The McMillins

We've almost made it. Two more days and it's official. We'll be married for 1 whole year!! Time sure does fly. Don't worry.... there WILL be many more to come! We're so happy and excited.

The first year was a little tough. Of course, we were instant family also. The hardest part was Gretchen moving to a new state and not knowing anyone. Some of Corey's friends' wives really helped with that after about 6 months of being married. So, the first 6 months were definitely the hardest with Gretchen being in a depression and Corey not knowing how to handle that. Then, Gretchen got involved with a women's bible study which helped to get to know more people. Plus, Gretchen was so used to being a single parent that it took some time for both of us to learn how to work together to discipline Zach & other areas of how we wanted to raise our child(ren). Overall, it's definitely been a growing time for both of us. We're closer and much more stable than we were a year ago and that's what counts. God has stretched us and b/c we have had faith in HIM, we have a wonderful marriage.

So... to celebrate, we're going on a cruise.... with Gretchen's parents and Zach. lol Well.... it'll be nice. Gretchen's parents are taking Zach for Saturday night through Monday (at the very least). That way, we can still see them if we want or we can just be by ourselves. Corey is looking forward to EATING! lol He has no idea what's coming to him. He has never been on a cruise before. We feel so fortunate that God has blessed us to be able to do something luxurious as this. If it wasn't for God's blessings that He's given us.... it wouldn't be possible.

Gretchen just started reading a book called, "Shepherding a Child's Heart" by Tedd Tripp. It's very good. It definitely gives a better perspective on how to parent. We focus on what God wants for him now, instead of what we want for him. That way he understands that it's about glorifying God and not just obeying us b/c we're his parents. We're God's messengers to him. We especially like how he talks about parents being disobedient to God if they don't spank their children. Proverbs 13:24 says, "He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him." The world wonders why we are living in such a corrupt society yet psychologists are telling parents to do the exact opposite of what the Bible says to do like put children in time out instead of spanking them. They took prayer out of schools, they want to take out "UNDER GOD" out of the pledge of allegience and NOW they want to make it illegal to spank your children. Our society is the way it is b/c it's going AWAY from what the Bible is teaching. A child learns to receive correction, not b/c parents are always right, but b/c God says the rod of correction imparts wisdom, and whoever heeds correction shows prudence (Proverbs 15:5, 29:15; "Shepherding a Child's Heart"). Parents only muddy the waters when the bottom line in discipline is their displeasure over their behavior rather than God's displeasure with rebellion against His ordained authority. We tell Zach, when he disobeys us, that God says that we have to spank him when he disobeys us. So, if we don't spank him then we're disobeying God. He really listens when we tell him that. It really seems to make a difference. God definitely knows what He's doing better than any psychologist. If you are a parent with children living at home and haven't read it, we recommend that you do.

Okay... we're getting off our soap box. No posts for the next week. We will definitely let you know how the trip went. Have a good week, everyone! :)

It's been so nice getting back to a normal schedule lately. We're kind of glad the Holidays are over with. There's usually so much chaos and business. Plus, it's nice to have the Christmas decorations packed up and put away. They are nice for a time but can feel like clutter after a while.

Gretchen started back at the gym on January 2nd. The gym was definitely busy with all those people making "New Year's Resolutions". Although, the gym has already slowed down some. Gretchen is trying to lose some weight before the cruise. Corey thinks she looks great already but she's very self-conscious. She was doing really well until she got sick. Last Saturday, she had a really bad headache and could barely get off the couch. It progressively got worse throughout the week. Her head started feeling better and she went to the gym 2 days this week but she started getting really congested. So, she's been trying to rest and eating chicken noodle soup and drinking lots of orange juice to get better. She can't wait to get back to the gym.

We go on the cruise with Gretchen's parents in 2 weeks. We're really looking forward to it. We'll be celebrating our 1 year anniversary on the cruise! Can you believe it??? ONE YEAR!!! It should be fun! We're going parasailing, kayaking and snorkeling on Grand Cayman Island. Corey is going scuba diving on Cozumel while Gretchen, Zach and her parents go to this "Beach Break" thing. Then, we're planning on just relaxing the rest of the trip. It'll be a nice break for Corey since he's been working so hard the past 5 months.