Happy 50th Birthday Dad!

Today is a big day for our family! My dad, who I first introduced to you all in this post, turns the big 5-0!!!

Dad, I hope you have the best, most memorable 50th ever! To celebrate, I decided to post some of my favorite pics:


Dad & Hoss looking gangsta in their "Groom" & "Father of the Bride" hats

My dad is a wonderful man!
He is an amazing husband, watching him love my mom for the past twenty-some years has been such an inspiration and has made me want that for my marriage!


Dad & his girlies on our wedding day

He is also a fantastic father!
My sisters and I have never doubted how very much he loves us and only wants the very best for us!


Dad & his bride in their early married years

He has spent his entire life serving the Lord in one ministry capacity or another. When I was very little, he was the director of a church camp in the mountains. When I was seven years old, he resigned from that position to start a church with a small group of families. He served as the pastor of that church for several years. During that time he also taught math at Colorado Springs Christian High School. In 2004 the church closed its doors, and the Lord made a way for Dad to go back to the camp to the same director's position!


Mom & Dad on their 25th Anniversary

He is also hillarious! Some of my favorite childhood memories include little more than the family sitting around the kitchen table laughing our heads off!


The four of us enjoying dinner on one of their visits to our home

Dad is a very talented musician!
He plays the piano incredibly well for someone who only had a handful of lessons, and I have always loved to listen to him sing. He led music at our church quite a bit, and his special numbers were especially beautiful!


our exciting rafting excursion during our trip out last summer

Not only does he sing in a performance setting, he is a firm believer in the "there is a song for every situation" philosophy! Music filled my childhood growing up, and that is something that I praise the Lord I have found in my husband as well (they do say that you look for someone who reminds you of your dad, right?)


this one makes me smile :)

Love you, Daddy! Life with you has always been an adventure!

~ My Husband Rocks! ~ I just love to look at him . . .

Click here to read about why I started MHR Fridays!

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Yep, this one's mushy :)



Austin is so cool, and he's a total hottie!

This pic was taken the last time we saw my fam - at the Cheesecake Factory in Denver!

My mom had said something to make us laugh - something that we do a lot, and I love the moment that she captured in this pic! :) It is definitely one of my favorites!

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Be sure to check in with the other ladies who are bragging on their rocking hubbies today by clicking on the "My Husband Rocks Participants" button in the left sidebar.

I am the only person who has the ability to add blogs to the MHR blogroll. If you are a MHR blogger, and have not been added to the blogroll, plase comment or e-mail me at katylinvw{at}yahoo{dot}com and I will gladly add you to our little group!!!

(if you would like to add the MHR Fridays button to your sidebar, use this code ).

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If you're not a blogger, but still want the world to know about your amazing husband (or wife, or husband to be, or wife to be, etc.) leave a shout-out in the form of a comment! If you're unable to comment, e-mail me at katylinvw [at] yahoo [dot] com and I'll add your shout out to this post!

As always, on Fridays Union 28 will refund your shipping on any order of two or more items if you mention the great adventure and ~my husband rocks! Fridays~ in the "how did you hear about us?" section of your order form, so run on over there and check them out, too! Thank you Union 28!

Hope you all have a fantastic Friday, and a wonderful weekend!

31 Days of Praying for Our Husbands ~ Day 19

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Day 19
Pray that your husband will be patient and a man of peace. Pray that he will not give in to anger, but will allow the Holy Spirit to control his responses.

Romans 14:19
So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.

Psalm 34:14
Turn away from evil and do good.
Search for peace, and work to maintain it.

Praying for my hubby, and for you all!


31 Days of Praying for Our Husbands
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Day 15
Day 16
Day 17
Day 18

31 Days of Praying for Our Husbands ~ Day 18

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Day 18
Pray that your husband will have an eternal perspective—living in light of eternity. Pray that he will reject materialism and temporal values and put God first in his life.

Matthew 6:33
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

Deuteronomy 6:5
And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.

Ephesians 5:16
Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.

Psalm 90:12
Teach us to realize the brevity of life,
so that we may grow in wisdom.

Praying for my hubby, and for you all!


31 Days of Praying for Our Husbands
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Bring the Rain! ~ MercyMe

This is definitely my new favorite song!



Bring the Rain
by MercyMe

I can count a million times
People asking me how I
Can praise You with all that
I've gone through
The question just amazes me
Can circumstances possibly
Change who I forever am in You

Maybe since my life was changed
Long before these rainy days
It's never really ever crossed my mind
To turn my back on you, oh Lord
My only shelter from the storm
But instead I draw closer through these times
So I pray

Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings
You glory And I know there'll
be days When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to
praise You Jesus, bring the rain

I am yours regardless of the clouds that may
loom above because you are much greater than
my pain you who made a way for me suffering
your destiny so tell me whats a little rain

Holy, holy, holy
Holy, holy, holy
is the lord God almighty
is the lord God almighty
I'm forever singing


Talk about a love song for Jesus!

Have a great Wednesday!

31 Days of Praying for Our Husbands ~ Day 17

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Day 17
Pray that your husband will enjoy his manliness as he patterns his life after Christ and strong men in the faith. Pray for his physical, emotional, mental, social and spiritual strength.

Ephesians 3:16
I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.

1 Peter 2:21
For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.

1 Corinthians 10:11
These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.

Praying for my hubby, and for you all!


31 Days of Praying for Our Husbands
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Day 16

31 Days of Praying for Our Husbands ~ Day 16

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Day 16
Pray that your husband will choose healthy, God-honoring activities. Pray that he will not live in bondage to any questionable habits or hobbies, but that he will experience freedom in holiness as he yields to the Spirit’s control.

1 Corinthians 6:12
You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything.

1 Corinthians 10:31
So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

2 Timothy 2:4
Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them.

Praying for my hubby, and for you all!


31 Days of Praying for Our Husbands
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Day 15

31 Days of Praying for Our Husbands ~ Day 15

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Day 15
Pray that your husband will choose his friends wisely. Pray that God will bring him men who will encourage his accountability before God, and will not lead him into sin.

Proverbs 13:20
Walk with the wise and become wise;
associate with fools and get in trouble.

Proverbs 27:17
As iron sharpens iron,
so a friend sharpens a friend.

Praying for my hubby, and for you all!


31 Days of Praying for Our Husbands
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Day 14

31 Days of Praying for Our Husbands ~ Day 14

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Day 14
Pray that your husband will speak words that build you and your family, and reflect a heart of love. Pray that he will not use filthy language.

Proverbs 18:21
The tongue can bring death or life;
those who love to talk will reap the consequences.

Ephesians 4:29
Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

Praying for my hubby, and for you all!


31 Days of Praying for Our Husbands
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31 Days of Praying for Our Husbands ~ Day 13

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Day 13
Pray that your husband use practical skills to build your family and make wise decisions for your welfare. Pray that he will serve unselfishly.

Galatians 5:13
For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.

Philippians 2:3-4
Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

Praying for my hubby, and for you all!


31 Days of Praying for Our Husbands
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~ My Husband Rocks! ~ Responsible!

Click here to read about why I started MHR Fridays!

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My fabulous hubby, Austin, is a very responsible individual.

I've posted before about how great he is with money, how concerned he is for me and my welfare, what a great spiritual leader he is, how he takes care of me when I'm sick, and how seriously he takes his role as my protector, so I won't go on and on about all of that, lol!

However, just this past week, he has shown me - in a lot of varying areas - how much he earnestly desires to make good decisions and take care of me, and our family.

The first one came last Friday when we were riding the bike trail around our town.


No, that's not us,
I just thought it was a cool pic

Somehow we got separated, and somehow - miracle of miracles - I ended up getting ahead of him and beat him home. (That never happens!) To this day neither of us can figure out how that happened, but that's not even really the point. When he rode up the driveway, he looked rather cross (to say the least). After he pulled in, we proceeded to have a quite lenghty argument discussion about sticking together on the bike trail. Honestly, at the time, I didn't feel like he was rocking very much, but looking back on the situation I am able to see through the fabulous 20/20 hindsight goggles that he was just very worried about me - he ended up adding 2 miles to his ride just waiting and looking for me!

Another area where he takes his responsibilities very seriously is our house.


Thank the Lord,
we are f-a-a-a-a-a-r past THIS stage,
but, you get the idea

We are getting V-E-R-Y close to being finished, and all of the final touches, not to mention the time limits and pressure from the bank on the financial side of the coin, are causing Austin a HUGE amount of stress. I so appreciate that he cares enough - and is a responsible enough individual - to worry about these things. Although I pray that his worrying will not be detrimental and that he will ultimately trust in God to take care of those things which are out of our control; it speaks very highly of his character that he concerns himself with the whole project :) And he is truly very talented at every piece he has tackled thus far. He is also wise enough to know when something is beyond his ability and how to ask for help!

And last, but certainly not least:

He's taking me here:


Well, maybe not exactly here,
but isn't this a gorgeous view?

That's right, we're going to Colorado to be with my family and spend the week (the whole group of us) in the same condo where Austin and I spent our honeymoon! I am soooooo looking forward to this trip, spending time with my family and friends from home, and relaxing in the beautiful mountain scenery and sunshine!

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Be sure to check in with the other ladies who are bragging on their rocking hubbies today by clicking on the "My Husband Rocks Participants" button in the left sidebar.

I am the only person who has the ability to add blogs to the MHR blogroll. If you are a MHR blogger, and have not been added to the blogroll, plase comment or e-mail me at katylinvw{at}yahoo{dot}com and I will gladly add you to our little group!!!

(if you would like to add the MHR Fridays button to your sidebar, use this code ).

<a href="http://honestandlasting.blogspot.com/2008/06/my-husband-rocks-friday.html"><img src="http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn135/katylinvw/mosaicmhrf.jpg"/></a>

If you're not a blogger, but still want the world to know about your amazing husband (or wife, or husband to be, or wife to be, etc.) leave a shout-out in the form of a comment! If you're unable to comment, e-mail me at katylinvw [at] yahoo [dot] com and I'll add your shout out to this post!

As always, on Fridays Union 28 will refund your shipping on any order of two or more items if you mention the great adventure and ~my husband rocks! Fridays~ in the "how did you hear about us?" section of your order form, so run on over there and check them out, too! Thank you Union 28!

Hope you all have a fantastic Friday, and a wonderful weekend!

31 Days of Praying for Our Husbands ~ Day 12

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Day 12
Pray that your husband will yield his sexual drive to the Lord and practice self control. Pray that your sexual intimacy together will be fresh, positive, and a reflection of selfless love.

Proverbs 5:15
Drink water from your own well—
share your love only with your wife.

Proverbs 5:18
Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you.
Rejoice in the wife of your youth.

1 Corinthians 7:3
The husband should fulfill his wife’s sexual needs, and the wife should fulfill her husband’s needs.

Song of Solomon 7:10
I am my lover’s,
and he claims me as his own.

Praying for my hubby, and for you all!


31 Days of Praying for Our Husbands
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Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11

31 Days of Praying for Our Husbands ~ Day 11

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Day 11
Pray that your husband will have a humble, teachable spirit and a servant’s heart before the Lord. Pray that he will listen to God and desire to do His will.

Proverbs 15:33
Fear of the Lord teaches wisdom;
humility precedes honor.

Ephesians 6:6
Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart.

Praying for my hubby, and for you all!


31 Days of Praying for Our Husbands
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31 Days of Praying for Our Husbands ~ Day 10

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Day 10
Pray that your husband will cultivate strong integrity, and not compromise his convictions. Pray that his testimony will be genuine, that he will be honest in his business dealings, and will never do anything that he needs to hide from others.

Proverbs 20:7
The godly walk with integrity;
blessed are their children who follow them.

1 Timothy 1:5
The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith.

1 Timothy 3:7
Also, people outside the church must speak well of him so that he will not be disgraced and fall into the devil’s trap.

Ephesians 6:10-12
A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

Praying for my hubby, and for you all!



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31 Days of Praying for Our Husbands ~ Day 9

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Day 9
Pray that your husband handle finances wisely, will have discernment concerning budgeting and investments, and will be a good steward of his money in regard to giving to the Lord’s work. Pray that money will not become a source of discord in your family.

Proverbs 23:4-5
Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich.
Be wise enough to know when to quit.
In the blink of an eye wealth disappears,
for it will sprout wings
and fly away like an eagle.

Romans 12:13
When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

Hebrews 13:5
Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said,
“I will never fail you.
I will never abandon you.”

Praying for my hubby, and for you all!



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Motivate Me Monday ~ Thoughts on Prayer

Since we are in the midst of a series on Praying for our Husbands, and because it is a topic that has been very prevalent in my mind recently, the following thoughts really jumped out at me when I was flipping through a small devotional book at Bryce & Thelma's house this weekend:

Even though it is often difficult for us to pray when we find ourselves in the middle of great trials, that is exactly the time when we most need to pray. Every time we pray, whether it feels like it or not, we are brought into the very throne room of heaven. Jesus himself ushers our prayers into the presence of the Father, and that alone assures us that they will be heard and answered. Prayer is a matter of obedience, but it is also a matter of survival. Prayer is the lifeline of the soul, and we cannot afford to do without it.
So let us pray to the God who hears and answers. Jesus has promised he will see to it that our requests get God's personal attention.

~ Jan Draveky

God invites us to take all our concerns to him. He never qualifies those concerns as big ones or little ones. His Word says every concern of ours is a concern of his.
I have assumed his attitude toward us is one of immense care. But that doesn't mean I should toss daily trivia to him, does it? The trouble with my thinking is I don't know at what point of my "carings" to bring God into the picture. What constitutes the cutoff point between big and small?
The notion of bringing God into everything has nothing to do with trivializing him; it has to do with the privilege of partnering with him. When I include God on my wild washing-machine rides and as I mentally travel in circles with my computer and its attitude. I'm cheered by his companionship and the knowledge that I'm in partnership with him.

~ Marilyn Meberg

Praise the Lord!

31 Days of Praying for Our Husbands ~ Day 8

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Day 8
Pray that your husband will work hard to provide for your family, to the best of his ability. Pray that the character qualities necessary for a successful career and ministry will be a growing part of his character—persistence, decisiveness, strength, an analytical mind, organizational skills, positive relationships with people, determination, etc.

Romans 12:11
Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.

1 Corinthians 15:58
So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

Praying for my hubby, and for you all!



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