Musings & More by Wendy

 I shared in my last post about my daughter's wedding to Dustin - and it was full of love and laughter for certain. My honest thought is God is certainly LOVE, but He is also desiring that His children laugh during the trials. Trials, by definition, are not designed to be humorous at all; they convict us so that we can become better people (and I am referring to life trials, not criminal trials - two different things entirely) for learning the lesson they were designed to teach. Matter of fact, His Word addresses how there are seasons for all of us in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 God tells us this:  1 There is a season (a time appointed) for everything and a time for every delight and event or purpose under heaven— 2 A time to be born and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.  3 A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up. 4 A time to weep and a time to laugh ; A time to mourn and a time to dance. 5 A time to throw aw...

  ...and yes, I do still think fairytales can come true ~ In my last post I mentioned we were in the last month before my darling girl and her beloved were to wed. On February 15, 2025 - despite the rain and gray skies - Kimmie and Dustin were married in a lovely ceremony in the chapel on the campus where they met and got engaged. Honestly, I applaud Kimmie for keeping her cool and remaining level headed when the main water line in the area busted, leaving the chapel (and surrounding buildings) without water or ability to use the toilets. Matter of fact, that was the second hiccup that she could have allowed to toss her about - the first was when I called her about 20 miles from the state line to let her know I had to go back home and retrieve my wedding outfit along with her wrap and jacket! Ha Ha - she is the BEST!!! The floral designer did an amazing job assembling the chapel pieces while the wedding party got ready - even making additional wearables for key folks I overlooked b...

 Just hopping on so that my domain does not go inactive :( - not much to report though as I've been hard at wedding planning and payments to vendors. We are in the final month before the nuptials and, honestly, things have been pretty easy to navigate.  Items that have successfully been checked off include: - finding/buying and altering my MOB outfit; - alterations of KLW's wedding gown; - securing a stylist to come to venue in order to fix hair for any who need it aside from KLW and myself; - final meetings with photographer and videographer; - pre-marital counseling and timeline for officiant; - obtaining marriage license (the kids did that 01/15/25) Whew! That is a TON!! There's still a good deal left to finish off like paying floral designer, turning in final headcount for reception venue, finalize menu for reception, pay cake decorators for wedding cake and groom's cake, and final payment to DJ. Now if only folks would get RSVPs to us (about 20% still have not resp...

 Suppose it is long past time to post some type of update, right? After all, six months is half of a year and TONS have transpired since my last post. Briefly: - Settled on THE DRESS for KLW's upcoming wedding; - Secured vendors for photography, videography, floral decorations, and music at reception (whew!) - Searched for months for the right veil to finish off the bridal look and finally found it in late October in Minden, LA. - The hunt for the elusive M.O.B outfit continues with great hopes that I can find the right look to fit the theme of wedding (vintage rustic chic/elegant). Other happenings included a brief visit by my younger sister earlier this month and celebrating my parents 58th wedding anniversary. They have been a true example of how marriage can be sustainable and I hope between theirs and Dustin's parents own 31 year union, Dustin and Kimmie can apply what they have seen lived out in front of them in their own marriage. My next update will likely be after the ...

  What do each of these homes have in common?  Go ahead - take a wild guess.  I'll give you time to think about it.  In the meantime, allow me to share my heart... Nothing gets my dander up than seeing people treated with indifference based on race, economic class, or bias based on level of education. Perhaps that is because I've experienced bullying and abuse most of my life which allows me to recognize when others are being treated badly/abused. In our depraved world, this behavior should not be a big surprise - but c'mon folks can we not practice kindness, compassion, humility and generosity with those who have less?  Why stop there...it should be indiscriminate. I know too many people who have much and lack the basic skills of generosity and humility.  I also know a large number of folks who have very little and are rich in humility, kindness, and give of their time if they can't give anything else (generosity).  Likewise, there are those (though I...

And speeding closer to the big wedding day 😍 In 308 days, Kimmie and Dustin will be married in the wedding of their dreams and God's design.  I am certainly excited for my daughter, who has known abandonment and struggled with feeling worthy of love, to fully soak in all the love and adoration of Dustin.  He truly is the physical representation of the man I prayed God would set apart for Kimmie.  God is ALWAYS faithful to hear us - even when the answer is NO or WAIT.  But when the answer is YES - He holds nothing back.  What an awesome God I serve and love 💖 When reflecting on what we have experienced, I am reminded of all the times God has carried us, provided for us, protected us, and drawn us under His Wings. Kimmie and I have memories that still creep up to try and snare us in the trap of sadness, but we have far more Light shining around us that illuminates the path we walk on.  These are happy days - even in the knowledge that Christ could return an...

The month of October flew by!  It was filled with all things Fall: pumpkin spice latte, cinnamon rolls, baked apples with caramel, and chocolate.  There were football games and Homecoming festivities throughout this season as well.  Kimmie and I were not able to travel as much as we would have liked, but we did manage to spend a weekend at the end of the month in Marshall, TX/Jacksonville, TX for ETBU Homecoming and...wait for it: 💍💐 HER ENGAGEMENT TO DUSTIN 💍💐 On 10/28/23, Dustin pulled off the BIGGEST of all surprises on Kimmie by taking her on a walk down memory lane at ETBU that ended at the new Ponder Park/Chapel on the Hill (ETBU Wedding Chapel) with a proposal of marriage.  This was witnessed by his mom, brother, my parents, and myself (Dustin's dad had gotten called away on work issue and was not able to come in person) and captured on film by a photographer from Haughton, LA.  Kimmie had her moments of getting wise to his plan and doubting a propos...