Guess What I Got In the Mail?

My Brand New FREE* Business Cards!!!

 

 WOOHOO!!!  I am officially @MyBlogTrifecta and have the business cards to prove it!!!

Click HereVista Print is now running a 10th Anniversary Sale with the following FREE* Products:

Free products of the following:

• Free Business Cards

• Return Address Labels

• Free Rubber Stamps

• Free Sticky Notes

• Calendars

• Photo Flip Books

• Free Tote Bags

• Free Mugs

• Photo Notebooks

• Free Mouse Pads

Click HERE to get started and get your FREE* Stuff Just like me! 

*Shipping & Handling Charges Apply - I paid a little under $5 for 250 business cards to be shipped & received them within one week.  :-)

Free Samples for FALL

With Back to School comes one of my personal favorite seasons - FALL!!!!  Cooler weather is just around the bend, time to tug sweaters and jackets out of storage and get out my funky brown boots I LOVE to wear in the colder months.

I LOVE FALL!

BUT...I love FREE stuff more!  And Quality Health has a ton of FALL SAMPLES Available now!  WOOHOO!

Click HERE to start receiving the Quality Health promotional Newsletter in your inbox and receive FREE FALL SAMPLES!!!  I get 2-3 emails a week with great information and tips and awesome Sample Opportunities!  Definitely WORTH YOUR TIME!

How are we "Leading" them?

I personally am a lover of ALL kinds of music.  I've spoke of it before on this blog and others.  I have in my collection everything from Gospel and Contemporary Christian music to the Eagles, Carol King, Cat Stevens, Harry Chapin and on to ACDC and Tool.  I love music of every kind.  (Yes even country and the occasional rap/hip-hop).  

BUT...I am NOT a lover of my young child walking around singing lyrics to some of the stuff on the top 40 stations lately.  A few years back in fact - when the Black Eyed Peas were really hot and the song "My Humps" was first out - my then 2 year old would go around singing "my humps, my humps, my lovely lady humps" for hours on end.  Not appropriate for a 2 year old...especially not a 2 year old boy singing about "lady humps".  

Since, I've had the choice in my vehicle and my home - I am very careful of what my now 3 year old youngest son listens to.  I almost exclusively listen to Klove now.  In the car - at home - on my computer - even on Pandora radio (which I love) I tend to keep it on Christian artists I hear on Klove when my son is around - and this morning - yes indeedy - SUPER BLESSED to be working along blogging, getting my "social networking on" and in the background, hear my precious 3 year old singing, "Lead Me" by Sanctus Real. 

When people say their kids don't pick up on the music they listen to - well, they are probably wrong.  Oh, maybe it's just because it runs in the family - all of us LOVE music of all kinds - but for my 3 year old to hear on the occasional car trip "Lead Me" in the background (not one I play at home, don't have the album and haven't heard it on Pandora much), it proves to me that the radio playing in the background does make a difference.  

Some things, movies, tv shows, are geared more to adults - some have innuendos that adults and teens can pick up on easily - right away and laugh or snicker over that we would prefer our young kids not know about yet.  But at that age, I don't think most kids "get it" enough to be bothered by it.  But the music we listen to - although the same principle applies at times, our kids don't understand the lyrics - it's a lot more likely for my son to walk into a room full of adults and start singing something inappropriate than it is for him to quote movie lines.  

So today, once again, I am thankful for my choice to "be careful little ears what you hear" with my son and try to guard his heart and mind by keeping only appropriate and uplifting music playing when he is around. 

What do you listen to in your car?   Around your children?  What kind of difference do you think it makes in their lives?  Attitudes?  Actions?

Free Chips & Queso! Happy Birthday ME!!!!

Click Here For FREE Chips & Queso at Chili's!

Just found this in time for my Birthday Next Week!  Woohoo - I see a trip to Chili's in the works!  Free Queso - Split a Dinner between me and my Beau!  Super Half Priced Meal!  Yummo!!!

Sign up now and you can also join their birthday club to receive discounts & possibly enter to win a $20 gift card!

John Frieda SAMPLE! FREE!!!!

Sign up today and you'll receive a Root Awakening® sample in the mail. Get exclusive haircare offers from Frizz-Ease®, Sheer Blonde®, Brilliant Brunette®, Root Awakening® and Luxurious Volume.

Click HERE to get your FREE SAMPLE!!!  

Pros & Cons of being a SAHM

In the last couple of weeks, I have went from full time working mom to unemployed stay at home (trying to find a job) mom.  I have always envied women who got to spend so much time with their children and in their homes.  

Hmm...right about now - I envy all the moms who drop their children off at daycare each morning and go to work and get a paycheck. 

For multiple reasons: 

(1) PAY CHECK (being broke & dependent on others to pay my bills & put food on my table does NOT set well with this independent woman)

(2) Peace and Quiet - at home with a child all day - I don't even get that quiet 15 minute drive from daycare to the office.  I didn't realize how nice silence was. 

(3) Being able to go "potty" by myself - My 3 year old can open doors very easily now  - I think I have myself "locked" in the bathroom - nope - he arrives and sits in the floor in front of me wanting to chat.

(4) PAY CHECK - just bears repeating

(5) Self Worth - being at home all day doing household chores and watching Madagascar & Marley & Me multiple times leaves you feeling pretty useless. 

Reasons I love being a Temporary Stay at Home Mom:

(1) Not having to dress up or wear makeup unless I WANT to (my Beau thinks I look great in sweats & no makeup - how lucky am I?)

(2) Getting to hold & snuggle 3 year old while watching Madagascar & Marley & Me thousands of times

(3)  Finally accomplishing some of those long wanted cleaning chores (junk drawer is organized!)

(4) 3 year old saying, "Mommy you're so pretty" dozens of times a day AND getting those squishy sticky hugs & kisses

(5) "Meeting" awesome bloggers & learning how to save money & get tons of free stuff online!

I guess, in the long run, right now for me, the pros outweigh the cons of this "job".  It's just - in the moment - when you have so much on your mind (bills to pay & no money to pay with) and you feel so dependent on other people, the thought of being in the workplace again is like manna from Heaven. 

Eh...for now I guess I'll just turn Madagascar back on, forget the bills and snuggle with my cute little red headed 3 year old!

Another Great AT HOME Money Maker!

Here is another great At Home Money maker I came across this week.  Research and Surveys that earn money.  No out of pocket expense - just a little bit of your time!  They are looking for women to give their opinions!  Perfect for us STAY AT HOME MOMS!

Click HERE to get started today making money with PineCone Research!

Deals WORTH YOUR TIME!!!

Boy do I have a lot of AWESOME Deals to share today!!!! 

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

(1)  I turned in SwagBucks over the weekend and already have to my credit THREE $5 Amazon Gift Cards, a $5 Code for Cafe Press and another 1100 SwagBucks waiting to be redeemed. $20 for doing my daily web searches and an occasional poll or survey.   I have totally become addicted to SwagBucks.  I use the toolbar and have set SwagBucks as my home page and main search engine.  I seem to earn bucks right and left!  I also have started browsing the surveys and offers once a day for anything that catches my eye.  10-15 minutes doing Surveys has resulted in a few hundred SwagBucks added to my counter and although not all offers are worth my time - there are some really cool things and easy - TRULY FREE - that earn a few "Bucks" here and there.  Click HERE and begin earning NOW!  WORTH YOUR TIME!!! 

(2) FREE PRODUCTS!!!!  Free pet Food Samples HERE. Free Stickers HERE.  Free Mini Lip Gloss or Eye Primer HERE.  Oh and even a Free Sample of Tampons HERE.  These offers take a couple of minutes to fill out for and a few weeks to ship - but they are FREE and WORTH YOUR TIME!!!  FREE ANNIVERSARY SALE!!!  Click HERE to see 10 FREE products!

(3) Like to give your opinion on things? Join ePoll and Express yourself! Earn rewards and win cash! Click HERE to start winning BIG!  WORTH YOUR TIME!!!!

(4) INBOX DOLLARS - I mentioned these last week but want to say again - that this much like SwagBucks is well worth downloading the toolbar and getting started with.  Especially if you like to play games online - the options of earning money by playing games is AWESOME!  Click HERE to get started or see my link >>> on the sidebar!  WORTH YOUR TIME!!!! (I have already been able to request one $30 check and am halfway toward my next $30! in less than one month of simple browsing & occasional polls)


(5) Research & Surveys DO PAY OFF!  I was hesitant, but after a couple of days of research - I have found that these really do pay off!  Especially if you are like me and are currently a SAHM needing extra income.  Time you spent wasted online or watching tv can now be put to use doing these easy Surveys - Click HERE to get started.  Be one of the lucky few.  Join the National Consumer Panel today!  WORTH YOUR TIME!!!!


Tomorrow - I am going to share with you my best coupon deals of the week locally and how I managed to get a TON of stuff completely FREE!

Boys will be BOYS!

A little over 3 years ago - I gave birth to THE cutest SMARTEST and positively THE most ADORABLE little red headed wee child known to man.

Today...I had a job interview.  That wee child did a fabulous job with his "babysitter" (aka my Beau) and was obedient and for the most part a stellar example of being a good kid.

Beau leaves...and I take over.  Half an hour later - I walk into his bedroom and the workbench & his little plastic tools - well - they look like they threw up all over his room.  Little tiny red and black screws/nuts/bolts and washers are scattered from one end of his room to another.  And there...beside him on the floor...is a bowl, with water in it (still don't know where he got the bowl from), a wash cloth and a towel.

I asked him what on earth he was doing, "You said to clean up my toys so I am giving them a bath!"

OY VAY!!!

Can we say too smart for his own good perhaps?

I only wish I had a functional camera today - the picture would have been worth millions!

A Story of Unexpected Tragedy

A few weeks ago, I stumbled across The Bipolar Diva's Blog.  I loved what I saw and thought she had a great sense of humor, love for family and of course - talented writing.  A few days after I discovered her, she posted a story of her family that rocked me.  It truly shook me.  Something so common, so accepted even in our society at times, that became such a tragedy within her family. 

She graciously agreed to allow me to repost that story here today for all of you to read.  Please take the time and not only read her story, but hop on over to her Blog and show her and her family some love as well.  The Bipolar Diva:


I had this light-hearted post all ready to go today. Then we had Isaiah Jeffrey's 6th birthday "celebration." Every July 19th our family comes together for dinner and to release balloons with messages into the heavens for the angels to carry to our baby.


Isaiah was taken from us when he was exactly 12 weeks old. The birth "father" failed to disclose he had the herpes virus. My daughter was infected and had no symptoms. Isaiah was infected. We found out when he was about 10 days old. A few days later we were told that he wouldn't be with us long. From the day he was born the child was never put down. He was held every second of every day. We had a lifetime of love to give him and a very short time to do so. He died here at my home during dinner on October 11, 2004. When he left a part of all of us left as well.


My daughter's guilt is overwhelming, as is mine. It doesn't matter that there was nothing we could do, it's crushing. Many people ask us how we can live through the situations that our family faces. It's easy really. Once you've lost your child and grandchild nothing seems as dire. You look at things with a new perspective. Yes, at times our struggles seem to be more than we can handle, especially now. But we remember tiny Isaiah and losing him and we know that if we can survive that, we can survive anything.


 
















I know that many of you have differing beliefs than my family and I do. I respect yours and I ask that no matter your belief, you would be willing to watch and listen to the video and the words spoken. Please, for Isaiah.


I'm going to ask something that I never ask. Please re-post this, re-tweet this, share it. We had no idea that my daughter was infected and we had no idea that herpes can be devastating for babies. It can kill them.  Help us get the word out. Be informed, be tested, be cautious. There are innocent lives at stake.

Teri

The Bipolar Diva

visit me at http://www.thebipolardiva.com

Found Another Way to Pay for Christmas!

I am really excited this week about the legitimate ways I have found to go about my daily tasks online and make money without extra effort.  First I discovered SwagBucks and saw how easy and pain free it was to rack up hundreds of  "bucks" toward getting Amazon Gift Cards, Paypal Money and other various gift cards...and now...another simple way to earn a few cents/dollars a day.

Inbox Dollars!!!  >>>>>  See my linky doo over there >>>>> yep!  Click on it and get started.  It's simple - you sign up and get $5 right away in your account...then for every email they send you click on, you receive a few cents.  You can download their toolbar (another safe toolbar with no apparent complications) and earn a few cents a day using it.  They have surveys and offers much like Swagbucks to earn money in your account but on a much smaller scale.  One of my favorite things about Inbox Dollars though - is the fact that they offer to pay you to play games online!  I know a lot of my friends from Facebook like to play Bejeweled Blitz - well here is your chance to put all those hours wasted to good use!

Inbox Dollars doesn't make a TON of money...but in a few days...with really no effort, I've racked up about $40.  Sign up, watch your emails, point and click and make money!  It's as easy as that!

At the rate I'm going - I'll be able to fully fund my Christmas list.  With 7 kids to buy for - that's a HUGE endeavor!!!

SwagBucks - Are They Worth It?

YES!!!!!

I'm pretty picky about incentive programs...especially when they involve asking you to download a toolbar.  Having worked with computers for a few years now and had so MANY people come in with computers ridden with viruses and spyware...I am ALWAYS leery of toolbars.  (They do still slow you down a bit - but if you have a fairly decent system with enough memory not noticeable).

But, after seeing friends and fellow bloggers using SwagBucks and talking about winning gift cards and such for just browsing like normal - I decided it was time to give it a whirl.  

So last Friday afternoon, I signed up, set swagbucks as my new homepage, downloaded the toolbar and "did my thing".  I did read on their web page about ways to earn extra "bucks".  Such as participating in the daily poll and doing surveys (note: surveys only available after being a user for 7 days).  There were tons of "offers" listed that will earn you "bucks".  Some that I would never participate in...some I thought "sure, why not?" and others I just snickered about.  (To each his own yeah?)  

So, I got a few "SB" just for joining, a few more each time I used the toolbar to search, one a day for sure by participating in the daily poll, and then out of nowhere, while searching for a part here for work, I got 11 SB through from using their search engine.  By the end of the first full day using SwagBucks for every day things, and only going out of my way once to do a poll, I had 147 SwagBucks!

Now - it takes somewhere in the range of 480 swagbucks to really "get" anything.  But considering I hadn't had to purchase or do anything extra...I could easily see myself being able to earn $5 a week (Amazon Gift Card) just by doing my normal activities through their search engine.  I do however know that some days and some searches won't always get as many...but it's not a problem...hasn't caused issues on my computer....and it's kind of like a bonus just for being online!

There are "offers" like signing up for Netflix (new membership only), using Vistaprint to order business cards (old or new customer) that I will be checking out today or tomorrow.  Considering I want to use Netflix and I need some new business cards for MyBlogTrifecta it can't hurt.  I know that the business cards will cost me shipping charges, but it's like getting them practically free because just the points earned from that will practically give me enough to get one $5 Amazon Card.  WOOHOO!!  There are also tons of "get free quotes" and such offers that earn SB.  If you have the time and don't mind filling out questionnaires and subjecting yourself to some annoying phone calls or spam emails...then you can rack up thousands of SwagBucks easily.

Currently, (as I type this) I stand at a little over 600 Swagbucks and that is AFTER using 480 to get my first Amazon Card with this morning.  That's basically 10 bucks in 6 days for doing nothing out of the ordinary. 

GO FOR IT!  Swagbucks IS worth it!

Get rewarded for searching the web with SWAG BUCKS! It's FREE, easy, and fun. Register now and start earning SWAG BUCKS immediately!

Being Overwhelmed

People warn you that when you divorce, there will come a time when it just "hits you" and you don't know how or why but you will break. 

Today was my day.

Between being physically exhausted and having overbooked myself beyond sanity the last month...I walked into work this morning, on the verge of an emotional breakdown.

I have wonderful support.  A wonderful Beau who has and is doing more for me than I dreamed possible.  I have great friends and church and family.  My bosses are wonderful and have listened to me rant and rave...and today...been the shoulder I cried on.  I couldn't ask for better support.

But no matter how great the people around me are - I have struggled today with everything.  Guilt.  Grief. Remorse. Anger. Bitterness. Hurt. Questions...oh my the questions.

Yes, I am overwhelmed.  I'm not the first...nor the last...I just wish I could prevent anyone else from going through this.  This gut wrenching pain isn't worth it.  It's not worth the pride, fear and ignorance that keeps you somewhere or sends you somewhere you shouldn't be. 

I'll survive.  I'm a "tough cookie" as my Beau says (what would I do without his support?).  But it's a tough ride there and I wish - really wish I could smack some sense into some people in my life so they would see this NOW instead of having to experience it LATER. 

My Latest Addiction

Frugality!  

Honestly - I've always been a coupon clipper.  If I see them in magazines, the newspaper or even sometimes online, I grab them.  Usually only for certain items.  I budget my groceries and I watch the sale papers.  I stock up when needed on good deals...but I never got into the whole "coupon clipping" game much.  To a degree yes, but not to the extremes.

Until recently.  I kept seeing other blogs with "coupon highs" and such where people were getting hundreds of dollars in groceries & household items for under $30.  Getting free food left and right.  Having stockpiles of staple items and not having to go shopping except for meat/milk/bread once a week. 

Considering I am all for counting pennies, nickels and dimes these days in hopes of saving more money, I decided to get in the program. 

So I joined a few coupony sites, looked through several blogs, clipped, made a list, looked at my ads, discovered that Kroger has a great coupon thing on their website you can load directly to your shoppers card AND last Saturday - I managed to buy $187 of groceries & household items for only $90.71.  Still not great - but WAY better!  That included items for my sons birthday party today at school, a few non sale items and 4 boxes of cereal that I paid only $1.87 for all 4 boxes!!!

Bear with me as I rearrange things here over the next few days - add a few new links and begin revamping and using this blog a couple of times a week to share/show how I have saved with coupons and being extra frugal!

Since this blog is pretty much my random thoughts - I suppose I can add some form of structure to it by adding at least once a week a frugal/coupon hint - tip - or just story of what I saved!

This weeks Best Deals using printed coupons, clipped coupons and Kroger online pre loaded coupons, coupled with in store ads: 

General Mills Cereal 50% off at Kroger - Buy 2 get $1.00 off printed Coupon and 50 cent off coupon loaded on Card = 1 box Cinnamon Life, 1 box Honey Nut Cheerios, 2 boxes Captain Crunch Berries for ONLY $1.87


Yo plait Yogurt on sale for 50 cents each -Used 2 coupons for 40 cent of purchase of 6 (one printed, one loaded on card), Used a .75 off any yo plait purchase from newspaper and a $1.00 of purchase also from newspaper = 6 Yo plait Yogurts for only 45 cents!

Progresso Soups - On sale 2 cans for $4.00 - In store coupon (from back of receipt) $1.00 off any Progresso purchase.  2 .50 cent off coupons (one  printed & one loaded) on each can = 2 Cans Progresso Light Soup (Pot Roast & Chicken Dumpling) for only $1.00


Clean & Clear Astringent - In Clearance Bin at Kroger - discontinued item - on sale for $2.29 (marked down from original $3.79) minus $1.00 printed coupon = 1 Bottle Clean & Clear Astringent for only $1.29


These ^^ were the best deals of my shopping trip with many other good deals and similarly stacked coupon deals.  Very excited about working the "magic" again this week.  I am in a minority though compared to some other couponers out there as I only have in my city: Walmart, Sam's, Kroger, Harvest Foods and Harp's.  Out of these - Kroger & Harvest Food are the only ones that allow coupon stacking and the only ones that make coupon shopping profitable.  But still - not bad for a novice right?

Movin on Up - To BlogFrog AND Twitter!

I FINALLY am joining the land of BlogFrog and Twitter.  It has taken me months and many people telling me how it would increase/improve traffic to my blog - so I finally bit the bullet and went for it.  I've joined a few communities on BlogFrog and plan over the next few weeks to create my own "Community"! 

Twitter - this is all new and unusual for me...so bear with me as I work out the glitches and figure out exactly how this whole thing operates.  Lol.  I'm a novice.  But I hope it will help things here and connect me with a different group of bloggers and friends.

So - notice my new widget on the sidebar for BlogFrog >>>  Somewhere over there!  :-)  And watch in the next few days for me to create a Community of my own for you to Join.  If you have any tips/hints or comments regarding BlogFrog and how I could utilize it...change it...or just what your personal experiences are with it - let me know!  I'm really excited about it!


Twitter...I am even more of a novice with so my sincerest apologies as I get myself up and running over the next few weeks and learn the "game" of tweeting and such.  (See, at least I know proper lingo)  If you want to look me up

@MyBlogTrifecta

Come help me out!  Show me the ropes!  Get me in on the whole Social Networking scheme of things! 

A Novella: Her Beau

With permission from my beau (actually at his suggestion) I am sharing an email I sent him last week while he was still out of town on vacation.  Hope it's not too mushy for my readers, but hope it explains where I am right now a bit more...enjoy:

 

 A contended sigh escapes her lips as she lays her phone back on her desk.  Hanging up with her beau is bittersweet.  She's never had a love who enjoyed talking as much as she did.  Nor one who didn't mind her silliness, wild tangents in the midst of a conversation, or that snort that has happened all too often lately because of so much laughter in her life.

The last 11 days have been such an eye opener to her.  They have alternately dragged and flown by.  The exhaustion she feels right now proves she overbooked herself in an attempt to keep her mind off of him, but she is still glad she did.  The slower days, the ones with nothing to occupy her time, dragged on and made her miss him more.  Oddly, they have talked and text more in the last several days than they do on a regular basis.  That pull and knowledge of not being able to hop in the car and give him a hug...she guesses that has to do with it. 

She married the love of her life.  The man who made her stomach do flip flops and who defied all reason and rationality in her life.  And he destroyed her.  He destroyed her trust and faith in men and God.  He destroyed her self esteem and her ability to feel capable and good about herself.  Yet her heart still wanted him.  For whatever insane reason, she gave it all up just to be his wife.  Until the day it came to an end.  Her heart closed up against him and she wouldn't allow herself to feel anymore.  Feeling was tearing her apart and making her miserable.  She preferred death to being at his mercy.  She sat in the lawyers office not wanting to file because part of her still loved him so much, but knowing she had to because it wasn't going to change or get better.  She gave her all...and then some.  He took it - greedily - without remorse or thanks.  She wasn't giving him any more of who she was.

And now, she sees something so much better...so much different...that she owes "him" thanks for.  She owes the ex a huge hug and thank you for showing her what a REAL man could be to her.  For tearing her apart and making her hurt and bitter and angry.  Because in the midst of that, when she finally had to let him go and say goodbye, she embraced her faith once again.  She went back to her roots.  She told God she would never love like that again.  She would never let a man hurt her again or destroy her image of herself again.  She didn't want a man nor was she looking for one.  And when she least expected it, God put a man in her life that defied everything she believed about men. 

Her beau.

There are so many different kinds of love in this life.  The love of a mother for their child.  Unconditional.  A love that has no bounds.  One that grows each day as you watch them grow.  From the first flutters within the womb, to the lusty cry at birth, to the day that mother holds her child's hand as they listen to their firstborns cry.  There is the love of two friends who know when the other is hurting.  The friend who doesn't hesitate to answer at 2am when the other is hurting and needs to talk.  Or needs a ride home...or to the ER.  And there is romantic love...and that love can be so incredible...so amazing...so fulfilling.

In the last 11 days, she has thought a lot about the different loves she has had in her life.  The romantic loves and how they have affected her.  That first love that so much of her life was wrapped up in.  The man she fell in love with and had her first "dreams" with.  The one she first pictured herself being with forever.  And how his death changed her. Shaped her.  Moved her.  That love will never leave her.  But it was such a young love.  A love with no perception of what "life" really was.  With no knowledge of trial or tribulation.  A love that knew no bounds, but knew nothing about reality. 

The lustful love that resulted in her firstborn.  A man who she cared deeply for and loved, but who she never felt that desire to be with forever.  A man who will always remain in her heart and she will always be thankful for...he gave her a precious gift.  But a man who as long as they were together, and as much as she loved, she knew would never be her forever lover.

The love of her life.  The one that made her drop everything she wanted or dreamed of and run with him.  The man she allowed to destroy her.  The man who had a pull and a draw about him that defied everything she'd ever known or been told.  A man who took advantage of her immaturity and naivety and destroyed the young lady she was.  She became a woman because of him.  She became hardened.  She became distrustful.  And yet, she learned what love really was. 

And now, she sits at her desk and smiles to herself at the last love in her life.  The last she will ever have.  Her beau...who is now 1633 miles away from her but will be back at her side in 4 days and 3 nights.  The man who has shown her what real love is like.  What a true relationship should be.  One built on reality and acceptance and true give and take.  He walked into her life unexpectedly and she prays will never leave. 

He was a man who she "knew" a lot longer than she realized.  A man who had crossed her path several times before, yet her eyes and heart were focused elsewhere.  And then, when she least expected it and needed it most, he paid her a compliment.  And the guy she always thought was "cute" became a man she desired and wished she knew more about.  And now, here she sits, completely in love with him in a way that she never knew was possible.

She would never want him to think or feel her love for him wasn't the best -  because IT IS.  But it is different.  So much "more better" than any other she has experienced.  Just as he has said, she feels too, it is the greatest love she has ever had.  A love that doesn't require tolerance or overlooking of irritations.  It is a love that suits her so completely and thoroughly, she doesn't think she could have hand picked or ordered a better or more perfect man to be at her side.  And that - "at her side" is one of the best things about him.  He doesn't just "have her back" but he is right there beside her.  Truly a team mate in "the battle". 

Her ex husband was an instant attraction and love that was lustful and passionate but was full of tolerance and ignoring and neglect. 

Her beau was an instant attraction and lust and love that IS full of passion and desire and no room for anything bad.  They have already faced minor irritations and annoyances.  He has seen her on her worst days and with the attitude that drove others away, and yet he still loves her.  And not just in word but in action.  Not just what he says, but what he does.  How he listens.  How he looks.  How he speaks.  How he listens.  Man does he listen.  And it actually sinks in.  He listens and learns about her and sees and knows her better than any person ever has.  He senses her moods and her needs before she is willing to admit them.  And he meets her needs.  Physically and emotionally.  He is the greatest love of all. 

A real, mature, long lasting, never ending love.  Not story book romance love - because there is no such thing.  Life has problems and trials and temptations.  God didn't promise it would be easy.  But real love.  The kind that is easy because you choose to love that person regardless of their shortcomings.  A love where you accept and embrace their "bad things" (of which she hasn't found in any in him yet) and wake up every day not wondering how you can love them, but why you got so lucky to have the chance to love them.

She is happy now.  Her life is not perfect.  There are many material things she would love to have and minor annoyances she wishes were gone.  She has dreams and aspirations that may or may not happen - but she is happy.  She is content.  To love a man who loves her back.  Equally at least but more often so much more than she loves him.  She strives each day to show him more how special he is and how much he means to her.  How she can't imagine her life without him in it.  And of all the loves she has had - he will be last and is the greatest.

4 days left...well...3 1/2 now really...and only 3 nights.  She can't wait.  She needs to hold her beau and tell him he makes her feel like the happiest girl in the whole world.  And how all the trials and all the "bad" loves in her life...she is so thankful for..because now...here she is in love with the best of them all.  The one that will never leave or fade or grow hard to love. 

Yes...she has found "the one".  He is everything she ever wanted, dreamed or prayed for...and on top of that, God blessed her with so much more than she could have imagined.  He loves her AND her son...he treats her like a queen and his words make her feel confident and special and capable again. 

Yes, her beau, he has completed her.  She is finally home.