16 Happy Years

I'm not going to say they were all easy years. Some were very difficult. However there is a feeling of accomplishment with each obstacle we overcome.

My father, found Scott in Seminary. He would come home from work and tell me all about the questions Scott asked in school that day. My dad held Scott in high regards and was constantly singing his praises.

As the eldest of 3 siblings, I was beginning to get anxious to move out of the house. I was attending a local junior college but wanted more independence. I was willing to consider marriage but thought surely I would find a guy that met my high expectations in college. That didn't happen. I was sorely disappointed.

Then the day came that I finally gave my dad permission to introduce me to the potential son-in-law of his dreams. Yes, I was slightly skeptical at first. I even told my dad that I would only guarantee one date. Then Dad would have to help me break up with him if I didn't like him after that date.

My dad went to the seminary the next day handed Scott a business card with my name printed on the back and said, "Scott, my daughter really wants to meet you!"

I was rather embarrassed that my dad worded it that way. "Dad! You, made me sound desperate!"

Scott didn't seem to mind that though. He might not have called if it weren't for my dad making it sound like I really wanted him to.

Thankfully my dad answered the phone the day Scott called. He was coming to our church that Wednesday night. I was nervous!

My dad was preaching when Scott came in. We were a part of a small church. Scott claims he sat behind the prettiest girl in the auditorium. I'll go ahead and believe him even though I was probably the only obviously eligible girl in the room.

After the service we all talked. No it wasn't love at first sight for either of us. How does someone fall in love with a complete stranger just by looking at them? He seemed nice and was kind of cute but I wouldn't describe it as love until I was sure.

My dad took us all out for ice cream after the service. I called our first date, "Date with Dad." My dad did most of the talking and Scott knew how to talk to him. So I sat at an opposite table and just listened mostly.

I guess after that first date with my dad, Scott knew my dad would be a good father-in-law.

The next time I saw him I invited him to my band concert in college.

Easter Sunday, my Mema had invited him to eat with our family at her house. I picked Scott up that day. He was playing his guitar on his porch steps. We talked all the way to my grandmother's house and all the way back. He wasn't too shy to talk and yet didn't mind listening either. I think that was the day that I decided he was a keeper. I didn't know how he felt but I decided I wouldn't be the one to leave.

Then one day he took me to the zoo. He asked me if he could hold my hand. Ah ha! He didn't realize that he might as well have proposed to me. I agreed. He picked me a flower off the side of the road.

That summer he visited a Missionary in Honduras for 2 months. I spent all my money on phone bills that summer. We still have the numerous letters we wrote back and forth to each other.

Early one morning, he called my Dad and asked if he could marry me. My dad told him, "That's why I gave you that card." Scott asked my dad if he could get my ring size without my knowing.

The next day my dad asked me and my sister if we had any idea as to how he could find out my mother's ring size without her knowing. He said that he was thinking about getting her a ring.

We asked which finger and he said he wasn't sure. So we decided the best way was to get everyone in the family to measure all their fingers. Well, our idea didn't work because mom never did measure her finger. I think my dad was smarter than I was.

Then Scott arrived back from Honduras. He imagined the perfect setting to ask me to marry him. However we went to a wedding that night and the rumor had gotten out that we were engaged already. Poor Scott didn't know how to tell people that he hadn't asked me yet. He decided that night that he better go ahead and ask.

We almost set our wedding day to be on my birthday in December. However that was an awfully busy time of year for his mother to come. We decided to move the date up to Thanksgiving. He thought he'd be able to remember it better that way.

Thanksgiving day, November 28, 1996, I married my knight in shining armour. Life might not have always been easy for us down the rocky roads of life but 16 years and 6 children later we have really been blessed.

How long have you been married? Where did the two of you meet? If you're not married yet, do you know what you are looking for?

Never settle for less than God's best.

Living Childhood Dreams

It's fun to ask a 4 or 5 year old what they want to do when they grow up. When Joshua was about 5 years old, he wanted to build robots. Ruth at that age wanted to be a princess. Hannah wanted to be a football playing mommy with milk.

Jonathan just turned 5 this month and he wants to be either a fireman or Captain America when he grows up.

I love the dreams young children have. The sky's the limit as to what they can do some day.

What happens as we grow up and face the real world? Whatever happened to dreaming great things?

When I was in fifth grade I was given an assignment to draw a life sized drawing of myself wearing the clothes of the profession I wanted to be. I'm sure the teacher had a good number of fire fighters and nurses. I drew a picture of me with a pencil and a name tag. The name tag said, "Anastacia Clark, Writter".

I'm not sure why, but my dream got lost in the shuffle of daily school life. I was complimented on my writing by English teachers but the closer to college I got the further that dream crept away.

I didn't consider it a worthy profession. I thought writing was just a hobby. In college, I should have taken journalism and writing courses. Instead I spent most of that year dropping courses I was good at in order to try to pass courses I was terrible at.

Then I married. My husband saw my writing and encouraged me to pursue it further. In fact he has always been my biggest supporter.

Now here I am. Living my childhood dream. I'm taking a writing course. A book is in the works. I have a domain name and soon I'll even have my own website. Since that day many years ago, I hadn't really imagined myself coming this far.

I want my children to live out their dreams. Even if their dreams change as they mature. I want to see them using their talents and reaching their goals. Maybe they won't wait until they are my age to just be starting at it. I want them to reach to the stars right now.

How about you? Do you have an unfulfilled childhood dream to reach for? What is it that's holding you back?

Feel free to share. Let's be kids again and reach for the stars together.

My 10 Super Mom Capes

In my last post I talked about being a not-so-super mom. There was only one problem. My husband and children begged to differ with me. They declared that I really was super. Now I'm going to write about the capes in my life that are super. Maybe by the end you will see that we're really not so different. Yes, that means you're super too.

There are 10 basic areas of my life that are important to me.

All of these areas of my life would make a blog post all by themselves. Right now I will give you a brief glimpse of each area and expound more in future posts.

Cape #10 -- A Writer This cape is still a work in progress. I feel like I still need to hem the edges a bit. My husband has been my biggest supporter. Ever since I was in 5th grade, I wanted to be a writer. Now I am trying to keep the momentum going forward. I am currently taking a writing course. I've been learning so much. You may have noticed some of the changes I've been making on my blog. I'm not done tweaking it yet. Bare with me as I continue to make improvements.

Cape #9 -- A Friend I have many friends. I have church friends, homeschool friends, writing friends, karate friends, and internet friends. I value every friendship. All my friends are very encouraging to me. 

Cape #8 -- A Sister I am the oldest of 3 children. My little brother and sister are a lot of fun to be around. We weren't always nice to each other. I tended to be a pushy big sister. We grew out of that though. Now we each have families of our own. Life is not boring for any of us. We still have a good time whenever we get together.

Cape #7 -- A Grandaughter I have always had a tight nit family. Both my grandfathers were preachers. My father is a preacher. My husband is a preacher. My brother is a preacher. And my brother-in-law is a preacher. Do we see a theme going here? I remember listening to my grandfathers pray before meals. My grandmothers endured many trials to raise my parents and their siblings in a time that was ever changing. I love my grandmothers and miss my grandfathers.

Cape #6 -- A Daughter-in-law I would be remiss to not acknowledge my position as a daughter-in-law. God gave me a hard working husband that is willing to work any job to provide for his family. My husband gives his parents credit for instilling in him his strong work ethic. I hate that we live so far away but technology has helped us bridge the gap. I try to plan our family vacations to include a trip to see my husband's family in Michigan.

Cape #5 -- A Daughter I am very grateful that I was born to godly parents. My parents are the ones that raised me to be the woman I am today. I had good parenting skills modeled before me in my childhood. There is so much I could write just on things I learned from my parents. They are still here for me to learn from even in my adult years.

Cape #4 -- A Teacher. My husband and I made the decision to homeschool our children when our eldest child was only 2 years old. Right now I mix and match my curriculum to fit each child's needs. Next year I'll be entering the High School years with my eldest. That will give me 1 High Schooler, 1 Junior High, 2 elementary, 1 preschooler, and 1 day care age all under one roof. It kind of makes me feel like I live in a 1 room school house except they're all my own children.

Cape #3 -- A Mom. I'm the mother of 6 children. Three boys and three girls. Our eldest is 14. Our youngest is 5 months. My husband and I love each and every child so much. We can't imagine our life without any one of them in it. We plan to have as many children as God allows us.

Cape #2 -- A Wife  My husband, Scott, and I were married on Thanksgiving day in 1996. We have been happily married for 16 years. It hasn't always been easy but maintaining a happy relationship is well worth the effort. I can honestly say that my husband is my best friend.

Cape #1--A Child of God  My faith is very important to me.  It is the foundation of all my other relationships. Without God and His instructions there would be no purpose in my life. 

What part of your life is important to you? 
Is there a particular area that gives you purpose to do what you do best?

Feel free to share! Check out my comments section below. 

A Not-So-Super Mom with Many Capes

"You're my hero!" the other mother said to me as we talked about our children. I'm not sure what exactly I did that made her say that. Perhaps it's because I'm a mother with 6 children. Maybe it's because I homeschool my children. I've been told this many times. One time was after I delivered my 11 lb. 4 oz baby. People would ask if I did that naturally. "Yes, I did. With no medication."

Then suddenly there goes that phrase, "You're my hero!"

I think they mean it like a child that proclaims Super Man as their hero. They want to be like him, fly like him. They want to be him. Why not? He's bullet proof.

I think some women just view me as a type of Super Mom. What exactly is a super mom?

I picture Super Mom as this amazing woman with everything figured out. She manages her time wisely. Her children are always neat and clean everywhere they go. She feels no pain. Potty training is a breeze. Her hair is always tidy. The dishes are always washed and put away neatly. She wakes up early. Her family eats three square home cooked meals a day. And...She is never late!

If that is a super mom then that's not me.

I sometimes choose to do the history lesson over dishes. Sometimes I cancel a homeschool day in order to have my kids help clean up a messy house. I pick and choose their activities and they don't always get a say in the matter. I haven't potty trained my 2 year old yet. I brush my hair while rushing the kids out to the car. I rarely look in the mirror. And...we're almost always late!

I don't feel like a super mom. Things get crazy for me too. I usually have a game plan in mind. Then nothing goes as planned.

For instance, the other day I decided to take a picture (above) for this post. I told the kids what I wanted. I found a spot. My daughter volunteered to take the picture. And then....the picture looks awful! I look like a tired, worn out mother with kids gone crazy all around me. What's so super about that?

I showed the picture to my husband. He understood. He knew what kind of picture I really wanted. "You're wanting a picture with a baby under one arm. The wind blowing at your cape. One arm is extended as you prepare to save the day."

He was right. I see that picture in my minds eye but it's not really me. It's rather crushing when you realize that you can't pull off that Super Mom look. Even if I let my husband help me get that "perfect" picture there would still be that one problem. That would still be the not-so-super me in it.

The truth of the matter is I'm just a normal mom with many capes trying to decide which one I need to put on right now.

What kind of capes do you wear?
Do you have a particular one that's your favorite?

Feel free to share in the comments below.

I'll be posting more about my various capes soon.