Seven Years Ago, Today

Here is what I posted on The Knot 7 years ago so that everyone could get the details of our big day.... and what led to it:

MARCH 30, 2003

Newlyweds for 2557 days!ABOUT CARRIECarrie Blackmer - a girl from Skaneateles, NY who left to investigate the south a bit. She traveled to Nashville to go to school and loved it so much that she spent 8 years of her life there. It was in this time that she really began to grow in the Lord and really understand what it meant to have a relationship with our Lord, Jesus Christ. She was challenged in many ways, one major area being that of trust. Trusting people, trusting the Lord's timing... just plain trusting the Lord in every area of her life. In this time, the Lord proved to be the ultimate provider, comforter, faithful friend and yet continued to challenge her. How amazing that the Lord loves us so much that He will continue to challenge us so we can grow continually close to Him, trusting Him with every move we make. We serve an amazing God and what an honor it is to be called for such a time as this!! Carrie felt many doors closing in Nashville and felt the Lord may be preparing her for another move. She was prepared to go anywhere... except New York, that is. When she finally let go and agreed to go to New york if that is where the Lord would have her go, guess what?!? That is exactly where the Lord wanted her to go. So she packed her bags, left her belongings in storage and drove to New York. It was a struggle. The economy there is very poor and finding work was close to impossible. However, the Lord is good! As much as she disliked it, she was blessed with a job working retail at the mall. While there, another job just kind of fell into her lap. There was a festival in the works there in Syracuse, and it turns out they were in need of some office help. Carrie was given the honor of working at Syracuse Festival with Luis Palau (beginning in April) for about 5 months which finished out the festival. There were about 75K people in Clinton Square over 2 days and hundreds of people made decisions for the Lord! What an amazing experience that was! During that time, Carrie had the privilege of traveling to Myrtle Beach for the festival that was happening there. These festivals happen all over the world, with 2-3 in the states each year. when she flew in to Myrtle Beach, Mark Johnson was assigned to pick me up at the airport....ABOUT MARKMark Johnson was born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Over the past few years he has been active in Campus Crusade for Christ and Athletes in Action, traveling all over the world spreading the good news of Jesus Christ! Each time he left Florida he was ready to go, but also ready to come back to his old stomping grounds. A little over a year ago, he was called back to the area to work at Beachfest with Luis Palau. He has been working at Beachfest as a Church Relations Coordinator for the festival. He began working at Beachfest in March of 2002. He traveled to Myrtle Beach to experience a festival in process. He was scheduled to pick Carrie up at the airport when she flew in....HOW WE METSo the airport in Myrtle Beach is where the happy couple met. It turns out that, although they were only there a short period of time, they were scheduled to work the entire weekend together. They worked together, ate together, had great conversation and enjoyed each others company. All of a sudden both went in different directions, realizing how much time they had been spending together. They always seemed to end up back in the same place, however. At the end of the festival, both went to their respective cities and continued on with life as they knew it. A couple of weeks later, Carrie received an e-mail from Mark. It was very nice, cordial, and very unexpected. Then she got a call on her birthday! How in the world had he remembered her birthday?!? Carrie was caught off guard, but still not grasping what all was going on. Mark, as he says it, did cartwheels, back flips, you name it! It took Carrie a while to notice. Carrie made a trip to Florida in October for a football game (Canes vs. FSU), and on the way home she really realized that this was a special guy. Ever since then, she knew there was something special there. She was still struggling with her walls and they went up almost as soon as they came down. But as Mark continued to challenge her, she became more and more comfortable and they began to slowly come down and staying down. Mark came to New York for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, and the day after Christmas he drove Carrie down to Fort Lauderdale to work at the festival there...WHEN WE GOT ENGAGED March 28, 2003HOW IT HAPPENEDMark caught Carrie totally off guard for the engagement. He talked someone at the office into letting me go early on Friday, even though we were in crunch time for getting the data entry in. The Lord is good and we were able to get it 90% done and they told Carrie to go home and enjoy the weekend. Knowing better than to ask twice, she said thanks and left. They went to Target to run some errands and then Mark asked if she wanted to go to dinner. Since they hadn't been in such a long time, she agreed. That would be a nice finish to a long couple of weeks. He asked how Houston's on the water sounded and she thought that would be great! So they went to Carrie's house so she could change, went to Mark's so he could change, and then they went to the beach to just relax a bit before dinner. Then they drove to Houston's, walked in, and they said it would be a few minutes. Carrie went to the restroom without thinking about the fact that Houston's doesn't take reservations and it was Friday night. There was apparently a 2 hour wait and by the time Carrie got back, Mark had already been seated... at the best table on the deck! Carrie, still clueless, was excited about ordering because she was starving! When she sat down, Mark said that he really wanted chocolate, so they would have to save room for dessert. She laughed and said okay. When their appetizer came out they ate that, and then Mark moved the chips and said, "I am going to move these so we don't keep eating them. I want to make sure we have room for dessert... I really want chocolate!" Although she had never seen Mark that excited about chocolate, she was still clueless. As they continued talking, he told Carrie that he had tried to get in touch with her mom, but was not able to do so. This was the one "old fashioned" piece Carrie had always wanted. the man she was to marry would ask her mom's permission. He picked up the phone and tried again right at the table. She answered the phone!! When Mark asked, Carrie saw him start to tear and she KNEW that her mom was crying on the other end. Was a sweet and special moment. Then half way through dinner Mark says, "I think I am going to have her box the rest of this because I want to make sure I have room for dessert." The waitress came out to clear the table and said, "can I interest you in any dessert? We have a wonderful brownie sundae with vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce on top, key lime pie, anything?" Mark just looked at me. I mean the boy DID want chocolate, so why was he all of a sudden quiet? Still clueless I said, "Well he really wants chocolate, so we'll have the brownie." She said she'd be right out with it. She came out, placed it between them, and reached around Carrie to grab her glass to refill it, or so she thought. It turns out it was the camera she grabbed. Mark has his camera everywhere, so that was nothing new. Before the dessert had come out, Mark had moved the candle in front of the post and had rearranged some things on the table. That was nothing new for him either. Carrie took a bite of the sundae, while Mark took a little tiny bit of the VANILLA ice cream. She looked at him and said, "Are you going to eat the chocolate you have been so excited about?" His response was yes, yet he continued to eat the vanilla ice cream. As he pulled the spoon over the top of the ice cream, she saw something poking out. She said, "Mark, what are you doing!?" He pulled out the ring, sucked all the ice cream off it, got down on one knee, and proposed. He said, "Carrie Louise Blackmer, I have waited a long time for this. I want you to be by my side, to share my life, to serve the Lord together........ will you marry me?" (Yes there was much more in there and it was beautiful, but Carrie can't remember it all now. She was crying and in shock!) Carrie said yes and the camera began flashing. Carrie was crying, Mark was crying, some of the wait staff was crying.... Behind her she could hear the wait staff lined up at the bar and clapping. Then they brought out a dozen red roses which he had someone bring earlier in the day. Okay, here is how he set it up... Mark called a friend and asked him to pick up the roses, go down to Houston's tell them what was going to happen and have them save a table right on the water. They agreed to do it, and when Mark and Carrie got there and Carrie went to the restroom, Mark asked who would be waiting on them and gave the girl the ring to put n the dessert. They were instructed to bring out the roses after the proposal. What a thoughtful guy! :o)WHEN & WHERE March 30, 2003
Fort Lauderdale, FLABOUT THE BIG DAYThey had planned to do a little ceremony on the beach at sunrise on March 30, 2003. Yes, it was a planned elope. They didn't tell their families because they knew that Carrie's family would not be able to make it. So, they had the pastor, a video guy, a camera guy and her roommate. It was absolutely perfect! After planning a huge festival which had taken place the weekend before, the last thing they wanted to do was plan another event. They began pulling things together on the Tuesday before they were to get married. Carrie found her dress in about 5 minutes during her lunch hour!!! Totally the Lord. They were going to go get the marriage license on Friday, but Mark felt they should go on Thursday instead. They went to get their marriage license on Thursday, and found there was a three day wait in the state of Florida. The license said that they could get married on March 30, 2003 or later! Another God moment. Praise the Lord for His guidance! Friday morning Carrie went next door to the office in search of peach roses. They had every color but peach, but he said he could have them that afternoon. He asked how many and she told him she was getting married on Sunday morning. He asked if she needed a bouquet and she said yes, but nothing big because everything about the ceremony is simple. He said he would have it by noon the next day, complete with a boutonniere. It was beautiful!!! Carrie went off to get her nails and toes done and her roommate popped in and paid for it! And brought a little gift too. Then came the ceremony on Sunday morning at sunrise.... 6:30 a.m. Everything was perfect and the sunrise matched the flowers! Another God moment! After the ceremony they changed, went to church, had communion, went to his parents' house and told them, went to his little sister's house for a baby shower, told the rest of the family there and then headed out of town. They went to Orlando for a few days.... God totally prepared the way for that as well. 4 days/3 nights at an upgraded condo for $99, discounted tickets to a Cirque show, year passes to Sea World for less than a day's ticket...... Great deals everywhere!! Now the happy couple currently resides in Plantation, Florida and are seeking the Lord's direction as to new career paths.
Here is an update, 7 years later (but I am going to write it in the first person)....
About a year after being married, we relocated to Chicago where we worked for a few years at the same church. Our offices were right next to each other. During our time in Chicago, we were blessed with two beautiful girls, Abigail (now 3 1/2) and Amanda (now almost 2). Five weeks after Amanda was born, we relocated back to the south Florida area where Mark began getting ready to launch his our company. We are enjoying the sunny south and the girls are loving the fact that they can be outdoors almost every day of the year. Today, 7 years after the big day, it is breezy and in the mid 70's. Not a cloud in the sky. Abigail wrote her first letter by herself without any prompting (the letter A) and she was SOOO excited! She wrote it and screamed, "Mommy! I wrote the letter A!!!" And she sure did. She also learned how to actually pedal her tricycle by herself! Her legs are finally long enough to reach the pedals. Amanda is a little ham and continues to keep us laughing, along with antagonizing her big sister. What a joy to have them. We feel so blessed as God continues to provide and guide our every move. I am so very blessed to be able to share this life with Mark and the girls!!

Days of Discovery

Do you ever have days when you realize that what you are pursuing might not actually be the direction in which you should be going? Just when I figure something out and move toward it, BAM!!! There is another wall, followed by another wall, and another...... only to then see something in that same vein done so very well. Much better than I could have ever done.

Then comes the next question - do I break the wall down and keep going? or is it time to move in another direction. Is this wall placed there as a piece of the maze to lead me to another outlet? Or is it placed there as a means to take a "moment" to polish up, refine and challenge what I thought I knew?

As I process and pray through that, more questions arise. Confusion begins to cloud everything. Here is the crucial moment where I have a decision to make. I can let defeat (confusion) take over and sink into the desert, or I can make the most out of this call to prayer and really lean into what God is asking of me. I have so often fallen into the "defeat" category and because of this, have lost sight of who I have been created to be and do. Including doubting whether I am fit to be a full time mom. Those doubts are gone. God has created me with a purpose. He has blessed me beyond belief. He has given me two precious little girls to care for and teach the ways in which they should go. So in this moment of uncertainty in knowing which way to turn, I choose to look up. To take this opportunity to fine tune the gifts I have been given. To follow a path that was only intended for me. To understand that there is purpose and to take that and grow. To blossom into the beautiful creation I have been created to be.

Throughout this current process, I have discovered that I have the gift of intercession. I have discovered that I am really good at seeing things in people and giving them ideas of how/what to create or do..... to see their giftings. I am good at looking at something and being able to point out strong points and areas of improvement. Consulting? Something that had never crossed my mind until today. I would love to meet people, talk with them, get to know them and help them find outlets.... or make improvements on what they already have. Does it make me nervous to put this out there? Absolutely! I have no real experience in this area. However, it is something I would like to work toward and see what happens. That and a bunch of other things :-) Here is the bottom line - I AM OPEN! Open and willing.

What I am most thankful for is a God who knows me and understands me. Who is so very patient with me as I seek Him to discover all He has in store for me. The plans He has had for me all along. I am thankful for his arms around me (yes, I feel them now), His gentle whispers of encouragement and love, His listening ear and His unconditional love. How blessed I am!!!!

Rats!

Not to be confused with "aw nuts" or "bummer." I mean real rats! Apparently we had some vacationers in the attic, but one must have fallen into the wall or vent. Our bedroom stinks!! Traps were set and another rat was caught, but no way to find the stinky one. We have tried everything possible to get the stench out of the room, but it continues to permeate the entire room. And it continues to get stronger and stronger.

The other day, the first day we noticed it, I was in the room spraying Lysol Neutra Air and Abi came in:

Abi - "Mommy, whatcha doin'?"

Me - "it is stinky in here and I am trying to see if this will help."

Abi - "Oh. Okay."

Then Abi runs out to Mark:

Abi - "Daddy, mommy is spraying the room because it is stinky. She sprayed me too. I think she thinks I am stinky!"

Too funny! And just for the record I didn't spray her, but I think she ran through some of the spray as it fell to the ground.

Do you ever get a smell stuck in your nose and even when you go outdoors in the fresh air, it doesn't leave? That is now what is happening to me. I think I smell like it too! Although it doesn't actually seem to be in my clothes or anything. Yes, I smell them often..... and all day long. Just checking!

Okay, so there is always a silver lining, right? Here is this one. It is ONLY in our room. Sure you can smell it in the hallway when you walk past, but it really is just that room. It could have been the entire house, so we can be thankful for the one-room isolation! Lucky us! LOL!

MOCKINGBIRD UPDATE: The mockingbird has been quieter. Doesn't start it really loud noises until about 3 am or so. It has also been raining during the night, so that may keep him in too. Whatever the scenario, I am thankful to have gotten a little more sleep.

Happy singing, tweeting and smelling!

Oh, Silly Mockingbird....

.... why do you mock me?!?!? Yes, we have a mockingbird who has decided to sit outside our window every night and sing at the top of his lungs. All night. I saw him today!!!! He even flew right by my chair and sat in a palm tree so I could get a really good look at him. I think he looked me in the eye!!!! I think he was saying, "Good to meet you! Rest assured, I will be singing AGAIN all night tonight in my same spot! On the wire RIGHT OUTSIDE OF YOUR WINDOW!!!!!" Oy. It is beautiful, but why must it be during the night? So I did a little research.

It turns out that when they are mating (and it's apparently mating season), they sing all day and all night until they find their mate. Let's pray for the mocking bird! Please join me in prayer that he finds his mate very soon!

Just for your amusement, here are a couple of short versions of what I hear all night:

http://www.nps.gov/archive/wica/Sounds/Northern_Mockingbird.wav

http://homepage.corbina.net/~galkao/page/Misc/birds/mimus.wav

Actually, click on all of the sound bites on this page: http://www.findsounds.com/ISAPI/search.dll?keywords=mockingbird - They all reflect the all night party!!

Happy sleeping!

COUPONS!!!!

I can now understand how women get so excited about coupon savings that they dedicate so much time to searching, matching and posting about them. Today I went to CVS Pharmacy to purchase diapers. Pampers were on sale! For anyone who has read some of my past posts, I have loved Pampers since my girls were newborns. I have tried several diapers over the past few months trying to lower my cost and I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised by Huggies Little Movers! I have stayed with that one for a while because many places had them on sale (at different times) and I had coupons, thanks to the Sunday papers and the coupons that the Huggies company sent me. yes, if you email them and let them know you need coupons, they send you a $3 and a $1 coupon!

This week at CVS, Pampers are on sale for $8.97 with $3 cash back rewards if you have a CVS card (only takes a few minutes t fill out the info and you can do it online). I went in with my $2 manufacturer's coupon and paid just $6.97 plus tax, a price that is the same as the Target UP & Up diapers. I walked out and read the fine print on my $3 cash rewards coupon that printed out and realized I can go back tonight or tomorrow, pick up another bag of diapers, use my $3 cash rewards coupon AND my $2 manufacturer's coupon and only pay $3.97 for the bag! That's only 20 cents a diaper, people! AND YES! It gets better. I will still get another $3 cash rewards coupon when I buy the second bag! That is like getting the bag for just 97 cents! AND I got a coupon in my email for a free gift a body wash or sweet snack. I was just looking at those body washes today. Guess where I am going tomorrow! "Oh, what a feeling, when you're dancing on the ceiling!" I am totally psyched about the coupon game! This is not what my blog will become, but I did have to share my finds and excitement. There aren't very many coupons that I use since most of the food items are for processed foods and the cosmetics and things are still too expensive even with the coupon (since I am also inspired by and living on Bargain Lane), so when I find these kinds of deals, I can't help but to get SOOOOO very excited.

What are your great coupon stories?

Mom Bloggers

Have you noticed how many mom bloggers are out there today? Many different takes on things, different ideas on what their blog should be or represent, reviews, laughs, family, trials .... you name it, it's out there. And this is what people are reading today! Not just women, but men too. What draws people to the sites of mom bloggers? Why do so many people want to follow the thoughts and happenings of moms?

Here is my take on it. All moms, whether stay-at-home or working, have a different perspective on life. Even different from the perspective they had before becoming a mom. Why? Children! Children forever change the way you look at and handle anything and everything. Life becomes a jumbled heap of dirty laundry, complete with about ten new job descriptions to uphold, and it is now our job to figure out how to juggle it all.... or not. To leave a mess on the floor in order to create a memory. To forget about the dishes in the sink in order to laugh. To realize that the "perfection" you maintained before is no longer a reality. In the midst of all of the adjustment, we have come to realize a new perfection. One that includes being covered in food or other things, being able to laugh in the midst of the storm, learning how to juggle more things than you ever imagined you could. Learning how to write blog posts like this while being asked a zillion questions by your husband and 2 children and intercepting before fights start between the kids! Yes, that is what I am doing right now. The glamorous life of a mom is now the hottest topic on the block!

What else do moms bring to the table? Too much to reference! Here are a just a few thoughts: Moms are some of the most creative and successful entrepreneurs. We have some of the best product ideas, become more creative in terms of how to make and save money, develop increased business knowledge and skills.... all due to busy schedules, the need to make things easier, ability to multitask and handle so much all at once and 24/7, first-hand experience on what kinds of things are needed and wanted. Thus comes the mom motivation. We understand first-hand how much it costs (financially and emotionally) to raise children and it creates motivation to be creative! Creative shopping and selling, playing the coupon game, creating charts, menus, sewing, crafting, etc. and blogging about it! Selling it! Utilizing the talents we have been given to generate income, fulfill needs and add another thing to our already full plates. Living life and blogging about it.

So kudos to all the mom bloggers out there. We have the perspective on life that everyone longs to know, understand and live. Okay, maybe they don't all want to live it but let's face it. Everyone is entertained and intrigued by the life of a mom. As well they should. It is by far the hardest job on the planet, yet THE most rewarding. If everyone can "experience" and begin to understand how someone who is pulled in so many directions and juggles so many different hats can still laugh in the midst of the dirty diapers, mountains of laundry, secretions of all kinds on their clothing, unending dishes, days full of whine and overall feeling of a shlump-a-dump, then maybe we would all experience less stress, take time to breathe, enjoy each moment, feel more free and understand that everything is a season. Enjoy where you are. There is purpose, even in the worst of it all. Even when you can't see a light in the midst of all the darkness. There is a way out. Learn to love where you are, the season that you are in and love who you are becoming in the process. OH! And the most important part .... REMEMBER TO LAUGH! It does a person good.

Goofy Lu

So, last night I was trying to keep the exhausted mood light (for both Abi and myself), so when Abi wasn't being obedient I tried to turn it into something silly. So that we could both sleep better since it was bedtime. It was more to keep me from flying off the handle - I was POOPED and so out of patience. Abi was testing boundaries, something she does WAY too well, and wouldn't finish her bathroom/ bedtime routine. I said to her, "Come on, Goofy Lu. Let's go." She giggled and said, "Mommy, what's a Goofy Lu?" I answered, "It is someone who is SOOOO silly." Her response? "And sweet..... and wonderful.... and precious.... and beautiful......" I smiled and replied, "Yes. You, my dear, are all of those things." She smiled, giggled some more and finished her routine.

Today I caller her a "punkin."

Abi: "Mommy, what's a punkin?"

Me: "Someone who is sweet."

Abi: "And cute..... and wonderful..... and peaceful..... and beautiful..... and ALL those thing!"

As she smiled, I told her that she was indeed all of those things!

We have had some VERY trying days with Abi. She is 3 1/2 and is really pushing closer to every line to see how much she can get away with. One of the hardest parts of being a parent is discipline and follow-through. Even this morning, after we got home from the mall, I had to put her in her bedroom and close the door until she could stop screaming so that we could communicate. It was about 30 minutes of all out, full blown screaming. Just when I think I am the worst and meanest mom on the planet, out pop reminders that I am also a loving, nurturing and encouraging mother. For Abi to be able to speak all of these wonderful and true adjectives and traits about herself is fabulous! And in recalling those adjectives herself, she is reminded of how sweet and wonderful God has created her to be. So am I. It is hard to see through and past the tantrums, but God has such a sweet way of reminding us that we are indeed doing a good job. That we are encouraging and nurturing. He has such a sweet way of speaking to us.... to me. I am thankful that He speaks to me through my children.

Part 2

Okay, so I have been thinking and praying about my last post. And as I was praying, an email popped into my inbox that was supposed to be filtered to another box. I opened it, read a few blog posts that were listed and all of a sudden ideas flooded into my head! Thank you Jesus! It is all jumbled at the moment, but I can say that I am excited about the possibility of being able link a few of those gifts and passions together.... writing, adoption, working from home.... I'll keep you posted! I am researching right now and getting letters together, but I just had to share the news. Stay tuned.

What to do....

I have been struggling lately with discovering what kinds of things I could do from home to bring in some money. I am not a sales person, so selling some kind of product is not for me - I have tried it. I used to sell Pampered Chef and while I LOVED doing the shows and totally believe in, love and stand by their products, the paperwork just about did me in every time. So, back to the drawing board.

Maybe I could sew! I would love to sew! Wait... I don't have a sewing machine. Can't knit, can't crochet, not really into scrapbooking..... hmmmm. Let's change thought patterns. What CAN I do? Ummm.... sometimes I can write, but as we can see here I sure don't seem to have the time. Maybe I could work more on that. I could. I can edit. I can sing. I can listen. I can cook/bake. What kinds of things am I passionate about? Passionate about orphans, foster care, adoption, worship....

You thought this was going somewhere, didn't you? HA! I can see hear the puzzled wheels turning as you read this strange list of can-dos and passions. I am just as puzzled. I find myself asking God what in the world I can do that incorporates these things so that I can look to potentially bring in some money to contribute to our household income. Something I could do from home. Yes, I think that was the sound of a big ol' wrench that stopped the wheels from turning. He has created me with a purpose and gifted me with these talents, so He must have something in mind. He has blessed me with two beautiful little girls to mother, so I believe the "at home" piece is possible too. So now I throw it all out there to see what you have to say. Hear your thoughts and see if you might help me loosen this wrench. And if you know me and I have left something off the list, please do remind me.

OK! Forum OPEN! :-)