Celebrating 7 Years of Marriage!

I can't believe Matt and I have been married for 7 years! I am so blessed to be married to a man who truly loves unconditionally, shows me love, tells me he loves me a million times a day, laughs with me, lends his shoulder to cry on, helps out, works, and loves God. He's a man who would rather spend time with me and the boys than go out. He's a man who keeps no record of wrongs, forgives without hesitation.  He's a man that keeps me laughing, even when I don't want him to be funny! He tolerates my excessive hairspray use with a little role of the eyes! He's a man who tells me I'm beautiful when I'm feeling not so beautiful. He shares a passion of the Spanish language and culture with me. He supports me. He makes me laugh when he tries to order my grande, decaf, non-fat french vanilla latte! He's my fashionista! He's my travel buddy. He's a laid back man who deals with my fast-pace, over-organized self! He's a loving, fun and hands-on dad to our boys. He changes poopy diapers like a champ! He prays with me and for me. Most importantly, he's the godly leader of our family. He makes me want to be a better wife & mother. In the end, I want him to say of me, "many women do noble things, but you surpass them all." (Proverbs 31:29). He challenges me in my relationship with God. I am blessed to be doing life with a man who is truly amazing. Aside from my relationship with God, my relationship with my sweet husband is my most valued relationship. We may not have a perfect marriage, but we sure have a great one! With God at the center, we've built a pretty fantastic life together!
I thought it would be fun to include some pictures from the last 9 years we've known each other! They're not in chronological order because I'm not quite sure how to move pics! Still a lot to learn on this blog thing! I love you, Matthew Glaze! ¡Besitos!

I wear it proudly! My Husband Rocks!!!!

Big Sky, Montana...2004 

To be young again! Birthday January 2005

China with Matt's uncle & cousins...August 2004 (Hong Kong, Beijing)

Our first mission trip together! Nicaragua 2005

Engaged in Nicaragua! One of my most precious memories! 

Friend's wedding...June 2005

Engagement pic! 2005

Honeymoon, San Diego, CA

Honeymoon

Matt's first birthday in Texas! Sept. 2008

One proud wife! Graduated from ATC school! 

My funny man! August 5th, 2006

Stealing a kiss! 

One lucky girl!

Our first home! Houston, TX. February 2010

First home!

First Family picture of three! Birth of Carter Matthew Glaze. June 21, 2010

Adding to the family! Carson Jay Glaze. November 24th, 2011

Romantic getaway just the two of us! Huatulco, 2013

A little gift we brought back from Mexico! Arriving November 2013

Our marriage still rocks! Thank you, Jesus!

Christian Friendship & Fellowship

    These are my sweet sisters! (Unfortunately there are a couple missing in this picture) I have spent the past 11 weeks with this amazing group of women. I found a quote by C.S Lewis that I just love because it's perfect for our group. "Is any pleasure on earth as great as a circle of Christian friends by a good fire?"  I haven't spent the last 11 Tuesdays with these ladies by a fire, rather, gathered round a table.  There is something amazing about being with a group of Christian ladies of all ages.  We have laughed together, cried together, voiced our concerns, fears and struggles, and most importantly prayed for one another. I was truly among a group of prayer warriors! 
    We did the study Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby this semester. I can't even begin to tell you all the ways our group truly experienced God!  We literally sat back and watched God work through everyone in our group. There were weekly updates of what God had been doing, how our prayers had been answered.  It is amazing how God puts together a group! Every week I left in complete awe of the wisdom that came from these women. Not earthly wisdom, godly wisdom. Wisdom that can only come from knowing Him. She opens her mouth with wisdom and kindness is on her tongue, Proverbs 31:26. What I loved is that when one woman would voice a fear, a failure,  or a concern, the advice that was given was not simply an opinion. The advice would come straight from the Word of God. Personal encounters with God were shared so that it could give hope to a woman needing to know that things were going to work out, that God truly does work in our lives and we matter. Each one of us matters.  We are a group of ordinary women. Some are stay-at-home moms, others are working women, but all ordinary women who love God.  We learned through this study that God is able to do anything He pleases with the ordinary  person. We just have to be fully consecrated to Him and willing to make ourselves available to Him.  Blackaby stated that God loves to use ordinary people to accomplish His purposes because everyone will know only God could have done something through them! (P. 28) He wants our hearts, he wants our obedience.  When you believe nothing significant can happen through you, you have said more about your belief in God than you declared about yourself (p. 27).  
    A dear woman in our group felt God calling her to put on an Easter event in her neighborhood. She was reluctant, it would be a lot of work! But because she obeyed God's call, He did an amazing work! It was a huge event with hundreds of Easter eggs, kids crafts, games and most importantly, the Easter message relayed to people who have never heard before. This sweet sister and her husband stepped out in faith, took on a very big responsibility and shared Christ, in love, with their community.  They were missionaries right there in Atascocita. They didn't need to leave the country, their state or even their city! They saw the opportunity in their own neighborhood and joined God in the work He was doing. It was so fun to hear all the details come together before, during and after the event! We saw God working before our very eyes! 
    Another sweet sister answered the call she received from God to open a women's crisis pregnancy center in Humble. The details of everything are simply amazing and you can not be blind to the fact that this is a God thing. This is a huge task and there have obviously been ups and downs but through it all we've seen God's hand in it. I can't wait until this center opens! Keep your eye out, Houston! 
    These are just a couple of examples of how our group experienced God through each other! How blessed I am to have gotten the opportunity to be among such godly women. Women who have challenged and encouraged me. My cup runneth over! 
    If your church has a women's ministry I would strongly encourage you to get involved.  Yes, it's great to be in circles of women who are in the same stages of life and around the same age. But oh what you can learn from women who have been there. Women who can encourage you because they've experienced the same things you are going through at the moment. Different generations need to worship and study together. Titus 2:3-5 states, Older women, likewise, are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind and submissive to their own husbands, that the Word of God may not be reviled.  I can without a doubt say that our church has an abundance of older, wiser women who are mentors to those of us who are just babies! I'm grateful that I have some sweet, very special "Titus 2 women" in my life! Along with very close friends who are walking in the same stage of life with me. Thank you, Jesus, for godly friendships!