It's been a while since I last blogged. So let me fill you in on what has been happening sense my last post.....
My husband and I are renting the cutest little house just outside of town where we can sit under the starry night sky and feel just how small we really are. Tucker is now working at the hospital here in town as an ER tech where he gets the pleasure of serving people who are sick and needy. He just graduated from the fire academy and is beginning the job hunt. Our dogs are of course the same energetic loving pups and enjoy country life. All though, bee stings is just one of the things that makes country life ruff (pun intended... see picture below). This year I was given an intern position at my home church in Nacogdoches, and I could not be more in love with this job. Each week I lead the charge of college students onto campus to meet with their lost classmates and offer a cup of coffee, a study snack, a flower, or an invite to a church event where they can experience true community. It fills my little evangelical heart so very much! With the college students on holiday break, I find myself reminiscing on where Tucker and I were just a few years ago, and how much things have changed.
Three years ago Tucker and I were just two love birds dreaming of the day we said our vows. (Okay, maybe me a little more than Tucker) New Years Eve when the clock struck 12:00, while our friends cheered and kissed their loved ones, Tucker said "It's the year we get married!" To which I replied with a little heart flutter hoping the months leading up to our wedding day would fly by! Three months later, we promised ourselves to each other and six months later our world was turned upside down when Tucker lost his job. Without any warning, or preparation he was laid off and our steady income was lost. Some days I cried because this simply did not fit into what we had planned for our future together. Other days I found myself searching for God's purpose through the frustrations, and at times questioning if God forgot about us. Was this really in His plans for our lives, and does He really have good things planned for us?
I remember the exact moment Tucker started talking of being a fireman. We were standing in our little apartment, in the kitchen getting ready to see Danny, Lauren and their four kids (at that time). I was swoon at the thought of being married to a fireman and of course was supportive of it all. We then started looking into schools, certifications, and the requirements of being a fireman. And within three months, he started the year long process. After the first half of school he snagged a great job at the hospital where he now works. The day he told me he got the job I was in Chick-fil-a with my cousin and cried like a baby over my french fries and nuggets when he sent me the text with the wonderful news. He started working and then a few weeks later, began traveling to Dallas once a week to train at the fire academy. It has flown by, while also feeling like it was never going to end. And this year as we say goodbye to everything life offered us in 2016 and enter into the new year, I find myself falling more in love with our story and the way God so carefully constructed every part of it.
If Tucker never lost his job, he would have never gone to fire school, we would not be as close to our family or seen the amazing support system God has given us through family, our marriage would not be as strong as it is now. We would not have gone through growing pains that brought us closer to Jesus. We would be in this place of anticipation, excitement, and overall thankfulness that we are in now. I could not be more thankful that Tucker lost his job at the start of our marriage because it has brought us to where we are now, and that is a beautiful place with our Creator.
2016 taught me that God is not surprised by the mess that happens in our lives. He is right there with us through the struggle waiting for us to look to him, run to him, and depend on him. He desires for us to abide in Him, be close with him, and wait on Him through every part. In the mess we must be a warrior and continue fighting against the enemy who is trying to kill, steal, and destroy every good thing God has graciously given us. 2016 has taught me how to be a warrior in the army of the Lord. That is a beautiful gift I am so thankful for. I will forever be grateful for our struggles, and for the growing pains.
2017, I welcome you with open arms awaiting the challenges and blessings you have for me and my husband. Tucker, you will forever be my battle partner.
My husband and I are renting the cutest little house just outside of town where we can sit under the starry night sky and feel just how small we really are. Tucker is now working at the hospital here in town as an ER tech where he gets the pleasure of serving people who are sick and needy. He just graduated from the fire academy and is beginning the job hunt. Our dogs are of course the same energetic loving pups and enjoy country life. All though, bee stings is just one of the things that makes country life ruff (pun intended... see picture below). This year I was given an intern position at my home church in Nacogdoches, and I could not be more in love with this job. Each week I lead the charge of college students onto campus to meet with their lost classmates and offer a cup of coffee, a study snack, a flower, or an invite to a church event where they can experience true community. It fills my little evangelical heart so very much! With the college students on holiday break, I find myself reminiscing on where Tucker and I were just a few years ago, and how much things have changed.
Three years ago Tucker and I were just two love birds dreaming of the day we said our vows. (Okay, maybe me a little more than Tucker) New Years Eve when the clock struck 12:00, while our friends cheered and kissed their loved ones, Tucker said "It's the year we get married!" To which I replied with a little heart flutter hoping the months leading up to our wedding day would fly by! Three months later, we promised ourselves to each other and six months later our world was turned upside down when Tucker lost his job. Without any warning, or preparation he was laid off and our steady income was lost. Some days I cried because this simply did not fit into what we had planned for our future together. Other days I found myself searching for God's purpose through the frustrations, and at times questioning if God forgot about us. Was this really in His plans for our lives, and does He really have good things planned for us?
I remember the exact moment Tucker started talking of being a fireman. We were standing in our little apartment, in the kitchen getting ready to see Danny, Lauren and their four kids (at that time). I was swoon at the thought of being married to a fireman and of course was supportive of it all. We then started looking into schools, certifications, and the requirements of being a fireman. And within three months, he started the year long process. After the first half of school he snagged a great job at the hospital where he now works. The day he told me he got the job I was in Chick-fil-a with my cousin and cried like a baby over my french fries and nuggets when he sent me the text with the wonderful news. He started working and then a few weeks later, began traveling to Dallas once a week to train at the fire academy. It has flown by, while also feeling like it was never going to end. And this year as we say goodbye to everything life offered us in 2016 and enter into the new year, I find myself falling more in love with our story and the way God so carefully constructed every part of it.
If Tucker never lost his job, he would have never gone to fire school, we would not be as close to our family or seen the amazing support system God has given us through family, our marriage would not be as strong as it is now. We would not have gone through growing pains that brought us closer to Jesus. We would be in this place of anticipation, excitement, and overall thankfulness that we are in now. I could not be more thankful that Tucker lost his job at the start of our marriage because it has brought us to where we are now, and that is a beautiful place with our Creator.
2016 taught me that God is not surprised by the mess that happens in our lives. He is right there with us through the struggle waiting for us to look to him, run to him, and depend on him. He desires for us to abide in Him, be close with him, and wait on Him through every part. In the mess we must be a warrior and continue fighting against the enemy who is trying to kill, steal, and destroy every good thing God has graciously given us. 2016 has taught me how to be a warrior in the army of the Lord. That is a beautiful gift I am so thankful for. I will forever be grateful for our struggles, and for the growing pains.
2017, I welcome you with open arms awaiting the challenges and blessings you have for me and my husband. Tucker, you will forever be my battle partner.