I'M SO PROUD!!!

I'm so proud to be Mrs. Ron Edmondson!!!

Today is the anniversary of the day I made one of the wisest decisions in my life second only to accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord & Savior.  On August 2nd, I said "I do" to Ron Edmondson.  It was a VERY wise decision.


You see - he is not only my husband...he is my best friend & confidant; father to our incredible sons - Nate, Jeremy & his beautiful wife, Mary; my favorite pastor & teacher of God's Word; and my role model of a true Christ-follower (He "walks the talk" every day!!)


As I was looking for the perfect anniversary card, I could not find one that said every thing I wanted to say so I decided to write a post.  It has been several months since my last one AND it is cheaper than a card!!  I know Ron will appreciate both.


Life has thrown lots of curves over the years yet we are both quick to say that we truly enjoy living an "abundant life" together.  With God's grace, we have been blessed to watch our two sons grow up to become awesome, godly young men...worked together in our own business...helped start & serve at several amazing churches...served on various mission trips/projects...and done A LOT of living life with our family & friends.  


We love to travel all over the world and enjoy eating at various restaurants preferring the ones where the "locals" eat.  Our boys often tease us saying when they get as old as we are - they look forward to driving just to try out a new restaurant!!  Hopefully by then, they will realize it's more about the time together than the destination. Most Saturdays we set aside as our "date day" knowing what matters most is that we are spending time TOGETHER! 


So to Ron I say...


"You are my giggle...the pep in my walk...the hand I long to hold...the sparkle in my eye...the shoulder I want to lean on...the spiritual leader I want to follow...and my dance partner for life!  You are my "Babe"!!  I pray my life is one day shorter than yours so I don't have to live a day without you in my life.  Thank you for loving me!! You are a gift from God! I love you and I'm so proud to be your wife! 




HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!

Until...

It was two years ago today when my father's struggle with cancer, diabetes and heart disease came to an end.  As hard as it was to see my father take his final breath, there was indeed a peace that surpasses all understanding because I know I will see my Daddy again.  Not a day goes by that I don't still miss his physical presence, but the precious memories I have in my heart can never be taken away.

As I woke up this morning, these words were laid on my heart...

It seems like yesterday when I held your hand
And yet my heart still feels the pain.
So until the day I arrive in God's promised land
I'll hold onto precious memories till I see you again!

My daddy will always be my "Favorite Daddy"!!


Each of us have loved ones we long to see again....share a memory of someone you long to see again?

Friday's Food Find - Blackhorse Pub

This week's Friday's Food Find is one of our favorites in Clarksville.  Why you ask?  For one - we love original restaurants and another is because of the great food & atmosphere.

The Blackhorse Pub & Brewery is located at 132 Franklin Street in downtown Clarksville.  It is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week.  It is known for its wide variety of offerings on the menu.

Some of my favorites are the inferno flatbread, lemon pepper pita sandwich, greek dressing on the house salad, the beer cheese dip and the pizza!!  I love, love, love the PIZZA!  They have lots of speciality pizzas to choose from or you can create your own.  And Ron says it is probably one of the best places in Clarksville to go for a steak....

And if you save room for dessert - try the one called "A Little Sinful"...which you will have to share with friends or you will have to change the name to "A Lotta..."!!

A great Saturday outing would be to make a trip to Clarksville for lunch at the Blackhorse...visit the unique shops in our downtown area...stop in at our museum...and take a stroll at the Riverwalk.   Never know when you might see the Edmondsons taking a walk around our neighborhood now that we live downtown....

What are some neat restaurants or shops in your downtown?  Please share....

Mourning into Dancing...

"You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
  You have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
  that my glory may sing Your praise and not be silent.
  O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever"                                                            Psalm 31:11-12 ESV

Unfortunately, like many of you - I have experienced a lot of junk in my life.  Some were a result of my own poor choices...some no fault of my own.  Either way - these were very hard times in my life.  I struggle even as I type these words as to how much I share...what are my reasons for sharing...yet I know that God's Word is TRUTH!!  God did not cause these events to happen in my life, yet He has and continues to use each and every one for His good.  How you ask??  Let me explain my take on some of my story.  This is only - "my story"...

Many of you know that I am in my second marriage. My first marriage was to someone I loved very much, but who was so very different from me...in all the wrong ways.  Our whole outlook and goals in life were different and the things I always told myself didn't matter when we were dating - really did when we were married!!  I went into the marriage thinking I could change him into the person I needed him to be (and I'm sure he felt the same way about me) and we know how that turns out. Needless to say, it ended after 9 years of marriage. My self esteem was at its lowest.  Yet, the huge blessing that came out of my marriage was our son, Jeremy. For all the hurt and pain during my first marriage - for no other reason, I would do it again.

During my first marriage, I became pregnant with my second child.  I was so excited!  I loved having siblings and wanted Jeremy to enjoy the same experience.  Of course, I prayed for a healthy baby, but also selfishly desired a daughter.  During my routine 20 week ultrasound, it was discovered that our baby had a terminal chromosonal defect and had no chance of survival. We were devastated. Our precious baby...our precious baby girl who we named Mary Catherine that I never got to hold is in Heaven. And yet God, through His mercy, did bless Jeremy with a sibling. He brought Ron and Nate into our lives! Jeremy and Nate are closer than any two brothers I know!! Thank you Jesus!

And I could share the time when Ron and I took a leap of faith and purchased our own business which we thought was the "dream of a lifetime" and how it didn't turn out as we had planned...or when we took a step of faith and Ron surrendered to fulltime vocational ministry not knowing how we would continue to pay our mortgage...or an even bigger step of faith when we answered an incredible calling from God and we joined other families to plant a church in our own hometown (crazy, huh?). Each of these stretched us tremendously, yet God used each of those to mold us and lead us to where we are today! He has blessed us beyond our wildest imaginations.

But why am I sharing any of these events at all? Because God has indeed used each and every one to mold me into the person I am today. I was not even a Christian until my early 30's which was after my divorce. Oh, how God has poured out His love, mercy and grace into my life through my times of mourning.... 

He has blessed me with an incredible husband and father to our two sons. Ron is my best friend who makes me laugh and he is my dance partner for life!

Allowing God to use all the "junk" in my life I can truly say to others "I know what you are going through...".  It has been one of life's greatest blessings. To my God alone be all the glory!!

So yes - God has turned my mourning into dancing and I will give Him thanks forever!!


What have you allowed God to use in your life to turn your mourning into dancing?

Friday's Food Find - Philly Style....

Ron and I decided to take a quick trip for our anniversary over Labor Day weekend to one of our favorite cities - Philadelphia.  Ron received his second masters from Eastern University in Philly and we have enjoyed the city together several times.

My all time absolute favorite restaurant is in Philadelphia - Sabrina's Caf'e with locations in the Italian Market (best atmosphere), Fairmont & coming to the University City area.  Sabrina's is known for breakfast/brunch specials especially their french toast, but my favorite meal is always dinner.  The daily choices are absolutely INCREDIBLE!!!  Take my word for it - if you go to Philly - you've got to go to Sabrina's!

Of course - our trip would not be complete without our morning trip to the Reading Terminal Market for blueberry pancakes, turkey bacon and fresh coffee at the Amish diner...YUMMY!!!  And of course - we have to walk off our breakfast by checking out all the vendors located inside the Market.  There are fresh meats, fruits/vegetables, various restaurants and so much more.  And if nothing else you can sit in the food court and just people watch!!

Our first night there Ron took me to a really neat restaurant called Max Brenner located on Walnut Street.  Just about everything on the menu is cooked with chocolate and may I say it is a chocolate lover's dream come true!!  The food was great and the dessert that we shared (yes - Ron did share) was even better!!  The chocolate shop even gave me somewhere to occupy my time while we waited for our entree...Let's just say - this restaurant was the total package.

On South Street, the owner of Core de Roma recognizes Ron as this quickly became his Italian restaurant of choice during his trips to Philadelphia.  It is a cozy restaurant that you can easily walk right past it if you don't know to look for it.  The owner and his son always go out of their way to make us feel welcome and even let us create our own authentic dish if what we want is not on the menu.

So, as you can probably tell by now -  when everyone asked what we did during our time in Philly it's not hard to believe...we walked and we ate and we walked and we ate....I think you get the picture!!

Where's your favorite place to eat in Philadelphia?  What's your thoughts on a chocolate restaurant??

To Our Boys...

It's Monday and already it's been a tough week....last night we received a phone call that our good friends' son had been in an accident.  Before we even arrived at the hospital, the call came saying that this young man's life had ended much too soon.  Today, God laid it on my heart to send our boys the email below...

Jeremy & Nate…

As we sat with the parents of the young man who lost his life last night, I was overwhelmed with grief and sadness as they were in shock over the loss of their son….Not an ounce of me can even begin to imagine the pain they are experiencing.

It was a vivid reminder of how precious life is….not to take a moment for granted and how much I love the two of you and how very, very proud I am of the godly, young men you are.

My prayer every day for both of you has always been that you will love Jesus with all your heart….that you will make wise choices and that you will never doubt how proud I am and how much I love you!

You are AMAZING!!!

Thanks for being YOU!!!

Every day is precious....don't live with regrets....say a prayer for the many families/friends affected each & every day by tragedy...don't take ANYTHING for granted!!!  

If you have someone that needs prayer, please let me know....

Just Call Out My Name....You've Got a Friend!!

Recently in our community group we were discussing 1 Samuel 20, which is about the friendship that David and Jonathan shared. It was a great time of sharing about what it meant to be a friend.

Not surprisingly - the girls were more vocal than the guys. Common interest, compatibility, accountability, and of course trust were a few of the qualities of a good friendship. We all agreed that we had different levels of friendships from those who might be our "facebook" friends to those who had been friends for a lifetime.

One of the questions Ron asked was "If you had a crisis, do you have someone who is not a family member you could call?" For some in the group, it was an easy question....for others - not. Either way, it was a time of reflection for all of us. We were challenged to consider not only the friends we have, but also what kind of friend we are to others....especially to friends in our community group, in our church family, or those we consider to be our closest circle of friends...

I believe with all my heart that I am NEVER alone! I believe God when He tells me in His Word that He will never leave me nor forsake me, so I know that my Jesus is the first person I turn to in times of need. But I also know God did not put us on this Earth to live life alone...He created us to be relational.

So thank you Jesus for my husband, Ron, who is my very best friend! There is no other person on this Earth I would rather be with than him. I am so proud of Ron who is an incredible husband, father and friend. His greatest desire is to serve God first and his family second. Someday Ron will indeed hear God say "Well done my good & faithful servant".

And my friends....God has blessed me with so many friends!!! But to be honest with you - I too have many different levels of friends. I envy others who say "she has been my closest friend since we were little" or "we are just as close as we were in high school or college". I cannot say I have either of those type of friends. God has blessed me with incredible friends throughout my life, but it seems that most have just been for a season.

And to be honest - I had to stop and think about Ron's question. I only have a few friends that I would pick up the phone and call in a crisis situation. There are only a couple of friends that I have allowed myself to open up and really know "me". Part of it is because of Ron's role as a pastor, but part of it is just self-protection...afraid of the risk of being hurt. (which could be a blog post of its own)

Bottom line - one of the girls in our group who actually has been my "friend" since elementary school summed it up when she said "to have a friend - you must be a friend". Exactly! It reminded me of the lyrics of one of my favorite songs - "You've Got a Friend"...

"When you're down and troubled
And you need some loving care
And nothing, nothing is going right
Close your eyes and think of me
And soon I will be there
To brighten up even your darkest night


You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I'll come running to see you again
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you have to do is call
And I'll be there
You've got a friend


If the sky above you
Grows dark and full of clouds
And that old north wind begins to blow
Keep your head together
And call my name out loud
Soon you'll hear me knocking at your door


You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I'll come running to see you
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you have to do is call
And I'll be there


Ain't it good to know that you've got a friend
When people can be so cold
They'll hurt you, and desert you
And take your soul if you let them
Oh, but don't you let them


You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I'll come running to see you again
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you have to do is call
And I'll be there
You've got a friend"


What friend would you call in a time of crisis?

Has God ever laid it on your heart to call a friend just when they needed it most?

Now, say a quick prayer, ask God to give you a name of a friend in need, then do something about it...NOW! That's part of being a friend.