Year 5 - a wooden gift

     Five years ago I married my best friend. On Friday, April 2nd, Jim and I celebrated our 5th anniversary. I never thought I could love someone so much. I knew God was hearing all those requests for a man of God to sweep me off my feet, but I didn't know His answer would be "yes." 

     We met at church. Tim Brown had invited me to the evangelism program at Harrisburg in February 2004. I was on track to be a Journeyman with the International Mission Board. My sights were set on being a salt trader in Northern India. I came home to take care of some business and MY plan was to return to Richmond for appointment in March. That's when it all happened. He walked into the Fellowship Hall. Jean jacket and khaki pants. He had just finished working out and was going to grab a bite to eat before visitation began. I looked at his left hand-empty!!! "I could marry that guy!" blared through my head. I physically shook my head to remove the thought, reminding myself that I was there to tell people about Jesus, not to find a husband. 

Lake Geneva 2004

     I have only had one other boyfriend besides Jim. What in the world does a 17-year old know about "love"??! I dated the same guy for most of my junior and senior year of high school and our freshman year of college. Looking back I see infatuation written all over it. At the time, I thought our break-up was the worst thing in the world. Over the next few years I began to see the error of my ways and realized that it was the best thing ever. I didn't date for the remainder of my college life. I knew God had a husband for me and I didn't feel it was my duty to go out searching for him. I met guys along the way. Oddly, I knew right away they weren't "the one." Then they'd become my case, to find out whether or not they knew my Jesus. They all became a mission. Mary Martha asked me once, "Candise, do you really think you are going to know who your husband is going to be the first time you meet him?" My blunt and maybe a little overly confident self exclaimed, "yes, I am!" I really had no idea if I would know, I hoped and prayed I would though!

     My sophomore year of college, right after I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I began writing letters to my future husband. Yes, I'm weird! It kept my mind focused. I'd write about what God was teaching me in my quiet time. I'd pray for him. I told him all about my dreams, hopes, plans. I told him all about the mud hut we were going to live in while sharing the Gospel with an unreached people group of Asia! I filled a cigar box full of love letters jotted on coasters, napkins and scented paper for a guy I had never met. Until now!
     So, my friend Beth was trying to set me up with her cousin, oh, I don't even remember his name anymore, but I did see him last year in Pontotoc when I was having a meltdown on Andrew's first race outing. I knew right away he wasn't the one, so I invited him to participate in the FAITH program at this church. I hadn't even visited this church yet, I had only been participating in its outreach program. I thought it would be a good idea to ward the guy away from dating me if I acted if I were interested in someone else. Thinking this through, right now, does make it seem like I used a cliched pick up line when I asked Jim, "Do I know you? You look so familiar..." as we boarded the church bus. Yah, it sounds pathetic, but really-- I had him at "Hello" LOL

August, 2004

     The guy must have gotten the hint because he didn't come back! Good thing too, because he might have gotten his heart broken. Don't feel bad for him, Beth told me he's married now and has a kid. On the following Sunday morning I actually visited Harrisburg's church service. I sat a few rows in front of that guy Jim. Secretly hoping he would notice me. I wore a dark skirt and a really cute white blouse. Don't think I'm shallow...you probably did it too! I looked very sophisticated and mature. I wore my hair pulled back, that always helps me look smarter! {right, hehe}

     My plan, rehearsed in my head, was that he would notice me just a few rows up and come talk to me when the service was over. My shoulders sank when he didn't. He turned away and walked out, without even saying hello. What a Yankee! I drove home feeling sorry for myself and comforting myself with the fact that, well, he must not be the one. Oh well. That's okay. I'm not here for the long-term anyway. I immediately set my sight back on Asia. But he would have been perfect! He's obviously into sharing the Gospel because he participates in the FAITH program. He's driven. He's handsome. I wonder if he would be into international missions? I wonder if he {Jim Brown} would live in a mud hut with me? hmmm...

     Tuesday night came quick. I had absolutely no expectations of talking to this guy, Jim, again. I had marked him off my list-He's not the one. I didn't even get all purtied up for FAITH that night. I wore black sweats and a pink valour hoodie and tinnies. My hair was pulled up in a pony-tail bun. I even wore my glasses. It's easy to hide behind glasses and pretend you are invisible. {That's a whole other post in itself} Let's just say, it was obvious I wasn't there to make a huge impression on anyone.  But as we were walking out of the back of the church that evening, Jim and I started up a conversation that lasted THREE hours! During that conversation I learned why he hadn't said hello to me on Sunday. He had a girlfriend up until that day. A girlfriend of about 6 years total...UGH.....{yes, yes, I'm the rebound!} And on Sunday, they broke up...bummer.  

April 2, 2005

     That's really all I remember from that conversation. I do remember not having to try and find words to say, it just all came naturally. I wasn't nervous like I had been with previous guys. Wow! Anyway---we both made phone calls on the way home that night. I called my friend Erin, eager to have her decipher my thoughts and emotions--had I really just met "the one!" He called his parents. I think it was his dad. They asked him if he was sure...I mean, really Jim? {Still not sure if they are sure! J/K}

     The next few weeks were a blur. I do remember one of our first dates was to Subway. It was after FAITH and as we drove back to the church that night, Jim told me he "wasn't interested in anyone else." Still gives me butterflies. We made a commitment then, if we were going to date, it's for marriage, not just for the heck of it. It was with a purpose.

August, 2004

    That left me at a crossroads...I think I had just met the man I am suppose to marry, and I am supposed to leave for 2 years with the Journeyman program.....After lots of prayer for discernment and a mission trip to France, I wrote my final love letter for the cigar box, for the guy I had never met. Laying in a tourist hotel in a northern province of Paris, I came to realize that I didn't want to be Lottie Moon, like I had once desired. I didn't want to be on the mission field alone, single. What I really wanted was to work alongside Jim in whatever ministry God placed us. I didn't want to do it by myself. So I wrote one last letter. This time, it was addressed to him directly.

     God obviously had been working on Jim's heart that same week, because the night I got home from France, Jim took me on a walk in the park and asked me to marry him. I didn't respond with yes...I asked him if he was kidding!  Looked around to see if anyone could see him down on his knee...and hoping he'd get up quick! Then--I realized what he was doing! 

April 2, 2005

     On that cool April afternoon in 2005, I stood on the platform of our church, as giddy as I have ever been, before our family and friends. I felt like a princess. I would walk around the house in that dress if I could fit into it! My groom was and still is so incredibly handsome. Jim and I promised to love each other forever. To remain faithful to God and one another (in that order) for as long as we both breathed. We pledged to serve the Lord alongside each other, to pray for the other and to respect one another. He placed my dainty little rings on my finger, as did I. Then we kissed. The End.

    The rest is history, well, it's unfolding now. I know people see us with smiles on our faces and they think...wow, they have it so easy. You see my blog, my facebook pics and you think---wow...must be nice. Looks like it just comes natural.  I'd be lying if I said it wasn't nice, it is. Actually, it's great! But it's hard work. Sometimes we aren't so easy to love, it isn't always easy to smile, I mean...Jim has put up with pregnancy and post partum hormones THREE times..poor guy,  but we keep God and His commands first and the other second. That's the only way we know how to make it work.

     Over the last five years, we've had 3 precious children, lived at 3 different addresses, walked at least a thousand evening walks together, had some really incredibly great times, even had some times we aren't so proud of....but through it all, we have no doubts, no regrets and love each other more and more each day...well, most days! Just kidding! In the grand scheme of things, we are still newlyweds because I plan to be hitched to this man til I'm at least 105---that's the year for the 10-carat diamond!

      Through the years...

April 2, 2005

Moving to D.C.
September 2006

Walk on the Potomac River, pregnant with Andrew, our second son.
June 2008

On the steps of the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C....the week we moved back to Mississippi.
June 2008

Taylor's 2nd birthday.
August 11, 2008

March 2010

To Be Continued....

Reality

For once she was happy just sitting
and I gave Jim a break from keeping
Andrew out of the drainage hole!

     Tonight I sat down on Andrew's bed as Jim was leading the boys in prayer. It's a precious moment that we love to do and hate to miss. We snuggle, give Eskimo kisses and ask about their day and any memory verses that we've learned. I sat there thinking, whew, this day went by fast, but boy was it so much fun! I don't want it to end. It was actually pretty normal for us, all but one thing...

     Our paths met in the bathroom. Just passing each other as we were both involved in separate tasks. Jim had gotten up early to run a 5K and had just returned and finished up showering. I had chosen to not attend the race, in fear of any drama or stress. Instead, when the kids woke up at 7:20, I fed them a quick breakfast and we headed out to watch the Hot Air Balloon race that we missed by like a long time...I misunderstood the brochure for the event, so since we were out, I took the kiddos-all 3- to Walmart for our usual...milk, bread and bananas! While I was there I also cashed in a gift card and got the boys a sandbox. Note to self: never let your kids walk through the toy section without first being strapped into the cart!
     I was headed to feed Carrie Ann and I paused...thought for a minute and looked up at Jim. I had missed his race. I never miss a race. Jim and I have been practically inseparable since we married 5 years ago. We have always done EVERYTHING together. I have always been at the starting line of every single race. We have a little kiss tradition that we do before each one. This morning he had slipped out quietly as to not wake me or the baby. I would go to different spots on the race route to see him and cheer him on. Once our first child came along, I continued to attend the races and began just waiting at the finish line. When #2 got here, I missed my first race. It was very sad. I've missed quite a few since then and I think it gets tougher with each one. {I know, I'm weird, but I'm Jim's biggest fan!}

I came out of the bathroom last week
and saw this amazing site!

     After returning from my errands, I had to feed Carrie Ann and get her peaceful so I could head out to an exercise class. Jim had decided he was going to take all 3, yes, all THREE, to the track meet at the high school.{{{{He did take all 3 to the track meet and I was sooooo proud of my macho man! When I questioned him about taking all three, he shrugged and said..oh, it'll be fine. I can handle it! Like it was a piece of cake! He gets major rock star points in my book today!!!}}}} It was weird. As I stood in the bathroom, I stopped him from whatever he was doing and said I had something serious to tell him. Something kind of sad. That got his attention! I expressed how sad it was that this was an inevitable point in our little family's existence! We were doing separate things. I knew this would come at some point, but I didn't know it would creep up on us like it did. I was taking the kids in the morning, he was taking them in the afternoon. I am sure some of you think this is very healthy and it's fine. Yes, I agree, but when I say we do everything together, I mean we do EVERYTHING together! We load up all three kids in the car to take a 10 minute ride to Little Caesar's to pick up our $6 pizza every Sunday night. We loaded them all up tonight after baths and in pajamas, just to get gas in my car! One night, right after Carrie Ann was born, I didn't take the ride for pizza-Jim took the boys, I kept the baby. He later told me that he missed me and enjoyed those little rides.

     When I got home from the exercise class, the boys had finished lunch and were watching a cartoon while Jim was tending to Carrie Ann. He handed her off to me to feed and for about 10 minutes we sat and talked...caught up on our day thus far...it was 1 p.m. and we were just getting to really talk. It was short because he was going to take Taylor back to the track meet during nap time to watch Jim's friend Max run.

     Finally...at 4:30...we met again in the garage....Carrie Ann snoozing and the boys playing in their sandbox in the backyard....we get in a hug and an I love you. For a few moments we ignored the chores we had to do and forced ourselves to connect and enjoy each other and to, together, go and enjoy our little boys.

    It was great. Just great. God has blessed Jim and I with so much...I don't mean materially, I mean, in our relationship and marriage, and sometimes, we get ourselves so preoccupied that we take that for granted.

     So tonight, after our pajama run, we tucked all three children in their beds, I made us some fruit smoothies and now, we are going to do one thing that we realllly love to do together...watch some t.v.!!!     

We embrace our conflict!

     Marriage can be tough. Even tougher when you add outside influences to a relationship you thought could stand up against anything.  Back in our previous sunday school class, Jim & I participated in a marriage/parenting series led by a pastor in the church and his wife who had been married for like 30 years and had reared 3 or 4 children ranging from high school to college & career ages.

     Three very important points they made during the series have stuck with Jim and me ever since then. The first and second is to periodically assess your marriage and your children. -Where are you, how are you doing? What can you do better? What changes need to be made? I'd say we do this quite often. The third and most appealing point they made is that ALL good marriages have CONFLICT. We embrace this one really well!!! It helps to know that there is going to be conflict and that it is okay that there is conflict. It's not the end of the world. The important aspect is how you respond to that conflict. 

nbsp;    We thought our first year of marriage was GREAT. It wasn't hard, we didn't have to try at the relationship. We hadn't known each other long so we were still learning all kinds of neat things about each other. When I was pregnant with Taylor, our first son, we had just been married for a year. Our house was on the market and we were preparing to move to Washington, D.C., for Jim to work for his company on Capitol Hill. It was exciting and sad all at the same time. Nesting and setting up a nursery didn't really get to happen as I had thought it might, except we did have a really clean house. We opted out of doing a "nursery" so our house would show better. We didn't buy a crib for Taylor until he was 2 months old and we had already moved to our 2-bedroom high rise condo just inside the Capitol Beltway. Sure, our marriage got tougher, but we attributed it to the stresses of moving to a new place, totally out of our comfort zones and to being new parents.    

By the second pregnancy, we were house shopping in Fairfax County, VA.  I was going to get to nest and set up a nursery finally!!! WooHoo...but during my 7th month of pregnancy, merely 8 weeks before my due date, Jim's boss called. It was a Tuesday morning. The look on his face said it all. "Jim, I know we just told you last week you would be there for the long haul, I know you just put a contract and deposit down on a house just 3 days ago, but we have decided to close the D.C. office, we now realize we can not reach the world for Christ through political means so we want to bring everything back home and use you in a different way back here in Tupelo. You can let Candise decide, you can come back before or after the baby comes. It is your decision." We flew to Tupelo 2 weeks later to finalize some housing stuff on the house we had decided to buy, which was in construction at the time. And 4 weeks after that call, we made a 2-day drive back to Tupelo, MS. A house without countertops, a bathroom vanity or having dust, dirt and workers all around isn't the best environment for nesting or setting up a nursery. It was not a great experience to say the least. Andrew arrived 4 weeks after we moved back to Tupelo.

     The stress that would come with adding a fourth to your little family hit us by storm. It was hard. There were outside influences as well, but mostly, we allowed the stresses inside our home to get to us the most. We were full of joy, but the happiness wasn't always there. It was hard to embrace the conflict at some points. We didn't always respond to it in a godly way. We probably both said things we will regret, but we don't even remember them now. But along the way, through our respective Bible studies and quiet times, God showed us that marriage isn't only work, it's hard work. We weren't communicating, Jim walked on egg shells around me. He never knew what kind of mood I was going to be in when he walked through the door every evening. I chalked it up to hormones, exhaustion, and that darn job that uprooted us from what I had just gotten familiar with and a 'new' house that kept having problems that I had to deal with while he was at work, trying to stay socialble so I wouldn't lose my mind, and all the while mothering 2 little boys.

     I never thought Jim could do good enough by me in the house. He in turn thought I had some pretty high expectations of him that were simply impossible for him to meet. We thought, man adding that second child sure does change things...like the first one didn't! We were completely avoiding the fact that we were out of the honeymoon stage, we were going to have to really really work hard if we wanted to have a great marriage. Don't get me wrong, we knew we were doing good, we knew it was a valley and we'd climb out, but we wanted a GREAT marriage. We wanted to be above the status quo.

     We got on our knees, we asked God for help. We did more than half of the Fireproof dares with one another and journaled our progress along the way. It wasn't always easy. I don't think I remember a single thing from all the dares, except that it was hard, but fun. We learned it wasn't going to be easy all the time like it had been in the beginning. Now, we put in the extra effort to do things that relieve stress for the other. Jim has become more aware of things I do around the house, and where he can, he takes over. I know he loves loves loves a tidy house and despises clutter...I'm still working on this one, but I am contiuously getting an A for my effort! I try to look more appealing to him, making it easier for him to want to show me the affection I so desire. {Note to self: sweats aren't attractive after 5 days in a row!}

     This weekend we sat and assessed our marriage.  We are happier than ever before. More in love than ever before. Even with me complaining and groaning everyday of this pregnancy, and him, taking on a second job, just for the fun of it, we wouldn't want it any other way, well, except we'd like for this little girl to hurry and rear her pretty little head! We know that we are so much better prepared for the arrival of our third child than we were our second. We have prepared our hearts and marriage for the hard stuff that we know will come-the lack of sleep, less alone time together, more mouths to feed-so tighter budget. We've laid out our expectations and our apprehensions this time. We have been blinded to them in the past. I was just telling Jim that getting to nest without having to worry about selling or buying a house has meant the world to me. I have finally gotten to have a nursery-a little girl's nursery-even better!

     We aren't going into this naive, we know there are hidden foxes out there just waiting for us to walk by so they can snap at our tired feet, but at least we know they are there and we know what to do when they attack. We are excited and looking forward to all that God is doing and is going to continue to do in our growing family!

Rock on Jim

     My Husband....Can I just tell you about my wonderful husband? I don't think I share enough about him. I am always talking about ME and my lemons, but the truth is, God uses Jim in amazing ways to turn my lemons into some of the absolute best lemonade!

     This weekend Jim ran the Memphis St. Jude Marathon. We had decided that we were done with marathons when he started cutting minutes off his 5K time...He trained hard and cut 45 seconds off in a matter of months! His coaching friend gave him a new marathon training plan that he wanted Jim to test out for him and asked him to do it for the St. Jude marathon. He reluctantly signed up, thinking, oh well, at least we will have a nice weekend at least. This was our 4th year to do Memphis. Jim's best marathon time was 2 hours and 51 minutes. For this race he set the goal of anything below 2:50. I always try to challenge him and promised him all kinds of special promises if he ran it faster than 2:46......When he came through at the half, 13.1, He was 1:21. I thought, hmmm, he is either going too fast and will hit a wall at 20 or he's doing really good. We waited at 26....I wasn't expecting him when he got there. When I recognized him I started screaming. It was way too early for him to be coming by. When he saw me he began pumping his fists and smiling SO big. He looked great! He gave me a high five. I told him to finish hard....He put the pedal to the metal and ran those 26.2 miles in 2 hours and 43 minutes!!!!
     One thing that Jim doesn't lack is determination. He is so focused, it drives me crazy sometimes, but if it wasn't for that determination, he wouldn't be who he is today. He's as serious as can be. He has a lot on his plate right now and I admire him for his desires to serve God first and foremost. First of all, he is a political reporter for American Family Association News {http://www.onenewsnow.com/}, Co-host of the AFA Report which airs online and on the air everyday at 12 noon central. He teaches one of the Adult 2 Sunday School classes in our church, spending at least an hour every day preparing for the lesson. Most recently, he has added a new desire under his belt. He will sign a full-time contract with Modern Woodman of America as a Financial Representative in January. He's been working part-time for them for the last few months. He's still going to keep his day job, but do this stuff on the side. He LOVES it. It takes him away from the stress of the news. Then on top of all that, he does an incredible job of being a husband and daddy to 2 of the most adorable boys ever.
     When I was waiting for God to bring Jim into my life, friends would say, "Candise, do you really think God is just going to put him right in front of you? Do you honestly think that you can just look at him and say, he's the one." I always responded, yes. Jim's a yankee! He's from northern Illinois. For some reason I was a Mississippi snob and thought that if there was any guy in MS that was the one for me, then I would have surely met him by now. I was right! haha. The first time I laid eyes on Jim, I thought, I could marry that guy...I quickly changed my thoughts to something different, I didn't want to jinx it. Then after the first conversation we had together, under the back porch of our church, for 3 hours, we both knew--we had met the one!
     I love him more and more everyday. He is smart, he knows all the intelligent stuff like politics, theology, sports, finances. Not so much about any of the other stuff! But that's okay, I know some of that stuff! He's the most honest guy I know. He's definitely the nicest guy you'll ever meet! He has integrity, dignity and eloquence. I have to pinch myself just about everyday, just to make sure I'm not dreaming! Amanda posted on her FB one day, You know you are in love when reality is better than your dreams-Dr. Seuss. I don't think I could have said it any better myself doc! Congratulations Jim, I am soooo proud of you!

How the kids entertained themselves during the race!

Why Music?

     I have to credit my brother-in-law Mel for my love of music. He was a keyboardist in a Southern Gospel Band- Called Out years ago. Growing up we would go to their concerts every Friday and Saturday night, or when and wherever they were having them. That's when I learned to listen to the words of the music, not just the other stuff. They were Bible stories, put to music!  I loved it! They sang a song Still in the Fire that taught me about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Their songs taught me lessons I wasn't getting at home. Teaching me the Word and I didn't even know it! When I was in college, pre-Salvation, I was so angry at myself for letting music get to me...sappy love ballads {Mariah Carey, Chicago, etc} I had to stop listening, felt like my heart would get broken over and over everytime I listened to them. That's when I replaced my secular music with Christian music. My thoughts began to be more rejoiceful, more thankful, more positive.
     Last night Jim and I were sitting on our bed, both with our laptops on our legs, he was preparing his Sunday School lesson, I was blogging and exploring Pandora...listening to Nothing but the Cross. We both just laid our heads back, closed our eyes and sang along.  {Nothing more special than worshiping your King with your husband!---Now that's marriage!}
     Laura Story, a Christian musician, has quickly become one of my favorite artists. Her words speak right to the heart of God-they lead me to a place of worship, where I can really raise my hands in awe of His Glory! My new favorite of her's is after the jump. I encourage you to press play, close your eyes and allow yourself to not only hear the music, but the words that speak of the Perfect Peace given to us by our Holy King!

Could you, like, not breathe?

     You've probably met me, and most of you have met Jim. If so, you know how true the old cliche opposites attract is! Some people have even met Jim, realized who he is, can't put his age with his voice then with his knowledge and then, with ME! LOL! Just when you thought you had nothing in common with your better half....Jim runs, A Lot. Me, well, I try hard not to run. He's a neat

freak, clutter stresses him out. I thrive on organized clutter. He doesn't have the usual route to his heart-me all purtied up or a caramal-pecan pumpkin pie in the oven...nuhuh...those are second and third to a clean house! If I want to butter him up, I better get to cleaning. He is laid back, likes to relax, be a home-body...not me, I am task oriented and have a very hard time sitting still. He's graceful, nice, eloquent. Ha...don't even get me started about that one! I am easily annoyed. More so during pregnancy than others. I LOLed one evening. He asked me what was so funny. I asked him if he could, like, not breathe...it was annoying me. DO YOU KNOW HOW RIDICULOUS THAT SOUNDS? Of course I did, that's why I was laughing! He says he loves everything about me, LOL! While most of the books in the house are his, all of the tools in the house are mine. I never get mosquito bites, his bff  is OFF Skintastic. He was properly raised, crosses his feet when he sits and always puts the lid down. Well, I was farm-raised, in a barn. He has an absolutely amazing depth of Biblical, political and sports knowledge. Me-I'm a Hannah Montana fan. He's discreet, quiet and doesn't usually speak out of turn or when unnecessary. If you tell me you like my vintage London Fog rain coat I'm going to shout it from the rooftops that it came from a catholic charity mission 6 years ago for $1.00 people!!! I'll have a loaded baked potato with extra cheese. He'll be having the spring mix salad with currants and pine nuts, with a light vinegarette on the side, please.  I'm cold, he's hot. He came from a midwestern Christian home, the eldest of 5. I am a Southern Belle who was the baby of a very dysfunctional family who say winder instead of window. He said he would never marry a girl with a Southern accent. I knew I'd marry out of the South, and teach my children the word ya'll. I have to force myself to add the re to refridgerator. (I'll admit, I've caught myself saying-fridgrator) We laugh at ourselves all the time. We are very aware of how unlike the other we are! We admire the differences we have. It makes us who we are as the Browns. We know that God made each of us unique, which makes us unique, and we fit together perfectly, just like He planned.

Successes, Failures & Hope-a little bit of it all

     Somedays you feel successful as a mom and wife, other days you feel like a complete failure. It's all relative, what success is. To me, if I've loved on my kids all day and given them the attention they deserve,  and so fervently desire, then I feel I was a successful mommy that day. If my husband has to get the bread and peanut butter out of the pantry after supper, I feel like a failure, I'm supposed to feed the man! Failure is when I have spent more time on the tasks of being wife and mommy than fulfilling the actual duty. It's a fine balance that I'm not sure I will ever achieve, but by golly, I'm gonna try!
     Often, naptime comes and I ask myself, whoa, did I even say one positive thing to Taylor today? Did I work with Andrew on his words? Is there something Jim has been asking me to do that has slipped my mind? I think it's important to evaluate yourself, assess the need for change, the need to hug your kids more, look for areas of improvement!
     Other days, like today, I was able to start my day off the right way-Praising the Giver of Life before my feet even hit the ground! Not that being able to do this means you will have a successful day, I can testify to that, but it definitely puts you in the right mindset, you've made contact with the Father. Made Him your first priority. That is key!

     I knew today was successful when both my boys were so tired they made absolutely no fuss when they went down for their naps. Whew! I haven't had a shower, just sat down since...7:30ish, still have my glasses on and the living room looks like the storm that is brewing out west has already come and gone! But, I sit in amazement, Taylor got some t.v. time-the only time he will actually sit still and give his voice a rest, so it's important for him and me! Andrew got his morning nap, both boys got some much needed Vitamin D outside, there were veggies at lunch and best of all...there weren't any spankings today! When I couldn't play one more round of soccer with Taylor I decided they'd probably like a bath...and I could sit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

     So it's 3:30, my precious darlings are napping, are squeaky clean, supper for 2 families is warming on the stove and not a single dirty dish needs to be washed! Now I consider that a successful day. Come tomorrow, when I have company coming, grocery shopping and extra cooking to do, well, that might just be another story! Praise the Lord for His mercies that are new each day!

Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. “ The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “ Therefore I hope in Him!” Lamentations 3:22-24 NKJV

Re-Wired, Continued!!

Jim just sat here laughing through my Re-Wired post-said he couldn't make it through it. Said I was a very creative, versatile writer. What's that mean? You (Candise) are a good story-teller. Me (Jim), I'm good with telling the facts. HaHa...not sure if that is a compliment or not. We went on to check on the boys, make sure they are tucked in well. We return to the kitchen where I find the dessert still sitting on the stove and more dirty dishes on the counter. I mentioned, this stuff is still out? He laughed...said he didn't know if I had had any...Did you not notice me sitting beside you eating cake and drinking a glass of milk, notice the knife in the cake...or even that the cake was out...Well, I thought you just got it out for me. And you just thought these dishes with leftover cake on them were from who? Did you not just read my blog...get anything from it? Thank goodness he chuckled. Still, nothing, walked into the bedroom and said, I'm so glad you left this pile of clothes on my side of the bed. Well, I was hoping you'd notice them and fold them for me...Need a blimp hun? I Think he played this I'm a guy card on purpose, just to get my goat. I've seriously got my work cut out for me!

Re-Wired

     I'm just not buying it anymore! The "I'm a guy, I'm wired that way" card. It'll stop with my boys...bet I'm not the first mom/wife to cry this! You may totally disagree with me and have some scientific or spiritual explanation, but I don't. I just have a logical explanation-laziness. I'm not harping on Jim or any recent event, just a general observation.

     Too many times we let our guys get away with things, like overlooking the pile of clothes needing to be folded or the icky stack of dirty dishes or not responding to a third request to do something just because he's a guy, he's wired that way. There is really no excuse. I think it's just inbred in them that this is acceptable because their mom's said that it's just the way he's wired. Bahumbug! I NEVER get a pass to be moody just because I'm a girl. Just because I have raging hormones doesn't give me permission to make everyone walk on eggshells. I'm not saying I don't, just saying, it's not even acceptable for me to play the-I have PMS card.

     I've talked to Jim about this, wondering why is it so hard for him to "read my mind" or to understand my feelings...He is just like all guys and says, "just not wired that way." But when it all came down to it, he said it's comfortable that way, it's laziness. It's taken me 4 and a half years to see that I can't change what's already done, but I think I can stop the cycle with my boys! I keep reminding myself that they are going to be some lovely girl's husbands someday. I want those girls to see all that my little men can be-sensitive to her feelings, aware of obvious chores, and most definitely still woo her off aching feet when she's 60 pounds pregnant and ankles the size of grapefruits! Ask me in 20 years if my plan is working!

And please, by all means, let me know what you think...agree, disagree?

A Perfect Waste of Time

It's been a very, very long weekend. And as I promised God, I will sit down now. It's 7:26 p.m. on Sunday evening and both boys are fed, bathed and snug as bugs in their beds. We have completely unpacked. Unpacking takes much longer now that I have to unpack for three! But, being that almost all of our clothes were dirty, they all went in the hamper!! EASY!
 Jim and I look at each other, and let out long sighs, let's go watch some t.v.!!! Jim would beg to differ with me, but I don't think anything on television is useful for our minds. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8 Jim would like to believe that ESPN and the news are right, true, lovely?

However, we both agree that the television is definitely a mind clearing device. We can sit, stare and think about absolutely nothing! It's a perfect waste of our time when we don't abuse it. We don't watch anything until our boys are in the bed, except sports and news, occasionally. We are strict with ourselves in guarding our hearts and minds, so we usually TiVo our favorite detective and spy shows and just stare aimlessly, allowing our minds a rest.

See you tomorrow, refreshed, bushy-eyed and ready to do the wife & mommy thing all over again!

We are the Browns

We are the Browns, Jim, Candise, Taylor & Andrew. Our little sister, Carrie Ann Marie, should be here around February 10, 2010. We live in Tupelo, MS, and spend A LOT of our time outside.

Jim and I met at church in 2004 and married the following year. A year after that, Taylor arrived and rocked our world. When he was almost 2 months old, we moved to NoVA for Jim to cover national affairs in the Washington, D.C., office for his job. I especially loved my time there because I made some great friends. Jim's sister lived 15 minutes away from us and we always hung out with her family. Taylor and I also had special time together exploring the city and walking with our BFFs, Kate and Reid. We miss the D.C. area A LOT, but we know that Tupelo, MS, is exactly where God wants us to be raising our children at this time.

Jim is a runner, me, not so much. I don't mind driving the car beside him though, or standing, I mean sitting in the lawn chair in the driveway cheering him on when he runs by! Jim is one of the most knowledgable people I know, not to mention the nicest, most cordial, polite, modest, clean and honest guy you'll ever meet. He enjoys a good challenge and can tell you anything you want to know about sports, theology, government and his new venture-financial planning.

Taylor is our very exuberant 3 year old. He has my personality. Need I say more? We think he is incredibly smart. He also has one of the most forgiving spirits of anyone. He loves to play every sport that exists and is finally enjoying books. It's a tough time for Jim and I as parents right now because we walk the line of allowing him to be 3 and wanting him to be an obedient little boy. It's not easy and we pray everyday for the Lord to give us wisdom and strength to shephard him in the way he should go.

Andrew is our cuddle bug that melts your heart with one glance. His love language is touch and has Jim's personality-he is quiet. He is 15 months old and talks very little. If it needs to be said, he lets us know. He'd rather be playing with a truck or car all by himself than playing baseball--uh oh Jim! He loves to stroll in the stroller and only complains if he is hungry, sleepy or taking an unwanted pounding from his brother!

Me, I am a wife, and a mommy, still working out the kinks, I don't think it'll every be smooth. I love my family more than anything in this world. I really enjoy great Bible studies, and anything that encourages me to spend more time in His precious Word. I absolutely love cookbooks. I would rather sit down with a good cookbook, with pics of course, than a tabloid any day. I am in a cooking club that meets once a month. Besides learning new recipes and new ideas, the ladies in this group are just a few years ahead of me in parenting and marriage and are great role models and a wealth of knowledge for my spongey brain. And finally, I love arts and crafts. I enjoy painting and sewing. I'd rather make something than buy it new.

Well, that's us in a nutshell. Want to know more, just ask-I'm not a very quiet person! I hope you enjoy my blog, I know I will enjoy sharing with you!