Amy's Not Alone...

My friend Amy at Chapters wrote this post last night and it really broke my heart....well it broke my heart again. I know too well what she is experiencing...right done to the very last sentence. What is funny about infertility (and I hope you know I don't really mean funny) is that it treats your emotions like a roller coaster. At one moment you are traveling up this hill to places unknown, then it drops you as low as you think you could ever go, the next moment you are traveling up that hill again and so hopeful that NO ONE can bust your bubble, and then ultimately brings you back to the starting point and slams you to a screeching stop. Unfortunately, infertility is a test of your Faith. And this is where Amy is right now and where we ALL have been from time to time. Please take a minute, if you haven't already, and leave Amy a comment...let her know she is not alone and say a prayer for her. All of us fellow gardeners are in this journey together.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will direct your paths. ~Proverbs 3:5-8.

God is on a Roll...

I read two posts that shared some good news this past week. Two of my fellow gardeners are EXPECTING!!! Yes, you read that correctly....Heather at Life at Sonic Speed and my other friend at Natually Caffeinated Family shared that they both are pregnant. I was so excited to be able to put a "check mark" by both of their names on my "praying for a baby" P-List.

"And we can be confident that he will listen to us whenever we ask him for anything in line with His will. And if we know He is listening when we make our requests, we can be sure that He will give us what we ask for." ~I John 5: 14-15

God is on a roll....

Thankful Thursday (Times TEN)...

I feel so horrible because I missed last Thursday's Thankful Thursday Times Three!! So, I thought I would pay my dues and tell you about the TEN things I'm thankful for this week!



Here we go...



1. Dinner with my mother-in-love...



My mother-in-love and I went out to dinner last Tuesday night...can you say Ruth's Chris!!!! Nothing is better than a juicy steak, steamed broccoli, and sauteed mushrooms. Yum!! I was so full from eating that night, that I couldn't eat anything until dinner the next night :)



2. The holidays...



I am SO looking forward to the holidays...Thanksgiving and Christmas. My parents are driving their motorhome to see us for both holidays and I couldn't be happier. This is the longest I have gone from seeing my parents...almost 2 and half months. I know that isn't really a long time, but it seems like FOREVER to me.



3. Seeing the muscial...



My school is producing the musical Kiss Me, Kate next week. I saw the set today in the theatre and I can not wait to see our talented students put on yet another outstanding musical production.



4. Prayer...



I have been down in the dumps this past few weeks and what seems to have gotten me through it all is prayer. I had so many people leave me their favorite verse through email and through commenting on my blogs. Believe me...He really does miracles!



5. A night out on the town...



The DH and I went to the San Sebsatian Winery with his uncle and new girlfriend. I had never been there before and it was just so awesome. The winery has a bar on the rooftop with a band. The weather was just perfect and we had a great time sipping sangria and listing to the jazz band.



6. Uppercase Living...



I found this great store on-line...www.uppercaseliving.com. It is probably going to be my new addiction :( I ordered a few things for our home as well as some Christmas gifts. My family is going to be in for a real treat this year!!



7. Thanksgiving Dinner...



We are having Thanksgiving Dinner at our house this year. And it will be a FIRST! I am so nervous, but so thankful to have our family over for the greatest meal of the year.



8. Karaoke with my DH...



Yes, we are karaoke junkies!! My mother-in-love bought us a karaoke machine about four years ago and we have been addicted ever since. We used to stay up all night singing, laughing, and having a great time. We hadn't done this in quite some time, but we broke out the karaoke maching this past weekend!! Great times!!



9. My DVR...



I am so thankful to have a DVR and have the ability to tape all of the wonderful televisions shows I like to watch. I can't imagine what I did before this thing!!! I probably have a good 10 shows that I MUST watch and there is no way I could see them all without my DVR.



10. My wishing thread necklace...



I won a wishing thread necklace from Make Mine a Mojito. I finally received it yesterday and plan to wear it every single day! The key is that the necklace is on a thin thread...you should pray and think about what you desire most and when the thread finally breaks, your wish will come true.



So those are the things I am MOST thankful for this Thursday! You don't have to list 10 things, but I'd love to hear what you are most thankful for this week.

My Guardian Angel...

I have been in awe at all the wonderful friends that I have met through blogging and I have a VERY special story I would like to share about someone so far away, but so very special...



As you know, my DH and I are trying to save enough money to attempt our third try at IVF. I have been doing a Chip-In/Giveaway on my Be Thou a Knight blog and have raised almost $800 already. I received a VERY special card in the mail yesterday and I just felt moved to share it with all of you. I haven't asked permission to share my friend's name, so I'll call her Angel (for lack of a better name).



Angel commented on my last giveaway and this is what she wrote...

I too have suffered from infertility for 6+years. My heart goes out to you. God has truly performed Romans 8:28 to perfection though through our infertility. He has blessed us with a ministry of "2nd Chances". We have adopted two beautiful children, one with Down Syndrome and one with Semi-lobar Holoprosencephayly. And yes I will be donating to your IVF fund. I know how financially stressful it can be going through infertility treatments. Just remember God has a purpose and a plan and He is using you to reach so many women struggling with this same diagnosis. I will be praying for you and your husband. Love In His Grip, Angel

Immediately, I looked up Romans 8:28 and this is what it reads, "And we know that God causes everthing to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them." What a powerful message!

I was curious about the rest of the chapter and loved this verse too..."And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don't even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will."~Romans 8:26-27

This verse touched me more than I have time to write in this post....so I'll save those feelings for another post. I want to finish with my awesome story about Angel.

Angel emailed me and said that she was having difficulty with my Chip-in and asked if she could just mail me a check for our IVF fund. I emailed her back, thanking her over and over again, and to my surprise, I received a card in the mail from her yesterday. I sat in my car in awe at the words she wrote to me...

I definitely connected with your story, even though God had a different plan for me and my family. I will be praying for you and your husband.I remember so clearly the strain not only financially but physically and emotionally, that infertility plays in a marriage. I look forward to your updates via your blog. Christ's richest blessings to you and your hubby, Angel.

Included in the card was a sweet picture of Angel and her family, along with a GENEROUS donation to our IVF fund. I think I read Angel's words at least 20 times last night. I couldn't believe how thoughtful someone that lives SO far away from me could care so much about me, my husband, and our situation.

All I can say is that she must be my guardian angel sent from the ONLY person that knew how much I needed one...

Thank you Angel.

50 Promises for Marriage...

I had the pleasure of eating at Hyman's Seafood Restaurant last night while in Charleston. The food and atmosphere were great! As we were leaving I thought it might be a good idea to pick up a few of their business cards in the event we decide to come back to Charleston. I was looking at the cards and realized that each card was different...one shared the Restaurant's motto, "Attitude is EVERYTHING!", Words Women Use (when their words really mean something else), Persistance, and the one that really caught my eye was 50 Promises for Marriage.



Listed below are just some of the 50 promises...

• start each day with a kiss


• date once a week


• smile often


• do what the other person wants before he or she asks


• do it his or her way


• compliment twice a day


• call during the day


• apologize


• forgive


• set up a romantic getaway


• talk about your love


• reminisce about your favorite times together


• admit when wrong


• pray for each other daily


• watch sunsets together


• say "I love you" frequently


• end the day with a hug

Aren't these just AWESOME!!! Just think at how strong marriages would be if we all followed these promises! I am definitely going to walk the walk and do these myself.

Thankful Thursday (Times Three)...

Thursdays are when I post about three things that I am most thankful for. Here is my Thankful Thursday (times three)...

1. My mom...

I can honestly say that I have the BEST mom in the WORLD!! She is my best friend, she loves me unconditionally, she is my biggest fan, she gives me a shoulder to cry on, and laughs at all my jokes---even when they aren't funny :) What more could a girl ask for???? For my mom to move to Florida!!! I'm working on her...Love you mom and I hope you have the best birthday EVER!

2. A lot of supportive bloggers....

Have you guys checked out my other blog, Be Thou a Knight? I can NOT believe how many people have commented on my giveaway and donated to our IVF Chip-in. All I can say is WOW! I have really been blessed!

3. The time to socialize and travel to Charleston...

My principal invited me to attend the International Art Network in Charleston. It is a great time to meet administrators, teachers, and prominent art educators from around the United States. I went last year for the first time and had a great time. It's real nice when your principal is a past president and you get introduced, have dinner, and spend a ton of time with ALL the movers and shakers of arts education in the USA! Great networking!!!

What three things are you most thankful for this Thursday?

Sharing Engagement Memories...

Thanks to all of you for the encouraging words and comments from my last post. I felt obligated to make a post soon so many of you would not be worried about my DH and I. We did have a GREAT talk last night and agreed that we were letting life's many day-to-day routines get in the way of our marriage...work, family, infertility stresses, the economy, etc. So we made an agreement to put our marriage first and let everything else come second.

On the same topic...I read Rebecca Jo's blog today, Knit By God's Hands, and thought it was such a great post. She shared how her husband proposed to her. Her post really brought me back to that special time in my life when the DH proposed to me and what a special and happy time this was for both of us. I thought it would be a great idea if we ALL shared how our engagement memories. AND Kelly is also hosting proposal memories on her blog today too!!!

Here is our story...

The DH and I were 30 years old when we first met one another...he hates for me to say this, but we met on Match.com. Yes, it does actually work :) Anyway, a year and half later we had planned a trip to Lake Tahoe to go skiing. I had so many friends tell me that they "thought" this was going to be when he would propose to me...but to be honest, it was just bad timing. We had just moved into a house and had spent a lot of money on putting in new wooden floors. We hadn't even TALKED about getting engaged. Little did I know that the weekend BEFORE we were to leave for Tahoe, my mom and dad had come over to help us finish laying the floors in our house. Mom and I had gone to Subway to pick up lunch and while we were gone, David had asked my dad for permission to propose. The following weekend the DH and I had landed in Lake Tahoe and were just getting settled into our hotel room...complete with a gorgeous view and a HUGE jacuzzi in our room. We changed clothes and made our way to a local pub to unwind from the long day of traveling. On our way back home, we stopped by the store and picked up a bottle of champagne to take back to the room to celebrate our first ski-trip with one another...yes, it all seems so obvious now, but I was so clueless! We got back to the hotel and got ready to take a dip in the jacuzzi and the DH told me he had surprise for me....he asked me to close my eyes and made me promise not to peak. When I opened my eyes, he was on his knees (in the jacuzzi) and asked me to marry him?!?!? I was so shocked and remembered saying..."are you serious?" Of course I said yes and remember crying tears of joy as we called all of our family to share our news! He had originally planned to propose the next day, either on top of a mountain or at a nice dinner, but the ring was burning a HOLE in his pocket :) Here are some pics of my engagement ring and that special trip....







The DH had my ring made and I can honestly say that it is oh so beautiful! Didn't he do a great job??



This is us on top of Mount Heavenly the day after we got engaged. I was so paranoid because I didn't want to wear my ring on the slopes so we left it in the safe in our hotel room. I could NOT wait to get back to make sure that it was safe and sound.



I can't tell you what an awesome trip this was...it was the beginning of a wonderful marriage and many years of happiness!