She works hard for the money....

  So, I have been thinking lately that life is hard work. A Wife and Mom would make an average salary of around $250,000 if she was paid for all the jobs she does. Being a mom is hard work, being a wife is hard work, being a Christian is hard work. BUT, is hard work such a bad thing?? Is this life just supposed to be a cake walk? uh...no. I realize I complain too much about the everyday menial tasks. 
    Yes, I am tired of changing my shirt for the fourth time this morning because big buddy Hud overeats and then continues to puke it up until his next feeding when it starts all over again. Yes, I am tired of telling Anna Kate "no" for the 87th time as she tries to take off her diaper and poop on the kitchen floor. Yes, I am tired when the riddler Jack asks me the same question over and over. Yes, I am tired of putting Ronnie's shoes away and putting his 5th glass in the dishwasher.
    But, I am not tired of seeing my almost 6 month old flash those baby blues my way and chuckle and smile. I am not tired of hearing Anna Kate say, "I wuv oooh". I am not tired of seeing Jack play with his cars and give them names and give them jobs. I am not tired of him asking me about heaven and who goes there? I am not tired of kissing Ronnie and watching him wrestle with our kids. And I am definitely not tired of the Lord. He is constantly there to encourage and support. He is our Abba Father and our comfort and REST. This life can be hard and crazy, but that makes heaven all the more desired. For that is where we will be with Christ, as his bride. We will find ultimate rest then.  I am still going to whine and complain. I've already done it today.... However, I can set out to look on the positive and realize my complaining influence those 3 little pirates I call my kids. I have got so much to teach them about God and life and I do not need to tire out now, we are just getting started. I am Blessed!

  

Ronnie is 30... Surprise!

So, tonight I attempted to throw a surprise 30th birthday party for Ronnie. I had the help of some friends to pull it off and get people to our home. We had almost 40 people at our home including kiddos!! Ronnie seems to always find out things that I have got going on... I think he did have an idea. I suppose we can all just keep guessing. All in all, we had a great turn out and Ronnie felt loved by those who came. It was a fun night and we are very appreciative and thankful for our new friends in NWA~Marci

Our Family

Our family has recently moved to NWA. Ronnie is the young couples pastor at the Fayetteville campus. We are very blessed to have 3 kids: Jack, Anna Kate, and Hudson. Ronnie is originally from Knoxville, TN and is a HUGE UT fan, go Vols! Marci is from Louisville, KY and cheers for the Cards. God has definitely changed our course of direction to bring more glory to him. Ronnie was at a community college in Knoxville when he felt a stirring in his heart to move to Louisville and attend the Seminary. God opened doors at let him become a student at Boyce college one week before classes started. He has a Bachelor's degree in youth ministry and is finishing his Master's degree in Great Commision Studies. Marci was set to attend Asbury College in Kentucky majoring in pre-law. Things fell through and Marci attended the University of Louisville instead. Still trying to convince God that she would make a great lawyer, she pursued political science classes. God had other things in store and redirected her to major in psychology and nursing.  Marci eventually transferred to Galen College of Nursing and is a Licensed Practical Nurse. Ronnie and Marci were married in 2005 and welcomed Jack in 2007 and just kept rolling! We are very blessed and excited to see where the Lord takes us!
~ The Parrott's