THE List . . .

To think of all the joy I would have missed by not being the mother of my Miss Priss! It's an almost unbearable thought. She's a blessing, an amazing daughter and I can't imagine life without her.

I realize of course that I am biased (I have the right to be :), but there is no doubt that Priss is definitely a unique individual. In more ways than one. Always has been. For instance, growing up she was never a very picky child. She was always happy with so little. Maybe that's why she still gets a huge grin on her face when finding a coloring book and crayons! And then there was her clothing style. But I won't lie and say that my wallet wasn't all too happy when she shoped at Goodwill and headed straight for the clearance-clearance racks - as a teenager no less - just so she wouldn't be a clone of everyone else. But her outlook at picky changed a little when it came to the man she hoped to one day marry. Yep, that was an entirely different story. I guess you could say 'picky' arrived and she had game. :)

She didn't just dream of her Knight in shining armor. She put a lot of thought into him and even developed what would become her ‘Top Eleven List’ (..'too important to have just 10'..) that he would have to meet. She began using it as a guide for dating in school when the time came, which meant she didn’t date that much...

Let me share her requirements:

#1 - NOT military

Did you get that? I mean - #1 – right of the bat! She always said, adamantly, that she would NEVER date (which meant certainly not marry) someone in the military. Her reasoning was that she would never, ever leave Clarksville.

I'm pretty sure if you're a mom you'll agree that motherly instinct is stronger than any radar system ever created by man. So you'll understand when I say that instinct kicked straight into overdrive the moment she uttered those four words “Mom . . . he’s the one.”

She grew up knowing that her daddy and I were praying for her future husband and she always had faith that God would provide him when the time came. So here we were and we both knew that Brandon did not meet the requirements on her list. I mean he couldn't even make it past # 1!!!!! :) But knowing my baby's heart - the only way her mother can – it did not surprise me in the least to hear her simply say . . . ‘Then I guess God has a different list for me . . .’

So here we are. TEN days from her wedding day. To the man of her dreams. To the one she's always waited for. To answered prayers. To hopes and dreams. And of course we love Brandon already and are so excited he will be a part of our family. I can honestly say that I could not have hand picked a better man to love and cherish my baby as she deserves. He makes her happy - and that makes Mama happy :)

But hey...I don't want to leave you hanging on the rest of her list. It went like this:

#2 - Christian - PASS
#3 - Family has to be important - PASS
#4 - Tall (er than me) - PASS
#5 - Can support me and a family - PASS
#6 - Will spoil me (like my daddy does) - PASS, PASS :)
#7 - Loves and respects me - PASS
#8 - Makes me feel safe - PASS
#9 - Outspoken - PASS
#10 - Can have fun with me - but keep me in check - PASS
#11 - Loves the outdoors - PASS

So, it is with a mother’s happy heart that I look forward to watching these two complete each other, grow together as man and wife, and some day (not too far away I hope) become parents themselves.