Only God...

How do you say goodbye when you just aren't ready...
How do I move on with my life without you here...
How do I feel knowing I can't talk to you...
Only God can guide me.

Wishing there had been more time...
Yet glad you are healthy and whole in His arms...
It won't be easy to learn to go on without you...
Only God can guide me.

Memories of you continue to flood my mind....
I just sit here and think of you, of all the joy and love you shared...
Knowing that you touched so many lives...
Only God can guide me.

The call still rings in my mind...
The one that said you were now in Heaven...
How do I go on without you....
Only God can guide me.

So thankful that your pain is gone even though mine is just starting...
Already there's so much you've missed down here...
But I know you are watching from up above....
Only God can guide me.

Please know your memory will always live on....
We could never forget you or all that you did....
With God's help we will continue on until we meet again...
Only God can guide me.

Introducing: Deidra

So I saw this post on a blog that said "Show Us Your Singles" and I knew I needed to talk about my best friend! Her name is Deidra, she is in her early-30's and is the most amazing person I know! I met her about 10 years ago and we instantly became friends for life. When you meet her you instantly feel like you have been friends for years! She truly is an amazing Christian woman who just lights up a room with her smile and laughter.

Me & Deidra in December 2010

Deidra is the sweetest person I know. She lives in Lima, Ohio where she also works as the Assistant Manager at a daycare. Her passion for children just amazes me; she cares for each and every one of them as if they were her own. Watching her interact with the kids is just amazing as well because all of the children just adore her!

This is Deidra with one of the girls she used to babysit, Emily

Among so many other things, Deidra is extremely creative in both design and photography. She has created many cards for different occasions for both her own use and to sell for others; she even created my wedding invitations for me and is working on another order for another bride right now. In the photography area, she has done many senior picture sessions as well as wedding and family pictures and her landscape pictures make you feel like you are there when looking at the pictures. She is very modest about her talents, but it is easy to notice them.

Deidra with her friend Shanda

Shopping and fun in TN

Deidra is a devout Christian and is always there to pray with you when you need her. I continue to pray that God brings a good Christian man into her life and so I thought I would try putting her on here. If you are interested... leave a comment with your email and name so that I can pass it along to Deidra!

GOD IS THINKING ABOUT YOU TODAY!!!

Psalms 139:17-18 - 'How precious it is, Lord, to realize that you are thinking about me constantly! I can't even count how many times a day your thoughts turn towards me. And when I wake in the morning, your are still thinking of me'! (The Living Bible)


This verse is vital to life. I think that it is time that we all share this verse to everyone that we see and come in contact with. There is too much going on in this world where so many people feel alone and like no one cares. People are thinking that there is no way for life to get better since they are looking through human eyes. It is time we start looking through spiritual eyes and understand that God loves us, thinks about us and is there for us.


When it seems like there is no answer left to all our problems in life, that is time that we need to fall on our knees. That is the best answer to any problem that life throws at us. God is there. He is willing to help us. He wants to help us. All we have to do is call on His name. If we do not know how to do that, then we need to get a hold of anyone we know who will help us, pray with us. That is an unselfish answer to the problems we face in this life.


Thank You Lord for thinking about me on a daily basis. Thank You that when I feel alone, all I have to do is call out to You and know that You are there for me, thinking about me, guiding me, loving me. There are no problems in this life that I cannot handle with your guidance, so thank You for continually being there for me.


I love You Lord. God continue to guide and protect me through the daily challenges and trials of this life. 

How does he make it better....?

So I saw this question online this morning and it really got me thinking.... And even though I am not actually married yet (93 more days!!!) I thought I would take time to think about this question & answer it where I am now in life...

The question is:
How does your spouse make your life better?

Now - like I said, I am not yet married, but I am so beyond excited to be married to the man of my dreams, the man who is more than I ever knew I needed! So, let me answer this question about how my fiance makes my life better...keeping in mind that in just a day over 3 months, I will call him my husband!

Before I met Destry (again!) I was just going through life. I was always dreaming about what I wanted out of life, this fantasy of where I wanted to go, the type of person I wanted there with me and what life would be like once I found him. Well, let me tell you, life with Destry is nothing like what I dreamed about all those years. He is a million times better.

It is amazing what happens in life when we stop trying to control everything and let God take control and do as He knows we need...which, let me tell you, is a million times better than what we could ever do on our own!

So how does Destry make my life better? Well, let me tell you....
I have always been very independent and thrived on living my life that way. Destry has taught me that I can be the same independent woman that I have always been, and yet still depend on him in a healthy manner. He has shown me how to love.

Having someone that I can talk to about anything and everything, knowing it will not ever make him not like or love me, is such a blessing. No matter what I am going through I know that he is there for me, supporting me, loving me, proud of me. That is a feeling that cannot ever be explained, just experienced through true, honest, Godly love from another person.

I can be mad, sad, angry, happy, silly, goofy, blah, distant, needy, silent... Any emotion that I could think of & it only makes Destry love me more. He allows me to be me... which I have the honor of reciprocating right back to him. Allowing each other to be who we are only enhances our love for one another and brings our bond closer.

So how does Destry make my life better? I cannot even begin to count the ways. He is more than I ever knew I needed and never knew I wanted.... But never want to be without ever again.

When you find love like this, hold on tight and never let them go. Cherish every moment with them. Never forget to tell them  you love them. Never stay mad at them. Work through your issues quickly so you can get back to the love. Be there for them when they need you to be, and they will repay the favor. We are not promised tomorrow and therefore make today count. Make today full of the love that makes your life better because they are in it with you.

S. Destry Ditto - I love you more than words can express. I thank God daily for bringing you into my life and making it so much better than I ever knew I needed. Thank you for loving me no matter what and for always talking to me through whatever I am going through. When life seems to be spiraling out of control, you somehow always find a way to make the spinning stop and make everything make sense again. I love you more and more each and every single day that we are together and leaves me praying for one more day to show you all the love that you continually show me.

My life started when Destry & I started dating... I never want to go back to the days before him. His love makes every single thing better in my life.

So...how does your spouse make your life better?

:-)

Just 98 more days...

Well, I must say that today is one special day! Not only has it been ONE YEAR since Destry proposed to me in the park... but we are now just 98 days away from becoming husband and wife! So yes, you might say that today is a day of celebration!


It just seems hard to believe that it has been a year already since Destry gave me the biggest surprise of my life by asking me to marry him! I still think about it continually and remember just how shocked I was and honestly had no clue what was going on at the time. I must have asked him if he was serious at least 100x! It probably took like a week of staring at the ring for it to actually sink in. LoL I still don't remember exactly what he said/asked - just remember he was on one knee & holding a diamond ring in his hand! Haha I'm sure by now if he wasn't really asking me to marry him he would have told me!...right? 


With so many wedding plans already taken care of it is great to realize that we are finally in double-digits on our countdown to the BIG DAY! We pretty much have the summer to finalize all our plans, and one August roles around we will be full swing into all the wedding activities! Even though I never wanted to have a big wedding, I know this is something that Destry wants, and therefore I am doing my best to be excited about all of it. Really - I just want to be his wife! That is what matters! 


So, with that said - today Destry and I celebrate our ENGAGEMENT ANNIVERSARY and look forward to the last 98 days as an engaged couple while we look forward to becoming a MARRIED COUPLE!


Here's to the fun-filled summer we have ahead of us!!!


:-) 

Update....

Wow! I just cannot believe that today is June 1st! It just does not seem possible that we are already in the month of June...but at the same time, I am so excited that the time is going so quickly as this summer I have a lot to look forward to!

Saturday, 4June, will be ONE YEAR since Destry proposed to me! I still remember the day like it was yesterday because it was the happiest day of my life! He worked so hard to ensure that the day was special and memorable to me which is just what it is for me. I was in so much shock that day and now, I am in shock that it's already been a year! I just love him beyond words and cannot wait to call him my husband!

The actual moment Destry asked me to marry him...6-4-10

I also have like 11 1/2 weeks of school left until I graduate with my Masters of Divinity (classes end 19Aug2011). I am so excited for this since I have been working so hard to complete the course requirements over the last 5 years. Graduating with my BS in Religion in April 2009 was a huge accomplishment, but I think that earning my masters will be even more of an accomplishment! So I have been studying really hard and working continually to ensure that I am getting the grades I need in order to graduate without any more delays.

Then - if that wasn't enough - Destry & I get married three weeks later on 9.10.11!! We are so excited and really ready for our wedding day to be here. The planning has actually went very well and I do not think I have stressed out too much. Of course like every bride I have had my moments where I want things done my way for one reason or another, but overall I have tried to keep all our immediate family involved and tried to ensure that I use pieces of everyones ideas in order to make our day our own.

Life this summer will be busy and yet exciting at the same time since we have so much going on. Enjoying the time with our doggies is going to be a lot of the fun we have since we ensure we keep them outside and playing.

Draekon & Olliver

Let's see what the rest of the summer brings!!