My children are "church babies." It means they're growing up where the church building and the people in are another home. There are no strangers in church. Even if it's somewhere we're visiting.
For instance, a few weeks ago, when we were in West Virginia, we attended a Wednesday night Bible study where I spoke that Saturday. There were a few other kids there, though none of them exactly the same age as my children. And no other girls. My friend introduced my kids to their Bible teacher and they went. No questions asked. No worried clinging to my husband or me. They went to class.
It does a mama's heart good to see that. Especially since when they were younger, we did go through the phase where they clung and cried and didn't want to leave me.

A couple years ago, I was asked to speak at a Ladies' Day. Yes. A couple years. Apparently, they only have one every other year and were planning ahead. I hemmed and hawed about it for a few days. After all, what could I possibly have to say that someone else couldn't say better?
But the topic they'd suggested was "God is the Author of our Lives." Yeah. I love that topic. And the more I thought about it and rolled it around in my head, the more ideas came to me.
Well, I had to do a couple devotionals at a retreat that fall, so I threw the ideas down and tried them out on some fellow authors. And it grew from there. Needless to say, I had agreed to be the speaker.
Of course, like a lot of things in life, if it's not immediate, it isn't on my brain much. So while it was still in the back of my brain, I wasn't worried about it.

Would you consider a video game a romantic gesture? Author Sara Beth Williams is chatting about a time when her husband surprised her with just that. And how she found it romantic indeed. Read on.

​My now-husband and I met at a Christian concert event in 2005 where he and I along with several other college students spent a weekend camping and enjoying contemporary Christian music. There weren’t any huge romantic gestures, btu there was absolutely an inward pull toward one another.
 
Ove the years, we’ve both made romantic gestures toward one another, like when I bought NFL tickets for our first year anniversary (and they were stolen off our porch) Or when he bought Toby Mac concert tickets for my birthday, or Switchfoot concert tickets for our anniversary.

We’ve been open about what we like and want to see from one another. I am a huge proponent of communication, and I believe that ‘expecting’ your spouse or significant other to know everything you want is unrealistic and unfair for everyone involved. 

Have you ever tried to move bulbs? I'm not talking light bulbs. I'm talking flowers. Like daffodils, tulips, irises, and the like. I love bulbs because you plant them once and they come back every year. Sometimes spreading and making even more flowers. My front garden is happy with them starting in February and usually going all the way through Easter.
​And, randomly, I have some in the backyard too.

My daughter is starting to exert her independence.
See the photo above? That's her with some friends at a ballgame a few weeks ago. Several rows down and over from where her Daddy and I sat with her brother. Far enough away that she could be silly with her friends and copy the cheerleaders and yell and jump and giggle. Close enough to get to us quickly if needed.
And a little part of this mama heart twinged. Because she's eight. And in a few years, she'll be sitting at the other end of the gym in the student section and only come when she wants to beg a few dollars for nachos. And her brother won't be far behind.

A few weeks ago, our family went to a basketball game at school. Since my husband is a teacher, and both my kids are students, we try to attend several events through the year. It's always fun to see my kids interacting with their friends and to root for students from my husband's classes.
This night, though, there were several tense moments. A coach had to sit out for a quarter due to his temper. Fouls happened left and right. And one player on the other team actually collapsed.
We all sat in suspense while adults hovered around the teenager, making sure she was breathing and trying to get her heartrate down. 

Is it the big gestures or something else that really gets your heart racing in the romance department? I'm very much in agreement with fellow author, Carolyn Miller, who is sharing some fun experiences her husband blessed her with ... which has in turn helped her create more romantic characters. See what you think.

​When my now-husband and I first started dating I was impressed by his romantic gestures. I still remember when he first asked me out that he quoted Shakespeare to me (Henry V’s speech to Katharine – I know you want to know!), something which stunned and impressed this high school English teacher. (I’m someone who struggles to remember the names of her characters in her current work-in-progess, let alone swathes of Shakespeare!) I remember being impressed by the moonlit walks on the beach, the flowers, the jewellery, all of the sweetnesses.
Now, twenty-five years of marriage, four kids, and lots of adventures later, I’m still a huge fan of those gestures most would deem romantic, but now I have a deeper appreciation of other things. Like when he takes care of cooking dinner without complaining. (Hey, he’s a better cook than me) Like when he wants to spend time with me, even if it means doing stuff that mightn’t be his favorite thing to do. 

I admit that I can be a perfectionist. And an idealist.
I love handmade gifts. Making them. Giving them.
I love baking goodies from scratch.
To me, it makes everything more special. Like I'm giving a little bit of myself when I give gifts that take extra time and ingredients.
​But ...
​I am not Wonder Woman.

Are you still singing Christmas songs in your house? Is it because your children are still singing Christmas songs? That's the way it is here. Ugh. I'm over it.
But it keeps an issue in the forefront of my mind, too. You see, this year my children actually paid more attention to the lyrics. Know what is in the lyrics of quite a few Christmas songs?
​Euphemisms.

2023 got off to a shaky start in some ways.
I caught a cold/sinus gunk shortly before Christmas and kept it all the way through. Not a fun way to celebrate the holidays. I finally started feeling better in time to start back to work. But I started back to work with two days of an online tax seminar. I went from getting up between 7:30 and 8 and lazing away at breakfast to having to be at the office by 7. Big difference.
By the end of those days, I was spent. Mentally and physically.
Imagine my joy when I walk into my house and find the ceiling fans dusted and dinner started.