Evelynne's first zoo trip.

 My friend and I took our babies to the zoo last week. It was Evelynne's first time and she did wonderful and actually noticed the animals giraffes.. I think we know what her favorite animal is. :)

Scars & Purity.

My Friend, sexual sin is one of the most damaging things that one can do to their own body physically, spiritually and mentally. Which is why God warns us to stay away from it!

God doesn't just tell us to wait for no reason. He loves us too much and He created not only us but sex as well, and because He created sex He also knows it very well. He created it to be a beautiful intimate thing that a man and a woman would come together to do in marriage. Sex is really such a beautiful thing! A man and a woman coming together in holiness and selflessness to give ones self to each other and creates a wonderful, beautiful being. Which is why Satan tries so hard to pervert it with lust and selfishness.

I am strongly passionate for purity. And no sex til marriage and because I have compromised my passions in the past I am even more passionate about it!  I was deeply  hurt from it and in different ways so was Leon. We realized what was going on and how the enemy was trying to get in our relationship. But we did not condemn ourselves at all because that would just be another battle Satan would want victory in. So we picked ourselves up and continued to run finishing the race and fighting the good fight. And the day finally came when we had our victory. They day I proudly walked down the aisle wearing white. I was more pure that day than ever before.  During this whole experience our loving God has given us so many testimonies. No matter how many times you fall God's promise is there always! He has never left us and has never forsaken us and never will. In fact I remember one time I was broken and hurt by all this and I was just pouring my heart to God asking for strength and He brought me to Isaiah 41:10.

"Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

This verse brought me so much comfort and joy! Knowing that His strength is inside me! And day by day, week by week His strength is in us more each day!

It doesn't matter how many times you fall. It's what you do afterwards. Are you going to condemn yourself and just lay there? or are you going to take your Fathers hand He willingly gave you, get back up and finish the race you were created to win?

Boundaries are so important!
One thing I really wish I would have done is talked with Leon about boundaries when we first got together. And stood for them. We had goals to stay pure and we had boundaries afterwards but we did not start out with boundaries. Just to stay pure. I now realize a relationship needs boundaries from the beginning. You just cannot say "Okay no impurity" But than think it is okay to go upstairs alone and watch a movie in his bedroom and expect nothing to happen!  A relationship with no boundaries can only lead to failure. And if you think you do not need boundaries you are greatly deceived my friend.
Here is a list of boundaries I deeply respect and highly recommend!

1. The swim principle. When you do not touch a guy anywhere a modest bathing  suit would cover and same with the girl.

2. no clothes off!!

3. Do not be alone with each other with the door shut.

4. No laying on the bed together. The bed is a very intimate special place for married couples and for sleeping.

My goal is to please God by living with a clean conscience before Him, and knowing He is watching. I want to please Him with all I am but I cannot do that if I am not living entirely for Him.

It's hard for the woman.
Sexual sin is really hard for the woman because when she gives even a small part of herself away too early she feels a loss of value, and when she feels a loss of value she also feels a loss of respect and a sense of respect toward the man, and then he feels a lack of value.
More reasons why saving sex is so important. I have seen relationships destroyed because of impurity, and it breaks my heart dearly.

Modest is hottest.
The gift of a woman's body is precious. Through her modesty she allows a lot about her character and what she values and it shows shes secure in herself. It breaks my heart when I see young girls in youth groups wearing immodest clothing. The media is a great influence on them. It is so important girls, that we dress modestly because our character is shown by how we dress and our attention is shown by how we dress as well. It is never a good excuse for a guy to disrespect a girl in a sexual way. But when we dress the part, we are asking for it! And I never want to see any girl disrespected. When we dress modestly we not only help our christian bro's out and respect them but we're also respecting ourselves and our bodies and most of all we are respecting God with our body.

You can do it!
Maybe you feel like you went to far to go back, you are furthest from the truth. Leon and I are living proof it's possible. As far as the east is from the west. God is here and the time is now. He is ready to catch you. Are you ready to jump into His Arms?

Much love- XOXO

One Year to Beyond: Our 1st Anniversary!

My husband and I celebrated the big one year Anniversary on the 23rd of Dec 2012. We didn't go to Paris, Ireland or England like I dreamed we would do when I was a little girl. But one thing I have realized and learned throughout my first year of Marriage is that any place is a special place as long as you are together. Physically or spiritually. 
 
Our first Anniversary year was wonderful! We didn't do too much because I was still recovering after having Evelynne who wasn't even a month yet! (Yes, yes I know! We work fast.)  But we celebrated our anniversary spending only 10 dollars and created such a memory that will last a life time. 

We  first went to starbucks and had a nice hot latte.. Well except Leon he always gets the cold frappes in any weather.

  & After that we went around our neighborhood and went Christmas light searching. There's seriously nothing like cuddling next to your man, drinking a hot delish latte and watching Christmas lights light up. It was wonderful and completely unforgettable! I wonder what we'll do to top it off this year!! Wow did I just say this year?? I still can't believe I will be married for two years coming December!!

Happy seven months to my teething baby girl..

 

So, usually for Evelynne's Birthday Month I have a whole album pretty much of one smiley, photogenic baby girl... Well, this week we have been experiencing the topsie teething. (Enough said I'm sure.) This girl hasn't been smiling and has been super cranky the past few days But can you blame her? I hear the topsie's are the worst!

So, instead of a session I just grabbed a few some of my favorites of her from this month to share with you!

 

 Evie playing in the sand! What you don't  know is that in a few seconds she will attempt to put sand in her mouth and right as she gets to her mouth I pull her hand out. And the whole way home I hear it in screams just because I wouldn't let her put her sandy hands in her mouth.. So can we just take a moment and appreciate the five seconds before photo? 

 She's standing on top of the world... Or her giraffe maybe?

 My favorite little person to wake up to in the morning and my favorite little person to kiss goodnight! <3

 Evelynne's second swing ride! I think she likes it!! ;)

Evie's loving: Eating finger snacks. specifically her cinnamon and maple sticks, walking with her mamma and daddy's help, quality time reading books with mama, spending time with daddy as Mamma does the dishes, Mr. Giraffe, the out doors and just eating in general. This girl is a BIG eater!

Evie's dislikes: Pea's, green beans, teething, and nap time.

Evie's high light of the week. We got to go to the zoo last Wednesday with a friend of mine. She absolutely loved it! Pictures in the near future.

Evie's weight: She is now 16 lbs.

Evie's height: She is now 27 inches long and is in the 86th percentile for her height!  She's a tall little lady.

Happy 7 Months Evelynne! You are such a blessing to Mama and Daddy! I can't wait to see what God has in store for your life!

Leon's Graduation.

"Being Courageous is not just about running into a burning building in public, it's about being a hero in secret too!" - Sargent from the academy.

As of last Friday I am proud to say I am married to an official police officer. Who is not only a hero on the streets. Protecting the innocent, fighting crime & looking so amazing in his uniform. He's also a hero at home as he continues to lead us as a family after God's own heart. Something we strive to do and be each and every day.

As I have gotten to know some Police officers and as I am married to one now I often think back to Face book and twitter updates, conversations I have overheard, and just random google rambling about how horrible police officers are, and how they call them disrespectful names. It really makes me mad these days because I know great cops that are admirable and honorable and for someone to call them "Pigs" is just wrong.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not naive. I do know that some officers are no where near honorable. I have met one Officer that is only a cop to get ladies, and to take advantage of his authority. People like that shouldn't even be cops. I can agree with that. But just because these 30 percent of cops are jerks doesn't make all of them jerks. In my opinion and what is truth these ladies and gents are heroes! 

The Sargent making his speech.

Leon about to go receive his diploma.

 

Waiting for my officer.

Leon and his class mate

Father & Son

My man in uniform!!!

Leon and our spiritual dad's!

 This was a day we have all been waiting for. The day is finally here. My husband  has a career! This has been a long journey of waiting, and seeking, and just praying and asking God for career wisdom. We have been through the Army, Marines, Navy, and who knows what else but nothing worked out and every time a door was closed and finally this one opened. This is the beginning of something great! I know Leon's going to be the best cop!

Here is a poem I came across on Facebook for such a time as this.

An Officer’s Life
*You wonder why he pulled you over and gave you a ticket for speeding,
He just worked an accident where people died because they were going too fast.
*You wonder why that cop was so mean,
He just got done working a case where a drunk driver killed a kid.
*You work for 8 hours,
He works for up to 18 hours.
*You drink hot coffee to stay awake,
The cold rain in the middle of the night keeps him awake.
*You complain of a "headache," and call in sick,
He goes into work still hurt and sore from the guy he had to fight the night before.
*You drink your coffee on your way to the mall,
He spills his as he runs Code 3 to a traffic crash with kids trapped inside.
*You make sure you're cell phone is in your pocket before you leave the house,
He makes sure his gun is clean and fully loaded and his vest is tight.
*You talk trash about your "buddies" that aren't with you,
He watches his buddy get shot at, and wounded in front of him.
*You walk down the beach, staring at all the pretty girls,
He walks down the highway looking for body parts from a traffic crash.
*You complain about how hot it is,
He wears fifty pounds of gear and a bullet proof vest in July and still runs around chasing crack heads.
*You go out to lunch, and complain because the restaurant got your order wrong,
He runs out before he gets his food to respond to an armed robbery.
*You get out of bed in the morning and take your time getting ready,
He gets called out of bed at 2 am after working 12 hours and has to be into work A.S.A.P. for a homicide.
*You go to the mall and get your hair redone,
He holds the hair of some college girl while shes puking in the back of his patrol car.
*You're angry because your class ran 5 minutes over,
His shift ended 4 hours ago and there's no end in sight.
*You call your girlfriend and set a date for tonight,
He can't make any plans because on his off days he still gets called back into work.
*You yell and scream at the squad car that just past you because they slowed you down,
He's in the driver seat of the squad car, going to cut somebody out of their car.
*You roll your eyes when a baby cries in public,
He picks up a dead child in his arms and prays that it was crying.
*You criticize your police department and say they're never there quick enough,
He blasts the siren while the person in front of him refuses to move while talking on their cell phone.
*You hear the jokes about fallen officers and say they should have known better,
He is a hero and runs into situations when everyone else is running away in order to make sure no one else gets hurt and loses his life doing it.
*You are asked to go to the store by your parents, you don't,
He would take a bullet for his buddy without question.
*You sit there and judge him, saying that it's a waste of money to have them around,
Yet as soon as you need help he is there. -Author Unknown

God bless our Cops!