My Superman

Now, if any of you are following Life With Jen & Ronnie, let me clarify something. I called John "Superman" WWWWWAAAAAYYYYY before she began calling Ronnie "Batman." Actually, calling him "Superman" started because of his being a Superman fan and THAT started long before we met. To make my point here, there is a pic I really wish I had scanned into my library. John still has it framed. It is him as a little boy with his dad flying him around their living room pretending to be Superman. Every time I see it, I smile. But I'm also serious about him being a Superman fan. I mean, it's nearly insane! We have - in our home - 3 copies of the original Superman movie. (And that is NOT an exaggeration.) But enough about his passion for Superman, let me tell you about my "Superman" (as he will from now on be referred).

I first met Superman in April of 2001. I was in my dad's office talking to this secretary when this guy started to just barge into my dad's private office. I had never seen this guy and he was close to my age so I said "umm, can I help you?" (Did I mention that I was single and he was good looking?) A few words were exchanged and as he walked away, I said to Ms Cleo "I'm gonna marry that boy." I learned his name and that he was the youngest son of the pastor whose church was merging with ours. Over the next year, we became very good friends. I was single, he was single. Everyone asked if we were dating and we would both answer "no!" But in my heart, I still knew he was the one.

That first year of friendship brought many heartbreaks. If you haven't noticed, I said I knew HE was the one. He didn't know yet that I was the one. It wasn't until a ski trip with family and friends to Red River, NM in January 2002 that Superman finally realized that he had true feelings for me too. We shared our first kiss there and he officially called me his girlfriend.

We talked often about marriage and the future but nothing too serious. Superman was working on a degree in Graphic Design and we knew nothing would progress in our relationship until he had graduated. Often, the time we spent during our dating years was at his house while he was either working on projects, studying for tests or writing papers and I was hanging out with his parents. But I didn't care ... I liked his parents and I got to spend more time with him! It was during that time, though, that I realized his love for Superman. I watched the original Superman for the first time (you would have thought I told him some horrible thing when he learned I had not seen it) and it created a special bond between us.

I started getting really anxious about if the relationship would go anywhere because I was (in my opinion) becoming an old maid at the ripe old age of 25! When we talked about the future, it always included marriage but it seemed so far down the road. I remember very distinctly going with his family on a camping trip over Memorial Day weekend 2003. On that trip, I overheard his sister saying "those two will be at least engaged if not married by this time next year" and I remember thinking "oh, God, could you please make that come true?!?"

June 20, 2003 was the night Superman threw me for a loop. Unbeknownst to me, he had been talking with his parents and shopping for the perfect diamond and working with a jeweler to design the perfect ring for me (low-set in the band so as to not interfere with my work as an RN). In a way that would seem strange to other people but fit perfectly into our life, Superman proposed to me. He was so sweet. The proposal was at our church - the place we first met! We had already planned a date for that evening but what I didn't know is that he already had everything planned and our parents were waiting for us at Steak & Ale (which sadly no longer exists). We had a lovely celebration dinner!

The next year was a whirlwind. While I planned the wedding, Superman completed his degree and graduated in May 2004. The rehearsal dinner was perfect and the wedding (on June 26, 2004) was absolutely beautiful! However, I only know this from the pictures. Here's where I get to tell on Superman . . . he was our videographer and I have YET to see the footage. He has it but won't show me until it's completely edited. WHAT?!?! I'm being patient though (well, sorta) because I've seen other wedding videos he has completed and if they are that good after only 2-3 weeks of work, I know that mine is going to be spectacular after (now) 6 years of work :-) We honeymooned in Red River, NM (remember the significance of that place?) and enjoyed the beautiful weather with a hot air balloon ride, a night at "Cowboy Evening" and driving around taking photographs of the beautiful scenery.

In the past 6 years, life has brought many changes but the 2 biggest ones were the additions of our beautiful daughters who you will learn about tomorrow. Superman became even more of a hero to me when they joined our lives! He is a wonderful daddy and his girls love him so much . . . and that makes me love him even more!

Okay, okay . . . I know I've probably bored you gushing about our past so I'll keep it brief to tell you about Superman. He is a son, brother, Christian, husband and father. He is also a friend, co-worker and photographer. He will only use Apple computers and is a wonderful designer. He also is a better interior decorator than I am! He ministers when and where needed and God leads. He is the rest of me that God had in store and I cannot imagine life without him.

Now, I couldn't add a bunch of pics to the past because they are archived in a different location of which I'm not sure (Superman moved them somewhere when we got a new computer). But here are some pics of my Superman with people who are important to him ...

Meet the Narrator

So, I haven't taken the time to introduce you to the characters. But we started on a special day so I wanted to pay honor where it was due :-) Now, it's time to get to know the people you will be reading about. We'll start tonight with the narrator (that would be me).

Now, for those of you who don't know me, my name is Tabitha and I have had many titles in my life. I started life as "daughter". Next, I became "sister". Then, my most important title came next . . . "Christian" (we'll talk more about this in time). Next was "nurse". Then came "wife", then "mom," then "sister" again (I'm sure we'll talk more about that at some point too!), and finally "mom" again. Throughout those additions, there are also several times I became "friend" along the way. Here are some pics of me with special people in my life ...

WOW! That was exhausting! And the bad thing is . . . I know there are more pics I would have liked to include but well, I just don't have them all in my library!

So, you know who I am now. And you've seen me with people that are important to me. Now . . . a little more ABOUT me.

My family means the world to me. My husband, John loves me for me! My girls, Hannah and Chloe, light up my life! My parents are awesome - their love and support have brought me to where I am today. My brother, Joshua, has a more advanced degree than I do but the best part of him is his wife, Emily :-) My other siblings, Dallas, Makenna and Serriah, brought more adventure to our lives when they joined our family. I have several family members by marriage who I love very much. I have been blessed with IN-laws (as opposed to many peoples claim to have OUT-laws) who treat me as if I've belonged to them my entire life! I love my church family and thank God for the ability to worship at Rancho Village Baptist Church.

I love to sing. Especially if I am singing in worship and praise of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! I enjoy working as a nurse in an OB/Gyn clinic. I love to get together to play games with family and/or friends. I enjoy watching movies and my favorite TV shows are on HGTV :-) well, other than Private Practice! When it's football season, I cheer for the Sooners! I love to help my husband with photo shoots (check his work out at JDM Designs by clicking here). The list could go on and on but you would probably get tired of reading if there were much more ;-)

The rest of this week - unless anything extremely exciting happens - will bring the rest of the characters to light. I'm sure more will be added along the way, but the main players, I think you need to know. Tomorrow night . . . a peek into my wonderful husband!

Father's Day

So, every year there is this special day just for father's. And since this is MY blog, I want to take the time to recognize 3 special men in my life. Yes, I said three. First, there's my daddy. Without him, I would not be the person I am today. Next, there's my father-in-law. Without him, my hubby would not be the person he is today. And finally, my husband. As much as I loved him the day we married, I love him even more today . . . he is the man my girls call "daddy" and I thank God for that daily!

Today started out as a typical Sunday. After Chloe ran in to wish John a "happy fodder's day" and Hannah wished him a "happy faw-thews day" we went on to get ready for a busy Sunday!

First, there was time for John and Chloe to bond a little.

Then, he helped her get dressed. Sadly, Hannah has become such a big girl that she doesn't really need our help all that much anymore.

However . . . there are a few things mommy is still better at!

Finally, the girls pose with their daddy before heading to church.

After that, we head to worship. With both John and I being pastor's kids and both of the churches our dad's are serving being close in distance, we alternate every year - this year, we went to Mayridge where John's dad is the pastor. I am so grateful for Godly examples for our children. This picture doesn't have a daddy in it, but I'm thankful that the importance of worship is being taught at such a young age!

After morning worship, we went to lunch at John's parent's house. They have been blessed with a large family who loves them very much. John is 1 of 3 children and there are now 6 grandchildren! Charles is a wonderful example for his family.

After a great time with John's side of our family, it was time to head to my parents' house. Now, before you look at this next picture, let me clarify something for you. While my mom only grew 2 children in her "tummy" there are 3 that have grown in her heart. In April 2004, Dallas and Makenna were placed in our lives then Serriah was added in October 2006. In May 2009, my dad went from being the father of 2 to being the father of 5! At this point, he only has 2 grandchildren but we are looking forward to the day God adds more :-)

Finally, we came home so John could open his father's day gifts from the girls before we quickly ran off to evening worship.

I thank God daily for all three of these men. I pray that they will continue seeking His will as they continue leading their families. I am so glad to be a part of wishing them all "Happy Father's Day!"

A New Adventure

So, my best friend (God bless her) started a blog this week. Funny, I've always thought about it but never put any effort into it. I'm sorta competitive though so when John said "so, are you going to blog about how good a husband I am?" I almost responded "when you're a good husband" but thought that was a little harsh :-) So, instead, I decided "You know what, I can do this!"



Today, I'm sitting in Labor & Delivery working a 12 hour shift. We've had a total of 2 patients that took less than 2 hours total patient care. So, what better time to start than now? Well, when I have access to my pics and more things to talk about. But there's plenty of time for that. Plus, it will keep you wanting for more!

P/S - John is a GREAT husband <3