A "Day" in the Life of Bobby ... and Tifani ~ Stoned-Campbell

Since I began this blog on April 11, 2006 there have been many twists and turns in the life of this Stoned-Campbell Disciple. My family made the trek from the land of beer and cheese in Milwaukee to the land of Saguaros and Scorpions in the Arizona desert. We went from snow in April to sunburns in January!! We moved from one awesome congregation of the Lord's family to another. Along the way the Jobian experience of divorce ravaged the sanctity of my family. All along, in the happy times and the not so happy times, I have blended the personal with thoughts on biblical themes and opinions on contemporary life. I thank my readers who have been remarkably devoted for some reason. I get emails on almost a daily basis about my blog and for this I am grateful ... grateful that God has used it to bless someone somewhere out there. I plan on returning to a regular routine of blogging. I have worked on one for a long time and it has grown into something far beyond a blog post. That will appear very soon ...

But in the spirit of being on a journey and sharing my bad days and my good days I offer another page in the life of Bobby, Rachael and Talya Valentine. The readers that are on my Facebook will already know this but God has been faithful to me and my family. I praise him for the church family here in Tucson and back in Milwaukee. I have many friends that have loved me through the dark days.

As God blessed Job he has blessed me too with a new page ... a new "Day" in the on going life of Bobby V and family. My blessing is exactly five foot eight with long flowing dark brown hair and sparkling dark eyes. This blessing deeply loves the Lord, she can recite the shema in Hebrew, loves to laugh and cut up. She is compassionate and giving. She loves to ride my Harley through the mountains. She loves to jam to music (even Pink Floyd!). And get this she likes football. She is so beautiful that Song of Songs was probably written about her ... especially chapter 4! This blessing is named Tifani. She has blown my pea sized brain away!! We pray and read together ... it is wonderful. She has two children just like me (Avery and Evan). She has had some of the same experiences (sad ones) that befell the Valentines but she has not been embittered. Sometimes I am simply amazed at her capacity for grace! I have often talked about grace but she lives it. We have been dating since March of this year and interestingly enough we have known and had the same friends since high school...but never knew each other. Some things are simply mysterious!! Marvelously So!!!

To make a long story shorter I recently asked Tifani to be my wife. She said yes! I cannot begin to express how wonderful a person she is. After my divorce I dated a number of women after I could actually wrap my mind around that reality. They were all fine but I longed for something that would never be. Beyonce has a song called Halo that captures what Tifani did, or God did through Tifani ...

"Remember those walls I built
Well, baby they're tumbling down
And they didn't even put up a fight
They didn't even make up a sound

I found a way to let you in
But I never really had a doubt
Standing in the light of your halo
I got my angel now ...

Everywhere I'm looking now
I'm surrounded by your embrace
Baby I see your halo
You know your my saving grace ..."

Great song. Great words. For me that is. It is amazing how God can work and we do not even know it. Here are a few pictures of my gal pal ...