Yesteday, Erin celebrated her 16th birthday and Mark and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary. First of all, I rejoice in having such a wonderful man for a husband. He definitely completes me. God's hand designed our marriage. There is do doubt in my mind. Mark and I met in March, were engaged in April and married in August. Under normal circumstances, our marriage should never have lasted. But instead, God has strengthened us, molded us, and held us together. We are blessed beyond words. Mark is more then I ever dreamed of in a man. I did not have a real relationship with Jesus Christ when I met Mark. Even if I had, I don't think I would have ever thought to pray for someone like Mark. I would have never dreamed of praying for a man who would be the spiritual leader in my home, for a man who would treat me like a princess all the days of our marriage, for a man who would be strong enough and wise enough to control me and even my temper out. I would have never thought to pray for a man who adored me, or who put family above his own personal desires. Nor would I have thought to pray for a man who understood debt and how important it was to be wise with money. I had no clue the value of money and the importance of being wise in spending. If I wanted something, I bought it. Nor would I have dreamed of praying for a man who was steadfast, who took employment seriously, who valued character and integrity. No... I would never have thought to pray for a man like Mark. My past is evidence of that. But God, despite my heart, chose to bring Mark into my life. And for some reason, God chose to save my soul as well... and use Mark to change my life. So, today, I rejoice in the beautiful gift that God gave me through my husband. And I praise Him for being the glue that holds our marriage together.

As for Erin, she turned 16. What a beautiful young lady she is becoming. She has grown and developed and matured so much! She brings us such joy and pleasure. I rejoice in who she is becoming. She has more strength in her character then I have. There are many things that I admire about who she is and what she is striving for. I admire her ability to share Christ to those who are lost. It is not a forced thing, but a true caring.. a sincere love for those she knows. It is natural for her to share and to witness; often, she reminds me of the need to be Christlike to those around her. Too often I have let my frustration get ahold of me and recommended her to respond a certain way... only for her to remind me that that would not be showing Christ to that person. Oh how I wish I had her drive, her strength, her desires.

Here are a few pictures of her day. We celebrated the morning with Mark's family as we all attended his brothers first Sunday as the official pastor of Radnor Baptist Church. It was a precious morning for all of us to watch him be admonished and encouraged as he officially steps into the position God has called him into. Erin wasn't feeling well, so when we got home, she slept for most of the afternoon. But by evening, we enjoyed dinner and a scavenger hunt. We had hidden clues throughout the yard/house/woods for her to find her presents. We ended up in a tent in the backwoods. It was a lot of fun. The evening ended with a family night of games.