My Big Brothers have Little Girls

So, growing up I had 2 older brothers: Thom and Stewart! I love my big brothers, they have loved me and shaped me into the person I am today. But, I would be telling a lie if I didn't tell you that I always wanted a sister. And so fun how The Lord hears our simple wishes and knows the desires of our hearts. Now.. My big brothers have beautiful wives Margaret and Karla who I cherish as sisters. And it didn't stop there, I married a man who has THREE incredible sisters! I mean wow! The Lord's provision right there. And then to add to it, my two big brothers have little GIRLS! 

Stewart and Karla's daughter is Phoebe! Oh and she is a joyful 1 year old! She will be the most musically talented little girl with your musician parents! Phoebe is a busy little girl who is into everything! She laughs and smiles with a little crinkled nose! Oh she is such a joy with her blonde curls, blue eyes, and full cheeks! #shegetsitfromherauntmary

Thom and Margaret's daughter is Carter! And if there has ever been a little 6 year old that can quote Emily Post's book of manners she could! Carter is the definition of a little lady! She remembers everything, she loves people better than some adults I know, she has a heart of gold! Carter and I will always share a special bond because she was our flower girl! I love this sweet little Carter so much!

So, can you only imagine... I bet Clint and I will have 5 sons. Only The Lord knows! Bring it on! #weareNOTpregnant 

Having it all together...

So, you know those people you look at and you say, "Wow, they have it all together!"  They have clean large homes, well landscaped lawns, flawless skin, always rocking a size 4 in their name brand clothes, drives a clean nice car, their children are beautiful in their smocked monogrammed clothes, and their Christmas Card just brings tears to their eyes because it is so cute.  Wow, I am exhausted listing these things.  Well, y'all let me just tell you this.  This is my struggle.  I want to have it all together.  I want it to seem like Clint and I are picture perfect.  But, wow that is exhausting and will NEVER happen.  We do not have it all together, and will never have it all together.

So, this past Christmas I wanted SO bad to send a picture perfect Christmas Card and I stressed so much over making these cards, paying for these cards, addressing the envelopes in some fancy calligraphy, getting these pictures made... oh Christmas Cards!  I love receiving them during this marvelous season!  There is something about them! Please, don't get me wrong I LOVE Christmas Cards.  They are still taped to our kitchen door!  I look at them everyday!  But, I just stressed and got mad and kinda crazy to be honest over these cards.  I asked myself, "Mary, why do you want to send this piece of paper so bad?"  Then I realized the root of it all, I wanted people to see Clint, Reynolds, and me and to say, "Wow, look at that couple and family... they have it all together." I wanted it SO bad.  But, y'all the most freeing thing happened.... I didn't send them.  I realized the freedom that came from not sending these.  It doesn't matter... I will never have it all together, so why do I strive so hard to make it seem like I do.  So, y'all I do not have it all together.  I praise Jesus that he takes broken things and makes them beautiful in His time and in His way.  And it isn't about what this world offers, but what the Lord gives.  All these things I strive after are from the world, so that the world would think I had it going on.

So, here is the truth.. The Lord doesn't give the way the world does, he will meet EVERY need and he will equip us with everything. Give him the glory because he is the one to give the joy, not what we have or what we look like.

Psalm 30:11, "You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy."

John 14:27
"Peace I leave you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

Philipians 4:19
"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus!"

Hebrews 13:20-21
"May the God of Peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he word in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to him be the glory for ever and ever. Amen."



So, you want to see those pictures we had taken by the incredible Lindsay Corrigan (Check out her blog: 311 Photography)
Here are a few...

So, there you have it!  Merry Christmas from the Rouse House.

BAE

"BAE."

If you hang out with high school girls on a weekly basis you hear this saying about just about anything.  That boyfriend...BAE.  That ice cream.. BAE.  That new puppy... BAE. Your best friend...BAE.  That emoji... BAE.  That celebrity... BAE. All this BAE talk for the past couple of months and I had no idea what it was... I just assumed it was an abbreviation for baby.

I was wrong...

BAE is like the new BFF.  BFF stands for Best Friends Forever.  And this was the cool saying while I was a teenager, which was 8 years ago! WHAT, when did I get to be old and in my late 20s. But, BAE means Before Anyone Else.  Yes, my mind was blown when I heard the news of this new abbreviation.  That you would love something so much you would put them before anyone else.  I kinda love these 3 letters which for a 1 syllable word.

SO, my prayer for my friends for the past couple of weeks is that Jesus would become their BAE.  Is that a strange and trendy prayer? Well, yep.  But, I think if my friends truly grasped how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ for them would they put Jesus as their BAE.  That is my prayer that they would find full life in Jesus as we put him first in our life!

Hosea 6:3, "Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him (aka: make him our BAE).  As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth."

I LOVE that truth, that we never have to doubt that the Lord will be there.  Each day he is as SURE AS THE SUN RISING! What a reminder.  So, if you would like to feel encouraged and filled up you should listen to this song: Ellie Holcomb is the BOMB.

So, who is your BAE?

Have we ever wanted Spring SO bad?

All in favor of Spring time, warm weather, and sunshine!?

I am SO ready for this rainy cold season to be over! Heck, I am even ready for some mosquitos to come infest our yard as long as we can have some sunshine...

Well, it has been a while since I have posted in the Rouse House blog.... Our life has been rather calm since the new semester has begun.  So, what have we been up to?  Let's see... We have been driving to Raleigh for NCSU Basketball games at least once a week to cheer on the Wolfpack (they need some cheerling these days), leading Young Life clubs on Monday nights when they haven't been snowed out, working at Chick-fil-A, oh and Clint went to Colorado for a week.

Yes, Clint went to Colorado for a WHOLE week.  This was a huge milestone in our family because I lived in Kinston by myself with out my best friend, my roommate, and my husband.  Clint has been a huge comfort in this transition moving from Raleigh to Kinston.  But, I survived!! I lived in Kinston on my own!  And, the GREAT part is that I didn't hate it, I kinda liked it!  I had sweet time with girl friends, had supper with YL friends, rested well, went on many of walks with my 4-legged best friend.  Of course, I would prefer my other half to be here, but I would say this was one huge step for man kind with me enjoying K-Troit on my own (new nick name for Kinston, like Detroit, but K-Troit... get it?).

So, Clint left on a Monday morning and was supposed to arrive home late that following sunday morning.  But, something happened in the clouds that I can't really explain, but it's name was TITAN! Storm Titan hit the mid west and cancelled every flight on Sunday... So, Clint made it to Washington, DC where he had great quality time with J.Blake Sunday night.  And then Monday flights were canceled out of DC, so Clint took the train from DC to Raleigh.  This train ride which normally takes 4 and a half hours took 11 hours! Yes... Clint was on this one train for 11 hours!  He could have flown to Europe in that same time!  But, praise the LORD Clint is home! Yay!  Life is back to it's normal schedule!

So, side note and fun note: Clint and I will be spending a month in Colorado this summer at Frontier Ranch! Clint will be one of the Head Leaders and I guess you could call me the assistant to the Head Leader that can be found by the pool reading a book or napping in her bed! Yes, I look forward to these assignments.  Especially with out children this is such a gift to a spouse of a YL Area Director.  No cooking, cleaning, working, just to support and encourage my husband and to rest! PRAISE! And, so thankful that my boss is allowing me to go! What a gift right?  The Lord provides!

So, it is hard to not post a single picture on a blog for you to see... But, I don't really have any (lame..) So, I will post a picture of my 4-legged son, the most joyful and loyal creation I have ever met, my 4-legged best friend: Reynolds Rouse!

I mean really... Can it get any cuter!?  Most of my friends are posting pictures of their precious children on instagram or blogs... But, as for me and our house we will post Reynolds!

A Character to always remember

Grandma... Hortense Liles Rouse.. Horty

Sunday morning, the level of sassy went down on planet Earth. Heaven gained a woman with a sense of humor like no other! I had the great pleasure to know grandma for 4 years and will remember her for a life time. I also have the GREAT pleasure of wearing her wedding ring and band that still has her initials hand engraved in with a wedding date from 1947! 

This picture below is one of my favorite memories of grandma that will NEVER be forgotten and has Horty written all over it...

So in preparing for her precious grandsons wedding grandma went shopping to find a beautiful gown and had all intentions of rocking her new frock until she woke up that May 29th morning and remembered it was Memorial Day weekend, so of course she was to wear her American flag sweater! The wedding director said she had a difficult time pinning on grandmas sweater because Horty did not want a flag to be covered! So, please notice the flower delicately placed on her sweet shoulder!

 I knew from this moment my left hand ring finger had big shoes to fill! 

Also on this day she made herself known to the church congregation by sticking her tongue out and making a poot noise at her old husband and his new wife as she set down! And I think then every one attending our wedding knew they were in for an entertaining ceremony!

So, when loved ones pass from one life to the next eternal life in heaven many stories are shared amongst loved ones. One of the best stories shared this week was a sweet man who came to the visitation Monday night and told Clint's dad and his 3 brothers that he was going to miss their mother and that he felt a sod vial bond with Horty because she had a pet name for him. Which he than said she would call him a "Piss ant." They all laughed because this was a normal name of endearment grandma would give people. There are not many 90 year old women calling people Piss Ants and Fart Heads on a daily basis! What a lady!

We can only imagine the ruckus she is causing in heaven!

Again... Rocking her American flag sweater! Love this sweet, loving, sassy lady!!!

Where did we move to again...

Eastern North Carolina... you would automatically think beach life, humidity, mosquitos, southern accents, "bless your heart"... But you wouldn't think of BLIZZARDS!

So, we ask ourselves.... Did we move to Kinston, NC or to Anchorage, Alaska!?!?

In the past two weeks Eastern North Carolina ("ENC") has been hit with not just one... but TWO big snow storms!  The first storm we had 8 inches stick to the ground and the second storm we had 4 inches stick to the ground and both of these storms had A LOT of ice!  Praise the LORD, we never lost power and we didn't have any pipes freeze!

I LOVE SNOW!  Yes, LOVE it!  I get super excited when the meteorologist says we should see some accumulation.  What accumulates in me is pure JOY and excitment.  As a child this meant hours were spent out on the golf course sledding until our toes were numb.  Now, as an adult it means it is an excuse to do NOTHING!  Our snow activities consisted of: fire making, nap taking, girl scout cookie eating, and laughing at our 4-legged boy loving the snow!  Being in a small town with zero hills it was a blast to walk down the block to West Rd. where there is a slight gradual increase that we call "The Hill."  All of our neighbors, friends, YL friends, and community were there and it was so fun to slow down and just enjoy company with no places to go or things to accomplish on our daily plate.

So, these Snow days that the Rouse House had were really just SLOW days!  Praise the Lord for snow that forces you to sit back, relax, and enjoy the present!

Snow storm #1:

Snow Storm #2

Have a happy and safe day!

2014 is the year of weddings!

2014 has been such an exciting year with 4 of my best friends getting married between May and October! It is hard to believe the excitement that is happening inside of my heart for these 4 sweet friends! It is going to be a fun year celebrating through showers, dress shopping, bachelorette weekends, engagement parties, rehearsal dinners, and then finally wedding days! I am SO excited for y'all! Love you Leigh! Love you Anna! Love you Teresa! Love you Kelly! Praying for y'all daily as you prepare for marriage! Can't wait to walk beside each of you preparing for marriage and then living life beside you as a WIVES!