Thankful

Well with Thanksgiving tomorrow, I thought I would blog about what I am thankful. I have so many things to be thankful for this year.

I am Thankful to God for blessing me with a wonderful family. He blessed me 15 years ago, when placed Deon into my life. I was a troubled teenager, which probably started around the time I turned 13. He also gave me a mother and father who through all the things I got in trouble for stilled loved me and never gave up on me. When I look back I pray my children do not follow into my foot steps as a teenager, if they do I'll be bald by the time they are 18. (haha) I surprised that my mom still has her hair. Our of the 4 children, me being the youngest, I believe I'm the one who kept her up late at night worrying where I was and if I was safe. When I think back I cannot believe what a handful I was. The boys I dated, the friends I hung around with etc. I was so in a different place in my teenage years, that I know God placed Deon into my life at the right time. He need there was a guy out there for me, but was not ready for us to meet till that night on the K Mart parking lot (Now Big Lots) in October 1995. Deon was the answer to my parents prayers. I'm being serious here. I was such a stupid teenager! The funny part of Deon and I meeting is that I was not suppose to be in town on a parking lot. I was actually grounded for the weekend, for something stupid of course that I did. I had been out celebrating my grandmother's birthday that night at the lake. I left the restaurant before some of the family had, and I was to go strait home. Driving through town, I saw some of my friends on the parking lot hanging out. This is what most of us did when I was in high school, not a lot to do in a small town. The police usually ran us off, and we would cruise, and then head back to the same parking lot or find another one. Anyways back to the point; I saw the friends so I thought to myself, I'll stop by real quick and say "Hi", I knew my parent's wouldn't be home till a couple of hours. (I know I was not obeying my parents, I told ya I was a bad teenager lol ) So, I stopped and spoke to some friends. I was still in my dressy clothes for the dinner, which meant I was wearing a skirt, and I went home and changed into jeans, and came back to the parking lot. I cannot remember why I knew it would be a while till my parents would be home, but I knew I had time to change and head back to my friends. But before I left to go change, there was a young man on that parking lot in another group of people that I had noticed, but according to him he had noticed me. So when I did get back from changing clothes, one of the first things I noticed was the this black Chevy truck pulling up onto the parking lot, and it was LOUD. This guy got out of the truck wearing a cowboy hat, and looked over at me. At this point I was talking to a couple of friends, and I asked them if they knew who he was? Two of them said "Yes we do, I went to school with him, that is Deon Barnes. " Another person said " I believe he is dating someone, but let me go ask" Before I could even say no, the guy was walking toward Deon. I was SO embarrassed. I of course turned around and pretended to be talking to the group of friends while they of course were staring over there. My face felt like it was redder than a tomato. lol. The guy comes back with this big grin on his face, and says "He is not dating anyone, and is interested in talking to you." I could had fainted right then. I thought to myself no way this good looking boy wants to talk to me. That type of guy doesn't usually have any interest in me.

Let me explain what I mean by "that type of guy". The guys in past that I usually attract are the bad boys you could call them. The boys you do not want your daughter to meet. This is why parents were always worried because I was dating the wrong boys. They usually were older than me, and were not someone you brought home to me dad. Back to the parking lot, after this friend of mine was telling me that Deon was in interested in me, I turned around to look at him, and noticed him staring at me. I turn back around and when I go to turn back around toward him, Deon starts walking toward me. I could have fainted, I'm telling you my knees got week and I got really Nervous! He asks "Would like to go riding around?" I thought I wasn't going to be able to speak, I got so nervous I said "I'll be back in a minute" and walked off, thinking to myself what am I doing? I ended up getting in a truck with some other friends and drove off to go to the gas station across the street. I get back to the parking lot and Deon was GONE! I was so mad at myself. I thought to myself I blew it!

This is why I thank God every day for placing Deon in my life. Because though I thought I blew it, God was stilling watching over me. All that week, I could only think of Deon. I went to a friends house who was on that parking lot and introduced us and asked her ALL about him, and who he was etc. She told him where he worked etc. I found his truck at his work one day and left him a note asking him to meet me back uptown. The following weekend I was back at the parking lot with a friend, and I saw one of his friends. Asked him where his friend was (meaning Deon)? Deon friend then said I know where he is I'll go find him and get him back up here. I again was so nervous. A few minutes later I hear his truck, this truck was Loud you could not miss it, and said to my friend "there he is" She looked at me and said "I know him! He is a good guy." Deon pulled up and we started chatting. Like we known each other forever. He ended up getting my truck and going riding around with me and some of my friends. We came back to the parking lot, and a little bit before it was time for me to go home, we were talking about the concert that was coming to Martin, it was Tim McGraw. We found out that both of us had tickets to this concert, and decided that we would meet next weekend to go to the concert together! I was so excited all that week, thought that night could not get there fast enough. A group of us had already planned on going to this concert, so we met Deon at McDonald's in Martin to head over to the concert that was the college. My friends sat in there seats which was where I would had been sitting too, but I went with Deon to sit with him. That was our first date, and I thought I was floating on air!

We've been together off and on ever since. You ask, off and on? Yes we broke up a couple of times in those 15 years. But God kept putting us back together. See why I thank God every day. We have been married for 12 1/2 years, don't get me wrong it hasn't always been a fairy tale. Those first years marriage was rough. We got married when I was 20 and he was 21. But I now know if it wasn't God's plan than, I would not be married to Deon. God knows everything and He knew that Deon and I belong together, no matter how many times I did not think it was meant to be, God helped me understand that yes it was meant to be. God helped us get through those rough times. It was stressful to be married only 3 months and find out you were pregnant at the age of 21. Don't get me wrong, we were thrilled to be having a baby. She is our baby girl and we love her very much. Then right before our baby girl's first birthday we found out we were pregnant again. Again we were thrilled. Through all the good times and bad we had God by our side.

So thankful 15 years together, that God placed Deon into my life, he is my husband, father of my children and my best friend.

This has turned into a blog of how I met Deon, lol.

I am also Thankful for my entire family: My parents, they are some great parents. For any two people that can love me no matter how many times I missed up, they never gave up on me. You never know how great your parents are till you are married and with children of your own. Me and my mom bumped heads through the teens, I stilled loved her of course even though she made me mad. But it was when I had children of my own did I realize what great mom she was then and still is today. I am thankful for my siblings: My oldest sister, Angela, who is 11 years older than me, we have always gotten along through it all, people would be surprised how we did get along so well being such a age difference. I am also thankful for my other sister and brother even though we do not speak now. We had our differences in the past and still do but no matter what they are my sister and brother and I love them. I am thankful for my in laws: Dorothy and Randy. I know they are here for us and love us. I think of them as my second parents than just in laws. I am blessed to have great in laws since a lot of stories I hear from others that they do not get along with their in laws. I mean I live right next door to mine, and people are shocked by that. lol They are great people and have raised wonderful 3 children. I am thankful for two great sister in laws: Elly and Casey, they are more like sisters to me than just in laws. I am Thankful for my brother in laws: Joel, Doug and Nathan, they great men for my sister and sister in laws, I am so glad God had placed them into Angela, Elly and Casey's lives. I am Thankful for my nieces and nephews: I have alot between my two families, and I love all of them very much.

I am thankful for my church family: We are so blessed to be part of a loving church family. I have learned and still learning so much from everyone. I'm blessed to know that I can talked to them and they are there to listen.

See why I'm so thankful, that God placed all these people into my life. People He knows that I need. I've had my ups and downs and through it all I have had God by my side. I've grown so much in 15 years, and I give all the glory to God.