End of May, New Apartment, and Kids Camp

Wow!!  Has life been crazy in the McCormick household.  I've been so busy it's been forever since i've been able to sit in front of a computer and put it all on paper!  But, it's been a wonderful busy!!

End of May:
The end of May came and school came to an end!  It was bittersweet packing up my classroom those last few days! My wonderful co-workers threw me a going away party!  I have been so blessed making such great friends at work!  I am going to miss them so much!!!  It is such a blessing to go to work and be surrounded by your friends!!  Thank you Oak Grove family for making my two years there the best!!  

New Apartment:
As soon as we were able to leave school, I hopped in my car and drove to Cleveland.  OKRA Kids Camp was about to start and I had to get to work.  During this time, John and I had decided on looking for a place to live and move to Cleveland in July!  This would give us time to settle before school started.  Well, lets just say I drove to Cleveland on Thursday, and we had an apartment by Friday!!!  Talk about crazy!!  Camp was starting on Monday, and we could start moving in on Wednesday!!!  In two weekends, we were moved out of our house and settled in Cleveland...ohh and on top of this I was working the camp all day!!  So we are now official residents of Cleveland, MS and have absolutely loved being together.  One of our good friends and his wife also live in our apt complex.  It has been so great getting to know Amanda and hang out with her and Kevin.  We have started a bible study once and week.  I am so happy to have a new friend and continue to get to know her more!!!

Kids Camp:
This was my 3rd year having the opportunity to work the OKRA Kids Camp

Outdoor + Kids = Recreation and Activity

This camp is such an amazing camp for the kids in the delta area.  They come for a week straight and are introduced to new sports and recreation activities as well as nutrition.  This camp is so dear to me!  It is so exciting to see our staff pour into our youth and help establish a health way of life for them!  Our wish is that these kids leave camp with a love for recreation and a drive to make healthy choices!!!

It has been a crazy few weeks!!  I cannot wait to see what this next year has in store for us!!

Psalm 25:4

"Make me know your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths"

I have not blogged in what seems like forever!  But it's simply because I have some news I have been wanting to share but have been waiting (wish I could say patiently) on the finalization.  

John and I are moving to Cleveland!!  We are so excited for this next step in our lives.  For those of you  who know, since John and I have been married are jobs have pulled us in separate directions.  For 6 months he lived in Florida, and for the past year has been in Cleveland during the week and home on the weekends!

I had been struggling with the idea of applying for a job down there.  I have one more year to fulfill my commitment to MS and was simply scared of this idea of moving.  I'm from DeSoto County and went to school here, our family is here, this is what I know.  But the Lord really put it on my heart to stop being selfish and take a leap of faith.  Can I be honest with you, this is probably the first "big" leap of faith I have taken.  I knew I needed to be with John and that was it!!!  So I jumped!  SCAREY!!  I applied for the jobs I was able too, got my recommendations together and tweeked the resume!  I said from the beginning Lord, this is in Your hands!  

Two weeks into the process, I received a phone call from the principal at Cypress Parks Elementary and then Pearman.  My principal gave me a Friday off, and I was Cleveland bound with the hopes of getting a job.  The first interview was with Pearman and that afternoon was the interview with Cypress Parks.  Walking into that second interview I was so nervous!  I kept saying over and over again, Lord, I leave it in Your hands! It's all in Your hands!  This was the only thing keeping me calm.  As I waited for the interview to begin, I looked around her office!  Everywhere there was scripture and crosses and angels.  I slowly began to calm down.  As she was getting ready to walk in her office, I looked down and on the edge of her desk was a ceramic bible with the words, "The Lord's hands are what hold you!" I was almost in tears.  There it was, just as clear as could be.  I felt the Lord saying, Amber, I've got it!  Trust me!  The interview could not of gone better.  It turned into a conversation about our faith and how trusting in the Lord and having faith can be such a positive influence in your teaching.  We talked about how teaching was our mission work and that it was up to us to make an impact with the students.  She then introduced to me to her staff and showed me around.  It felt so right.  As we were leaving, she told me she would know by Tuesday and would let me know!  I left the school, got home, and within 30 minutes received a phone call being offered the 4th grade Math and Science position.  I was so thrilled, but part of me held back the excitement.  It would not be official til the board approved the position a week and a half later.  Can I just say that was a long time!  But I told myself, the Lord is holding you.  He has a plan for you!  John and I were so close to finally being able to do what married couples do!  Live in the same house in the same town!!!
Well time went on and I hadn't heard anything.  I knew the Lord was simply making me practice that virtue of patience that I am NOT good at.  I tried so hard not to stress and worry but it was hard.  I could not resign here in Hernando until I for sure had a job in Cleveland.  We could not start looking for a place to live until I for sure had a job there!  After talking to my family and friends I knew I had to simply let His plan unfold.  Saturday, as I was getting the mail I saw a letter from the Cleveland School District School Board.  There it was, my approval letter!  I am now and employee of the Cleveland School District!!

I cannot tell you how happy I am!  This next year is going to be such an adventure!  The Lord continually shows me His faithfulness, even when I struggled in letting Him have it!

25 reasons I love you on your 25th birthday...

...25...  

Because your 25, our car insurance drops drastically!!  ha ha, I had to add this one:)

...24... 
You drive when we go somewhere so I don't have too
(or maybe it's so you don't have to deal with my driving)

...23...

Your laid-backness (word?)  Boy do you balance me out.  Whenever I get in PLAN PLAN PLAN mode and stressed, your attitude to go with the flow always brings me back.  I don't know what we'd do with two of me

...22...

You push me to run the last part of my mile even when I want to walk it!!

...21...

You love to travel, we have only been married two years and have had some of the best vacations; can't wait to finish our bucket list of vacations with you!!

...20...

Your humor, never knowing what is coming from you next  

...19...

You can sing :)

...18...

I love that you made the decision to call and hang out before you left for basic training:) that phone call started it all

...17...

Your selfless decision to serve our country at the age of 17
I'm so proud of you and can't wait to see where flight school takes us

...16...

Every once in awhile, you let me pick out the movie

...15...

you will eat what I cook for dinner

...14...

You can always randomly quote a movie or sing lyrics to a song that goes with any conversation we have

...13...

Your asked to marry me!  Friday the 13, August 2010. 

...12...

You accept me for who I am

...11...
2011 was our wedding year!  I love that you were apart of the planning and helped me make decisions!!

...10...

You brought Rowdy Bear into our lives!

...9...

You always know what to say, when to say it, and when a hug will do

...8...

I love anticipating a welcome hug and kiss from you every Friday

...7...

When we are with friends or in public and you look at me with a look that says I love you!

...6...

your "get ready" look you do in the mirror when you are getting ready for the day

...5...

Your values of family! 

...4...

Our late night conversations about anything and everything

...3...

Your Smile:  I love seeing that genuine smile when you are really excited about something or just happy!  It makes my day!

...2...

the way you make me feel like i'm special

...1...

Your love for the Lord!  Knowing I have a godly husband who wants to raise our family with godly morals and loves his wife in a godly way means the world to me!  I am so blessed to have you in my life baby!

HAPPY 25TH BIRTHDAY JOHN!!!

i love you

These are a few of my favorite things....

God!  I love knowing I have a Savior who loves me unconditionally and is a God of forgiveness and grace!  I love digging into His word and learning more and more about His mercy!!  We serve an awesome God!!

John!  Do you know just how much I love that man!  Words will never describe the true happiness I feel with him!

          Family!  Family is so near and dear to my heart!  So blessed to have a wonder family!

• Sundays!  I love waking up and seeing my husband beside me, getting breakfast (usually Starbucks), heading to church, dinner with family, then the rest of the afternoon is just me, hubby, and rowdy time!  

Reading!  There is nothing like diving into a good book.  I tend to get "lost" in them and before I know it, it's either 3am or I just finished the last page!  Really enjoying Francine River's series on the 5 women who were apart of the lineage of Christ!

Rowdy!  Knowing this little dog will have his head resting in the window seal at 3:30 when I pull in the driveway from work makes smile!  He's a good snuggle bug too!!

Military!  I love being an American and supporting our men and women in the service!  So thankful for all of them and their families who swore to protect and serve our nation.  I wish more people felt this way!

Beach!  Planning that vacation is just ahhh!  Knowing a whole week on the beach, soaking up the sunshine, and listening to the waves hit the shore is just paradise!  I mean, we did get married on the beach!  Can't wait til July!!

Running!  Being able to exercise and clear your head is good therapy!  That push of going just a little bit further and hitting your goal is bliss!!

Dallas Cowboys!  Love those Cowboys!!  Waiting on the season to start:) hopefully we will have a better one!!

Pinterest!  Filling in that down time with crafts or cooking is good for the soul!  

Frozen Yogurt Dates!  Those random urges to get in the car, go to the nearest yogurt store, and sit outside with my man and enjoy some yummy loaded frozen yogurt!!

5K Season

so, it's that time of year when everyone decides to hit the gym and get beach ready.  And I'm guilty:(  
But, I love this time of year, because it's when John and I start doing the 5K's.  I'm super excited about our first one coming up.  It is the Orphan Run Mississippi on April 20 at Longview Point in Hernando, MS.  I am so glad to be helping out with the cause too!  The Uganda Orphanage Project.  Children have such a special place in my heart, especially those who are in such need of just the basics like food and shelter.  What better way to love on these precious children than by running to raise money so they can have a home.  I highly encourage anyone who will be in the area that day to come!  Even if you have NEVER ran in your life, you can walk it!!! 

http://orphanrunms.eventbrite.com

GO SIGN UP!!!

I am so glad we finally have the weather to get outside and run!!!  It is my way to just think of everything going on in life, pray on big decisions, and just zone out the rest of the world! Little Rowdy Man loves to get his daily mile in too!! This little dude can keep up!!!

If anyone knows of any 5K's coming up please share!!!!!

Have a blessed week everyone!!

"Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us." 

Hebrews 12:1

Names of God

On Wednesday night, our pastor has been doing a group bible study on the Names of God!  Can I tell you just how powerful this has been!  To know that God is the God of EVERYTHING!!  His names tell us this!  I have been so humbled and filled with His word during this study.  I have learned to pray and seek God in such a different way.  Our pastor has encouraged us that when we are praying, to call upon the Lord using the name He has given us for our situation!  It has totally changed my prayer life ya'll!!  I have learned to pray in a way that I never thought I could.  I was so guilty of just praying the typical before you go to sleep prayer and not really going to the Lord with the things I was dealing with, good or bad!  I have been able to just open my heart and let Him continually mold it and give me a desire to want to talk to Him more.  I have learned there are so many different ways to pray!!!  He hears our every need!!  So, I am going to share the names we have discussed thus far and encourage you to use His names!  He gives them to us in His word to call upon them!!!  

• ADONAI: LORD or MASTER

This name of God is written in the bible as Lord.  It speaks of God's authority over everyone and everything else.  Adonai speaks of personal surrender to His authority.  

"Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You.  I said to the Lord, 'You are my ADONAI; I have not good besides You."  

• EL: The God of Strength and Power

We should exalt His strength and seek His strength

"The LORD is their strength." Pslam 28:8

• ELOHIM: The eternal creator God

God is the source of all life, so we know that our lives are sacred and have a purpose

Pslam 42

• EL ELYON: God Most High

God is not subject to anyone or anything!!

"Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High." Gen. 14:19

• EL SHADDAI: God Almighty

God can accomplish everything He desires and decrees

"May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples." Gen. 28:3

• EL RO'I: The All-Seeing God

God sees our pain, our obedience, and no one gets away with anything!

"Your are a God who sees..." Gen. 16:13

• YAHWEH (or Jehovah): The Proper Name of God,  HE IS!

"He is solitary in His majesty, unique in His excellency, and peerless in His perfections.  He sustains all, but is Himself independent of all.  He gives to all and is enriched by none."  A.W. Pink

*written in the bible as LORD, used over 6,000x times!!

"Lift up a song for Him who rides through the deserts, Whose name is the LORD (Yahweh), and exult before him." Pslam 68:4

I cannot wait to share more with you as the bible study continues.  Lift up His name today if you have not already, and if you have, do it again!!  We should praise him with every breath we breathe!!  

Thank you Heavenly Father for showing us Your power and love through Your names!  

Happy Sunday everyone!! Hope you have a great week!!!

Rowdy Bear

My Story,
Daddy suprised mommy with me one Sunday morning in December.  They had been talking for awhile about getting a dog.  (mommy had baby fever, and my job was to fix it).  Daddy looked around for about 2 weeks for the perfect dog.  He came by my previous owners one day to visit.  I tried my best to be the one he picked.  I was laid back and didn't cause a fuss.  And thats just what he wanted!!  I was picked to join his family.  I was so excited when I knew I was going to live with another family, but a little scared.  I had never been outside before:(  Daddy scheduled to meet up with my breeder that next Sunday. 
On Sunday, Mommy and Daddy were getting ready for church.  They usually have breakfast together on Sundays.  Daddy told Mommy he was going to just go pick up breakfast from McDonalds and bring it home for them to eat before church.  Mommy got so frustrated because she was all ready and thought it would be easier to just grab breakfast then head to church from there.  But Daddy insited so she just waited around at the house.  He was trying to get out of the house to go pick me up. 
My breeder put a big red bow around my neck and got me ready for my new home.  I was so nervous.  When I reached the new house, Daddy put me on the couch and called Mommy in there.  She screamed, which scared me and I peed.  She was so excited and instantly I got lots of hugs and kisses.  They took me to Petco and got me all the stuff us puppies need.  I was spoiled from the get-go.  I remember Mommy and Daddy's familys coming over after church to meet me.  I was so happy to be with my new family.  To this day, I run the house hold.  I love to play with my monkeys, wrestle with Daddy, and sit at Mommy's feet and protect her when Daddy isn't home.  I am the luckiest dog in the world.

First day with my new family, I was so little

My best friend Jazze

Snuggling with Momma after Daddy left (I like his side of the bed)

Just relaxing

Waiting on Daddy to get home from work

Love having my belly scratched

Mommy dressed me up as a Pirate, I didn't like it:(

Secret Church

To start off this Easter season, John and I went to our churches simulcast of David Platt's Secret Church: Heaven, Hell, and the End of the World.
The only word to describe this event was WOW!  7 hours of digging into God's word and attempting to  understand all His glory with these three topics.  We literally covered 200 pages worth of notes in less than 7 hours!  My heart is so full of the word right now.  I am still trying to "file" everything that Platt went over.  I cannot wait to share all that the Lord exposed to me tonight, but let me tell you I've got to get it all organized first.  So many thoughts are going my head.  One cannot truly fathom the love of Christ.  I wanted to go ahead and write in case anyone read it and wanted to look into the Secret Church.  As Americans, we take advantages of all the liberties we have.  How awesome to know we have the right to worship our Lord God freely.  We do not have to hide in the basement of someones house to worship with the fear of being caught.  I am so guilty of taking this lightly.  I can worship whenever and wherever I want, but I fall short of doing so!!!  Yet, there are so many people in our world who want to worship and every time they do, they are literally putting their lives on the line.  We need to get away from our comforts and proclaim Him.  Crowder's new song Here's My Heart has been weighing on me.  My downfall is I like to be in control.  I like to plan, and if anyone knows mine and John's situation, it's not in my plan.  But that is the thing, it is not my plan.  It is His plan.  And why would we want it any other way?  The Creator, Yahweh, is writing my story.  And I don't know about you, but I know for sure He can do a much better job than I would ever do.  I have to let go of what I want and look to the Lord for what HE wants. So this is my challenge.  To cry out to Him:

Heres my heart Lord

Speak what is true

I am found, I am Yours...

Heres my life Lord

Speak what is true

I leave you with Platt's closing statement tonight from C.S. Lewis' The Last Battle

"The things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them.  And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after.  But for them it was only the beginning of the real story.  All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before."

http://www.radical.net/all/events/2013/03-29/secret-church-13---heaven-hell-and-the-end-of-the-world

Our Story Part 3: Oddly Unique I Do's

This is my favorite part of our story to be writing!  It is all about us getting hitched!  John and I have been married going on two years, and I still get all giddy when I think about our wedding.  For us, it was absolutely perfect and one of the best days of our life!  And I cannot wait to write it down for the first time!! So, here it goes!!

John and I decided to have a destination wedding.  Our families had already planned a trip to the beach the summer of 2011, so why not just add to it with a wedding!  Our "dating" anniversary was July 10 and our beach trip was planned to end on July 9, so that was the date!!  The planning began!  We would get married on the beach, have our closets family and friends there, and leave for  honeymoon to Jamaica!  It took us only 10 months to plan the wedding.  It all happend so fast, and before we knew it we were packed and headed to the beach!  It was such a wonderful week to relax before our big day.  Our entire family was there that week enjoying the ocean breeze and the sounds of the waves crashing on the shore.  Finally, Saturday came!  When I talk about our wedding, I remember every detail.  But my favorite part of the whole time was how "oddly unique" our wedding day was!  Everything we seemed to do or plan ended up being an odd number with a biblical meaning.  How you may ask? Keep reading...

1 - First born children, one God with one promise- ever lasting life through Him
3 - one of three children, The Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
5 - Family of five, the number associated with Grace
7 - the month of July, God's perfect number, divine perfection and completeness
9 - the day of our wedding, The Fruits of the Spirit: Love Joy Peace Patience Kindness Goodness Faithfulness Gentleness Self-Control
11 - the year , 11 a sign of the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy, the 11th hour
13 - the day we got engaged, the number of roses in my bouqet, Love and Unity

How awesome!  God's hand was all through it!!

A few favorite pictures to tell our wedding story!

The Bridal Suit! The wreath was made by some precious ladies from church who threw me a shower

My bouquet: 13 white roses (3 from my mother's bouqet to represent the Trinity)

Lace from my mother's wedding dress, and a hanky from my Papaw who passed

Something Old: lace from my great-grandmother

Something New: Wedding Rings

Something Borrowed: Bible (carried by 4 generations)

Something Blue: silk from my great-grandmother

The lace hanky was made by  my Memaw for my special day.  This was her dream vacation: having the entire family at the beach. so glad she was able to fulfill her dream before passing

My photographer, Angela Blake, snagged this.  Our rings on 1 Cor. 13:4-8

Brushes for guests to wipe off the sand

The reception room had an ugly board.  My brother painted pictures to represent the big moments in our life: high school when we started dating, college when we got engaged, and the beach when we got marriage!

My wonderful mom made both of our cakes.  The wedding topper was her and my dad's!

John's Cake, every pilot needs their plane

Our family

our 20+ wedding party!

Handsome!!

Love him more than words can describe!!

 

 

I could write a book on just our wedding day alone!  It could not have gone better!  Looking back two years later, there is nothing that I would change!  It was the perfect day!!  The Lord was there and has been every step of the way.  We are still learning about His glory and cannot wait to see what He has planned for our lives!!

 

 

"I have found the one whom my soul loves!"

Song of Solomon 3:4

 

Our Story Part 2: The Engagement

When one thinks of Friday the 13th, they think of all the "bad" that our society has associated with this date.  However, to me, this date will always be special...
It had been four years that John and I had been dating and four years of college at Delta State.  If any of you were or are in a sorority, then you will truly understand the magnitude of a candlelight!  I always asked John if I was going to get a candlelight.  But I knew he had to be ready, so I quit asking.  I knew I had wanted to marry him for a long time, and I knew he felt the same way.  He just needed to be ready to take that next step.  I told myself if I did not get a candlelight, it was ok.  No matter when or how he proposed it was going to special!
So the beginning...It was August and my sorority was preparing for recruitment (7 days of no sleeping and constant deliriousness).  We were at the dorms getting ready for our nightly recruitment party when I got a call from John.  He had called to tell me that he had signed up for a 1 month deployment to Germany that next year.  ( it ended it being cancelled, but it starts the story)  Now, dating someone in the military, I knew it was always a possibility but had not had to deal with it just yet.  It was about to and I was not ready for him to be gone.  It hit me hard, but I knew it was his job and I just needed to start praying for his safety.  After  I got off the phone, a sweet friend of mine started joking around saying, "Well, maybe he will just have to propose. " This got us laughing and me in a better mood!  Little did we know, she would be right.
Recruitment ended and we began to get ready for our Senior year to start that Monday.  It was Friday the 13 and about 10am the chapter received a text from our president saying there was going to be a candlelight that afternoon at 4 in the chapter room.  

(Side Note:  What is a candlelight you may ask?  Well, it's the greatest thing ever!  Whoever is engaged secretly tells the president or leaves a note for the sorority to meet in the chapter room on a given date and time.  No one knows who it is, which is the best part!  We all get in a circle, sing a special song, and pass around a candle.  Well, on the third time around the circle, whenever the candle gets to the sorority sister who is engaged, she blows out the candle to reveal her engagement!!)

Back to my story.  So I call John and say, "Hey, guess what?  There is a candlelight this afternoon and I bet everyone is about to start calling and texting asking if it is me."  (There had been multiple up to this point and all thought it was me).  So, for the rest of the day I ignored calls and texts because I was tired of saying IT'S NOT ME!!!!

4 o'clock rolls around and everyone is convinced if it's not me, then it must be Rachael.  We all get into the chapter room and form our circle.  It's Carrie, our president, to my left who starts the ceremony, and Rachael to my right making me the last person to get the candle after each pass.  It starts.  The candle passes around once....twice....and a third time.  It goes all the way around the circle to Rachael who passes it on to me.  I look at her in confusion expecting her to have blown it out.  I pass it back thinking maybe Tyler is going to jump out and surprise her.  She gives me this grin and passes it back.  As I take the candle, John had snuck up behind me and blew it out over my shoulder.  I was in shock, ya'll!  He gets down on one knew, pops out a beautiful ring, and asks me to be his wife!  I think I squealed in every way you can squeal!  I was so thrilled and excited, I just remember giving him a huge hug.  (He asked me later if  even said yes, which I did!!!)  I was engaged!  John had planned out every part of it so that I could have my candlelight!  He went to Jareds!  This next step in our lives was going to be so exciting, and we couldn't wait to start planning.  The date was set, July 10, 2011....

After we got engaged!!

Friday the 13th, August 2010

Our Story Part 1

Let's just say that John and I semi grew up together.  We realized each other existed during middle school at Hernando.  Our parents knew of each other from their high school days, our mothers at one point worked together, and our sisters played volleyball together.  We even found out that our grandparents knew of each other.  I guess you could say our lives were intertwined before we even knew it.  The first time John and I talked was at a volleyball game, we sat in the bleachers chatting and thus began our short conversations.  Once we were both in high school, I'll admit I always had a small crush on him.  I thought he was a very cute guy...and might I add had a gorgeous singing voice.  Our paths really crossed when we had 3rd period Spanish together my junior, his senior year.  He sat by me, and I let him look on my paper:)  We really got to know each other during this year of Spanish, and my feelings for him began to thicken.  I was smitten over John McCormick, however I was scared of admitting because of him possibly not feeling the same way.  Well, the school year ended, he graduated and I thought that was that.  It was just fun flirting between two people.  The summer began, and on July 4, I receive a phone call from none other than John McCormick.  He had just gotten back from his senior trip to Hawaii and wanted to come over and hang out.  I was so thrilled, but extremely nervous at the same time.  He came over, we hung out and had a good time.  As he was leaving, he said he wanted to see me again before he left for basic training.  So on July 10 (which we consider our anniversary) he came over again.  I knew then that I had fallen already for him, and I could tell he liked me...maybe just a little at this point.  That night before he left, he promised to write and call me as soon as he was able too.  I talked to him the next day while he was waiting for the bus in Texas, and that was the last I heard from him for what seemed forever.  
About three weeks passed and I had yet to receive any letter.  My hopes were down because other people had been getting letters from him.  It was about 4 weeks after he left, when he called.  If my luck could not be any worse, my brother had my phone causing me to miss his call.  He left a voicemail saying he would call back tomorrow.  I had a funeral to go to that day and knew I was not going to be able to answer his call.  So, I left a special voicemail on my phone.  "Hey ya'll, this is Amber.  Sorry I missed your call but leave your info and I'll call ya back.  PS...if this is a special someone from Texas, I am at  funeral and will not be able to talk until 12.  If you can call back then:)"  Sure enough, he called back.  We walked for a long time and he asked if I had been getting his letters.  I responded no.  His first response was asking if my address was correct, for I was one of the first people he had written.  Well after our conversation, I asked my parents if they had received any mail for me.  The more my dad thought about it, he realized we had not received ANY mail for going on about a week.  Come to find out, someone had filled out a form at the post office to hold their mail and it was put towards our address.  When my dad returned from the post office, there was a ton of mail including a letter addressed to me from John:) From that phone call and that letter on, we began writing back and forth and talking on the phone as much as he was able too.  Little did we know that this would begin a relationship that would evolve into marriage!!  The first 5 months we were together were strictly letters and phone calls.  It would not be until Thanksgiving that we saw each other and Christmas til he was actually home!!  Next was college, then came the BEST proposal a girl could every ask for....

(awful quality) But this is the FIRST picture we ever took!!

July 10, 2006

Here it goes...

Hello all!  My name is Amber McCormick!  I am a first time blogger and super excited to see how "blogging" goes.  A little about me.  I have been married going on 2 years  to my high school sweetheart, John McCormick.  He is a Staff Sergeant in the Air Force National Guard and a flight instructor at Delta State.  This summer, he received a flight spot for the TN Air National Guard to fly C-17.  We are currently going to through the process in order to start this exciting part in our lives.  I am a 5th grade teacher and love my job.  Being a teacher is a calling and has it's ups and downs.  However, I know that God has me where I am for a purpose.  My main goal is to show my students the love of their Savior in any way I can!  My husband and I have had a non typical marriage set up.  6 months after we were married, he received a flight instructor job in Miami, Fl.  From January to May, he was there while I was still working in Hernando.  The positive thing about this job, was that for my summer vacation I got to live in southern FL!  It was very interesting to see the difference of cultures, and being close to the beach was very nice!  When he brought me home in July, he was able to stay a few months due to military orders.  At the end of the orders, he was able to get a job at Delta State, so no more FL.   And let me tell you, Cleveland MS is far better than Miami FL.  I have learned so much from God through this entire process and know He has such a great plan ahead!  I have really had to learn that it is NOT my plan, but His!  

John and I at SeaWorld in Orland, FL for our 1 Year Anniversary

I cannot wait to share our story throughout my blogs.  Being with someone for 7 years, you learn a lot and have a lot to share.  Our story has at no point and time been the typical "love story" but it has been ours!