Sex, Marriage, & Fairytales

 Bet I got your attention with that title!!?  If you are able, check out this video on youtube...  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4OK9DmLpCY  Sex, Marriage & Fairytales...How to make sure your daughter doesn't end up on "The Bachelor."  This guy has several other videos about growing up but it just goes along...again...with what I've been saying about how important the father and daughter relationship is in a girl's life.  And if a father doesn't show her how she deserves to be treated.  It is easy for me to point out things in my life that are a benefit to Shelby but I worry about Cole becuase I'm not sure how to do that.  Thankfully he has not yet become interested in girls but I pray we are modeling the correct way a young man should be treating a young lady.  And PRAY! 
I stopped yesterday with me and Chip together and him in Murfreesboro.  I knew within a few months that we had something different..very special.  Chip was so different.  He was so much fun, thoughtful, caring, and unselfish and we NEVER FOUGHT...which was wonderful!  How could I not be in love him?  I knew that God had given me a chance to turn my life around and I would be so stupid to mess it up.  The song "God Blessed the Broken Road" fit us perect.  We started talking about marriage that summer.  Yes, it was soon, yes, I was young but we were in a hurry.  We were engaged by that August and actually married by the following March.  March 9, 1996....I was only 20 and he was 26.  We didn't have very many pennies to rub together but we moved into a rental house from my mom in Donelson.  I still had 9 months of school left.  We got married during my spring break and I was back at school that monday.  We had to wait until summer to take a honeymoon which was a wonderful cruise to the bahamas and 3 days at disney world.  But it was Great!!!  We were happy and didn't know things were hard.  I drove to Clarksville and he drove to Murfreesboro every day.  I went to school that summer and did my student teaching that fall.  There were no teaching jobs available due to my graduating in December, I took a job at Southminster Presbyterian Daycare teaching 3 year olds.  Another important thing that happened to us during this time was that we started looking for a church.  We had visited a couple when we ran into Jonathan Crumpton at a Trevecca graduation, he told us he was the music minister at Hermitage Church of the Nazarene and invited us to come.  We visited the following week...sometime in July...and we knew we had found our home.  The people were wonderful and we loved Pasor Howard immediately.  We got involved in a ss class - the Kaleo Class which was mostly newlyweds in their 20's & 30's without children.  We went on a fall retreat with them that fall and I met someone who would make a huge difference & still does today.  Marla Houser was the only one with a baby.  Alex was about 10 months at that time.  We rode up together in the church van and her husband, Brad, was coming up later.  We realized that we actually lived on the same street in Donelson.  Of course that weekend, we made some other amazing friends...like the ones you keep for life.  Mike and Carol Waller, Kevin & Wendi Harrison, and Kevin & Kim Davenport.  They, alsong with Brad & Marla Houser are friends we have now had for 16 years.  We have celebrated births, every new year, christmas', halloweens, vacations, super bowls.  As well as dealt with miscarriages, diseases, deaths, & job losses. We have also added April & Billy Swoner to our group in the past few years which is a huge blessing because she and I grew up together in church at Lakeview.  She knows me well.  I have no doubt that God has put these people in my life and we are so blessed.  Tired of typing but I've got a surprise for tomorrow!!