The events of the first year of our marriage have been pretty crazy. From getting married to preparing for a deployment and then having that canceled (praise God!); to going through a very painful work experience and being unemployed for the past few months, to working day and night all week just to finish the updates on our house by March, and finally putting it on the market and selling so quickly (praise God, again!). And now with Aaron looking for a civilian career in Civil Engineering. Talk about life changes!! Did anyone know that selling a home is considered to be one of the top 3 most stressful events in someone's lifetime? I had NO CLUE! But now I understand why. And for us military families, the deployment of a spouse is up there, too. All in all, we have been blessed. And even if things hadn't turned out the way they did with Aaron's deployment, we would STILL be blessed and praising the Lord. And even if our plans with this move don't work out how we planned, the LORD will be praised!
I was visiting with a Young Life leader named Kevin who works out of the basement of the home we'll be crashing for the next few months until we're officially out of the military. As I was pulling clothes out of one suitcase and putting them into a smaller one in preparation for our trip to Boston this week, we were chatting about the craziness of life, but how we can see in the midst and as we look back just how God took the trust and hope we gave him and guided us each step of the way.
As I sat there looking at all I have for the next 4 months, I thought, "Lord, what am I to learn in this time?" And then Kevin said, "You know, I think sometimes God just wants us to lighten our load for awhile." I am so happy that he said that! As challenging as it will be to live out of two suitcases, I realized in that moment that I have everything I need. The Lord going before me, clothes on my back, and the love of my life, Aaron.
As I drove home, I heard this song come on the radio and I love every single lyric. My favorite part is about how even in a time of waiting, not only do we need to worship the Lord, but we need to serve him by ministering to the people of this world wherever we are at - Even in a time of transition. Becauase as Aaron and I are well aware, this transition has been and could continue to take a long time!
I’m waiting
I’m waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I’m waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait
I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I’m waiting
I will serve You
While I’m waiting
I will worship
While I’m waiting
I will not faint
I’ll be running the race
Even while I wait
I’m waiting
I’m waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I’m waiting on You, Lord
Though it’s not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting
I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting
I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting on You, Lord
Lyrics by John Waller
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
In the army now!
Well, not really in the army, of course. But, we did experience the most amazing army simulator at the Andrews AFB air show! We were lucky that we went on the "DoD only" day because i'm sure it wasn't nearly as crowded as Saturday and Sunday. We had a front-row view for everything! In the simulator we got to ride on real-life black hawks and convoys. They even gave us ID cards and had us "briefed" by an army sergeant on how we did. All I gotta say is that this is probably their best recruiting tool. I didn't sign up, though! I think I make a much better "supportive air force wife."
We toured through the two cargo planes we'll be flying in the next few months....a c-5 and a c-17. It's amazing how huge these planes are. I'm still trying to prepare myself for flying backwards and sideways...hmmmm....
The Thunderbirds were pretty amazing. I had to laugh a little when the kids would scream as they flew over us. They are SO LOUD! It wasn't that it was funny, I was mostly laughing at the parents as they would try to console their crying children. I mean, they know what they're about to put their kids through before it even happens! Mean parents! haha
We really enjoyed the Golden Knights. I just think these people have got to have one of the most thrilling jobs in the military. I know it isn't really fun and games when it comes down to it, but they sure put on a great show for all of us!
We got pretty sun-burned. It was cloudy most of the day, but I realized just how deceiving that is! Thankfully, my farmers tan and racoon eyes are nearly gone. It was pretty cute. We're just glad that we could go and enjoy the air show this year since Aaron is usually working at it all weekend and especially since this is our last one at Andrews. We won't miss everything, but definitely a lot of things about this place!
The Army Golden Knights
Prop-plane tricks. I honestly have no idea if this is right-side up, sideways or upside-down!
Of COURSE the Thunderbirds kinda steal the show.
Cozy-ing up in the c-17 :)
The inside of the c-5. HUGE!
Positively the most handsome man i've ever seen! I sure do love this guy.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Travelin' Fools
This is just a sneak preview to all the other pictures in this blog! Aaron and I have been happily using up his 45 days of leave and loving EVERY MINUTE! We just returned from a trip down to Savannah where I got to see one of my favorite people and college roommate from APU, Shelley. It was so much fun to see her! She took us around down town Savannah and it was adorable. Aaron loved all the spanish moss on the trees. She showed us the little upstairs apartment she used to rent from some people and I loved it because it has so much character!After spending the night and one day in Savannah, Aaron and I were off to Charleston to see his cousin Haley and her boyfriend Bryant who attends the Citadel. They took us to an incredible true, southern-style restaurant where we got the most amazing grits and crab cakes and hush puppies that take the cake over any others that we've tried! Yum! I wish I had gotten a picture with Haley and Bryant, but somehow I forgot to do that :( We loved Charleston so much that we decided to stay for a second day. Not only is Charleston one of our new favorite places, but we stayed on Charleston Air Force Base and it was probably one of the nicest AF bases (according to Aaron.) We really enjoyed our stay, and it was close to town, 20 minutes from the beach, and 5 minutes from a really great outlet mall. Yes, Aaron let me splurge a little bit...so fun!
Honestly though, one of the best parts of our trip to Charleston was randomly running into Aaron's best friend who is a C-17 pilot stationed in California. Let me try and explain how all of this craziness unfolded! Aaron and I had just left the cutest wine bar (where I met a new furry friend! Hence the dog in the tu-tu at the top of this post. Bliss is her name and I LOVED her! She was the "mascot" at the wine bar!) and we were walking over to a hotel with a roof-top bar. All of a sudden, someone grabs Aaron from behind and says, "Give me your money!" We both jump and turn around and BOOM! There's MATT! It was the most amazing experience because Matt didn't know we would be in Charleston and we didn't know he would be either! It turns out that he and a few other pilots were spending the night re-fueling their aircraft. We joined all of them for a drink and had a great visit. He said they had never stopped in Charleston before, so it was truly meant to be. Isn't that so much fun?!? Our favorite spot in Charleston is now the Isle of Palms. It's a gorgeous beach town! Let me just admit right now that I even bought a t-shirt. I NEVER do that. I loved this place!
After spending an exra day in Charleston, we were off to Virginia Beach. We drove through Kitty Hawk, which was really fun. We had hoped to see the museum, but it was 5 p.m. when we drove though and they had just closed. So we went on our way to the beach and checked into our beach-front cabin at Fort Story, a small army base along the VA. Beach Atlantic coast. Even though we didn't love it as much as Charleston, we HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend this place to anyone. And we especially recommend Cape Henry Inn at Fort Story to any of our military friends (Mari :) hint hint) The boardwalk at VA. Beach was a little ghetto. Not because it's old and/or run-down, but because there are some weird-o people hangin out there. Seriously. Lets put some clothes on people!! As Aaron says, "It's just annoying to be around people who only want to draw attention to themselves." So true honey! All in all, it was a really great stay!
Finally, after two days in VA. Beach, we packed our stuff and hopped in the car to Williamsburg. I don't need to go into much detail on this one, because Jamestown and Williamsburg speak for themselves! It's amazing to walk around the oldest towns in the United States. The history just blows me away and I loved, loved, loved it!
Before we knew it, it was time to go home and 5 minutes from our house, our car started acting up. We thanked the Lord that this hadn't happened earlier in our trip when we were so far from home. I went to take the car into the shop yesterday and couldn't even get it into reverse. Nothing. Ugh! I had to call a tow truck and the mechanic thought the transmission might be shot. Thankfully, the filter just needed to be replaced and it was just that all of our trasmission fluid had spilled out causing it to not shift properly. I guess all of that driving really did it in. But it was a much easier fix than we had prepared ourselves for. We only have one car, so this would have been a huge blow. God is good and he provides. We give him thanks!
There's so much more I could blog, but i'll have to do that after our trip up to NY to see a broadway show for my birthday at the end of this month. We'll also be picking up Aaron's brother, Jesse, in Harlem to make our way up through some of the New England states. I can't wait to see Boston which is where my grandparents are from. I love traveling and these opportunities for us are not taken for granted!
We officially close on our house this Friday and then the movers come on May 20. Thanks to Joel and Maggie, our amazing "God-Parents" at our church here in Virginia who mentored us before we got married, they are providing us free housing at their gorgeous home until we move. AMEN!! We can't thank them enough and we feel so blessed.
I'll do my best to keep everyone posted on how things are going for us!
Uh oh. Public humiliation at the courthouse in Williamsburg!
I know, I look too happy!
The historic Williamsburg Capital
At lunch with Shelley in cute, cute Savannah Georgia!
Shelley's first apartment when she moved to Savannah. Isn't it amazing?!?
Sitting down to visit after running into Matt in Charleston. AMAZING!
The Gas Light wine bar, downtown Charleston
2.5 million dollar homes at the Isle of Palms. Whoa.
Beach lovin' - My man needs a tan ;)
Life is pretty rough...
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Wild 'N Wonderful!
Wow, I haven't blogged in a really long time! My sister who is a brand new mom is blogging more than I am - Unacceptable me!
I feel like I could write a million things (they're all going through my head) but i'll do my best to condense them:
*Aaron and I just got back from an amazing trip to Sugar Grove, West Virginia! If you didn't know, it's the "Wild and Wonderful" state according to their license plates. oh boy, is it ever! We were out in the middle of nowhere! When I say "nowhere", I REALLY mean it! We stayed on a Navy base in a cozy MWR cabin with a commissary the size of a 7-11. It's a neat place, but I honestly feel so bad for the personnel stationed there! Even more for the wives.....no jobs, BORING! I'm sure they're all really close. For us, it was just nice to get out of the city and see nothing but nature and each other. FABULOUS.
We slept in every single day, watched two movies, hiked up to Seneca Rocks and watched the rock climbers. It was pretty amazing and looked incredibly dangerous!
We also hiked up in the Shenendoah Mountains again which was a completely different experience than our hike there last July. We hiked about 4 miles down to a river, Aaron fished for a little while (unfortunately didn't catch anything, though) and we ate lunch when we reached the bottom. On our way down we saw a female black bear with two cubs that appeared to be about 1-year old. Apparently the mother bear abandons her babies when they're about 14-15 months old. I thought this was sad! Aaron says, "It's just what they do..." Haha. After fishing for a little while, we decided to hike back up which was a tough hike and another 4 miles back and saw another bear! This time it was a HUGE female black bear with a baby that looked like it was about 1 month old!! It was AMAZING to see all of these bears! We were thankful to be far enough away, but it was still kinda weird. I realized I wasn't very smart for wearing a bright pink sweatshirt. Way to be so incognito, Jenny.
We're bummed that we didn't have a digital camera because our battery died, but we had purchased an old fashioned disposable one and took a few shots that we're hoping turn out pretty nice. Once we develop them, i'll scan them in and post them. It'll be an old-fashioned, modge-podge of fun!
We enjoyed seeing another beautiful state while living out here on the East Coast and had fun practicing our awesome southern-drawls - Ha! Oooh yeah, i'm feeling a little bit country!
*Our house went under contract 6 days on the market for almost our full asking price! Though, I won't mention how much we are paying in their closing costs...ugh. Now this whole experience has been a whirl-wind. There are so many "contingencies" that you have to pass on before the sale can actually become final. Thanks goodness, those contingencies are moving forward much faster since our buyer wants the closing date to be May 8. The appraiser came into our house today, which is the last HUGE hurdle. Anyone who has purchased and/or sold a house knows exactly what i'm talking about. Hold......breath......BREATHE.....hold breath again.......We should hear back on all of that within about two days. After May 8, we will rent back from the buyer for two weeks and then we are officially homeless as of 9 p.m. on May 22nd. SAD!! But thank goodness my wonderful husband is taking me to Europe for my 25th birthday which is May 23rd! I think we'll probably leave on my birthday or right after. We're hopping a military cargo plane over to Germany...for FREE. Should be exciting!! Our plan is to see Germany, Italy and Prague. Other than that, we haven't really decided yet! Aaron has about 40 days of leave he hasn't used yet so we will get every second out of those 40 days that we can!
*Still nothing set in stone with a job for Aaron, but we are confident in the potential options that have been presented to us. We trust that God is taking us down this journey to reveal His plan in His perfect timing.
*I leave this Friday to visit my family out in Washington and FINALLY get to see my sweet niece Addison in person! I can't wait! My mom and I are also speaking at a mother-daughter conference the weekend of the 18th. I get to be in glorious Washington State for 10 whole days! I was really hoping Aaron would come with me, but he has lots of work to do these days. Secretly, I think he just wants fishing adventures with the boys ;) Hey, i'm A-OK with that!
Last but not least, I am excited that it's finally Spring. Not only because of all of the beautiful flowers and weather, but because of Easter which is one of the best times of the year. When I realize just what sets my God apart from any other "God" it's incredible. No other God has sent his only son to die such a terrible death on a cross and give me access to eternal life in heaven. I couldn't be more grateful and have anything better to live for than the One who did that for ME.
Until next time, may you be BLESSED!
I feel like I could write a million things (they're all going through my head) but i'll do my best to condense them:
*Aaron and I just got back from an amazing trip to Sugar Grove, West Virginia! If you didn't know, it's the "Wild and Wonderful" state according to their license plates. oh boy, is it ever! We were out in the middle of nowhere! When I say "nowhere", I REALLY mean it! We stayed on a Navy base in a cozy MWR cabin with a commissary the size of a 7-11. It's a neat place, but I honestly feel so bad for the personnel stationed there! Even more for the wives.....no jobs, BORING! I'm sure they're all really close. For us, it was just nice to get out of the city and see nothing but nature and each other. FABULOUS.
We slept in every single day, watched two movies, hiked up to Seneca Rocks and watched the rock climbers. It was pretty amazing and looked incredibly dangerous!
We also hiked up in the Shenendoah Mountains again which was a completely different experience than our hike there last July. We hiked about 4 miles down to a river, Aaron fished for a little while (unfortunately didn't catch anything, though) and we ate lunch when we reached the bottom. On our way down we saw a female black bear with two cubs that appeared to be about 1-year old. Apparently the mother bear abandons her babies when they're about 14-15 months old. I thought this was sad! Aaron says, "It's just what they do..." Haha. After fishing for a little while, we decided to hike back up which was a tough hike and another 4 miles back and saw another bear! This time it was a HUGE female black bear with a baby that looked like it was about 1 month old!! It was AMAZING to see all of these bears! We were thankful to be far enough away, but it was still kinda weird. I realized I wasn't very smart for wearing a bright pink sweatshirt. Way to be so incognito, Jenny.
We're bummed that we didn't have a digital camera because our battery died, but we had purchased an old fashioned disposable one and took a few shots that we're hoping turn out pretty nice. Once we develop them, i'll scan them in and post them. It'll be an old-fashioned, modge-podge of fun!
We enjoyed seeing another beautiful state while living out here on the East Coast and had fun practicing our awesome southern-drawls - Ha! Oooh yeah, i'm feeling a little bit country!
*Our house went under contract 6 days on the market for almost our full asking price! Though, I won't mention how much we are paying in their closing costs...ugh. Now this whole experience has been a whirl-wind. There are so many "contingencies" that you have to pass on before the sale can actually become final. Thanks goodness, those contingencies are moving forward much faster since our buyer wants the closing date to be May 8. The appraiser came into our house today, which is the last HUGE hurdle. Anyone who has purchased and/or sold a house knows exactly what i'm talking about. Hold......breath......BREATHE.....hold breath again.......We should hear back on all of that within about two days. After May 8, we will rent back from the buyer for two weeks and then we are officially homeless as of 9 p.m. on May 22nd. SAD!! But thank goodness my wonderful husband is taking me to Europe for my 25th birthday which is May 23rd! I think we'll probably leave on my birthday or right after. We're hopping a military cargo plane over to Germany...for FREE. Should be exciting!! Our plan is to see Germany, Italy and Prague. Other than that, we haven't really decided yet! Aaron has about 40 days of leave he hasn't used yet so we will get every second out of those 40 days that we can!
*Still nothing set in stone with a job for Aaron, but we are confident in the potential options that have been presented to us. We trust that God is taking us down this journey to reveal His plan in His perfect timing.
*I leave this Friday to visit my family out in Washington and FINALLY get to see my sweet niece Addison in person! I can't wait! My mom and I are also speaking at a mother-daughter conference the weekend of the 18th. I get to be in glorious Washington State for 10 whole days! I was really hoping Aaron would come with me, but he has lots of work to do these days. Secretly, I think he just wants fishing adventures with the boys ;) Hey, i'm A-OK with that!
Last but not least, I am excited that it's finally Spring. Not only because of all of the beautiful flowers and weather, but because of Easter which is one of the best times of the year. When I realize just what sets my God apart from any other "God" it's incredible. No other God has sent his only son to die such a terrible death on a cross and give me access to eternal life in heaven. I couldn't be more grateful and have anything better to live for than the One who did that for ME.
Until next time, may you be BLESSED!
Friday, March 13, 2009
My Niece is Finally Here! Addison Marie :)
Hello world! My name is Addison Marie Scheuffele and i'm finally here to see everyone! I am 8 lb 10 oz of love, 19 in long and I have lots of strawberry blond hair (along with a few little curls already, too! Thanks Daddy!!) I don't cry very much but I sure do sleep, eat and poop alot!
I was a bit stubborn and my mommy was in labor with me for 30 hours before everyone finally decided to get me out via c-section. Mommy says I'm completely worth it, though!
Everyone keeps kissing my cheeks...i'm not sure why. Maybe you can figure it out from my pictures?? Now that everyone has passed me around a million times, i'm just excited to finally see my Auntie Jenny on April 10th when she visits me for the first time!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
"Home" Stretch
Sorry I haven't been blogging much about the house! A bunch of you keep asking for more updates and pictures. Well, sorry, no pictures today (please don't hate me!) but they're coming soon! Our decorator came over yesterday to move a few things around the house and finalize plans. She's coming back on Tuesday to completely finish decorating the house. We have spent so much time and money on the remodel that we haven't purchased too many pieces of furniture. We did go out and get a really comfy loveseat and two armless chairs, but our decorator is bringing in some paintings for the walls, lamps and a number of other things.
I'm going to make a confession here....
Aaron has this huge painting that he LOVES of birds...or ducks...I dunno, I can't really tell! All I know is that i'm not the biggest fan of it. I tend to like more abstract pieces and landscape paintings. Anyway, this bird/duck painting that he has needed a new piece of glass because it had cracked down the middle a while back. Since we need things for the walls, I decided (a little against my will) to drive down to Michaels and I figured I'd just purchase a new frame. Come to find out that the frame isn't standard so they suggested that they could buff out the scuffs in the frame and put a new piece of glass over it. "Sure, that sounds good." But $89 later!! The things we do for love. I admit, the colors in it are beautiful, but it just isn't my style. I know Aaron really appreciates it and I love him, so i'm biting my tongue on this one! Our decorator loves the painting, too. So much that she is bringing two more from the same artist (Audubon) over and will be hanging one in our bedroom and two in our living room. I wonder if I might start ducking throughout the house in order to save myself from flying birds pooping on my head! Ok, that was a joke....
Well, the next week and a half will be a bit crazy. This is the final stretch of our house work! As I mentioned, our house will be decorated on Tuesday, our realtor is coming over to take pictures on Thursday and we have a window cleaner coming on the 13th. Basically, we'll be completely done with the inside on Monday! I can hardly believe i'm writing that.
We are hoping for an open house on March 15, but that will depend on when the work gets done on the outside. Though we've been able to do pretty much everything ourselves, we had to hire someone to replace the trim on the outside of our house because a lot of it was rotting. He'll then put a new coat of paint on all the trim as well. Tomorrow, our realtor and I are going shopping for plants and flowers to decorate the outside of the house. I think it'll look beautiful! We're really going to enjoy living in a completed house for a little while.
Good news is that a house that went on the market in our neighborhood two weeks ago is already under contract! I know they put it on the market for a pretty good price, too. Apparently there are still a ton of home buyers in our area. Yay! If we sell within the next month or two, we'll need to find a temporary place to live until we move in early June. Aaron will pin as Captain June 1 (sooo proud of him!) and then he has 44 days of leave, so we can actually leave town as early as about June 5.
We're hoping to take a hop over to Europe for two weeks sometime between May and June. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!
I'm going to make a confession here....
Aaron has this huge painting that he LOVES of birds...or ducks...I dunno, I can't really tell! All I know is that i'm not the biggest fan of it. I tend to like more abstract pieces and landscape paintings. Anyway, this bird/duck painting that he has needed a new piece of glass because it had cracked down the middle a while back. Since we need things for the walls, I decided (a little against my will) to drive down to Michaels and I figured I'd just purchase a new frame. Come to find out that the frame isn't standard so they suggested that they could buff out the scuffs in the frame and put a new piece of glass over it. "Sure, that sounds good." But $89 later!! The things we do for love. I admit, the colors in it are beautiful, but it just isn't my style. I know Aaron really appreciates it and I love him, so i'm biting my tongue on this one! Our decorator loves the painting, too. So much that she is bringing two more from the same artist (Audubon) over and will be hanging one in our bedroom and two in our living room. I wonder if I might start ducking throughout the house in order to save myself from flying birds pooping on my head! Ok, that was a joke....
Well, the next week and a half will be a bit crazy. This is the final stretch of our house work! As I mentioned, our house will be decorated on Tuesday, our realtor is coming over to take pictures on Thursday and we have a window cleaner coming on the 13th. Basically, we'll be completely done with the inside on Monday! I can hardly believe i'm writing that.
We are hoping for an open house on March 15, but that will depend on when the work gets done on the outside. Though we've been able to do pretty much everything ourselves, we had to hire someone to replace the trim on the outside of our house because a lot of it was rotting. He'll then put a new coat of paint on all the trim as well. Tomorrow, our realtor and I are going shopping for plants and flowers to decorate the outside of the house. I think it'll look beautiful! We're really going to enjoy living in a completed house for a little while.
Good news is that a house that went on the market in our neighborhood two weeks ago is already under contract! I know they put it on the market for a pretty good price, too. Apparently there are still a ton of home buyers in our area. Yay! If we sell within the next month or two, we'll need to find a temporary place to live until we move in early June. Aaron will pin as Captain June 1 (sooo proud of him!) and then he has 44 days of leave, so we can actually leave town as early as about June 5.
We're hoping to take a hop over to Europe for two weeks sometime between May and June. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!
Friday, February 20, 2009
J-O-Y.
I just thought I'd share some thoughts on how i've been feeling about life lately. The biggest thing on my heart is how much I love Aaron.
I hate admitting that the past few months (if not year or so) I realize i've dwelled on all the bad, "ho-hum" things that happen in my life. I'm ashamed of my self-centeredness at times. I'll also admit that i've accused Aaron probably one too many times of not having my best interest at heart. I've usually said this because of something he forgot to do or maybe didn't make the best decision about. But I can say with all confidence that Aaron does and always has had my best interest at heart. I know that he wants nothing but the best for our family.
We've gone through a lot of change together in the last two years or so. I think both of us feel quite unsettled. One reason for this is that as a military family, you automatically accept that your life will never feel completely stable. At any moment, your life can be turned upside down with a deployment. Now, as we prepare to separate from the military, we are again faced with various challenges from scrambling to finish our house and decorate it (this is EXPENSIVE!), to attempting to sell our house in a very difficult and uncertain market, Aaron's search for a civilian engineering job (hopefully on the west coast!), etc, etc, etc.
Recently, I've been making a conscious effort to focus on the good in a bad/difficult situation. Here's what i've discovered that has flipped my life around and back on the positive track:
1) God makes good from ANY situation if I submit myself and our circumstances to allow him to do it.
2) Aaron is the love of my life and I really could care less at the end of the day if the door frame is crooked, the kitchen too small, the dry-wall is uneven, etc, etc. because I get to spend my life with the most amazing man in the world and I find so much joy in his company!
3) I am in this season of my life where I won't be working again until we move this summer. If you had asked me 3 months ago what i'd be doing right now, I never would have thought I'd be home finishing the house, diving into cook books to prepare yummy, healthy dinners for me and my hubby, attending the most amazing woman's bible study at BCC (Burke Community Church - the most incredible church "home" away from home!) and volunteering each week to work with young women who are living through an unplanned pregnancy. The bible course i'm taking is a Beth Moore study. I can't put words to how wonderful she is. She ushers you into a closeness with God like i've never experienced before. Right now we're doing the study of the Psalms of Ascent and I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone in any stage of their life. This is a true into-the-Bible type of study!
As I mentioned, i'm loving my volunteer time with the Alexandria Pregnancy Help Center (AKA Sanctity of Life Ministries.) I can't thank God enough for allowing me this season of my life to dedicate some of my time to connect with other women who are in need. We have an incredible director at APHC named Rebecca and an office manager who i'm really connecting with named Margie. Margie is a widow as of 4 years ago who has an amazing outlook on life from an eternal perspective. She's captivating and I love visiting with her. And I must add that I love babies so much! There is nothing more special in this life than life itself and the gift of an innocent child. I look forward to having a family with Aaron and I often wonder what our children will look like :) I would love to have a son someday because I know he'll be just as handsome as Aaron!
4) I am choosing to enjoy the house at this point. Yes! I said it! I'm ENJOYING our house! I have had such a bad attitude about this in the past. You really have no idea the mess we've lived in at times throughout this process, but God is so good! We have food, clothing, a roof over our heads and each other!
5) We are anxiously awaiting the day when our first niece Addison arrives! JOY JOY JOY!!
I know I could list more things, but maybe i'll just write a book later. What's so cool about this list is that i've slowed myself down enough to spend time focusing on these wonderful things and counting it all JOY that no matter what difficulties are happening right now, there are so many wonderful things to dwell on. I feel happier and more energetic with just a simple mind shift.
To end, I want to share a few old photos from my college volunteer days. I spent a great deal of time last week going through old photos from working with homeless children on Skid Row in LA. I promised myself when I left LA that I wouldn't forget what's important in life and get caught up in senseless, meaningless work (y’all know what I mean here.) My first year of work out of college, I pinned pictures of these kids up in my cubicle and I just love and miss them so much and hope their lives continue to be touched by other people who also love them.
Goof Balls!
Look at those eyelashes!
Attitudes!
I hate admitting that the past few months (if not year or so) I realize i've dwelled on all the bad, "ho-hum" things that happen in my life. I'm ashamed of my self-centeredness at times. I'll also admit that i've accused Aaron probably one too many times of not having my best interest at heart. I've usually said this because of something he forgot to do or maybe didn't make the best decision about. But I can say with all confidence that Aaron does and always has had my best interest at heart. I know that he wants nothing but the best for our family.
We've gone through a lot of change together in the last two years or so. I think both of us feel quite unsettled. One reason for this is that as a military family, you automatically accept that your life will never feel completely stable. At any moment, your life can be turned upside down with a deployment. Now, as we prepare to separate from the military, we are again faced with various challenges from scrambling to finish our house and decorate it (this is EXPENSIVE!), to attempting to sell our house in a very difficult and uncertain market, Aaron's search for a civilian engineering job (hopefully on the west coast!), etc, etc, etc.
Recently, I've been making a conscious effort to focus on the good in a bad/difficult situation. Here's what i've discovered that has flipped my life around and back on the positive track:
1) God makes good from ANY situation if I submit myself and our circumstances to allow him to do it.
2) Aaron is the love of my life and I really could care less at the end of the day if the door frame is crooked, the kitchen too small, the dry-wall is uneven, etc, etc. because I get to spend my life with the most amazing man in the world and I find so much joy in his company!
3) I am in this season of my life where I won't be working again until we move this summer. If you had asked me 3 months ago what i'd be doing right now, I never would have thought I'd be home finishing the house, diving into cook books to prepare yummy, healthy dinners for me and my hubby, attending the most amazing woman's bible study at BCC (Burke Community Church - the most incredible church "home" away from home!) and volunteering each week to work with young women who are living through an unplanned pregnancy. The bible course i'm taking is a Beth Moore study. I can't put words to how wonderful she is. She ushers you into a closeness with God like i've never experienced before. Right now we're doing the study of the Psalms of Ascent and I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone in any stage of their life. This is a true into-the-Bible type of study!
As I mentioned, i'm loving my volunteer time with the Alexandria Pregnancy Help Center (AKA Sanctity of Life Ministries.) I can't thank God enough for allowing me this season of my life to dedicate some of my time to connect with other women who are in need. We have an incredible director at APHC named Rebecca and an office manager who i'm really connecting with named Margie. Margie is a widow as of 4 years ago who has an amazing outlook on life from an eternal perspective. She's captivating and I love visiting with her. And I must add that I love babies so much! There is nothing more special in this life than life itself and the gift of an innocent child. I look forward to having a family with Aaron and I often wonder what our children will look like :) I would love to have a son someday because I know he'll be just as handsome as Aaron!
4) I am choosing to enjoy the house at this point. Yes! I said it! I'm ENJOYING our house! I have had such a bad attitude about this in the past. You really have no idea the mess we've lived in at times throughout this process, but God is so good! We have food, clothing, a roof over our heads and each other!
5) We are anxiously awaiting the day when our first niece Addison arrives! JOY JOY JOY!!
I know I could list more things, but maybe i'll just write a book later. What's so cool about this list is that i've slowed myself down enough to spend time focusing on these wonderful things and counting it all JOY that no matter what difficulties are happening right now, there are so many wonderful things to dwell on. I feel happier and more energetic with just a simple mind shift.
To end, I want to share a few old photos from my college volunteer days. I spent a great deal of time last week going through old photos from working with homeless children on Skid Row in LA. I promised myself when I left LA that I wouldn't forget what's important in life and get caught up in senseless, meaningless work (y’all know what I mean here.) My first year of work out of college, I pinned pictures of these kids up in my cubicle and I just love and miss them so much and hope their lives continue to be touched by other people who also love them.
My special boy, Jose
Goof Balls!
Look at those eyelashes!
Attitudes!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Unfortunately Consuming
I'm using this entry to make a serious confession. I'm not very proud of this, but maybe sharing it will help me to overcome. I have this consuming fear that someone will break into our house when I'm home alone. Recently, i've attempted to discover when this fear actually began and I think this is how:
For starters (just a little background here), I was fortunate and blessed to have grown up in a very safe home in a safe area. My parent's house sits right on a quiet lake at the bottom of a long driveway. I can't think of a time that I locked my car door before going in for the night. I don't remember waking up to strange noises or anything like that because it just wasn't ever a fear. THEN I moved to the oh so awesome city of Los Angeles.
Experience #1: There were a number of incidences around the APU campus that involved creepy men groping girls when they'd go out for a run, but nothing too serious ever happened - At least not that I know of. I sort of just tucked the recommendations to be cautious and aware in my back pocket until one night after a choir concert. We had just returned to campus late - about 10 p.m. - and for some reason I had to stay back and talk with our choir director. The guys were really good about not letting girls walk back to their apartment alone, but I insisted that a guy who offered to wait for me actually not wait because I didn't want to inconvenience him. I assured him i'd be fine so he went ahead and left. I made it most of the way to my apartment when I stupidly decided to enter the side gate (locked by code) rather than the front gate which actually had street lights out in front of it. As I approached the door in my choir dress and heels, I heard a man's voice behind me. "Hey, come here." That's when I said, "What??" Then he said, "Come here." Honest to goodness I assumed this guy was another student who knew me, but his face was shadowed by a baseball cap so I couldn't tell for sure. That's when instinct shot straight through me and at the same time I noticed the duffle bag over his shoulder. Something about his voice and the way he had approached me (while my back was turned...in the dark...at 11 p.m.....with no one else around in that moment. I immediately punched the code into the key pad and ran through the gate. That's when he started yelling at me! Not to sound too dramatic, but I know that guy was up to no good. I called campus police, but there wasn't much they could do without much of a description of the creepo.
Experience #2: I won't go into the long details about the transformation of mine and Aaron's relationship, but I had actually come out to D.C. to visit for about 3 weeks prior to moving out about a month later. Before I came out for my lengthy visit, I was so excited and didn't think I would have any hesitations. But, about 1 week into my visit, things changed a bit. You'd think I would have learned from my college experience, but no, not much. One day while Aaron was at work, I decided to take a walk up to the Target shopping center about 3/4 of a mile away. I didn't realize there were two ways to get there but I ended up taking the route that went along Richmond Highway which is a really busy street in Alexandria. My next stupid mistake was grabbing my I-Pod and cranking it. Ugh. Anyway, I was just about to Target when a man startled me in a black honda which had pulled up next to me. To make a long crazy story short, he kept asking me to get in his car with him. I refused - Of course. I began walking again. That's when he pulled into the closest parking lot and had the nerve to get out of his car! He approached me on foot and told me he "wanted to take me on a date." That's when I said, "Um, I really don't think my boyfriend would appreciate you doing this." I then told him to "please leave me alone." He huffed a bit then got back in his car (i'm walking a bit faster now.) That's when I realize that he was creeping in the right lane behind me. So naturally I made a run for it to the Target parking lot. This crazy guy started chasing me with his car through the parking lot WHILE PEOPLE WATCHED! I'm in tears now and my heart has just dropped to my toes while I go running into the store and hid in the women's clothing. I called Aaron and he left work early to come get me. I still regret not calling the police. He had a CVS pharmacy polo on and a few weeks later I recognized his car in the CVS parking lot right by our house. The regret.
Experience #3: My car broke down last spring (surprise surprise) so I had to walk to the metro one morning from Aaron's house to get to work. That's when an old nasty man came up beside me in an old maroon toyota and said, "Hey, let me give you a ride. You look like you're going to the metro." Thanks, Sherlock. Then he said,"I'm going there anyway and I can drop you off." I said all too nicely, "No, i'm fine." This guy started to get antsy (Dude! What is it with the men out here?!?) and he yelled, "Just get in my car! I told you I'm going to the metro!" Alright bucko, what part of N-O don't you understand?? "No!" I said. Then he just jetted off. For the record, rather than turning left to go to the metro, he hesitated at the innersection and turned right. I broke into full on tears, called Aaron and then called in late to work so I could get myself together. I thank God that under these last two cicrumstances, there were a lot of other people around. But, let me tell you, people are funny. I think we get so caught up in what we're doing that we aren't very observant. Now I often wonder how many terrible things happen in public and in broad daylight. Scary.
Well, you might be wondering why this is coming out in a blog now. That's because there was an incident this afternoon. I can admit, I love our house (the remodels are amazing) but we have a lot of strange people that walk around here. We're the end unit on a pretty busy street and there just so happens to be a homeless man that sleeps in his car out front. I have no idea if this is even legal. Anyway, Aaron also caught 3 teenagers smoking pot just behind our fence. Oh joy. All of that to say that we just installed new french doors in our basement that lead out into our backyard. It's a bit exposed because part of our fence fell down when it was windy outside but we'll be fixing it soon. Of course I asked Aaron to immediately put the dead bolt and door knob on because I didn't want to be asking for something stupid to happen, so he did. Well, this afternoon as I was painting upstairs, I came down to the basement to get a paint brush and the right side of the french doors was swung wide open. For a split second I thought, "I KNOW I locked both locks." So I threw my stuff down and grabbed my cell phone as I ran out the door. I called Aaron in a panic and said, "I think someone tried to break into the house!" He says, "Oh, no, it's windy and the doors aren't secure yet." WHAT?!? He feels really bad that this happened and I feel bad because I really put him through the ringer over it. He knows the experiences i've had out here and that it's not safe for our doors to be like that when i'm home alone all day. It turns out that the doors swung open (locks still in tact) because the wind picked up and pushed them open since they weren't secure.
Now i've just been thinking, "What's the point of having two locks on the door if a toddler could press it open with their little finger??!?!" I love Aaron so much and I know he means well, but i'm not particularly happy this happened. I suppose I could blame it on my bad experiences. I just don't want to live in fear like this forever. Interestingly enough, i've just started a bible study at church that has already been confronting me with my fears. I pray there's hope because I want more than anything to trust that God can and WILL protect me all the time! But I also keep telling Aaron, "Let's at least still try to be responsible people."
:(
For starters (just a little background here), I was fortunate and blessed to have grown up in a very safe home in a safe area. My parent's house sits right on a quiet lake at the bottom of a long driveway. I can't think of a time that I locked my car door before going in for the night. I don't remember waking up to strange noises or anything like that because it just wasn't ever a fear. THEN I moved to the oh so awesome city of Los Angeles.
Experience #1: There were a number of incidences around the APU campus that involved creepy men groping girls when they'd go out for a run, but nothing too serious ever happened - At least not that I know of. I sort of just tucked the recommendations to be cautious and aware in my back pocket until one night after a choir concert. We had just returned to campus late - about 10 p.m. - and for some reason I had to stay back and talk with our choir director. The guys were really good about not letting girls walk back to their apartment alone, but I insisted that a guy who offered to wait for me actually not wait because I didn't want to inconvenience him. I assured him i'd be fine so he went ahead and left. I made it most of the way to my apartment when I stupidly decided to enter the side gate (locked by code) rather than the front gate which actually had street lights out in front of it. As I approached the door in my choir dress and heels, I heard a man's voice behind me. "Hey, come here." That's when I said, "What??" Then he said, "Come here." Honest to goodness I assumed this guy was another student who knew me, but his face was shadowed by a baseball cap so I couldn't tell for sure. That's when instinct shot straight through me and at the same time I noticed the duffle bag over his shoulder. Something about his voice and the way he had approached me (while my back was turned...in the dark...at 11 p.m.....with no one else around in that moment. I immediately punched the code into the key pad and ran through the gate. That's when he started yelling at me! Not to sound too dramatic, but I know that guy was up to no good. I called campus police, but there wasn't much they could do without much of a description of the creepo.
Experience #2: I won't go into the long details about the transformation of mine and Aaron's relationship, but I had actually come out to D.C. to visit for about 3 weeks prior to moving out about a month later. Before I came out for my lengthy visit, I was so excited and didn't think I would have any hesitations. But, about 1 week into my visit, things changed a bit. You'd think I would have learned from my college experience, but no, not much. One day while Aaron was at work, I decided to take a walk up to the Target shopping center about 3/4 of a mile away. I didn't realize there were two ways to get there but I ended up taking the route that went along Richmond Highway which is a really busy street in Alexandria. My next stupid mistake was grabbing my I-Pod and cranking it. Ugh. Anyway, I was just about to Target when a man startled me in a black honda which had pulled up next to me. To make a long crazy story short, he kept asking me to get in his car with him. I refused - Of course. I began walking again. That's when he pulled into the closest parking lot and had the nerve to get out of his car! He approached me on foot and told me he "wanted to take me on a date." That's when I said, "Um, I really don't think my boyfriend would appreciate you doing this." I then told him to "please leave me alone." He huffed a bit then got back in his car (i'm walking a bit faster now.) That's when I realize that he was creeping in the right lane behind me. So naturally I made a run for it to the Target parking lot. This crazy guy started chasing me with his car through the parking lot WHILE PEOPLE WATCHED! I'm in tears now and my heart has just dropped to my toes while I go running into the store and hid in the women's clothing. I called Aaron and he left work early to come get me. I still regret not calling the police. He had a CVS pharmacy polo on and a few weeks later I recognized his car in the CVS parking lot right by our house. The regret.
Experience #3: My car broke down last spring (surprise surprise) so I had to walk to the metro one morning from Aaron's house to get to work. That's when an old nasty man came up beside me in an old maroon toyota and said, "Hey, let me give you a ride. You look like you're going to the metro." Thanks, Sherlock. Then he said,"I'm going there anyway and I can drop you off." I said all too nicely, "No, i'm fine." This guy started to get antsy (Dude! What is it with the men out here?!?) and he yelled, "Just get in my car! I told you I'm going to the metro!" Alright bucko, what part of N-O don't you understand?? "No!" I said. Then he just jetted off. For the record, rather than turning left to go to the metro, he hesitated at the innersection and turned right. I broke into full on tears, called Aaron and then called in late to work so I could get myself together. I thank God that under these last two cicrumstances, there were a lot of other people around. But, let me tell you, people are funny. I think we get so caught up in what we're doing that we aren't very observant. Now I often wonder how many terrible things happen in public and in broad daylight. Scary.
Well, you might be wondering why this is coming out in a blog now. That's because there was an incident this afternoon. I can admit, I love our house (the remodels are amazing) but we have a lot of strange people that walk around here. We're the end unit on a pretty busy street and there just so happens to be a homeless man that sleeps in his car out front. I have no idea if this is even legal. Anyway, Aaron also caught 3 teenagers smoking pot just behind our fence. Oh joy. All of that to say that we just installed new french doors in our basement that lead out into our backyard. It's a bit exposed because part of our fence fell down when it was windy outside but we'll be fixing it soon. Of course I asked Aaron to immediately put the dead bolt and door knob on because I didn't want to be asking for something stupid to happen, so he did. Well, this afternoon as I was painting upstairs, I came down to the basement to get a paint brush and the right side of the french doors was swung wide open. For a split second I thought, "I KNOW I locked both locks." So I threw my stuff down and grabbed my cell phone as I ran out the door. I called Aaron in a panic and said, "I think someone tried to break into the house!" He says, "Oh, no, it's windy and the doors aren't secure yet." WHAT?!? He feels really bad that this happened and I feel bad because I really put him through the ringer over it. He knows the experiences i've had out here and that it's not safe for our doors to be like that when i'm home alone all day. It turns out that the doors swung open (locks still in tact) because the wind picked up and pushed them open since they weren't secure.
Now i've just been thinking, "What's the point of having two locks on the door if a toddler could press it open with their little finger??!?!" I love Aaron so much and I know he means well, but i'm not particularly happy this happened. I suppose I could blame it on my bad experiences. I just don't want to live in fear like this forever. Interestingly enough, i've just started a bible study at church that has already been confronting me with my fears. I pray there's hope because I want more than anything to trust that God can and WILL protect me all the time! But I also keep telling Aaron, "Let's at least still try to be responsible people."
:(
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Ohhh the curse on me!
5:45 a.m. Wake up to take Aaron to work (we only have one car right now...)
6 a.m. Out the door, 1/4 awake. Eek. At this point I do remember mentioning, "Honey, I left my cell phone in the house, but it's ok, let's just go." After all, I would just be coming right back.
6:05 a.m. We see Aaron's buddy driving in front of us (they had some sort of early formation this morning) At this point, Aaron suggests, "Hey, i'll just call John real quick and tell him to pull over so I can catch a ride with him and you can turn around and go home." "Sure, that's fine", I said. "But I didn't grab my keys, so i'll need your's." Alright, I assumed (emphasis on that) that Aaron would just take his office key off the key ring. So, he stops the car and we both get out. He hops in the car with John, I hop in the front seat of our car.
6:10 a.m. I arrive home, reach for the ignition and ONLY FEEL THE CAR KEY! AHHH!! That's right, snowing and all, locked out of the house! By this point, i'm starting to wake up...about 3/4 now. "Alright, i'll give him a quick call" is what i'm thinking to myself. Within seconds I remember that my cell phone is locked in the house!
6:25 a.m. Yep, i've been sitting in my car for a bit contemplating what to do next. Option 1: I can drive to base, but have no idea where Aaron will be for his, well, whatever the heck men in uniforms do at 6:30 in the morning.....cleaning the guns they never use in the Air
Force....something like that. Option 2: I can go knock on our friends' door (the husband gets up pretty early) but I absolutely knew i'd freak the heck out of his wife....I know this because she's a lot like me. Option 3: Wait and hope one of my neighbors is leaving for work and I can ask to borrow their cell phone really fast.
6:30 a.m. Yay! I see movement in the darkness!! One of our neighbors whom we haven't even met yet is just starting her car. I hop out of our car, run over to her and as not-too-creepily as possible, I explain that i've been locked out of my house, my cell phone is inside, and wondered if I could trouble her for a few minutes to call my husband. She was very sweet and handed over her phone right away. I catch Aaron and explain to him what happenend and I get this,
"Oh. Hmm. Ok." (so enthusiastic.)
Uhhh, honey!! Do you hear what I'm telling you?!? It's the butt crack of dawn and i'm locked out with no cell phone AND it's snowing!! I ask him to call our neighbor to let him know i'll be knocking on their door and to ask if I can stay warm in their house until Aaron's meeting is over." That's when Aaron says, "No, just go over there and knock." I say, "Right, and give the poor couple a heart-attack." Anyway (why are we wasting time arguing about this??), Aaron finally agrees to call them, but they didn't answer their phone. SO, I drove over to Andrews and just got home after sitting in Aaron's office waiting for him so I could get the house key, hair all over the place, pajama pants, NO BRA ON! (don't worry, I was wearing a big fluffy jacket.) Some of the guys offered to make me breakfast, but in my mind i'm thinking....("I just want to put a bra on and brush my hair.")
Moral of the story: We'll be hiding a house key by our front porch.....sigh.....
6 a.m. Out the door, 1/4 awake. Eek. At this point I do remember mentioning, "Honey, I left my cell phone in the house, but it's ok, let's just go." After all, I would just be coming right back.
6:05 a.m. We see Aaron's buddy driving in front of us (they had some sort of early formation this morning) At this point, Aaron suggests, "Hey, i'll just call John real quick and tell him to pull over so I can catch a ride with him and you can turn around and go home." "Sure, that's fine", I said. "But I didn't grab my keys, so i'll need your's." Alright, I assumed (emphasis on that) that Aaron would just take his office key off the key ring. So, he stops the car and we both get out. He hops in the car with John, I hop in the front seat of our car.
6:10 a.m. I arrive home, reach for the ignition and ONLY FEEL THE CAR KEY! AHHH!! That's right, snowing and all, locked out of the house! By this point, i'm starting to wake up...about 3/4 now. "Alright, i'll give him a quick call" is what i'm thinking to myself. Within seconds I remember that my cell phone is locked in the house!
6:25 a.m. Yep, i've been sitting in my car for a bit contemplating what to do next. Option 1: I can drive to base, but have no idea where Aaron will be for his, well, whatever the heck men in uniforms do at 6:30 in the morning.....cleaning the guns they never use in the Air
Force....something like that. Option 2: I can go knock on our friends' door (the husband gets up pretty early) but I absolutely knew i'd freak the heck out of his wife....I know this because she's a lot like me. Option 3: Wait and hope one of my neighbors is leaving for work and I can ask to borrow their cell phone really fast.
6:30 a.m. Yay! I see movement in the darkness!! One of our neighbors whom we haven't even met yet is just starting her car. I hop out of our car, run over to her and as not-too-creepily as possible, I explain that i've been locked out of my house, my cell phone is inside, and wondered if I could trouble her for a few minutes to call my husband. She was very sweet and handed over her phone right away. I catch Aaron and explain to him what happenend and I get this,
"Oh. Hmm. Ok." (so enthusiastic.)
Uhhh, honey!! Do you hear what I'm telling you?!? It's the butt crack of dawn and i'm locked out with no cell phone AND it's snowing!! I ask him to call our neighbor to let him know i'll be knocking on their door and to ask if I can stay warm in their house until Aaron's meeting is over." That's when Aaron says, "No, just go over there and knock." I say, "Right, and give the poor couple a heart-attack." Anyway (why are we wasting time arguing about this??), Aaron finally agrees to call them, but they didn't answer their phone. SO, I drove over to Andrews and just got home after sitting in Aaron's office waiting for him so I could get the house key, hair all over the place, pajama pants, NO BRA ON! (don't worry, I was wearing a big fluffy jacket.) Some of the guys offered to make me breakfast, but in my mind i'm thinking....("I just want to put a bra on and brush my hair.")
Moral of the story: We'll be hiding a house key by our front porch.....sigh.....
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Snow Day!
I got up early this morning to take Aaron to work and the snow was just starting to fall. By the time I was leaving base, there was already almost an inch!
It's still snowing like crazy and i'm bundled up in my blanket blogging and watching it fall. I love it!
By the way - for those of you who may not know - I am currently staying home full time to finish our house and get it ready to sell in early March. I'll also be volunteering each week for Sanctity of Life Ministries which is a pro-life organization that assists women (and men, too!) through the process of pregnancy and raising their children. I'm looking forward to helping out however I can.
Aaron and I are getting out of the military in June and plan to move back to the Northwest! So Aaron is looking into different options for work in civil engineering (Employers...act fast! He's a catch! hint hint) and we are so thrilled to be closer to family as my sis and bro-in-law are making us an auntie and uncle for the first time in mid-March! We are excited to cuddle and spoil little Addison! Aaron's brother, Jesse, is marrying his lovely fiance, Jen, this August and they also plan to live in the NW. That means we'll be taking a trip out to Alaska for the wedding! We can't wait!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
I'm a lucky wife!
I married the most amazing handy-man! For as often as I get frustrated with the seemingly endless construction in our house, we are finally about 95 percent finished! Thanks to Aaron for creating such a beautiful home for us to enjoy. Sometimes I stop and stare in amazement at what he has done and CAN DO! I feel pretty lucky because we save so much money on things like plumbing and electrical issues. I tell you what, i'm convinced my honey can do almost anything! I've asked him before, "How on earth did you know how to do that?" And he says, "I don't know, I guess I just read up on it and then did it." Uhh, wha?? That just seems foreign to me. I think it's quite a gift he has.
Some people can pick up any instrument and play it, he can pick up any tool and use it or take on any project and figure it out! Also, since he's an engineer, the guys who work for him have tons of tricks of the trade, too. So sometimes he'll just run something by them and they'll step him through it a bit. WOW. Love it! Here are a few shots of how far we've come!
Our finished living room (floors and all. Finally!!) But, you'll have to excuse our mess ;)
I almost can't believe this project. Much harder than it looks and it only took him a day! I love it. Yay hubby!!
Some people can pick up any instrument and play it, he can pick up any tool and use it or take on any project and figure it out! Also, since he's an engineer, the guys who work for him have tons of tricks of the trade, too. So sometimes he'll just run something by them and they'll step him through it a bit. WOW. Love it! Here are a few shots of how far we've come!
Our gorgeous dining room!
Our front door molding. I love the east-coast style. Very common out here!
Our finished living room (floors and all. Finally!!) But, you'll have to excuse our mess ;)
I almost can't believe this project. Much harder than it looks and it only took him a day! I love it. Yay hubby!!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
The BEST Job in the WORLD?!?
Ohhh yesssssssss.
Go here to read all about it! Aaron wants to apply. Anyone have a really good video camera to help us out with the application process?!
Go here to read all about it! Aaron wants to apply. Anyone have a really good video camera to help us out with the application process?!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
"Stop, Kiss and Listen"
This is the title of an article I just read in a magazine called "Woman's Day." I started getting this magazine in the mail about 4 months ago and have been baffled as to how. I never subscribed to it, never paid for and have no idea how it started coming to me! But I think it happened for a reason: God's reason.
Cole is a little boy who was diagnosed in July, 2008 with a rare cancer found in less than .2% of children. It started with a tummy ache and then took his life just 8 short weeks later.
His incredible parents started a foundation and a memorial Web page called C.O.L.E.'s Foundation (Caring Openly, Loving Eternally.) Their mission in life is to help other families walking the journey of childhood cancer. They use their Web site to share their stories and accept donations. During difficult economic times, it's tough to pay your own water bill let alone give money to support such organizations, but there is no better time.
From reading about Cole and visiting their memorial page, I am compelled to give. I encourage you all to consider giving; Maybe not to this cause, but I encourage you to pray that God open your eyes to a cause that you can financially assist to help ease the financial burden of others.
If nothing else, please visit Cole's memorial page at www.colesfoundation.com and read all about him and many, many other little babies who are fighting childhood cancer.
"All we have are relationships....Nothing else really matters." -quote from Cole's dad, Aaron Ruotsala
Cole is a little boy who was diagnosed in July, 2008 with a rare cancer found in less than .2% of children. It started with a tummy ache and then took his life just 8 short weeks later.
His incredible parents started a foundation and a memorial Web page called C.O.L.E.'s Foundation (Caring Openly, Loving Eternally.) Their mission in life is to help other families walking the journey of childhood cancer. They use their Web site to share their stories and accept donations. During difficult economic times, it's tough to pay your own water bill let alone give money to support such organizations, but there is no better time.
From reading about Cole and visiting their memorial page, I am compelled to give. I encourage you all to consider giving; Maybe not to this cause, but I encourage you to pray that God open your eyes to a cause that you can financially assist to help ease the financial burden of others.
If nothing else, please visit Cole's memorial page at www.colesfoundation.com and read all about him and many, many other little babies who are fighting childhood cancer.
"All we have are relationships....Nothing else really matters." -quote from Cole's dad, Aaron Ruotsala
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Christmas Time is Here
Civil Engineering LT's! Aaron think he looks pretty cool in that UW tie. ;)
My love and I at the party
Last night was Aaron's squadron Christmas party and we had a lot of fun! All the LT's did a skit that had everyone laughing. Of course...making fun of the Colonel and Major was involved....how could it not be?? And plenty of making fun of the "fire dogs." It was all in fun and everyone took it that way. I took a few pictures because I wanted to make sure I got a shot of John's sweet Christmas sweater. Their skit included a Christmas sweater fashion show, a poem and more (but I won't go into the details since you really had to be there to laugh!)
I sure love these guys. They're all like brothers to not only Aaron, but to me as well and they have been a huge blessing to us.
So Aaron and I only have about 10 more days until we're off to Washington for Christmas! I can't express how wonderful this will be! Cookies and gingerbread houses with the fam, hottubbing and wine parties with my girlfriends and much much more!
This year, we decided to purchase gifts for a family rather than for each other - Maybe we'll exchange a few small things, but nothing big. Aaron and I realized this year that Christmas gifts are a bit stressful. I think this is the first year I haven't cared much about them. I think it might be something like how a parent would be more excited about watching the joy on their 3 year old's face as they open presents - that sounds like more fun than opening any presents of my own! We're really excited about giving to this family. There are 3 kids and the youngest has cerebral paulsy. Their grandmother who helped care for them just passed away this year, so its been a rough year for the entire family. We picked out some really sweet shoes, a few sweatshirts, nintendo games, books and a remote control truck for the little guy. I had so much fun online shopping for them!! We decided that we would wrap the gifts and give them to the parents with blank gift cards on all of them. We want the parents to sign them so that the boys think the gifts came from them. ;) They never need to know the truth because it isn't important.
More than anything, I just want to enjoy time with my family (I am so excited to finally see my sister prego in person!!) I also just want to spend time focusing on what God might have for me to do for Him in the next few months.
I don't mean to sound like a debbie-downer, but life hasn't been the easiest the past few weeks. I know what i'm going through is nothing compared to some, but to not get too specific, i'm going through a painful trial right now that isn't easy. I am thankful for the love of Aaron and how God uses him to fill my life with joy, because i've really needed it! I am on a new life journey right now and i'm trusting God every step of the way even though I feel like i'm walking through a dark tunnel with a blindfold on....it's all pretty unclear and confusing. On the up-side, I am thankful that God uses these times in our life to reform and grow us. So I say, "God, mold me and make me into who you want me to be" because that's all I want! Nothing matters if i'm not doing what He has planned for me to do.
God is in the good and in the difficult times and probably most present in the difficult. And that's how I find a place of peace.
Merry Christmas!
Saturday, December 6, 2008
First Snow!! And new pictures :)
This is Bobby, my uncle's dog. Don't you love that name?! Can you see his eyes?? He is so sweet.
My cousins putting on a show for us. D.A. likes to shake it.
I had to capture this epic moment. Aaron watching the final games of the regular college season in our basement. Boo hoo....By the way, that couch will finally be upstairs soon!!
Our santa. Dad and Mom Meredith sent this to us along with some other goodies for St. Nicholas Day!
Our living room from the loft. We LOVE our vaulted ceiling! I had to be careful not to get too close to the edge! Do you like my accent wall, Mel?? :)
I haven't posted in a while so I decided I better stop being a slacker. Some of you are really good at posting regularly! Unfortunately, I typically don't even have energy to make dinner when I get home from work - let alone blog.
Today we had our first real snow! It's freezing out here, but there's nothing better than snow on a Saturday. Unfortunately, we chose today as the day to replace the ugly brass door nob and hinges on our front door. So our house was exposed to the cold most of the day. Sadly, the weather made for dangerous roads and an elderly man slammed into a tree just down the street from us. I think he's ok, but it was quite the sight with fire trucks and ambulances everywhere. The poor man was laying on the side of the street in the cold snow. Every street in this area is busy because it feels like the entire United States lives in Alexandria, but the street just outside our neighborhood is especially busy. We have seen some very entertaining things since moving here. For instance, shortly after we returned from our honeymoon, we were sleeping in our loft while we were setting up our room with the new bedroom furniture and at about 2 a.m. I was woken from a dead sleep with what sounded like a semi-truck hitting our house. I jumped out of bed to find a man in a truck who had hit 4 parked cars along the street right outside our window! He was trying to drive away so I started yelling, "He's trying to get away, let's stop him! He's trying to get away!!" I grabbed my phone as Aaron was still in a daze and I called 911. Long story short, the guy was drunk. The best part was watching out our window as the police made him walk the line and saying, "Uno, dos, tres...." I couldn't help but laugh. Really, how do you hit FOUR cars before realizing you might want to use your brakes? And buddy, you should have hit cars outside someone elses house because I wasn't gonna let you get away!
Today we had our first real snow! It's freezing out here, but there's nothing better than snow on a Saturday. Unfortunately, we chose today as the day to replace the ugly brass door nob and hinges on our front door. So our house was exposed to the cold most of the day. Sadly, the weather made for dangerous roads and an elderly man slammed into a tree just down the street from us. I think he's ok, but it was quite the sight with fire trucks and ambulances everywhere. The poor man was laying on the side of the street in the cold snow. Every street in this area is busy because it feels like the entire United States lives in Alexandria, but the street just outside our neighborhood is especially busy. We have seen some very entertaining things since moving here. For instance, shortly after we returned from our honeymoon, we were sleeping in our loft while we were setting up our room with the new bedroom furniture and at about 2 a.m. I was woken from a dead sleep with what sounded like a semi-truck hitting our house. I jumped out of bed to find a man in a truck who had hit 4 parked cars along the street right outside our window! He was trying to drive away so I started yelling, "He's trying to get away, let's stop him! He's trying to get away!!" I grabbed my phone as Aaron was still in a daze and I called 911. Long story short, the guy was drunk. The best part was watching out our window as the police made him walk the line and saying, "Uno, dos, tres...." I couldn't help but laugh. Really, how do you hit FOUR cars before realizing you might want to use your brakes? And buddy, you should have hit cars outside someone elses house because I wasn't gonna let you get away!
Aaron and I have been super busy lately. My new job has me working some longer hours than when I worked at NAB. I'm still pretty happy with my decision to take on this new opportunity, but of course it too has its challenges.
I'm still adjusting to life as a wife (I mean that in a nice way!) Sometimes it's challenging, though! Before, I made all of my own decisions. Now I have another person to consider! I've also realized that I can't just come home and eat chocolate chips for dinner anymore (bummer!) because my handsome, strong husband would not survive on that diet. I suppose I shouldn't be able to either. Hmmmm......Anyway, I am learning new recipes but i've found that pasta is so easy! Haha. It's good that Aaron likes it. ;) If anyone would like to pass along some yummy and EASY recipes, I am gladly accepting suggestions! Hint, Hint.
Aaron has been working hard to install our new bamboo floor. It's a lot like hardwood but more durable and it looks really cool! We hear it's the hot new thing so hopefully someday when we sell our house, people will be knocking down our door trying to get to it first! We're about 90% finished. The final touches are to finish the floor and install new railings throughout the house. I'm ready for our loft to not look so dangerous anymore. It's a good thing we don't have little ones around our home just yet. Aside from those final things, there will only be a bit of touch-up painting and we also hope to install french doors in our basement. Right now the sliding door is just nasty and terrible and bugs keep getting in - Gross!!!! I make Aaron catch them. Most of the time we get these bugs that look like beetles/grasshoppers and they jump really fast. I know they probably don't sound that bad, but they make my skin crawl - I just hate them!
Other than working on the house, Aaron is wrapping up his final weekend of the regular college football season. He wants to cry - I'm a little more OK with this. Don't get me wrong, I actually enjoy watching football with Aaron and often times I cheer louder than he does. But, this has just about consumed every Saturday for the past few months. And just when I think it's only Saturday, I realize there's also football on Thursday's Sunday's and Monday's, too! Yaaaayyyyyy! No, i'm not being sarcastic. Who am I kidding?? Is football on every day of the week??
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Taking a stroll...
Yep, down memory lane. I'm really missing my college days/friends and these pictures make me feel a whole lot better!
Classy moment with Jules
Cooking brings out the "weird" with Elise.
Lego Darth Vador!!
Melissa loves technology.
In honor of GW. We'll forever miss your enthusiasm each time we walked into the room!
Classy moment with Jules
Cooking brings out the "weird" with Elise.
Lego Darth Vador!!
Melissa loves technology.
In honor of GW. We'll forever miss your enthusiasm each time we walked into the room!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
The Land of the Free....
Because of the brave. You've heard it a lot. But oh how true it is. And we can rest assured in knowing that the God we love and serve has conquered the world and holds us in His hands.
...In the world, you are having tribulation, but take courage! I have conquered the world.
John 16:33
Tuesday was a busy day for me. Our office was closed on Monday (bummer, since Aaron had the actual Veterans Day off) but we both observed the importance of the day in different ways. He hung with his Air Force buds and played some football. I always enjoy seeing those guys take a break because it seems like they work non-stop.
I stepped out of the office for a little over an hour on Veterans Day to attend the ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery. I hopped on the metro to get there and sat next to an older man with a hat that said "Navy" across the top. I thanked him for his service. He said, "Oh, it was a really long time ago." "That doesn't matter," I told him. "You served and for that i'm thankful."
I jumped off the metro and was in a hurry (I was running late) and met face to face with a young army soldier who was missing his leg. He was pushing his little boy in a stroller while he waved his American flag back and fourth. It was priceless. I began to sob as I reached for his arm to thank him. He was so gracious and humble. I was just overtaken with emotion for such sacrafice.
As a military wife, I immediately thought of his spouse. Thank the Lord, he made it home.
Arlington Cemetery was probably the most beautiful i've ever seen it. The day was crisp, the sun shining and the sky was incredibly blue. I wish I had pictures, but I think this particular day is better ingrained in my mind because pictures couldn't have done it half the justice.
My hope is that we can all take time out - any day of the week, month or year - to thank those who defend our freedom.
...In the world, you are having tribulation, but take courage! I have conquered the world.
John 16:33
Tuesday was a busy day for me. Our office was closed on Monday (bummer, since Aaron had the actual Veterans Day off) but we both observed the importance of the day in different ways. He hung with his Air Force buds and played some football. I always enjoy seeing those guys take a break because it seems like they work non-stop.
I stepped out of the office for a little over an hour on Veterans Day to attend the ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery. I hopped on the metro to get there and sat next to an older man with a hat that said "Navy" across the top. I thanked him for his service. He said, "Oh, it was a really long time ago." "That doesn't matter," I told him. "You served and for that i'm thankful."
I jumped off the metro and was in a hurry (I was running late) and met face to face with a young army soldier who was missing his leg. He was pushing his little boy in a stroller while he waved his American flag back and fourth. It was priceless. I began to sob as I reached for his arm to thank him. He was so gracious and humble. I was just overtaken with emotion for such sacrafice.
As a military wife, I immediately thought of his spouse. Thank the Lord, he made it home.
Arlington Cemetery was probably the most beautiful i've ever seen it. The day was crisp, the sun shining and the sky was incredibly blue. I wish I had pictures, but I think this particular day is better ingrained in my mind because pictures couldn't have done it half the justice.
My hope is that we can all take time out - any day of the week, month or year - to thank those who defend our freedom.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Congrats, Marcus and Teniece!!
Exciting news! Marcus, another LT that works with Aaron, and his wife Teniece were due to have a baby in early December. The challenge was that Marcus was set to deploy in early November (I referenced this couple in a recent post).
Well, Marcus's little girl sure did want to see her daddy before he left to do his job in Iraq because she was born 5 weeks early, this past Saturday morning! Despite being early and very tiny (just 5 lbs.) there were no complications at all! Mom and baby are both healthy.
The amazing aspect of all of this is that little Sanai was born at 11 a.m. on Saturday. Marcus boarded his flight at 8 p.m. the same day bound for Iraq. What a miracle and a blessing! Marcus was able to hold his first baby in his arms just before taking off. Oh the joy! I just couldn't resist sharing this remarkable story!
Well, Marcus's little girl sure did want to see her daddy before he left to do his job in Iraq because she was born 5 weeks early, this past Saturday morning! Despite being early and very tiny (just 5 lbs.) there were no complications at all! Mom and baby are both healthy.
The amazing aspect of all of this is that little Sanai was born at 11 a.m. on Saturday. Marcus boarded his flight at 8 p.m. the same day bound for Iraq. What a miracle and a blessing! Marcus was able to hold his first baby in his arms just before taking off. Oh the joy! I just couldn't resist sharing this remarkable story!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Honor
I've spent the latter part of my work day researching Web sites and becoming familiar with all of the wonderful things military organizations are doing. Not just for Veterans and soldiers, but for their families - Wives, husbands, kids, communities....it's truly amazing.
I've also spend quite a bit of time watching tribute videos, reading articles and looking at pictures of fallen soldiers and their families. Not only do I care about those who have given their life for the freedoms of this country, but I have such a desire to care about each fallen man and woman individually. I feel a knot in my stomach every time I hear a report of a local fallen soldier. Mostly it's because it sounds something like this, "So and so has been KIA in Baghdad. He/she attended such and such high school and are from the town/city of _____. Now, back to you, so and so, for the sports report!" Thanks. We appreciate your compassion. I mean, I realize that a news station or newspaper can't possibly spend enough time talking about the precious life of a person...all the people they touched, why so many loved, respected and honored them. But, let's make no mistake that each life is important and valued. Each of those fallen men and women represents a legacy and a life filled with so much. I am honored that I can even attempt to scratch the surface into seeing just what their lives entailed.
I am blown away by so many of these Gold Star families (families who have lost loved ones to war). The ones i've had the pleasure of reading about. They are filled with so much passion and patriotism. I cannot image what it would feel like having a military medal and American flag placed in my hands at the funeral of my son, daughter, father, mother or spouse. And not only that, but to then move forward with so much strength.
I am also proud to see that despite their pain, these families can still stand and say, "We honor the mission. We honor the troops." Because guess what people?? The media gives you SO LITTLE COVERAGE. When will you see the truth?? These soldiers care about the people they are going over there to save. And they care about Americans. Set a President's agenda aside, these men and women believe in what they do each day, and they give their all.
Try to imagine what life would be like without our military? You can't. Because you'd be dead. You would have already died from saying the wrong thing, or reading the wrong book or wearing the wrong clothes, or talking to the wrong people. You name it. It wouldn't be your right anymore.
Don't you ask me, "Well, why are we just in Iraq? What about Africa and the other impoverished parts of this world?" I'll give you some advice: Read or watch the story of Black Hawk Down. Our military went into Somalia to save the people there from Terrorists just the same as Iraq. And the only reason why we ever left there is because Mr. Clinton got scared when some of our men and women were killed. Not only did he pull out, out of fear, and left Somalia and it's people in the same dangerous, oppressive state it was in before we got there, but he also set our military up for failure. The mission was there, but not completed the way it should have been. Also, ask me in 7 months to give you an update on a friend of my husband's who's deploying to Palau next week. His mission? Humanitarian work. There are many more examples like these.
I deeply regret that the war in Iraq has become so political to the point that we forget what our military has done over hundreds of years. I also deeply regret that it has brought the American people to a place of true disrespect for the sacrafices made.
May we all observe Veteran's Day on November 11, and thank even one person for their service. May God bless our troops who have and continue to fight and sacrafice for YOU.
I've also spend quite a bit of time watching tribute videos, reading articles and looking at pictures of fallen soldiers and their families. Not only do I care about those who have given their life for the freedoms of this country, but I have such a desire to care about each fallen man and woman individually. I feel a knot in my stomach every time I hear a report of a local fallen soldier. Mostly it's because it sounds something like this, "So and so has been KIA in Baghdad. He/she attended such and such high school and are from the town/city of _____. Now, back to you, so and so, for the sports report!" Thanks. We appreciate your compassion. I mean, I realize that a news station or newspaper can't possibly spend enough time talking about the precious life of a person...all the people they touched, why so many loved, respected and honored them. But, let's make no mistake that each life is important and valued. Each of those fallen men and women represents a legacy and a life filled with so much. I am honored that I can even attempt to scratch the surface into seeing just what their lives entailed.
I am blown away by so many of these Gold Star families (families who have lost loved ones to war). The ones i've had the pleasure of reading about. They are filled with so much passion and patriotism. I cannot image what it would feel like having a military medal and American flag placed in my hands at the funeral of my son, daughter, father, mother or spouse. And not only that, but to then move forward with so much strength.
I am also proud to see that despite their pain, these families can still stand and say, "We honor the mission. We honor the troops." Because guess what people?? The media gives you SO LITTLE COVERAGE. When will you see the truth?? These soldiers care about the people they are going over there to save. And they care about Americans. Set a President's agenda aside, these men and women believe in what they do each day, and they give their all.
Try to imagine what life would be like without our military? You can't. Because you'd be dead. You would have already died from saying the wrong thing, or reading the wrong book or wearing the wrong clothes, or talking to the wrong people. You name it. It wouldn't be your right anymore.
Don't you ask me, "Well, why are we just in Iraq? What about Africa and the other impoverished parts of this world?" I'll give you some advice: Read or watch the story of Black Hawk Down. Our military went into Somalia to save the people there from Terrorists just the same as Iraq. And the only reason why we ever left there is because Mr. Clinton got scared when some of our men and women were killed. Not only did he pull out, out of fear, and left Somalia and it's people in the same dangerous, oppressive state it was in before we got there, but he also set our military up for failure. The mission was there, but not completed the way it should have been. Also, ask me in 7 months to give you an update on a friend of my husband's who's deploying to Palau next week. His mission? Humanitarian work. There are many more examples like these.
I deeply regret that the war in Iraq has become so political to the point that we forget what our military has done over hundreds of years. I also deeply regret that it has brought the American people to a place of true disrespect for the sacrafices made.
May we all observe Veteran's Day on November 11, and thank even one person for their service. May God bless our troops who have and continue to fight and sacrafice for YOU.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Jenny's 6 Random Facts (do you think I could get Aaron to do this, too??)
Ok, Mari, since you proposed the idea....here it is!
1) When I was a kid, I loved horses. Ok, I still do. But as a kid, it was somewhat of an obsession. For Christmas one year, I begged my parents to get me a horse as a gift. I had this great idea that i'd put him in our backyard with the apple trees. I honestly thought FOR SURE that my parents would get him for me, so on Christmas day, I opened presents and then ran outside to the backyard. Somehow in my childish mind, I thought that a gate, barn and horse would appear even though they weren't there the day before (kids don't seem to get the process of time...but maybe this is a good thing!). I even put on the whole "Home Alone" act, if you know what i'm talking about. Running into the living room, hoping to see his parents - I was running outside hoping to see a horse knawing on apples. Well, it didn't happen. I cried. Isn't this lame?! My poor parents.....
2) In all honesty, I'm just a big dork! Let me tell you why. I got asked out for my first date as a freshman. He was a Junior. I felt pretty special! (Sure.) Anyway, he didn't have a car - He was cool - so my mom took me to go pick him up. Our date was the high school basketball game. AWESOME. I swore I remembered which house was his because I had played with his younger sister in elementary school as a kid. But, apparently I had completely forgotten. Also, this was back in the days of horses and buggies when kids didn't actually have cell phones in the 2nd grade, let alone the 9th grade. Fortunately, I knew for sure what street he lived on, I just couldn't nail down the house. My mom was furious. It was pouring down rain. Can you see where this is going?? Ok, so my mom, ever so friendly-like, told me to get out of the car and start knocking. Off I went, running through puddles and dodging what seemed like golf-sized rain drops and knocked on my first door. A woman answered....in her bath robe. Ugh. Definitely not him. Second door, a woman answered with her screaming kids in the background. I heard a quick, "Cameron WHO?? I can't hear you, sorry." SLAM - door shuts. Third door, a older, much friendlier woman answered the door. I asked if she knew where Cameron lived and she said, "Well, I always see a really handsome, strong young man washing his red truck out in front of that house (for the record, the truck was his dad's.) It was just a bit creepy coming from a really old woman, but hey, the older women get, the cuter those younger ones become....JUST KIDDING, HONEY!!! Ok, so I walk over to the house she pointed at and there I was, soaked, make-up running down my face, hair a mess, MY MOM SITTING IN HER CAR and I see Cameron in the window. He opens the door and says, "Are you lost??" What a jerk - He was watching me the entire time. We never dated again. No, i'm not bitter anymore.
3) I have a very keen sense of smell. And really, I mean ODDLY keen. I can smell things that no other normal person could. It gets so bad that I usually become nauseous very easily. I can smell chemicals in furniture, my husband's farts 10 minutes later (I debated saying that), and it gets so bad that my nose will burn if something with the slightest, strangest smell is around long enough. It's actually quite annoying. As far as my husband's farts go, that comment will totally gross out single people. If you're married, and a woman, you know EXACTLY what i'm talking about.
when I was a kid, we had a Ford Taurus wagon. You know, the one with the backseat that was backwards?? Oh yeah, we were cool. Well, almost every time we drove somewhere in that car, I would get car sick. Even after 15, 20 minutes sometimes. I used to say to my mom, "Mom, it smells funny in here!" After we got rid of that car, I stopped barfing on short AND long trips. Maybe it was because I wasn't riding backwards anymore???
4) I'm the queen of drinking half a beer...OR half a glass of wine (isn't wine already only a half glass??) But yes, it's true. And it drives Aaron batty. But, for his sake, that usually means he gets 2 and a half beers instead of 2. Aren't I thoughtful?? No, just a light-weight.
5) I'm a clean freak. So clean to the point that this is probably the number one thing Aaron and I fight about. And though he could be better about cleaning up after himself, the problem is mostly with me. I get so tired of clutter, i'll just throw things away without even bothering to look at what it actually is. I just know i'll feel better when the room is tighty and clean. Wow, can I ever grow out of this?? I'm only 24, sure I can...RIGHT?!?
6) Aaron and I knew each other as kids. He was so cute. He always wore sweat pants...never jeans. I had a mullet. We were made for each other. When his family moved to Alaska around the time I was 10, my sister and I had a very memorable conversation. I said, "Maaannnn!!! Now Aaron Meredith can never be my boyfriend." Never say never, because now he's my HUSBAND!! And he's even cuter than he was back then. Sometimes we still say, "Wow, would you have ever thought??" "No", he'd say; and "Well, i'd hoped...but, no", i'd say. If you ask me, I think he always prayed before bed, "Lord, please let me marry that sexy mullet girl, Jenny Gordon. My life would be complete."
And hopefully someday we'll have mullet children wearing sweat pants. Or, maybe just children and not the mullets or sweat pants. I like that better :)
Now I tag Melissa and my sister, Beccy!
1) When I was a kid, I loved horses. Ok, I still do. But as a kid, it was somewhat of an obsession. For Christmas one year, I begged my parents to get me a horse as a gift. I had this great idea that i'd put him in our backyard with the apple trees. I honestly thought FOR SURE that my parents would get him for me, so on Christmas day, I opened presents and then ran outside to the backyard. Somehow in my childish mind, I thought that a gate, barn and horse would appear even though they weren't there the day before (kids don't seem to get the process of time...but maybe this is a good thing!). I even put on the whole "Home Alone" act, if you know what i'm talking about. Running into the living room, hoping to see his parents - I was running outside hoping to see a horse knawing on apples. Well, it didn't happen. I cried. Isn't this lame?! My poor parents.....
2) In all honesty, I'm just a big dork! Let me tell you why. I got asked out for my first date as a freshman. He was a Junior. I felt pretty special! (Sure.) Anyway, he didn't have a car - He was cool - so my mom took me to go pick him up. Our date was the high school basketball game. AWESOME. I swore I remembered which house was his because I had played with his younger sister in elementary school as a kid. But, apparently I had completely forgotten. Also, this was back in the days of horses and buggies when kids didn't actually have cell phones in the 2nd grade, let alone the 9th grade. Fortunately, I knew for sure what street he lived on, I just couldn't nail down the house. My mom was furious. It was pouring down rain. Can you see where this is going?? Ok, so my mom, ever so friendly-like, told me to get out of the car and start knocking. Off I went, running through puddles and dodging what seemed like golf-sized rain drops and knocked on my first door. A woman answered....in her bath robe. Ugh. Definitely not him. Second door, a woman answered with her screaming kids in the background. I heard a quick, "Cameron WHO?? I can't hear you, sorry." SLAM - door shuts. Third door, a older, much friendlier woman answered the door. I asked if she knew where Cameron lived and she said, "Well, I always see a really handsome, strong young man washing his red truck out in front of that house (for the record, the truck was his dad's.) It was just a bit creepy coming from a really old woman, but hey, the older women get, the cuter those younger ones become....JUST KIDDING, HONEY!!! Ok, so I walk over to the house she pointed at and there I was, soaked, make-up running down my face, hair a mess, MY MOM SITTING IN HER CAR and I see Cameron in the window. He opens the door and says, "Are you lost??" What a jerk - He was watching me the entire time. We never dated again. No, i'm not bitter anymore.
3) I have a very keen sense of smell. And really, I mean ODDLY keen. I can smell things that no other normal person could. It gets so bad that I usually become nauseous very easily. I can smell chemicals in furniture, my husband's farts 10 minutes later (I debated saying that), and it gets so bad that my nose will burn if something with the slightest, strangest smell is around long enough. It's actually quite annoying. As far as my husband's farts go, that comment will totally gross out single people. If you're married, and a woman, you know EXACTLY what i'm talking about.
when I was a kid, we had a Ford Taurus wagon. You know, the one with the backseat that was backwards?? Oh yeah, we were cool. Well, almost every time we drove somewhere in that car, I would get car sick. Even after 15, 20 minutes sometimes. I used to say to my mom, "Mom, it smells funny in here!" After we got rid of that car, I stopped barfing on short AND long trips. Maybe it was because I wasn't riding backwards anymore???
4) I'm the queen of drinking half a beer...OR half a glass of wine (isn't wine already only a half glass??) But yes, it's true. And it drives Aaron batty. But, for his sake, that usually means he gets 2 and a half beers instead of 2. Aren't I thoughtful?? No, just a light-weight.
5) I'm a clean freak. So clean to the point that this is probably the number one thing Aaron and I fight about. And though he could be better about cleaning up after himself, the problem is mostly with me. I get so tired of clutter, i'll just throw things away without even bothering to look at what it actually is. I just know i'll feel better when the room is tighty and clean. Wow, can I ever grow out of this?? I'm only 24, sure I can...RIGHT?!?
6) Aaron and I knew each other as kids. He was so cute. He always wore sweat pants...never jeans. I had a mullet. We were made for each other. When his family moved to Alaska around the time I was 10, my sister and I had a very memorable conversation. I said, "Maaannnn!!! Now Aaron Meredith can never be my boyfriend." Never say never, because now he's my HUSBAND!! And he's even cuter than he was back then. Sometimes we still say, "Wow, would you have ever thought??" "No", he'd say; and "Well, i'd hoped...but, no", i'd say. If you ask me, I think he always prayed before bed, "Lord, please let me marry that sexy mullet girl, Jenny Gordon. My life would be complete."
And hopefully someday we'll have mullet children wearing sweat pants. Or, maybe just children and not the mullets or sweat pants. I like that better :)
Now I tag Melissa and my sister, Beccy!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Pumpkins!!
I absolutely love fall and everything that goes along with it. The changing of the leaves - The tree in our backyard is a purple color...amazing! I love hot apple cider, apple pie (my specialty), cozy sweaters, scarves, rain boots, fun jackets and I just love, love, LOVE the crisp-ness in the air. We've had very warm, unseasonal weather up until yesterday. It dropped from 80 and humid to about 55-60 degrees overnight. I can't get enough of it yet!
Today we visited a farm in Maryland with some Air Force friends, Shawn and Angela. Aaron and Shawn deployed together in 2007 and have been great friends ever since. They just had their first baby in December 2007, Maddeline, and she's a doll! She loved climbing on the pumkins and we found one that was just her size. We really got into the whole experience. We took a hay ride out to pick our own pumpkins, drank hot cider, sampled the carmel-apple pie (with ice cream...it was a sin!) and we couldn't leave without purchasing their fresh apple butter, apples, peach jelly and apple cobbler mix. I just love local produce. You can't beat it!
Many thanks to Shawn , Angela and Maddie for a great kick-off to a fun-filled, enjoyable fall! You guys are awesome!
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