"Once We Watched the Lazy World Go By..."

...now the days seem to fly...(but) love goes on and on...

(Disney's Robin Hood)

On May 18, 2006 I was looking forward to a Tuesday night date with my boyfriend Jeremy. We had been dating for almost a year, though we'd known each other for almost 3.

I knew as soon as he walked through my door that this evening would be extra special. He was wearing one of my favorite shirts and he wouldn't tell me where we were going.

We stopped at Barnes & Noble and got chocolate cupcakes. He had IBC root beers in the truck. It had just rained and I could tell he was concerned about the ground being wet. He drove us to the park in Bridgewater and told me he'd go check to see if "our spot" by the river was too muddy. I pretended to be clueless, but I think he knew that I knew what was coming, though I had butterflies because I had no idea how he was going to do it!

Eventually he called my phone and told me he had saved our spot. I started down the long gravel path, trying to look calm and like nothing momentous was about to happen.

Several strategically placed roses with notes later, I found Jeremy with the last rose by the river.

3 days later I bought my dress.

A month later my parents sold our house and moved to VA Beach. My sister and I moved into a townhouse near campus.

5 months after that I started student teaching.

3 months after that I graduated.

And a month after that we got married.

We've been married 6 years with an eternity to go.

(The third picture was actually taken on that same path at the park, courtesy of my favorite photographer Bryan Myhr.)

What's so Bad About Being a Princess?

Who decided that one could be a strong, self-sufficient woman OR a princess? Who determined that princesses are weak and unarmed?

My daughter(s) will be allowed to watch Disney movies. At least the classic ones--and Tangled. But I will ensure that her definition of Princess is created not from Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, or Ariel...but from fantasy and sci-fi princesses. MY daughter's princesses will wear a tiara with her gold armor as she rides beside her father the King:

She will defend with a sword or bow:

She will use her mind, as well as a weapon:

She will use her voice:

She will bring healing:

She will love passionately:

She will give wise council and grant sanctuary:

She will learn honor, bravery, and cunning.

She will give honor, love, and joy.

She will be wise and gracious.

She will defend and protect.

She will sooth and heal.

She will be a warrior.

Because she is a princess.

Dedication to the Lord

For anyone who wasn't able to attend Mara's dedication, I wanted to share the note I read to the congregation.

For those of you whose children have been in Jeremy's class, you know that he spends time each year helping his students discover the meanings of their names, firs,t middle and last. We believe that what we speak over our children influences them for life.

When we named our son, we spent months looking for a strong name, but also one that rolled off the tongue easily so it could be shouted quickly when necessary. :) Jeremy wanted an uncommon name and I wanted something with a royal heritage. So we named him Aedan. In the Old Irish, Aed means fire. For those of you who know our Aedan, he is definitely a FIERY boy, burning strongly and brightly, ardent, and passionate. It is also the name of kings and other leaders in Irish lore. His middle name Lee is a family name, but it also has a meaning we love: SHELTER from the storm. Our prayer for Aedan is that he will be a fiery witness for God, drawing people to his flame, yet also being able to provide care and protection for others in the midst of the storms of life.

Our daughter Mara was born in November. We liked the name for years, but it took a little digging to discover the meaning. The name Mara is a variant of Maria/Mary/Miriam, and is in the Bible used by Ruth's mother-in-law Naomi to mean "bitter". Not something I want to speak over my daughter, so we dug a little deeper to see if there was another meaning in addition to the Hebrew, and we found this: The meaning is not known for certain, but there are several theories including bitter, rebellious, and WISHED FOR CHILD. It's most likely an Egyptian name meaning BELOVED.

When I was writing this, I found a verse in John that I feel sums up the two meanings well. John 16:21 states "A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world." He has taken the bitterness and replaced it with the joy of a child, who is beloved.

From the beginning, Mara's middle name was to be Jade, which is one of Jeremy's favorite names and a favorite precious stone. However I was doodling one day, playing around with names, and inserted a second middle name. I told Jeremy it was Mara's "princess name" since princesses traditionally have 2 or 3 middle names. He said "Why not?" and we added the name Alexandra. Not only is it the name of several queens, but it means "DEFENDER OF MEN".

So Mara Alexandra Jade is our WISHED FOR and BELOVED DEFENDER OF THE PEOPLE, a PRECIOUS STONE belonging to the Master Craftsman to form into a priceless work of art.

To paraphrase 1 Samuel 1:27-28, the words of the mother Hannah: "For these children I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to Him. Therefore I am lending my children to the Lord. As long as they live, they are lent to the Lord."