A Love Story {Epilogue}

I have so enjoyed writing out our love story to share with all of you. Phillip and I have had fun reminiscing and talking about the things we were thinking and feeling at different times in our relationship.

Our love story is something that I hold near and dear to my heart. It is also an important layer in the foundation of my faith because I see God's hand so clearly at work throughout my life, both in preparing me for and leading me to marry Phillip.

We have often wondered why we didn't start dating in or right after high school. Looking back we can see that God had not yet finished fully preparing our hearts for one another. Had we dated then, we probably would have broken up due to our immaturity, and who knows if we would be together today.

Of course I dated other guys and he dated other girls along the way. I thought I was in love a couple of times, and even had my heart broken. There were times when I knowingly veered off the path that I knew God had for me. I wanted to find Mr. Right so badly, and often convinced myself that I had found him in some other guy. I would pray and God would not move the way I wanted Him to, so I would often try to make things happen on my own.

I thank God for His grace in allowing me to try and fail, and for His gentle hand that always led me back to the path that He had set before me.

In my teens and early 20's, I kept a journal off and on. Mostly when my heart was broken or when I was deeply yearning for God to move in my life. I had written out a list of the type of man that I felt like God wanted me to marry because I knew that I was called to the ministry and that I was to marry a man of God.

Even though I dated other guys and try to convince myself that they were the one, deep in my heart I knew that they weren't. A few months into the relationship, I would feel a check in my spirit and a reminder of the man that God had waiting for me. I actually remember one day writing in my journal and thinking, "If I could just meet a guy like Phillip Medlin."

Little did I know, he was the one that God had already chosen for me, and I am so glad that I waited for God to bring him back into my life at the perfect time.

I'd like to wish my wonderful husband and all of you a very Happy Valentine's Day!

Always, 

Amanda

A Love Story {Chapter 7}

If you need to catch up, click here for a listing of previous chapters.

It's a cold winter morning in February of 2012. Pitter-patter...the sound of little feet running down the hall, golden curls bouncing with every step. With his big brown eyes and rosy cheeks, he looks just like his Daddy. Following close behind is his big brother. Decked out in his Superhero attire, he looks up at his mama, his blue eyes reflecting hers.

At the breakfast table, his tired eyes meet hers and they share a smile, as the two little voices jabber away in the excitement of morning. With his dark beard and flecks of silver throughout his hair, he barely resembles the young boy that once sat behind her and drew 100's all over her papers. The years have been kind to him and she thinks he only grows more handsome with age.

Even though her body has changed since having two children and she often can't find the time to put on her make-up, he still tells her she's as pretty as the day they talked on the sidewalk, with her blue sparkling eyes and big curly hair.

Almost nine years have passed since they stood in the altar, pledging their lives and their love. Together they have experienced many of the ups and downs that life tends to bring. Job changes, ministry challenges, less than ideal living situations, health issues, the passing of loved ones, and the loss of a baby. But through it all, their love has only grown stronger, as they have walked side-by-side and hand-in-hand.

They have also seen much joy. Two precious little boys fill their home with laughter and excitement. Two beautiful expressions of their love. They look around at the home that the Father has blessed them with and see themselves growing old together within those walls, hopefully someday welcoming more children, then grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Together, they continuously pursue God's calling on their lives, and challenge and encourage each other to do great things for His kingdom.

When her childhood Pastor conducted their pre-marital counseling, he told them that their love would only get better with time. They smiled smugly thinking that there was no way that they could love each other more than they did at that moment.

Now they know that he was right.

{The End...for now.}

Click here to read the Epilogue

A Love Story {Chapter 6}

If you need to catch up, click here for a listing of previous chapters.

It was a warm day in May of '03. The stained glass cross glowed in the darkened sanctuary as the sunlight streamed through, casting glorious hues of color on the altar. Candles twinkled and doves cooed as he stood there, waiting for his bride.

He looked around the beautiful old church that his grandfather had built. The walls of this sanctuary had witnessed so many of his family and friends pledge their love and their lives, and now it was his turn. He watched as the doors slowly opened.

********

She squeezed her Daddy's arm as they walked down the long hallway toward the sanctuary. The day she had been dreaming about since she was a young girl had finally arrived. She had always imagined that she would be nervous on her wedding day. She was never fond of being in the spotlight, and any other situation that would cause all eyes to be on her would have caused her heart to race and her stomach to ache. But instead of nervousness or anxiety, she felt an overwhelming peace and joy. This truly was the best day of her life. She took a deep breath as the doors slowly opened.

********

It was a beautiful wedding ceremony. With tears in their eyes, they pledged their love and committed their lives to each other before God and their family and friends. As they took of communion, they truly felt the presence of the Lord as His Spirit witnessed the union of the two He had so lovingly brought together.

********

With smiles on their faces, the once red-cheeked boy and frizzy-haired girl with the big glasses, were now husband and wife. With eleven years of shared history behind them, and a lifetime of history still to make, they walked out of the church hand in hand to the sound of Harry Connick Jr. singing...

"We go together, like a wink and a smile."

{To be continued...}

Click here to read Chapter 7

A Love Story {Chapter 5}

If you need to catch up, click here for a listing of previous chapters.

It was a hot evening in August of '02.  In the sixth grade classroom up the stairs and to the left, a once red-cheeked boy nervously knelt in front of an excited, and still a bit frizzy-haired girl.

With a trembling hand, he held out the most beautiful ring she had ever seen.

He tells the story best...

We walked up the stairs of the school building that was so familiar and it seemed as if nothing had changed in all of those years. I remember being as nervous as I was the first day that I had ever walked up those stairs. This was the first real school that I had ever been to. Walking into that room for the first time and meeting all of those friends who had been together for so long. Many of them close friends since the age of six. 

I only remember three times that I walked into that room, that the door felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. The first time was that first day of school when I was the most vulnerable that I had ever been in my long twelve-year span on the earth. 

The second, almost as vivid, was Valentine's day in ’94, when I walked in the room carrying a balloon and Valentine's heart that I had gotten for another girl in our class. She rejected even receiving my gift, and the rest of that day all I could think about was getting back home to safety. 

The third was this very moment that I am speaking of now. Vulnerable? Yes. Rejection? Possible. 

With all of these thoughts racing through my head, I had to go through with the plan, or why else would we even be in this building. She had a strong feeling that something was up from the moment we drove onto the school property. I could hear it in her breath, and would not feel the same type of anticipation from her again until our wedding day. It was so distinct, and it made me more nervous. 

The room had been changed around a little and the desks had been upgraded since our last time there. I walked to the back row where I had spent 180 days of my life staring into those golden locks. It was there that I turned around, dropped to my knee, and pulled a diamond ring from the pinky of my left hand. I paused, looked up into her beautiful blue eyes and said the words that I had rehearsed over and over in my mind. 

"Amanda, we walked out of this room almost 10 years ago with plans, hopes, and dreams, but not knowing exactly where life would take us. Today we will walk out of here much the same way, but this time, I want to walk out of here together. Will you marry me?"

I was so glad that she said yes.


{To be continued...}


Click here to read Chapter 6

A Love Story {Chapter 4}

If you need to catch up, click here for a listing of previous chapters.

In was a cool day in October of '01. After attending a community college for two years, she was settling comfortably into her new routine and making friends at the Christian university.

She woke up and headed to chapel in the large auditorium, sitting in the balcony on the right side. Unbeknownst to her, he was sitting directly across from her in the balcony on the left. As chapel was letting out, he caught a glimpse of her across the way and tried to get her attention. In the hustle and bustle of students exiting the building, she did not notice him. He ran down the stairs to see if he could catch her in the lobby, not knowing that she had exited out the back door to return to her dorm. It was a rather large campus and he only attended classes one day a week, so he knew his chances of seeing her again were slim.

But...

Later that afternoon, she was walking across campus trying to find her professor's office so that she could turn in a paper. At that exact moment, he was leaving class and headed toward the same building.

There they met on the sidewalk...

...where the Lord had directed their paths...

...just as He had been doing for all of those years.

She stared up at him. He had grown so tall and handsome. He looked down at her and thought that her eyes were like sparkling blue water. He knew at that moment that she would be his wife.

They talked there on the sidewalk for almost an hour. He said funny things to make her laugh. She curled her toes in her pink flip-flops and tucked her wild curly hair behind her ear. When it was time for him to go to class, she took a deep breath and gave him her number. She told him that he should give her a call sometime so that they could hang out.

He called her that night.

She was so glad he did.

{To be continued...}

Click here to read Chapter 5

A Love Story {Chapter 3}

If you need to catch up, click here for a listing of previous chapters.

It was a hot night in May of '99. Around the pool at a fellow classmates house, the new graduates celebrated.

He had spent his Senior year homeschooling while doing mission work with his family, but had come to cheer his former classmates on and to celebrate with them on their graduation day.

She had greatly missed him that year. No one could make her laugh quite like he could. School just hadn't been the same.

When the classmates started coupling off that evening, the two Pentecostal kids sat by the pool catching up on the last year, reminiscing about the past, and talking of their plans for their futures. For the first time in the six years they had known each other, they held hands. They whispered and laughed and held each other close. Neither of them knew if this was going to become something more, or if they were just two friends caught up in the bittersweet moment of a chapter in their lives coming to a close.

As the party was ending, she excused herself to the restroom. He was unsure of the next step to take.

Should he ask her out? Should he get her number? What if she didn't feel the same way? Would him saying something possibly bring awkwardness to their friendship?

Not sure of what to do, he left the party without saying anything.

They never spoke again, and at the end of the year, she moved out of state with her family.

{To be continued...}

Click here to read Chapter 4

A Love Story {Chapter 2}

If you missed Chapter One, click here to start at the beginning.

It was a hot day in August of '97. In the eleventh grade homeroom in the little metal building, a much taller but still red-cheeked boy sat behind a curly, but still a little bit frizzy-haired girl. His glasses fit his face much better, and she had since found contacts. He was still funny. She was still a goody-goody.

Four years had passed since they had last seen each other. After completing sixth grade, she had went on to homeschool for the next few years, but now returned back to the same little Christian school to complete her Junior and Senior year.

She became a cheerleader and started dating a football player. She would often come to the tall red-cheeked boy for love advice.

He was the school mascot and loved to make the crowds laugh.

He still does.

He was still the class clown and she was still the straight A student. Unbeknownst to her, he now sat behind her to take the occasional peek at her test papers, until she figured it out and set him up one day by writing in all the wrong answers. Like I said, she was a goody-goody.

Despite all of these differences, they were good friends. He thought she was really pretty, and she thought he was the funniest boy she knew. In fact, she couldn't imagine school without him.

Little did she know, he would not be returning Senior year.

{To be continued...}

Click here to read Chapter 3.

A Love Story {Chapter 1}

It was a hot day in August of '92. In the sixth grade classroom up the stairs and to the left, a red-cheeked boy sat behind a frizzy-haired girl. They each wore glasses far too large for their face. He sneezed six times and she rolled her eyes.

Little did these two sixth graders know that they would someday become husband and wife.

He was a funny kid, always making jokes. She was a good girl. A goody-goody if you asked him. When told to pass their papers to the student behind them for grading, he would always draw big 100's with smiley faces in the zero's. Good Job! Awesome! A+!

She would turn around and say, "I know you probably don't take your 70's home to your mother, but my mom hangs my 100's on the refrigerator and I would appreciate it if you would not draw all over them!"

He would make a face and she would turn back around, trying to hide a smile. She thought he was funny, and she always enjoyed their friendly little banter.

One morning they loaded up in a van to head to Alabama for a field trip to the space shuttle. He was asked to pray that they would have a safe trip. When he was finished, her dad looked at her and said, "That boy is going to be a preacher someday!"

He was right.

As the only two Pentecostal kids in a small Southern Baptist School, these two sixth graders found something in common. They happened to also attend the same church summer camp, and would surely go on to attend the same Christian university, as most kids in their denomination did.

Because of this, the frizzy-haired girl had the recurring thought that there was a possibility that they could get married someday. At the time however, this was not a pleasant thought to her. After all, he was red-cheeked boy who sneezed six times every morning and drew all over her papers.

Little did she know that he would someday become the man of her dreams.

{To be continued...}

Click here to read Chapter 2

Happy {belated} Valentine's Day!

Yesterday was such a fun day! 

I started the day serving a special breakfast of homemade blueberry streusel muffins. They were so delicious!

We lit our heart lantern and listened to Ella Fitzgerald while we ate.

After we ate, we gave the boys their Valentine's. Their sweet Daddy gave them the cutest little boxes of animal crackers.

Then I gave them their cowboy pajama/lounge pants that I made for them.

I made Buddy's pants by tracing a pair of his store bought pajama pants and then following these directions. 

The cowboy print is from JoAnn's and the red gingham is a thrifted Ralph Lauren sheet. Of course Buddy wanted to put on his cowboy boots immediately. And he wore his "I {heart} Mom" shirt for me since it was Valentine's Day.

For Little Man's pants, I used this pattern specifically designed for babies who wear cloth diapers. They are called "Big Butt Baby Pants." 

They both looked so cute in their new pants!

My husband surprised me by writing me a poem. He's a funny guy and is always writing funny poems when he has to give speeches and things like that. Well, yesterday he surprised me with the sweetest poem I have ever read. It definitely brought on the waterworks! I asked him if I could put it on my blog and he said that he didn't mind. So here it is...(you might want to get a tissue first!)

I wanted to write a few words

Just in case you didn't know

That you are the most unique woman

Truly the best in show

I don't like comparisons

But if I made one about you

Nothing or no one could add up

Quite like you do

The music that you hear

Is always soft and slow

The painting in your mind's eye

A sunset by where the rivers flow

So calming and so soothing

Your voice always to hear

Those sweet words of encouragement

Are pleasant to the ear

Life always runs too fast

And nothing seems to last

It's always nice to slow down

And relic on the past

The moments that have shared

When no one was around

All we had were dreams and plans

And a future still to be found

The future now unfolding

Brings things that are hard to handle

But everything seems to be just right

As you light the dinner candle

Sitting there together

This crazy two has now become four

Enjoying what is great about our love

As the goldfish hit the floor

Everything you do

To make this family a tight knit crew

Makes the love grow deeper and stronger

Between me and you


I LOVE this man!

Have I ever told you how awesome my husband is? Because he is. I am very blessed! Needless to say, I had a great Valentine's Day. 

Today I am busy preparing for Little Man's first birthday tomorrow. We are just going to have a small party and do pictures tomorrow and have his big party on Saturday. I've got tons to do! 

Always, 

Amanda

Sparkle

Source

Yesterday, I had the privilege to participate in a luncheon that our church hosts for widows around Valentine's Day. Each year, we ask the widows a question to get them to share a fond memory of their husbands. This year, we asked them to tell everyone about how they met their husbands.

We heard lots of fun stories of blind dates, grocery store romances, long courtships and some that were very fast. I will never forget how some of the women's eyes sparkled as they talked about meeting their husbands. 

One lady still had a giggle in her voice when she told us how handsome her husband was, and it was very obvious that she was still head over heels in love with him although 20+ years had passed since his death. Another lady told us about how she had prayed for her husband from the time she was 5 until she met him at the age of 28. She had prayed that the Lord would send her someone who wouldn't mind being smothered in love and He sent her a man who grew up without a mother and needed all the love and attention she had been waiting to give. 

Yesterday was a special day and an important reminder to me to cherish every moment that I have with my husband, to smother him with love and attention, and to keep the sparkle in my eye and giggle in my voice whenever I speak of him. 

To all of you wives out there, let this be a challenge to all of us to invest daily in our marriages and try to fuss over our husband's a little more and fuss at them a little less. Your marriage is worth it!

Always, 

Amanda