Hi, I’m Cindy. I’m pictured here with my husband of 11 years–can it really be true? Yes, in a few short weeks we’ll celebrate our 11 year anniversary. I cannot tell you how the Lord has abundantly blessed our marriage. Though we fail each other often, forgiveness is always granted. Looking forward  to spending the next 11 years…and beyond…with you Jason!

When we discussed children 11 years ago, Jason’s ideal family included 1 or 2 children. I said 5. (But I knew better than to push such a sensitive topic, right?) I just smiled and said,”Okay, we’ll see.” One by one the children came. We are now up to 4 and knowing the burden we have for fatherless children, I wouldn’t be surprised if we actually make it to my goal of 5 before we are done.

Things I enjoy? Well, I love teaching. I have a bachelor’s degree in music education, but I’m a homeschooling mama so I teach all subjects…including music. I love music. I play keyboard and help Jason lead the worship team in our church. Aside from these, I like to sew, quilt, scrapbook, and research my family history. These things are done very sparingly, and the goal is that I will really get into them “some day”. (And it is such a shame because just before I dropped out of my ancestry research, I found out that I was related to Mary Surratt, the first woman to be executed by the U.S. Federal Government. She was hanged for aiding John Wilkes Booth on the night he assassinated President Lincoln. Shhhhhh! Don’t tell!) Oh, I guess I should also add blogging to this list of things I like to do!

I have a couple of reasons for joining the vast world of blogging. First, I want a constant reminder to serve my family. It is so easy to get wrapped up in the cooking, cleaning, laundry, garden, and whatever else you want to throw in the mix, that I begin to serve myself. Of course, my foremost goal is to serve God. However, it is He who has entrusted me with a husband and 4 kids, a church family and a community around me to care for. If I am to serve God and others, I must take my focus off of ME, MY house and MY laundry and actively look for ways to help those around me. This paragraph can be summed up in a practical example: even though I have dishes in the sink, I want to take time out of MY schedule and play a game with my kids, or listen to the story that my oldest just wrote about 4 princesses (with very original names: Cinderella, Jasmine, Ariel and Aurora).

My secondary reason is simply to record, in a very real way, things I want to remember about my family forever. When the kids grow up and say, “Remember that time when we……” I’ll have that right here.

I’d love to have your encouragement along the way! Come back often and we’ll grow together.

Photo Credit: A Lot Like Love Photography