to my best friend...

And when I wake up you look so pretty sleeping next to me
But there is not enough time
And there is no, no song I could sing
And there is no combination of words I could say
But I will still tell you one thing
We're better together

-Jack Johnson-

Dear Louise,


I got to thinking today about the way things used to be. You remember...when we were young and wild and free of any real responsibility. The only thing we had to do with complete perfection was love each other. And, lets be honest...in those days we both had times when we were TERRIBLE at that. But, I have to say, I have loved you from the very beginning. You didnt seem that much different from other guys, but my heart said that you were. And no matter what issue we faced, I just couldn't stay away from you...even when it hurt. We spent a good majority of our days at work and school, and our nights in bars. And we actually thought we had our lives all together!! I guess it is just a normal side effect of the college age...at least for us it was. I still think about God crossing our paths...the first time was not successful, for reasons I refuse to post for the public. And then the second time...an entire year later, it was like you were the only person that made sense. I know God does things for a reason, and even through all of our rough times, God has used each of us to make the other a better person. You know when I know that you TRULY loved me?? Remember that time, sitting at Old Chicagos, during one of your rough stages? And we were sitting there talking about everything...all those problems, the reason for our last break up. And I told you that I wanted to try things your way just one time...just to see what it was like. Ofcourse, I was completely bluffing just to get a response (im too much of a control freak for that). But, you got angry and worked up and in no way were you going to let me do that. You must have said no 100 times. That is when I realized just how much you loved me. You loved me too much to even let me think about doing it your way, even if it would have made your life easier without me nagging you and crying all the time. Thats when I realized that you cared more about me than you did about yourself. And that was also one of those times when God used me to make you a better person. I expected more out of you, I knew that you were capable of more, and I knew that person on the inside of you that others didnt...that person that loved with all his heart, and was loyal no matter the circumstance, and the person that would one day make the most amazing father. I knew that person, and I knew that the life we were living wasn't allowing that person to get out. But, anytime there is ever doubt that creeps up in my mind about us, I think about that night...that night when you told me how much you loved me without saying the words.


God knows what He's doing when he crosses paths, especially in our case. Fast forward about 4 and a half years, and here we are. Three beautiful little girls...and a marriage that has survived the stress of those three little darlings! I am sure the girls won't get any easier anytime soon, but our marriage continues to get stronger. I love the fact that we have a REAL marriage...the disagreements aren't hidden. They are out there for anyone to see. We don't pretend to have the perfect marriage...there are many days when you drive me absolutely crazy and I nag you to death! I love that God gives me the self control not to choke you sometimes. But, isn't that what a real marriage is? How would we ever grow without the disagreements? And how would we ever know each other if we just constantly swept everything under the rug and agreed on everything? Lord knows I have my flaws, and you handle them with grace. And your flaws (q-tips! mr. grumpy pants!) I try to handle with grace, but usually they are handled with nagging. Once again, you mostly handle that with grace. We will always remember the time our own pastor told me that I was lucky that anyone would want to marry me because I am such a control freak. Sure, it was funny at the time, but in my day dreams, I was taking shots of tequila. Just a few drinks, and I am no longer in control of anything...including myself! So, then everyone is happy, right? :) But, really...I know that I am so blessed to have you. You are the most amazing husband, especially when it really counts. When times are hard, you are my rock. And when someone offends me, I love the fact that you get upset about it. And I love your jealousy (even though you say you're not jealous) when there is no need to be jealous. But, it tells me that you care and you would probably kill anyone who pursued me...you are such a cave man. I love that about you.


The biggest thing I love about you is the fact that you are such an amazing father. Most men hope for a boy, and you are so happy and so proud to have 3 little girls. And they absolutely adore you! You can get down on their level, and have the giggles going for hours. And, even when you don't feel like it, you will get up in the middle of the night, change diapers, change wet bed sheets, help clean chocolate off of the walls, make bottles, clean dishes, do bath time (a well orchestrated event with 3 girls!) and somehow you still find the energy in your tired, work-worn body to make all of the girls think that the entire world revolves around them. You actually enjoy when Veda forces you into her room for "school time" and makes you sit and listen to her "read" books very loudly, with some random singing thrown in. And you will let her ride on your shoulders, even when you feel like your back is breaking...and shes slightly choking you. You are such a beautiful father and I know that if anything ever happened to me, our girls wouldn't miss a beat. There have been many days when you had to play the rolls of mom and dad, and you aced it every time...despite my constant worrying. You give our girls everything they need, and you sacrifice so much. This is what I love most about you. And the day I realized how much I really truly without a doubt could never live without you, was the first time I saw you hold Veda. You looked like a 3 year old with a new bubble gum machine (I'm sure right now you are picturing Veda's super excited face when the word gum is mentioned).


I am so glad that not just me, but now everyone gets to see and know that person on the inside of you...that person that loves with all his heart, and is loyal no matter the circumstance, and the person that has turned into the most amazing father. I'm looking forward to the rest of our lives together with exactly three children...no more!! :)


I love you so much Louise...thank you for putting up with me and making me so happy. Without you, I wouldnt have this life. I am looking forward to 80 more years with you.


Love, me

the o'neill dedication

On Sunday, January 15th, we dedicated all three of our girls to the Lord. Veda was never dedicated because Shane was gone for a good part of her first year of life and then my brother was diagnosed. So, there was never a definite time that I could be sure both of them could attend her dedication. So, we decided to dedicate her along with her baby sisters. It turned out to be such a beautiful dedication and we are so blessed to have the opportunity to give all of our girls to a God that can watch over and protect them even better than we can. While the dedication went off without a hitch, getting to that point was another story. I've seen so many dedications with calm parents and beautiful babies and I never realized all of the work that goes into it!!

I told Shane I felt like I was planning a wedding all over again. We had to find the PERFECT dresses. Mama and daddy took care of that just like they do everything...at the last minute! They picked out beautiful dresses, but they tore my nerves up by making me wait until the Friday before to see them! Fast forward to Saturday night and I realize...I FORGOT SHOES!! So, we make a late night trip to Wal mart. Do you think they have pretty white shoes in the middle of winter, or even frilly little socks...no!! Tights it is! Then there's a slideshow that I just absolutely have to have for the dedication. I spend almost 2 hours on it when the program shuts down. Do you think I saved my work?? Nope! At this point, I am ready to puke. So, we get the babies into bed late and then I go to work finishing the quilts that absolutely have to be done and given to the girls after the dedication. An hour later, I am finally in bed, not to sleep, but to completely start over with the slideshow. *sigh* By 1:00 a.m. I finally have the slideshow done and the dvd burned and I can FINALLY close my eyes. Yay!

But then, we wake up to the real work. Consider this the first wedding day. Feed the girls and do Veda's hair, but keep them all basically naked until right before its time to leave. White dresses equals a nightmare. And of course, 20 minutes before we have to leave, I am still not ready! I am a Serlick after all. I can start an hour early and somehow i will still be late. So, I call for reinforcements, aka Nora! I try to get dressed while Shane and Nora dress the babies, with specific instructions...no crawling, no juice, no snacks...just hold them the whole time! Amazingly, we had no stains on the dresses and both sides of the family made it to church on time. Yay! We get pictures taken, and then loralye's new cross necklace that was given to all the girls especially for this occasion gets tangled. It is passed around to 2 or 3 people to untangle before it is passed back to me. And what do I do? I end up breaking the chain! So, loralye has no necklace now...way to go mom.

All of this preparation comes down to 10 or 15 very special minutes. Like I said, the ceremony was absolutely beautiful. I finally have all three of my girls dedicated and we had a wonderful celebration with family, and friends that are just like family. I posted the strenuous slideshow below for you all to see. Hope you like it!

more than a resolution...an absolute promise!

2011 was an absolute blessing to me.  I got the oppurtunity to watch my three beautiful girls grow and thrive and become these amazing little people.  I absolutely can not get enough of them!  We saw the beginning, and the early end of a challenging deployment.  I am so blessed to have my hubby home, even if it did require a pretty invasive surgery and recovery.  I myself, had my first car accident (sorry ryan!), and my first TWO surgeries this year.  God absolutely challenged me this year, but I made it through...sanity in tact.  And I realized that I am much stronger than I ever thought I was.  I was scared to death of raising 3 kids alone during a deployment, but God showed me that I am absolutely capable of doing things on my own. 

My new year's resolution for 2011 was to become a more prayerful wife and mother.  I have to say, I have stuck to that resolution, but I am still trying to improve on that.  I feel like I always have room to improve and help lead my children spiritually.  I plan to spend the next year becoming an even more prayerful wife and mother, even if i do already pray my way through most days.  "God, please help me not to go crazy; God, please give me patience with these kids; God, please don't let Veda wet the bed; God, please no more ear infections; God, please let the kids sleep until 8 this morning; God, please let Shane get off early; God, please make these diapers last!"  I think you get the point.  I literally pray all day.  But, like I said before, I have room for lots of improvement in my spiritual life.  Which brings me to 2012!

A lot of my close family and friends know that I have struggled with a spiritual battle all throughout 2011.  It has been a tough year emotionally with trying to cope with the loss of my brother and trying to grieve like i am "suposed" to, rather than avoid the thought all together.  Almost all people will deal with the loss of a loved one in their lifetime, and no matter the circumstance, it is never easy.  But, I have kept it no secret that I am angry with God that he took my brother.  I still have a loving relationship with God and I know that He is well equipped to handle my anger.  But, I have carried this for over a year.  I have sat at my brother's graveside and prayed and apologized for my anger and bitterness and promised that I would try my hardest to work on my heart and change things.  And I have heard Pastor Mark deliver a message, no doubt sent straight to his heart from God, to deal with that anger and bitterness and let it go.  And, I honestly have tried...I really have.  But, there never comes a time where things get easier.  There has never been a moment when I can sit and think about James and not feel all those questions creep up.  "Why take such a beautiful soul so soon?; Why put him through so much pain if You were just going to take him anyways?;  Why do people move on so fast?;  Why did I have to lose my lifelong best friend?;  Why do people say and do such hurtful things in the aftermath of something so tragic?"  Obviously I feel like some folks have moved on just too fast and too easily.  It really hurts and I find myself more heart broken rather than angry.  But, who am I to judge how someone grieves, or when is the right time for them to let go of someone that I will never be able to let go of or replace?  I can't make that decision for anybody and I honestly want people to be happy and carry on.  But, that bitterness creeps in and that hurt settles deep in my heart.  This has all compiled and made 2011 a very challenging year spiritually.  I am in the front lines of a battle and I know when all is said and done, I will have no more anger and bitterness and I can simply just thank God for giving James to us for 26 years and for ending his suffering.  But, I am not there yet. 

So, this is my resolution...no, my PROMISE, for 2012.  By december of this year, I promise to have all of this anger and bitterness out of my heart and out of my life.  I plan to look back on my years with James and just smile and not think of all of the negative things...and not to think of all the things that I feel have tainted his memory.  I promise to forgive all of those people that I feel have hurt me or said or done negative things or lied about things.  I will let God deal with their hearts, and I will protect my own heart and work on my own sins in the mean time.  By the end of this year, I want to talk to God and not question him.  I want to thank him for sharing an amazing person with us.  Because without God and his sacrifices, James may have never been born into this world, and I would never have the promise of seeing him again.  So, this is the big lesson I am teaching myself this year...it is completely natural to be angry and bitter, its human nature.  But, it is so much more fulfilling to let go of all of that.  And that is what this control freak plans to do...LET GO! 

'To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.'
Lewis B. Smedes


"The smell of hospitals in winter,
And the feeling that its all a lot of oysters...and no pearls."
Counting Crows