A weekend to Remember

Well not too much has been going on with Sweetness and I since i posted last. I have been working some really ungodly hours, and will truly be glad when this 5 week "module" is over, and I start teaching some easier classes.

But Sweetness and I just got home from a wonderful marriage conference at the Founder's Inn produced by Family Life, called "A Weekend to Remember." It has been so fun to just get away with my Sweetness and learn God's ideal of marriage, and that they little things we argue about sometimes, really every married couple disagrees about. The speaker is hilarious, and we really laughed our selves silly!

On a good note, we are supossed to get a huge tax return back, and we will be able to completely pay off the loan we took out to do IVF. So hopefully maybe by this summer we can try IVF again. That is our plan anyway.

Each day I have been taking my BBT now. It does not really change all that much, and it just sometimes feels that my body is betraying me. I don't know if we will ever have children, but I certainly hope that the Lord will heal this deep pain in our hearts. The longer it goes on, the more desperate you start to feel sometimes. But infertility does not define us, it is simply a part of who we are.

Sweetness gave me a dozen Confetti roses today (my favorite). So sweet of him. We are going to dinner with family tomorrow evening at PF Chang's so it should shape up to be a real nice Valentine's Weekend. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend filled with love also!!!

How my life came to be filled with .....Sweetness

I have had several people ask me how I met Sweetness. So I thought I would do a blog post about how the Lord worked in such a miraculous way to bring us together.


I was just coming out of a very dark period in my life. Things seemed to be falling apart at the seams. I sold my house and moved about 30 miles south into a very nice apartment complex. The reason I chose this complex is because they allowed large dogs. Even though my babies are not Great Da.nes, they are not teacup poodles either!


Anyway, not long after I moved in, I noticed Sweetness walking his dog also around the complex and we said a friendly hello a couple of times. I began dating a different man, and unbeknownst to me, Sweetness had told my neighbor friends that he wanted to ask me out. Well after several months the other relationship was not going great, but I hate breakups so foolishly I continued with it. Well after speaking to Sweetness several times, he finally got the nerve up to ask me out. I thought "Hey, why not. He seems nice enough."



I remember it was a Thursday night, we went out for Mexican and had a great conversation, but I remember not being able to eat because I was so nervous around him. I thought that must have meant I really liked him! Well as we drove back to our apartment complex, we parked the car, and ended up sitting in the car for the next 4 hours talking. Most of you who know me IRL, know that my faith is a HUGE part of who I am. So because this was the first time we were really talking, I asked Sweetness about his faith and beliefs. Well to boil those 4 hours down, basically he was raised in the Catholic church, but currently did not attend, but was very open and eager to have a closer relationship with the Lord. So I invited him to church with me that Sunday.




We went to church that Sunday and every Sunday from then on. On the 45 minute drive to my church, we shared our hopes and dreams and I explained why my faith was so important, and all that the Lord had done in my life! Because Sweetness was not a christian at the time, I did not feel I could "date" him and I continued on with my other relationship. However I was developing strong feelings for Sweetness and missed him when I wasn't with him. He was quickly becoming my best friend.




Well on December 9, 2007 after church, Sweetness asked Christ to be Lord of his life, and his life changed dramatically! (Not that it was bad or anything, but when the Lord takes over your life, you are a NEW creature!) Not long after that I realized the other man was not for me, and soon began dating Sweetness. We grew together so quickly, and now had the common thread in our life of Christ as our Savior!




He proposed to me on July 26, 2008 and I knew without a doubt that the Lord had brought us together! (The picture on the top of the blog in the circle is the moment we got engaged!) He has grown into the most amazing Christian. He loves God with all his heart and I feel privileged to have been able to be a part of leading him to the Lord.




We were married 6 months later and I am still amazed when I look back at the amazing circumstances that brought us to this place!!! I adore him. I can't imagine life without him, and and so glad I don't have to.




Thank you Lord Jesus, for knowing exactly who/what I needed in a man, and fashioned my Sweetness to be my perfect helpmate in this life. I am so truly blessed to have this wonderful gift!


Ending with a scripture-

"Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm,and he guided them to their desired haven."

- Psalm 107:28-30

My dogs can sing!!!!

So we are basically snowed in this weekend, and it sure has been nice. So in my boredom, I finally got a video of something my dogs, Baxter and Maggie, do almost daily......SING!!! They just start randomly howling, and it really cracks me up!!!

Hope you enjoy!!! This is sure to put a smile on your face!

My Birthday

Well today is my 34th Birthday (and Oprah's 56th). Haha! It has been a really nice day. It started off with Mom and I pallin' around, then we went and picked up Sweetness. All 3 of us had a very nice lunch together. Then I went into work for awhile. One of my co-workers gave me a small gift. It really was so kind, because we are very new friends, but I have a feeling we will be great friends.

Then I headed to teach my class this evening, planning to let them out very early so I could go to dinner with my family. Well when I walked in, the students all sang Happy Birthday to me. Then they gave me a very sweet card, which they had all signed. Here is a picture.

They then brought in all these beautiful cupcakes for everyone to eat. It was really very touching. They just met me on Monday on the first day of class!! Then I gave them a quiz, lectured on one quick chapter, and we dismissed by 7:30pm. I then headed over to the Cheesec.ake Fact.ory to meet up with my parents and Sweetness.

We had such a nice dinner, and then I got to open my presents. Here is the incredibly sweet card from my husband.

And one from my parents......

And then, I got to open my present from Sweetness. Here it is......

He bought me a diamond "Journey" necklace. I have been wanting one for awhile! It is really just gorgeous!!! Wanna see a close-up???? Okay here ya go......

I am so blessed. I mean I truly am. I have an amazing marriage, an equally amazing husband, a great job, wonderful parents and great friends. It is hard to think that today I am now only 1 year away from the dreaded 35 year old mark when your fertility "drops off significantly."

I never dreamed I would be this old and not have a baby, but I am really trying to trust the Lord, who has given me all my other blessings. My prayer is that by the time I am 35, I am either pregnant or holding a baby in my arms.

So we are home now finally, and we are all snuggled in waiting for the snow storm to start. We NEVER get snow, but they are actually saying we are GOING TO GET IT TONIGHT (6-12") !!!!! I can not wait!!!

I am going to do my next blog post on how Sweetness and I met, as I have received a lot of questions on that, and it really is a very neat story.

Thank you to everyone who has called, texted, faceb.ooked, and sent cards to me. I have an awesome support group!!! I am really looking forward to this next year in my life......I know it will be great!

Our 1st Anniversary!!!

Well today is my first anniversary with my Sweetness! It is so hard to believe that one year ago today, I met my precious at the alter, and saw him crying before I even got there, and then I started too! I remember our wedding being the most powerful worship experience as we praised our Lord who brought us together!

This is probably one of my favorite pictures of the wedding ceremony. Our pastor asked all of our friends to come up and pray over us as he prayed for us also. It was such an awesome moment!!!
This truly has been the best year of my life! He truly treats me so wonderful, he is so kind and loving, I mean the Lord truly sent me my soul-mate!
And it was sooooo cold that day (a high of 13 degrees), I had to wear my little white fur capelet!!
Moments after becoming Mr. and Mrs. Marsden....

Because my Sweetness is so romantic, he booked us a weekend this weekend at the Cyprus Moon Inn Bed and Breakfast. We both took off Friday and headed on down to the Outer Banks in NC. And it sure was beautiful!!! Here is a picture of our room.....

Friday night we went to dinner at the Black Pelican. Many friends suggested it and it was very yummy!

Then we went back to the bed and breakfast, and had some wine on our patio off our room, and this was our view! Just breathtaking!

And another look......

Then yesterday, he had booked us for a couples massage. It was really nice, although I am so sore now in my shoulders, I think the guy did a deep tissue one on me, even though it hurt pretty bad, I was too embarrassed to speak up. Dumb I know!!! Then we went to dinner at a really nice seafood place. When we got back to the room, we had some sparkling cider in our toasting flutes we used for our wedding!

I hope you can see how pretty these flutes are. And the inscription on them says "Two Hearts joined in Love Sean and Heather 1-17-09" I did not really think I was so sentimental about these glasses, but the thought of something happening to them just makes me so nervous. We also cut our top layer of wedding cake. It was still really good after being frozen for a whole year. It was just a really wonderful weekend all the way around.

We just got back home, and unpacked, and are watching some football. Then we are going to watch our wedding video tonight and relive the commitment we made to each other one year ago today. My prayer is that our marriage would stay as wonderful, loving, committed and happy as we are one year later!!!

Ending with my Scripture for our relationship:

"I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine...."

Song of Solomon 6:3

What a week....

Wow! I am so busy with this new job, I am just exhausted. I think my body is feeling it too. I was 8 days late this month. Of course we were hoping maybe.....just maybe.....but as usual in the IF world, it was not to be.

But I am so looking forward to this weekend. On Sunday, Sweetness and I celebrate our 1 year wedding anniversary! And to show you how amazing he is, he has booked us a weekend getaway in the OBX at an awesome Bed and Breakfast, AND scheduled a couple's massage for Saturday afternoon. Woo hoo!!!! So we are leaving Friday around noon, we are both taking Friday off, and heading on down. I will be sure to take lots of pictures. We plan to get some sparkling grape juice and use our toasting flutes form our wedding and eat the top layer of our wedding cake, I can't wait!!!

So hope you have all had a good week. My heart breaks for the sweet people of Haiti tonight. I know the Lord sees them and has them in the palm of His hand. Thanks for stopping by my friends' blogs and showing them support in their terrible time of loss. Jeanna did deliver her twin boys, and she is home now trying to heal.

I will post our weekend pictures when we get back!!!! :))))

My heart is hurting for some friends today.......

Yes girls, I am still here. I can not tell you how busy I have been! This new job is keeping me hopping even when I am not in class teaching, I am studying and preparing for the next class. I mean I told Sweetness the other day that I feel like I have gone back to school. Really.......I am studying as hard as when I was in school myself! But I am so very thankful for this opportunity and the Lord blessing me with a job in this economy when so many people are out of work.

Soooooooo, next weekend on Jan 17th, Sweetness and I celebrate our first wedding anniversary! I can not believe how fast this year has gone by, but I have been so happy with him that I guess time flies when you are having fun! So being the sweet incredible man that he is, he booked us a weekend get a way to a beautiful bed and breakfast in the Outer Banks in North Carlina. We are both taking next Friday off and heading on out! This week he came home and surprised me by telling me he also booked a couple's massage for 3pm on Saturday! Wooo Hoo! He is just so wonderful!

In other news, my dog Maggie is real sick. After $400 at the vet on Thursday they have determined she has a kidney stone that is lodged in her kidney. Her kidney function is not great, but not enough that they need to intervene. So she is loaded up on pain meds and we are hoping she passes it soon. Poor Baby!

And in the infertility world, we are just taking it day by day. We are still trying naturally of course, but I am trying not to make it the focus of our life right now, and just enjoy being with my best friend. We need an emotional break from it for awhile.

But I follow so many blogs of infertility and most of my blogger friends have gotten pregnant. Well this week has been filled with unspeakable sadness for two of them. My blogger friend Jackie lost her baby at 11 weeks, and having a D & C on Wednesday. And my other friend Jeanna was pregnant with identical twins, went in on Thursday to find out the genders and there were no heartbeats. She was 19 weeks 3 days! My heart aches for these ladies, especially Jeanna as she is currently in the hospital, with her labor being induced to deliver her angel babies. I ask that my praying friends that read this, remember them and their husbands in this terribly difficult time. I always remember the verse in the Bible where it the psalmist says that the Lord is close to the brokenhearted. Lord Jesus, I pray you bring healing and peace to these very broken hearts today!