Hallmark from Home

For over a year now I have been making my own cards and I am thouroughly enjoying it. I love the creative aspect to it, but more than that, I love the money I save by making my own cards. Here are just a couple of the cards I've made.

Pops

Last weekend we visited a place called Pops on Route 66. We have lived here for over 2 years and just recently had learned about Pops. It was fun to go see, but it would have been more exciting if it hadn't been so busy/crowded. It was a Saturday afternoon, and there was a HUGE wait to eat at the diner, so we just walked around, bought some pop, took some pictures and left. We will go back another time (not a Saturday) and stay for lunch. We certainly enjoyed the family time!

Aaron and Jason in front of the huge Pops sign

The pops we chose to drink. I drank Vernors (a childhood
favorite) and Aaron chose Black Cherry

The windows were lined with Pop Bottles
of many flavors. It was pretty!

Redhawk Baseball

We bought tickets to 7 Redhawks games this season. The first 2 games we left early because it was FREEZING!! This last game was finally more like baseball weather (HOT), and we were able to enjoy the game not bundled up. We sit next to a father and son, and they are super friendly. We are so thankful not to be seated with a rowdy crowd.

Watching the fireworks after the game

The Redhawks lost, BAD!!

Ready to watch the game. I've been waiting
to take a picture like this for a long time!

Jason loved when everyone would clap and cheer.

He had quite a few fans of his own! :)

Sweet boy!

6-7-8

Here are the vows that Aaron and I wrote and vowed to one another 3 years ago today. They were true then and remain true to this day. We thank the Lord for 3 wonderful years of marriage and look forward to many more!

Rebekah's Vows

Aaron, I love you, and with great joy give myself to you; you are my husband. In love, God has chosen me to be His daughter, and besides this free bequest of eternal life you are the most precious gift God has given to me. By God's grace and power at work in me, I promise to be your trustworthy wife, to be your helper and lover always, to be submissive to you as the church submits to Christ, and to respond to your headship as you lead us in the ways of the Lord Jesus, as long as God gives us life on this earth. I will respect you as my divinely appointed head and devote myself to you alone until we are separated by death. I praise God continually for you, Aaron! Your sweet love for me demonstrates the scriptural truth, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

Aaron's Vows

Rebekah, I love you, and with great joy take you to be my wife. I acknowledge God's sovereign authority in my life. In love God has chosen me to be His son, and besides this free bequest of eternal life, you are the most precious gift God has entrusted to me. Guided by His word and enabled by the Spirit, Rebekah, I promise to love you as Christ loves the church, to nourish and tenderly care for you, to provide for you, and to lead you as He leads me, as long as He gives us life, regardless of the circumstances. I will honor you as my divinely granted treasure and devote myself to you alone until we are separated by death. May the words of the Psalmist express our lifetime union together, "O magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name together."

It is hard to believe how quickly 3 years has gone by. MUCH has changed in our lives over 3 years. The biggest changes were moving to Oklahoma 8 months into our marriage for Aaron's job, and adding a sweet baby boy to our family. We can look back over the 3 years and see God's sovereign hand in our lives. We can see the goodness of God, and we are so thankful for His wonderful and gracious hand at work in our lives. We are still growing, still leaning on the Lord, and we are ever so thankful He is the foundation of our marriage.

ABOUT THE DATE, 6-7-8

For those of you who love cool dates, we have to tell you THAT isn't the reason we picked this date. That was the earliest date we could pick that worked out for everyone. One of my Aunts pointed out to us that it was 6-7-8.

Blessing at BK

Tonight we went for a stroll since it was such a lovely evening. We decided to head to Sonic for a treat, but as we were walking we decided Sonic was a bit more than we wanted to spend. Instead, we chose Burger King for a chocolate shake to share. So we arrived at BK, ordered a large chocolate shake, and the sweet lady said "no charge." I made sure I heard her right and thanked her profusely for her generosity. Boy were we glad we chose Burger King over Sonic! :)

Catching up

The couple that lives in the other half of our duplex has just moved out. This is so sad because they have been the best and quietest neighbors ever. I am praying for more quiet neighbors to move in.

On Tuesday I went and used up my Mother's Day gift. I had my hair cut and highlighted, and then I went and had a pedicure. I felt so pampered, and so much more presentable after the fact. I so dislike having my feet touched by ANYONE...but for some reason, I can sit through a pedicure and thoroughly enjoy every minute!

Tuesday was also the day that we had the horrible weather here. Tornadoes everywhere!! My biggest fear is tornadoes (it used to be giving birth)...I get sick to my stomach whenever they come to town. They were literally within miles of our home in both directions. We thank the Lord for His protection of our home and of us! One of the guys Aaron works with lives with his parents, and they lost everything, but they were all safe in their shelter. When we move next, it is of utmost importance that we find a home with a tornado shelter. They used to say climb in the bathtub (that is where Jason and I were, with his crib mattress over us), away from all windows etc...but these tornadoes lately have been taking entire homes and demolishing them. I am certainly comforted by the fact that I am a child of God, and that whether I go by tornado or some other way, I will be spending eternity with Him. If I had a choice, I wouldn't choose death by tornado.

Have I ever mentioned how thankful I am for Aaron's job at Discount Tire!?! They are an incredible company to work for! Just today Aaron called to tell me that Jason received a gift from the owner of the company and his wife. How cool is that! AND, Aaron is off on Monday for the holiday. AND...he is off on Sunday's. AND...the list goes on. God has truly provided for us through Aaron's job, and He continues to provide and bless us abundantly!

Jason and I are enjoying the Summer. I know, it isn't officially Summer yet, but the temps sure make it seem like Summer. We have been taking lots of walks. We go swimming in the backyard pool (he LOVES swimming). I so wish he was able to take the sing and swim lessons at the public pool next month, but he has to be 6-12 months old. There has also been a lot of learning going on. It is amazing what they can grasp at 4 months old. He is about to be 5 months and I can hardly believe it! He is learning baby sign language, and he has been doing the sign for 'more' really well. He has discovered that his toes will reach his mouth (yuk!!!). He really enjoys the sitting position, but isn't quite able to sit by himself yet. We pray alot with him, and whenever we say Amen, he just laughs.

As simple as ABC

I was introduced to a delicious sandwich just a couple weeks ago at my mother-in-laws home. The name of the sandwich is...ABC. Nope, ABC doesn't stand for Already Been Chewed. :) It stands for Apple, Bacon, Cheddar. This combination might sound a bit interesting, but trust me, it is really great all mixed together. Well, I guess that depends on each individuals taste buds, but to my taste buds, it tasted divine.

Here is the recipe, which believe it or not IS as simple as ABC. :)

ABC SANDWICH
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1 apple, finely chopped (I used a granny smith)
12 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled
3/4 cup mayo
6 hard boiled eggs (optional...I haven't tried it with the eggs yet, but I suspect it would be yummy)
1 tomato, chopped (optional...I also haven't tried with the tomato yet)

Mix all ingredients together. Spread on your choice of bread. ENJOY!

-It reminds me a bit of a BLT. I will be trying the eggs and tomato when I make this recipe next.