Hope Your Valentine's Day is Filled with True Love!

      I read this earlier today...and seeing that it's Valentine's day, it really makes a lot of sense.  So I thought I would share..."I love you BECAUSE.." or "I love you IF.." are both conditional love. "I love you despite.." is unconditional~how God loves you.   
     I've been learning over the last year and a half that how God loves you is how a spouse (or future spouse, depending on where you are in life) should strive to love you.  There's a reason it talks about it through the New Testament.  I have to admit...in years past, I equated the love of Christ as "conditional"...based upon what I was living and the situation during that time.  It was very conditional and performance driven.  But, through God's incredible grace and mercy, I have been blessed to be able to see and experience it all on a much more personal and deeper level.  I see now that real, true love is unconditional.  I know this, because I can get hard to love at times and yet...I'm still loved!
     I see God's true love through the service I get at home.  It's the small, everyday courtesies.  There is not a day that goes by that Sean doesn't do something for me...unasked.  Mind you, if I do need something, he is right there in a heartbeat, completely dependable, and there for me.  Just like my God.  But it's the random, thoughtful things that blow my mind.  When I'm up super early to go work out...my truck is started to warm up.  If there is something we need from the grocery store...it's there in the fridge.  When laundry needs done or dishes washed, they are done without any kind of fit thrown or expectation of anything in return.  I have never met anyone so willing to serve someone else in my life.  Not to mention considerate with gifts.  The flowers all the time...random Cokes...hot baths ready for me and foot rubs after long days.  All without me saying I need them.  He is such a blessing.  And how Christlike he is with showering me with gifts, based on my needs...even before I know I need them.
     When I prayed for someone who was like Christ in so many ways...I never imagined I would get someone like Sean.  And I never fully understood the depth of what that meant.  Seeing that in action has really opened my eyes to the full meaning, and how Christ really does love the Church.  And how Sean...and God...love me unconditionally.  

     So on this Valentine's Day, I want to make sure that I show Sean how appreciative of him that I really am.  Actually I try to show him everyday.  And it's funny how our lives really reflect our walks with Christ.  And how our goals are to show each other just how much we love and appreciate each other, and love each other unconditionally.  I am so in love with him...and our God!  And the blessings He is continually giving us are really blowing our minds!

Just an update...

     Since my Valentine's Day surprise has continued every single night this month...I thought I would give a wee bit o' an update on its progress.  Background: walked in from work on the 31st of January and found balloons lining the stairway...along with lots of Valentine decorations.  Each balloon had a card attached with a day written on the envelope.  The days were numbered 1-14.  I know...lots of beautiful balloons!!  Each night has been a sweet, love related (not always chick flick) movie.  We've got to spend 6 nights (so far) snuggled up on the couch together, enjoying each others company...as well as the kids at a couple of the them.  I've looked forward to them every day...some days it's the only thing I've got to keep me going!!!  So far, here's the list...

The Illusionist ***** (5 stars)  Great one!


Singing in the Rain ***** of course...it's a classic.  Never mind it poured while we watched it.  Added to the ambiance!  Only Sean could do that.

Say Anything ** kinda weird 80's movie...wouldn't really recommend.

My Fair Lady ***** Another Classic.  I'd never seen it.  Everyone should.  Especially since he said I looked like Audry Hepburn.  Massive brownie points.  And lots of extra kisses.
PS I love you **** Total chick flick.  But more brownie points for him for getting it.  He's gooood.

Sleeping Beauty...gotta try this one again.  Hastings gave us a crappy movie and we couldn't watch it.  So this one is a do over.

Tonight's selection...The Ghost and Mrs. Muir.  It's a pretty old movie so it should be interesting!
Each movie is preceded with the sweetest note in the card I have ever read.  And clever, too.  Because inside this sweet note are clues about the movie.  And dang it if he isn't good.  I'm like 3 for 6 on guessing the movie is all.  So here are some pics of the notes.  The messages are gonna be private, just cause they're for me.  Not in a bad, scandalous way, but because they are in a personal, in between us kind of way.  Enjoy!



How sweet are these?!?  Trust me...the notes inside are even sweeter!!





I am so blessed...I look forward to coming home and seeing what he has up his sleeve every evening!



Just a 'Lil Thought Goes a Long Ways

     You know, I just have to say that it feels so good to be loved the way I am.  From the kids, my parents, siblings, and extended family to my absolutely best friend and love of my life...I am blessed far beyond what words could ever begin to describe.  My heart swells up when I think of all of the blessings I've been given and the fact that I am surrounded by people who love me for who I am.  Every day is a new adventure in our lives, and I'm never afraid of what may come anymore.  It's such an incredible feeling knowing that finally I have somebody who has my back no matter what.  I can be myself, he can be himself, and together we can all be a family full of love and laughter.  I watch as they wrestle, or we snuggle, or we all run around together and I thank God for the gifts that He's given to me.  Gifts I never ever thought I would be able to experience.  But, by God's ever present grace, I am blessed enough to get to.
     This Valentines Day (well, all through February so far) Sean has done his 14 nights of movies for me.  Each day, there is a sweet card he writes a clue in, and I have to guess the romantic movie we are going to watch.  In each note, he tells me some pretty incredibly sweet things.  Every day I'm blown away by his thoughtfulness and willingness to do this for me.  He could be like a lot of people and not think twice about it...or on Valentine's Day go "Oh crap...better order flowers!".  Or run to the jewelry store and pick up a meaningless pair of earrings.  I wouldn't complain, if it was some random day of the year, but that's not how I would want to celebrate Valentine's Day.  It should be Valentines Day every day...not just one day a year.  Thankfully, he knows me so well.  He has bought me fresh flowers every single week since we met...I've not gone without fresh flowers for well over a year now.  And according to him, I never will.  And I believe him.  Trust me, I'm not saying he shows me love by buying me gifts.  That's not the point at all.  The point is, is that he takes the time to show me he loves me by doing things for me that requires him to think.  Time that I know he could be doing a million other things.  He does things that take time and effort...not something that just requires him to pick up the phone and tell the flower people how much he wants to spend and give them his credit card number.  Every single day, he shows me his love for me, and for our family.  It's nothing for him to do the laundry, fix supper and do the dishes so I can do homework.  He will fix me a lunch to take to work if I'm working through my lunch hour.  He will stop by and bring me a coke and something to eat at work for a surprise.  Anything I need, he is there.  That is love to me.
     So I could really go on and on.  As I'm surrounded by all the crazy "it looks like Valentine's Day puked in Walmart" gimmicky gifts, I just want to say to take the time to do something meaningful.  Put some creativity in it...some thought into something for you significant other.  It doesn't matter where you are right now in your relationship...I promise it will make it so much better!   

What goes around...

     The title pretty much sums it all up.  It's a general life principle to live by; whatever you do to others probably will (and probably should) come back to you.  Good and bad...some call it Karma...I call it life.  But thankfully in this case, it's all good.  So Valentine's Day is coming up.  Never one to really like this day much in the past, I really didn't have anything in the way of expectations for this year, either.  Gotta love those that ruin holidays for all the others, huh?  Last year was better, but Sean and I hadn't been dating all that long and I was still a bit....guarded.  So anyways...I had known the last couple of days that Mr. Cupid had something up his sleeve for the VDay holiday, I just didn't know exactly what.  But knowing him like I do, I knew it would be good.  And romantic.  Cause that's just how he rolls.  When I walked in from work last night, I was blown away with all he had done for me.  And speechless.  And That. Never. Happens.  Sometimes I think he does stuff like that just to shut me up!  So this is what I walked in to see (sorry it's a bad pic...I will take a better one and upload it later today).

     Each balloon has a note on it with a number...one for the first 13 days of February, ending with something special on the 14th.  Sound familiar?  Like the 25 days of Christmas I did for him in December?  Yep!  Same concept!  Except...each night we are gonna watch a movie together...most of them some kind of obscure movie that has to deal with romance of some sort (it IS February) that he has thought long and hard about to choose.  And each day there will be a clue as to which movie it is.  Brilliant, if you ask me!
 
     Not only am I motivated to get my homework done early, so we will be able to watch the movie together, we get a guaranteed snuggle time on the couch.  Something we all need to make more time for in our busy lives!  And as for the whole what goes around comes around business...I am completely blessed because we have really figured out what works, at least for us, is taking time out of our day to show each other that we are thinking about the other.  Be it a quick, out of the blue text or our ritual board writing we are on a mission to show each other we care.  And that speaks volumes in our relationship.  I'm really starting to love Valentine's Day, now!