~JUST BE HAPPY~

WINTER 1977

Sometimes

life gets really busy

and I forget who I am,

where I am going

and just who it is that's helping me get there.

For over thirty years

my beloved and I 

have journeyed together

down a path towards oneness.

The long, winding roads

have taken us deep into the valley,

directed us towards the highest mountain

and somewhere in between.

On a daily basis the 

husband of my youth

reminds me to live

life to the fullest...

To face each new morning

with renewed hope and purpose

and to never wander far

from the pathway God has prepared for me.

SPRING 2011

"Now and then it's good to pause in our

pursuit of happiness and just be happy."

Guillaume Apollnaire

Love to you...

~~~~~~~~WHAT'S IN YOUR FRIDGE?~~~~~~~~ And Why I Love Being Married

~TOP OF MY FRIDGE~

The stormy weather here in Oklahoma (that included yet another EARTHQUAKE last night!) makes me feel unsettled.  I love rain, even a down pour.  But I don't like storms with torrential rain or the whipping wind that often comes with it.  The thunder and the quaking earth were both pretty scary and seemed to shake my La Chaumière de Briarwood to her core.  Our chandeliers were swaying, the windows were rattling and our Yorkie, Mollie, was crying to be held...  I was so glad when I woke up this morning to fairly clear skies and eagerly welcomed another fresh, new day!

And then I remembered...

My Mr. AGPMan was leaving on a business trip and would be gone a few days...

Even after all these years of marriage I hate it when he's gone.

Oh...I get lots of things done while my hubby is away~  Lots of dusting and spit-shining and he always returns to a super-clean house with all the laundry done and floors mopped!  

I still hate it.

Anyway...the sun was just coming up when we said our good-byes.  I gave my guy a quick kiss, told him I loved him and said he was in my prayers and off he went.  I began my day as I always do by making my bed and then jumping into the shower and planning breakfast.

 ~FRESH CUT STRAWBERRIES~

(My Favorite)

Since dropping 40 pounds earlier this year I've worked really hard at keeping the weight off so I pretty much eat the same boring thing every day.  Fresh fruit (usually strawberries, blueberries or raspberries if they are in season), cottage cheese (1/2 cup) and a cup of hot tea.  Strawberries are always my third choice which is odd because they are my favorite fruit!  I'm just lazy sometimes...I hate hulling them! 

~PINK ROSEBUD TEACUP~

I put the kettle on, pulled out my favorite teacup (I use it every single day).  It's pink and full of tiny pink rosebuds and using it makes me happy!  I then opened my refrigerator (that honestly needs to be demoted to the garage and a new one purchased!) to grab my cottage cheese and fruit...

It was then I saw this:

~ LOVE NOTE FROM MY GUY~

And this, my friends, is just one of the many reasons I am happy and blessed...

I'm off to paint more pink rose pretties.  They'll be on my website late this evening!

Hope your day is wonderful...

Love to you~

~~~~~THOUGHTS ON A SUNDAY MORNING~~~~~ The Power of Your Words

~MY BELOVED and I~

Just before dawn I woke up with a blazing sinus headache.  With everything in me I wanted to crawl back into my bed and sleep the first half of my day away.  Not being one to waste a good morning I decided that even with the pounding in my head I'd get up and face the day.  As usual I began with a teacup full of my favorite tea and settled in for a bit of 'quiet time'.  I've become very protective of the hour or so I spend alone.  Whenever I'm forced to skip it invariably the hours in my day seem to spin out of control.

And so~ I began by reading a little devotional by Max Lucado that I've truly grown to love.
In "A Love Worth Giving" he says this:

~OUR ENGAGEMENT PHOTO~

"Nathaniel Hawthorne came home heartbroken.  He'd just been fired from his job in the Custom House.  His wife, rather than responding with anxiety, surprised him with joy.  "Now you can write your book!"

He wasn't so positive.  "And what shall we live on while I'm writing it?"

To his amazement she opened up a drawer and revealed a wad of money she'd saved out of her housekeeping budget.  "I always knew you were a man of genius," she told him.  I always knew you'd write a masterpiece."

She believed in her husband.  And because she did, he wrote.  And because he wrote, every library in America has a copy of "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

You have the power to change someone's life simply by the words that you speak.  "Death and life are in the power of the tongue." "

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue."

Proverbs 18:21 NKJV

~~*~~

Want to know what is honestly going on in my own heart and mind today?  

I'm praying for courage and strength to continue supporting my Mr. AGPMan as he works towards earning his long overdue Computer Science degree.  In what is already proving to be many, many hours spent away from home I'm finding I'm lonely for his presence.  His mind is deep in classwork and outside studying and I miss him very much...
(Even I am amazed at how much I'm still in love with the husband of my youth...)

And so...this morning I prayed to be a blessing to the man I love instead of wallowing in my aloneness.  I long to have a heart more in tune with Mrs. Hawthorne's and to lovingly place the desires of the one I love before my own.

Pray for me...

Will you?

Love to you this beautiful Sunday...

~THE SCHOOL BELL IS FINALLY RINGING~

~LAST MONTH IN ARIZONA~

If you've followed this little bloggie of mine for any length of time at all then you may remember a POST I did about my hubby back in August of last year.  At that time together we had finally made an important decision that would greatly affect both of our lives...a past wrong was finally going to be set right...

 ~MY HUBBY WHEN I MET HIM~

(Yearbook Photo 1977)

 ~WHEN MY HUBBY MET ME~

(Yearbook Photo 1977)

 ~SNU CORALE~

(Choir Yearbook Photo 1977)

 

 ~MALE CHOIR HUNK~

(He has a BEAUTIFUL Baritone Voice!)

I hope if you missed it you'll take the time to go back and read it.

 ~KEEPER OF MY HEART~

I hope it will be nothing less than inspiring to those of you who have an inkling of regret over past choices and how it IS possible to set some of our old "wrongs" back on a path of  "rightness".

 ~1977 YEARBOOK~

After lots of delays in school scheduling (on the University's part!) my Mr. AGPMan will start classes this Thursday.  I'm filled with great emotion and pride as I watch the man of my dreams finally begin a yearlong course of study that will finally lead to his college degree.  Unbelievably, my daughter, Adrienne, along with her beloved daddy, will graduate the same year...

This day has been a long-time coming...a thirty-three year journey of discovery, truth and perseverance.  As much as I know one can never actually go back and live past days over again I am a firm believer in finishing what we start...

Today I'm thanking God for the chance~

And, for His grace...and mercy...and love!!!

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him 

and He WILL make your paths straight."

Proverbs 3:5-6

Love to you this stormy Oklahoma day...

~~~~PRECIOUS and PINK and TOTALLY CHIC~~~~ First Lady Apron

 ~ALWAYS FIRST LADY TO MY HUBSTER~

If you read one of my earlier posts from this week then you know my Mr. AGPMan was away on business in Washington, DC!  I'm happy to tell you his plane landed safe and sound last night and he pulled into the driveway of our La Chaumière de Briarwood in time for dinner!  I'm sooo happy to have my "BABER" of 32 years back home again! 

 ~THE SWEETEST GIFT EVER~

Now...I'm make no secret about the fact that I'm a happily married girl!  I snagged an amazing man many, many years ago and he has never failed to bless me.  He knows I hate it when he has to travel and so on his return he almost always arrives back home bearing gifts.  Sometimes it's flirty lingerie (EEE GADS! Did I actually share that???) and sometimes it's flowers!  Lots of times it's some delectable treat like gourmet candy!  But, given the fact his wifey-girl is STILL ON WEIGHT WATCHERS (um...down 30 LBS now!) he knew better than to show up with anything fattening!  (Oh...by the way...he's lost 22 pounds himself and I'm sooo lovin' his new, OLD SELF!).

~FIRST LADY APRON~

After a lovely meal prepared by our daughter, Adrienne (both she AND her big brother, Brandon, are incredible cooks if you want to know the truth!!!), my guy presented me with this charming FIRST LADY APRON in a deep clear rose!  I'm over-the-moon IN LOVE WITH IT and couldn't wait to show it to you all!  Isn't it fabuloso and deliciously PINK?

YUMMO! YUMMO I SAY!

If you are wondering WHY I am blissfully happy in love and have been after so many years of marriage this is at least one of the reasons why!  It's always my guy's thoughtful "I LOVE YOU REMEMBRANCES"  that keep me forever mindful that even when someone marries young (I was only 19), when God is at the head of a marriage it's hard to go wrong...

Blessings for a lovely Spring Day!

Love to you~

~YOUNG CHRISTMAS LOVE~

  ~DECEMBER 2010~

I was 19 years plus one week old on the day my Mr. AGPMan proposed to me!  Now...as hard as it is for me to wrap my brain around this next sentence, this coming Christmas Eve at 7PM sharp will mark 33 years since the very night I said a resounding "YES" and agreed to marry a dark-haired, rail-thin Nebraska boy of almost 22.

After sitting and listening to a terribly long lecture about 'how marriage is forever' from my preacher-man daddy, surprisingly my guy was still in one piece and seemed to be holding his own. Good thing.  He'd have to put up with a very protective father-in-law for more than three-plus decades and a high-maintenance-wifey-girl that only appeared at first glance to be docile.  

I honestly believe I got the better end of the marriage deal...

~December 24, 1977~

This is the best photo I have of the night we became engaged and honestly I'm thrilled to have anything!  It was taken with a black and white Polaroid camera and I can't even believe it has survived all these years.  The surface of the picture became cracked and crazed  over time so I'm truly happy that today I can even make out our faces.  I scanned it into my computer a few years back and was able to salvage a little bit of the original...

Now...see that sweet sweater I have on?  I just could never bring myself to toss it out after we married and somehow I have hung onto the silly little thing through more than 15 major moves.  It's been folded up in my bureau drawer in the exact same place since 1978 when I wore it for the last time.

 ~MONTGOMERY WARD BEAUTY FOR $11.99~

(big $$$ for me back then!)

 I've had many memorable Christmases since the night my guy asked me to be his wife.  Back then we were so young, still college-poor and didn't have a thin dime to our name.  

But...

We were in love.  

 For us that has never changed.

~GREAT THINGS~

"The Lord has done great things for us, 

and our hearts are filled with joy.

Psalm 126:3 

Love to you~

~I LOVE YOU FOR SENTIMENTAL REASONS~

~MY BEAUTIFUL PARENTS~

November 23, 1955

Dear Mom and Daddy...

As I sit here looking at the pictures of your wedding it's hard for me to imagine the two of you ever being younger than my children are today.  You both look so happy with all your life ahead of you!  Your faces are so bright and alive and reveal not a hint of the careworn expressions you would both one day share.  Taken long before you became parents and before the struggles of life set in, my eyes see only joy...

only excitement...

only trust...

hope...

and love...

As I've watched you grow in years I'm humbled more than ever by your commitment to each other.  Life was not always kind to you...beat you both up a lot...but somehow, no doubt by God's grace, your love for one another and for Linda, Me, Bill and Jen has pressed on.  

~Mom at 21...and her Soldier Beau at 25~

Mom~today I notice how you care for Daddy, the husband of your youth.  With his memory of your life together quickly fading I'm reminded of Proverbs 31 where it speaks of the virtuous woman.  You've stuck by our father through thick and thin, in good and bad, want or plenty.  And...that has given all your children something to look up to, respect, and revere...  I know if Daddy was able to wine and dine you tonight he would.  I hope it's enough for you to know he loved you more than he ever found words to say...  Thank you for being such a wonderful example of faith, hope and commitment for your children.  And...for always being the wind beneath his wings.  He couldn't have made it without you.

THE VIRTUOUS WOMAN

Proverbs 31 KJV

"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.

The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.

She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.

She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.

She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.

She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.

She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.

She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.

She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.

She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.

She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.

She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.

She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.

Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.

She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.

Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.

She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.

She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.

Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.

Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.

Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.

Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates."

Happy Anniversary...I love you...I love you ...I love you...

With great affection~

Your daughter, Rebecca Suzanne

~LOVIN' THE ROMANCE...Letters of Love~

~MY OLD LOVE LETTERS~

George Bernard Shaw maybe said it best...

"The perfect love affair is one which is conducted entirely by post."

I've shared with you before that my hubby and I spent over fifteen months doing little more than writing love letters to one another during our dating years.  We got to know each other so well through our written words and believe them to be at least one of the reasons we've had a long, happy marriage.  By the time we said our vows in 1978 it felt like we'd already experienced a lifetime of talking and sharing.

ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING

 

I will treasure those love letters of our for all my life.  When I reread the words written by such a young hand I realize the feelings in my heart for my young college-student boyfriend are no different than those I hold today for my now aging beau... 

Now...I love celebrating love!  I love reading about love, poetry about love and talking about love.  And, I love the back-story of lovers that have gone on before me.

~LOVE IN ANY LANGUAGE~

Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning were both established poets when their courtship through correspondence eventually led to their marriage in 1846.  I suppose it's only fitting that a romance between two great poets started on paper...

~ROBERT BROWNING~

In 1845, Robert Browning wrote a letter of admiration and thanks to Miss Elizabeth for her mention of him in a poem.  Her response to him began a long exchange of letters and visits from Mr. Browning.

How romantic is that?

Miss Elizabeth, who was practically an invalid due to a serious fall, was living with her very possessive father who forbade her to marry.  The two finally eloped and moved to Italy, where Miss Elizabeth and the talented Mr. Browning continued to write.  Her father never forgave her and never spoke to her again (how very sad!).

~SONNETS FROM THE PORTUGUESE~

(This is on my Christmas List)

To raise the spirits of her husband after his mother died, Miss Elizabeth presented him with a collection of her poems called "Sonnets from the Portuguese".  They were given in reference to the way he lovingly called her "my little Portuguese" because of her dark complexion.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning died in her husband's arms :...( in 1861, after a long illness.  They had been married only 15 years.  Following her death Mr. Browning moved back to England with their son, where he finally achieved success and respect equal to his wife's.  He passed away in 1889 still adoring and missing his beautiful Elizabeth.

~WORDS OF TRUTH~

Below is my favorite poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning.  It is often read at weddings and celebrations of love.  It was penned while being courted by Mr. Browning around 1845 and it's one of her most beloved poems today.

HOW DO I LOVE THEE?

(Sonnet 43)

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

 ~~*~~

Some words by Mr. Browning...

"What's the earth

With all it's art, verse, music worth~

Compared with love,

found, gained, and kept?

~Robert Browning 

Blessings today as you celebrate life and loving...

Just because.

Love to you... 

~A SHABBY PINK CHRISTMAS TREE and Chic TARJAY?~

~TOTALLY TRANSFORMED PINK TREE~

Yesterday I moseyed my little self down to our local BULLS-EYE store (um...that would be what my once pre-school children called the place with the big red and white sign) to have a look around.  I like calling TARGET by it's snobby sounding counterpart, TARJAY.  Doing so (albeit in a mocking sort of way) helps bring into focus how easy it is for people (and yep, that would be ME!) to get caught up with shopping at big-dollar stores because they have 'rich' sounding titles.

Totally ridiculous! :)

~LOVE THE NEW LOOK...DON'T YOU?~

(Chic Tarjay)

That said...I love Tarjay!

I LOVE TARJAY!

I LOOOOOVE TARJAY!!!!!

(See...I told you that is what I call it!)

Anyway...after carting the things I actually visited the store to purchase (boring food stuff), I decided to BROWSE around a bit just to see what was new.  Now...after hauling a bunch of  worthless pathetic junk no longer needed items to our local charity this past summer I vowed to 'nevah, evah' again allow myself to even get close to the possibility of becoming a hoarder.  So...I planned just to LOOK and maybe DREAM.

I did figure I was fairly safe as my Mr. AGPMan was in tow and us ladies know that when our men are pushing the cart for us it isn't nearly as fun to window shop.

~"SUGAR" COATED and GLITTERED~

As we turned the corner onto the Christmas goodies aisle I just stood there for a second.  The store had many lovely things...some shiny blingish decor (is blingish a word?), glitzy retro stuff and lots of mirrored table-top Trees with a 1960's flair!  I also saw lots of 'lodge looking' stuff that I immediately thought would look lovely in some mountain cabin.  I somewhat expected a big MOOSE HEAD with those gigantic antlers thingies to jump out and attack me  or something, but in the end I felt pretty safe.  Still...all in all I must tell you I was a little bit disappointed by their holiday offerings...no real 2die4 finds if you know what I mean!

As my guy and I headed towards the checkout we passed a crowded end-cap and it was there I saw the PINK TREE you see at the top.  Only it wasn't PINK!  It was RED!

~TOO RED FOR ME~

Well...my mind quickly started to race and so I reached up and grabbed the lacy looking find.  There were actually two sizes of Trees.  One fifteen incher and one that was about a foot tall.  I chose the tallest one and decided right then and there it would be mine.

Now...I truly thought this little sweetie would look charming after her makeover and would be the perfect complement for my romantic cottage home this Christmas.  I already knew I'd paint her a soft, pale pink and quite possibly give her a quick "sugaring" and maybe even a light dusting of sparkling glitter.

 Before long my soon to be PINK TREE was whizzing it's way down to the cashier right next to the latest issue of ROMANTIC HOMES MAGAZINE (which I remembered to grab on my way out).

~EEK!  AS ADVERTISED~

(I'm in Print!)

As my guy paid for our purchases I thumbed through the pages of the Magazines for a quick look inside.  After a few seconds I found it!  Dressed in pink, complete with ribbons and roses was my A Gathering Place Ad!  

"Long time coming" I thought.

Early this morning, hours after the Tree's transformation, I couldn't help but feel so blessed.  The simplest of life's joys continue to make me smile...

Little things like red trees I dream of turning pink...
shopping for groceries with my honey at TARJAY...
finally getting the courage to place an ad for my tiny business...

and sharing my heart (and finds) with you!

Thanks for stopping by again~

Love to you this beautiful Tuesday...

~AND THE JOURNEY CONTINUES...My Wedding Memories~

~TRULY...JUST A GIRL~

Today my Beloved and I celebrate thirty-two years of marriage.  Quite honestly...it's hard for me to take in how very fast those years have passed by.  When I first looked at the photo of me dressed all in pink (I told you I've always loved that color!) two very different thoughts came to my mind...  The first one of course was how crazy-young I looked.  Barely 18.  And the second one was how much I would I like to tell that very idealistic girl (who thought she knew everything about everything) a thing or two about life and the living of it...

The picture was taken inside my dorm room at SNU in Bethany, Oklahoma.  I can't tell you for certain who snapped the photo but I am positive the rose was given to me by the man I'd eventually spend my life with.  Taken in late Spring of 1977 the two of us had just said 'goodbye' for the long summer months ahead.  I didn't know it then but by December of the same year we'd be engaged.

~OUR WEDDING INVITATION~

On September 8, 1978 my Mr. AGPMan and I married in a small church ceremony attended by mostly close family members and a few college friends. 

~INSIDE INVITATION~

Between the two of us we managed to pull off a pretty little wedding and except for the absence of my grandparents the day couldn't have been more beautiful.  Somewhere amidst my pile of keepsakes I have the detailed list of exactly what we paid for everything.  I know my bridesmaid's bouquets were $14.00 each and my bridal bouquet was $45.  My dress was $125.00 and I'm quite sure that included my veil...

~MY BEAUTIFUL FATHER and I~

My dad was born in 1930 and that means in 1978 he was 48 years old.  I am now older than both my parents were on the day I said "I Do!" 

~MY BLUE 1975 CHEVY VEGA~

Now...here sits our infamous Sky Blue 1975 Vega.  No matter how much we cleaned her up or decorated her bones she was, without a doubt, a total piece of JUNK!  My guy drove a 1967 Chevy Impala at the time and BOY what I wouldn't give to have the cool car back in our possession today.

 Now...I show you this photo because this demon car (that caused me MORE MISERY than I can say) was always conking out on me and I hated to drive the silly thing !  She also played a part in me nearly being veil-less on my wedding day.  Here's what I remember...

~SWEET PORTRAIT~

On the morning of our wedding my Mr. AGPMan needed to drive from Bethany, Oklahoma to Yukon, Oklahoma (about 9 miles) to his bank to withdraw some money for our 'honeymoon'.  Now...this was before most banks had branches and certainly before ATMs.  Well...that stupid 1975 Sky Blue Vega didn't have air conditioning which made driving it nearly unbearable.

~MY VERY YOUNG BROTHER~

So...as my guy sped down old Hwy 66 to retrieve some cash he MANUALLY (can you imagine?) rolled down both the windows to cool off the inside of the car.  The Vega was full of wedding stuff and laying neatly on top (so it wouldn't get wrinkled) was my bridal veil.

Do you see where I'm going with this?

~MY FATHER OFFICIATED~

With the radio blaring and the pedal to the metal my guy thought it strange when he saw (out of the corner of his right eye) a flash of BRIGHT WHITE SOMETHING OR OTHER blow by his face and out the window.  As he peeked into his rear mirror he saw my wedding veil tumbling down the highway picking up dirt, hay, grit and sand along the way.

~MR. and MRS.~

Now...my hubbs has never been a 'freak-out kinda guy' (I do that enough for both of us).  But I dare say that on the very morning he was to be wed he was indeed flipping out!  He pulled the Vega to a stop and ran back to rescue my headpiece from the ditch.

It took him over an hour to pick out every speck of debris from the veil.  It had rolled itself into a tumbleweed-looking-ball and I suppose that saved it from being destroyed.

~SWEET MEMORIES~

Of course I was told NOTHING of this until after we were married.  What he didn't know was that I had found several teeny, tiny pieces of plant-type stuff clinging to a bit of the veil's lace and I thought it so strange that I hadn't noticed it before...

~I STILL LOVE THIS PRETTY CAKE~

~YUMMY GROOM'S CAKE~

~YOUNG HANDS and HEARTS~

~MY BROTHER'S WEDDING - 2006~

Over the years my beloved and I have participated in many wedding ceremonies.  In 2006 he was Best Man to my brother, Bill, when he married his own beautiful lady, Ginger (he's the same brother in the picture at the top).

So...here I sit thirty-two years later deeply grateful the young girl in the first photo chose a man of character, honesty, commitment and grace in which to place her trust.  What I know today is that being part of a long-lasting marriage, even when people are deeply in love, is incredibly hard work.

Today I remain profoundly blessed to be living out my life's  journey with the one who continues to hold my heart.

Thank-you, God!

(Happy Anniversary, Steven Kent...I love you!)

If you'd like to read my post from last year and see more of my wedding pictures just click HERE!

Blessings to you for a lovely day...