Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad Everts!

This post is a day late, however, it took a lot of thought and time to get exactly right. I hope that it is a fitting tribute to parents that deserve nothing less.

Yesterday, July 11, was my(AJ's) parents 30th Anniversary. I am so proud of them and hope that they know it. They will be going to St. Lucia in a few weeks to celebrate, which I'm sure will be a great time! Jeff and I were talking about what it takes to make a marriage last that long - and we pulled insight from both of our families (his parents will be married 30 years in 2012).

We know that hard work is a definite factor in a long marriage. Both of our families dealt with long separations while our father's served in the military. Our mother's worked and took care of the house and kids - and made sure that our dad's still knew they were loved and missed. When we were all at home, there were disagreements, but they never meant the end of the road - they meant discussions, sometimes fights, and eventually, compromise.

Love is also a factor. However, I'm not just talking about the romantic love that we so often focus on when discussing relationships. I'm talking about Agape love - the love that comes from our Heavenly Father. Agape love loves even when the person doesn't like what someone else is doing, it loves when there is a disagreement or hurt. Agape love means that no matter what, that love is not going anywhere. Seeing each other through Agape love takes on a whole different meaning that romantic love. That's the kind of love that is talked about in the Bible (1 Cor. 13) when it says, "Love is patient, love is kind..."


These are just two parts that are the tip of the iceberg. There is so, so much underneath that. Jeff and I are setting aside time in the coming weeks to continue our pre-marriage Bible study and I hope we will learn and discuss so much more. We both know our love is here to stay, no matter what may come. I can't wait to be able to look back in 30 years and know that we have been through it all together.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad. I wish you so many more years of happiness and joy with each other!

A New Start

In 173 days, Jeff and I will begin another chapter of our lives. Our wedding marks the beginning of our life as husband and wife. We are so excited about all of the adventures that await us.

The past 18 months have been full of fun and laughter. We expect that to continue as we move into our lives as a married couple. One thing we have learned is to never take ourselves, or each other, too seriously. When we allow ourselves to enjoy each other and laugh at ourselves, we find so much joy in life.

Right now, Jeff is working at the Greenville Wal-Mart as a Customer Service Manager. We were so excited that he was able to move to days a few months ago. We are still adjusting to his schedule being so varied (working anywhere from 6 am - Midnight), however, we really like that he is awake during the day, instead of at night.

I am off of school, and praying to have a position for next year in Wilson County - but have not heard anything yet. In the meantime, I am having a blast working for Camp Escape - a camp for children with special needs. This has been a great summer job and has allowed me to remain active and earn a little extra income during the summer months.

I am not sure what shape this blog will take on in the coming weeks, but I'm hoping to post updates about what Jeff and I are up to, and what we are discovering about love - the love we share and the love given to us by God.

Until next time,

Jeff and Jo :)