Wednesday, January 12, 2011

I'm in LOVE!








On June 9, 1993, John asked me to be his girlfriend. Well ... it went more like this, "This is the last time I'm going to ask you to be my girlfriend. If you break up with me again, then that's it!" I broke up with him 3 times the year before, but that's another post, and apparently I believed him, because we recently, December 30th, celebrated 10 years of being married. So, in celebration of that, I thought I'd share some of the reasons I'm in love with John Schloss.

  • I'm in love with a man who somehow saw through my big glasses, permed hair, and pre-braces smile and asked me to be his girlfriend anyway.
  • He persevered despite my dad's rules. I was 12 and the apple of my dad's eye ... John was 14. What were some of the rules you ask? We were allowed to see each other at church and at my house, occasionally, I was allowed to go to his house. We could talk on the phone for 20 minutes a day and I had to be off of the phone by 9:00pm. I wasn't allowed to call John - like, until I went to college. (Come to think of it, maybe I wasn't supposed to be calling him then either ... Dad, are you reading this???) I wasn't allowed to ride with John for a long time. Before my parents did let me ride with him, he had to come to my house to take a driving test. I should add that we're now very thankful for the restrictions and rules my parents had and now that John has a little girl, he's thinking about raising the bar a little on the "rules"! Oh, my dad only got a shotgun out once ...you can ask John about that!!
  • John took me to 4 proms and had a good time. Well, he tried to talk me out of the last one!
  • From his days at The Citadel to the USAF, he's always been so handsome in a uniform!
  • I'm in love with a man who reads his Bible at the kitchen table.
  • He is faithful ... to God, me, Will & Kate, our church, friends, his job, and Duke basketball.
  • John almost always THANKS me for doing the laundry - I love that!
  • My Johnny always calls to say he is on his way home and to ask if I need anything. Although secretly, I think he does this to see if I've started dinner and to give me a chance to get the house picked up :o)
  • I'm in love with a man who has painted our current family room 5 times ... 3 of those in one weekend. Don't be confused. He doesn't love to paint, his wife is just indecisive.
  • It is such a blessing to me to hear him pray over our kids each night at bedtime.
  • He loves my mama ... and if I'm grumpy or sad he always asks "Have you talked to your mom today?"
  • I love it that John works hard to make the grass perfect all summer, that the tires on my minivan are always shiny, and I love the marinade he puts on his grilled chicken. There was that one time that the chicken caught on fire, but you can ask my mom about that!
  • I love getting up in the morning and finding a post-it note on the mirror with a note from him.
  • John makes THE BEST chocolate chip pancakes almost every Saturday morning. That could have something to do with the fact that I don't have to cook or clean for this meal, but really, they are delicious!
  • He will scan the old pictures in for this post because I still can't find pictures on the computer once I scan them. Even more, he gets it, you know, the little things. It's important to me to have these pictures in this post! :o)
  • I'm in love with a man that never leaves the house without saying I love you.
I'm blessed ... 100 more years with John would never be enough!

"Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails..."
I Corinthians 13:7-8

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Snow ... where did you go?






I was wishing for some snow fun with my kiddos and our friends, but all we got were a few hours of flurries. It's F-R-E-E-Z-I-N-G here today, but not an inch of snow to be found. All of my sweet southeast friends are posting the cutest snow pics on facebook, so I thought I should revisit our snow pictures from the day after Christmas. We were with my parents in GA ... they have had quite a winter! There is just something magical about the land being covered with snow. It's the most fun to see it through the eyes of the little ones!

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

This is a test ...



Last night as I was cooking supper, something terrible happened. The pot I was cooking noodles in boiled over onto the stove. What's so terrible about that? It happens almost every time I cook! I don't know if I'm trying to do too many things at once or if I'm really just losing my mind, but seriously!!! I was so frustrated when I heard that awful hissing noise and ran from the family room to try to minimize the mess. In that very moment, I was reminded of my promise to be thankful. And this is where my mind went ... Lord, thank you for pots to cook in, thank you for things to clean up with, thank you for plenty of food to eat, thank you for my precious family that gets to sit around one table and eat together tonight. Thank you that my pots just boil over and I don't have to admit to burning food every time I cook ;o). There must be 10 million bazillion things to thank Him for every day. I wonder what tonight's meal will bring?!?

The pictures are obviously not of my sticky stove top, but of two of my favorite people to clean up after!

Monday, January 3, 2011

New Year, New Me?






"Because of the LORD'S great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:23


I do love a fresh start and a clean slate. There is just something so special about "new". The first few moments with a precious newborn baby. The excitement of new leaves budding on a tree after a long winter. The pure and unbridled joy in the face of a new believer in Jesus Christ. They all seem so fresh from the face of God, like we get a glimpse of His majesty and glory in these miracles of everyday life. Yesterday, I was challenged to thank God for something new every day. I've decided to accept the challenge and to search my life each day to see what He has done, what He is doing, and what He will do ... you know, to see what's new.


"Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things..." Psalm 98:1