Do you take your vows seriously? God does.

This weeks challenge is simply to Remember. Remember the day you entered your sacred vows.



It was the morning January 23rd, 2007 and I had gone to work. Gabe and I had been dating for about 7 mths now and we were engaged and had our wedding planned for May 27, 2007. My mom had joked a few times that why don't we get married already and not wait till then. Well I ended up losing my job that morning from out of the blue and thought wow, this sucks, especially because I did not see this coming. Well God had other plans for sure. I called my dad first and then came home at lunch time just dumbfounded of course. I then called Gabe to let him know. He had said that they were looking for a tech in Dalhart where he lived 2 hrs away. I knew that would be a blessing for my son Jared and I but I didn't want to live in the same city as Gabe and not be married. The temptation was too great and we wanted nothing but to be together for all of us especially Jared. (Gabe officially adopted Jared in August of 2007 - more on that later.)So I am not sure who presented the idea first but we decided to get married that same Friday. I asked my dad who is a pastor if he would and he said, "I will do it tomorrow if you would like." We had already done our pre maritial counseling and was just planning our May wedding at this time.
So we decided it was a go and and Gabe came early that week and we got our marriage license. I called all my brothers and told them. I understood if they couldn't make it because of such SHORT notice, but thankfully they all came. 2 of SIL's got to be present along with my niece Bethany. Gabe's mom or family wasn't able to come because of distance and job. The best witness of all, my son Jared, who was 10mths at the time. We decided for it only to be just us and close family because it was a short notice wedding and I didn't want anyone left out and we wanted it small. My oldest brother walked me down the aisle since my dad was marrying us. This was the first time I saw my husband cry and did he ever when we said our vows. I even said
"For richer or for really poor," when we said our vows. That made him chuckle a little. We had a part in our vows for Jared as well.
I even had a bouquet made for me and a boutonniere for Gabe out of red carnations.
The reception was the best. It was at my mom and dad's house. We invited a few friends over for chicken spaghetti and lasagna for dinner to celebrate. My sweet sil, Abby made some simple but meaningful table decorations that made it even better. We had toasts, our first dance in the kitchen, cake eating, and lots of fun by all. We had just a short honeymoon because Gabe had a already planned conference in Utah leaving on Sunday morning. My parents took care of Jared and we went to Amarillo for a few days. It was the best ever. So small, simple, without all the nerves and lots of people.
We did still have our big wedding. Some say they still will but don't. I had already bought my dress and we were still going to do it for sure. My dad got to walk me down this time and my grandmother and aunts were able to attend from Indiana. My best friend, Alexis, still got to be my maid of honor and we were able to celebrate with all of our church family.






One of the most special things that happened in both weddings was my mother was their and ever so present. In August of this year it will be a year that she "won" her battle with cancer and is dancing in Heaven.
My dad and my mom are a huge part of how my marriage is today. I can't compare ours to theirs because we are not them but I was so blessed to be brought up in how marriage with the Lord being number one in your life and how it is supposed to look like. We continue to work hard daily. I honestly, am struggling with being more selfish lately but this post reminding me of where my focus needs to be. To honor the Lord, my husband, and then my children. The Lord brought Gabe and I back together after all those years and I want to honor that gift the Lord gave me.





Matthew 19:6 says "what God has joined together, let man not separate.
Our marriage vows acknowledge that we are more than just living together. We are committed. We are committed "Until Death Do Us Part!"