The Hiding Place

This past weekend I read the book by Corrie ten Boom entitled, The Hiding Place. It is the story a family who hides Jews during the World War and end up being caught and taken to several concentration camps. The story follows the two sisters, Corrie and Betsie. Let me just say that seldom do I read a book from cover to cover in one setting. Time (or should I say my boys) usually doesn't allow me to do so. But, I found myself restless early one morning, which led me to the bookshelf. . . I literally couldn't put it down! I learned several things from this book that had a definite impact on me.
First, how amazed I was that Corrie and her sister Betsie were able to praise God during the most difficult of circumstances. How often do I praise God for the difficult times that happen in my life. There are times I get so wrapped up in my circumstances that I find it too hard to pray to God let alone praise Him! Too often I look at the negative side of my troubles allowing myself to get down in the dumps and feeling sorry for myself. When in reality, God places those things in our life so we can get a better glimspe of Him. It is during those times of difficulty that I need to praise God for what He will do in my life and praise Him for the opportunity to get closer to Him.
Second, Corrie and Betsie were so hungry for the Word of God that they were willing to risk their life to have the Gospel with them in the prison camps. How hungry am I for God's Word? How often do I take my Bible for granted? Sad to say, there are times when I can easily forgo my devotions becuase the morning was too hectic and I didn't have time to squeeze them in. These dear ladies read and reread their little New Testament-it was the one thing that sustained them through the year in the concentration camp. What a challenge to me! May I never take God's Word for granted and may I hid His Word in my heart!
Third, after Corrie was released from the prison she traveled the world spreading the message of hope and forgiveness. She ended up forgiving those that treated her wrongfully in prison, and shared the Gospel with the German people. I think I would have been bitter and angry the rest of my days. How easy it is for me to hold a grudge. How many times am I willing to forgive those people who wrong me? I am challenged to always show God's love to those around me, even when I have been mistreated.
There is so much I could share, but I will leave you with these. My favortie quote from the book was this: There is no pit too deep where He is not deeper still. I have always loved this quote, but it meant so much more to me after reading the book. In the midst of my difficulties, God is always with me. No matter how deep I think the pit is, God is deeper still.

I've been tagged!!!

All right, Dora-you got me and here's my list:

A-available or single? Married; refer to previous posts
B-Best friend? Shelly Marie Hart! We have been best friends since we were 2 years old!
C-cake or pie? Actually cobbler and Blackberry cobbler to be exact
D-drink of choice? Sweet tea or Hazelnut Mocha from Starbucks
E-essential item I use everyday? My hairdryer
F-favorite color? Orange
G-gummy bears or worms? Gummy worms-I like to slurp them up like spaghetti.
H-hometown? Normal, Illinois-and I've heard enough jokes about that!
I-indulgence? A pan of brownies, and I do mean a PAN!
J-January or February? February because it is a shorter month. . .
K-kids names? Austen and Zachary. I went from A to Z (I'm done!)
L-life is incomplete without? My husband and kids, God, and Grey's Anantomy
M-marriage date? June 14, 1997
N-number of siblings? None, I'm numero uno and I AM NOT SPOILED!!
O-oranges or apples? Apples, but I must have caramel dip
P-phobias or fears? I am deathly afraid of BIRDS; once a bird flew in my house and I had to
shoo it out;yikes!
Q-favorite quote? "There is no pit too deep where God is not deepter still"-Corrie tenBoom
R-reasons to smile? My boys, its Friday, and I'm visiting my friend in Wisconsin-Bobbi
S-season? Fall; I love all the beautiful colors
T-tag 3 or 4 people. Uh, pretty much everyone has been tagged, so I'll wait for the other lists
U-unknown fact about me? I once won a contest where I had to catch a greased pig
V-vegetable you don't like? Sweet potatoes
W-worst habit? I'm addicted to Reality T.V-American Idol
X-
Y-your favorite food? Mashed potatoes and gravy
Z-zodiac sign? Scorpio

The Engagement

Okay, so on to the good part. . .
So, the summer of '96, Mark moves to Illinois. He was working in Illinois for the summer and had plans to move to Wisconsin for the upcoming school year. I was working at Kroger's and we both had different schedules that summer. We barely saw each other.
It happened one week that I got Thursday through Sunday off; that rarely happened, so we planned to go out on Thursday night. I was super excited!
Mark picked me up that night, and as we were getting ready to pull out of my driveway, he stops and says he has to give my mom a baby shower invitation from his mother (Later, I found out that Mark had told them he was going to ask me to marry him that night).
Well, we were on our way. Mark was planning to take to me to this place called Gill's; we love to try new places and we love little "mom and pop" little places. We started driving out in the boondocks and I thought we were lost. I asked if he knew where he was going and he said he would have to pull over at the next farm house to get directions. We stop at the farm house and there is a horse drawn carriage in front. I remember thinking that it was pretty cool. Soon, Mark gets out of the truck and opens my door. And I'm thinking what in the world in going on? All of the sudden, the carriage driver comes over to me and asks me if I'm going to Gill's. I nodded yes, and he says that he is our ride for the night. At this point I still have no clue I'm going to get proposed to, but I'm thinking what a great opportuinity for Mark. We head to the restaurant, eat, and head back to the carriage. The whole night, Mark is cool as a cucumber. He never let on that anyhting special was going to happen. On the way back to the truck, Mark pulls out a dozen roses. I'm shocked and excited and then I notice him counting the roses. He yells at the driver, "Stop! There are supossed to be 12 roses, there are only 11 here." I was a little nervous because I certainly did not want to get the guy mad and have to walk back to the truck. I told Mark that it was okay, and he said that it was not okay! The guy, hands me a flower box, which I opened and there was a single rose with my ring in the middle of the rose. Mark got down on his knee and asked me to marry him. I was so surprised. The driver had a camera and he had been taking pictures of the whole scene. So, there I am crying and then smiling for the camera. It was fun. We went back to my house and celebrated with my family and his family. That was on July 11, 1996.
We got married on June 14, 1997. It is hard to believe it will be 10 years this summer. Time flies when you're having fun!!

Hookin' Up With Mark

Today I thought I would post about how I hooked up with Mark. . .
I met Mark at my friend Rachele's graduation party; he was there with Rachele's brother. We got talking and it was as if the world stopped-for me it was instant attraction. We did a few things that summer, but soon Mark had to leave for Nebraska where he starting his first teaching job. I on the other hand, went back to MBBC where I was starting my sophomore year. We started corresponding with each other, but then Mark's letters just stopped in December! I didn't hear from him or see him until that summer.
One Sunday, the college group was going to get together to play sand volleyball. I went home to change and ended up getting a phone call from Kyle Knapp (my best friend from college). All of a sudden the doorbell rang-it was Mark! I mentioned that I was talking to my friend Kyle. His face dropped, but he asked me if he could pick me up for the sand volleyball game in 15 minutes. I was super excited!! Later, when we were in his truck, I mentioned Kyle. His face dropped, and he asked me who Kyle was. I told him that she was my best friend and soon to be roomie. Mark's face lit up. All along, he had thought Kyle was a he-hence stopping his letter writing the previous semester! With that all cleared up, we continued to do things with each other until he had to leave for camp in Wyoming.
We wrote back and forth while he was away at camp, and then I got a phone call. Mark wanted to visit me after camp was over and before he had to go back to Nebraska to start teaching for the year. It was after that phone call that I knew I was going to marry Mark. I wrote a letter to him (but didn't give it to him until we got married) declaring my love for him, and stating that we were going to work through the distance problem and that I was going to marry him. That was on June 8, 1995.
We continued dating long distance until Mark decided to find a teaching job closer to me. He finally found a job in Wisconsin and then decided it was time to "pop the big question."

Sharing

You know, I'm always trying to teach my kids the importance of SHARING. Whether it is a toy or a crumb of food-my boys get the "Sharing" lecture 24/7 and they know it by heart. Well, for the first time, my kids actually listened to me and took thier sharing to heart. They shared their cough, their runny nose, their flu, their fever, and even their bronchitis. . . Yes, the Manahan family(or should I say mommy and the boys) have had their share of sickness and we are ready for SUMMER!!!