I have the BEST Husband in The World!!! Happy Anniversary!!

Happy Anniversary!! April 22,1989 I married my Best Friend, The Love of My Life, The Man of My Dreams and All that I could ever Hope for.. We have been married for 21 years and I can not believe it has been that long.. In ways it seems like it was just yesterday and then again I can not remember my life before him! I have been blessed in so many ways being Mrs Chuck Ray and I owe all my Thanks to God! Of course we have had our ups and downs in our marriage just like any other but I am so Thankful that we have God in the center of our marriage and at the head of our household because it all works out for the best because of Gods grace and guidance in every situation. We have also been blessed with 2 boys who he is a great example to, he lets them know that marriage is hard work and you have to work at it, he lets them know that I am his number one priority, he shows them to love and respect me in everything that he does. He is such a great example and I am so blessed! Happy Anniversary Chuck, I love you more today than I did 21 yrs ago! I pray that God continues to bless our marriage and that he allows many more happy years together filled with nothing but happiness and lots of love!Thanks for all you do for me and thank you for putting our family first.. I have to honestly be one of the luckiest girls in the world~ I love you bunches and will forever and always and for eternity~~~
James 1 : 17 says that Every Good and Perfect Gift Comes From Above.. and you are truly my gift~~~ Love you , cherish you and oh so proud of you~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxooxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxxooxox Happy Anniversary to my Mom and Dad too! They have been married for 49 years and have been the greatest example of what True Love is about.. Thank you for setting that example, we pray that you have many more years of happiness and true love!! Love you both!!

Happy Easter 2010"

Happy Easter to you and yours! Wow! This day is fabulous and means so much to me.. I have always known what Easter was and what it stood for. Of course as a little girl it meant that the Easter Bunny was coming and bringing me a basket full of goodies and of course I got to dress up and go to church but then later on in life I focused on the day as just a Holiday and got to get a new dress and wear it to church like a fashion show and then later after I had the boys we started the Easter Bunny tradition as well but I also knew there was more to it and I wanted my kids to know it just was not about the basket full of goodies, the dying of the eggs and the dress up, I wanted them to know that God sent his son his only son to die on the cross for our sins and how he was put in the tomb after he died and after 3 days he rose again. Of course they were little and did not really understand but I can say TODAY at almost 16 and 13 they know the TRUE meaning of Easter and we celebrate that our Lord and Savior is Alive and guides us everyday. I am so thankful that they do understand and I am so thankful that they both have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ!!I was talking to a friend of mine the other day and I was telling her that this year the meaning of Easter really really hit me personally. I can not relate to the LOVE that Christ has showed us by sending His one and only Son to die on the cross for us for me, when I am describing this to someone it just amazes me that HE died for us but if it was just ME or YOU he would have done it anyway.. wow that is true love! When you think of your own child would you send your child to take that sacrifice? That is True Love! I am blessed! It really hits me personally when I think of Him on the cross and all HE went thru.. He took it for me! That is TRUE LOVE! After he died they took his body off of the cross and wrapped it in linen and put him in a tomb and rolled a heavy heavy stone in front of the tomb, after the third day they came back and the stone was rolled away and the body was gone, do you know why it was not there? Because HE said HE would come back and rise again, HE promised and HIS word is TRUE. Thank you Lord for coming back to live with me every single day, every single second to guide and direct me, to love me like no other, to be my best friend, to be my Savior, to be my KING, to be my EVERYTHING! I truly can not comprehend how people do not believe, I just can't even go there, I can not understand why you would not want a personal relationship with HIM. What do you have to lose? Do you know GOD? Do you believe in GOD? Do you believe GOD? or do you just know the Easter story that someone told you?? I also look at Easter as Renewed, Refreshed,A New Start.. Easter always takes place in the Spring time, when you think of Spring , you think of Sunshine, New Growth, Green Grass, Brightly colored flowers, Blue Skies, New Blooms on Trees, Baby Animals, New Life a whole New Start And that's what HE promises us when we have a personal relationship with HIM.. I just want to say Thank you Lord for your amazing love, your amazing grace, and all that you do for me and bless me, I want to Glorify you in all I do and say and I want to share your word and your love. If you just know the Easter story and would like to know more and would like to have a personal relationship with the Creator of the Universe, get in touch with me and I will introduce you to HIM! For those of you who do have that personal relationship with Jesus Christ, my prayer is that you would continue to grow deeper with HIM and Glorify Him every single day with your actions and your words..I beg you to teach your children about Jesus Christ instead of the Easter Bunny, just a FYI he brings baskets full of goodies every single day not just once a year.. Have a Blessed day and thanks for making us a part of your day!! Lots to come with Raising The Ray Boys!!!

SPRING BREAK 2010'

WELL SPRING BREAK HAS COME AND GONE AND WE ARE ALREADY AT THE END OF MARCH.. THIS YEAR SEEMS TO BE FLYING BY.. I REMEMBER SOMEONE SAYING THE OLDER YOU GET, THE FASTER THE YEARS ROLL BY AND BOY IS THAT TRUE.. ALL THOUGH I AM STILL 29:) WE HAD A GREAT SPRING BREAK, WE DID NOT GET TO GO ANYWHERE THIS YEAR DUE TO PHILLIP BEING ON THE HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL TEAM, HE HAD GAMES SO HE HAD TO BE HERE..BUT THAT WAS OK IT TURNED OUT OK.. OUR GOOD FRIENDS THE LONGS FROM ST LOUIS CAME UP AND SPENT THE WEEK WITH US. WE ALWAYS HAVE SO MUCH FUN WITH THEM, THEY HAVE TRULY BECOME LIKE FAMILY TO US..THEIR BOYS ARE DIRT BIKE RIDERS AND SO THEY BROUGHT THEIR BIKES AND GOT TO RIDE EVERYDAY. THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN PEYTON'S DREAM SINCE HE WAS 2 TO RIDE DIRT BIKES.. I CAN REMEMBER HIM IN HIS CAR SEAT MAKING MOTORCYCLE SOUNDS AND EVERY TIME HE SAW ONE ON THE ROAD HE WOULD SCREAM LOOK LOOK.. SO HIS DREAM FINALLY CAME TRUE,WHILE THEY WERE HERE THE TRACK THAT THEY WERE RIDING AT WAS HOSTING A BEGINNERS CAMP THAT WEEK SO WE SIGNED HIM UP AND I CAN NOT EVEN BEGIN TO TELL YOU HOW EXCITED HE WAS.. THE LONGS WERE SO SWEET, THEY HAVE KNOWN PEYT SINCE HE WAS 2 AND HAVE ALWAYS KNOWN THAT THIS WAS HIS PASSION AND SO THEY BROUGHT HIM ALL OF THE GEAR THAT HE NEEDED, JERSEY, PANTS, BOOTS, GLOVES AND HELMET AND OH MY GOODNESS YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN HIS FACE WHEN THEY GAVE HIM THOSE THINGS, HE WAS SO EXCITED!! SO OFF HE GOES TO CAMP AND HAD A BLAST, HE DID REALLY WELL FOR SOMEONE WHO HAD NEVER RIDDEN BEFORE. HE DID SAY AT THE END OF THE DAY THAT HE WAS TIRED AND THAT RIDING WAS HARD WORK ON YOUR LEGS.. HE DID HAVE FUN THOUGH AND SAYS HE STILL WANTS TO RIDE BUT WE HAVEN'T REALLY SEEN THE PASSION THAT WE THOUGHT WE WOULD SEE AFTER THE FACT.. TO BE HONEST I AM HOPING HE WILL FIND ANOTHER LOVE,MOTORCYCLES SCARE ME TO DEATH AND I SURE DON'T WANT TO SEE HIM GET HURT..PHILLIP PLAYED A FEW GAMES OVER SPRING BREAK AND HAD PRACTICES SO HE WAS BUSY WITH THAT BUT OH MY DID ALL OF THOSE BOYS HAVE FUN.. THEY PLAYED BASKETBALL AND BASEBALL AND WE WENT OUT TO EAT A FEW TIMES,OF COURSE THEY PLAYED VIDEO GAMES AND WATCHED MOVIES AND I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT THEIR LATE NIGHT CONVERSATIONS WERE WHEN THE LIGHTS WERE OUT AND THE DOOR WAS SHUT, HA HA HA.. BUT OH THAT IS WHAT MAKES THE FUN MEMORIES...THEY LEFT ON SATURDAY MORNING BRIGHT AND EARLY AND I HAVE TO SAY I WAS REALLY SAD.. LIKE I SAID WE ALWAYS HAVE ALOT OF FUN AND ALOT OF LAUGHS WITH THEM.. MARGY DOESN'T REALLY LIKE TO SHOP BUT I TURNED HER INTO A SHOPPER WHILE SHE WAS HERE, WE WENT TO HARWIN FOR THE DAY AND HAD A BLAST. I AM SURE SHE NEEDED A VACATION WHEN SHE GOT HOME.. THANKS FOR COMING TO VISIT, WE ENJOYED YALL SO MUCH AND LOVE AND MISS YOU BUNCHES! WE HOPE THAT YALL HAD A GREAT SPRING BREAK TOO... A FEW MORE WEEKS AND SUMMER WILL BEGIN, AND I CAN NOT WAIT!! THANKS FOR MAKING US A PART OF YOUR DAY.. CHECK BACK AND SEE WHAT THE RAY BOYS ARE UP TO NEXT!!!

ITS BASEBALL SEASON ONCE AGAIN

I CAN NOT EVEN BEGIN TO TELL YOU HOW EXCITED WE ARE THAT IT IS BASEBALL SEASON ONCE AGAIN.. WE LIVE FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR.. SITTING OUTSIDE WATCHING THE BOYS DO SOMETHING THAT THEY HONESTLY LIVE AND BREATH AND LOVE TO DO HAS TO BE ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS TO DO.. THIS PAST SATURDAY WAS OPENING DAY FOR MAGNOLIA BASEBALL LEAGUE BALL AND IT IS ALWAYS SO MUCH FUN TO GO OUT AND SEE YOUR CHILD HAVING A GOOD TIME AND BONDING WITH THEIR NEW TEAM AND FRIENDS. THIS YEAR IS DIFFERENT FOR US, WE ONLY HAVE ONE IN LEAGUE BALL AND THE OTHER ONE IS PLAYING HIGH SCHOOL BALL FOR HIS SCHOOL. THANK GOODNESS WE DON'T HAVE TO MANY CONFLICTS, WE HAVE A FEW BUT WE ARE NOT COMPLAINING. CHUCK IS COACHING THE YOUNGEST SO I AM ALWAYS WITH THE HIGH SCHOOLER BUT MOST OF THE TIMES WE WILL ALL BE ABLE TO WATCH EACH ONE. WE ARE SO EXCITED TO SAY THAT BOTH TEAMS WON THEIR FIRST GAME SO EVERYONE IS HAPPY IN THE RAY HOME~~ WE WERE SO EXCITED ABOUT THE LEAGUE TEAM, SINCE CHUCK IS COACHING HE GETS TO PICK OUT WHICH TEAM HE WANTS TO BE, SO GUESS WHO HE PICKED?? THEY ARE ALL MLB TEAMS, ITS OUR FAVORITE TEAM EVER..... YOU GUESSED IT...ST LOUIS CARDINALS!!! I AM JUST SO EXCITED BECAUSE MOVING HERE FROM ST LOUIS, I HAVE LOTS OF CUTE CARDINALS ATTIRE:)AND I GET TO WEAR IT WITHOUT BEING HARASSED!! OUR JEEP EVEN HAS CARDINALS ON IT SO THESE PEOPLE PROBABLY THINK WE TAKE OUR LITTLE LEAGUE TEAM SERIOUS..LOL..I CAN NOT WAIT TO WATCH MY BOYS PLAY AND MESH AS A TEAM WITH THEIR NEW TEAMMATES AND ALSO GET TO KNOW THE OTHER PARENTS. IF YOU HAVE EVER PLAYED ON A TEAM OR HAD A CHILD PLAY YOU KNOW YOU SEE THE SAME PEOPLE EVERY WEEK SOMETIMES 3 OR 4 TIMES SO YOU BECOME FRIENDS AND THEN YOU TRULY BECOME LIKE A FAMILY AND I LOVE THAT..ITS SUCH A FUN TIME AND I AM SO THANKFUL TO GOD THAT MY BOYS ARE HEALTHY AND ABLE TO PLAY BALL AND I AM VERY THANKFUL THAT CHUCK IS A HEALTHY MAN WHO IS ABLE TO COACH AND SPEND TIME WITH HIS CHILDREN AND OTHER PEOPLES TOO.. I PRAY THAT GOD WILL JUST USE HIM TO MENTOR TO THESE BOYS AND GIVE THEM GUIDANCE AND DIRECTION AND BE THE EXAMPLE THAT GOD WANTS HIM TO BE TO THEM. I THANK GOD THAT I AM ABLE TO GO AND WATCH AND CHEER AS LOUD AS I CAN..THE FINAL WORDS ON THIS POST IS SPEND TIME WITH YOUR KIDS AND TRULY ENJOY WATCHING THEM DO WHAT THEY LOVE TO DO.. ENCOURAGE AND PRAISE THEM AS MUCH AS YOU CAN AND REALIZE THAT THEY ARE ONLY YOUNG ONCE.. MAKE MEMORIES! SET POSITIVE EXAMPLES! AND LOVE YOUR KIDDOS!!!!

NOTHING IS BETTER THAN GROWING CLOSER TO GOD WITH A GROUP OF SWEET FRIENDS

I know I have blogged before about my sweet friends who I met when I first moved here in the Just Moved Bible Study Class... The study that we did was held at a church that we all attended at that time and now some of us have gone to other churches, but we all met at this study in August 2008 and have kept in touch weekly and have grown closer to one another.. This group of ladies are just a important part of my life and I look forward to seeing them weekly. They strengthen me and encourage me, they inspire me with their God gifted talents, they listen to my crazy stories and cry with me when I am down especially when I say I want to move back to St Louis and laugh with me when I am up.. We all come from different walks of life and have some what different lifestyles but then again, we are all Married, we are all Mommas and we are all Southern girls and most important thing is we are all Sisters in Christ~~So you see we may be different in some ways but we are more alike than anything.. Right now we are doing a weekly bible study on Thursday mornings it is a study that I am sure you all have heard of if not have already done it.. The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren.. This study has such a awesome insight of what our purpose is in life and we are on day 12.. We have had some great discussions and great insights and great advice.. I appreciate what they do and say on Thursday mornings and it is just not on Thursday mornings, we pray for each other daily and the thing is I KNOW they are praying and not just saying it.. I can totally feel their love and their prayers when I am not with them..In this short time that we have known each other we feel each others pain and know when one another is down without having to say a word, we can tell by each others facial expressions or how we are carrying ourselves.. God has given each one of us the gift of compassion and friendship.. I would say that is the beginning of what true friendships are..Don't you just love unexpected gifts from God..When we moved here at the end of June 2008 I had no idea that I would meet these girls and have the love that I do for them today! We have gone through some situations with other friendships, with our husbands,with our families, with our own health issues and we have all been there to share and pray for one another.. I thought my life was so blessed and so good when we lived in St Louis and that nothing would ever compare, I thought it was the end of my life when I had to move away from my friends but God showed me not only was I comfortably blessed with my life and friends in St Louis, he showed me and gave me more blessings to add to my life and for that I am forever grateful..Do not ever underestimate the gifts from God that he will bless your life with....He truly knows the desires of our hearts and for that I am so glad.. Before we moved and after we moved in I prayed and prayed that God would let our family feel like we belonged here and that he would give us all a great group of friends who were built on the same foundation as we are and boy did HE~~I am so glad the he knows my hearts desires and I love the path that he has made for me.. I pray that I continue to grow with him deeper and that I can shine HIS light thru this community.. I am so glad that I have a blessed group of girls that I can grow with and that they can be my prayer partners, my spiritual encouragers and my accountability sisters! I love you all and I pray nothing but happiness and blessings for each one of you and I pray that God will bless you with a group of great friends too!!!!

Congratulations Phillip!!!

We are so excited for Phillip!! He made the high school baseball team!! This has been a dream of his ever since he could pretty much hold a bat!! This is going to be a great season of his life and ours too.. Here in the South High School sports are BIG... Especially when you live in a small town.. The whole town practically comes out for all the games so this will be a ton of fun for all of us.. A few of his friends made the team too so we will be getting to watch and travel with all of the other families... It is just so neat, when your kids play on sports teams with their friends and you are together weekly or sometimes more than once a week, you get to know other families pretty well and you become like "Family" So again I say God has Blessed us once again!!Phillip is so excited and looks forward to practicing every single day..He gets upset if it rains or something comes up where they don't get to but oh how he looks forward to it when they do.. Last Saturday, they had a 100 inning game and they announced all the players and their sponsors and that was a fun day..We just pray that Phillip has a great time playing ball and getting to know his teammates and coaches.. We pray for all the boys on the team that they will all work together for the best for the team and they come out a winning team... We pray that Phillip will be able to keep up with his school work and keep his grades up and play ball and we hope he can balance it where it wont be to overwhelming for him...Today he had his first scrimmage and they had to play about a hour away so they always have to take the bus to and from for liability reasons and I was kind of afraid that he would get tired or hungry on the bus but NO! he had a blast, he said it was actually very fun...He did really well at this scrimmage and felt good about how he did, we have told him to do his best and give it all he has and he will do fine... He has another scrimmage tomorrow and we cant wait to watch him play again! He got his uniform last week and was just so excited, they can not wear them to scrimmages, they have to wait for the season to start to wear them so they will all be clean and crisp...If you are in our area come on out and support the team! Looking forward to a fun season of life... Thanks for making us a part of your day today.... God Bless YOU!!!!