How could we have known what 2017 would have in store for us? There is no way we could have imagined all the grief and the all the joy it would bring! On December 13 though, this sweet little angel was born and changed our lives forever!
Read More“I never minded the risk, but we always did it together” Anyone recall this line from The Greatest Showman? This was spoken from one spouse to another toward the end of the movie when things weren't going so well in their relationship
Read MoreIt was Good Friday 2004 when I received my healing! It began in this exact spot too! Kleman Plaza, Tallahassee, Florida!!! I had a strange spot on my leg and went to see the dermatologist
Read MoreBack then, we just knew we were good for each other. We brought out the best in each other (even when it was painful to do so)! We made each other laugh (and only cry occasionally. LOL). We loved each other unconditionally even from a young age. We knew we had something special even then.
Read MoreSo what's a husband to do when he pursues his wife but she gives every excuse imaginable? Well, he begins problem solving, of course! ... I began to be so very grateful that we got out! Then we began dreaming together...it was such a wonderful night...but I almost missed it!
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Ever wander what happened to that cute young couple that got married years ago that lives in your house?
We do! We've had that kind of year that has seemed very heavy and there hasn't really been much time to be that young fun couple this year, but thanksgiving weekend remedied all that! After a few days of traveling to Atlanta, then prepping & cooking all day long (yes! We have a whole new appreciation for Mom, who always did most of the work) and then grieving the loss of Carol's mama a bit, we were in much need of some fun together. My twin's precious motherinlaw provided just that for our family by providing us tickets to Six Flags!!! Woohoo!!! We were sooo excited about this! So although we were there with a party of 19 (oh, yes we were!), Allen & I found some time to escape on a few rides together and relive our "glory days"!
I wasn't sure I still had it in me to ride a few CRAZY roller coasters, but we braved them! Yay for the 40-somethings! We started the day on...Goliath!!! Which is a ridiculous 165 feet in the air and drops at a speed of 72 mph!! Eek! But honestly, I just told myself it was gonna be great then yelled "This is awesome!!" over & over on each hill! And it was yall! It was awesome! Holding the hand of my high school sweetheart, screaming down insane hills...Oh what a rush!
Then we proceeded to ride the Mine Train! Did I mention that we hit Six Flags on the way home from our honeymoon 22 (ish) years ago? And yup! You guessed it...we rode the Mine Train then too! So...it was a good bit jerkier than we recalled (must be the ride...certainly not our age-LOL), but we were so glad we recreated that memory. It was so worth every ache!
Then as we walked thru the Christmas lights (shivering, I might add) and rode a few more rides, our heavy hearts lifted a bit, and we decided that a day at Six Flags was Exactly what we needed! Holding hands on coasters, flirting on the swings, and stopping to pose for silly selfies, wrapped up in each other, delighted our souls and rekindled our love! We got to leave the "adult" world behind for a bit and just be kids together...those same kids who explored Cedar Point in Ohio, who fell in love on a youth ski trip, and who hit up all the coasters at Six Flags as a last hurrah on our honeymoon! Yes, our backs ache more now than then and our burdens at times are heavier than we ever imagined possible, but the love between us is stronger and more beautiful than we could have ever dreamed of too! Can't ask for more than that, right?!
So heres to "Remembering When"! Don't forget to take time out of your overly-full schedules this season to walk down memory lane together...whether that's by reliving an old memory or creating a new one by being a kid again...its so important to remember how much fun you once had together and go do it all over again!
We'd love to hear about some of your favorite pastimes together too! Amusement Park hopping? Skiing? Sports? Whatever it is, get out there & be kids again together!
Cheering you on,
Allen & Carol
My husband has always been the hands and feet of Christ to me but now more than ever!! Never once did he complain. Never once did he demand I come home. Never once did he even offer unsolicited advice (or try to fix things...although I'm sure he desperately wanted to). He just loved me unconditionally and listened to me...for 6 long weeks!
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22 years ago, when we vowed to love each other "in sickness and in health", we never imagined what the years would bring? Looking back, I wouldn't want to know what the years would bring anyway. I mean, who really wants to know, right?" If we knew how tough things would get, would we sign up for it? Well, maybe. Hee-hee. No matter how sick or how well tho, Allen & I would choose each other all over again. In a heartbeat!
Speaking of heartbeat, mine (Carol's) started acting funny this weekend. The combination of that, a bit of chest pain & lightheadedness led us to call the doc and head on into urgent care. After an EKG, chest xray and blood work all came out fine, we were sent home. Of course Allen was right by my side. Even tho that meant he had to give up his beloved Saturday afternoon and clean up his weekend projects earlier than planned. Y'all, this man is such a hard worker and I HATE making him give up his weekends...especially after Hurricane Irma gobbled up our last weekend and entire week really. Anyhow, home we went without much explanation (except musculoskeletal pain diagnosis, since I had fallen down a few stairs 5 days before).
Next morning, I woke with the same symptoms and thought maybe I was imagining it. So we went to church and while out to lunch, got a call from the nurse where I was day before, that said my bloodwork came back and my "D-Dimer" was elevated...in English terms, they wanted me to go to the ER for a cat scan to rule out Pulmonary Embolism (a blood clot). Not really what we wanted to hear of course. So, we finished eating lunch and now my sweet man sits next to me in the ER. I really don't know how I got so blessed! Not only was he insistent on taking me (yes, I told him I could drive myself..LOL), but he also has been doting on me and taking such great care of me. I hated for him to give up more of his weekend (Heck! I even hated giving up Sunday afternoon myself! Sunday afternoons are a bit sacred at our house. Its a time we can rest, or read books, or tinker, or really do whatever we want. Its glorious!). But give it up he did. Why? Because of the "In Sickness and In Health" clause. Oh...and because he LOVES me. And thats what love does.
This is just what we do for each other. Together we have been thru surgeries, hospital stays, 3 labors, a miscarriage, flus, middle-of-the-night ER visits, debilitating back pain, anxiety and depression and much more. This is just what Love does!
So here we sit, at the ER. Several EKGs, too many vials of blood taken (ick), and a cat scan later, turns out, we are all cleared. Not really sure what my body is doing but seems it's reacting strangely to falling down a set of stairs this past Monday. In the healing process, it has decided to give me a bit of a scare! But the whole process was made so much easier with my Love by my side. Cant imagine going thru these things without him.
Remember to always be there for each other...in sickness and in health!
Cheering you on,
ALLEN & CAROL
When we decided to evacuate, we weren't sure what that would entail...a long drive, heavy traffic, high winds? Would we pack enough? What should we take? What should we leave? So many uncertainties. But 1 thing we knew...that always remains the same....OUR GOD IS GOOD AND WE CAN TRUST HIM!
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22 years ago, we never sat down and wrote out goals for our marriage, or what we wanted our kids to say about our marriage, or anything like that, but somehow we just knew that we wanted to stay best friends and enjoy each other for the rest of our lives. We somehow knew 1 thing was a must...
Although we had not had any training on this, we just knew what we wanted and went after it (most days anyway. Hehe). Well, this year, on our 22nd anniversary (last weekend), it all paid off!!! Much to our surprise, our sweet (almost grown...boo-hoo) children wrote out 22 beautiful things that they see in our marriage in cute little tiny hearts and left these little notes all around the house for us. What?!!! BEST. GIFT. EVER!!!!
We were totally blown away by what they see in our relationship and it has been such an eye opener for us. It makes us want to work even harder to keep fighting for our marriage. So, we wanted to take this opportunity to remind you that your kids are watching your marriage, whether you know it or not. They see the little ways you look at each other, talk to each other and talk about each other (hopefully its good talk :) They don't miss a beat. So be careful in your marriage and dont fool yourselves into thinking that your little ones won't pick up on sarcasm, or negativity, or distrust, or even...dislike. They are watching and catching it all...every smile, every hug, every encouraging word, every date, every love note!
So without further adieu, we are so delighted to share with you the 22 notes they wrote ( So, so dear to our hearts yall!). Drum roll please....
1. You snuggle (our favorite!!)
2. You learn to agree on things (tough one but we try)
3. You two always support each other (we know we don't always get this right but are so thankful they notice this)
4. You make each other happy (awww)
5. You set aside time for each other
6. You dont keep secrets (true, true, true!!!)
7. You still date each other
8.You are best friends (crazy but true...we'd rather hang out with each other than anyone else. We are total besties. Heehee)
9. You guys are the best example of a healthy marriage (sweetest compliment)
10. You communicate (we went thru some tough times to work on this one, but thats a whole other post)
11. Your kids want the marriage you 2 have (Icing on the cake!!!)
12. You look back on memories together
13. You both LOVVVVVEEE each other
14. You hold each other up
15. You believe in each other
16 You pray for each other (none of the others would matter without this one!)
17. You fill each other with confidence
18. You both work hard to keep your marriage strong
19.You know how to make each other smile
20. You build each other up
21. You both love the Lord (without the Lords love, we wouldn't even know how to love each other!)
22. You kiss alot (Haha...we totally made this one up...to be honest, we have been reading these for a week all thru the house and the tape is no longer sticky. Lost # 22. Bummer! LOL)
Are those just not the sweetest things you've ever read?!
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So, whats the take away on all this? We didn't just share this to brag on our kids (although they are pretty awesome!). We really wanted yall to take the opportunity to reflect in your own marriage and see if there are things in your marriage that you DONT want to your kids to see exemplified. We give you permission this week to take time out of your busy schedule - together - and make a top 10 list..
What do you want your kids to say about you in 10 or 20 years? We (obviously) are still growing and learning right along with each of you. We have to continue to dig deep and communicate thru the hard times and love on each other, even when its tough. We certainly have not "arrived" and know we will always be growing in our marriage, but we sure do love encouraging each of you in your marriages and sharing with you what we are learning in ours.
Thanks for letting us share and be a small part of your lives. We are so grateful!
Cheering you on,
Allen & Carol
