7 years.

Its taken me all day to find the words to express how much I love Leif Hightree. April 30th marked our 7 year Wedding Anniversary. But it feels like eternity.

I remember when I first met him. We both worked at Kmart in 2002. I was 17 and in my Senior year of High School, he was 21 and going to school at KVCC. Ill admit, I didn't really like him at first. I kind of thought he was weird, and he was older and not really "my type"....as if I really had a "type".....

I didn't really talk to him much until I got transferred to the dreaded K Cafe where he worked. I remember always getting mad at him because every time I would come into work there would be dishes to wash. He would claim he didn't have time to do them, I would think he just didn't want to do them and would make me!

We started developing a friendship after working together daily. He would sing oldies songs, I would complain to him about my boyfriend. We would joke around about the current movie Kmart was playing on the big screen. We even hung out after work sometimes. ( Totally platonic because I had a boyfriend at the time!) We went to see the movie Collateral Damage one evening after work. I remember thinking Leif wasn't so weird after all. Well, except for the fact that his name was Leif Hightree, but that's another story! The next day my boyfriend and I broke up......totally unrelated! But after I told Leif, he for sure thought he had a part in it!

I remember after a few months I started to feel like I kind of "liked" Leif. But I had never really pursued a guy before. My past boyfriends both asked me out so I wasn't really sure what to do! So, naturally I started strategically going to Kmart at the same time he was working. Checking his schedule and trying to get mine changed to work the same time as him.....I even skipped a class one day at school to go say hi to him at work. (Sorry Mom!) Finally I had come up with the master plan of asking him to go with me to my Prom. However, I couldn't actually ask him myself.....I wanted him to ask me!

So, since I knew when he would be at work....now that I think about it I was kind of borderline stalkerish.....I went into Kmart one day and found him and started giving him a sob story about how every girl in my school had a date to Prom but me....I believe my exact words were " I swear every girl in my school has a date to Prom except me!" Not really sure what his reaction would be I was very surprised when he pulled this next sentence out....."Is this where I become your Knight in Shining Armour and take you to Prom?" I know....corny..... But what this story has led up to is sharing why I Love Leif Hightree. That line sums it up.

He rescued me.

Yes, he may be corny but he is MY corny! I have loved him since the day we started dating. I love everything about him, even his faults and his corny little lines! He is my soul mate. He holds the other half of my heart. He is my partner in life. He is the love of my life. I know I can be difficult but he has stuck by me through thick and thin and I know I never have to question whether or not he will be there. He is an awesome father, a wonderful husband and my "baby-waby".

I am so blessed to have been with him for 10 years and married for 7 and look forward to the next 7 years!

Leif, I Love you with all my heart. Happy 7 Year Anniversary.

"Poohie-Whoohie"

My name is Steph Hightree and I Am Second

Wow.....how amazing is this video! 

Everything that Jason said has touched my heart in ways that I never imagined! I'm 27 yrs old and have been a Christian for as long as I can remember but I haven't always lived the life of a Christian. After accepting Christ into my heart I kinda fell into the world living my life like I wanted and doing this the way I felt they should be done, instead of living the life God wants for me. I don't totally understand what it is to be a servant of God, I am still learning and growing. Coming across this video has brought me one step closer to being the servant that he wishes me to be.  One day I hope to be an inspiration to others in this same way.

I hope everyone enjoys this as much as I have!  If not, I hope you still watch it and that God touches you in some way. :-)

Done having kids???

So....I've been struggling with a very hard question for a while now and I need some help..... I wanna hear your stories and opinions.  So, Seasoned Mothers:

How did you know when you were done having children?  How did you make the decision?  What helped you be happy with that decision?

So, as most of you know I have a 4 year old daughter and an 18 month old son.  As many would say, I have the "perfect pair".  Even though there never will be a perfect pair! lol  But society says that One girl and One boy is what everyone strives for.  Well, How do I know if I am done or not? 

This fall our family and my life as a stay at home mom is transitioning and taking a pretty big step!  Cady is heading to All Day Kindergarten and my sister is going to be staying home so I will no longer be babysitting Miss Emma Paige.  So, it will be just me and Nate all day while Cady is at school. 

So, my struggle is do I want to expand our family again and add another member or do I want to enjoy my freedom with only one child all day......  Part of me say yes, the freedom is going to be wonderful!  I can come and go so much easier since I will only have one child to bring with me.  I can get involved in Cady's school because it will be easier to find a sitter for one child.  I can get Nate potty trained and focus solely on him for awhile, and since I am going to be an Auntie THREE more times this year I will have more time to spoil my new nieces or nephews! 

BUT on the other hand, I start to get said that my baby boy is no longer a baby anymore!  Yes he is a momma's boy and will always need me, he loves to cuddle and he can walk by himself so I don't have to carry him much anymore.....But I miss the baby stage....I miss the little baby milestones and tiny little outfits....and I honestly kind of miss being pregnant....But Hubby says he is perfectly happy with 2.

So, tell me, how did you decide that you were done have children?  What helped you to be at peace with your decision?

I don't really believe it is March.....

With record temps in March in Michigan we have spent lots of time outside!

Bffs

I love these girls.

Till next time.....

RIP Peanut Butter

After weeks of questioning whether Cades fish was dieing or not, he finally did this morning. I decieded to tell her to introduce her to death. So I called her out expecting her to start crying....well, instead she responded, "Eww Mom! That's gross! I don't wanna see a dead fish! Just buy me a new one!" Well.... I guess crisis averted....RIP Peanut Butter.

I guess the "death" talk will wait!

Isaiah 41:10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

I need some inspiration tonight.....for reals.....

Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

John 6:47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.

1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still.
Chinese Proverb

If we all did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves.
Thomas Edison

Vinny.....oh Vinny.....How I love thee.....

Yes, I'm a closet Jersey Shore Fan.....Shut it....

Vinny has always been one of my favorites and now I know why.  Depression and Anxiety is often overused and can become kind of a cliche, so when I saw this video all I could think of was how I needed to share this with others!  As I have said in previous posts I struggle everyday with Severe Clinical Depression and Generalized Anxiety Disorder.  I often keep it to myself but it is very hard to deal with at times.  I started noticing at a young age that something wasn't right but didn't quite know what it was so I waited until I had a nervous breakdown before I sought out help, I love that Vinny has chosen to come out with his struggles.  I have high hopes that his video and website will help some teens and young people that are suffering as well but just don't know how to talk about it!



For once, Jersey Shore has produced something positive! :-)

Until Next Time.....

Steph

My Word of the Year

WORD OF THE YEAR:  This word is supposed to guide you during the year.  It is supposed to inspire you.  It is supposed to help you better define your life.  It is supposed to help you grow.  It is supposed to motivate you.  It is supposed to remind you of your priorities.

Instead of making a resolution and failing and getting mad at myself I am taking a different approach this year.  I am going to choose one word that will help guide me throughout the year to accomplish my goals.  My word this year is going to be:

Cleanse.

What's your word of the year going to be?

Until Next Time...

Steph

New Beginnings......hopefully.....

Last Sunday was my turn to Speak/Run our service at church.  Being it was January 1st, 2012 I chose to speak on New Beginnings and how God has instructed us to leave the past behind and grab the present and embrace it.  Well.....I'm sorry to say...that I am having a lot of trouble leaving the past behind right now.  I am normally the first person to say they are ready for new beginnings!  I hate living in the past and dwelling on things....but what I have noticed lately is that some of the things I keep dwelling on where really great times and memories and I just don't want to let them go yet....  I know I need to move on and live in the present and embrace what I have in front of me but my heart just wishes that I could go into the past, change things, make them better and then somehow bring them into my present and have it all.  I'm feeling a bit like a hypocrite....I preached my sermon to the congregation telling them what they needed to do and now I can't even do it....I don't know what is going on with me lately but I need a change.  I don't know yet what change is needed but I need out of this rut and out of this pattern I seem to be moving towards.  

Well, enough about me and my complaining....I thought I would share a bit of my sermon with you.  I hope and pray that you all have wonderful new beginnings in 2012 and amazing memories that you can "let" go of and not dwell in the past.  

Here is a bit of the sermon: 

LEAVE YOUR RESENTMENT BEHIND
Each of us resent something. We might resent something we have said and done, or we might resent what someone else has said and done. But along with resentment comes unforgiveness. And unforgiveness is a very dangerous thing to keep in our lives. Jesus said that if we forgive, God will forgive us. But if we do not forgive, God will not forgive us. Now, we must understand that to forgive does not mean the same thing as to forget. We cannot erase our memories, but we can erase our resentment. I would suggest that we just look at things from a different perspective. Instead of looking at your resentment from the negative side, start looking at it from the positive side. In other words, when you remember those things, as you surely will, look at them as an example of what not to ever feel again. Understanding where they will lead you should be enough encouragement to do so. So forget those things which hurt you. And forgive those people who did or said them. I like the old saying: “Look lovingly upon your enemies, for it is you who have made them.” We choose to dislike people, based upon what we like or think. We must realize that we are not the perfect examples, so we shouldn’t hold others accountable to our standards. Also, if you stoop low enough to begrudge others - - THEY WIN! So make a decision to leave your resentment behind right now.
LEAVE YOUR WORRIES BEHIND
Worries are very much like rocking chairs. They give you something to do, but they never take you anywhere while you’re doing it. We only worry about two things: Things we can change and things we cannot change. Why waste time doing something that not only hurts us and never helps us? When we worry, it ends up taking over our every thought and it becomes the predominate thought of our lives. Yet, it is also worry that causes mental illness, stress, and many other things that destroy our lives. Worry has killed more people than hard work ever did. Worry is the cause of fear. So, leave your worries behind as you enter the new year, too.
LEAVE YOUR FAILURES BEHIND
We try so hard to be the best we can be, but we don’t always succeed. And it is in those times when we don’t succeed, that we get discouraged because we have failed. But what have we failed in? We may not have achieved just what we originally set out to achieve, but we haven’t failed. The only time you fail is when you don’t try to do anything! We need to understand that God has called us to have faith long before He ever called us to achieve. We are called to be in Christ, and as long as we are in Him, we are successful. The ancient Israelites never seemed to get it right. They would all turn toward God and worship Him and everything in their lives would drastically improve. But after a couple of hundred years, they would turn their backs on Him again and see doom visit them and their nation. But, we are told that God will turn our failure into success, if we allow Him fully into our lives. 1 KINGS 8:33-34 says ‘When Your people, Israel, have been defeated by enemies because they sinned against You, and when they turn back to You and confess Your name, then You will hear from Heaven, and You will forgive their sins and bring them back to the land of their forefathers.’ When we as a nation, or as individuals, have strayed from our Lord, we will find failure in our lives. But when we turn back once again to Him, He will hear our pleas and He will restore us to success, for He is a God of restoration. As we leave 2011, we should pay close attention to the words of the Apostle Paul in 1 CORINTHIANS 13:5-6 ‘Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you realize that Christ Jesus in you – unless, of course, you fail the test? And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test.’

So, In other words, look deep within your heart. Is Jesus in you, or do you just acknowledge Him as you live the way you desire? If you try to live for Him, the way He wants you to live, then Jesus is in you and you have been a major success! So, as we head into a new year, make sure Jesus is firmly planted in your heart so He goes with you, covering you in God’s wonderful grace and blessings. And then choose to leave those things that distract you from realizing Jesus to the fullest possible extent. Imagine a trapeze artist swinging from one swing to another, high above the ground with no net under him. As he reaches out to the next swing, what must he do? He must let go of the one he is on. If he refuses to let go of the swing he is on, will he ever be able to go to the next swing? Absolutely not. And in the same way, we must let go of our old year before we can go purposefully into the new year. We need to let 2011 be fully completed. Let it take its rightful place in the hallway of the past. Whether it was good or bad, helpful or not, let it be complete by letting go of it.

Until Next Time.....

Steph