Seriously.

I am not posing this as a question to something absurd that I may have heard, even though it is one of my new favorite replies. I am saying it because this post is serious, all sillyness aside. My heart strings were pulled this morning and I need to give God the glory.

*

This morning, like most Sunday mornings, was a struggle to get up. Satan sure does like to make my bed more comfortable and the room too cold to get up. Thank goodness, he did not win this morning. And because of that I was blessed beyond measure. My heart was touched.

*

I go to a women's Sunday school class and my teacher had just gotten back from a weekend retreat so she shared some really great stuff from it. Here are some tidbits.

*

The first thing she talked about was groups of friends. This was funny to me because I have been known to have "groups" of friends. The three groups that she mentioned were casual friends, close friends and heart friends. Your casual friends are those you might work with, run into at Wal-Mart and some may go to church with you. Your close friends are those you spend a lot of time with. Your heart friends are those you cry with, laugh with, share joys and pains, trials and errors, they are accountability partners, they help you with your children, they are honest and they are always there for you. I am so blessed with friendship and have many casual friends, a lot of close friends and a few heart friends. I am SO thankful for all of the friends that I have in my life.

*

Another thing that she talked about was a group session that posed the question - who invested in you. Who invested in you to cause you to be going to church and to learn about Jesus. She said that most of the women said their grandparents were the ones that took them to church and taught them about Jesus. This is where my heart strings were pulled. My grandparents are my heroes. They kept me when my mom was put back in the hospital shortly after I was born, I stayed with them while she worked, my Papaw took me to school and when I was ready to run away, I always called them with my bags packed. I lived with them during some of my rebellious teenage years. They loved me unconditionally. They kept Clayson when he was a baby and I worked part-time, they kept Clayson and Trey when I started teaching and they have kept Ashlyn since she was 12 weeks old. They are my rock. Through the prayers at every meal, their marriage of 55 years and the way that they live I have seen Jesus in them. They invested in me.

*

My mom and dad and my grandparents invest in my children. I am thankful that they have these grandparents that are so faithful in their walk with God so that when I fail, they are there to pick up the pieces and to get them to church.

*

My goal is to let others see Jesus in me. Hands raised, hearts lifted and spirits moved. It's what Sunday is about.

I'll have the kiddie burger with cheese, please. No applesauce, must have fries with that.

My children are growing up right before my eyes. There are three things getting bigger as they grow up - their mouths, their attitudes and their appetites. Now, I am the one ordering off the kids meal while the boys order off the grown up menu leaving our debit card near negative. We could go on vacation for the cost that we endure at Texas Roadhouse. They want to snack all the time and don't you love those four words "there's nothing to eat"? It makes me see red, like my debit card. The boys eat a lot and they eat often. Ashlyn, on the other hand, is a junk food junkie. I have no idea where she gets that from. (Couldn't be from her daddy, who is currently doing the P90X workout. Her mama, on the other hand, is a self-diagnosed closet-eater. I admit that I have a problem. But, swiss cake rolls and cokes seem to take away the stress of a lot bigger problems while creating bigger pant sizes.) While cleaning Ashlyn's room, I found a brownie hidden behind a picture frame. She is oh-so-sneaky. She doesn't have a big appetite, she just likes to graze at all hours.

Trey, who was sensitive, kind, loving, soft spoken has suddenly transformed into an argumentative, hateful, loud little boy. Where did my angel go? There cannot be four of us with the same temperament living in this house -i t's not big enough for the four of us. While Trey is on this new kick, Clayson seems to be leveling out. He is growing out of some of it while Trey is growing into every bit of it. He also has girls calling the house, what?! He has a sudden interest in the cell phone, other than playing midnight pool. Clayson is more of a texter than a talker. They are both like me. I like to text and talk... and eat.

Attitudes fall right in line with the mouth. They work together, compadres. If it is like this at the ages of 9 and 11, it's going to be some very intense, long, teenage years. I know, I was just like them. I am getting paid back for the havoc I caused. What in the world will it be like when Ashlyn gets older? I'll fight that battle when it gets here. For now, I have two other battles raging on.


Thinking about how fast they grow and change makes me sad. Bring on the comfort food. Again.

speechless

I have become addicted to reading blogs and somewhere out there I came across one that mentioned "Wordless Wednesdays". I do not remember where I saw it, just knew that I wanted to try it out. As much as I love to write, this picture really does leave me speechless. (He is not in pain, he is attempting to dance...I think) I mean, really speechless. My mama taught me if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. Love ya Clayson Ray Davis!!

And yes, this picture will show up again in his future.

(Note: please look over at the pictures on the right to see that he really is a cute kid)

today's grace

The newest Internet fad is to list five positive things from the day. It's called Grace in Small Things...read more about it here.

I have been searching the blog world and there are so many tragedies and children with life-threatening illnesses (whose parents, by the way, have such amazing faith). And, of course, there is the ever-depressing news and President Obama is currently speaking on the economy as I type this. Some days I believe this is just the beginning of the end. And, it is so important to know where we will be in the end should Jesus come and rescue us from this nation in distress. When in doubt, don't ever doubt the One that can save you. Be sure you have accepted His gift of eternal life.

Here is my list of Grace in Small Things.

1.) I have three healthy children.
2.) Jared and I are secure in our jobs. We aren't faced with layoffs or the threat thereof.
3.) We are going to Mexico this summer with some other couples. Yay for this.
4.) The weather is so great. The rain is needed and the sunshine is still there to save the day.
5.) On a lighter note, Ashlyn has almost perfected her cartwheel :0)

Every day I tell myself how blessed I am. It's so easy to take things for granted. In the words of one of my favorite Sunday School teachers - we have a choice in ALL things - we can get bitter or we can get better.

Have a great week.

sometimes beauty requires sunglasses

I am not going to even mention SB'09 because we all know that it is over and we are not looking forward to going back to school tomorrow. Enough said.


I had a funny thought this morning when this is what woke me up. It's not just today, it has been every day since we moved into this house. Except for the rainy days, of course. Jared insists that we not have any window coverings so that we can get the full effect of living in the country through our paneless windows. In that case, let the sun shine in.

My thoughts this morning went straight to the one hit wonder, "I Wear My Sunglasses at Night". Haha. If I wore my sunglasses to bed, maybe this would not be so bright in my eyes, waking me up early. Once it wakes me up I am reminded of God's beauty and then I stack pillows or bunch the comforter up high enough to block it from blinding me.

God's beauty is not limited, at the Davis Ranch, to the morning sun. We have also been blessed with rain that has filled the pond and helped the grass to grow. The grass isn't greener on the other side, folks. We have the greenest grass in town. This is from my front porch looking out. I love being able to look out and see the boys fishing, the dogs playing and the donkeys hee-hawing.
And speaking of beauty, here is Ashlyn with her natural beauty - a head full of curls.

You can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl.

Mission(s) accomplished.

Here it is Saturday, meaning that things return to normal in full force in just two days. There are many things that must return to normalcy tomorrow to get the week started off on the right foot. Kids must take showers and get into bed at their "it's a school night" bedtimes. (This ranges from 8:30-9:30, depending on my tolerance level.) And, I will need to get back on my schedule making sure that the lunch is packed, clothes are set out and everything else is ready to go on Monday morning. Come on summer!

Last Saturday I posted my SB'09 goals and this is what they were.

1.) Catch up on DVR shows - The Young and the Restless, The View, Ellen, Regis and Kelly. I am almost caught up and have enjoyed many late nights and afternoons laying around watching them. If you would give the Ellen show a chance, you would love it. She is so funny.
2.) Take my kids to do something fun (I don't think their dentist appointments on Tuesday will qualify as this). They have big plans one night with their Nana and Pop and plans another night with their Mimi and Pawpaw, it's gonna be hard to top. They went to Glen Rose on Monday, dentist and harbor on Tuesday, boys went shopping with Mimi on Wednesday, spent the night over there and on Thursday the boys fished with Pawpaw and it was Ashlyn's day to shop with Mimi, we went to Dallas on Friday (see below for the recap) and today we had Ashlyn's soccer game and went to eat on Lake Ray Hubbard for lunch. I think they have had an eventful week.
3.) Spend some quality time with my friends (both groups). Unfortunately, time with my group A friends just didn't happen. We all had different things going on and could not coordinate a day for us all to get together. I'm hoping we can hang out at gymnastics on Monday night. On the other hand, I did get to spend a lot of time with my group B friends. We hung out here at the house, went to to Cotton Gin and then to Rhonda's and we took an overnight road trip to Shreveport.
4.) Sleep in. No alarm setting, except for Sunday. This was greatness. I loved not having to be on an early schedule and hope my alarm still works. Will find out tomorrow.
5.) Don't sweat the small stuff - it's okay if the house doesn't stay clean and there is laundry to be done. And, if I want to stay in my pajamas all day, who cares. There may have been one day that I stayed in the pajama pants and t-shirt. Because of my OCD, the house did stay clean. I just can't go off and leave a dirty house. It bugs me. But, I did not stress over it. Laundry wasn't an issue.

I was able to accomplish all of my goals and have had such a great week. Here are the hilights from days 7 & 8.

SBO9: Day 7

Lunch at El Fenix.

Free trolley ride around downtown Dallas (uptown area).

Daddy's home!

Yesterday, I had planned to take the kids to do something that they wanted to do. Clayson decided to clean out his closet and the rest of them followed suit. We spent an hour packing up old clothes to take to our favorite resale shop. This means that soon we will shop for new summer clothes. These kids have all gotten taller and their shorts have gotten shorter. Time to move up a size. After we got all of this done and things picked up we headed to Mesquite to drop off the clothes and enjoy lunch at El Fenix. Ashlyn decided (as of today) that she did not like El Fenix anymore and she wanted an Arby's. Roast beef and chicken are the only two types of meat that she will eat, so I cannot deny her this protein. We ate and while there - thanks to facebook friends and my iPhone email alerts - we decided to head downtown to ride the trolley. (Ashlyn called it the charlie. ) It was fun and something different. Then, since we were so close, we headed to George W. Bush's house to see if we could get a sneak peak of him or Laura. We were able to drive right up to his house and could see the secret service through the window of their house next door. There was a lot of construction going on and the tree guy told me that if they were home we would not have been able to even get down the street. Darn!!

From here, we headed home to see daddy. He was home from his week long stay at taxidermy school and the kids were anxious to see him. We decided to stay home for a home-cooked dinner and to catch up on the week. We also needed to catch up on American Idol.

SBo9: Day 8

Sassy Sidekicks soccer game

lunch on the lake

home to piddle around the house

It was pancakes for breakfast and a whirlwind of getting ready to get to the soccer game. The Sassy Sidekicks are now 2 and o. They are doing great and having fun!

From the game we headed to Rockwall to have lunch out on the patio of Texas Land and Cattle. The best part of that was that kids eat free on Saturdays from 11-4. Shout ot to TL&C for that savings. We enjoyed lunch, the lake, still want a boat and the boys made plans to fish in the pond when we got home. Clayson wanted to provide dinner for us straight out of our front yard. No, thank you.

Back at home I have cleaned, started laundry and reflected on the week while the kids have enjoyed the great outdoors.

It has been a wonderful spring break. As they say, all good things must end.

I'm a winner at a losing game.

SBo9: days 5 &6

Destination: Shreveport - BOOMTOWN.

Friends: Rhonda, Cindy, Edie, Kelly, Sharon, Andrea and Me (the lucky 7).


Departure: Wednesday 12:30


Arrival: Wednesday 5:30 (Why five hours on the road? 7 women who need to eat, take bathroom breaks, stop for drinks and no photo opportunities went unnoticed).


So, five hours after we left Crandall, we arrived at our hotel - Boomtown. (Shout out to Andrea for the free room.) After blowing up air mattresses, asking for plenty more towels and toiletries, primping and getting settled in we made our way down to the casino.




The problem we found was that they only had two $5 blackjack tables with no empty seats. Most of us spent a lot of time hanging around and not losing any money . We did happen to hear of a former Greenbay Packer quarterback/ super bowl champion in da house. So, I stalked him and at the buffet (one of the hilights of the trip) we drug him over to our table and made him pose with us. I googled him on my phone and he wasn't kidding - he was a supastar. If only he would have gone home to get his superbowl ring. We were dying to see it.



Most of us were out of money by midnight and in the room laughing the rest of the night. We laughed all the way there, all over the casino, all through dinner and all the way home. Even if I lost all my money, it was an awesome girls trip. I lost less there than I would have if I was out shopping.





Thanks for the memories.

top 'o the afternoon

Day 4: SbO9


The kids were less than enthused that they had a dentist appointment today. In the words of Clayson, this isn't the way I would spend my spring break... We got up and got out the door to meet my mom, grandparents, aunt & uncle, and cousins for a few minutes while they ate lunch. We did not have time to eat there so we ate McDonald's on the way. We were just stopping in to say hi. Here are the girls in their green and the boys with nothing more than a pretty (sour) face. Apparently, they don't have much green to wear.

From here, we went to the dentist. It was a quick, painless visit and easy on the checkbook since there is only one cavity needing to be filled. But then again, they do think Clayson needs to see an orthodontist. Is it just the norm for every kid to have braces these days? I thought his teeth were straight but I did not go to dental school to make this determination. What's one more monthly payment, anyway?

From the dentist we went and got ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery. (Isn't that where you take your children immediately after a cleaning?) I remember not being able to eat or drink anything for thirty minutes but these days it must be an instant flouride treatment. Fitting for the impatient society that we live in. With our ice cream, we walked around the Rockwall Harbor. I love this place because you feel like you are on vacation, it is a whole different atmosphere. It got us all hankerin' for a boat. I think I would get out of the house and off the computer more if we had a boat to provide entertainment for us. It's just a passing thought. Here are our Harbor snapshots.

We had a fun afternoon together. It was the perfect weather to be outside eating an ice cream on the lake. With or without a boat.

apparently, it runs in the family

SBo9: Day three (you see, we kicked off Spring Break early Friday afternoon and have been having fun ever since)

I had forgotten what it was like to be alone. I mean all alone, all day. The kids spent the night at their Nana and Pop's last night and with Jared gone, there was nobody coming home. I have to admit that I needed a day like today to just chill. I slept in again (I could get used to this), messed around on Facebook, Myspace, Ebay, Gap, Old Navy and can proudly say I did not spend a dime on any of the retail websites. There are a lot of cute new spring clothes but I need to get my children's approval first. They have all become "picky" individuals. It has to be the right color, the right style and have the right amount of the cool factor.

Besides hanging out with my laptop I managed to do laundry, straighten the house and more importantly get Ashlyn's rooms back in order. She plays so hard and makes messes but I can never clean with her here because she has a "place" for everything and we don't always agree. She also gets real mad because I throw things away - the child is a craft queen and we just don't need to keep it all. She catches me most of the time. I have learned to bury things deep in the trash. Speaking of trash, when I pulled Ashlyn's bed out to sweep beside it, this is what I found in the corner.

I am not the only closet eater in the family. Hershey kiss and andes mint wrappers beside her bed and a puff cheeto in her bed. She must sneak out of bed and into the kitchen. I can't imagine where she gets that sneakiness from...

The kids had a great day in Glen Rose. They spent the day with Pop's family celebrating his birthday. Jared had a good first day of school. I had a good day eating a lunch for one and gearing up for the rest of the week that may be fast and furious. There is something on the calendar for every day.

The house is clean, the laundry done, the candy has been hidden and the sun came out to welcome spring. All is well.

they make me laugh

SBo9: Day three

I have had so much fun today. I have been surrounded by people that I love.

We started the day with Sunday School and "big" church. There's just something about songs that we sing in church that really put a pep in your step. One of my favorite contemporary songs is "How Great Is Our God" and we sang that this morning. I love how it reminds me that we serve a great God who is willing to forgive us, to carry us and to pick us up when we are down. I want and need to be loved like that. (Please look up this song on youtube for a humbling yet awesome few minutes of worship.)

Jason and Megan came to church with us and we went from there to the town favorite, El Jacalito, for lunch. The kids were all on their best behavior except for blowing straw wrappers and using multiple straws in their drinks. Most of you know how Clayson adores his daddy but when Jared got up to head home to finish packing, Clayson stayed with me. It has something to do with Megan...I'm just sayin'.

After lunch we got home and helped Jared load up for his two weeks of taxidermy school. He'll be gone until Friday, back until Sunday and then gone again the next week. Please forgive me in advance for any blogs of frustration or impatience you may see in the next couple of weeks.

The kids were so good all afternoon. In fact, the boys went upstairs and cleaned everything - they organized video and TV stuff, straightened the computer and all those games, cleaned the bathroom (even the toilet), made their beds and vacuumed. I walked up there without stepping on anything and was so proud.

Clayson, Trey and Ashlyn have all gone to stay at their Nana and Pop's for the night because they are getting up early to go to Glen Rose in the morning for birthday celebrations. So, instead of staying at home alone, I went to the Crandall Cotton Gin with a couple of friends for a country music concert and then on to Rhonda's house for an hour of fun. I thought about putting out a disclaimer for our silly pictures that you see but there is no need.It's just how we are. We love to laugh and to catch this goofiness on camera. Laughter is the best medicine, right?!

So, here are some pictures from today. (note: The boys do not want any part of being in pictures but this doesn't mean I don't love them.)

Life is what you make it. I choose to make it fun.

it's my party

Day 2: SB09
We slept late, cleaned the house and slept some more. Life is good. While I rested from a morning full of mopping, sweeping, straightening, dusting and swirling toilets, Ashlyn had a big birthday celebration with her twenty something baby dolls. Jared blew up balloons and made cupcakes. Apparently, I slept through the celebration. She has also learned how to use the self-timer on the camera. All pictures below are of Ashlyn taken by Ashlyn.





She's a diva.

SB09

Spring break is finally here! There are so many things that I hope to see happen on this break and here are my top five ( in no particular order).

1.) Catch up on DVR shows - The Young and the Restless, The View, Ellen, Regis and Kelly.

2.) Take my kids to do something fun (I don't think their dentist appointments on Tuesday will qualify as this). They have big plans one night with their Nana and Pop and plans another night with their Mimi and Pawpaw, it's gonna be hard to top.

3.) Spend some quality time with my friends (both groups).

4.) Sleep in. No alarm setting, except for Sunday.

5.) Don't sweat the small stuff - it's okay if the house doesn't stay clean and there is laundry to be done. And, if I want to stay in my pajamas all day, who cares.

Rest is a priority.

I jumpstarted my spring break by taking off work today. I took off to go on Ashlyn's field trip to the zoo but it was postponed. I had a good day at home and was motivated enough to pick the kids up from school early, take them to Roadhouse and then we had a couple of friends and kids come over here to play.

Ashlyn decided to put all of our hair in pigtails and of course, I decided to take pictures.

Here's to a week of laughter, fun and making memories. Oh, and rest.

sassy is right

We had our first soccer game and our girls played like rockstars! They were all over the field, making goals like crazy. It was so much fun for Jennifer and I and the girls had a blast. They were impressive. Here are some pictures from the game. I love it!

not your typical comics in the Sunday paper

So, Ashlyn is always making me laugh. Here are some of the latest and greatest Ashlynisms.

* This morning she told us all about her process of anger. When she gets mad: first she gets a headache, then she gets hot and then she cries. I think when it comes time for her to cut out the pictures of making the peanut butter sandwich and put them in the correct order, she'll have no problem. She's a processing diva. What's more interesting is the thing that she recalled making her so mad - a string would not come out of her pants. Oh those annoying strings that hang and don't budge with the tug of your hands.

* She goes to church on Wednesday night with my mom. This week they started choir. Nothing suits her fancy more than being a performer. I asked her what songs they sang and she said matter-of-factly, "Zackery in the Tree". Poor Zaccheus. I bet his teachers never spelled his name right.

* We had our first soccer practice and were so pleased with our skillfull five year olds. Ashlyn told the team and the mom's that were listening that last time she played, I called her a naked chicken. No, Ashlyn. I said you were running around like a chicken with your head cut off. (She never knew where the ball was, she just knew she was supposed to run.) We'll see how tomorrow goes. Our Sassy Sidekicks are sure to make us proud.

looking for love in all the wrong places

Fortunately, this does not apply to me. I found love 15 years ago. And, I wasn't chosen out of 25 eligible women. I was chosen out of roughly 170 girls at Crandall High School. Haha. Pick me, pick me ... and Jared did. Twelve and a half years of marriage later - all because two people fell in love - we are a success story. (Just like Ryan and Trista from the Bachelor season something.)

While watching the Bachelor last night it reaffirmed how grateful I am to be happily married and not looking for love. Poor Melissa and shame on Jason. It was such a sad moment in Bachelor history coming from the man we felt so sorry for last season. And although I want to rebel against ABC and say I'll never watch it again, I'd be lying. And, what's the point? I'm sure it matters very little to you and to ABC what I choose to watch. I'm just angry at how this played out. I could go on and on but again, what would be the point.

Back in the day, I was the type of girl that fell hard and fast. Boyfriends could expect no less than three notes a day and a phone call as soon as they got home (this was before cell phones and in the midst of cordless phones). And don't think breaking up freed them from my stalking - it got worse. More phone calls and desperate letters spilling my guts out, making big promises; begging and pleading for the relationship to continue. There have been four meaningful relationships in my life. Evidently, the fourth time was a charm. I can think of only two random relationships because that wasn't how I rolled. I wanted something serious all the time.

My first encounter with love started in 7th grade at the distric track meet on April 1, 1989. Joe became my everything. There were many rough - and I do mean rough- years. At one time, I was forbidden to see him, snuck around and eventually would get caught. This went on for at least a year. The psychologist convinced my mom to let me see him , in hopes that I could move back home from my grandparents, quit running away and stop the suicidal threats. (I told you it was rough!) I cannot tell you how bad my first three years of high school were at home because I was determined to have Joe in my life forever. Because of how it ended and out of respect for his legacy, I won't get into why he was so wrong for me. My senior year, Joe was killed in a car accident. Rumor has it that he was hurrying home to catch his ride to the football game, where he planned to "beat up" my boyfriend. This tragic ending shattered many dreams, left me with many memories and changed the course of my life forever. Because of the addiction I had to him and his possesive nature, I have no doubt that like the four years we were in an on again, off again relationship - pitifully, that's the way the rest of my life would have played out, leaving me forever in a desperate situation. (This is a story I'd love to share more in depth sometime because that day 15 and a half years ago changed my life for the better and because Joe was a Christian, his life was also changed for the better.) He wasmy first love, introducing me to the concept of love and then to some of my deepest sorrow.

Bachelor #2 was a church friend that lived up the street. He moved to Crandall in 5th grade and a couple of girlfriends later, I finally landed him. If Joe and I were broken up it was usually me and him until 11th grade when I suspect he had had enough. Why he'd always take me back throughout those six years is beyond me. Somewhere in all of this, I grew to love him but it was a different love. It tended to be a love/hate relationship. He could be so mean and brutally honest but on better days he was a great friend. On the one extreme there were restraining orders against Joe and I am pretty sure they blocked my number from calling their house. It got that bad. Needless to say, I was crazy about this boy but just could not pull my life together enough to move away from my past. On the other extreme there was the part where we always had so much fun on the youth outings, scampering around the neighborhood before we could drive and lots of fun going places when we were able to drive. We grew up together. He was one I could always be myself around. I always thought that if I could break away from Joe, this would be the one I would marry. We had been through so much together. After Joe died, I could not help but wonder what might have been but it was too late, we had both moved on. He did call me the night before he left for College Station and we spent a few hours on the phone. We truly made peace with all the years of turmoil and bitterness that had surfaced. More than anything, I needed this phone call with the happy ending.

Bachelor #3 was so, so , so much fun. He was younger but I enjoyed being the taxi driver - haha! He also lived up the street. I am trying to remember how this relationship came about - I'm thinking it was because of mutual friends. It started one summer and was full of "summeristic" memories - swimming, late nights, movies, a teen dancing club, cruising. His personality was what I loved most about him. Our senses of humor were a lot alike so imagine two goofies dating - ha! We had so much fun and were always laughing at each other. It was him that caused Joe's jealousy on that dreaded night. And, it was him who became one of my rocks during this sad time of my life. Things just didn't work out between us. Even the letters and song mixes I created on a cassette tape couldn't keep us together. I'm sure the death, the depth of my sorrow and my temporarily altered personality were just too much. He was young and I do not blame him for not wanting to carry this burden.

A couple of months later, in Art class my senior year, I finally wrote the note that would change my life forever. Jared Davis became the love of my life. I graduated high school (1994) and went to college. He graduated high school (1996) and we were married two months later. We have spent 15 years creating an amazing life with three precious children, a wonderful house on five acres and being what we wanted to be when we grew up. In each of my past three meaningful relationships I learned many things. I learned a lot about myself, about growing up, about letting go and how to make things work. I've won some and I've lost some and because of it all, I am a stronger person. I'll be the first to admit that it has not always been easy but without a doubt, it has been worth it. I am thankful that God placed each of these bachelors in my life at the times that He did and I'll be forever thankful for the one that stuck around and has blessed me in so many ways for so many years.

And to Melissa, sometimes you kiss a lot of frogs before finding your prince. Evidently, Jason couldn't shake the four legs and the green skin...