"When God writes your Love Story"

This book is amazing. I finished it this past Saturday and for the rest of the night I couldn't think straight. I can't recall when I've cried reading a book. But this one got to me. Not only was I crying like a little girl, but I felt the Lord right there with me the whole time. It was truly one of those God moments that I'll remember the rest of my life. The book is written by a husband and a wife who found true love once they let God be the Author of their life. They first had to give Him the pen. If we just give God the pen, he'll lead us.

Here are some quotes from the book that are definitely worth sharing.

Extravagant love, as in every generation before us, has been ridiculed and scorned. It is seen as wasteful & reckless overspending. But extravagent love-the offering offering of everything, the emptying of the pockets of our life-is the essence of true Christianity. It was extravagent love that caused Jesue to give up His throne in heavent & give us the gift of life at the expense of His own.

Guys, being a shoulder to cry on, speaking words that remind a woman of your affection, doing the dishes after dinner, and making sure she has a full tank of gas before she hits the road to go shopping--these are all simple little things that you can do to tenderly care for a woman. Because in her world, these little things are huge.

Girls, when a man is respected and honored by a woman, he gains thirty-six pounds of sheer muscle instantly, can outrun a bullet train, and can leap a skyscraper in a single bound. Words of respect transform mere men into superheroes.

Philippians 2:3-4 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."

2nd Deployment

Jason's second deployment is coming up less than two weeks. Thankfully, he won't be in Afghanistan this go around. He will be on a naval ship in the Mediterranean Sea. I ask everyone for prayers during this time. Without a doubt, I believe in the power of prayer. We had a great visit to see him in North Carolina but the moment I hugged him goodbye, I couldn't stop myself from tearing up. He is scheduled to return to the States August 15, 2010. I will post his address once he sends it to me.

Matthew 5:16- "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

#21: Message in a Bottle

As you may or may not know, I made a list titled 101 things to do in 1001 days! Since Jason is getting deployed to the Mediterranean Sea in about two weeks I thought now was my time to make my own "message in a bottle." To be honest, it's something I've always wanted to do but I don't exactly know why. I once was watching TV (probably on Discovery channel) and I saw where this man found a message in a bottle out in the middle of the ocean. He contacted the person and it had been around 30 years since it was thrown out! I told Jason to throw it out somewhere he thought was interesting. Except for Somalia--I don't want the Pirates to get it! I'm anxious to see when he throws it overboard. Who knows, maybe some lucky person will find it and send me an email. No, I didn't leave my phone number. I'm not that blonde! I just included a short note, curled it up and dropped a penny in it--just in case they have never seen American money. Maybe it won't be 30 years until someone finds it. I'll be 50, geeze!

National Champions--Lucky #13

There is not a better time to attend to the University of Alabama than in this moment right now! We cheered on the Crimson Tide from Topsail Island, NC...good thing we had a TV! And it was HD too! This is definitely something I will remember for the rest of my life. RTR :) Gotta love football in the South....

How great would life be if we lived a little EVERYDAY?

As I walked into Jason's condo on the beach that he is staying in until his deployment, I see this picture hanging on the wall. Just like the title it reads, "How great would life be if we lived a little everyday?" The picture reminds me of something that you would see in a hole-in-the wall restuarant that usually ends up being some of the best southern food you've ever tasted. It is a very striking picture but it got me thinking. How true is that quote? It seems self explanatory to me but I found it interesting so I thought I'd share.


Today Jason took Mom and I to the base on Camp Lejeune. Even though I have lived with Jason my entire life, there is a still a tiny piece of Jason I'll never be able to figure out. I'll have to thank the Marines for that. While our lives are completely different, I've never been a more prouder sister than I am at this point in my life. As we were walking around in the PX this afternoon, I observed the Marines all around me. So focused, yet so proper. While I don't have to worry about defending this country, those guys do. And for that, I'm thankful.


It never fails. Something is going to happen to me while on vacation. As I was enjoying my Baskin Robbins cookie dough ice cream cone today, the glue off my top retainer popped off. Great. Well, that's not exactly what I was thinking. I finally got it fixed, thanks to the nice orthodontist! Once I was heading back to Topsail Island, I pushed the scan button on the radio. I thought I heard a familiar song so I stopped. The song was "My Redeemer Lives" by Nicole C. Mullens. Oh my gosh. I really can't think of a more powerful song. I was driving over a huge bridge with water on my left & right, the sun was setting, and I became overwhelmed with emotions. God is good!