Dedication Page
I dedicate this book to God, my husband, and to anybody that this may give hope in their own trials.. Hebrews 11:1 Faith is the substance of things hoped for, and evidence of things that are not seen.
Acknowledgement
First and foremost, thank you God for this testimony that you created for me to share with anyone that it has the opportunity to help through their own trials. Thank you for being the awesome God you are, for my husband and for our stronger than ever marriage, my children and giving them a heart that loves You and others, my other family that has always been a helping hand to me throughout my life. Also, for any and every other blessing you gifted me with, I forever grateful and I'm looking forward to being in your presence someday.
To my husband, Ricky, we have been through so many ups and downs, thank you for being on this ride with me. For all the memories we will share when we are old and gray. Although, I know you still have your faith, I know God is still working on your heart, and holding great plans in store of your future, I am excited to see it all unveil. You are the King of our family, and I'm thankful to be a witness to your life. I pray, if nothing else, that this book touches you, and it reveals how much God has played a role in our relationship.
Li'l Ricky, you've been with me through all these hardships, you've had my best and my worst. Thank you for always giving me hugs and kisses in situations that were too difficult for you to understand. You have a tender heart that is overwhelming for you to deal with sometimes, but I know once you have mastered it, you will use for the greater good and lead others in the right direction.
Isaac, my bundle of tough love and laughter, you were inside my belly in times of change for the better. Your birth originated the start of healing, and gave our family all something new to care for. There are so many things God used according to your timeline, that were nothing but blessings.
Mom and Big Brian, thank you for all you've done in hopes of helping me. All of this was unpredictable and rocky. But thank you, even in spite of your doubts, for taking out of the ordinary steps to support me family along the way.
To my Dad, thank you for planting the seed in my heart for God when I was so young, It made it possible for me to turn to Him in a time of trial that wouldn't of been a testimony without Him. Thank you for always having open doors to your home for our family and for being steadfast in faith for God and for my marriage. Thank you to everyone who prayed for our family and our marriage during this time. We made it through the storm!
Proverbs 10:25 When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.
History
My favorite childhood past time was with my Nanna. I was back and forth between parents, who split when I was only two months. My Nanna was my great grandma on my Dad's side. I stayed with her while he worked as a tennis pro. She was the most precious woman I'd ever known and had a huge impact on my heart in the years I came to know her. She made warm glazed doughnuts and chopped them up so I could use a tooth pick to eat, made dogs out of hot dogs and cheese for lunch, sewed several costumes for me that every little girl would treasure. She took the time to do little special things that always impacted the people around her. My best friend was an eighty something year old woman. She passed when I was nine, somehow in those handful of years with her, she became the primary example of the kind of woman I wanted to become in this lifetime.
Most of my life, my mom was my one of my best friends. My dad and my mom could never get along, that put stress on my relationship with my dad. In hind sight, I feel poorly about the way it effected us. Both my parents loved me in their own ways, I should of loved them more equally. I had a lot of rough patches with Dad. I do have to say now, that when I think of everything me and him went through I can see the love from him in every situation, that I wasn't always able to see before.
I only got grounded twice, for dishonesty. I did, however, skip high school a few times. I definitely don't claim to be perfect. My grades were never great, I was an average student, until my last semester of school. Somehow, I pulled off straight A's. I had not done anything spectacular. I was a cheerleader my entire life, I wasn't "a natural", I always had to put a lot of effort compared to the other girls. But, I had passion for it! It kept me busy and on the go. For awhile, I was socially awkward. I didn't have the gift of gab. I was always in Mom's shadow which was where I was comfortable, she always spoke for me.
I don't remember life too much before Mom, Big Brian, and Li'l Brian (step dad and brother) came together. Which I must add, are two of the coolest guys ever. We all met when I was little, but didn't unite until I was six. He wasn't my first step parent, my dad married a year prior, to a woman with a son and daughter. None of them cared for me, needless to say, I'm thankful that ended up as a short story tale. Mom's marriage was completely opposite, everyone mashed together like potatoes. My new brother felt a little rough around the edges about Mom for awhile, but nothing that didn't work itself out eventually.
We lived in a three bedroom house with my new dad and new brother, along with Mom, grandma, grandpa, aunt, sister-like aunt, baby cousin, and myself. Oh, and of course, my uncle Shawn on some weekends. Li'l Brian, Sammie (sister-like aunt), and I shared one bedroom. It was one of the few times I had shared one with Sammie at five, seven, and then fourteen. We were completely in or out of each other lives, but we always relied on one another.
My Uncle Shawn.. Where to start? In my eyes, he was so full of life. He danced, smiled, laughed, broke the rules, and lite up every room. He was another who lived with me a few times. I had an innocent crush on him, I wanted to meet a man just like him, someday. Light, bright eyes, beautiful teeth, and a look that melted hearts. He was accidentally killed my freshmen year, in a motorcycle accident, and had just moved out of my house two months prior. He, unfortunately, didn't get to finish teaching me his awesome dance moves that he was always trying to get me to catch onto. He had one son that will carry on his name, Daniel, my uncle told me that he was named after me, which made me feel so special and I am also the blessed one who gets to drive his white Honda for ten years now, we'll cruise until its last mile.
This book wouldn't be possible or complete without my very dramatic, delicate flower of a mom. She is a loving woman, who has always supported my decisions, and always tried her best.
Stepping Stones
Before I married, I had three serious relationships, that highly affected where I ended up. First, was long distance. We met on a cruise ship when I was thirteen. We got to visit each other twice, which was best because I was so young. It kept our relationship very sweet and innocent, more like best friends than anything. We stayed friends long after our relationship was over.
Second, I believe peaked my interest because he had no interest in me for years. Then, out of no where, he wanted to be with me, because my outer appearance had become more appealing. That ended my previous relationship, that was much healthier than this. Now, I was with a guy who was controlling and liked to peer pressure, the worst part was, it was my choice. The only positive that came out of it, is that he had so many rules, it kept me out of any trouble that most high school students get into.
Third, lasted the shortest amount of time. We dated most of my senior year, looking back, I truly believe this relationship happened purely to lead me to my husband, Ricky. We were really good friends before we dated, I was very close with his parents. It seemed to be a set up for greatness, but only led to drama with friends and eventually my future husband.
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