Tidbits and Morsels and Stuff, Oh My!

If you're a blog reader of mine, you probably feel like you've come right in the middle of a television episode, needing a few of the blanks filled in. Well, I'll do my best and without any commercial interruptions.

First, for those of you that were left wondering what a nutria looks like...for your viewing pleasure. It looked pretty cute swimming in the water until J Boo (my main squeeze, my soon to be better half) announced that it was a rodent...rat like. It lost it's cute factor pretty fast.



On to the questions about my mystery man aka known as J Boo. J for the joy he brings and also for the journey that we're on together and the fact that his name begins with a J. Meeting J Boo is so much more than I can describe in a blog post. We met at a place in our lives where neither one of us expected to fall head over heels in love. What started out as a friendship soon became evident that we both felt much more. I hesitated to share with him a poem that I had written, expressing those thoughts. Unbeknownst to me, he had written one as well but chose not to share it with me until the time was right.

J Boo didn't want me to know that he was a mean cook in the kitchen. Being the modest man he is, he told me that the one thing he sorta knew how to fix pretty good was steak. Then his youngest daughter let it "slip" that he made the best steak ever. Surprisingly, I was given an invitation to head to his house for dinner. When I arrived, I was met with the most beautiful ambiance. Candles were glowing everywhere! There was a huge bouquet of roses and the house smelled wonderful! He asked me to sit down because he wanted to read something to me. He beautifully framed the poem he had written and began to read it to me. It was called, Will You Walk With Me? As he got to the end of the poem, he said, "Simone, will you walk with me through this journey we call life? Will you give me the pleasure and joy of....and he got down on one knee and pulled out a ring box and finished, "of being my wife? Will you marry me?" I was speechless for a quick minute as I took in what this meant. I be the wife of a pastor and father of 4 as well as a man who's skin was not the same color as mine, who lived almost an hour away and who's life experiences were quite different than my own. This man brought me more laughter and joy and support and encouragement and love, than any man has ever shown. My J Boo held me as I cried unstoppable tears when I had to say good bye to my puppy Sam. He held my hand as I shared openly about my fears, disappointments and dreams. He was ever bit the man that I had asked God for and he stood before me, waiting my reply. "Yes!" I said. "I would love to be your wife."



We're having a very intimate ceremony with just our kids in the Rose Garden in Salem, Oregon. The roses are beginning to bloom so I'm anticipating plenty of pictures with color splashing everywhere! We'll celebrate our lives together with the kids, at our new "old" house. It's a beautiful old house with plenty of memories and I'm looking forward to making many many more. In the near future, my twin sister and her family will be out and then, we'll have the reception. Located below is the gazebo where we'll say our vows.



I anticipate all of the firsts...the first holidays spent together, the first meal cooked in our home, even the first disagreement because in the midst of that, comes the joy of making up. I also have the joy of starting a new job and as the kids have reminded me, a new dog so that Selah won't be so lonely.

Scary but exciting all at the same time!