Five Beautiful Years...

This post is for my hubby, but feel free to read it :-)

I want to shout it on the rooftops! 

If you want to catch up...
Here's our 4 year anniversary...   
3 year anniversary...
2 year anniversary...
and I don't have a post for our first year because I was still new to blogging then :-) 

I love blogging because of the fact that I can look back at things that I wrote in the past and see how much I've changed!

To the most perfect man in the world for me...

There are days I have to pinch myself to remind myself that I really am married to the man of my dreams. Looking through some of these old photos makes me feel like five years was forever ago, when in reality, it's just a minute fraction of forever. When you pack so many experiences and memories into such a short period of time, it feels like an eternity. In the five short years that we've been married, I feel like we've experienced and have gone through more than some couples go through in a lifetime of blissful marriage. Many couples struggle in a marriage with one person in the military, and we have done it with both of us serving in the "not so easiest" branch of service. I'm not going to lie and say that being married to you has been the easiest life, but I can say honestly that loving you has never been difficult. The days are long, the nights are sometimes lonely, and there are times when I wonder why this life of constant separation and sacrifice was bestowed upon me instead of someone else. I've come to the conclusion that it's because God knew that I could handle it, even when there are times when I feel like I am falling to pieces. Your constant patience, support, and love for me keep me going on the toughest days. I know that being married to me can't be the easiest job either, but I thank God everyday that you have enough love and generosity in your heart to keep me close when it seems that I am trying to do it all on my own. In 1 Corinthians 13:4, it starts with "Love is patient". I think our love has been nothing but constant patience from day one, and we are proof that patience can endure all. I think Dr. Seuss said it best:

"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams."

I know we'll have our trials and tribulations in the next five years of our marriage, as we have in the first five. But I am confident in the strength of our love and our bond that we will endure whatever obstacles are thrown in our path. Thank you for giving me a beautiful daughter, a son on the way, this beautiful life, and the best five years of my life.

Thank you for a wonderful five years of marriage. Through all the ups and downs, there isn't a moment I regret, and a moment that I wouldn't relive again if it means another five years with you. I can't wait to see what our next five years will be like with another precious gift from God added to our family. I love you so much, and there isn't anything I wouldn't do to make you happy.

Happy Five Year Anniversary, Nicholas!

(Kill!)

Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini

After all this rain we got, we FINALLY got some real summer time weather here in New England!

It was 81 degrees outside today, and the perfect day to play outside in the Sprinklers!

 I seriously thought we wouldn't be putting on a bathing suit till we got to Texas with the way the weather has been here, but hooray for a hot summer day!

This is her "superhero" pose

D and I went to Target today with an agenda.

I only needed TWO things that were going to total around 30 bucks.

$160 dollars later and a Starbucks frappucino in hand, I was walking out of the store. 

I can't control myself there.

I know I'm not the only one.

This pretty much sums up most of my trips to Target...

And last...

I had the share this pic with y'all.

Yes, that is my daughter eating her supper in time out.

No, don't feel sorry for her.

She normally isn't a picky eater. 

Since she was very young, I made sure I introduced her to all kinds of foods so that she didn't end up being a "mac and cheese" or "ramen noodle" kid.

However, she's at the age where she likes to test her boundaries and independence.

One day, she'll eat an entire plate of broccoli, and the next day, she'll tell me till she is blue in the face that she's "ALWAYS hated broccoli".

I refuse to be the parent that makes "special" meals for my kids just because they don't like certain foods.

As a child, if I didn't like something my mom cooked, I didn't eat....it was as simple as that.

I am raising my daughter with the same philosophy. 

I've sent my kid to bed without eating dinner.

She wakes up starving the next morning.

I try and give her whatever she didn't eat the night before in the morning, and normally, she's hungry enough to eat it.

She understands that she can't have snacks or anything else until she at least tries the food I made her.
 I've been doing this method for as long as she's been on solid foods, and for the most part, she's not a very picky eater. 

My biggest thing is that she needs to at least TRY something before I let her have an opinion on whether she likes it or not.

For the most part, she likes everything I cook with the exception of shrimp, but she has tried it.

Last night, it was cauliflower and beets that she did not want.

She's had both vegetables before and loved both of them, so I knew she was just being stubborn and testing her boundaries with me.

After 15 minutes of reasoning with her to try it, I told her to take her plate to time out.

I told her she could leave time out once her plate was clean, or at least until she had tried it.

An hour later...

She ate her plate clean....

She even asked for seconds :-)

FaceTime Parenting

One of my favorite things (amongst the million gazillion other things) that I love about my iPhone5 is Facetime.

It has totally changed the way my hubby and I communicate with each other when he is away (to include Skype). 

He "facetimed" us tonight just as D and I sat down for dinner.

I propped the phone on my dining room centerpiece, and it almost felt like a normal dinner with our entire family around the dinner table.

The conversation flowed while D and I ate dinner with "daddy".

After the conversation ended, I took my phone with me into the kitchen and continued my conversation with my hubby while I did dishes and cleaned up.

Hubby wanted to go for a quick run, so I hung up with him.

By now, my daughter was busy in her playroom watching a movie.

She had an absolute meltdown when she realized I had hung up without giving her a chance to say goodbye.

I quickly "facetimed" him back to give her a chance to say bye, and of course, I tried to rush her into saying bye so that my husband could go on his run.

My husband told me it was ok, and that he wanted to talk to her for a little bit.

I handed the phone to my 3 year old, and she was as happy as a lark.

She had "daddy" (my phone with hubby on Facetime) sitting on a chair in her playroom, and she was going to put on a new movie for him to watch with her.

I sat there and watched her for a minute while tears welled up in my eyes.

I just kept thinking how this can't be normal for a 3 year old to think it's normal to spend time with her father on a silly iPhone. 

For more than half of her short life so far, this has been her normal.

She has thrived and grown into such a happy little girl.

If you didn't know her situation, you would never know that she had an amazing father whom she's had a relationship with via Skype and Facetime for the majority of her life.

It kind of breaks my heart, but at the same time, I am so thankful for technology. 

Feeling pretty blessed today for Steve Jobs...lol.

Memorial Day 2013

I'm determined to make this week fly by, and I planning on doing it by packing our schedule full of things to do everyday.

I'm sure everyone is sick of hearing this from me, but I'm going home to TEJAS next Wednesday (no, it's not misspelled, and if you don't get it, you're obviously NOT a Texan)!

Instead of spending a lazy day at home (like I REALLY wanted to do), I knew I needed to get D out of the house.

It's been raining here all last week and all weekend, and with both of us being stuck inside, we were both going a little stir crazy.

There's a farm/orchard (Belkin Family Lookout Farm) here in Natick that I've been wanting to check out for a while, so I figured today would be the day!\

It's too bad nothing is in season to pick right now, but we ended up having a blast.

Throughout the seasons, you can go there to pick apples, pears, strawberries, pumpkins, and all kinds of other cool fruits.

I hardly ever lug around my big DSLR these days since my iPhone5 takes pretty decent pics, but I dusted it off today and took it to the farm with us. (I didn't edit any of these images)

I used to be deathly afraid of mazes when I was a kid. Something about getting lost, and never making it out alive freaked me out. Thank goodness my kid did not inherit that fear from me. She was a champ through the maze....not gonna lie...I had a teeny tiny bit of anxiety chasing her through it because I was afraid I'd lose her or I'd lose myself in it! lol.

We ended our day with froyo and an early dinner date to Outback steakhouse. I was seriously craving their tangy tomato dressing on a crisp salad!

Here's my Memorial Day post if you missed it.

Hope everyone enjoyed their Memorial Day with their families!

What fun things did you do?

Marriage in a Christian Home (pt 2)

Last week, Pastor D did a sermon geared towards the husbands in a marriage, and I posted a blog with my own commentary on it.

This week, the series was continued on marriage, but the message was geared towards the wives.

I chuckled through today's message.

I already knew men and women were different when it comes to needs in a marriage, but I didn't realize just how different we were until I heard today's sermon and compared it to last week's sermon.

In a nutshell...

Women are complicated and sensitive beings with needs on every emotional level possible, and we need to be able to communicate on a deeper level in order to be satisfied in a marriage.

Men are simple creatures that need physical intimacy (ahem...sex) and an "attaboy" when they do a good job from their wives to be satisfied in a marriage.

Simple, right?

Sex and praise are all men need?! 

PSH....I have been working entirely too hard in my marriage to satisfy my husband...(insert laugh here).

Of course, I know that there is much more to men than that...

(If you like bible references, check out Luke 9:24 to start)

If you look into Genesis when God created the first man and woman, you can see that God created man with a desire to lead.

Of course we all know the story about the first sin of the bible (when Eve at the fruit from the tree).

Because of that first sin, there were consequences for future generations.

1. God cursed his work (Genesis 3:17-19)

Pretty self explanatory, and if you don't get it, read the above bible reference.

 2. God cursed man's relationship with his wife.(Genesis 3:16, Genesis 4:7)

“I will make your pains in childbearing very severe;
    with painful labor you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband,
    and he will rule over you.” (gee...thanks a lot Eve)

Keep in mind that the word "desire" in this passage means that Eve will have the urge to overthrow her husband and rebel against Adam's leadership.

To this day, people seem to have the idea that men and women can be equals and can compete against each other.

We don't celebrate our differences as men and women, rather we choose to compete.

Interesting fact:

The divorce rate in the country is approximately 50%, and yet people still desire a partner/marriage.

People who choose to have a partner, but not marry is usually because they are scared of marriage for whatever reason. 

What's the big idea?

The relationship or environment that makes men feel most competent will ultimately capture their heart and possibly their time and attention.

*Men struggle in environments where they feel incompetent

I know in my own marriage, when my husband fails at something, he takes it extremely hard because he feels like a failure/incompetent, even though to me, it may not even be a huge deal.

It can be something as little as forgetting to take out the trash on trash day...he literally beats himself up over it.

*Men need praise in the home because they seek significance.

My husband is constantly praised and rewarded in the workplace for his accomplishments and achievments.

I know that as a Marine, he is confident in his abilities at his job because he is rewarded for those efforts (whether it be medals on his chest, promotions, or good fitness reports).

However, I try and make it a point when he comes home that I let him know how proud I am of him as a Marine, regardless of how much he hears it at work.

I make sure to tell him "thank you" when he does the dishes, and I tell him "great job" when he cuts perfect little lines into our lawn.

I call him my "superhero" when he opens the jar of spaghetti sauce for me because I couldn't open it. 

I try my best to make him feel significant and needed in the home.

BOTTOM LINE:

If a man is getting all kinds of praise at work, but not at home, he'll spend more time at work where he feels significant and appreciated.

Here's 4 things that will draw your man home...

1. Listen to them (Proverbs 18:13 and James 1:19)

When men talk, they are not looking for input from their wives!!!!!!

I am totally guilty of trying to give my husband "advice" when he talks to me, when I know darn well, he doesn't want it.

Again...I blame that on Eve for giving me the desire to want to lead instead of submit to my husband.

The only 2 things men want from their wives when they talk are:

-That we (the wives) appreciate the struggle

-Assurance from us (the wives) that we are confident in their abilities that they can handle it.

Interesting Fact #2:

"Mistresses are the masters in the art of listening."

(That's why they're mistresses. Men are seeking someone who will listen to them, and when their wives are failing in this area, they seek it from someone else. Mistresses don't have some type of sexual prowess or power that women think that they have. It comes down to something as simple as listening.)

2. Submit to their leadership or quietly invite them to lead. (Ephesians 5:22-24)

People get uncomfortable telling a woman to submit to her husband, but we have to remember one key point...

"Leadership is not domination, it's initiation."

-Submit to a man's initiative to lead (quit fighting it, ladies!)

-Just let him lead and take the reigns.

-Encourage his heart.

We all have to ask ourselves as wives...

"Am I a good follower? Do I let my husband lead even when he's wrong?"

This can go into a whole another discussion.

Personally, in my marriage, my husband is the final say in big decisions.

It does not mean that my opinion does not matter, and it does not mean that we don't compromise.

It also does not mean that my husband is controlling and domineering.

We talk about things (COMMUNICATE), and I can speak for myself when I say that I pray about it.

It means that I have enough trust in my husband to make final decisions for our family in what is best, and when it's not the best decision, I assure him that it's ok.

I don't put him down (or tell him he's wrong) in front of friends or family (or on social media).

I keep matters private, and we prayerfully work through them together.

3. Sex

 -Men connect emotionally through sex.

-Women have to connect emotionally to have sex.

As great a woman's need for communication is how great a man's need is for sex.

Interesting Fact #3:

The #2 thing on a list of men's needs is sex. Sex is #14 on a woman's list (#13 is gardening).

(You can laugh...I did.)

4. Honor them (Mark 6:4)

-The #1 need of a man is honor.

-Just like a woman can not hear a man who talks in insecure terms, a man can not hear a woman who doesn't honor him.

"If dishonor hindered Jesus when He was a man, could dishonor be hindering your husband?

Ladies: It's not what you say, it's how you say it. 

Again, don't put your husband down or tell him he's wrong in front of others.

Honor him enough to pull him aside privately and lovingly tell him your concerns.

I struggle with this in the fact that I have a problem with not being able to say things "tactfully" to my husband.

I never say negative things about him to others or in public, but in private, I tend to sometimes say things harshly which in turn ends up hurting him or makes him shut down to me.

Nothing justifies an unloving husband, and nothing justifies a dishonoring wife.

Basically...

Men need praise.

If you praise him, he will rise.

So, as you can see, it really does go a lot deeper than sex and praise, right?

I really enjoyed these two sermons because it really gave me a chance to step back and look at my marriage.

I'm so caught up in day to day life, that I forget how important marriage is.

My marriage isn't perfect, but my husband and I are perfect for each other.

We have our arguments and our struggles, but at the end of the day, we love each other and respect each other. 

What are some things you can work on in your marriage?

What Does It Truly Mean?

Call it a twisted way to think, but Memorial Day is always a tough weekend for me to think about.

A part of me feels like I have some "unfinished business" because I didn't get my chance to serve in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan before my 10 year career came to end.

Sure, I did my part for Operation Iraqi Freedom....but in the 10 years I was in, there were two wars that happened, and I missed one of them

Kind of a sick way to think, huh?

 

I am grateful that I got to do all my overseas tours of duty before I became a mother...a wife...

I am grateful that I never had to put my daughter through the pain of having a mother AND father deployed...

yes...I know many dual active duty couples with children who have deployed either concurrently or consecutively...

I can't imagine how hard that is on a child...

It's hard enough emotionally to send one parent to combat, but BOTH of them?

A part of me kicks myself in the butt for taking three years out of my career to go on recruiting duty while the rest of the Marine Corps moved on from Iraq to Afghanistan.

A part of me breathes a sigh of relief....like I dodged a bullet...figuratively speaking.

 

What's worse?

On recruiting duty, most of the young men and women I recruited that became one of America's elite went on to overseas tours.

Two of them never made it home...

I go about my normal weekend, and I try to ignore the Memorial day sales, the Facebook posts about long weekends, BBQ's, and celebrations.

They kind of make me mad.

People just don't get the importance of Memorial Day!

 

 To me, it's a somber weekend where I take a step back and remember the friends and fellow Marines that my husband and I have lost over the years...

 

They're brave men that my husband and I rarely discuss.

We each wear a KIA bracelet with a name of someone closest to us that never made it home safely.

We hardly ever acknowledge the name on the bracelet to each other.

 We wear it every single day and never take it off...

It's an unspoken thing that we both know means so much to us.

This weekend, I'll remember...

Cpl Brownfield (MWSS 374)

SSgt Bell (5th Battalion 11th Marines)

LCpl Hogan (1st Battalion 5th Marines)

Cpl Stanton (2nd Reconnaissance Battalion)

Cpl Brown (2nd Battalion 11th Marines)

And the countless others...

 

While I am proud of have gotten to have served...

I am most proud of those who are on the front lines in danger every day...

Men like my wonderful, handsome, brave, and selfless husband...

Iraq 1005...I can't believe they sent my husband out to the front lines in this crappy body armor!!! It doesn't even blend in with the surroundings!

Afghanistan 2010....isn't it crazy how technologically advanced our body armor is from just 5 years ago?! 

 

26 Weeks

How far along? I'm 26 weeks! hooray!

Total weight gain/loss: I STILL have no idea. I STILL refuse to look at the scale at the doctor's office, and I always ask the nurse to kindly not say my weight out loud (as I am standing backwards on the scale. I eat really healthy, and I work out 7 days a week, and my weight has not been a concern with my OB/GYN yet, so I am content!

Maternity clothes? I finally got to the point at about 23 weeks in pregnancy when I absolutely NEEDED to buy maternity clothes. At home, I'm in work out gear most of the time. When I leave the house, I am in maternity crop pants (Jessica Simpson makes some AMAZING ones) and maternity tanks. I have a few maxi dresses that I like to wear to church!

Stretch marks? Still none! I didn't have any with D either. I have really good skin from my mom, and it's not prone to stretch marks. I consider myself very lucky.

Sleep: I sleep great! I can still lay on my stomach for the most part. I'm now showing as much as I did with D.

Best moment this week: Going in for my LAST ultrasound before the one before baby comes! I got to see his little mouth moving! So precious.

Miss Anything? I miss my abs and a good vodka martini.

Movement: Yup! He moves around a lot at night (uh-oh). I saw in the ultrasound that he is sitting straight up and down which would explain why every time his little legs kick or move, I feel it in my bladder/buttocks area.

Food cravings: I don't really have intense cravings. However, yesterday, I was craving some really bad Chinese food (like Panda Express). Everyone who knows me knows how much I despise fast food/greasy food/unhealthy food. D and I went to the mall to get some....I felt yucky and gross after my craving was fulfilled.

Symptoms: Maybe this is TMI, but I have really bad incontinence. Bladder control has gone out the window. On the brighter side, I have been blessed with BOTH of my pregnancies when it comes to morning sickness. I've never had either!

Have you started to show yet: FINALLY....at 26 weeks. People still sometimes give me "the look". You know....the one where they aren't sure if they should ask how far along I am or not.

Gender: still very much a BOY! Having these ultrasounds every 2 weeks has been a blessing. I make sure every time to have the tech confirm to me that he is still a HE.

Labor Signs: Too early!

Belly Button in or out? In! I don't think my belly button popped out till I was like 30 weeks with D.

Wedding rings on or off? On..in fact, they feel looser around my finger!

Happy or Moody most of the time: I'm pretty happy for the most part. I'll be happier when I go home to Texas in a few weeks!

Looking forward to: Having a cocktail with my husband on our porch before the New England winter creeps up on us again!

13 Sleeps and a Wake Up...

Until D & I get to go home to my parent's house and be spoiled by my mama and daddy!

Seriously....

The days are dragging by sooo sloooow.

There are only so many things that I can cram into a week with my little one to pass time.

Here's some randomness on today's blog.

I'm a "work-out-a-holic", and pregnancy has never stopped me from my normal work out routine. 

My last pregnancy, I was running 3 miles and doing hill work outs up until around 3 days before I gave birth!

This pregnancy has been no different as far as my work out regimen goes.

The biggest difference is the fact that I can't run as often or as much because of my knee surgery and hip issues, and when I DO run, I am pushing my almost 40lbs toddler in a jogging stroller.

I cycle and do light crossfit work outs 5 days a week, and I run 3 miles on Saturdays, and another 3 on Sundays.

I happen to live in an extremely "hilly" neighborhood.

This past Sunday, not only were the hills and pushing a kid in the jogging stroller kicking my butt, but there was horrible wind that I was up against!

So here's my smiling face post run....happy because that horrible run was over!!!!

Ever heard of the "Daddy doll"?

It's basically the greatest idea ever!!!!

You send in a full length photo to the website that makes them, and they print the photo on a doll for you!

They're a huge hit with military kids with deployed parents.

The last time the hubby was in Afghanistan, my daughter took "daddy" with her EVERYWHERE.

He went out the eat with us, went to appointments with us, went grocery shopping with us...

Everywhere we went, she would introduce her "daddy" to strangers.

He got a lot of attention everywhere we went!

I hadn't really thought about bustin' out the old "daddy doll" this time since my husband is not in combat overseas. 

He's just a few states south of us, and we get to facetime and skype pretty often.

D brought him out yesterday, and wanted him to sit with her at the table while she had her afternoon snack.

Afterwards, she insisted he come with us to my doctor's appointment!

So our "unofficial daddy" is back!

After my pregnancy with D, I found out that I was at high risk for developing cervical cancer.

I had a procedure done called the LEEP (google it if you want details) in hopes to lower my risk of cc, and thank God, it totally cured me! 

 However, having that procedure done makes my cervix fragile when it comes to pregnancy.

So with this pregnancy, my doctor had me coming in every two weeks for an ultrasound to check my cervix, and make sure I wasn't at risk for major pre term labor.

If I were to become a risk, I'd be put on full bed rest until my due date....which means no working out....NO FUN!

It was awesome because I got to see baby M every two weeks on the ultrasound, but it started to become a real pain in the butt.

Yesterday, my doctor said that since there were no changes in my cervix, and I was now heading into my 3rd trimester, I was free and clear of any more ultrasounds until the last one before baby comes!

He also cleared me to go home for the 6 weeks I had already planned on :-)

And last...

Anyone else obsessed with the Real Housewives shows on Bravo?!?!

I only follow Orange County and Beverly Hills because I used to live in Orange County, and Beverly Hills is just 45 minutes north of the OC!

I am loving watching the new season of the RHOC, because I don't live there anymore.

I still get a glimpse into my old "hood".

I used to see the housewives ALL THE TIME around the OC when I would be out and about shopping, grocery shopping, pumping gas....wherever!

The OC's not a huge area!

I'm not the type of person who likes to run up to famous people and ask for autographs or pictures.

I feel like they just need some privacy.

However, a few years ago (2009), a bunch of us went out for Halloween to a bar and grill called the Beach Fire in Ladera Ranch, and ran into Tamra Barney!

She was there with her (now ex) husband Simon, and they were dressed as Batman and Batgirl. 

Maybe it was the cocktails I had, but I had no qualms that night about asking for a picture with her.

In fact, she hung out with us for a portion of the night!

She was so friendly, and let us take a ton of pics with her!

I was looking through old photos, and found this one of just Tamra and me.

I hope everyone else's week is flying by!

I'm sure y'all are looking forward to a (hopefully) long Memorial Day weekend!

For me, it'll just be any other boring weekend without the hubs!

Marriage in a Christian Home

My church had a sermon today about marriage that was geared towards the men (next week for the women), and I LOVED it.

I was initially a little disappointed that Nick couldn't be here with me to go through these sermons together, but.....

I know God has been working awesome things in my marriage with the hubby, because he went to church today in Quantico, and the sermon he heard was almost the same topic as the one I listened to all the way here in Massachusetts!

I wanted to share a few key points, and add my commentary from what I learned today because I thought they were so good!

If you like bible references...check out Ephesians 5:21, 25-28, Galatians 2:20, Genesis 2:18, Genesis 3:16)

When people say, "I have a happy marriage.", it means that their needs are being met.

Men need to drop the words "fine" and "good" from their vocabulary.

(For example:

Me: (to my hubby after a long day) How was your day, babe?

Hubby: It was good.)

As women, we want to know all the who, what, where, when, and whys of our man's day. 

We want to know how he FELT during the day.

This is a problem because the average man doesn't like talking about how he feels....fail.

3 Needs of a Woman

1. Communication (how many times have we heard this one? duh, right?)

*Women connect through communication

*When you connect with a woman, you are learning to connect with God.

*The mirror of God on earth is a marriage.

(Women have affairs because men won't listen to them, so they look elsewhere. Men have affairs because women don't honor them and aren't being intimate with them.)

2. Leadership

Leadership is initiation, NOT domination.

Lead your wife as Christ led the church.

Ways men can lead in a marriage:

*In spiritual matters

(Initiate prayer, bible time, small group, etc. etc. in the home)

*With the children.

(Women want men to be involved. The clear leader should be the man in discipline)

*ROMANCE

"Romance is when you anticipate a need before it's asked for."

(ie: I love when my husband offers to do dishes before I even think to ask him...even if I wasn't intending to ask him at all!)

3. Security

If a man talks in insecure terms, his wife cannot hear him.

Ways men can provide security

*Financial stability

(The husband's primary role. The wife should not have to worry about finances.)

I initially had a hard time with this one, because as traditional as I am when it comes to gender roles in a marriage, I used to be financially independent and stable before I got married (and for a while after I married my husband). 
I was proud of the fact that I did not need my husband's income, and I was my own woman!

However, I quickly realized that as a mother, because of my husband's ability to provide for our family on his income, I was able to CHOOSE to be a SAHM.

At one point, I made more money than my husband!

I understand that not everyone is in the same boat when it comes to finances and income, and by no means does it mean that women do not rate equality as far as money making abilities in a home/marriage, but from a Christian standpoint, whether a woman is making more than her husband or not making any money at all, it is not her job to worry about financial stability.

If a woman needs to work to help pay the bills in the house, there's nothing wrong with that!

(This is a whole another post)

*Emotional Stability

Take the weight off her shoulders.

Help her see that you know what she is going through.

*Physical Stability

The husband is the protector

Don't get me wrong, I'm a former Marine.

I can protect myself if need be, and I am mean with a pistol or a rifle, but at the end of the day, I appreciate feeling safe when my husband is home.

So there you have it!

Maybe you got something out of this, maybe you didn't!

I know I did!

As you can tell, I'm pretty old-fashioned when it comes to marriage...like June Cleaver...lol.

I understand that in today's world, women are more independent, women are out earning their spouses sometimes, and women have the attitude of "I don't need a man."

 In MY OPINION, I think those are some of the reasons that the divorce rate is at such an all time high.

There comes a point when a woman needs to step back and realize that we are not all created equal, and as much as we believe that we can be exact equals as men, I don't think it's possible. 

Men and women have different needs and different agendas.

That's just how we're programmed.

Opinion over.

Hope everyone has a fabulous sunday.

I rarely post videos, but here's one I took of my little princess on her scooter.

I'm very proud of her, because she's getting so good at balancing on her two wheeled scooter.

I violently protested to my husband about getting her a two wheeled scooter, and wanted her to get the 3 wheeled one instead.

But thanks to my husband's "leadership" decision, I'm so glad we didn't "handicap" her with the extra wheel!