Peace and Love

Ahhh....Valentine's Day.  Cue the candlelight, dinner for two, and the serenade of violins. 

Romantic, right?  Realistic, right?  Well...

A perfect night like that is usually described in movies, but on the rare occasion, it may actually happen for you too.

Craig and I have never made a huge deal about Valentine's Day.  We always celebrated it, buying each other small gifts, chocolates, and flowers.  We always bought something small for the kids too and usually have a V-day countdown of some sort.

But this year, something was different.

I was eagerly anticipating the romantic holiday.  I had a skip in my step and a (love) song in my heart since Feb. 1.  I decorated for Valentine's like I've never done before:  a mantle with a "Love" banner, a homemade Valentine's tree and wreath, even a Scentsy warmer full of hearts!

What was so different for this year's love holiday than any previous year?  After all, I am still married to the same person.

This year, I have peace.  This year, my husband has peace.  This year, God has made things so different for us, things are so much better, and the peace we have can only come from Him.

When God gives you such a profound peace, you see everything differently.  You treat everyone differently.  You love differently.

I love love.  The love between Craig and I has grown so much and is deeper than ever before.  Our relationship has strengthened and changed for the better.  The love we have for our kids and they for us has also grown.  It's amazing how the dynamics change between people when you let that peace just envelope you.

And after spending our 17th Valentine's Day together, I still feel special, I still feel like his #1 girl, and he still makes my heart swoon.

Lesson Learned #2

The first month of 2014 has just ended.  And I've already had so many wonderful life lessons.

I've learned Texas weather is seriously bi-polar.  Even more than before.  And because of it, sinus headaches let me know when the weather is about to have a drastic change.

I've learned my dog has completely lived up to her name, Princess, while she recovered from her ACL surgery.  She is still trying to soak in as much attention as she can.

I've learned I really can't stand clutter.  We have been de-cluttering every inch of my house and have so much to sell, donate, or just put in the trash.  Once one room or closet is completed, I feel so much better that everything has its proper place.

I've learned that my kids absolutely and utterly adore their father.  They simply can't get enough time with him.  They ask him every single day if it's his day off or what time he'll be home.  After having spent so long dealing with his long hours, they are finally relishing in the fact that he is home so much more.  Of course, he reciprocates the feelings.

I've learned no matter how many auditions I've been to, I still don't like them.  I LOATHE them!!!  I feel like I am never prepared enough, I'm never good enough, and I feel like I will never pass.  Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.  I do know that no matter what happens with an audition, it happens for a reason.

I've learned I am an old soul.  I love all things vintage, I prefer older music, and sometimes I even prefer the company of those older and wiser than me.  I recently took a quiz that asked What Decade Should You Live In?  Not surprisingly, my results revealed I should live in the 50's decade-my favorite!

I've learned that no matter how fair I want things to be, they simply aren't.  I see the world as black and white.  It is or isn't.  It's always hard to see that many people don't feel that way.

I've learned showing appreciation, whether for big or small things, goes a long way.

I've learned my husband is the absolutely one person I completely trust, completely rely on, and ALWAYS has my best interests at heart.  I can't imagine my life without him, without his support, and without his loving words.  I always tell him he's my favorite person ever.

I've learned there is nothing like the feeling of peace when it comes upon your life.  Being obedient to God, seeing His hand at work, and watching events unfold, is just amazing.

Money will never buy happiness, the grass is not always greener on the other side, and God is still in control.

Princess

Just before Christmas, Princess was having one of her usual spastic attacks at the door.  When someone comes or goes, she goes crazy at the door, barking, jumping, etc.  It was no different that day when Craig was leaving for work.  Except this time, she started limping afterwards.  She is almost 11 yrs old and starting to get arthritis, so I thought perhaps it had flared up.  Or I thought perhaps she landed wrong and it was a little sore.

We watched it for a couple days and it never got better.  She never whined or acted like she was in pain.  There was just a constant limp.  

After going to the vet, getting xrays and scans done, it was revealed that Princess tore her ACL.  Ouch!!!  And she needed surgery.  Ouch for our pocketbook!!!

We planned her surgery on the Monday of my last week off from work.  Craig dropped her off by 7:30 that morning and we picked her up almost 6 pm that night.  The vet said her ALC was completely torn in half and the two pieces were just laying there.  Thankfully, he was able to fix it.

And she was miserable!

She had to become a conehead.  :(  We were told she needed to wear the cone all the time for 2 weeks!  Well, that first night, she barely moved.  You could tell Princess was in pain, uncomfortable, and upset with us.  She didn't want to eat or drink.  We couldn't even get her to lay all the way in her bed.  Eventually, she made her way to the cool tile floor and laid there for 4 hours.

The next day was just a little better.  She didn't eat or drink and we could not get her pills in her mouth.  I'm sure besides being embarrassed by that awful cone, she was embarrassed from her one shaved leg and 11 stitches.

We had a dog pharmacy to go along with our recovering dog.

Little by little, she started to eat and drink, but not quite like she used to.  Craig had a hard time shoving the pills down her throat.  After cheese, bread, and wet dog food not working, we realized she would take the pills in french fries!!!  Crazy dog.  She had to take antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, pain pills, and a supplement.  The pain pills would knock her out for most of the day.  

We took her cone off to eat, otherwise, she couldn't reach the food.  We were also kind enough to take it off when she was sleeping and we were in the same room as her.  But, it went back on each night.  And she would moan every time and turn her head.

The second week, Craig was on vacation and was able to stay with her the whole time.  She finally started to eat normal too.  Princess started acting better, putting weight on that leg, and wasn't limping nearly as much.

We took her to Abilene when we went to my sister's wedding.  That trip exhausted her.  She started falling asleep with her head upright.

Finally, after 2 weeks of never leaving Princess by herself, constantly watching her, and giving her lots of extra TLC, we were able to head to the vet to get the stitches out.

Let's just say, she does not like to go there anymore.  She shakes, wants to be held, and is in a hurry to leave.

The vet was actually impressed with how well she has healed already.  She is putting just enough weight on that leg and will be 90-95% back to her normal self.  Since she is a geriatric dog, she has to stay on supplements the rest of her life which will help with her arthritis.  She also has some kidney issues that we have to keep an eye on.  It's very common for Shelties.

Princess is happy once again, enjoys feeling the breeze on her face without that bothersome cone, and is still trying to get in some extra TLC.

The Wedding

The big day!  It was such a busy day but turned out beautifully.  Here is a summary of the day in pics.  LOTS of pics.

Getting Ready

The bride has a cosmetology license (but works in ministry) so she did hair and make-up.  Kaitlyn got waterfall braids in her hair.

Time for our older sister to get her hair done.

This is the groom's mother.  Our mom is working on her hair.

E's mom told us the story of how she and her husband met and there were tears all around.  So, D decided to pull out the gifts for everyone.  The parents received handkerchief's that were embroidered differently for each one.  This is what was embroidered on my mom's handkerchief:

"I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, your baby I'll be."

Our mom was boo-hooing!!!

We all received tote bags decorated by D.  I love tote bags!!!

The bridesmaids received make-up, nail polish, lotion, etc as well as these gorgeous necklaces.  We wore them with our dresses.

This is the bride's bouquet, made of fabric flowers and brooches.  

Here are all of the bouquets.  Our mom made all of them!

The black bridesmaids dresses were knee length, strapless, and with an A-line skirt.  Plus, it had pockets!

Here are my fabulous shoes.  I just love them!!!  (And my tattoo is minor compared to everyone else.  What can I say?  We're just an inked family.)

Preston, Kaitlyn, and their cousins before the wedding.  One is not happy.

But he's happy here!

The Ceremony

The groom's parents.

My mom and nephew.

Here I come.

The older sister.

These two had their own special entrance since their parents were the ones getting remarried.  My mom made this dress.

The bride and Daddy!

Check out the groom's face!  His eyes were full of tears.

Hugs

and kisses.

The first prayer

Me getting distracted again.  I can't help it, the photographer is very handsome!

The sand ceremony representing their unity.  It was really nice that they involved their kids with this part.

The groom had some things to share.  It was very heartfelt, spiritual, and caused lots of tears.

The kiss

Their first communion as husband and wife.

A reunited family

Our parentals

The groom's parents

Decor

The theme was vintage Hollywood-my fave!

They had this picture made into a movie poster.

The sign in table.  The framed letter was an actual letter from E to D.  All of the guest tables had various letters and pictures they had written to each other.  The house is from the movie Up.  Each guest put their fingerprint on it to represent the balloons from the movie.

All the balloons!

The arch with twinkling lights. Simple, but pretty.

These popcorn bags were on each chair.  The back side listed the order of service.  The bags would be used during the reception.

Bubbles for when the couple leaves.

 The head table

 The menu, which was delicious!

While the wedding party had to take pictures, the guests were able to enjoy snacks at the concession stand using the bags that were on their seats.

The concession stand with popcorn, pretzels, and...

...bruschetta.

The guests were also able to enjoy some drinks.

It was a coffee and hot chocolate bar. 

The cake table!!!  My mom made all of the cakes and they were each a different flavor.  It was the highlight of the reception!!!

My mom made lots of cake balls and my older sister made Mexican Wedding Cookies.  It was all so very tasty!

The Reception

Everyone is making their way to the receiving line.

These two are trouble

They are too.  This pretty much sums up how my siblings and I always behave.

Cutting the cake

The first dance

Dance with the dads

A tender moment between our dad and his 10th child, the baby of the family.

After changing into her going away dress, the couple was ready to leave.

Some Candid Photos

The DJ and Pastor

Sisters

K and Papa

K and Grandpa with his cousin.

The bride and our mom.  No telling what they are talking about.

Brothers selfie

The sand art.

K checking out the art with a cake pop that he wasn't supposed to have yet! lol

Enjoying their snacks

The Q men.

The mothers

One of the groomsmen "scratchin'"

All of the kids.  Preston is being super serious.

Craig told them to be super silly for this picture.

Couldn't resist a selfie with the handsome photographer. Notice my necklace? (BTW, he was not the professional photographer for the wedding...just the Suburban Kelley's photographer.)  

The Suburban Kelley's

Our dad after the wedding.  I think he was happy it was over! Ha!

Congratulations on this special day!!!!