blOg-CraZy & biRthDay lOvE!

happy Birthday weekend (tomorrow he's 33!) to my guy =)

first i will cover the 'blog-crazy' in the title of this quick note...

my-oh-my how this blogging world is a crazy wonderful one to get caught up in! i have stumbled across SO many wonderful women all in a different part of the world- being open and honest -inspiring and encouraging - and serving as reminders to me that none of us are 'crazy', lol, we're just fabulous ladies trying to live out the best life God has in store for us the best way we can - while choosing to open up our hearts to this blog world - reaching out to others along our own journeys in life =) again i thank you ladies - for sometimes i do get lost clicking from one new blog to another and before i know it the time has gotten away from me - just one more reminder i best get on that personal time-management skill a bit more closely, lol, but i love it. i love the ladies i'm stumbling upon & i encourage you to enter in too when you can =)

our 1st 2 'kids' jax & abby

i wanted to take a moment (inspired by another blogger) to celebrate my sweet husband who's celebrating his 33rd birthday tomorrow! phew 33 i can hardly believe it, esp since we've known each other since he was 17 and i was 15 - that's a lot of knowin' =) as our Young Adults in our Immersed gp. from church learned recently when studying the 5 lOve lanGuages, mine is not 'words of affirmation', but of course, that's my husbands! so as he tosses out loving words at me endlessly at times (really showing He's the one desiring those in return) i'm speaking a different kinda language 'quality time' (which for joe and i these days is a struggle b/c of crazy schedules- we're trying to get a grip, but i digress...) So my point is that due to my struggle w/ 'spoken words' i will write a few thoughts on why I LOVE THIS MAN for the whole world to see (and my guy when I point him to this latest entry). sooo how do i love this man... let me count the ways....

andrew's 1st sunday @church 3 1/2yrs ago -joe was speaking =)

He LOVES GOD first! and then loves me and our 'growing' family! some may say wooh God first?? yes you see that's why i fell in love with him oh so many up&down years ago =) he's got a passion for the calling God has on his life (reaching out to young people) and it's contagious -after all he's brought me along for the ride as we now serve the young adults in our church/community side-by-side. when you find a man who loves God you have found a Good thing -cherish it! the times that we spend praying together - worshipping together - trusting together - those are ALL the times that grow us... together! i could not imagine spending a lifetime with anyone else and i will FOREVER cherish his prayers for me and our family and beyond =)

ice show @ the National Harbor

my man loves to have fun! being goofy and making people laugh, either with him or at him, he doesn't care and i love, sometimes in secret-lol, that about him! for those who know me i'm the type that does tend to care who's watching at times, grant it i've come along way from where i started, but i'm blessed to be with a man who 'lightens me up'. whether it's dancing around our living room acting silly for our son (or really for himself b/c he's having fun) joe definitely knows how to make a dull situation a little less dull ... and yes i do love that about him, no matter how often i give him 'that look', you know, the one that says... umm people are watching, lol. it's really just another thing that kept drawing me back to him when we were 'young and in-love'. the thing that i knew i needed in my life to 'lighten me up'! =) 

us in hawaii w/ his mom & step-dad

he can't sit still for too long! we love traveling - be it to florida (against my will for the 15th time -lol) and beyond - i love that he loves to be out & about, seeing and experiencing new places. one thing we definitely have strongly in common is that neither one of us is much of a home-body. of course these days, with one precious son & another child on the way & again the craziness of our schedules, we don't get to go and do as much as we would like, but the fact comes down to- we both Like =) so in the end you know you'll end up back out&about when you can. thankfully we did have almost 4 years together before our son came along which opened up more time for us for travel and vacation time (don't get me wrong- children at ANY time are a blessing - but for us those years are ones we'll always happily hold dear -for more selfish reasons =)

joe taking drew to his first hair cut =)

the little pic above represents two big things i love about this man! first and foremost he LOVES his son! he's the kind of dad who will spend countless time 'fighting' (drew requests this on a nightly basis) with him, watching/taking him to see sill movies, playing sports with him (yes our now 3 1/2 year old is Passionate about sports-even requested to watch basketball by 'signing' to us when he was not even a year old!-i'm in for it-lol) and any other thing Fun! he's not the dad that sits on the side-lines, not the dad that cares what others think if he's acting Crazy with andrew, he's the dad who wants to make his son laugh, fly around the room, sing loudly, love God and love life and THAT is what definitely draws this wife & mom even more in-love with him =)

the 2nd part of this pic is the ol' barbershop in the background -this to me is a reminder of joe's loyalty! my man is definitely a loyal one! why this pic- well we no longer live near this barber John, but joe will definitely still be sure to make the drive or fit it in on his driving route home to get by and wait for 'his barber' to cut his hair- no matter how long it takes! (ladies don't be fooled- men gossip and sit in barber shops just as long as we do at the salon- at least my man can-lol). so this just reminds me in a small way of the big thing my husband represents - being loyal =) sure he may say 'i'll call you back in 5 or be home in 10' and it turns into 20 or an hour... but the point comes back to.. he'll be there. he's loyal to his family, his friends, his church & his (our) God and that's Important to me =) It makes me feel secure as his wife =) being someone who i know can drive him crazy and push his buttons (like he pushes mine) at the end of the day i still know where he'll be and who he'll love - and in this life, full of un-committed people and things - that's important to me!

so i could keep going for i'm not sure how long... but i'll save some of those other things for him- thanking him for brightening my life and for allowing me to be a part of his... sharing yet another of many of his Birthdays together! 

*love ya joe- love me*