Tag: anniversary

Sweet, Sweet Summertime

June 14, 2021

At the end of May, Brendan and I celebrated our twelfth anniversary with a lovely dinner at Trattoria Mangia in Naples, followed by an airboat ride the next day and a trip to Seed to Table where we enjoyed browsing their massive market/food court and eating a farm raised lunch. Call me crazy, but I thought my “raw lasagna,” which was completely plant based, would still be cooked. It was delicious, but hard to fully appreciate since it was cold. I couldn’t get past the mental expectation of a hot dish. But in spite of that surprise, we had a wonderful time.

With June arriving in Southwest Florida, we’ve seen flowers and produce take off and summer afternoon rains return. A baby mockingbird sat at our front door the other day, pecking at his reflection in the little window next to the door.

Hello, summer!

“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” Genesis 8:22

We can be sure that our God is faithful in every season of physical and spiritual growth, whether circumstances are pleasant or challenging. His timing is perfect and steadfast. And it definitely has been a season of God growing us and preparing us for exciting things to come.

Summer also welcomes vacation days with time for book lovers to indulge!

My NEW RELEASE, Where Blows the Wind, is available! Starting JUNE 15th in time for your summer reading, and to celebrate summer, the e-book will be FREE through JUNE 19th! That alone is something to celebrate. The paperback version will soon follow.

In case you have yet to check it out, Where Blows the Wind is book 2 in the Winds of Redemption series and follows the story of Tyrina Louise Duval whose tragic, shameful past keeps her from searching for her siblings who were all separated in childhood. But, when author Dylan Davis shares his miraculous story of reconnecting with his missing daughter, Tyrina begins to hope for a similar miracle. She also learns to trust God and care for Dylan. But will his new book be the catalyst for betrayal or redemption?

GET IT NOW

The Miracle of Us

May 22, 2020

Marriage isn’t easy.

I don’t want to burst any bubbles out there, but what begins as a miracle of seemingly chance encounters and that sudden knowing that this person is the one, takes some work to maintain.

At the start, that person, who you swear you’ve always known somehow even though you’ve only just met, sweeps you off your feet. You confess you’ll never love another and  he or she is your one and only love.

If you’re anything like us, you witness miracles, maybe a dozen or more (in our case) that let you know with certainty that this is meant to be. You say yes to the proposal and the dress and begin planning your dream day. For us that happened across two continents. COVID-19 long distance has nothing on us!

The wedding is pure bliss even with its few unplanned mishaps (like our crystal champagne flutes that didn’t show up on time), and you waltz from the dance floor to the honeymoon in ecstasy.

We did. Ahh…

Then begins reality.

The moment when the fairy tale becomes real life.

The best love story comes after the wedding. I have a quote something like that framed with a picture of us a year after the wedding. The best comes when you fight through the worst. The worst of both of you, the worst circumstances, the worst heartache. All of that brings out the best of your love story.

The rest of our story will be told in Beyond the Miracle: When the FairDSC_0002y Tale Meets Reality, but until its release (projected for May 2021), we celebrate the now of this year’s anniversary with a throw-back to where it all began.

In honor of our eleventh anniversary, The Miracle of Us: Confessions of an Online Dater is FREE on Amazon for your holiday weekend reading.

Get your e-book copy here.

What are some of your wedding or marriage miracles?

Miracles Do Happen

January 24, 2014

When my friend, Carol, and I decided to take a chance with online dating, I don’t think we expected the outcome we ended up with. Oh, we hoped to find Mr. Right, but really, what were the chances we would both find our husbands through that vehicle?

At the same time?

Brian and Carol's rehearsal dinner
Brian and Carol’s rehearsal dinner

The actual odds were pretty slim considering that only 1 in 5 singles form a committed relationship with someone from a dating site (match.com). So for both of us to meet our husbands online at christiancafe.com within a couple of months of each other seemed pretty miraculous.

How many people do you know who have met through an internet dating site and are now happily married? (I’d really love to know in the comments below.)

We are both coming up on our fifth year anniversaries which seems amazing to me. What’s even more amazing is the story of how it all happened. Well, Carol’s story is hers to share, but you can find more of my story from earlier posts in Confessions of an Online Dater.

Or, you can read the book.DSC_0002

It’s in the proofing stage currently and is now set to release on February 7, 2014. It will be available through CreateSpace.com, Amazon.com and other retailers.

NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON IN PRINT AND KINDLE EDITION