When Things Get Twisted

I am often horrified how people can use the Bible and God's Word for their own agendas. Taking 1 verse out of context and twisting it's meaning.
To my Alabama friends, Westboro Baptist Church is heading to Tuscaloosa soon. I'm not sure what the "Christian thing to do is", but since I'm not there, I'm praying that no violence erupts and that someone in their group can see Christ's love through the students and Alabama citizens that live there...
This is from their website on why they are heading to T-Town....

University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, AL    May 18, 2013  12:00 PM - 12:30 PM

Westboro Baptist Church will picket the University of Alabama to remind them of the wrath of God that visited them two years ago, wherein they did not have finals, and their graduation exercises were cancelled. 

That whirlwind came from God. Praise His name for it, then fear and obey that God who is able to whip up a whirlwind on a dime! Call this time, between your last GodSmack and your NEXT GodSmack, space for repentance!

We saw the young man, a student from the University of Alabama all over the national nightly news describing the event, including this:  "I opened my door, and there was the Wrath of God looking me in the face." He went on to describe the horrors of it, and the death and mayhem that came with it. If that does not teach you to fear and obey that glorious and wonderful name, The Lord Thy God, WHAT WILL?!

The duty of all humans is to fear God and keep His commandments! This nation will not, and you have added to your other massive crimes against God, this:  Same sex marriage.  God will not have it.  You really "smart" University people should have offered a PhD in The Flood, and it should have included an entire semester on the last offense against God before he sent that flood to WIPE OUT the entire earth, except the eight who were in the Ark, to wit:  Same Sex Marriage!

And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.  They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.  Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. (Luke 17:26-30.)

So, the take away points for today class, to wit:  The Lord is coming! America is Doomed!

My heart hurts for all of my friends and family who went through these tornadoes. I truly believe that God does not send destruction upon His people, but allowed it to happen to bring people closer to Him. As I sat alone in my room, my in-laws literally next door to me, I had no one else to go to except God. He brought me and Ryder and my family through those tornadoes without any harm done to us or our homes. To me, He showed His awesome power and love and grace, not hate and anger. 

I ask that you pray for the group of people who posted the above excerpt. (I think most of us know what they have said about other topics) Satan is at work in our country, but God has won the war.

The Day I Knew...

Still going through my old blog and my 2nd to last post was the night I found out I was pregnant with Ryder. I had left dinner at Pat's parent's house. Katie had come to visit - she had recently found out she was pregnant. Pat's mom was talking about the journals she had kept while pregnant with her 2 youngest children (she had mentioned them before). She was talking about how she had recently given Katie the one she kept while pregnant with her and said she would pull the one out she had kept while pregnant with Pat when he and I reached that point in our relationship (something she had also mentioned before and that I held close to my heart. It meant a lot that she could see me as her DIL and mother to her grandchildren)
I had been nervous and thought I could be pregnant and had been praying to God to give me strength and send me a sign if I needed to go and buy a test. (I had said this prayer a few times and sent it up once more while the three girls were sitting outside on the porch). All of the sudden, Pat's mom said, "I can't wait any longer. I'm just going to give it to you now."  BA-BAM!!!!! That was my sign. My heart started pounding and I knew a test wasn't necessary but, after leaving, I went and bought 6 anyway....9 months later, I got Ryder.... Anyway...this is my post from that fateful night, September 14, 2010. (There's obviously no mention of the test because I wrote the entry before dinner...)

Well, Patrick has officially left for his deployment. To where? I can't say. For how long? I can't say. I want him to come home already :) He called me when I was at work before he left to say "I love you." I'm still hanging on to those last words he said because I don't know how long it will be until I get to talk to him again. I don't know about phone service or internet access or when he'll start recieving mail. OOOO the frustration of the unknown--but such is life and we can only hold on to God as we deal with what we have been given. I also got to talk to him for about 2 hours the night before he left. It was so nice to have some quality time with him and be able to talk for an extended period of time. He seemed so excited, and a little nervous, to finally be leaving. I know we are all ready for him to come home--the sooner he left the sooner those X months are over:)
I am so excited to talk to Pat to hear about what he has done and what he has seen. I hope he takes a lot of pictures and brings them home so I can see where he was on this deployment where the Navy has made him leave me behind :( But it really isnt that long that he is gone. He and I have the rest of our lives to be together, so what is another X months, weeks, days or even years. Just knowing I'm his and that we love each other is enough right now.  (No pressure Patrick I promise:) )
Tonight, I am headed over to Pat's mom's house for dinner. So excited for some good food! I'm excited to show her the original version of the video I made of me and Pat--the one I posted on the last entry skipped some transitions and it went too fast. I've been watching it over and over. The words to that song mean so much to me. They describe how I feel about my Sailor and how much I love him. I'm all about being sappy and romantic right now since he left haha. I'm sure it gets annoying to some people but it is how I feel right now. 
So, for now, I'm counting down until my graduation (3 months and 4 days) and Bebe Cullen!!!!! Katie is due in April and I couldn't be more excited. I can't wait to find out if "it" is a girl or a boy and start buying clothes!! (Yes, I am a shopping addict and Patrick is trying to break me of this. It's hard--but since I'm having to pay my bills I'm getting better) But I can't wait to buy some necessities for this new baby--as in rhinestone passies and toys and cute clothes :) Ill just send the bill to Pat, I mean its for his niece or nephew, so that's alright, right? haha
I LOVE YOU PATRICK



This is the very last post I wrote....It was written a few hours before I got to talk to Pat and let him know he was going to be a dad (scared the -ish out of him)


Tonight was really hard. After work I came home and finished my resume and cover letter for a class assignment then started writing to Pat. I've been doing really well since he has left. I've kept myself busy and haven't had much time to think about how much I really, truly miss him. I've been soooo excited to hear from him about his adventure on the sea. I mean, honestly, he's going places I've never even heard of, much less seen pictures of and I cant wait to see pictures that he takes and puts on facebook or brings home with him.
 Well, after all my work was done tonight, I started to go through pictures of us to put to an older SHEdaisy song I "reheard". UMMMM--it's great for me when I go through pictures of us and write to him and in my journal. What a way to express yourself by writing things to people you know they will never read! HAHA Tonight, though, was hard. I miss having him here and being able to look into his eyes while he has his hands around my waist. I miss his sweet, soft kisses and the way our hands fit together. I miss listening to his heart beat and the sound of him breathing. I miss his smile--oh how it can light up a room and brighten my day. I miss his laugh. Oh, if you could just hear it--it is absolutely contagious! (Did i spell that right? lol) I miss his eyes and how pretty they look in his new light blue AE polo shirt. I miss feeling his "scruff" against my cheek when he whispers "I love you" to me. I miss how my arm tucks right under his as we walk or whenever he pulls me into him, how he calls me his angel and always answers the phone "Hello beautiful," and he really means it. I miss how I can never get upset with him or even dream of being mad at him because he can always make me laugh. I know this silence between us is only temporary--and I'm so thankful that it is--but tonight, in this moment, I miss my sailor and my hero.
I've been lucky enough to have two friends who are going through similar situations with a husband and boyfriend in the military. To hear that what you're feeling is normal and that there are others that you know that are going through the same thing is a big help. I also have his family so close by. Being around them, seeing pictures of him with all of them, and hearing stories makes it seem like he hasn't actually left, like he's just stepped out to run to the mall-lol. A 30 minute errand, not an X month deployment--
OOOOO I cannot wait until he gets home! It hasn't been that long and I'm already counting down the days:) (Graduation is the first countdown, Bebe Cullen is the second and his homecoming is the third!!! I love staying busy with countdowns) I'm also simply taking one day at a time with school, work, my internship, and PAYING OFF ALL debt (ewwww I hate admitting to that--but admitting there is a problem is the first step right?) Patrick's deployment gives me time to focus on me before WE have to focus on US.  
God is holding my hand and has His arms around Patrick, I know Who holds our futures--

I still imagine your touch
It's beautiful missing something that much

But sometimes love needs a fighting chance

So I'll wait my turn until it's our turn to dance

Until...

I was looking at my old blog (I quit writing on it b/c of a cray-cray stalker) and found this little gem I wrote when Pat and I were dating....

If there's one thing I've learned

It's what I really want

What love really is

I never thought you'd come

But He put you in my life

No chains to bind

No strings attached

You never gave up

Always believing in me

and what we could be

Never knew it could be this true 

Until you held me in your arms....

Bye Bye Blackie

So, daddy got Ryder a hamster a few months back. When he was home, he cleaned the cage and I got to enjoy Ryder's reactions and happy screams when he would see her. Now, daddy is gone but the cage isn't and I have to clean it. I wasn't happy but I got through it (with lots of complaining to a select few). I even mentioned letting her go outside.
Now I feel horrible, because she is in the back corner of her cage laying down and hasn't moved for awhile but I don't want to check her to see if she's still alive. HELP! I need a guy to do this haha. I guess I am just going to take the whole cage to the dumpster tomorrow. I'm not really sure what else to do.
RIP Blackie

Naps

...are always better with a cuddle buddy

Some days...

Some days aren't so bad during deployments, but some days are tough. It's not always the whole day, sometimes it's just the nights. When Ryder does something to make me laugh and I turn to call and tell him to look or say 'can you believe he just said that?' Only to realize I'm talking to myself. And sometimes, I'm just tired and want to lay my head on his chest or just lay down and have my back rubbed....or have him give Ryder a bath (haha). You would think that 2 1/2 weeks in, I wouldn't keep making those mistakes, but I do.
I know that our men and women go through so much during deployment, but the ones left behind, I think, are often forgotten in the public eye. I am so thankful for my friends and for the support system I have here, but boy, I miss my husband.

It's Been Awhile

I haven't been on recently because I've been busy with school. Oh, how I loved this semester! We started our OB clinicals, and I think I have found my calling. I use to believe it was the NICU, but (for now at least) I want to be in L&D. I'm GOOD at it and I love the patients, mommies and babies! In fact, I've been volunteering as a doula at UCSD and helping mama's, both those that use pain meds and those that don't, get through labor and I'm currently working on my certification! (It has been one of the most rewarding things I have ever done!)
This semester is coming to a close. In fact, I am taking my finals on Monday and then taking the red eye to Orlando for 12 days. My parent's bought our tickets (yes, ticketS! Ryder is 2 TODAY so he has to have his own, full priced ticket now) because Mena can't stand to be away from him for so long. Pat left a little over 2 weeks ago for a __ month long deployment. (Now, ya'll know I can't tell you how long. Loose lips sink ships and keep the sailors away for longer) It will be nice to have some help with Ryder and to be able to sleep in and not have the same pressure and responsibility on my shoulders as when I'm in San Diego. I will say I'm a pretty strong person though. If it is thrown at me, I can pretty much handle it now. (Being pregnant with Ryder brought me closer to God than ever, as I've mentioned before, and it is all because of him that I can be a single mom for an extended period of time and let my husband go off to foreign places where people don't like us).
So, anyway....We're headed to Orlando in less than a week! Can't wait to take pictures, because we WILL be heading to Disney! We've taken Ryder before but he was just too little to really enjoy it. Now he can ride Dumbo and I'm pretty excited!
We had Ryder's 2nd birthday party last Saturday. The theme was Jake & the Never Land Pirates. It was so much fun to see the kids playing with bubbles, in the sandbox and with the outside toy sets. Toddlers are so funny together and I loved seeing the different ages and developmental stages together. (It was a lot of what my bachelor's degree focused on-I'm a nerd, I know) The pictures below are from the party.

One of my favorite mama's that allowed me to help her through her delivery!

Today, my baby is 2 years old. I'm in a really sentimental mood and looking back over his pictures. I can almost remember everything, though I'm sure I am missing a few pieces. I am so thankful the God chose me to be this little boy's mommy. He saved me. He changed my world and brought me to San Diego :) It is bittersweet to watch him grow up. He is talking ALL THE TIME now. And he is saying complete (short) sentences. We love playing with blocks, trains and cars. I usually have the tv on the Disney Channel in the background (I need noise now that Pat is gone) and Ryder knows the words to the songs to the intros of them. LOVE watching him pick up his ELMO guitar and sing and dance to music. It's hard to believe that at this time, 2 years ago, I was being admitted to the hospital, 100 lbs gained (thank you swelling-NOT) and freaking out because I was leaving the hospital with a baby.

My sister and BIL bought a house recently!!! So exciting We have some more exciting news and happenings in the coming year, so stay tuned!!!

Life has changed so much in the past 2 years 36 weeks and 6 days ;) And I am so thankful that it has. God has my family right where we're suppose to be