Dear Dawson-

Dear Dawson, 

Welcome to the world! I am so excited that you are finally apart of this family. 

I cannot wait to see what your life will look like. Your parents have been on a journey for you. They weren't always sure that they would have more than one child but I knew they would. And trust me, now that you are in their arms they know that you belong there and have always belonged there. Your parents have fought hard for you. You should know how much you are loved. 

Jaxon and You

Jaxon, your older brother, he needs you. He needs you to push him around a little. He needs a few good arguments with you. He needs to go into his room and mess up his cars, they will be in order by color so just move the black to the red and that will be enough. Jaxon needs you just as much as you need him.

Pictures stolen from your Mom!

Although I have seen many pictures of you, I cannot wait to love on you in person. You have the chubbiest checks and they are begging this aunt to kiss on them. You won't know me the way that your brother does but that will not change how much I love and adore you. I will always cheer you on even though we are miles apart. I will be your favorite aunt :) In less than a month I will love on you. I am devastated that I am missing this first month but am so thankful for the time we will have together.

I love you more than you know,

Aunt Bethany 

Oh D-Wade, I apologize for your parents now. They are a tad crazy but they mean well, really they do :)

He Gets Me

Have I mentioned that I love being married? I really do. I love my husband, Roger. He gets me, I mean really gets me. 

The other day, I purchased some incense and had it burning when he turned to me and said, "This brings up some childhood memory doesn't it? Your mom used to light these and it makes you think of home, right?" Yup! He is so right. My mom used to have some burning in her room and the smell reminds me of being at home. He knew that without me telling him that. He knows when I am missing home. 

He can tell what kind of mood I am in just by what I eat. He actually said that I should stop menu planning and just decide on my way home from work what we should have because I change my mind so many times. I tend to menu plan for a week then rearrange it every night... I am just not in the mood for whatever I have planned :) 

Roger knows that when I have an awful headache, I will want to lie in bed with my blankie (oh yes blankie not blanket!) and have my backed rubbed. He knows that eventually when my headache goes away that I will want to put on my pj's and one of his oversized shirts and just cuddle. He lets me be whiney and needy when I am not feeling well and takes care of me perfectly. 

He doesn't question my craziness. He knows that I will only light my candles when the house is clean, that I hate to sweep, and that I have a water-to-ice ratio in my drinks. He may not understand why I do these things but he lets me do them. He lets me be me. 

Isn't that great? I wish that everyone could find what I found. I am truly blessed to be married to Roger.  People tell me that eventually this newly wed stage will end but I hope it doesn't. 

I really hope it doesn't...

Making the Gospel Real

I want to share something with you that Roger and I have been doing since we got married.

I think it stemmed out of the Compassion Child that we sponsor. Her name is Glory and she started to open our eyes to many things. (And for the record, we plan on sponsoring her as long as possible, 20 years?)

We wanted to make a difference, do something that would really help people.

Roger and I decided that out of EVERY paycheck, we would purchase something that would help someone else.

Now you're confused right?

It's really simple actually.

We would do a little research and find an organization or family that needed help and then either purchase something that would go towards them or donate directly to them. We also committed to praying that week for the "thing" we were helping. At first, we purchased adoption T-shirts from several families who were adopting children from all over the world. The proceeds went directly to their fundraising, which is great! Then we started to buy things like coffee, bracelets, and hats. We also do Operation Christmas Child and support many of our troops overseas. Honestly, it was so easy to find things to purchase or organizations to donate to.

Sometimes we spend upwards to $50 on an item and sometimes it is just $5.00. It really depends on what we find. People have criticized me for not helping people right here in the US. It's not true though. We have supported a few families who have adopted from the US. And adoption isn't the only thing that we can help with. We have donated money to food banks, homeless centers, or even dropped off our clothes where we knew it would go to charity. The need to help is EVERYWHERE!

I have heard so many people say things like "adoption shirts are too expensive" " only half of the money goes to that organization" " I need to save to be able to buy it"among other things. And honestly, I used to say those things as well. EXECPT that I have eaten out at least once this month and if I can do that then I can support something. If you say, well great, we never eat out then I say...There is something in your life that can be cut back, trust me. If Roger and I can do it on minimum wage then you can do it as well.

I am not trying to be harsh. (Maybe a tad harsh?) I just think that there are so many people who say they want to do something and then don't. Talk is cheap. I am also not trying to pat ourselves on the back. We are NOT perfect. We do NOT have it figured out. We are simply trying to raise awareness of those in need for ourselves. The gospel commands us to take care of the poor and needy and this is how I know how to do it best. Maybe it looks different for you. I don't know. I just know that you are called to do something. Figure out your something and DO IT! (And then please share!!!)

Sorry if my post ruined your mood...

Wait am I sorry? :)

Routined Robot

Last Sunday our pastor said something that has brought on several conversations in this household. He was talking about the day-to-day lifestyle. We get up, we go to work, come home, watch TV, go to bed, and then get up go to work, come home, Watch TV, go to bed and repeat... I think you get the idea. What in our day-to-day is making a difference? We do the same thing every day. It seems at the end of the day there is nothing to really be proud of. We've done no good work for other or further God's kingdom.

Well that was me this week. I worked a typical 8-5 job in a company's accounting department. I was like a robot, I did the same thing every day. Woke up, did my hair and make-up, got dressed, made tea, went to work, came home cleaned up, made dinner, watched TV, and went to bed. Only to repeat this day after day. I did nothing of importance. It was a routine and I stuck to it.

During the middle of my week, I remember saying to Roger, "this is the kind of job that would make me move to Africa to be a missionary..." He laughed and completely agreed because he had been doing the same thing this week. He was stuck in a routine. I am not saying that Roger and I are moving to Africa to be missionaries (I'm not going to lie and say that we haven't talked about it either...) We are just trying to figure out as a new couple what we need to do to bring eternal joy in our lives. We want to break this mold and really live for something. We need to live out a purpose.

I think if you really think about your life whether you are a Christian or not you will come to a point where you think, "What am I living for?" "Is what I am doing really going to matter?" "Is there something more than this?" That's what I am trying to figure out. I think it's going to be a long journey though...

Today was my Friday...

Many of you don't know that I have been working a temporary job with a large company down here in North Carolina. I really didn't tell anyone because it was only supposed to last 6 days, today being my last day and what I thought was going to be my Friday until...

My boss called me into her office and asked me to stay on for awhile. She didn't say how long. I am planning on working the rest of this week, which is a huge blessing in itself! However, she went on to say wonderful things about me and my work ethic. She like how organized I was and how I prioritize my to-do lists. She said I was extremely friendly to all customers and I am able to take directions well. She then asked me if I was looking for something permanent. Of course, I answered yes. She went on to say that she needs to talk to the VP and what she would like to do is rearrange the accounting department to include me full-time! This is great news but she said that she hasn't gotten the clearance yet from her boss because he is away on vacation and that I would still have to sit through a formal interview and what not. 

So I need your prayers. I would love to work full-time with this company. (If I land the full-time job I will tell you the name). It is a great company to work for and I would love to be full-time. Pray that her boss sees the need for my position and wants to hire me even though I have little large time account experience. Pray that I will be able to accept whatever God has for me. ( I should note that I am awaiting to hear from a few YMCA jobs as well....) I am so thankful that God has given me this opportunity! I am even more thankful for even this week of work. He always knows what I need. I cannot believe how He always takes care of me even when I think He isn't there. He is amazing and continues to show me His power. 

Thanks for praying! I will keep you updated. :) 

Waiting on the Future

What I love about my husband is that I know when God is changing his heart. I can see it in his eyes, the way he stares off in the distance, thinking about the future. I know that something big is going to come. It may not be today or tomorrow but in ten years I strongly believe our lives will look completely different than they do today. I believe God is remolding our dreams and ideas about the future. Only He knows what the future holds. I am anxiously awaiting though...

Oh Brother

I got online an hour ago to blog and spent my time "pinning" to my boards. You can go here to see all about it. It's such a fun way to organize everything and I can look at other people's boards to get some great dinner recipes and so much more.

Anywho...

Tonight I missed a call from my brother in Afghanistan which really bummed me out. However, I was able to text back and forth with my baby brother, Caleb. What a joy that was, even if he was in a bad mood! He never texts me so when he does for whatever reason, I am thrilled.

Caleb and I on the Golden Gate Bridge

My sweet brother Caleb is a senior in high school this year. I cannot believe he has made it. I remember this punk kid running around crazy in grade school. He always had a ton of energy. He is passionate. He is an envelope pusher. He does not take no for an answer when he knows there are other options. I love my dear brother. He is so much like me, it scares me. We are 4 years apart and seem to have the same view towards things.

He texted me tonight for a variety of reasons but what I think it boils down to is that everything is about to change for him...again. Our family is notorious for change. It could be moving houses every few years, school districts within one school year, or new father figures in our lives. We never had consistency in our lives which is why I crave it now and so does my brother.

Unfortunately, for him, he isn't going to get consistency. He is about to enter a huge period of change. He will graduate from high school and have to attend college and decide what to do for the rest of his life. I do not envy him at all. It was a rough period in my life and I know it will be a rough time for him as well. His emotions will get the best of him as they did for me. He will wake up crying and hating his life because all he wants is a sense of normalcy.

So many of us crave normalcy. We want a pattern that we can predict and we can follow to a tea. It doesn't matter what stage we are in our lives, the unknown scares the heck out of us. I feel for my brother, I really do. I am also beyond excited for him as he enters this new phase in his life.

I am learning, with God's help, how great the unknown actually is. It forces us to focus solely on God and His power. I am okay with the unknown knowing that God is there to guide me. I pray that my brother finds comfort in Christ as well. I pray that he understands that this unknown really isn't going to kill him. No matter what he does, he will do it with passion and I have always admired my brother for that.

At the Jelly Belly Factory in California! Don't we look like siblings? :)