For us, roses are a special symbol of love for more than the traditional reasons. As we have grown together in our marriage, we have both realized that a Rose is a very beautiful expression of Love. When we think of a Rose, we typically think of a incredibly beautiful multi-petaled flower; when we think of Love, we usually think of a warm fuzzy feeling in our stomach. But there is more to a rose than the flower, and more to love than the feelings.There are leaves on a rose, and to us those are kinda like the mundane parts of being with one another; riding to work together, eating dinner together, being partners in our church ministries - not exactly the romantic parts of life; but made more fulfilling in our relationship with each other.
There are also the thorns on the Rose: and trust us, there are thorns in marriage, too - the disagreements, the lack of communication, etc. But we want you to know that the leaves and the flower make love & marriage so fantastic that we can completely ignore the thorns; much the same way that a young girl ignores them when she gets a Rose from her boyfriend.
And this year, we are experiencing a new kind of Love/Rose. In September, Lord willing, we will bring a new life into this world. For now we call that new life 'Noah.' We know that Noah will be a mixture of joy and pain; but we know that the joy that Noah brings will so vastly outweigh the pain, that we will be able to look back on this experience of pregnancy and birth and only see the Rose.
Happy Valentines Day
~ joshua & shannon (& Noah)
p.s. - and yes, we are scared out of our minds at the responsibility and decisions; but we'll save that for another day... :)
12:37 PM
CONGRATULATIONS on the new life that God is forming in you, Shannon! And thanks too for the honest picture of marriage through the rose analogy. Marriage is so rich and full. Clinging to God through the trials of marriage (and life too) with Matt has made our bond stronger.
How's your pregnancy going so far?
12:55 PM
CONGRATULATIONS TO BOTH OF YOU!!!!!! Yes, it is the scariest, most wonderful, most mind-blowing thing when you find out that you have an angel forming inside of you! I'm so excited for both of you! You are truly going to be great parents! I hope the pregnancy goes smoothly for both your sakes, but mostly Shannons (sorry Josh). So do you know for sure yet if you are having a boy, or is that just positive reinforcement? Keep us updated on your progress and you know we're all going to want to see pictures of your belly as you go along!!! =)
I'll keep you two and the little peanut in my prayers! So excited for you!
1:37 PM
Alicia: Josh actually wrote up the rose analogy! I was so proud of him when I read it!
Janelle: No we have no clue what we're having. We just like having a generic name instead of always referring to it or baby or something.
It's also somewhat a joke on my mom, which is a long story!
My pregnancy is going fine. I'm in week 8. I haven't been too sick. No vomiting here! Just the all day nauseous feeling. It seems to help if I try to keep food in my stomach though. I've also been pretty tired.
Yes, when I start showing we will be sure to post pictures!
1:39 PM
Congratulations! I'm sure you're excited & hope the nausea passes quickly!
10:51 AM
What wonderful news Shannon! I am very happy for you two. God is so good! You chose a very creative way to announce your pregnancy! God Bless.
11:42 AM
Ohh! I'm so excited for you! It's a new stage of life for both of you to experience and I'm sure it will only grow you closer together and to God! A beautiful opportunity! I'll be praying for you. Do you have an exact due date?
12:29 PM
I don't have a Due Date from the Doctor yet, but I think it's around September 27th.
12:47 PM
Congrats, congrats! We hope you have an uneventful pregnancy and delivery! God is good!!
6:08 PM
Congratulations on your pregnancy! That is so awesome!
Also - the rose illustration is great.
9:44 PM
Congratulations! I'm so glad to hear that you aren't experiencing morning sickness (that was very inaccurately named in my case because it lasted all day long). :-) It was all worth it, though!
My mom says to tell you congrats too. She says she's so excited that your mom is going to be a grandma. If you knew how much my mom loves being a grandma, it would be more meaningful; but your mom will get the picture since she knows my mom pretty well.
Karis
10:05 PM
Congratulations Shannon and Josh! How very exciting! Everyone told us how much having a baby would change our lives and what an amazing experience it would be - they were SO right. I'm glad to hear that the nausea hasn't been too terrible. I hope that you feel great for the remainder of your pregnancy. I'm excited to read your upcoming posts!
9:33 PM
Hey Shannon & Josh - what a beautiful picture of love. Thank you for the words of wisdom.
I am excited for both of you. You will make great parents! And . . I had a blast shopping with you on Saturday! I am only going to say it one more time - I LOVE WAUSAU!
Shelli
3:22 PM
Hi Shannon!
I don't know if you remember me, but this is Julie, Joy Camburn's cousin. Congrats on your pregnancy! I am happy for you both.
I would love to hear from you. My email address is boysenanthony@hotmail.com
10:45 AM
dear shannon and joshua,
congratulations on little "noah" i am so excited for both of you. what a blessing. what a beautiful post.
God bless you guys!
janelle