Sweet Pea and Vanilla Bean

You are probably wondering what in the world the back of this truck is doing...having an identity crisis probably!  It's a buck, it's a doe, it's an Alabama fan...and an Auburn fan????

JJ loves to hunt. He gets like a kid in a candy shop when he talks about deer, turkey, fish, anything wildlife. He is also extremely passionate about Alabama football, and what what red-blooded American male in the South wouldn't be? (except those who are passionate about Auburn). He customized his truck this weekend as a symbol of our plans to build a future together.



I call him General Jacks, as every weekend I report to his property that he currently refers to as "the hill" for demolition and clean-up detail. We work very hard together: the two of us, all our children, his cousin and nephews. We are building a place to share our dreams.

Our favorite prayer is: Lord, bless us with a HOME in which to share our CHRISTIAN love with YOU, each other and our children.

During the week, JJ reports in to the HOME OFFICE to give me updates on his progress at work out of town, and  I tell him of the status of things back at home. We talk each other through the hard times when we are away. When we are together on the weekends we support each other in our daily routines. I work with him on the hill and he helps me keep things going in the kitchen. We share parenting strategies and responsibilities. The kids range from ages 7 to 18, and we have a wide variety of issues that come up, but we handle them together. We get in the back yard and play baseball with them, and we ride around in the truck to the store or whatever errand and sing to various types of music, but we all go together.

We have our personality flaws. We are stubborn and hard-headed. We get emotional and have bad days. We love each other through the mistakes we make. We lift each other up in the hard times. We laugh and cut up, but we handle serious issues straight on. We miss each other when we are away, and we make the most out of every moment together.

I had a customer at the DMV ask me yesterday if I had a boyfriend when I was in the 8th grade. I thought for a moment, smiled and replied..."Yes,  I did. And he is my boyfriend today too!" 



The skyline from Stone Ridge



Our question is often, "Where have you been for the last 24 years?" The answer is the same...God was molding us into the people he wanted us to be. We have had to go through the fire, the rain, the lightning--the storms--to make us into the people we are today. We are able to appreciate each other after all we've been through. He is still working on both of us. We are far from perfect, but we are placing our imperfect lives in His perfect hands and trusting him to lead us the rest of the way.