Why I love Feb. 27th!

I love today because it is the day we get to celebrate the birth of my favorite person ever...my hubby! 48 years ago, Brian Kevin Haynes entered this world and I think the sun has shone a little bit brighter ever since.

Brian, I love you so much. You are the perfect man for me! Thanks for your patience and love all these years! You are an amazing person and it has been such a joy to be your wife and to serve God together. I pray today is a special day, I know there is so much going on, but know that in the midst of the craziness of today, I am so thankful for you!!!! Your lobster!!!! Brenn :)

To my daughter....

See how much he loves you? It is written all over his face!!!

Ashley,
I find myself thinking about you often these days. I wonder why? Could it be because I have a huge to-do list to complete by next Tuesday? A to-do list that involves lots of packing and wedding details? Could it be because I keep imagining how radiant you are going to look on March 3rd in that gorgeous white gown? Or could it be because I am remembering the day I first laid eyes on you and you had your whole life still ahead of you? To me that day seems like it was just yesterday, when people say time flies, they mean it!

Those are all reasons I find myself thinking of you, but mainly you are my mind because you are in my prayers. I find myself remembering how I felt right before your dad and I were married. It was such a magical time, and yes there was stress, but looking back on it now I can't remember the stress as much as I can the anticipation. I was about to marry the man God put in my life, I was on cloud 9, I would practice writing my new name over and over again!

I pray for you Ashley, because marriage is a special, special bond. I pray that you will be the wife that Larry needs, that God will fill you with patience as you learn to live with a boy. (believe it or not, men and women are different!) I pray that your marriage will be a witness to those around you, that when people see the two of you they see Christ!

Dad and I have been praying for Larry since the day you were born. We did not know his name for many many years. I can promise you that now that we know his name, we will keep on praying for him. Our role as parents is shifting a bit, we are entrusting Larry to take care of you now; but we will always pray for you. That will never change!

So Ashley, enjoy these next 11 days! Don't allow the details of wedding planning to bog you down and cause you to lose sight of what is happening. On March 3rd, at 1:00 pm, you will be walking down the aisle to Larry and in that moment, nothing else will matter! The people attending the wedding will have a special day even if all the decorations aren't perfectly in place! And at the end of the day you will be Mrs. Klingsheim!!!! You will be married and we will have another son!!!

Love you so much,

Mom

5 Minute Friday...Delight

Today is 5 minute Friday. 5 minutes to write on one word, no editing, just what comes to mind.



Today's word is DELIGHT:





Go:

When my husband and I were dating, we had 700 miles separating us. It was in the days before cell phones and email, so we relied heavily on letters for most of our communication. I can still remember the excitment when I would get to the mailbox and find a letter from him. I would immediately read every word and then reread it at least a dozen times that day. Those letters brought me so much delight. I looked forward to them, my heart would beat faster when I saw his handwritting on the envelope.

The Bible is also a love letter. Its one that God composed for us. I have to ask myself, do I approach this love letter with the same delight as I did with my husband's love letters when we were dating? Do I hang on every word? Or do I see my Bible reading as a chore to get through that day, something that I check off my to-do list? Honestly, I have done both. There are seasons where I devour the Bible and can't get enough and then there are times when it really is a chore. I can say that when I am delighting in God's word and soaking it in, those are the times when my life is marked with greater joy and peace.

Where are you today with God's word? Do you delight in it? Do you see it as a love letter, written just for you? Or are you struggling just to read it? Ask God to help you delight in His word, He will meet you there!!

Psalm 1:1-3

Blessed is the man
   who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
   or sit in the seat of mockers.
 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
   and on his law he meditates day and night.
 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
   which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
   Whatever he does prospers.

Mr. & Mrs.

I found the one my heart loves.

Song of Solomon 3:4

Mr. and Mrs...These words make us think naturally of marriage. I first of all think of my own marriage, of course. Lately however, I also think of a wedding that will taking place in 18 days.(yikes, that's soon!!!) This wedding will make my daughter a Mrs; Mrs. Klingsheim to be exact.

Last weekend Ashley's amazing maid of honor (my other daughter, Abby) and her amazing personal attendant (Lindsey) threw Ashley a bridal shower for all her college and Bemidji friends. I was sad to not be able to attend, but have enjoyed hearing the stories and seeing the pictures. This is one of those days that I pray Ashley is treasuring in her heart.

Ashley and Lindsey

Ashley and Abby

The winners of the Project Runway/Cupcake Wars/Say Yes to the Dress cookie decorating contest.

Ashley opening her present from Abby and I.

To celebrate the unique bonds of Mr. and Mrs; Dayspring has put together some amazing products. The call it simply enough the Mr. and Mrs. Collection. This past month I was blessed to receive some of this collection and have been not only enjoying it myself, but sharing it with my soon-to-be-a-Mrs daughter. In the picture above you can see her looking through the coupon book, there are some good coupons in there!!

This is all she received in her package.

I have to say, I love being able to celebrate being a Mrs. and I would do it even if Dayspring didn't create these fun items. But these items make it a bit more fun and exciting. I received the above package from Dayspring for free to review, but there are a few of their products I bought on my own because I loved the fun that came with them. I have a secret stash of love notes for my Mr; on occasion I will pull one out and leave in a fun place for him to find. I also gave him the Mr. & Mrs. Journal at Christmas. It is a special book that we have already filled with many special notes meant only for our own eyes. I just love finding that book with the Mr. side facing up. That means my man has taken some time to write a note just for me. My heart beats a little faster and  a smile creeps across my face every time! When Brian and I were dating (back in the ancient days before texting or emails) we wrote actual letters to ease the pain of the 700 miles separating us. This journal takes me back to those days, there really is nothing as special as a hand-written note, and now we will have a book full of those notes to read anytime we desire!!

You don't need a special day to celebrate with your Mr. or Mrs. All you need is love and just a bit of creativity and fun to show them how special they are. Every day should be Valentine's Day, every day we should be thankful to God for the love He has sent us, every day we should tell or show our sweetie just how much we love them!!!

*In exchange for this review Dayspring sent me the Mr. and Mrs. Collection for free. All opinions on its awesomeness are mine! 

5 Minute Friday...Trust

 Today is 5 Minute Friday. 5 minutes to write on one word, whatever comes to mind, no editing!


Today's word is Trust.





Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding...

Trust and Obey....

Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus...

When something major comes up in my life, I give it Jesus. I trust Him to carry the load for me. So why is that when little things come along, I tend to hang on to them. I tell Jesus, its ok, I've got this one. Whey can't I trust Him with the small things? He cares about everything that happens to me.

Just last night I was feeling overwhelmed by a lot of little things that had come up in our lives this week. As Brian went to pray for us before sleep I shared with him that I was overwhelmed. He prayed and as he prayed he said Lord, we trust you with these things. That gave me so much peace. I need to trust Him with everything.

This morning I wake up and see the word for today is trust. That  is God's way of reminding me to trust Him. He's saying, it's ok Brenda. Trust me!!! How about you? Are you trusting Him today?