Five Years?!? Already?

Five years ago today, Brad and I spent a long day at the hospital...we played games, read books, slept, worried (him), crocheted (me)...anything to pass the time.

Finally, at 9:08 that night, our waiting was over and we held our precious baby girl for the first time.

Since that day, that little girl has brought us great amounts of joy, laughter, a few tears of frustration, and yes, even some gray hairs (well, mine at least. I think she might have been the cause of a few of her dad's hairs falling out!).

She began her life with a stubborn streak a mile wide - born a week+ late, and then only after much coercion, and then when she finally decided to come out she did so with a vengeance - and a bit of Curious George in her...this has not changed! In fact, she has only honed and grown these skills.

She began talking before her first birthday and hasn't stopped since, except, occasionally, to sleep for a bit (but not too long!)

Today she is an extremely smart, imaginative, curious, bouncy, and, still, stubborn little girl. But she's also a sweet little girl when she puts her mind to it! (And if she ever tells you she's shy, don't believe it! :D)

And we wouldn't trade her for anything!

And so, to my beautiful, energetic little princess:

Happy 5th Birthday!

Book Review: Couples Who Pray - The Most Intimate Act Between a Man & a Woman

Written by SQuire Rushnell and Louise DuArt, a husband & wife team; 164 pages, plus addendum (surveys for the husband and wife to take on how they feel about different factors in their current relationship). It addresses such subjects as: The Power of Prayer, Forgiveness, Prayer and Money, and 6 Steps to a Happy Marriage, giving real-life examples of couples who have taken the '40-day Prayer Challenge' -a challenge to pray together with your spouse for just 5 minutes out of every day for 40 days - and the outcomes - the differences in the lives of those who made the pledge and kept it.

When picking this book for review, I was very curious to see what the Authors would have to say on the subject. Though I come from a Christian, very church-oriented background, the subject of couples (and/or families) praying together was not widely addressed.

Though I did enjoy reading the book, and found it interesting reading about the 'celebrity' couples, such as actor and film director Denzel Washington & his wife Pauletta, Kathie Lee & Frank Gifford (among others), and their accounts of how implementing daily prayer together changed their lives, if I was looking for a deep, profound revelation of things I had never seen before, I did not find it in this book. In many ways, I found it very simple -not revealing new truths, but merely reiterating things I've known or heard about most of my life. And, while I realize that physical intimacy is a very important aspect of any marriage, in my opinion, there was a little too much emphasis placed on the physical benefits of increased prayer and commitment to God, and not enough on the Spiritual.
Still, I realize that many - possibly most - of the general population has not had the religious upbringing that I have had, and to them this book would be very enlightening. For that reason, I would recommend it to anyone seeking to better their relationship with their spouse, and in the process strengthen their relationship with God.

note: This book was supplied to me free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion.

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