Forever Beloved

Faith, Love & Truth

I Love You More Than…

A few years back i read a post from my friend Erika. She decorated her house for her boys for Valentines Day and she hung hearts all over the house that said “I love you more than…” I love that idea and am playing off of it for this post. Thanks E for the idea {love you pretty lady}!!!

I love you 3 more than…

outback (and i love it a lot…like a lot lot lot)
cheesecake coffee creamer
days spent in sweats
american eagle
photography
big fat hair buns
red velvet cupcakes
zumba
central pizza
biggest loser
my durango
coconut coffee
custom exhaust
chocolate
laughing
subway
buffalo chicken nachos
muddin’
walking
sunsets
all the stars
weekends
talking (and you KNOW how much i love this)
ice cream with sprinkles
t-shirts and jeans
little house on the prairie
Pepper
real world
fall
lazy days on the beach
dirt roads
ANTM
movie nights
intervention
summer nights
cowboy boots
blands park
truck pulls
mountain dew
my blog
the dixie chicks
project runway
4-wheelers
magazines
basically i love you more than everything in this world ♥

18 Years Ago

18 years ago today, my life changed.  I can still remember getting ready…doing my (big) hair, putting on my jeans and flannel and lacing up my boots.  Little did I know that night I was about to meet the one I had been praying for since I was a little girl. So many nights I spent on my knees, praying. Over the years the prayer changed from asking for prince charming to asking for a man that would simply treat me well. All those years God knew he was the man for me. He was my future husband.

I wasn’t quite sure what to think of this long hair and tattooed guy.  He was basically the exact opposite of anyone I had dated prior.  Which made my heart quietly sigh a hallelujah!  He was funny, oh so funny.  We would laugh for hours at absolutely nothing.  He was a little wild, which my Mama didn’t quite care for.  But most of all, he was so sincerely nice and he treated me with respect.

Our paths had crossed numerous times before that night. I can still remember the first moment that I saw his face…staring at me…from behind the pizza counter. And I turned to my friend and said “what in the world is this guy staring at”. I then promptly gave him a sassy look, spun around and left. Year after year we repeatedly kept resurfacing in each others lives. Until finally, I realized he seemed very familiar to my heart.

He stole my heart and our life journey began.

That first night we went to Pizza Hut and hung out with friends. I remember it like it was yesterday, from the butterflies in my stomach to laughing non-stop all evening. And from that day on we spent as much time together as we could. One month later we were engaged and four months later we were married ♥

There are no words to describe how thankful I am that God brought us together. We were two imperfect sinners that God saw something in. Others around us didn’t understand it, but it didn’t matter. God knew exactly what He was doing and His plan was perfect.

Disclaimer…I must add that saying we were married 4 months later does not, in any way, mean that I approve of that for my own children or any other kids. Joey reminds me all.the.time. that he has been dating his girlfriend longer than I dated his dad.  But, for us, it totally worked.

What is a Princess?

Today I have something super exciting for y’all.  A guest post by Kimberly Miller from Crown of Beauty Magazine!
Growing up, I loved princess stories. I wasn’t a huge fan of pink or lace or frills, but there was a certain aura surrounding the idea of princesses that I was drawn to like a bug to light on a warm summer’s night. For the longest time, though, I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what it was about princesses that inspired me so. Recently, I decided to sit down and try to figure it out. Here is what I discovered:

A Princess is a girl in process of becoming a woman. She is either born or married into a royal family. She knows who she is, has confidence in her identity, and lives out an inspiring adventure + love story that changes her and the people she meets. She has a wealth of resources and talent that she learns to use for the greater good of serving those around her. She knows that with great power and privilege comes great responsibility; and no matter the cost to herself, she takes that responsibility seriously. She does not allow her weaknesses to define her; rather, she strives to overcome them with humility and grace. She truly cares about others. She is curious – a learner at heart. She is honest and gentle and determined. She isn’t perfect, but she tries to do her best. Even though she might struggle with fear, she refuses to let it keep her down, choosing instead to cling to courage because she knows that other things are more important than fear. She is beautiful inside and out.

No wonder I looked up to princesses so much growing up.

See, I was the polar opposite. A princess was everything I wanted to be, but was not. I felt like a pauper with poor self-esteem who had no idea who I really was, living a humdrum ordinary life that wouldn’t really matter in the end, full of fear and selfishness and pride. And to top it all off, I felt ugly – on the outside and the inside.

Praise God that is not how my story ends.

When Jesus came and changed my life right before my 16th birthday, He gave me a place in His royal family – as part of His Bride, a daughter of the Most High King. He took messy me and began the long process of transforming my caterpillar self into a butterfly. He did what I thought was impossible – taking my dark, ugly, emptiness, and turning it into light and beauty. He is the One who gave me wings to fly, who makes me beautiful, who helps me overcome my fears and insecurities.

Beautiful soul, you too are a princess. How do I know that? Because your daddy is the King of Kings, and you are part of the Bride of Christ.

Maybe you’ve always loved princesses, or maybe you’ve thought they represent an ideal you could never be. Take heart, dear one! Being a princess is not out of your league, and it is not something you have to earn. It is something you are and something you become.

If you are born again into the family of God, then Beautiful, you are both born and married into the royal family. It’s a done deal. Even if you don’t feel like you’re a princess, you truly are. You may feel inadequate, poor, or unlovely – but the thing about being a princess? You are one whether you like it or not.
You cannot change the fact that you are a daughter of the King. What Jesus did for you is done – it will never change. And what He did for you and me sealed our identities as princesses for eternity.

Let that reality sweep over your heart and breathe fresh air into your spirit. You are a princess! You know what that means?

It means that you belong. You have an identity that will not change. You can be confident in your own personality – princesses come in all shapes and sizes. You have an inspiring adventure and love story to live out. You have a wealth of resources and talents that you can use to bless others. You have a responsibility to serve others and share the Gospel. You are not defined by your weaknesses, and you can overcome them through Jesus’ strength. You can walk in humility and grace, caring about others. You can be honest and gentle and determined and curious to learn about this grand world the Lord has made. You don’t have to be perfect because Jesus already did that for you. You are free to do your best without worrying that it’s not good enough. You can overcome fear with courage – focusing on that which is more important than fear. And you are beautiful, inside and out. I mean it.

Girl, you have a royal birthright. Own your title and tiara! It’s yours, given to you by the Prince of Peace who is madly in love with you. Walk in confidence. You’ve got a purpose to live out and a part to play in this fairytale of life. Now that you know who you are, walk right into the adventure that He wants to walk you through. Don’t be afraid of the dragons, ‘cause your Prince is always by your side. And in the end? We’re all going to live happily ever after.

You can check out more from Crown of Beauty magazine at http://www.crownofbeautymagazine.com/