Life as Mrs.

The past two-and-a-half years have been filled with more joy and unexpected circumstances than I could retell.  There is something so precious about marriage at its core; however, very few of us are able to truly experience this in a world that values entitlement and unrealistic expectations.  I am happy to say that I have seen (if only a glimpse) love in its most perfect form.

Last week in our LifeGroup, we had the pleasure of starting Andy Stanley's, "Staying in Love" series.  What a talented and intelligent individual to have been provided so much insight on the principles of marriage.  It was such a joy to sit around a room with good company and discuss how we can work at our marriages to be intentional about making love a verb.

You see, Andy delves into the topic of how love is something we "fall into".  It is easy to do this for anyone with a heartbeat.  But, the difficult part comes with the consistent commitment to use actions to stay in love.  Not only that, but we are called to love in a way that we are willing to completely lay down ourselves for the spouse we have been entrusted with.  This calling isn't to allow one to walk all over you, but rather to lift them up as Christ served us.

What a great way to picture how marriage should be illustrated.

It doesn't take long for a person to sit down with me and get to know my passions.  In fact, I dedicated years of schooling and putting my education into practice because of my soapbox.  In a world where marriages are filled with shallow purposes, and it is easier to give up than to fight for someone, I deeply believe it is time for us to stand for what marriage can truly be.

As I mentioned before, God's timing is infinitely better than our own.  With that being said, I stepped down from my professional role in society and into the position of full-time Wife on January 27, 2014.  Less than 24 hours later, God opened a door that I could not help but pray over.

I had been enjoying my morning of relaxation before getting up and getting to work around the house.  I threw in a load of laundry and cleaned here-and-there before fixing something to eat for my husband.
I looked forward to these days more than anything.  For years in our past, we worked around opposite schedules.  At the time of our first date, he was working nights as I was working three jobs and going to school.  There was almost no time for growing into "us".  As his schedule changed, so did mine.  There were higher demands during my senior year of college and once graduation came upon us we seemed to have no time with my new job.

We went back-and-forth between night shift and days while planning a wedding and dealing with my medical situations.  The demands to meet the needs of my couples left me wanting so much more for my own marriage.  And, when I stepped into my most recent job I was still craving more time with my family.

Therefore, lunch on a Tuesday with my husband was unheard of.  But, God is so good to bless us with this time together and I was soaking up every minute of our new lifestyle at this time to make it the best it could be.

Shortly after Joshua left to go back to work, I found myself in front of the computer screen typing out my heart.  Having the quietness of our house allowed me to be incredibly reflective in a way that I never had been able to.  As I stared at the computer, I found myself thinking of all the possibilities that were to come.  Then, a message from an old friend found me questioning what my next step was going to be.

Somehow, in the midst of all the busyness of college, I had found a light in my sorority Sigma Phi Lambda.  These women were strong, Christian ladies that valued others before themselves.  Although my time in the sorority was short-lived, the memories made a lifetime impact.  And, the message I spoke of came from one of these amazing sisters as she asked me to participate in Mrs. Oklahoma 2014.

My initial response was immediately, "no".  I mean, I have never participated in any pageant and what would make me capable of this.  Every insecurity flooded my mind as I felt the enemy pull down the very confidence I had intentionally spoke on.  I could think of a million things that would lead me away from this event.

One of the most beautiful women I know (inside and out) had discussed just weeks prior about her experience and excitement on participating in the very event that I had been invited to.  I immediately wanted to call and ask for advice, but fear overpowered me.  "What if she thought I was trying to take this experience away from her?"  That's when, once again, God's perfect timing appeared in the form of a text message from this sweet girl.

I called her as soon I saw the message and was transparent about what had just happened.  Expecting some form of discouragement, I was surprised to hear quite the opposite.  We discussed insecurities and our intentions with one another.  I opened up about my fears and hesitation to accept; however, after a long conversation and a few days of prayer I couldn't make a single list in which the cons outweighed the pros.

Therefore, I have officially accepted an invitation to participate in the Mrs. Oklahoma 2014 pageant on March 21-22nd.  It is with complete joy and humility that I am thankful that I have even been considered.  What an honor to be a representative not only of the state of Oklahoma, but rather an example of a woman that has experienced the true purpose of marriage.  My hope is to stand for women all over that you don't have to fit a mold, but can be beautiful in the skin God gave you.  Not only that, but you are capable of anything you set your mind to and that true beauty lies within your heart.

May my words be an encouragement to those around me and life-giving in a way that lasts a lifetime.  I hope to speak truth into people regarding why marriage exists in its entirety, and how to be the best person God intended you to be.

As a newly single-income family now, finances are tight and God has paved this journey financially through the resources from friends and the community.  I cannot express how grateful I am to have people invest in me with their time and energy. A big thank you to Colorband PhotoArtisans as they have chosen to sponsor me with their amazing talent of photography for the competition.

Already, the amount of love and support I have felt is overwhelming.  I would like to thank each and every one of you that have been there for me in the past and continue to stand in agreement as I walk into something that I have never done before.  Thank you to my amazing husband for believing in me and sharing in this excitement.  Thank you, Ginger, for your friendship and empowering compassion to guide me through this journey.

This isn't how I planned my life, but I wouldn't have it any other way.  God works everything out for His good, and I cannot wait to be used by Him in what is to come.  So, here is to the next journey in what is to come in life as Mrs.