I am a soccer coach. It’s still weird to hear myself say that. Mainly, because I never played a second of soccer in my life. Instead, my soccer experience began in a “bag chair” from Walmart, sitting on the sidelines back in 2006 watching my 4 year old twins run back and forth, between two tiny goals, chasing a soccer ball. Yep, that’s where all this started.

From that moment on soccer has been a huge part my family life. I guess you could say for the past 11 years I’ve been a “soccer mom”, although I really don’t like the stereotype in which people use the term. Soccer moms are usually referred to as women who drive mini vans full of kids, headed to soccer practice amongst all the other places they have to go, passing out McDonalds as they cruise the drive through for supper. Not saying that’s never been me because it so has, but I just call that a busy mom. My soccer mom hat has been just one of many I wore through the years.

Soccer mom in my world has come to mean so much more. My soccer mom duties have included finding training for my son so he could advance in his skills, finding teams/clubs for him to play in that we could afford and that would challenge him, finding camps for him to go to that would bridge him into our next step which is getting colleges to notice him and so very much more. My soccer mom duties led me into what I’ve been doing for three years now and that’s coaching school soccer.

Three years ago when my son was about to enter 7th grade I knew he’d be eligible to play school level soccer. The only problem was our feeder school pattern only had one boys soccer team which was varsity. At the time my sons skill level in soccer was pretty advanced for his age, but his size was not. He was pretty small entering the 7th grade and was not ready for varsity level soccer in the schools. At the time I also knew about 6 or 7 other boys who had played soccer through the years with my son and needed a team to play on. So some other parents and I got together and pitched the idea of a JV soccer team, and considering I was the only school board employee out of the group we suggested I be the coach. If that made you chuckle reading this then you can only imagine the response we initially got with our idea…let’s just say it was not one of my favorite memories. Well anyone who knows me well knows that I don’t take no for an answer very well on something I am passionate about or that my kids are passionate about. I am a pretty determined soul and will fight for what I want if it’s something I truly believe in. This was one of those times. It was a long process and very much a struggle, but somehow we managed to begin a middle school (7th and 8th grade) co-ed soccer team and yes I was the coach.

Thank goodness we had an assistant coach lined up to help me who really knew how to coach soccer. If not I would’ve been in big, fat trouble. Coaching a school team is so much more than practice and games though. I don’t know that parents really, truly understand all the jobs coaches have. One day I’ll have to write a blog of the day in the life of a school coach. It’s one of the most stressful, challenging, rewarding jobs I’ve had in my 26 years of being an educator. All parents and athletes see is practice and games. Well I’m here to tell you that is only a small percentage of the job of a coach. These jobs begin long before the season starts and even before tryouts for the team. A three month season for players and parents usually means a six to seven month season for the coach. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart…and there are several times where I’ve questioned my heart health…LOL!

My first season surprised people, turned heads of administrators in a good way and made believers out of all those who had doubted me and the other parents who made it happen. Our team had about 7 kids out of 18 who had ever played soccer. We won 3 games, lost 5 and tied 2 that season. We improved greatly from our first game to our last. We instilled the love of soccer into a group of kids in which some had never played an organized team sport in their life. The majority of those kids are still playing soccer today…all on varsity teams. That first team had 19 kids tryout, we took them all, and one quit for baseball. The next season we had 27 tryout and we took 22 which is the most we are allowed to take. We won 5, lost 4 and tied 2 that second season. This year I moved up to coach girls varsity and someone else took over my middle school team. In a way it will always be “my” team because I, along with a few others, know exactly what it took for that team to exist.

I say all this to say…this soccer mom turned coach is tired & stressed, but would do it all over again to experience what I’ve gotten to the past three years!

Below are my three teams I’ve had the privilege to coach and currently have the privilege to coach…none of it would be possible without my amazing assistant coaches who know the game…Coach Mike and Coach Marcy!

My girls always love to joke with me by saying Alex is my favorite.  Obviously, I don’t have favorites.  I love each of my children the same…I just parent each of them completely different because they are each so unique.  As I write this blog it may look like he’s my favorite, but if you look back at my blogs…there’s many about Bailee and there’s one about Anna Kate…now it’s his turn.

When I was pregnant with the twins it was routine to have more ultrasounds due to the nature of the pregnancy.  During the end of the 2nd trimester and throughout the 3rd trimester they basically stayed in the same places…or on the same sides I guess you’d say.  Because I knew who was who I could already start to gain a sense of their personalities even when I was carrying them. Anna Kate moved ALL THE TIME.  She was never still.  She LOVED music. During worship time at church or when I was listening to music she would be moving around like crazy.  Alex, on the other hand, was a lot less active.  I mean he moved around, but not near as much as Anna Kate and it was obvious he wasn’t as “wiggly” as her.  I would call my mama and I’d tell her that the girl was gonna be a handful and the boy was probably going to be calm.  Right after they were born, my family was able to see them as they shared a crib and were wheeled to the nursery.  I love to hear my family describe what they saw.  They said Anna Kate was screaming her head off and waving her arms around…and Alex was just still, quiet and calm…just staring in her direction.

Honestly, nothing much has changed….she’s still “wiggly” and loud…he’s still calm and quiet.  I think sometimes because Alex is so quiet and has very little to say, he is often times misunderstood.  I always worry people will think he’s stuck up or rude.  I also hate that people miss the beauty of his personality because he doesn’t let many “in” to know him.  So…today I am dedicating my blog to Alex so I can be his voice…and so anyone reading this can know just what an amazing son God has blessed us with.

First of all, Alex is a rule follower and a people pleaser.  He is just a very compliant fellow when it comes to rules…most of the time…I mean he is normal and has his defiant moments with us.  He will avoid conflict if at all possible.  This has probably not been the best thing being that his twin is Anna Kate…she has learned to milk this attribute of his personality quite well…let’s just say she pretty much has him wrapped around her little finger.  He makes her coffee every morning, he fixes her lunch quite often and so many more things.  I know I know…it sounds like a mini Robert and Angie…and yes he is so much like his daddy in that way.  I’m gonna say it right now…whatever girl is lucky enough to land my son as her guy…well she’s going to be one very blessed young lady!

Alex is also fairly humble.  He is a very good student and academics have always come pretty easy for him…again quite the opposite of his twin sister.  She has to work extremely hard sometimes just to make a C on school work.  Never, ever have I heard him brag about his grades or “rub it in” to her that his grades are higher than hers.  I love that about him…and I know why he’s that way…he loves his sister and would never want anything to hurt her or make her feel bad about herself.

He’s also a pretty deep thinker and fairly wise for his age, but at the same time has an amazingly dry, quick wit about him.  I always tell people that if Alex speaks they should probably listen because he’s either going to say something pretty profound or pretty funny.  He’s always been that way.  When he was really little, maybe 4 or 5 years old, he had a little stuffed possum he got as a souvenir from Callaway Gardens.  He loved that toy!  He would always carry it around with him or have it in his bed with him.  One night as he was getting ready for bed and had that possum with him I asked him of he was going to sleep with him that night.  His response…”Mom, of course he isn’t going to sleep with me…he’s nocturnal!”  I knew then this kid was way smarter than I ever thought to be.

What I love so much about Alex is his passion and determination.  He’s that way about his spiritual life, his school life and his soccer.  He sets goals for himself and drives himself with determination and passion to reach them.  I know that the sky is the limit for him because of this trait about him.  He’s taking beginning Spanish right now at school and is thriving in it.  He’s already planning on taking Spanish 2 next year with the actual teacher at school and not on access.  This is not the norm for most kids…because when he walks into that Spanish 2 class next year his teacher will speak in Spanish beginning day 1.  He’s excited about that because he knows it will challenge him to really dive into and learn the language.  Why is he so bound and determined on learning that language?  Because he knows the value of it in his life for many reasons.  He’s going on his first mission trip to Guatemala this summer and wants to know as much of the language as possible so he can communicate with the natives.  He knows he will probably go on this trip again in the next couple of summers so he would love to eventually be able to speak fairly fluently with the people.  He also knows it will be valuable on the soccer field.  Many times he has played against majority Hispanic teams and he would love to be able to communicate with them.  Lastly, he knows it will make him more marketable in the future as he applies to colleges, as he tries to play soccer in college and even in his future career choice.

So this is a glimpse into my kid I call “the quiet one”.  There’s so much more to him than meets the eye.  If you are reading this that means I decided to actually post it.  In that case, because he’s so humble, please don’t mention this blog to him.  He would probably be really mad at me for writing all this about him.  I couldn’t help it though.  The picture I posted of him above is what sparked this writing.  Cindy Nicholas, who is a friend and fellow “soccer mom”, snapped this picture of him this past fall at a soccer tournament.  This photo, to me, exemplified all the complexity of my son in one shot.  What do I see in this picture?  I see passion, determination, humbleness, strong silence, wisdom, wit and a selfless being…I see the quiet one….

This whole blogging thing was inspired by Bailee.  She’s the one who told me to do this because she knows my love for writing and she knew I needed an outlet for my emotions as she was preparing to get married and move far away from me…so I guess it’s not surprising that most of my blogs have been about her and this journey she’s been on.  I knew I needed to write one last blog in what has been sort of a “series” on Bailee and her big life changes…which in turn have been big life changes for me.  My heart just hasn’t been able to face writing this final episode of the journey.  Every single time I would start my thought process for this post I would either have a mental block, an ugly crying meltdown or (in normal Angie fashion) I would get distracted.  Well it is time to write the last chapter to this part of our lives…if you are a fan of my crazy blogs then don’t worry because I still need “therapy” because I have two more kiddos I’m raising, therefore many blog posts will be coming your way.  In fact, I already have one written about Alex, but just didn’t feel like I should post it until I got this one out of the way.

It has been exactly 3 weeks and 2 days since I stood in the Atlanta airport and did the hardest thing I’ve done so far in my 47 years of life!  Gosh!!  I can’t even write that without tearing up, but it really was.  I had gone over the scenario in my mind in the days leading up to February 9…when Bailee left to join her sweet husband in Italy for the next 3 years…but there was no way to even imagine what it would really feel like.  I  was going to be so strong for her, for Robert, for Alex & for Anna Kate.  I was going to save my tears for those moments when the rest of my family had fallen asleep for the night and I could just cry myself to sleep.  I was going to save those tears for times when I would be in the car by myself and I could just cry and pray to the Lord to take care of her and to help us not to miss her too bad.  All I knew was I was NOT going to break down…nope not me…I’m a strong mama and I can hold it in.  Well…that strength did not last long at all…I was the first one to break down and I mean like a BABY.  I have no clue what I was thinking when I thought I could do that and not be emotional.

As Bailee was about to give us our final hugs and goodbyes she handed a letter that she had written to Robert and me.  She also handed a letter that she had written to Alex and Anna Kate.  She wrote these letters the night before.  She told us as she handed them to us and as she hugged us that when she walked away she would not look back.  She did just that…that beautiful, independent soul God gave me the privilege to raise hugged all of us twice, cried, said goodbye and that she’d see us later, and she walked towards that security line and never looked back.  We watched her walk away until she got through the checkpoint where we could see her no longer.  HARDEST. THING. I. HAVE. EVER. DONE. (I hope my computer does not short out because it’s all coming back to me and I am ugly crying as I write this…glad the webcam isn’t on…LOL).

She texted us up until her plane took off for Paris.  I knew what time she was supposed to land in Paris so I stayed up and waited for her text saying she had made it there safely and gotten to her next gate to board for her flight to Venice.  I was also watching the flight tracker on my phone.  According to the flight tracker her plane had landed over an hour before I finally heard from her.  Talk about having another meltdown.  I was flipping out.  Well her phone was having a hard time adjusting to being across the world and none of her texts would come through to me.  Thank goodness they finally did.  The happiest call I ever received was when she and Josh Face Timed me from their car as they were leaving the airport…headed “HOME”…together…at last.  As much as I was struggling saying goodbye…that moment and those faces brought more joy to me than I can even put into words.

Bailee and Josh have gotten settled into their home and are doing great.  Now to keep up with her you no longer have to follow my blogs because she has started a YouTube channel where she is posting Vlogs of their adventures and lives in Italy.  Please subscribe to her channel, give her Vlogs a thumbs up and comment on them.  She is excited to share them with everyone.  Here’s a link to her channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB6GCCVu1dpQ0Tw0V0lbz3Q

Before I end this post and this “series” I want to share the letter that Bailee wrote to Robert and me.  I would also love to share the one she wrote to Alex and AK because it is an amazing testimony from a Big Sis…but that’s their letter and theirs to share with who and when they want.  Bailee, Robert and myself have all agreed to share our letter because for me it gives insight to how we’ve all come full circle and how God has blessed her with us and us with her.

From Bailee (written February 8, 2018)

Mom and Dad,

I had a letter written already back in September or something.  But tonight I just have more tears and words to say to you.  It might be pretty scattered because I am not ok right now.

Tonight is one of those many nights where I cry and cry and all I can tell myself is “I can’t do this.”  I pray to God and ask Him how can I possibly walk away from my family and everything I have ever known.  You two were my first ever loves on this earth and are the ones who raised me and taught me how to be a decent human being.  I cannot thank you enough for everything you’ve taught me.  You have taught me the importance of being the bigger person in hard times.  You’ve taught me my manners.  You’ve taught me not to waste, my time or my food.  You’ve taught me little but important things like brushing my teeth to wrapping presents.  Mom, thank you for helping me with all my essays.  Dad, thank you for taking me on all of your grass cutting jobs when I was little even if all I did was sit in your truck.  Mom, thank you for yelling at me when I really needed to be yelled at.  Dad, thank you for being the nurturing one.  Thank you for taking me to church every Sunday.  Thank you for caring about my grades.  Thank you for buying me clothes and all of the other things I probably didn’t need.  I could go on and on, but most importantly, thank you for giving me the best, most perfect life I could have asked for.  You’ve always done for me more than what I deserve and I want to be the parent that you were to me.  Because I’ve had the best example set for me, I know I have the makings to be a good parent.  And I’m sorry for not always treating you like I should’ve.  I’m sorry for all the tears and fights I caused.  But I am especially sorry for all the tears I’ve caused with me leaving you.  I am so sorry for breaking your hearts like this, but I promise with all of my heart that no matter where I am, I will make you proud.  I will never forget who I am or where I came from.  This is my home, and I will miss everything about it.  I’ll miss watching the TV shows and halftime shows.  I’ll miss sitting next to y’all in church and crammed on the couch at night.  It’s crazy how fast time rolls by, but that only means my time away from you will be short, so don’t worry.  I will soak up every opportunity while I’m away, but won’t forget about my family.  Please don’t forget about me either.  If I could take you all with me, I would.  I know that looking back at your faces in the airport will be the hardest thing I’ve had to do in my life so far.  But with that being said, I consider myself blessed to have a family that’s so hard to leave.  I love you with all of my heart and I will see you soon,

Bailee

Well here’s the chapter that answers the questions I’ve been asked thousands of times in the past several months … “When is Bailee leaving for Italy?” and “How are you going to handle that?”

The answer to the first question is Friday, February 9. She will fly out that afternoon and by Saturday morning, Italy time, she and Josh will reunite and finally be able to begin their lives together as husband and wife. She’s nervous, excited, anxious and ready to be there so pray for her nerves to be calm and to have a safe flight over.

The answer to the second question is a little more complicated. How would most moms handle their daughter moving 5,000 miles away for an extended period of time even though she knows it’s the path God has put her on? It’s going to be so hard and I will be dealing with a lot of emotions. Not just my emotions, but my family as well. Robert, Alex and Anna Kate are all going to have to deal with this too and it’s not going to be easy for any of us. We’ve had quite some time to prepare for Friday, but it’s still coming so fast and I can’t seem to make time slow down for all of us.

Again, I want to thank each and every person who has prayed us through this journey and continues to pray. I know I’ve sounded so redundant, but I really am thankful for all the support we’ve gotten. We all ask for continued prayers. As soon as she leaves Friday we hit the ground running with a very busy few months being that I’m coaching girls varsity soccer, Anna Kate is playing for me, Alex is playing boys varsity soccer, and Robert drives the bus for both teams….not to mention our normal busy lives with work and church. The distractions will help us for sure! Maybe when we slow down our “new normal” will feel normal.

As for Bailee and Josh, we are so very happy for them. We are so thankful for the love they share and have no doubt Bailee will be just as well taken care of by Josh as we took care of her. We do not doubt his love for her one bit. Love you all and thank you for following this journey with us!

Bailee is one giant step closer to reuniting with her husband! Thursday afternoon she received the most precious piece of mail which was her visa. That was the only thing standing in between her and Josh finally being together. The big question from everyone now is when does she leave? Well she has an appointment at Fort Rucker on Thursday to make her travel plans and I can tell you this…she will be leaving as soon as she can.

It’s not that she’s anxious to leave her family and friends because she’ll be the first to tell you she is going to miss all of us very much. It’s not that she’s anxious to leave the home and hometown she’s grown up to love because that too holds a very dear place in her heart. However, she is so very anxious to finally be with Josh and begin their journey together as husband and wife.

We are going to miss her oh so much, but for us we are ready for her to go and get this journey started as well. We are so excited for her to finally be able to not miss Josh anymore even though it means we are going to miss her more than we have ever missed anyone in our lives! We also need her to go because every day she’s here makes it that much harder to let her go.

Again, we ask for prayers as she prepares for her departure. We ask for prayers for her safety as she travels. Lastly, we ask for prayers for her transition to living in a new country so far away from home and family. We know without a doubt that Josh will protect her and take care of her like she was the most treasured jewel on earth. We also know God is there with her and that hers and Josh’s faith in Him is grounded.

Thanks to so many who have kept up with this journey and who have prayed for them. You know who you are and you are precious and dear to all of us!

Eclectic to Italy….she’ll be there soon Josh! ❤️

I have never been much of a detailed person.  What I mean is I don’t pay attention to detail.  I am more of the big picture type person.  I don’t know if it’s because I’m ADD or what, but that’s me.  I feel like sometimes I miss some of the cool, sweet things in life because I’m not detail oriented.  Luckily, I am pretty smart in picking friends who are quite opposite of me.  Where I am a procrastinator, totally not a planner, somewhat unorganized, spontaneous to a degree, scatterbrained and so on….most of the people I migrate to or become close friends with are completely opposite.  Most of my friends are detail oriented, organized, planners, OCD neat freaks, etc.  I am so thankful that opposites attract because being around these type of people keeps me somewhat on top of things.

Today we got back Bailee’s wedding pictures.  Our photographer did a great job taking detail shots.  Yes DETAILS…that I never once thought about snapping pictures of with my phone during decorating, rehearsal, or our time before the wedding began.  I am so thankful she took these because they opened my eyes to something.  These pictures opened my eyes to how blessed I am with friends who love details, but more importantly love Bailee and our family.  They love us so much that they spent their time helping us plan, decorate and make the wedding absolutely beautiful…beautiful with details I never would’ve been able to think of, let alone execute on my own.  I have had so many people compliment me on what a great job I did with Bailee’s wedding….honestly, I really can’t take any credit for it.  I mean I can take credit for asking friends if they had ideas, or if they could help, or if I could borrow stuff.  I can take credit for my pins on Pinterest and for the manual labor I put in for the wedding.  I can take credit for booking some awesome vendors and an amazing venue, but that wedding…that beautiful wedding…became that way because of the love of friends and family.  My sweet detailed friends helped Bailee’s dream wedding  become a reality.

I want to share some of the photos of the details from the wedding.

Our precious friend Patte Clark opened up her home for the bride and bridesmaids to get ready in.  She prepared her room and dressing area as a beautiful sanctuary for them to primp and fellowship.  They had a great time in her home getting ready for the big day.

The day before the wedding was spent frantically decorating the venue, The Eclectic Warehouse.  This antique building sits in the heart of the town the bride and groom grew up in and is one of the most beautiful places to get married in Alabama.  Without our sweet friend Alice Colley, I don’t know what we would’ve done.    Her amazing floral arrangements and all of the things she literally let me pluck from her personal home decor helped fill this larger than life room with warmth and beauty.  Alice also had the most amazing assistant in sweet Wanda Flournoy.  Those two are a dynamic duo when it comes to wedding decorating, wedding flowers, and wedding directing.  There are not enough words within me to express my thankfulness for these ladies!

One of the most detailed people I know…my sweet friend Tish Hill…also let me borrow some awesome pieces.  Not only did she give me ideas for decor and let me use so many of her things, but she spent her early day off work helping us decorate.  Our co-worker and awesome friend, Holley McGhee also came on the early day off and helped decorate.  These two are detail freaks and know how to make things just right.  I was so happy that they came to help.  One of my most favorite things Tish let me borrow was some old doors that we used for our “photo booth” backdrop.  These doors anchored the life size chalkboard with chalk work Bailee did.  Our sweet neighbor, April Jones, let us borrow the chalkboard which she had used back in September for her daughter’s wedding.

Sweet April made wooden signs with phrases from 1 Corinthians 13 for her daughter’s wedding and let us use these.  My detailers placed them randomly, but perfectly, around the room for decor.  These sweet messages were awesome to read throughout the room.  April’s details that blessed her sweet girl’s wedding day also blessed ours.   We were even able to use one on our glow stick table.  Bailee and Josh left their wedding under all their friends and family waving glow sticks.  It was a fun-filled wedding exit for sure.

I just don’t know what I would’ve done without some other friends who helped us tremendously.  Patte not only opened up her home to the brides and bridesmaids, but she literally babied her ferns so we could use them for the wedding.  They were perfect for Bailee’s “spring” wedding in December.  Oh and our beautiful Monica Paquette…what in the world did we ever do to deserve her!!  Monica was there the morning of decorating bright and early.  She helped me figure out how to set up the rows of chairs, she decorated and detailed that place out with greenery and accessories.  All I know is when I left to go home and get ready for the rehearsal dinner….Monica was still there….when I arrived back for the rehearsal dinner….Monica was still there.  Then there was Shelly and Mark Weeks…between Mark balancing and setting up the arch on the stage as well as helping Alice hang the greenery and lighting for the arch to Shelly helping with tablecloths, centerpieces (provided by Alice and the little flower jars by Michelle Knuckles) and anything else all my detailed friends asked her to do…once again I just don’t know what I would’ve without them blessing us with their help.

Helping us that day, also was Josh’s Nana, Peggy Wilson.  Nana helped me make sure I wasn’t forgetting anything.  She helped me with details like the bride and groom flutes and the cake knife and server.  Seriously, those are things I would have forgotten all about!!  Speaking of cakes…Bailee didn’t want a big cake.  She wanted only cupcakes and she knew from the start who she wanted to make them.  Her precious friend Rebekah Rankin is detailed and OCD when it comes to her baking and Bailee knew this.  She knew Rebekah was the one for the job.  The cupcakes were absolutely perfect and delicious.  Another Rebecca took on the job of making the grooms cake.  My beautiful co-worker Rebecca Spear took that job on graciously literally about two or three weeks before the wedding.  Her cake was not only perfect for our decor, but it tasted oh so good!  Rounding off the grooms table was plates of brownies provided by our caterer, White Wings Catering.  Starla Riddle, who must be an angel sent from heaven, provided several of our serving pieces for these tables.  Her pieces made for that elegant, rustic look we were going for.

Speaking of the angelic Starla…the grooms parents enlisted Starla to decorate for the rehearsal dinner.  I wish had some pictures to show in this blog, but I don’t.  The rehearsal dinner decor was perfect because of Starla’s attention to detail. I just want to thank Josh’s family for hosting such a nice dinner.  Bailee is blessed to become a part of a family who has taken her in like their own.  Starla went over and beyond though…along with her amazing son…they both stayed with us most of the day before the wedding helping decorate and making sure we had whatever we needed to make everything go over smoothly.  One last minute detail Starla thought I could use was some fabric for the “globe sign in” table.  She literally had scraps of fabric with a map design on them….they added exactly what we needed to make a statement with this table.  Bailee thought a globe for people to sign in on would be perfect considering she and Josh will be living in Italy and doing a lot of traveling.  My sweet Tish and sweet Libbye McGhee made sure she had the perfect globe for this table!

Now let’s not forget that when this wedding was over…all this stuff had to be cleaned up and once again we were overwhelmed with help!  First of all, Tish and Trent made sure to bring their truck so they could just load up all the things I borrowed and take it on home.  I didn’t even have to worry about returning any of their items.  That was a blessing.  Then there was my family…my sisters, my brother in laws, my nephews, my Brooke Ruttan and sweet Patte…all pulled up their sleeves and helped us load everything into the enclosed trailer Josh’s cousin Karen Higgins let us borrow.  That trailer was a life-saver!  I hope I did not leave anyone out, but knowing me and my less than perfect sense of detail I may have.  We were overwhelmed with love from friends and family who wanted to help us through this wedding any way possible.  It was literally overwhelming  because we had so many people offering to help and actually helping us…the chances of me leaving someone out of this dedication are high.  Know this….I had been sick leading up to the wedding and absolutely exhausted so if I am leaving anyone out please know how thankful we are for you and all you did for us!  This day was full of nothing but LOVE and DETAIL…and for that we are honored, thankful, and blessed!

Bailee to Italy update! She was informed Friday that her military passport was in. Today ( Tuesday) she went to get it and prepare her paperwork for her military visa which will become part of her passport. I have to say the people who have been helping her at Fort Rucker have been super helpful and super kind. We are so thankful for that because we are learning this is not an easy process. The visa paperwork was going to be overnighted to the consulate in Miami so she should receive those documents back within the next 30 days. Once it arrives she will go back to Fort Rucker and they will assist her in booking her flight to Italy. My girl may be young, but she is so strong. It wasn’t easy being away from her love for 8 months and those 15 days he was home for leave…long enough for a wedding and Christmas…flew by. She’s had to say “see ya later” to him a whole lot in the last year and a half, but she’s still being so strong. She misses him greatly, but she’s faithful that God is working all things together for their good. Soon it will be us saying “see ya later” to her. I’ve been praying for the ability to be as strong as I’ve watched her be. Right now I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but I will. I’ve always wanted to take on any burdens my children have to bear so they don’t have to feel pain, sickness or hurt. This time I’m really going to take it on…I am going to send her to her happiness while I take on the feeling of truly missing her. I’m happy to do it because I know how happy she is going to be when she finally gets to begin her journey with her sweet husband. So, as she will soon be moving to her new home in another country, I will be savoring every moment we have her here with us. The last days she will live under our roof as she is starting the rest of her life and beginning her own family. Oh how sweet it is and tearing my heart apart at the same time. Nobody ever warned me about this part of motherhood…definitely not for the faint hearted.

The movie Tangled has always been a favorite around my house.  I love the part where Rapunzel says “best day ever”.  I have to say this past Friday I knew exactly how she felt.  Friday, my baby girl married the love of her life and her very best friend.  From beginning to end it was a perfect day.

A sweet young lady, named Maggie, from church who attended the wedding said to me Sunday in passing that “it was obvious Jesus had a personal invite to the wedding.”  We were passing in the aisles of the crowded sanctuary after our Christmas Eve service when she said this to me so we didn’t have a chance to elaborate on that.  I had a feeling I knew exactly what she meant because out of all the weddings I have been to in my 47 years…including my own…I don’t think I have ever felt the way this wedding made me feel.  I honestly just thought this is because…duh…I was the mother of the bride…that was my baby girl up there getting married.

So I messaged Maggie this morning and asked her to elaborate on what she said to me at church Sunday about Jesus being at the wedding.  This is what she wrote back to me  “I said that it was obvious that He had a personal invite! Something I didn’t say that I would have if it wasn’t just a walk by conversation is also that it was like Jesus was walking her down the aisle to meet Josh. She was glowing! I feel honored to have been able to have witnessed their marriage. God made a very obvious appearance at the warehouse and even someone who wasn’t a believer would have been able to feel his presence in that building it was that strong! Literally crying just thinking about it 😭 God is so good!”

Okay…it wasn’t just my biased mother of the bride status…God was moving in that ceremony and He was glorified through their marriage.  I said it before in a Facebook status and I’ll say it again…we worked really hard making this a beautiful wedding through the decorations, flowers, greenery, dresses, cakes and so much more.  So many details that kept me up at night for weeks…so much sleep lost that I am still catching up.  But seriously, none of it mattered…not one ounce of it…for real!  Why…because when God shows up and He is glorified…nothing else matters.  What mattered is two people…despite their young age…loved each other enough to know they had been brought together through God’s plan and His design.  They sought Him, they prayed to Him and they listened to Him.  Their love for Him strengthened and continues to strengthen their love for one another.  Because of this…each person who sat at The Eclectic Warehouse on Friday night, December 22, 2017 witnessed a wonderfully, special union that only God could create.  There’s just no words for the feeling that most people in that room left with.

I saw a smile on every face as I walked out and not an ounce of doubt on anyone that what had just happened was a mistake.  From the moment Bailee walked down the aisle to the beautiful voice of my sweet friend Pam singing “I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You” with the piano accompaniment played by my sweet sister Kathy…to the amazing words shared in the ceremony by our associate pastor BJ Parsons…to the prayer time where family came and prayed over Bailee and Josh with our sweet young friend from church named Hudson singing the chorus to Holy Ground…to Bailee and Josh sharing their first dance with her sweet friend Dallas singing and playing the song…to Robert and Bailee having the most epic father of the bride/daughter dance…to dancing the night away…to three bridesmaids’ speeches that made our hearts smile…to Bailee and Josh leaving out under an arch of Glow Sticks….it was the Best. Day. Ever.

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Originally posted on Facebook October 4, 2017…

My good friend Tish told me the other day that sometimes it helps to post what’s close to our heart because we never know who might read it, relate to it and be able to give words of support or encouragement. So, that’s what I am going to do with this blog. I have been back and forth on whether I should write this because I do not want to give off an impression that I am not excited, happy or supportive about what is going on in my oldest daughter’s life right now. As a matter of fact, my heart is filled with joy that God has answered my prayers and blessed her with a wonderful young man who adores her and loves her unconditionally. At the same time ( and those who encounter me on a daily basis know this all too well ) I can break out into some ugly crying with just the mention of her upcoming wedding.

In the span of 6 months I will have had to “let go” twice…first to college and secondly to start her new life in Italy where her husband to be is stationed. As much joy as I have in my heart for them…I ain’t gonna lie…this is more than I ever thought I could handle. I mean…my baby girl is going to be living 5,000 miles away from me and 7 hours ahead! When I am not ugly crying, I am imagining what an adventure she is about to be on. She is going to get to see and visit places that I’ll only ever dream of; and get to enjoy all of it with the love of her life and best friend. How amazing is that? And all the while, she is praying about how God will use her in this foreign land for His glory. This…this is why it was so easy to give my blessing for this marriage…well this and the fact that I know that all of us have spent a lot of time with God on this decision.

Now I am sure inquiring minds want to know so here goes. She is getting married in December when he is home for leave and will be moving to Italy as soon as all of the steps the army requires are completed. She will be continuing her college education, but will be doing it online. They are both bound and determined that she will complete her college degree.

She will be quick to tell you they are not marrying out of a sense of urgency, but rather out of love and God’s design of marriage. There has been lots of wedding planning going on which is a wonderful distraction to the fact that I am having to really let go and move into the next phase of life…at least with this child. I also have to remain conscious that I have two more children at home who need me and I have to be there for them. I poured into Bailee as much as I could and now she has blossomed into an amazing young lady with a beautiful, blessed future ahead of her. The twins deserve an equal amount of my love and attention and I have to remember that every time my heart aches for the “little girl” that is starting the rest of her life.

I will close this with a quote from an article I read today. This article said everything I have been feeling and dealing with these past weeks. The quote is this: “While it may be important to your daughter that you help her with the planning, I assure you that it is infinitely more important to her that you are a source of emotional support during this time. And sometimes being supportive means stepping back and watching your daughter develop wings of her own. Just as you had to let go and watch her fall when she learned to walk, so now you must let go and watch her begin a new life, knowing she will fall, knowing that this represents a goodbye of sorts, and also knowing that nothing in this world can sever the bond between mother and daughter.” (a link to the full article: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/sheryl-paul/for-the-mother-of-the-bri_b_1346506.html)

God knew what He was doing when he put Bailee and Josh together. They are perfect for one another. Now we all just ask for prayers as we celebrate their upcoming marriage and life together!