What a great post, on many levels! My daughter will turn 21 next month. She married her high school sweetheart in May and they immediately started trying to conceive. They wanted a honeymoon baby. It was a few months before it happened but found out a month ago that they are expecting. It is a very exciting time for our family. So many people discouraged them from having a baby so quickly. But it's all my daughter has ever wanted .. to be a wife and mom. She works part-time at a department store but will be quitting once the baby is born, most likely. She says she might work a few hours a week, but I honestly can't see her wanting to leave her baby. Her husband is an ironworker and makes a good wage and they bought a very inexpensive, small house in the small town where we live so have very low monthly expenses. I am proud of them for their decisions. In contrast, we have a friend whose daughter went to pharmacy school, is now a pharmacist and just got married and is trying to have a baby. She is 36 years old and is not having any luck. They have been trying for quite some time. Perhaps she waited too long trying to achieve the lie the world told her??

I didn't know you had started back. I'll jump in next week!!!

Oooh ... that's going to get some comments! We are a homeschooling family because I don't trust anybody to do for my kids what we can do at home. We aren't perfect, no, but I would rather them learn through my imperfections whereby I am trying to allow God to change me and grow me, than through the imperfections of others whom I don't even know. I love my kids too much. Plus, we are just having too darned much fun learning at home together!

Thank you for this post, Lori, and I look forward to following you as you study this book. I am not doing the study as I am already doing another Bible study, but I am following along. Thank you for the link to the video. I really enjoyed viewing that and will continue to follow their videos, as well.

I wish I could sit down with Anna and hug her and tell her that she is an amazing young woman whom God loves. I made a decision to remain faithful to my wedding vows even if my husband was not able to do so. During the time that I was pretty certain he was not remaining faithful, I spent my time looking for ways that God would like for me to be a better wife, leaning on God to satisfy my needs and to place salve on my wounds, and prayed for my husband as I knew his sin was a direct result of pain he was feeling. Our men are not perfect, as we are not. It is unfortunate that Josh and Anna's lives and sins are being fleshed out in the media. If no one knew who they were they wouldn't have to answer to anybody while they sought God. I have tried hard to live by the standard of lifting my husband up at the City Gate which means I do not tell others the ways my husband fails me. So I have had the luxury of standing by my husband without the ridicule of others who think I am a fool. God wants to redeem Josh, not condemn him! He is getting plenty of condemning. I have a feeling Anna doesn't want to condemn him either. She just wants the husband and marriage that God had planned for her. I have looked at my husband and enjoyed seeing the work God has done in his life, even though his sin has hurt me and hurt me badly. He is God's child and deserves to be redeemed and built up by God to be the man He wants him to be. I would hope that my husband would stand by me if I was sinning in our marriage. Okay, who are we kidding. Of course I sin in our marriage. Do I do all my husband needs of me as his wife all the time? Nope! In fact, his pain in my not fulfilling his needs probably matches mine when he has gone outside our marriage to have those needs met. Sure, my husband has had choices. But so do I! Who am I to throw the first stone? If Anna wants to stand by Josh and be with him during this time (perhaps a long time) of becoming the man God wants him to be, then good for her. Let her be. I will be praying for her strength and devotion to her husband and God and that the scoffers are silenced.

My Fitbit has made this a fun challenge for me! It keeps me accountable to the number of steps I take each day.

You take a summer break? What? That's my fact about myself ... I am sad we won't have Tuesday Coffee Chat during the summer. It's my go-to place for Tuesday mornings! My adult kids will be sad, too. They love learning about me in those posts.
My recent post Tuesday Coffee Chat

I am on Chapter 3 of the book.

I forgot to link up last week. What a dummy I am! I didn't have any DIY headboard tips, though. Sorry. I hope you came up with something awesome!
My recent post Back to School

What a cheerful bedroom you will have! Have a wonderful birthday tomorrow!!!
My recent post Tuesday Coffee Chat