my opinion about dates

** First I want to say THANK YOU all for your sweet comments, I am happy and blessed to have that story to share and I'm more happy to know that I am in some strange way helping other people. Thank you all, I think you all encouraged me more than I encouraged you, seriously!**

So, the hubs and I, we really don't do "dates". We should, but we just don't have the time, money, strength or knowledge to do that anymore... It takes time to plan it and time away from the kids, money because heck NOTHING is free anymore and by the time you spend money on dinner, movie, sitter it's just NOT worth it to me, it takes strength after working all week and dealing with the kids to go out and do something together and also knowledge... it takes knowledge to know what the heck your going to do. We are the kind of people that do not party, we are pretty chill, we don't like going to the bar it just isn't our thing, we like honestly like to just hang out. When we were dating, we would just go eat (because it always involved food), watch movies, go parking :), hang out with friends, whatever you do when your dating... Now days we just take our kids with us wherever we go and we are fine with that becasue before we know it, we won't have little ones around.... BUT... Sunday after church, it just fell into our lap, so we had a lunch date! Y'ALL, IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!!!!!!!! I actually felt like we were dating again, we talked about US, about our future, about vacations we are planning coming up, about work, about our families (minus our kids, because we talk about them a lot anyways)... I mean it was un-interrupted time that we had not had in SO long. Then we did a little shopping, I honestly thought when walking out of the mall that we would be walking up to the hubs old mustang he use to zoom around town in, trying to impress me.... reality hit when we walked up to the family suv, but that's ok, because I am a fan of dates now... Oh I can't wait for our next one!!!

So now y'all know where I stand on dates, I completely understand why they are so important, we had fun together, we laughed, we remembered why we do love each other so much and for just a split second, I think we both thought we were still dating, but with so much more now!!!!

(sorry, I was so blinded by love I completely forgot to take a picture..ugh!)

GETTING REAL...

Some of you know that today is "getting real" day on Amy's site, she wants anyone to share their story of encouragement, whatever the situation might be and how God showed himself through it all!

Most of you do NOT know our exact story, because our story does not deal with not finding each other early in our lives or infertility, what I love about our story, is that so many people are not willing to talk about what I'm going to talk about. For whatever reasons I don't know but maybe for embarrassment or insecurities in themselves, I don't care what the reasoning is as to why people don't talk more about financial problems... I think SO many people are in financial burdens for that simple reason, it's not something that people talk about. I'm an open book and if my story can encourage ANYONE who has slight struggles within themselves or financial burdens, then please keep reading!

Let's back up to when I first met Hubs, he was still living at home, he had been at a job full time for several years and I was still in college. He has always been financially smart and saved for our future, years before we had ever met. When we first met, it was the one thing I didn't really like about him, he was so TIGHT about everything, my Mom did assure me that one day I would be so thankful for those characteristics that his parents instilled in him and boy was she right!

Several years later, we got pregnant unexpectedly, got married, bought a house that we were blessed to put some money down on and here I was, SO young, with a pretty healthy life and bank account too!

At that time, I was in the mortgage industry (have been for 7 years now) he was a operations manager, on his way to moving up in a small company in Collierville. After our second son was born, we were still, debt free, money in the bank, great 401k's and never EVER imagined our lives ever having a financial problem. Our first problem here was being nieve, not trusting the Lord and really not testing our faith. At this time we really felt a urge to change something in our lives and better our family, so we thought....

When Luke was 6 weeks old, the hubs and I made a decision that we would both go into business together, team up and do what I've been doing for years on our own. We had the tools, the support and money on back up for awhile if anything crazy was to happen... just 6 months later, the mortgage industry crashed and it took another 6 months to a year for my husband to find another job that would help us from what we had been under. Both people being without jobs for awhile makes that money go fast, so within a year it was gone, dried up and we were completely hopeless! We didn't even have the will to care anymore, we thought we had lost everything. A huge mentor in our life, the hubs father, he would say to us " We all are healthy, you have two beautiful children, you have each other, you still have your house and cars (which by the way we were never late on during these times, that is something I am proud of) we all so blessed" We knew that, but we also knew that before we were able to think, we felt we are on the verge of losing everything, everything we had worked so hard to keep and gain. All because we thought we were doing what God had called us to do, we were helping people get into homes, we were helping people with the American dream, but it wasn't good enough. The company we worked for went out of business, they just could not handle the economy and in return we could not either. We trusted, prayed and knew God would make what we did better because we thought we were obeying Him.

We both found jobs, the hubs has been blessed with a wonderful job (he's been there 2.5 years now) and just recently I have found a job that I know I will call my job for awhile. I am blessed to only be working part time hours so I can be home with the boys more, the past 3 years have been us trying to correct the mistakes we have made and moving on from the past. It has been a difficult road, it's been a hard learning lesson, but I know now what God has taught us and I am SO blessed he has shown us what He really meant. If it was not for the past struggles, who knows what immature, errogant people we would be today. Raising children to have whatever they want and not raising our children to love the Lord for how we know Him today. I see Him as a completely different God, I thank Him for my struggles everyday, a year ago, I was not where I am today, I was very bitter, angry, wondering why all of our friends it seemed had such a perfect life, why weren't they struggling in any area. My friends, I'm here to tell you, there is no perfect soul but the Lord Jesus Christ, He is perfect, He knew EXACTLY what He was doing while we made that decision when Luke was 6 weeks old, He knew of the struggles that would come over the next 3 years, BUT He also knew where our minds, hearts and souls would be today and OH what a special, amazing place we are at today!

I thank Him now for our savings account, it's not nearly what it was 4 years ago, but it's getting there, it is exactly where God wants it to be. I would not be thankful for that money if it were not what we had gone through, He opened my eyes to so many different things in life, oh what a amazing God we have y'all!!!


So, I was blessed to have met a man that loves me, I was blessed to carry two healthy sons in my womb and I was even blessed to go through the worst financial problems I could ever imagine, but I do know I'm also blessed to be the woman, wife, mother, daughter, sister and employee today than I was years ago!

People whatever it might be your going through, know that there is always HOPE! We now have HOPE in our future, we know our life is on the mends to such a better life! Sure we still have struggles in other areas, I was recently told it would be a miracle for me to be able to carry another child in my womb.... but I still have HOPE and I know that no matter what, God is a miracle working God and by Him, all things are possible!!!!

"The will of God will never take you where grace of God can not protect you"
(this is my quote for what we have been through, it's so perfect!)

(I pray there is no bad comments on this post, it is something that I'm not ashamed of, but before anyone judges, please look at your own struggles...)