Moving!!!

This week has been pretty busy. I’ve been packing up our house getting ready to move. My husband and I decided before he left that I would move to north Alabama to be close to my family during the next year he is gone. I’ll stay with my dad for about a month and hopefully find a place of my own by the beginning of March.

The last few moves we’ve made, I’ve been able to watch the girls for the day while the movers came in and packed our things and moved it for us, but this move we are doing on our own. So I’ve been doing just a little bit every day and hopefully we can finish up the last minute things when my parents get in this afternoon.

I’m so excited about moving and being close to my family, but it’s kind of funny how it kind of makes you feel sad seeing everything in boxes and knowing one chapter of your life is ending and another beginning.  We’ve only been in this little house a few months, but have made so many memories here!

Ali Jo had her first birthday here. She took her first steps here. We potty trained Aby here (well almost potty trained J) The girls and I had our first white Christmas here. Dennis got the white Christmas he had prayed for before he deployed. I got to spend a few wonderful months here with my husband and the girls with their daddy before he left for year.                        

Thankfully all these memories have been preserved through photos and of course in our hearts. We are leaving and are looking forward to making memories over the next year in this new stage of our life and are cherishing the memories we have to hold on to until our family is reunited.



Campouts, Father Goose, and Pajama Day

So just thought I would share a few of the fun things we’ve been up to these last few days. Aby’s been such a good girl and so helpful since daddy left, so I decided we would have a “campout” Aby got an adorable monkey tent for Christmas and has been wanting to use it, so I set it up upstairs by my bed and we had a campout. She watched a show on her little tv, had snacks, then she slept in it that night. She loved it. She’s actually slept in there 2 nights since then.

          On Monday, they had “Father Goose” at the library. I decided to take the girls. He sang songs, told mother goose stories, and had some trick books that sprayed him with water, etc… The kids loved it. He had them laughing the whole time. Even Ali Jo sat still on my lap and watched him. It was such a fun thing to do with the girls. Aby has asked me to sing the “Father Goose Song” since then.

On Tuesday, it was snowy and cold, and I knew we wouldn’t be getting out, so I decided we would have a Pajama Day. (Mommy did cheat and slip on a skirt. You never know when someone may stop byJ) Aby called it a Pajama party. We woke up this morning and I went to get her dressed and she still wanted to stay in her pjs. I had to explain we can’t have pajama day everyday. J

          Tonight I was reading Aby some books before bed, and was just thinking how the smallest little things can be so mean so much to a child.  I don’t have to spend a lot of money or buy them things to make them happy. Just spending some time with them and doing a few fun things with them makes their day. They are growing up soooo fast. I’m cherishing every moment!

Ali Jo in the tent

Laying down in the tent

Aby in the tent

The girls laying on the floor holding hands

Strength for Today

       Last week I had to do one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. I had to say goodbye to the love of my life for the next year. We both did ok, holding back the tears and staying pretty strong till it came time to say goodbye. I had to say goodbye to my husband, my girls had to say goodbye to their father, and my wonderful husband had to say goodbye to me and his girls.  Needless to say, there were tears all the way back to the car. I would be ok for a while, then the smallest things would bring tears to my eyes.

 Pulling into the driveway and seeing his car there. Picking up his pjs of the floor. Opening the fridge and seeing the leftover boneless bbq chicken he loves. All the things I know I’m going to miss this next year. It was a hard day.

        I was so thankful the next night when Dennis got to face time the girls and I through my phone. It was such a comfort to see his face and connect with him.  Praise the Lord we have gotten to talk through text, face time, and phone several times  over the last couple of days.

        Through all of this I have realized first how very much I have been blessed. First of all to have a Lord and Savior that is the Great Comforter, and has brought so much comfort and peace to my heart. Secondly, I have a wonderful husband who is willing to sacrifice so much to protect our freedoms. Thirdly, I have two wonderful girls the Lord has entrusted to us. Fourthly, there are so many other men and women that are making the same sacrifice for our nation.

        While thinking of all these blessings, I also realized I had been looking at this all wrong. I have been wondering how I was going to make it a WHOLE year without my husband. But I realized I just have to make it through today. The Lord will not put more on me than I can handle. The Lord will give me grace for TODAY. I do not need strength to make it through the next year right now, but the Lord WILL give me the strength I need to make it through TODAY.  

        Here are a few of the promises that have been a comfort to me. He promised me in Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. “

        He also said in II Cor. 12:9 – “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”  This reminds me that HIS strength is made perfect through my weakness.  His grace is sufficient for me. He WILL give me grace as I need it. This applies to every aspect of my life when my husband is deployed or when my husband is home. This applies to being a wife, to raising our girls, and every other aspect of my life.

        Lam. 3:21-23 says, “This I recall to my mind therefore have I hope It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” His compassions are new EVERY morning. The God that created this world has compassion for ME. What a comfort.

        If I start thinking about a WHOLE year, my time for the Lord will be wasted crying, worrying, fretting, etc…. Don’t get me wrong, there will be some tears over this next year, but what a comfort it is to know that all I have to think about is getting through today. Taking care of my responsibilities today. Being the best wife and mother I can be today. And guess what, He promised He WILL give me STRENGTH FOR TODAY!

 Our family waiting to say goodbye

Daddy and his girls

Me and my Honey

Daddy and Aby

Daddy and Ali Jo





Our Story

Just thought I would tell you all a little about us, as I’m getting this blog started up. J I grew up in Oklahoma City. I had the privilege of growing up in a Christian home. I attended a Christian school, and went to Bible College there in Oklahoma City after I graduated high school.

          My husband grew up in Ignacio  Colorado. He also graduated from a Christian school and came to Oklahoma City to attend Bible College.  He got there while I was a senior in highschool, and was placed on my dads bus route.  Isn't it amazing to look back and see God’s hand in every aspect of our lives even in what seems like trivial things.

          When I graduated and started on bus route, I wanted to be on the one my dad was one, so thankfully we were together on the same route. J Dennis already knew my dad, and he and I got to be really good friends, so of course when he asked me to be his date in February at the college’s valentine banquet I was thrilled!

          We got married a year and a half later in July 2006. I finished up my last year at college and we were blessed with our beautiful princess Aby in July 2007.

          In June 2008, my husband joined the US Army. We spent about 3 months apart while he was in basic training then relocated together to Monterey, California where my husband spent the next year and a half studying Arabic. While we were there, in October 2009, our second beautiful princess, Ali Jo was born. It was a wonderful year and a half together.

          After we left there he had to train in Texas and we were apart again for 6 months. We had another few wonderful months together up until my husband was recently deployed to spend the next year in Afghanistan.

          It’s never been easy with the long separations, but I am so proud of my husband and the sacrifice he is making to defend our great nation.  I’ve always loved and appreciated soldiers and what they do, but it really hits home when the sacrifice becomes so personal.

          It’s not always easy, but I wouldn’t trade my life for anything. I have a wonderful husband who loves me and who is willing to lay his life on the line for me, our girls, and our country. I have two beautiful daughters who brighten my life each and every day. Most importantly of all I have a BEST FRIEND, my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who is always with me and who is  guiding and directing each step in my life.

          Hopefully you know me  and my family a little better now J

         

A Bittersweet Christmas

12/6/10

I wrote this at the beginning of this month and thought I would share it as my first blog. It kind of lets you know a little bit about me and my family

My husband said something tonight about Christmas being just a few weeks away. Just like everyone else, we’ve been busy, looking forward to and getting ready for the holidays. But all of a sudden, IT hit me.  He’s about to leave us for a year to fly halfway around the world, put himself in harm’s way to defend our freedoms.  After the holidays, he will hug us, say goodbye, and be gone for the next year.
      
I know, and keep telling myself, that many men and women have had to do this before and many more will have to do it after us. I personally know several. But somehow it doesn’t make it any easier. The only thing that I know will see us through is Jesus Christ. He promised He would never put more on use than we can handle. He promised to never leave us or forsake us. He will be with my husband during his lonely hours just like He will be with me during mine.

Today my wonderful husband fixed the front of the oven. Stupid me tried to unscrew the handle to clean the front and lost the screw and the whole thing fell apart. He found the screw figured out how to put it back together and fixed it. Such a little everyday thing. Shouldn’t make me so emotional. Shouldn’t make me lay in bed and cry after he falls asleep just thinking about it. But all of a sudden all the little moments, the moments that we will miss for a year, some moments that will not be back since our girls will be a year older when he returns, they all came rushing to me.

 The little moments. When he comes in the front door from work and the girls attack him before he even has time to change. When Aby tells me that Daddy is HER prince and puts her hands on his cheeks and asks him if he’s hers, then looks at me smugly when he tells her he is. When Ali Jo snuggles up to him and gives him hugs, or just lays on his chest for awhile. When he gets both girls ready for church because I am running behind as usual. When he fixes the stove. When he puts up the Christmas tree and separates out all the limbs and fixes the ones I do, cause I just can’t get it quite right. ;) When he sets the girls down and talks to them about sharing with each other. When he comes in and gives me a big hug. When he hugs me, and I smell his cologne. When he tells me how good supper is. When he comes home in the middle of the day for lunch and makes our day brighter.When Ali Jo sits on the sink in the morning and watches daddy shave, and if I try to come in she reaches out to close the door, cause that is her time with daddy. When we walk into the girls section at the store, and he goes crazy picking out things for the girls. When we laugh together over a something the girls did or said and share a little look. We he came in after a 25 mile ruck march in the cold rain and just held me for a while to get warm. When I’m cooking supper and I can hear him getting excited or upset over his PS3 football games. When he texts me during the day to tell me he loves me or see how I am doing. When Aby asks me a question that I don’t know the answer too, so she tells me she will ask daddy when he gets home, cause “daddy is really smart”, and when he gets home, sure enough, he knows the answer. When Ali Jo sticks her hands straight up in the air for daddy to pick her up. When we sit and laugh together over our favorite shows. When we get to spend time alone together in the evenings after the girls go to bed.

So many little everyday moments that we normally overlook, but all of a sudden they seem so important. Trying to take pictures in my mind and remember every little thing, so I have them to look back on and cherish while we’re apart.  It’s so hard to explain how your heart can be so full of love and pride and yet be breaking at the same time. Nobody could be more proud of my wonderful husband and the sacrifice he is making, leaving family, missing out on a year of his girls’ lives, leaving conveniences for the sake of us and our country. A selfish part of me wants to just hold on and not let go. Don’t let him leave. And yet I know when the time comes, I will say goodbye, let go, hold my head up high, and do my best to be strong, and show him and our girls how proud I am of him.

Can’t wait for Christmas to come. Can’t wait to celebrate our Lord’s birth with our family. Can’t wait to see our daughter’s faces when they open up their gifts. Yet somehow wishing I could push Christmas just a little further away. Don’t come just yet. Wait a little longer, Christmas.