Beautiful Wednesday

Spring has officially sprung here in Texas, and it is gorgeous! I absolutely had to come outside today and enjoy a book in the sunshine. It was irrisistable! Our grass still isn't quite grown in the backyard, but it's getting there.

I had a great day today at the pregnancy center. First off, I got to spend all day with Alice, which was wonderful because I'd seen her all of 20 minutes in the last 2 weeks. I was definitely having withdrawls since I usually see her at least twice a week. And we're going to dinner later with the hubbies and the married couple that leads our young marrieds group, woo!

Secondly, I got trained to answer the phones and greet people at the pregnancy center. Woohoo! I had been feeling so unhelpful just sitting at a desk when the phones rang, or when someone walked in. But now, I don't have to depend on other people being around. Everyone was pretty excited about that.

Otherwise, I've been slaving away at entering the massive pile of charts into the computer. It's a little boring, but definitely necessary and helpful. I've also been busy reading brochures about everything from fetal development to STDs. There's definitely a lot of information I'm supposed to familiarize myself with.

The director asked me today what job I think I want to do at the center. Honestly, I'm still not totally sure. I've been praying about it a lot but I'm still not sure. The counseling room is still a little intimidating for me, plus the deadline of us moving is hanging over my head. So, if it were completely up to me, I'd just keep doing what I'm doing now. But, I asked if I could observe a counseling session soon to actually see what it's like. Hopefully that'll give me a better picture of what is actually involved and God will guide me from there.

For now though, I definitely feel like I'm contributing.

- Posted from Court's iPhone

Looking Back on the Deployment

So I've been meaning to post about this for awhile, but obviously, life has been pretty busy. Things are starting to slow down somewhat though, and we're starting to get into a routine. So, I've been doing a lot of reflection on the deployment and here is what I think.

So the year-long deployment was obviously really tough on both of us. It was one of the toughest years I've ever been through. A year is a really long time to be away from each other, but I feel like both Nick and I would not be where we are today in our walks with God without that year. We got through a lot of challenges together, despite the distance, and I feel like our marriage is way stronger now than I ever thought it could be. Not that it was necessarily weak before, but I feel like this deployment forced us to grow both individually and as a couple. We were forced to depend on God instead of each other in the hard times, or the times with little or no communication. We were also able to spend a lot of time focusing on God and bible studies and the like.

When Nick left, I really didn't know what to expect as far as his Christian walk in Iraq. I was hoping he would be able to read his Bible on occasion, but I wasn't anticipating much growth for him. Thankfully, Nick's chaplain was absolutely amazing. He held a weekly Bible study based on sermons from Mars Hill Church in Seattle, and gave Nick so many resources, including a brand new awesome study bible (thanks to Mars Hill Church for sending that and tons of other resources to the troops). Towards the end of the deployment, we were able to watch the same Mars Hill Church sermons (yay for free podcasts!) and discuss them together. Like I said, it took our marriage and walks with God to a whole new level. I know I learned a ton. I totally think that is why Nick's reintegration was so smooth.

Don't get me wrong, we still drove each other a little crazy sometimes. We had to learn to live together all over again after living apart for a year. But, I think God taught us to be more selfless and to try to serve each other. I know that's true for me, at least. It definitely helped that God gave me the wisdom to see how exhausting my job was, and how much it was distracting me from taking care of Nick and everything else. I'm still amazed at how working moms do it! I could barely take care of myself, the house and the dogs while working full time. So, in our situation, it definitely made more sense for me to only work part time.

So, there was definitely a lot of change in the year, but I think we've built a pretty solid foundation in Christ. Our priorities were realigned and resulted in a lot of growth and maturity in our faiths. I don't know if I consider myself a "mature" Christian yet, but I know Nick and I are both putting in the effort to learn and grow with God and there is definitely some "fruit" blossoming. I'm excited to see where we learn and grow from here and where we will be "pruned" again.

I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

John 15:1-5

Snip, Snip

So I went in for a haircut on Friday, thinking I'd cut like 2-3 inches off, since my hair was crazy long. It was down to at least my collar bone, and anyone who knows me knows that's soooo long for me. Anyway, at the end of it, I came away with this:



Ya, that's a good like 5-6 inches off. Don't get me wrong, I totally love it, but it was a bit of a surprise. Albeit a pleasant one. I remember why I love my hair short though. It's amazing how fast it dries, how easy it is to style, and how I barely even have enough hair to brush through. Not to mention how little shampoo & conditioner I need. Cha-ching! But even if I didn't totally love it, my hair grows so fast, it'll probably be how I originally envisioned it in about a month or so.

Not So Great

Nick went off bright and early this morning to go scout turkeys again. There are very few things I'd wake up early on a Saturday for, so he is obviously very dedicated to getting that turkey. Which I do appreciate because that hopefully means he won't be spending too many Saturdays actually trying to hunt them (fingers crossed).

Anyway, I slept in and when I woke up, got the dogs on their leashes to go potty in the front yard. I usually am a little bit lazy in the morning and just let them out back. But, our backyard is still pretty much dirt and it's a lot of work to let them out there & have to clean their paws off. So, I thought I'd actually be good and take them outside. Never again. The neighborhood cat decided that our bushes were a great place to hide, and bolted the second we walked out the door. Which then resulted in my dogs attempting to chase it, me slipping on the dewy grass, and being dragged a foot along our front yard, scraping my leg in the process. Such a great start to the morning! I managed to get them (somewhat) under control, but Rufus was absolutely flipping out, so now they're locked in their crates with their breakfast until Nick comes home.

It all just happened so fast. More than being mad about them dragging me, I'm frustrated that I was so powerless that I was dragged. I absolutely hate it when it seems like they're out of control. They've only ever tripped me up once on a walk, which also resulted in a scraped knee, but that was at least a year ago.

I'm mad at the stupid cat too. It just sat across the street and looked at us once I actually composed myself and started reigning the dogs in. Which just made the dogs freak out even more. I don't know why it was even over in our bushes.

Just really not the best start to my day.

The rest of the week was a little busy too. Scout has had a really upset tummy for a few days, which resulted in lots of messes to clean up, and letting him out at 2am to go potty. I ended up taking him to the vet yesterday just to make sure he was ok. Thankfully, nothing major is wrong with him, and you can tell he's already a million times better.

Nick's home now, so we're gonna make a yummy breakfast of fresh bacon, eggs & toast. Mmmmm. That sounds like a much better start to my day.

The End of an Era

Last night, we had a Hail & Farewell (welcoming new people & saying goodbye to people in Nick's unit) and there were a whole bunch of "farewells". It just made me realize that this is the beginning of the end of this unit. Never again will the same group of people be together.

And that's a sad thought considering the friendships I've made with people in the 2 years we've been here. I don't know what I would have done without the group of women in my coffee group, the bible study hosted by the Chaplain's wife, or the woman who sat with me at church every week. In true Army fashion, we will all be scattered throughout the country in a matter of weeks. And some people will be out of the Army altogether.

I know I'll see some of these people again, or at least keep in touch, but, it just won't be quite the same. And there may be carbon copies of these groups in my future, but I know there won't be the same group dynamic I've grown to love.

Thankfully, we already know that my awesome church buddy and her family will be at our next post in Georgia. And we already made plans to do a Bible study together when I get there. She is the unofficial matriarch of our group, without whom, we wouldn't have even had a coffee group. I consider her my Army mentor and is totally the person I want to emulate as Nick moves along in the Army.

So at least I don't have to lose her yet! Otherwise, I would have been completely bawling as they "farewelled" her last night. I can't say I didn't get a little teary-eyed though. And I don't even want to think about what's going to happen tomorrow when it's just us girls farewelling the colonel's wife. All I know is, I'm sure going to miss those ladies!

Fun in Austin

Yesterday, it was absolutely gorgeous outside (mid-70s, woo!), so we decided to go down to Austin for the day. We loaded up the boys and started our trip at Coffee Bean, yum! We found this Coffee Bean over R&R when we were in Austin and I'm pretty sure it's one of like 2 Coffee Beans in Texas. Being Californians (where there's a Coffee Bean on every other corner- the other corners are Starbucks) we had to get some Ice Blendeds and, of course, some Vanilla powder to bring home with us. Mmmmmmmmmmm! We were able to sit outside and the boys were SO well behaved. They got a little excited as each person passed, but understood that they were supposed to lay down & relax.

From there, we went to Zilker Park (where they have a huge music festival in the fall that I went to in '08) and walked the boys around the trail that goes around the lake. I think we ended up walking for about 4 miles total. It was such a gorgeous day though that it was just a pleasant walk and we weren't really thinking about the distance. Scout even got to swim in the water a little bit, which, of course, he loved.

The boys were absolutely fabulous and only barked at 2 dogs the whole time (out of like 50 that we saw). Oh, and we ended up going through some leash-free parts, so there were just dogs wandering around them. I was pretty impressed with them. And thankful, because that means we can do this again sometime soon.

All in all, a pretty awesome day! We're all still exhausted though and the boys pretty much slept the entire ride back home (which included, of course, a stop at Rudy's BBQ to pick up dinner).

Of course, in true Texas fashion, today is FREEZING! The high for today was in the low 40s and it's really windy. At least that means next week will be up in the 70s again...

Dedicated

If there's one thing I can say about my husband, he is definitely dedicated. He woke up at 6am today (on a day off from work) to go scout turkeys. Before we leave Texas, he is determined to hunt a turkey.

Unfortunately, hunting season starts over Easter weekend, which means our plans for camping that weekend are now out the window. Lame! I'm really not sure when we'll have a chance to camp before it gets crazy hot here this summer. I mean, if we don't get to camp in Texas, it's not the end of the world, but I'd really like to use all of that fancy camping equipment we just got. And, it's just frustrating that Nick had all this time off, but we weren't able to actually go camping during any of it. Oh well.



So I finally finished that verse from Hebrews, but ended up cutting 2 verses off of it. It was just way too wordy, and so I memorized the most important parts (v. 1-3):

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also set aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and run with endurance the race that was set before us, looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you do not grow weary or fainthearted.

Like I said, pretty wordy. Gotta love that the first 2 verses are all a great big run-on sentence! Next up, I'm learning Philippians 4:6-7:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Always a good verse! In fact, my sister just used it in her blog. Great minds think alike, I guess.

In other news, we had a scare with Nick's maternal grandfather last week, but thankfully he is doing much better and has moved to a convalescence home to recover. God is good!

I had my first day of work with my "new" job today, and it went really well. We only had 5 kids, 4 of which were homeschooled siblings. It really couldn't have been more different than the women's study. The kids were so good, I felt like we barely did anything! They were really fun though and we ended up playing outside in the church playground, which was really fun. Yay for Spring! Next week, we might have a couple more kids, but it should definitely continue to be a good/easy job. And I'm not as worried about this study & the women's study overlapping anymore.

I'm contemplating a nap. As much as I love Daylight Savings, it totally screws me up for a few weeks. It's rough waking up when it's dark outside!

Tidbits

Not too much going on around here, but I thought I should probably update so I don't go another week without doing it. Our lawn is officially seeded & fertilized and we're watering it like crazy. Hopefully there will be some green soon! It has been quite springy out, so that should help.

The fellowship BBQ with our Young Married's class was pretty fun. We played a fun, but mentally exhausting game called Empire. Basically people choose a word in a certain category, and you have to guess who said what. Then, if you guess right, they become part of your "empire". I actually almost won the second time we played! It was tough remembering all the possibilities and who had already been asked what. Anyway, it was nice hanging out and getting to know people more. I think it definitely helped the discussion on Sunday!

Today was a pretty lazy day. I only really went grocery shopping and did my chores for the day. It was nice not having a lot on my plate, but yet again, I'm remembering why I volunteer twice a week and work. I definitely start going a little stir crazy come late afternoon.

Since it's Spring Break around here, Nick really only has work tomorrow. We don't have a whole lot of plans, but if the weather holds up, we're definitely planning on taking the boys to Austin and walking around one of the parks we found over R&R. Not terribly exciting, but definitely relaxing in the sun sounds pretty good to me!

Another Weekend

Yet again, it is the weekend! For how busy my weeks have been, the weekend is always a nice relief. It's amazing how much longer the week seems when Nick has an additional day of work. We were both completely exhausted yesterday & went to sleep at 10pm. I know, we're really exciting.

Yesterday morning, I helped out at Rachel's school with their Pre-K rodeo, which involved arts & crafts and real live horses. One of the other Pre-K teachers is severely allergic to horses, so I helped load her kids on & off the horses so she wouldn't have to get to close. And, one of the kids ended up being a little apprehensive about riding, so ended up getting to ride a draft horse with him! Pretty sweet. Those things are huge!

I also had my last day of work with the women's bible study this week. They're going to be doing 2 more mini-sessions in April, but this was the last official one. It was a little bit hectic with 13 kids, but we didn't near the point of chaos, thankfully. It was kind of bittersweet because I've grown attached to a lot of those kids. But, I'm definitely ready for a bit of a break...although I got contacted about helping out with childcare for a Celebrate Recovery bible study (people who are dealing with addictions, etc)...and it starts this next week. I am slightly confused as to how it's going to work with the women's study overlapping for 2 weeks, but hopefully the leaders have a solution for that and we don't have 20 kids with only 2 of us working. I'm definitely excited to have another opportunity to work though, and it turns out it's on the same day at pretty much the same time as I've already been working. And I'm assuming it'll probably be different kids, so that will be something new.

In Lent news, I'm still working on that verse from Hebrews. I think my brain is getting slightly tired because it's been more of a challenge. And, I definitely ended up overlapping with Psalm 23 because it was so long. Oh well, any Scripture memorized is still great! And I can see myself continuing to attempt to memorize some after Lent is over, although this was definitely a good excuse to start. I also finished Radical Reformission and started reading C.S. Lewis' The Problem of Pain today. I've only ever read one other C.S. Lewis book, and that was in college for a Theology class. I've always wanted to read more from him and am anxious to get started. So far, I've noticed that his language is a little weighty for me, but hopefully I'll be able to get past that & learn a lot.

Off to get ready for a Young Married's fellowship BBQ tonight!

A Blur

So this past week has been a total blur. I can't believe it's been so long since I updated. I kept meaning to, but by the time I got home, worked out, did chores around the house and took care of my ever-mounting to-do list, Nick was usually home. Which meant we needed to get dinner started, his lunch made for the next day and to get to bed. And then the cycle started all over again the next day.

I'm getting a little more into the routine, although it's obviously still pretty busy around here! It's hard to remember the times I was so terribly bored when Nick was deployed.

Things are going well at the pregnancy center. I have officially learned how to do data entry and we're conquering the massive pile of backed up paperwork, woohoo! I'm definitely the kind of person that likes to see what I'm accomplishing, and that pile of paperwork getting smaller & smaller is definitely satisfying. I also found out that it's common practice to pray for every woman when you put their information into the system, which I thought was really cool. So, no matter what they have decided to do, or if they're even still associated with the center in any way, they get prayed for. So, I feel like I'm doing something already, even indirectly.

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous around here this week, after a crazy thunderstorm on Monday. We're getting up into the 70s and the sun feels fabulous! If I had a hammock, I would SO be using it right now. Although a lawn might be nice too. This past weekend, Nick borrowed our neighbor's tiller, and did this to the backyard:

Starting to till the lawn

Becoming lots of dirt

The finished product (and the million bags of fertilizer and seed)

So, now our backyard is pretty much just a giant patch of dirt. We absolutely needed to do this because our lawn was probably about 80% dead, but it's been interesting not having lawn back there. Especially with some of the rain we've been getting. The floors in the house are pretty gross from the dogs traipsing around in dirt. For awhile too, we only took them out in the front yard on leashes, which definitely made me appreciate a fenced yard. Hopefully we can get it fertilized and the seed planted ASAP, although obviously Nick has been busy with work as of yet.

Oh, and I completely forgot to mention..instead of camping last weekend, we ended up making S'mores in the backyard in the fire pit. Definitely a good (and tasty) alternative!

The fire pit!

Snuggles with Rufus

Ah, the Weekend

Yet again, it is the weekend! It was definitely tough trying to smush socializing, work, errands, chores and volunteering into the little time Nick was at work this week. I'm still trying to figure out a balance, and I can't say I completely succeeded. And I hate to have things like memorizing verses and reading Christian books become things I need to check off my to-do list.

But hey, I honestly would rather be busy than bored. And I definitely can't complain about having my husband home and getting tons of time of work. I would gladly take this over the months I spent while he was deployed just trying to get through the day. It's just a little difficult sometimes to find a middle ground. I'm definitely still learning how to do that.

Anyway, obviously I've been pretty busy since I haven't updated on here at all this week. I spent a whole day at the pregnancy center on Wednesday. I learned how to do some data entry for them, which they are in pretty big need of right now. There are stacks of files that need to go into the computer. I'm also just trucking along with my training, which involves watching lots of videos and reading brochures about everything from abstinence to STDs to abortion. It's been really eye-opening. I have another good month or so until they would even consider letting me observe other counselors with clients, and I have plenty of materials to watch and read before then to help prepare me. I don't feel anywhere near ready although I'm really enjoying the experience so far.

Last night, we had a baby shower for one of the ladies in the battalion. She was one of the first people I met here, and was extremely friendly and welcoming. Sadly, she's going to be moving soon, so it was a little bittersweet. I'm really excited for her and her family, but sad to see them go. And she's the first of a lot of people that will be moving, so it was kind of the unofficial end of our coffee group. I know I'll see some of them in the future (one will be at the same post in Georgia when we move), but it was a really great group, and I doubt there will ever be another one quite like it.

Nick had a few friends over last night while I was gone and we ended up watching the Hurt Locker. It was pretty amusing watching it with 3 Army guys who have recently been to Iraq. Their commentary was pretty hilarious, and actually, better than the movie, I think. I don't know, I just wasn't very impressed, especially since it's nominated for an Academy Award. Honestly, I was just kind of underwhelmed and a little bit bored by it. Granted, we started watching it after 10pm, so I was a little tired, but it barely kept my interest enough for me to stay awake.

In Lent news, I have officially memorized Psalm 23, and have now moved on to Hebrews 12:1-5. Psalm 23 was pretty long, so it took a couple extra days, but I'm still on track, I think. I also started another Mark Driscoll book- Radical Reformission, which I think will apply to what I'm doing at the pregnancy center. I don't know that I'm getting as much out of it as I did with Death By Love, but it's interesting so far.

Not too much else going on. We were planning on going camping today, but apparently camping is extremely popular in Texas because we couldn't get a reservation for a campsite at 3 different state parks. We did procrastinate a little bit about booking one (our first attempt was last night), but we weren't sure about the weather, and honestly didn't think it would be anywhere near this popular. It's definitely not this popular in California! I was really disappointed and frustrated at first that it didn't work out like we planned, but thankfully, I think we're going to be able to go over Easter weekend, since Nick has another 4-day weekend then (don't worry, we're going to book it now). I'm antsy to use all of our new camping equipment already, especially before it gets crazy hot this summer!

I'm going to try to update more often this week because this is really long, ha ha. Nick is working 4 days this week, so I should have a little more downtime (hopefully).