Mother's Day

Because it's Mother's Day, I thought I'd share a little bit about a woman who has influenced my life more than any other woman I've ever know. This is my absolute favorite picture of my parents. So much joy right? My sweet dad passed away when I was eight from a heart attack. From that day on, my mom had a raise a child alone. I'm not even a parent yet and the older I become, the more and more amazed I am at thought of this. I could write a lot about my how incredible my mother is but just to give you an idea of how lucky I am I'll just tell you a few words that describe her. Stunning, from the heart and radiant outwardly. Courageous. I grew up thinking that my mom was literally afraid of nothing, not even grand daddy long legs. Sacrificial. If you know anything about my mom, you know she loves intensely and would give anything she had to show another person love. Growing up we did not have a lot of money, but I could have never guessed because I had everything that I could have ever wanted or needed. The Christmas after my dad died, my grandparents couldn't make it because of weather, so it was just my mom and I. I told my mom that if I got the one thing that I hoped and dreamed for, that I would know that Santa Clause was real, because only Santa could swing what I wanted.... A furby. 

Skeptical 9 year old Lacey wandered down the hall knowing that this moment would change the rest of her life. Was Santa real or had I been lied to my entire existence? OH BOYYY!! There it was!!!! A black and white furby to call my own! It was a magical moment that I will never forget because that was the moment I realized that I had a mom who loved me more than I could ever know. My mom drove to something like 3 different states to find this terrifying creature and paid an absurd amount for it (which we didn't have) because she didn't want my first Christmas without my dad to be without a little joy and magic. I never told my mom that I knew Santa wasn't real because I wanted the magic to linger a little while longer. My mom is funny. We use to have toe pinching wars. She always won, although I think I could take her today. My mom is confident. Over the years, I have seen my mom grow into a woman who is all her own and all together fabulous. I have come to know my mom as a best friend. Those are just a few words I would use to describe my mom to you. I hope that one day I can love my children the way that she continues to love me. 

Mom, thanks for everything that you've ever done for me that has gone unnoticed and for everything that you have done that has gone without a thank you. You are a woman I am honored to call my mother. You have always been and will always be my biggest fan and supporter. You love me when I am utterly unlovable. You love me in a way that no one will ever be able to love me. You're love has shown me a glimpse of how much I am loved by the Lord. What an incredible gift. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Happy Mother's Day. 

All my love,

Your Bambino

9 Hours Down, 51 To Go.

I am sitting at Panera right now enjoying the light jazz music, sipping on an iced Acacia Tea, writing a 15 page final research paper. My first semester of grad school is officially over in two days. Praise the Lord. It has been a crazy crazy 5 months. (hence why it has taken me 5 months to write another blog post).  This semester has been full of papers upon papers, interpreting for deaf students (which I loveeee), husband's softball and football games, moving from a 3,000 square foot house to a 555 square foot apartment, best friends getting married and engaged. Needless to say, it's been busy but it's been good. Marriage is still a blast and continues to be the thing in my life that drives out my sin and showers me with grace at the same time. What a picture of love. 

It's funny to look at my previous post about how excited I was to do grad school and to "do it right"....do all of the readings and assignments. It's funny because one thing that this semester has taught me is that marriage takes priority over school. Many times I missed out on doing things with friends or with Taylor because I was swimming in school work and was determined to do well. I knew that the Lord first called me to be a wife to my husband but I allowed myself to get so wrapped up in school that at times I neglected my marriage. It seems completely ridiculous right? It was more difficult than it sounds. It was hard for me to put down a 10 page paper that was due at midnight to watch tv with my husband or to turn an assignment in late because my in-laws were in town or because my best friend got married. It was a battle for me to be a wife first and then a student. In the end, the Lord has blessed me in providing plenty of time and strength to finish this semester with all A's. He is always so faithful even when I am running around like a crazy lady, trying to plan out my life so I'll have enough time in my days. He is so patient.