Newlyweds: The DeWitte's: God

Showing posts with label God. Show all posts

Monday, April 30, 2012

Week 21 and Other Family News

Most of you will notice I changed up the look to my blog recently, so I thought I would go along with the new look and do a little different pregnancy update.

Nothing has changed since my last pregnancy update (other than probably the size of baby and size of my tummy!) I still feel great and continue to enjoy being pregnant. I can't believe I'm just a few weeks over halfway through! Miss Ava will be here before we know it!

So here is a comparison picture just for fun. This is what makes taking weekly pictures worth it. To be able to look back on how much my body really has changed in just a short few months. I am still getting people telling me that my belly is "so small" but I think they just must not have seen me before this belly...ha! I mean, I know it will only continue to get bigger but I do consider the baby bump I have going on now quite an accomplishment!

This picture will help prove my point. :)

So yeah... I still have some growing to do but that's quite a different in size if you ask me! I'm fortunate that I have only gained baby weight and nothing else. Maybe that is what people are referring to; that I still look so small just with a bump! I know this is a rare occurrence for most pregnancies so I am definitely not complaining and will continue to enjoy it!

I have been so stuck on pregnancy updates that I haven't taken the time to update on much else. So I think it's time to do that. :)

I went to Lawton this past week for my mom's retirement celebration. That's right, my mom is retiring from teaching crazy first graders after 30 years!! I can't imagine doing anything for that long, especially dealing with 20 six year olds day in and day out. I am definitely VERY proud of her and all she has accomplished! And I couldn't be more thrilled that she is choosing to retire the year that her first grand baby will be born. :) That wasn't planned, I promise!

I can't wait to get to see her anytime and with a new grand baby, I'm sure I will be seeing a lot of her! Yay!! We all know that first time mommies love having their own mommy around for help and advice.

My mom and I are going to be taking a summer vacation in July to see my sister in Nashville, TN. We are going to spend four days just hanging out and shop, shop, shopping!! I'm sure a lot of the shopping will be for my sweet baby girl but I know we will make sure and shop for ourselves too. :)

I will be 32 weeks pregnant when the trip arrives. A lot of people have been asking if it is "okay" to fly at that stage of pregnancy. I assure you I have asked my doctor about it and have been given the green light on flying in July. She said the only concern is not for the baby but more for me and my comfort. Most choose not to fly just because they are more uncomfortable but that doesn't bother me! I'm going to enjoy one last trip before she arrives. Who knows when he next big trip will be. :)

Wes is getting more and more excited about not only having a baby, but having a baby girl. The more I hear him talk about how excited he is, my heart melts. I cannot wait to see that first look he and Ava exchange. I will be an emotional mess as I'm sure he will be too!

We are so thrilled to be parents and although we aren't exactly sure what to expect, we are ready to take this next step in our lives and continue to let God guide the way.

***Correction: That reminds me...I guess I did have a new pregnancy update to tell about this past week. My hormones must have been in full force because I was such an emotional mess all week. I noticed myself getting emotional at my mom's retirement party which is to be expected. But we went to another retirement celebration for the entire Lawton Public Schools and I caught myself wanting to cry when a complete stranger received an award! Craziness...I continued to cry without much notice and no specific reason. I know this is a completely normal pregnancy symptom but gosh was it a tough week!

Other big news with our family is related to Wes's job. I haven't updated about his job since he started back at the post office and I am happy to announce that he is no longer at the post office (again) and recently accepted a FULL time, salary paid position at Ackerman McQueen Advertising Agency as an Audio Engineer here in OKC.

That's right! His dream job that he has been praying for and waiting so patiently for almost 4 years has finally arrived! There is no doubt in our minds that this job was a God thing. We are expecting a new baby in less than four months and have also been longing to get into a new house. Both of those require more money and God has heard our prayers and provided for our family once again.

Wes has been working for about a month now and he absolutely LOVES his job! He now feels like he is using his talents in the right area and gets so much joy while doing it. He has been given his own mixes and projects to do and has gotten rave reviews on his work with hardly any corrections to make.

I can't even explain to you the joy I get seeing his dreams come true. He has been praying for this opportunity to come along as long as I have known him. And although the hours he will have to put in may be long at times, he is happy and truly enjoying what he is doing. Nothing makes a wife more happy than to see her husband fulfilling the call on his life that God has given him.

We are now in a position to financially prepare for our new baby and start saving money towards a new house! While the stress of money is always there, I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off our shoulders and we can focus on our new life ahead.

Life is good and our God continues to provide for our family in so many ways! We are so blessed!

Friday, January 27, 2012

8 weeks: Feeling Better!

Wow, time is starting to fly now! I can't believe I am already 8 weeks! It just seems like last week that we found out I was pregnant. Hoping it continues to speed right along.

Don't get me wrong, I do want to enjoy this time because it is an exciting time for us, but I don't want it to feel like it's dragging on either. :)

As my post title says, I am feeling much better since my last post. Gosh that was awful.

I had to work last Saturday night and it was rough. I went to work feeling okay, but as the night progressed so did my nausea and hunger. I tried to keep eating something most of the night. By about 10 PM, I was so hungry and absolutely nothing sounded good enough to eat. But I felt awful and knew the only way to feel better was to eat.

So I tried but didn't eat much. Two hours later....hunger is now worse and really feeling bad. Managed to eat some beef jerky which did make me feel better but that was short lived....like one hour short lived. Ugh.....

By the time I got home, I was exhausted and not feeling good at all. I immediately go to bed at 8 AM and don't wake up till 6 PM. I probably could have just stayed in the bed till the next day but I knew I had to try to get up and eat something.

I felt like Chili's Margarita Grilled Chicken sounded good so Wes went to pick it up to-go.

**Side Note: My husband has been great through all this sickness. I know it probably isn't easy dealing with someone who doesn't ever want anything to eat and lays around on the couch all day long. Compared to his wife who used to always want to eat anything and always seemed to stay somewhat productive throughout the day. Such a blessing to have a wonderful husband to get me through this roigh stage of the pregnancy.**

Wes figured out very quickly that if I said something sounded good, he need not argue about something else sounding better but to just go with it in hopes that I would eat something and feel better.

This meal didn't prove to do much good....

I struggled to get three bites of chicken down and then had to quit. My stomach was not having it.

Fifteen minutes later, first dry heaving episode was in the books. Not.Fun.

The rest of the evening, I layed on the couch dozing off and on and finally decided to call in a night around 11 PM. And I slept the next day till 10:30 AM.

Wow, they weren't joking when they said you would need extra sleep in the first trimester. I'm exhausted!!

Now...why did I tell all of you the most awful parts of my first trimester experience?

Because.....it does get better!!

The next morning, I felt better. Not great, but better. I had my morning cup of coffee (hasn't happened in over a week) and breakfast. A hamburger from Steak n' Shake actually sounded good so Wes and I got out for lunch. It didn't end up tasting as good as I had hoped, but I did eat half.

At least it was something.

I had to go back to work Monday night and was so afraid it would end up like before.

But it didn't! I had the BEST night I have had on nights yet! I managed to eat pretty consistently all night long without much nausea at all. (Thanks to Zofran and OTC Bonine)

I couldn't believe how great I felt. Still not 100% but SO much better!!

I had to work again the next night, so I was hoping it wasn't short lived and would last through the next day at least to get me through work.

Success! Even though I took the Zofran and Bonine just to be on the safe side, I had another great night!

I am still stuggling with the challenege of having to eat every two hours since my stomach will start churning with hunger pains. I made a trip to the grocery store yesterday and got a lot of fruit hoping it would sound appealing in the next few days to give me something healthy to snack on.

Here is my snack from yesterday. String Cheese and a peach. It tasted delicious!!

It felt so good to not only finally want to eat, but eat something that is healthy for me and baby.

The sickness only lasted two weeks.....think it's the end of it?

I sure hope so! I couldn't take much longer. I feel for those mom's who were sick throughout their entire pregnancy. I would definitely rethink having another child if that was me.

Like I said, I still don't feel quite 100% but most of the time I am a good 90% which is great!

Yesterday I even managed to go grocery shopping, clean up the house, and fix dinner. Success!!

**Edit: Okay, I don't know if I just jinxed myself by typing this blog about how great I've been doing because I just threw up out of no where. Wonderful..... I don't really feel bad which is somewhat of a plus but I thought I was over this! Zofran and Bonine for the day....check!!!

I'm going to quit typing while I'm ahead. Or how about change the subject. :)

I haven't posted any recent pictures of Lexi lately. Here is a pic from today.

Lexi ran into Wes's music room and this is where we found her. Keeping the seat warm maybe?

Such a cutie! Love this girl!!

Update on Wes and the studio. This has been a really great week for him. He has new projects coming up in February and has been busy with existing clients this week. I love seeing God at work in my husband's life. He has a passion for music and works hard to fulfill the calling that God has placed on his life to do it for a career. Not every week is as easy as this one has been for him, but he continues to push forward and discover the many blessings God has for his life.

My mom will be coming to visit this next weekend which I am SO excited about! She hasn't been to OKC in a long time. I am looking forward to spending time with her and hopefully doing some shopping along the way. :) Maybe even go look at baby stuff.

Another thing we have to look forward to this next week is my first prenatal visit which is Thursday. This visit will just be with the nurse and I will see the doctor when I am closer to 12 weeks. Wes is planning on coming with me. We have been told we will get our first official ultrasound so we are excited to see our little baby again soon!

I haven't taken any belly pictures yet mainly because I don't feel like anything has changed. I know I still need to document my body before things start changing so maybe I will start taking a weekly picture this next week.

Wes thinks I have a little belly but I keep telling him that it's got to be all bloat and no baby since baby is still so small and so far down. He begs to differ....let's hope I'm right and the bump isn't starting already!

My next post will hopefully consist of our newest ultrasound pictures and more stories of how great I'm still feeling (minus the random runs to the toilet in the middle of the day...so weird...)

According to thebump.com......

and.....

Grow baby, grow!!

Saturday, December 3, 2011

One Year Anniversary Trip: Beavers Bend 2011

On November 13, 2010, Wes and I made the most important decisions of our lives. Before God, our family and friends, we made a vow to each other to always honor, respect, support, cherish, and unconditionally love one another for the rest of our lives. We are more in love today than we were then and have truly enjoyed our first year of marriage together.

Marriages like ours are hard to find and we remind each other every single day how completely blessed we are to have the relationship and love that we do. We strive to never take a single day for granted and to always place God at the center of our marriage. We give thanks to God for bringing us together and creating such a wonderful union between us.

To celebrate our one year anniversary, we took a few days away and went to Beavers Bend in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. I was given this idea by a friend at work and it far exceeded our expectations. We had such a wonderful time and are already discussing when we can go back again.

The first night we got there, it was almost dinner time and very cold and rainy. After checking out our amazing cabin, we decided to go into town and have dinner at a local restaurant called, Abendigo's. It was early enough that we pretty much had the place to ourselves which was nice. We hadn't heard much about this place, but it was one of the only nicer places to eat so we decided to give it a try.

Wow! Were we ever surprised at how AMAZING the food was!! Pretty sure we would make the four hour drive to Broken Bow just to eat at this place again! Yeah...it was that good!!

A look inside. Very sleek and modern. Great atmosphere.

By far THE best fillet I have ever had!!

Topped with bleu cheese, fried onions, and drizzled with a port wine sauce. YUM!!

Wes's meal. Ribs with a creamed corn casserole. SO good!

Of course after having these tasty meals, we had to order dessert.

I ordered the Creme Brulee and Wes had the Chocolate Chip Brownie with fudge and ice cream.

Not only was the food to die for but the presentation of the food was pretty impressive as well!

Needless to say, we plan on going back to Abendigo's in the near future. Highly recommend this place if you happen to be in the area.

Our cabin had a fully stocked kitchen so we decided to go to the grocery store to pick up a few things for breakfast and dinner the next day. After making our way back to the cabin in the dark, we immediately jumped into the hot tub which was outside on the deck. SO relaxing!

After the hot tub we headed upstairs in the cabin where there was a TV and pool table. I haven't played pool since my freshman year of college in the dorms, but this is just a time to have fun so what the heck! Wes did beat me but I did give him a tiny bit of a challenge (or so I like to think!).

While we were playing pool, we had some not so welcomed visitors with us. Two wasps flew out of the ceiling and were buzzing around our heads. Great......

Wes has been stung by a wasp before so he wasn't the least bit happy about our new guests. I haven't ever been stung so it's not that I wasn't bothered by them, I just wasn't jumping up and down freaking out quite the way Wes was. :)

Long story short, we ended up killing four wasps total during our stay. We found an almost empty can of wasp spray under the sink in the kitchen which lead us to believe that we aren't the only ones who had to deal with these pesky things. We did decide to call maintenance and ask if there was anything they could do.

They asked how many we had seen/killed and we told him there had been about four. And no joke...here is what he told us, "Well, that's pretty good. There are normally like 10-12 at a time."

Ummm...so....that doesn't mean we still WANT to be in a cabin (that we paid for!) with wasps just because we don't have near as many as to be expected! He offered to bring us more wasp spray but said that was all he could do and that every cabin was dealing with the same problem this time of year. Who would have guessed that mid November is wasp season?

So between the fly swatter and the wasp spray, we managed to escape our stay without any wasp stings. But it sure did keep us on our feet whenever we were upstairs.

The wasp exterminator!

Minus the wasp problem, we had such a great time. We were both so relaxed the entire time which is such a great change from the stress of every day life. We definitely didn't want to leave and come back home to reality.

We realized that we need to take trips like this more often to allow ourselves a chance to unwind and just focus on each other. It's so easy to get caught up in the craziness of life that even though you see each other every day, you don't always take the time to spend true quality time together. This trip allowed us to do just that and we truly enjoyed it!

I took quite a few pictures (especially of all the gorgeous leaves) but here a few of my favorites to give you an idea of where we were and how beautiful it was.

Wes the next morning. We drove into rainy weather and woke up to sun shining through the windows. The rest of the time we were there the weather was crisp, cool and sunny.

Biscuits baking in the oven for breakfast: biscuits and gravy!

The view out our back parch.

The colors of the leaves were gorgeous!

Laying in the hammock.

Our fire inside and out. Roasting marshmallows!

Inside the cabin.

Upstairs.

We can't wait to go back again!

Of course, we had to sign the guest book before we left.

Happy One Year Anniversary!

and many, many more to come! <3

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Better Late Than Never

One would think that with nursing school behind me that I would have plenty of spare time to blog more often, right?

Wrong....

I honestly can't tell you why I haven't blogged lately. I have thought about making a post many times but feel like there isn't much to blog about. How is it that life got less interesting after school? Just doesn't seem right to me. But I'm sure there have been plenty of things happening in the lives of the DeWitte's so it's time to update.

Therefore, I'm not really quite sure what direction this post will take, but it too much time has passed without a post, so here we go....better late than never. :)

As you know, I started working full time as of September 15th. Even though I absolutely love my job and feel very blessed to start out my nursing career in Labor and Delivery, it has been an adjustment for Wes and I.

I don't think I realized how much of (yet another) transitional period this would be for us. Our first transitional period was with me starting school and Wes starting his new job at the post office. Then just a few months later, it was the transition of marriage (which I haven't blogged much about and I should because we have grown so much as a couple since we said "I do") and just when we thought we were getting comfortable in our new lives together...another transition....new full time job for me and Wes working full time at the studio.

Without getting into all the hairy details, I will just say that we are having to remind each other to put our faith and trust in God and learn to lean on Him each and every day. Realizing and truly believing that it is no accident that we are at this stage of our lives. God has our lives planned and we have to continue to walk in faith, even in the times when life doesn't seem to make sense. God has continued to bless us and has revealed His mighty love and power in our lives.

By reflecting back on the many times that God has brought favor over us, we are able to stay strong in Lord and cast all our cares on Him. It is not always easy to do and requires a daily renewal of our minds to push through the challenging times and praise God for what He has done and has yet to do.

Our God is faithful, there is no doubt about it. God never promised us an easy life as Christians, but He did promise a life full of abundance and hope, if we just believe, have faith, cast all our burdens on Him, and love and trust Him to provide a wonderful future.

We will continue to grow together in Christ and challenge each other in our relationship with Him. This scripture has been up on our fridge for the past few months and has been an encouragement to us during this "season" of life. We are blessed.

Here is what is on the other side of the fridge. This is the only way I can manage to stay somewhat sane in order to keep up with bills, appointments, my schedule, Wes' schedule....No wonder I haven't sat down to blog, and we don't even have kids yet!

But the scripture right next to the busy calendar helps keep life in perspective and realize that we are being taken care of by a wonderful, heavenly Father who will continue to bless us and provide.

As I sat down to blog this morning, I pulled out my camera hoping to find tons of pictures to share with you and remind me of what has been going on lately.

And it appears that I have gotten really bad about taking pictures again. The only pictures I have taken since my last post are of me and my new Bachelor's degree and official RN licence!

Which, don't get me wrong, I am VERY excited about these! It crazy how you go to school, spends lot of money, time, energy....all for this moment....a piece of paper!! But those papers mean everything. Those papers are all the hard work and determination in one tiny sheet.

Whew...Sigh of relief....I did it!! It's done!! It takes that small piece of paper to make it actually real. I worked hard for that peice of paper!

Bachelor's of Science in Nursing

Licensed by the Oklahoma Board of Nursing: Registered Nurse!!

I'm now an alumni divided....well sort of...I will always stay true to my FIRST alma mater, O-S-U!

The only other pictures I could find were on my phone and who would you guess they're of? Lexi! She has been the sweetest dog lately. Her puppy stage is slowing down and she really is becoming a fun, (slightly) calmer dog.

She loves to take naps with us on Sundays. Everyone knows that Sunday afternoons are always the perfect nap days. It was a struggle when she was younger to get her to be still and lay down with us. But I think she is finally learning to look forward to those Sunday naps too. Sometimes I think she sleeps better than we do!

She always has to be close to one of us. Sometimes strangely close. :)

She was in desperate need of a haircut when I took this picture.

The crazy mohawk proves that to be true. haha

And she eventually did get a haircut and could finally see again. :) Pretty girl.

I worked the past three days and am pretty excited about staying home all day today. Wes is out at the studio recording all day, so that leaves just me and Lexi to relax.

Plans are to catch up on my shows from the week on the DVR, pick up the house, maybe do some laundry, watch OSU beat Texas, possibly a nap, and read my Nook. Needless to say, this is where you will find me.

Sounds pretty intense doesn't it? It couldn't sound better!! Until next time....

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Praise God!

Now unto to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than ALL we can ask or imagine, according to HIS power that is at work within us.

Ephesians 3:20

So much to thank God for in this post!

Last week, I applied for an RN position at Yukon Integris in Labor and Delivery, where I did my Leadership. Getting to this point, however, wasn't as easy as it sounds.

Back up a few weeks...We were told back before Leadership began that the director was intending to hire us once Leadership was over. Well, here it was the second week of August, Leadership has been finished since July 11th, graduation is done, and we hadn't heard a single word. I was sending multiple emails just trying to get some answers.

Even out of desperation in one of the emails to the director, I wrote, "I am just really starting to get nervous because I want to have a job once I pass boards".

Still didn't get a response, even after that... My wonderful husband kept reminding to to be patient and that God will work everything out.

Patience...why is that word SO hard to live out??

After waiting two weeks (talk about patience!), I get a response from the director saying she was opening up two "new grad" positions and to let her know once I had applied. I applied last Thursday and that same day received an email saying my application was being moved onto the next step and sent to the manager for screening. Yes!!! Progress!!! Finally!!

Fast forward to this past Monday.....

Wes and I were walking into Target and he says to me, "Gosh, when are you going to be able to start working??" (And he is the one telling me to be patient!) :)

I calmly said, "Well, I am just waiting on a call to get an interview scheduled with Integris and of course I still have to take boards and I haven't gotten my "authorization to test" letter yet so still waiting on that too. So nothing can happen until those two things come through."

I'm not even kidding you when I tell you this but we were not inside Target for longer than 10 minutes when my phone beeps saying I have an email. I look at my phone and.....there's my "authorization to test" letter telling me I can schedule my NCLEX.

Already I am thinking....wow...how ironic is that? We were just saying that needed to happen and wa la! There is it! Crazy....

I barely had time to put my phone back up in my purse when it started ringing...I didn't recognize the number but answered it anyway. And who was it???

Human Resources with Integris wanting to schedule an interview!!!

I kid you not...that was exactly how it happened. Wow! There's no way to deny it...that was a God thing. It's amazing that we don't even have to stop and pray for the things we desire and/or need but God still hears us and knows our heart and He will answer. Many people think that if we don't pray for what we need, then God won't know what we need.

But God's Word says:

Psalm 20:3- "May He grant your heart's desires and make all your plans succeed."

Psalm 37:4,5- "Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart's desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him, and He will hep you."

God wants to give you the desires of your heart. He knows your heart without you having to say a single word. All he asks is that you seek Him in all you do and put your trust and faith in Him. It is then that He will begin to set things in motion before you even have a chance to ask.

My interview was Tuesday morning and as of yesterday afternoon, I HAVE A JOB! Praise God!!!

I want to share this worship song with you. This is a new worship song that we have been singing at church lately. I noticed my heart singing these lyrics after all the wonderful things that God has done in my life this week.

This is the prayer of my heart. That I will always remain confident in Christ because of the things He has done for me. I will continue to set my hope on Him for I know He holds my future and has wonderful plans for my life. God, you are SO good and SO faithful! I thank you today for the many blessings you have given me.

May this song be an encouragement to you and you will find strength and confidence in these words.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Life Lately (Take 2)

Well, there is nothing more frustrating than spending over an hour on writing a post and then with one accidental hit of a key, the whole thing... gone! Great....

So this post might not be as elaborate as the last but hopefully my thoughts are still there and I will be able to "re-capture" my thoughts as in the previous post.

I have been telling myself every day for about a week that I need to write a blog post but somehow, life happened and it's already a week later. And before I know it, I am left with the challenge of having to update quite a lot of stuff and the post gets longer...and longer...

I will try to keep it short and sweet. No promises though. :)

Wes's business in the studio has been great! There were actually three consecutive nights last week that he wasn't home before midnight. Most of his clients have jobs during the day so that means recording can't start until at least 6:30 at night which makes for a long night. But it is business and we are so thankful for it!

We had figured up how much we would need this month to just cover bills and have already surpassed that amount with the recent studio business. God is faithful.

This made it hard not seeing him in the evenings, especially since I was gone all week during the day hours.

Monday thru Thursday was the all day, Hurst Review at the college. This is a live review session for the NCLEX where we get all we need to know (we hope!) for passing boards. We started each morning at 8 am and didn't end until at least 4 pm if not later. Now I know this is most people's normal job hours, what's the big deal right?

Well....We are talking constant learning and LOTS of information all at one time. I think by the end of the week all of our brains felt like they might explode. Although it made for some loooong days, it was SO helpful and I feel so much more confident after taking the class. Time (and money!) well spent. Bring it on NCLEX!!!

This is our book that we worked through all week. Let's just say this book will go with me everywhere until boards are over. :)

Doesn't all this information just look crazy? What's even crazier is that we all completely understand it and it makes perfect sense to us. :)

And this is what happens during Hurst Review....candy becomes a constant source for brain food. The candy obsession usually started every day at 8 am sharp! haha

Overall, it was a great review and gave us all that little extra boost of confidence in our ability to pass boards the first time. Not sure when that will be, I am still waiting for my letter to arrive that says I can schedule my testing date. It will most likely be sometime mid September.

With my long days and Wes's long nights, it made it tough not getting to see each other except for a few minutes in the morning as I rushed out the door at 7:30 am and a few minutes at night as Wes climbed into bed at midnight.

One night Wes got home at almost exactly midnight and I decided to wake up enough to talk to him about his day and fill him in on my day as well. Best decision I ever made. We laid in bed talking until 2 am!

This is where I have to mention how much I love nights like these. There is something so wonderful and so comforting about laying in the dark, next to your spouse, talking about your day, and reminiscing on our lives together. It allows us to really realize just how lucky we are to have each other and marvel at the way God has continued to guide us and protect us throughout our lives. We are blessed!

These nights are happening more and more and I am so thankful for every single moment. Those moments are so precious and so important as we continue to grow as a couple and continue to grow in Christ, together.

Hurst Review ended on Thursday and Wes didn't have anything going on in the studio, so we decided to pack our bags, loaded up Lexi, and head to Lawton to visit my parents.

Lexi does SO well in the car. I hear a lot of people talk about how much their dogs hate car rides and even have a hard time getting them into the car. Not the case with our little pup. She sits in the driver's lap, looks out in the window a couple of times, and eventually falls asleep.

This trip was no different....

She was asleep before we were even out of Oklahoma City. And she has to sleep in the driver's lap, the passenger's lap just won't do. Wes joked and said that's because she likes to be in control. haha Maybe so! She is a Yorkie after all.

The next day, we made a trip to my dad's music store and of course Wes walked away with new "toys" for the studio. Have to put money in to make a profit, right? Well, that's what I say at least as he shows me all these expensive "toys" he wants/needs for the studio. I was glad to see him happy though. :)

After going to the "store" (that's what my family calls it) we headed up to my mom's school where she teaches. For as long as I can remember, come August I was always up at her school helping her get her room ready for the upcoming school year. I'm sure I wasn't much help when I was younger, but I always enjoyed it.

Wes and I showing off "what we did"! Getting a classroom ready for the school year means putting up lots and lots of bulletin boards. I think we get an A+!

That evening, we drove out of town to Wichita Falls to have dinner at the BEST Japanese Steakhouse EVER, Samari of Tokyo.

For those who live in Oklahoma City (or maybe those who don't) and know about how wonderful Ted's mexican food is and how you always compare any other mexican restaurant to Ted's. Well, to give you an idea, Samari of Tokyo is the "Ted's" of hibachi grills. SO good! Even Wes agreed that it was the best he's had and definitely worth the trip.

I enjoy spending time with Wes and my family so much. It has been so nice to be done with school and have a little bit of time off to do the things that I want to do, like visiting family. With Wes now not working on the weekends, we will have many more opportunities to make these trips to Lawton. Nothing compares and nothing is more relaxing than spending time with family.

We headed back home the next morning. I had a hair appointment and Wes had work in the studio to get done. Here is Lexi on the way out of town....

Not asleep yet....but if you think her eyes look sleepy it's probably because she had been awake since 5:30 am! Crazy dog...doesn't she know it's Saturday?! She fell asleep not long after this.

I started reading this book in the car on the way back. I actually read it out loud to Wes so technically we are both reading it. Such an amazing book! If you are looking for a book to read, this is one to buy!

We stayed up till 2 am Sunday night reading it. We didn't end up finishing it, but got pretty close. It's such a page turner. You just want to keep reading...and reading....But we decided it was late and called it a night.

This is another book I just picked up from Barnes and Noble yesterday. I saw an article about this book in People magazine and knew it would be a good read. Anyone read it?? I hope to start it soon.

Something new happened in our house Monday morning and I hope it is something that we keep up with and really learn to enjoy.

Before even getting out of bed, Wes and I listened to a 15 minute devotional by Joyce Meyer. We then spent a few minutes focusing on one of the scriptures she had mentioned and dicussed what it meant. This is something Wes and I have been wanting to do for a loooong time. I'm talking before we were even engaged, we would always talk about how much we needed to do a devotional time together but it never seemed to happen.

It's so easy to get busy and not make the time. But honestly...look at the things we DO make time for that are not nearly as important as our walk with Christ. There is nothing more important and it therefore deserves our time.

Before Wes headed out the door to the studio, we did something else that we have yet to do as a couple. We prayed together. Hand in hand...each praying for our day ahead.

The day felt so good after that moment. I noticed my spirit happy, excited, and ready to face the day. I noticed I started singing out loud, "Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice...Rejoice in Lord always and again I say rejoice!"

Lexi would stop and look up at me with her head titled sideways. It felt so good to sing praises to His name and start my day off with such focus on what truly matters in life....and that is my relationship with God.

We have a new commitment to God and to each other to take the time, everyday, to spend time in the Word of God and with each other in prayer.

I am in awe of the wonderful works of the Lord. He has blessed me with a husband who loves and serves the Lord and wants to grow in Christ with me. I prayed and prayed for my future husband to be such a man but I got more than I could have ever asked for.

This scripture has always been an encouragement to me. I share it with you hoping you too will be able to rejoice for the things God has done in your life and find strength in the power of Christ.

"We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love."

Romans 5:3-5