one amazing year

A year ago yesterday, I stood in front of my friends and family looking into the most beautiful blue eyes I had ever seen and telling that girl that I would spend the rest of my life with her, no matter what happened. A year later, I am still amazed that God has chosen me to be with this girl, to call her my best friend, and to share life with her as long as our days will allow us. How great is my God that he would bless me in such a way! I am grateful daily for Lydia and that she chose me as well.

We have been talking a lot lately about how quickly this last year has gone and how grateful we were how well the first year went. In fact as we were going to bed last night, she remarked "I thought that the first year was supposed to be rough!". That is an interesting thought. I guess that in the flurry of being married, I hadn't really considered that we should be having a hard time or that marriage should be really difficult. Yes, it is an adjustment and yes, you have to share space while navigating another persons personality all the while. However, I have found most of the difficulties that I have faced have been self-imposed. That is, I have learned more about myself in the last year than I ever have and that isn't always the best thing. When you are single for a long period of time like I was, you get pretty selfish in your ways and you don't realize how things might come across or how your little quirks can not always be the easiest things for others to handle. I have learned so much about myself while sharing my life with someone who is willing to let me know when I am being a jerk or when she is really happy with me.

In other words, I probably isolated myself from other people for way to long in my life. While I worked a very public job in ministry, I tended to shut myself off from others during my "off time". Sometimes I wish I had allowed people a little closer so that I could learn more about myself and them for that matter. No worries, though. God had someone in mind that he wanted me to wait a while for, that I could learn the best from.

So, here I am, learning about myself daily, living life with my best friend, and looking forward to years and years of doing this "married" thing. I am grateful and blessed.

some explanation

There has been a little confusion about the new title of the blog so I figured I would take a moment to explain. Before I do though, it would be prudent to note that I am in no way a wordsmith or witty with words. What you see as a title is about the best I know how to do. While in my little 'Chris Robey noggin' I thought it was really funny, those who read it might be scratching their own noggins a bit.

I am not gonna explain "city slicker". Seriously. But the "Ranch Style World" has significance in two ways. First of all, as Lydia and I were engaged, we bought a house out in the country that was pretty much in the middle between Granbury and Ft Worth. This house has a certain style to it that is known as "Ranch Style". For months and months the little "City Slicker" in me called it "Texas Style". After being corrected by my wife about a thousand times, I finally figured out my error.

Also, I have married a country music fan. And she (plus tons of other country fans in this area) listen to something called "Texas Country". If you grew up in the "Westoplex", that is Fort Worth and areas west of the city, you listen to your Texas Country on a station known as "The Ranch". Now, let me say this about "The Ranch": You have good music, but nothing to be arrogant about. There is an inherint cockiness about Texas Country not being "Nashville" and that everything that comes out of Nashville is crap. I have no problem with this assumption about the music, but it isn't something to be cocky about. "The Ranch" even modifies its broadcast signal so it cannot be heard in Dallas because they feel like that side of the metroplex isn't worthy of their brand of music. I wish I was making this up, but I couldn't. I am not that smart! Just look at my blog title!

So, all rants aside, that is why I used the term "Ranch Style World". While I do like the beans, I don't think they are a fitting enough reason to use them as an inspiration for a blog title. Now, coutry fried steak....that might be a good idea........

Some change

It hit me today that I haven't posted in almost a year. Most would say that they felt really bad about not posting. I could say that, but it would probably be a lie. I guess if I felt that bad about it I would have posted a long time ago.

The main reason I haven't posted is that the blog was about me living in Granbury as a single guy in a new ministry. All of those things have changed in the last year, though. I guess that it was hard to come up with posts about a life situation that dosen't exist.

So, it is time to change the title of the blog and the overall focus. The title "City Slicker in a Ranch Style World" speaks to my entrance into a new family and set of friends who are a bit more "countrified" than I am. I grew up living all over the world, never living in one place more than four years. My friends played video games, watched sports, and made stupid videos on the weekends. The only "country" thing I did growing up was shuck corn on my grandparents back porch in Alabama. That is pretty "country" if you ask me.

Yet, I married this pretty blue eyed girl from Texas whose family likes to hunt, fish, plant gardens, and listen to Texas Country music. So, needless to say, my life has changed a lot in the last few years.

This blog will simply reflect the awesome change that has happened in my life in the last year. I am now a married man with a mortgage and two acres to mow each week. I have a tire swing in my back yard and a shed. I kayak with my brother in laws and mountain bike when I get the chance. I love my wife more than she will ever know and consider myself to be the luckiest guy on the planet.

I am more than a youth minister now. That seems to be less of an identity for me now than it used to be. I am a child of God, a husband, and a uncle. I am a mentor to teens and families as well as a son and a brother. For years the title "youth minister" is what kept me going. It is what gave me my worth. I hope that from now on that will be only one of the ways someone can identify me.

So, entering this new world will be great for me as God continues to expand who he wants me to be. I am glad to be doing so coming from such an awesome family and entering into a new one.

So there! Enjoy the "philosophical" Chris Robey for today. You might not see him again for a while. Check in from time to time and see whats up. Lata!