Happy Father's Day!

As a little child many girls begin to dream about the man or prince that they will fall in love with and marry. For me (Brooke) I never really dreamed about that man but I did dream about the proposal, about the wedding, about the marriage, about the house, about the cars, about the kids, and about the life I would live once I grew-up and met the "man of my dreams".

As I got older my search for the "man of my dreams" changed to the search for "Mr. Right". I always wondered how I would know if I found the right man....how would I know that I'm supposed to spend my entire life with this one man...how would I know that he was just perfect for me? People always gave me advise based on their experiences but hearing "you'll just know" or "watch how he treats his mom" never provided me with the comfort or confidence that I felt I needed when making such a big decision.

For me...I decided to establish a criteria of what this "Mr. Right" would need to be like in order to get the stamp of approval to be my hubby. I wanted him to look a certain way, talk with a specific accent, graduate from a well-known college, attend a regular church, play in some admirable sports, and communicate with his close-knit family.

When I least expected it, I met Bobby. At first I thought he was "Mr. Right" for my friend and then as time passed my perspective changed drastically and I began to see this....

Did you see it? Let me clarify...I began to see Bobby...a good ol' boy from a small town that is loyal, loves his family, loves most sports, loves the heels, loves to laugh, loves to be outside, loves to serve, and LOVES his God!
(Yep all of that was pictured above...search for it!)

I was very confused at first because even though I couldn't deny that this guy was a catch, I didn't understand how that was possible because he didn't meet many (if any) of the items on my checklist. After years of falling in love over and over again things became even clearer for me again. Ironically, I realized that my original checklist never left much room for me to day dream about this....

That's right! I managed to forget that this "Mr. Right" needed to be a match for me! He needed to be a man of God that would crack me up, support me in difficult times, stand strong when things go wrong, laugh in the face of fear, listen to me ramble for hours, dance with me daily, encourage me to grow spiritually, protect me from danger, and sit with me as we soak up life!
(Yep, all of that was pictured above as well!)

Now, after love and marriage over the years...after highs and lows, after births and deaths, after beginnings and endings....my viewpoint has changed yet again. I have realized that not only am I blessed to have such an amazing man and loving husband....now I know...I'm also blessed because of this....

God has given me and my kids THE BEST Daddy!

My kids have a daddy that plays with them in snow or sun, takes them to shows, protects them when they're scared, provides for them when they are in need, shows up when least expected, entertains them when they are bored, teaches them lessons about life, and shows them daily what it means to be a man of the Lord. My children have been blessed with a daddy that daily reminds me of the Deddy that I've had all my life!

For that...today...I am so appreciative that now I'm at a point in my life where I absolutely LOVE this view and can't imagine it being any different!

"Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." Ephesians 6:4 (ESV)

Happy Father's Day Bobby! We Love You!