Dear Dad

Thank you thank you thank you!
You have given me so much love
and those slobbery bearded kisses
You taught me how to read
and told me to keep my fingers out of my mouth while I do
You spanked me when I was bad
and hugged me afterwards when I was sad
You taught me to work long and hard
and for that I'm very glad
You were always there to listen to me talk
and talk and talk and talk
You taught me to love God
and now I live for Him who died for me
You will always be my Dad
and I will always be your Becky-booster-club
I love you!!!

Another Alaska Adventure

Oh, I thought I would be bored... I thought I would have plenty of time to blog- it's been a week and I'm just getting to writing this.

Well, it turned out the past seven days has flown by.

For those of you that don't know my husband went to Alaska to commercial fish for 7 weeks...yeah..forever.

Last Friday we had a good last date at Red Lobster-

I had my very first crab and lobster....and it was soooo yummy!

Then we went to the mall for awhile and

took these pictures in a photo booth, saw a movie, and headed back to our car.

Uh, OH! We had a traveling mouse problem that more than

likely started at our house...YIKES!

I couldn't keep my feet on the floor so I sat like an Indian, eyes wide, and Isaiah tells me to quite jumping at every little noise. I did promise not to kill myself driving home-

and I didn't I kept the radio up so I couldn't hear a thing.

Saturday morning I woke up to Isaiah running around our room, I looked at the clock, crap, it's 4;45am and his flight leaves at 5am. It ended up working out for the better and he caught the next flight right after he kissed me goodbye.

The last kiss I would get for a long time.

Back to my main thought- what I expected from this first week of him being gone and what I actually got.

After he left I tried sleeping, didn't work, so I tossed for awhile and headed down stairs to breakfast. I hardly felt like eating so I was kinda just sitting there

by myself trying not to cry when God sent me some encouragement.

"Eating alone?" I looked up to see a couple in their 40s sitting a table away from me. I proceeded to tell them why I was eating alone and all about how crazy I am about my husband while battling a sob in my throat and tears from bursting from my eyes. They told me they were on their 17th wedding anniversary date and that it seems like yesterday they were newlyweds

and they can't really remember how life was without the other there.

They were really cute and later they told me they want to be missionaries to Papua New Guinea. They cheered me up and I had a fine drive home.

I'm really excited for this adventure that he gets to go on and I really wish I could go with him

...someday....

but there was the coming home into an empty house, going to bed alone and no one to snuggle up to. I don't know how long I was crying thinking about this when he called- but I think he was kinda flattered he was missed so much already. What can I say he's the most wonderful guy...at least I think so :)

I love you Isaiah!!!

What I expected my whole first week of him being gone is what how the first day was.

The rest of the week I've been running (30 miles woohoo!), working for some friends that have an herbal business, tutoring Grace-Marie, and I had a friend come stay with me for a few days. So all in all this hasn't been the worst week ever.

Cat and Dog at my in-laws

Voices by Me-

Run Run But Not As Fast As You Can.

Monday after noon I asked my two younger sister if they would run a mile with me. After they agreed I started coaching- telling them to land flat on their feet, don't go too fast, and try to yourself :)

I don't think either one had run a mile without stopping so this was the goal and they did really good. Ever since I fell in love with running I've been trying to get as many people that are interested out the door and enjoying it to. So it went really well and I hope I got them started on loving running as much as I do.

I know when I first started I thought it was all about speed so I'd run as fast as I possibly could and feel terrible and getting low mileage. It wasn't until I told a good friend of mine my problems that she told me to just try to go a certain distance no mater how slow and then once I could comfortably go 3 miles then work on speed.

Oh, my results for the river ban run!

I did a 10k, a 5k and a 1 mile in 1:31:26 so it was a little over 10 miles total so I was averaging 8:55 min miles- I'm pretty happy with that! Now I'm training for the half marathon in July-

Blessings!

Showers of blessings we need!

Isaiah and I have recently been blessed with some material blessings- it was totally from God and no man can take any credit for it and it came not a moment too soon but right when we were ready for it.

My heart was bursting with thankfulness and still is. Praise God!

But one thing I would really want and desire to have above all earthly riches is

Wisdom.

It is the guide for life. And God will give it to those who ask-

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and boy am I scared- in my flesh dwelleth no good thing and I am scared everyday that my flesh will get the better of me.

There have been a few times in my life when the fear of God brought me to make a good decision.

I was eleven years old, I grew up in church my whole life and I hadn't given my life to Christ yet. I understood, I just wanted to make my own decisions and not let God lead my life. I was dumb but I got some fear in me. At a preachers meeting a preacher put the fear of God in me. He seemed to be preaching right at me (although he wasn't), he told me how my life would go without God running the show and I saw it too.

I came forward and my pastors wife prayed with me- she told me "Well, you know what to do." and I did- so I did it! I asked God to forgive my sins and run my life.

First best thing I ever did. The biggest blessing I ever got to receive.

Thank you Lord for dying on the cross for my sins!

Happiest 3 years of my life!

Thank you Isaiah McGuffey for asking me to court you 3 yrs ago today.

ALL GLORY TO GOD!

ps

This was our first picture taken together at HU HOT.

Pressing for Purity

Running for the mark.

Setting the pace.

Reaching the goal!

My Grandma mailed me a very interesting newspaper article with my birthday card a few weeks ago.

It was about two couples in her town. One had been married for 6 months, the other, 65 years.

But they both had one thing in common.

They both decided to put God first in their relationships.

The younger couple has me going back in time. They had saved their first kiss for the wedding day, didn't say "I love you" until they were engaged and started out courting instead of dating.

This is a rare and beautiful thing you will hear of and when I first heard about it I knew that's what I wanted to do.

BUT

Not all strive for this.

In fact a growing number of my friends whom I love and care about have fallen into the trap that some boy REALLY loves them but oh they just can't wait and are now reaping the consequences.

I am a very firm believer in saving EVERYTHING for one person.

But what does God say about it?

Flee youthful lusts: In this sinful world this will be a daily activity

Love is patient; WAIT! It's worth every day, month and year times fifty.

Avoid fornication and avoid appearance of evil: Don't be alone with members of the opposite sex- all around good idea. You can't trust them or yourself.

You can wear fifty-five purity rings but until you make that commitment to God to stay pure and make sure you aren't putting yourself in the place to be tempted your purity plan won't work.

And if you have messed up God will always forgive- there is none righteous no not one.

But I'm talking to the girls and boys who haven't messed up yet. They are just starting to be a teen and they think they like someone, they go crazy about this person, commit thy work unto the Lord and thy thoughts shall be established. Focus on your relationship with God, how about your parents, and what about your friends you are neglecting or pushing away because you are so crazy about this "like" person?

So in closing I would like to encourage you and discourage you.

Saving yourself for your husband/wife is the most wonderful gift you could give on this earth- I'm so thankful no one has held my husbands hand but me, no lips have touched his but mine, and when he gives me those melt my heart looks- I know they are all just for me. There is no doubt in my mind that we were meant to be and only by God's grace we are where we are today ( 7 months into marriage WOOHOO!).

I'm sure my friends didn't see being rejected, pregnant, alone, being a single Mom, breaking their family's heart, still a teenager and have been married and divorced.

You only have one life make it count for God's glory- make your story a beautiful one.

Like the old hymn says "Trust and obey for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey."

I better close before I write a book for I am very passionate about this subject since I have reaped so many blessings and have cried many nights for my friends that I wish I could have made decisions for .