not always looked into the planning with open arms, mainly because this is way bigger than I ever imagined my wedding to be. I have been caught off guard by a lot of it and I think that has stressed me out more.

It takes a lot to plan just one day of our lives! It also takes a lot of money, but that is a whole different story! I think that often times I think we focus on all the little details that go into one day, and overlook the planning for the actual marriage. I realized this as I am currently in a "Pre-Marital and Marital Counseling" class in school right now. (Perfect timing, right? haha) People spend so much time and money on the wedding day and when it is over realize that they have not planned for the actual marriage. This is where most marriages get in trouble since they have been planning so much on the one day...when really that one day is minor in the whole grand picture of our lives. Yes, it is a great day, and yes, marriage between a man and woman is very important. But the wedding is not the marriage.

Take the time throughout planning for the wedding to plan for the marriage. Talk about issues that you have or questions that you could have about your soon-to-be spouse. Take Pre-Marital Counseling with your fiancé to really get to know them and start thinking as a married couple. Find books on good Christian marriage and how to prepare for those days after the wedding ceremony and honeymoon are over. The more you can prepare for the marriage while planning the wedding, the better off you will be able to handle the situations that arise in the marriage.

God Bless!!

True love...

How do you know that it is true love?
Do we listen to what Hollywood has told us love is? Or do we turn to God, and what His Word tells us love is?
I think that we have allowed the television and movies to teach us what love is instead of turning to the One who created love in the first place. God is the author and creator of everything we have today and can study about the past. This includes love. He created Adam & Eve to be together, as husband and wife, to love one another eternally, not just until the next best thing comes along.
It seems like today we have lost site of what true love is. Even if we found it, would we know it? We have been brainwashed into thinking that this fake idea of love is true, when in fact how many of us actually want it? If we were being honest with ourselves, do we want true love as God describes in His Word, or the fake, temporary, Hollywood version that is portrayed in front of our eyes continually to see?
Me? I waited years to find biblically based true love. And do you know what? It is a million times better than anything Hollywood has every presented to us on the big screen. Knowing that my fiancé and I share the same beliefs and wants out of the gift God gave us of each other, makes it so much better than anything Hollywood could have written up. Following what God tells us is correct for each stage of our life is the best way to go. If only more people today would wait for God's timing and what His plan is for their life instead of taking it upon themselves to find the fake version of love that is able to be watched all the time.
Thank You Lord for Destry! Loving him is more than I could have imagined and he was well worth the long wait I had... I will marry him proudly in September!

Stealing Saturday...

1. What curse word do you use the most?
~Probably sh!t... I know... I am working on it. I blame the military! Haha It's my goal this year to not use it at all.


2. Do you own an iPod?
~Yup! My man bought it for me for my birthday last year!!  


3. Do you still remember the first person you kissed?
~Yeah, but he doesn't matter. The man who matters is Destry - the only man I'll kiss for the rest of my life. :o)

4. Would you rather take the picture or be in the picture?
~Be in it!!! Haha I'm not the best at taking them.
5. Has anyone ever called you lazy?
~Yup! Sure have!

6. Has anyone told you a secret this week?
~I don't think so...but even if they did, I wouldn't tell you!

7. What is the first thing you notice about the someone that you are attracted to?
~I always notice Destry's eyes...They just sparkle when he looks at me!!!

8. What are you looking forward to?
~Getting married in 7 months!!!
9. Do you own any band t-shirts?
~Nopes!!

10. When is the last time you slept on the floor?
~Ummm... I was a child I'm sure!
11. What did you do last night?
~Destry cooked me dinner, then we watched a movie together.

12. Do you get along better with the same sex or the opposite sex?
~In years past it would be opposite sex, but now I would say same. Love my girls! :o)

13. Who was the last person to make you mad?
~He shall remain nameless...but one of Destry's "friends"
14. Who would you want to be tied to for 24 hours?
~Destry!!! I love him so much!!!

15. T or F: All’s fair in love and war?
~False 

16. What’s something you’ve always wanted?
~A 4-wheel drive vehicle...more recently narrowed down to a Jeep Wrangler!

17. Do you enjoy spending time with your mother?
~Oh yes!!! She is my best friend!!!

18. Do you want a bright yellow ‘06 mustang?
~Umm...No... If I had to take a mustang it would have to be purple!
 
19. Where is/are your best friend(s)?
~I'm sure at work...
20. Would you rather swim in the ocean or a lake?
~A pool!!

Hurry up spring...

My goodness is it cold outside! Every single year I get surprised at just how cold it gets this time of year. You would think living in Ohio (or a very similar weather pattern) pretty much my whole life I would be used to it. But no. Not the case. I still get so cold. Even this morning, Olliver went outside to go potty and it looked like he hurt his paw...turns out it was just so cold and got some ice stuck between the pads. I felt bad for him... It is just too cold.

I just don't know how I make it through this every single year, and yet it does. I know I am beyond looking forward to the spring because with the spring comes, I am closer to marrying Destry! This is my joy of this year! Yes, there will be a lot of other great events this year as well, but I am looking forward to the wedding the most! So not only do I want spring to come, but I want it to go so that fall can come around. September has always been the month that I wanted to get married... so 9-10-11 is the perfect date to marry the man of my dreams.

So even though it is cold now, I know that it has to warm up...and soon! So that gives me hope and joy to know that although the temperatures are in the negatives now, it will not stay that way forever!

Blank Page

So I am reading a book for school and I had to stop to write in my blog because something just made me laugh so hard. No, it wasn't the book or the subject of the book because I am actually enjoying the book. But it was something in the book that made me laugh... Have you ever been reading a book and saw a blank page between chapters but instead of it actually being blank, it has written on it...

"This page intentionally left blank."

Okay...now I am confused... It is not blank if you wrote on it, right? I just don't understand why they have to inform the readers that they left the page blank on purpose, but by doing so, the page is no longer blank. I guess there are just some parts of life we will never understand! LoL

Olliver's slumber party...

So today I drove back to Mansfield for a few days, but it was a little bit harder than I thought it would be since I drove alone...Olliver stayed at the house in Harrod so that he can bond with Destry. I knew I would have a rough time with leaving him, but I never knew it would be this hard. I actually cried! Olliver is just my little buddy who I love having around and talking to.He is the best listener, never judges me and is always there when I need him. It is not like me to leave Olliver somewhere, actually it is something I have never done. But I know that Olliver & Destry need some time together.

See, lately, Olliver has been attached to me and only me. He seems to not even notice anyone else is around, but only concerned with where I am and what I am doing. I was a little concerned that this was getting to an unhealthy level, so Destry & I decided that Olliver would stay with Destry when I came back to Mansfield this week. I am glad thought that Destry loves Olliver like he does. I know he is not a true kid, but he is my kid so for my fiancé to love him like I do, it is very important.

Yes, Olliver is a dog, but he is my dog... My little buddy... And I know I will see him soon...

Love you Olliver!!!

From dog licenses to Marriage...

This morning I braved the cold to go out and get Olliver's tags renewed. I have to do this yearly downtown at the auditor's office, but they are all so friendly down there that I do not mind going down there. Every year they do a new design and color, so it is always fun to see what new tag he will be wearing for the next year. Last year they had a yellow fire hydrant; this year they have a purple flower... While I think it is cute, I have a boy dog. He doesn't need to be wearing a purple flower! Haha But, either way, at least he is all good for another year.

The process of going yearly and registering Olliver so that they have all of his information is one that intrigues me. I always think about as I am walking in (usually in the cold) to go and pay for another registration for my cute little puppy. Today, as I was walking out of getting his tag, I thought about how Joseph had to take Mary back to his home town for the first census that was being conducted. They had to register, and since Mary was engaged to be married to Joseph she had to go with him. It amazes me how things were done differently in the Biblical times rather than today.

Because Mary was engaged to Joseph, they were already considered one. What would happen if we thought that way in todays society? I talked with a friend at work this past weekend about this... How today it is way too easy for someone just to take their rings off and say they've had enough. We need to have that mindset that Joseph and Mary had (as well as all the other people in Biblical times) that once they're engaged, that is their promise to one another. Nothing comes between them. This is unfortunately not how people see it today though.

They just go from one relationship to the next without thinking there's anything wrong with it. That was something Destry & I discussed long before we got engaged... Once there was an engagement ring on my finger, that was it. We were in this together for life. No matter what. We need to have that mindset in this world that we life in because all too often people have a fight and don't want to try anymore. We need to be in the mindset that we are in this for life, not just for now.

These are just my thoughts... Not sure how I got here from getting Olliver's tags, but I did. I love my fiancé and I will be with him forever. We might not be perfect but that does not matter. We love one another and we are in this together for life. I pray that more people adapt the mindset of being in this for their relationships... We would have a whole lot less divorce in this world...

Been a while...

So sorry it has been a while since I have written a blog, but there's good reason. I, unfortunately, have been sick for a week again. Seems like this crud that has been going around has been finding itself sticking with me since November now, and I have been fighting back. I know that so many of us unfortunately deal with one sickness or another in this world, but that does not mean that what God teaches us and tells us in His Word about healing is not true. It is more true than ever. Just because my body does not understand that it is healed does not mean that God's healing isn't true. Got tells me that 'by His stripes I am healed' and therefore, I am healed. My body might not quite understand this yet, but it will. I just have to believe that. God told me that He loves me and cares for me, so why would He want me sick?

Anyway - if you are not feeling the greatest today, get your Bible out. Read. Find out what God says about being sick and not feeling well. Then, when you find a Scripture that deals with healing, write it down and start saying it, out loud, so that your body can hear it. It will eventually get the picture!

A whole new year...

Welcome to 2011!!!!!

Can you believe that we are here already?!? It just doesn't seem like it is possible that we are in 2011 already... But I am very excited for this year. In just four short months I will turn 28. Now that just doesn't seem possible to me that I could be that old already. I feel so young still that realizing that I am getting really close to being 30 just doesn't register in my mind. LoL But like every other birthday I will take it as a gift from God that I have been allowed to enjoy another year of blessings from Him, to live out His destiny for my life.

Also with year comes the most exciting day of my life so far... I will marry the man I love, the man God created me for. This I cannot wait for. There have been so many times where I prayed for this day to happen and knowing that from today it is 250 days away makes me extremely happy. I know that all these years of waiting will pay off as I was able to wait for the right man to walk into my life and be the man who I have known was out there somewhere. Destry is one of those rare finds. He is so sweet, thoughtful, caring, loving, protective... I could continue to go on about him, but I am sure you get the picture. This man was worth all the broken roads I went down in hopes of finding Mr. Right. So, com'on September... when I will become Mrs. Ditto & Olliver will have an amazing daddy!

2011 is going to be the most amazing year thus far... It is all about attitude. If last year wasn't what you thought it would be then this is your time to change. Get into the Word and see what God has planned for you. Let Him have the drivers seat to your life. Then you are guaranteed to have the most amazing 2011!!!