Dobie Update!

Big man, even bigger heart

On February 1, 2013 you may remember a post titled "Little Lady, Big Heart" about Michael's grandmother, Nanny. Now, on June 20th, only 4 and a half months later, I'd like to share with you about her husband and Michael's grandather, DD also known as Jim Reid, who passed away on Tuesday, June 18th after over 200 days in Methodist Hopsice and after a long battle with Parkinson's Disease.

Jim Reid smile :)

Love this picture of nanny & DD at Christmas time... I'm pretty sure this was the Home Builders Christmas Gala.

"Jim Reid was respected throughout the building and business communities as a good, honest man who could wear his jeans and t-shirt with a cigar in his mouth to dig a home's foundation in the morning and then be in a suit and tie to meet with the bankers in the afternoon."

The quote above is one of my favorite parts of DD's obituary. DD was the kind of man that wrote love letters to his future wife every day, drove long hours to see nanny when they lived hours apart, started a family business bulding homes with a little bit of experience, a dream, and a lot of hard work, gave anything and everything to his family, came to every basketball game, graduation, and birthday party that any of the grandkids had, and knew that a simple life was a happy life. What an extrodinary person he was and what an extrodinary legacy he leaves with his sweet family. You can read his full obituary and see what rich life he lead, sweet pictures that serve as memories of who he was and who he has helped his children and grandchildren become, and memories that will always be in our hearts, here.

Here are a few of the pictures that I just love. You can tell how much these boys (Michael and Aaron) adored their DD even from a young age.

DD & Michael (love those little red curls :)

DD & Aaron (notice DD's got his popsicle in one hand and his cigar in another :)

The boys with nanny & DD

DD with his Reid Homes shirt that Michael & Aaron got him. This is exactly how I will remember DD... In his chair at home surrounded by famiy with a slight smile and big blue eyes peering up at us.

There are truly no words (although DD's obituary will give you insight on the kind of man he was and the type of family and business he built) that can describe him and his family. I am so blessed to be a part of his legacy through marriage to Michael. I can only hope that Michael and I can live like him, love like him, and raise a family like him.

We love you DD.

Love,
R&M

Next to me

We had the best time this weekend at our cousin's (Matthew & Sarah's) wedding! It was in Rogers, Arkansas which was just as pleasant as they said it was. Rogers is a smaller town, relatively speaking, with the cutest square, great shopping and beautiful scenery.

As I watched Matthew & Sarah say their vows I couldn't help but remember our own. Being with Michael in the chapel at our church in front of all of our friends and family, while saying our vows, was the hands down the sweetest and most intimate experience of my whole life. How wonderful is God and his gift of marriage?

We will be married 8 months this week. Life has never been sweeter. Yes, we have definitely had our share of ups and downs, believe me... there are times when I want to ring his neck for being on his phone all the time and leaving his golf stuff in our dining room and I know there are times he'd like to ring mine (although I have no clue what for... :)) but I do know this much - God gives you little glimpses of what heaven must be like when you find that one who your soul loves. Saturday night reminded me of just that. Although we were in the middle of his family celebrating Sarah and Matthew, we were also in our own little world... on the dance floor, at the bar, wherever we were at the reception. We had such a blast together! Sometimes you just need to dance and laugh and God knew exactly what we needed. I am so thankful for this gift of marriage and I thank my God for him.

On the dance floor. :)

As we were driving home and holding hands one of my favorite songs (as of late) came on. I couldn't help but smile as I looked down at his hand in mine as he was so sweetly rubbing my hand. In that moment I didn't want to move. I really just wanted to freeze in time and remember how much fun we had. It's hard to explain unless you've been there. Anyway, I want to remember it and want our future children to know how this feels, how their parents felt about each other and how love is supposed to feel... so I'm blogging it. :) The days of pen and paper are long over!

Without further ado... I'll let Emeli take it away. Click here for the music video of one of my favorite songs lately & the song that reminds me how blessed I am to have Michael next to me!

Love,
R&M

Chloe, our little spark

Well as most of you probably know by now (because I couldn't keep this news off of facebook and instagram), we have officially adopted Chloe. For those of you who may not know who Chloe is let me fill you in...

This is Chloe.

And this was her first night in our home. :)

She's a one year old doberman, one ear flops and the other stands straight up (one of many characteristics that I find adorable about her), she's a skinny petite little thing that loves more than anything to be close to you, put her big paws on your leg, arm or even face if you let her, who's cropped little tail is always wagging, sits directly on your feet and loves to gaze up at you with those big brown eyes, loves food of ANY kind (after all when you go without, you're up for anything) chew up toys (no matter how durable you may think they are), runs as fast as the wind, and has the most genuine and sweet little heart that I've ever seen in an animal (well besides my Bella girl, that is). I'm a little in love if you can't tell!

Chloe has consumed most of our lives this past month. If we weren't with her we were certainly always thinking about her. We were connected with Chloe through the dog rescue group that I volunteer with - Street Dog Foundation. They knew that we were doberman lovers (after all Bella is at least 1/2 of my heart) and called when they found her. She was dropped off at Shelby Forrest. We think she must have been living in the woods for weeks. When she was found her ribs showed, she had ticks, and worst of all (but we didn't know at the time), she was heart worm positive. How can someone dump such a sweet little girl? I mean look at this face!

I will never understand this and pray that those people are shown more mercy and grace by our God then they have given.

Michael and I just knew that we should foster Chloe from the minute we saw her. I'll never forget meeting this wild little skinny doberman and then looking down at Bella who's my calm, mature princess (who also has notably not skipped a meal.. :) and thinking WOW. How can we really go from this to that? We're so used to Bella who is for the most part poised, trained and in her little routine.

We thought and prayed about it and decided to take Chloe in and let me tell you it was an experience for the first 2 weeks. I've never realized how mentally and physically draining fostering is. It's something you just have to experience for yourself. It took some adjusting for Miss Bella too although now I don't think Bella could imagine being alone again.

After she started heart worm treatment, which was pretty rough on her for a couple of days, we found friends that were interested in taking Chloe for a 2 week trial. When the day came that they picked Chloe up I literally felt like I was giving away my own child. I was a hot mess the entire week... crying, calling Michael and my mom, etc. When it didn't work out with the family I couldn't wait to get her back. From the moment she walked back in that door (and we realized she was in heat... what an experience that was... never thought I'd go to Target to get Depends for a dog) we knew that we couldn't let her leave again. Bella was instantly happier. That week she had been moppy around the house. We also kind of felt like a little spark was missing.

In the 2 weeks since we've had her back she has learned to wait patiently for her food, share toys and even bones (which is a BIG deal around our house) with Bella, sit when commanded, walk on a leash, and give kisses. :) She took her last heart worm treatment yesterday so now she can really run and play again! Yesterday was also a big day because she was adopted into our family as Chloe Ann Jacques. (Oh yea Mike... I gave her a middle name too) :) We celebrated with a "Welcome Home Chloe" peanut butter cake from Three Dogs Bakery, a ceremony with Streetdog, a sweet poem and a bag full of goodies!

We are so happy to say she's ours. Here's some pictures from our little celebration.

Waiting on cake!

First family photo but certainly not the last. We love our girls!!!

So proud to be her mama!

First experience with cake was a success. She couldn't get enough. Don't worry, Bella got 1/2 too. :)

I hope we can give Chloe the forever home that she so deserves. We love her so much & think that she loves us too! If you are considering fostering or adopting, DO. You don't know how big of a difference you can make in a dog's life and how much it will impact yours.

Love,
R & M

Sign. Sealed. Delivered.

I'm so excited to announce the our investment house is officially SOLD! There was a lot of hard work put into this house. Congratulations are in order! :) 

I am so incredibly proud of my husband. Not only for his work ethic but also for his passion... for what he does, for his family, his girls (Bella and Chloe... More on who Chloe is a little later this week), friends and most importantly his passion for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I told Mike recently that I have seen God working so much in his life (and in my own)... It is truly a blessing. My heart is full of joy. There is nothing more attractive to me than seeing my husband lead our family and love on me & our girls. Now, that is what I call sexy! :) 

I love you more and more everyday Michael Jacques. Just thought you should know. 

"I thank my God every time I remember you." Philippians 1:3 

Love, 

Rach

Simply Be

It has been quite some time since I have posted on the ole blog... about a month to be exact. Where has the time gone? It seems like I am always so busy running from point A to point B, checking off things on the "to-do" list, making sure Michael and Bella have food to eat so they don't starve... okay that was a little dramatic but you know what I mean. It seems like our culture is all about doing more and being more and that the busier we are, the more successful or productive we will be and feel. I am 100% guilty of this as I suffer from the "can't say no" over-commitment complex. I stay busy because I don't know how to simply just be.

I recently took a trip to Palm Springs, CA to see my brother. It was absolutely gorgeous. Stunning mountain views, palm trees, and the breeze was incredible. Here's a picture of my view each morning. Here's a picture of my brother, Jake, and I. Trust me, the coffee tasted better with this view. :)

They say the mountains that surround Palm Springs provide a sense of spiritual healing. The energy there is hard to describe. The way of life even more indescribable. I wasn't over concerned with checking emails, running errands and planning out our vacation for 2014... I simply enjoyed what God had given me... what was right in front of me. And everyone there seemed to be doing the same thing! I had a bit of culture shock. Although, I've been to California before it felt different this time. Maybe I noticed the smaller things or maybe God was pointing them out to me. Let me show you what I mean.

While we were visiting Laguna Beach for the day, I watched this lady (in the 2nd picture above) stroll along the street wit her dog and come up to this little shop to get her gourmet cheeses and perhaps dinner for the night. (I was enjoying my gelato in the same shopping complex that she came into... I have a weird obsession with gelato and people-watching for that matter). She brought her adorable dog with her because, well, they all bring their dogs everywhere. He sat there and patiently waited on his owner to come out from the shop. Not tied to a leash, or anything. I thought this was pretty cool so I snapped a picture. I liked sitting there and picturing what her life must be like. Even if she did the same things I did during a normal week (which I can bet she doesn't), she sure looked like she was enjoying her day and living in the moment. And even the dog seemed different. He seemed at peace and enjoying his life too. We saw more dogs on the beach and they had the same look. Relaxed and taking it all in. Wouldn't it be neat if we could do this every day? Here are a couple more pictures from Laguna.

Next is our experience at the Mexican restaurant. See below!

This is a picture from a fabulous Mexican Restaurant off the main strip in Palm Springs. It was a neat Mexican restaurant that seemed like it was inside but although it had walls, it was all open sky. And the live music put everyone in a great mood. I SO WISH I would have snapped a picture of the lady I'm about to tell you about. She seemed to be in her 70's... maybe even early 80's. She had white hair, a thin frame and wore a smile that made you want to know more about her. She was dancing with a tall, thin, young guy with dark black hair. He was Hispanic. My brother, my mom and I couldn't stop watching them. At first we thought maybe he worked there and was being nice to dance with her. But then they went back to a table and proceeded to talk and laugh before getting up to dance to the next song. We couldn't figure out the situation but it didn't matter. What mattered is that she was having a night to remember. She was enjoying every bit of it. The air, the music and her gentleman. How often do I take my nights for granted? Too often to count. This lady left a lasting impression on me.

And last is Jaclyn - the ranch owner from Morango Valley. Jaclyn moved out West after a divorce in 1986. She raised her kids in the dessert of Morango Valley and has built herself a lovely place with mountains and desserts as her scenery. But let's not forget the 30+ horses, 50+ chickens, 3 dogs and cat that she feeds every single day. She runs the entire ranch by herself. On top of that, she gives horse rides for tourists (like us) where she welcomes them into her world for 3 hours of bliss. This was no tourist adventure, let me tell you. As we rode along the mountainside it was so peaceful and I couldn't help to think what her life was like either. Simple. Beautiful. And more than anything enjoyable. She loves what she does and truly lives life to the fullest each day. What an inspiration! Here are so more pictures of us riding horses. This was incredible!

These 3 women, among other moments I experienced while in California, got me thinking about how I don't take the time to truly enjoy life like they did. Whether it be culture thing or a personal thing, there are no excuses. We control what we control and I know that what I can control is my priorities and my schedule for the most part. A great friend of mine left me with an email ending in this quote below.

“What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide what gets you out of bed in the mornings, what you do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you. Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.”
Pedro Arrupe (1907-1991)

I don't think I need to add anything to this beautiful quote. I'll simply say this...

I think this is something we all struggle with today. From elaborate weddings, showers and events that we feel like we have to plan, trips we feel like we need to take, constant home improvement projects, striving to keep up with trends in clothing, social media, and the like... what are we living for? I don't know about you, but I'm really kind of tired of it. I feel that I'm in my happiest place when I have time to sit on the back porch with Michael and Bella and feel the wind and sun on my face, when there is nothing on the "to-do" list and I've had time to mediate on things that are most important in my life. Most importantly, when I've spend time in God's word and he is teaching me what pure joy and peace truly looks like. It's then that I can really seize the day and really live.

My happy place. :)

I am determined to simply be and I hope you all can find time to do the same.

Love,
R&M

Tea Cup Theology

I am reading such a wonderful book that I wanted to share with you.

I am a part of a Women's Christian Book Club that some girlfriends and I started about 2 months ago. We are meeting once a month and doing brunch, chatting about girly things, prayer requests and discussing our book. The first book we chose wasn't that great so last meeting we decided to start over. We picked "Calm My Anxious Heart" by Linda Dillow.

What an awesome choice! I am only mid-way through Chapter 2 and I am already in love with it. Last night I literally turned off my Kindle and said, "Wow" out loud.

One thing from the first chapter that I really loved was her analogy of each woman being like their very own special tea cup (hence her paragraph title, "Teacup Theology").

Picture credit: http://www.handmadepotteryart.com

Some may be dainty with lace pattern trim, others may be bold with funky patterns and some may just be plain and solid as a rock... unbreakable. We are all designed differently. And each tea cup also holds a different amount or portion. God knows exactly what we need to fill our cup. What I have in my cup will look different than what my friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers have in their cups. The cool thing about it is that God fills our cup with our portion. He knows best and knows what we can handle. So instead of wishing to be like another cup and have what the other cups may be holding, we need to learn to trust God and be content with what he has given us.

I know right? Easier said than done. Even Jesus asked for a different portion in his cup in the Garden of Gethsemane (when was praying to God about his crucifixion)

"And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” Matthew 26:39

But later when he went away again and prayed he said, "...My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done." Matthew 26:42

So how can we expect to do this? Just like Jesus did. By taking our cup handle and lifting it up to God. After all, every tea cup has a handle. And I am so, so thankful that through the blood of Jesus, we do.

I am so looking forward to continuing this journey to contentment with this book, God, and some good girlfriends! I can't wait to finish reading and I'll definitely share more. Hope everyone is having a great start to Holy Week and is focusing on the cross... the one thing that truly matters in this world.

Love,
R & M