My Target Restroom Experience

I just want to start off saying that I usually try and stay out of these conversations, because most of the time, they really don’t affect me.  I honestly didn’t feel like the bathroom issue was a big deal, because I didn’t feel like anything would change that much. I’m sure the transgender community has either been using the bathroom that affiliates with them or the family restroom for a while, so what is really changing? So I never really put any thought or concern to the issue. I just kept on going on. I still shopped at target, and up until yesterday, planned on continuing to use their facilities.

To the 19 year old boy who thought it was hilarious to use the women’s restroom at target just because you could:

Did you know, that the first response as I walked in to the bathroom with my three month old son and saw that you were the only other person in the restroom, was fear?  Yes. Fear. Because there was something in my environment that was not supposed to be there.  My natural instinct when I see a man in the women’s bathroom is fear.  Sure after I thought about it, I figured that if he were to try anything I could easily just scream.  But I experienced fear. And I shouldn’t have.

The second response I felt was embarrassment.  You were in a very private area. And I was embarrassed to see you there. It is an area that I don’t even let my husband into, because it’s gross.  But you were there.  You who thought it would be funny to use the target women’s restroom because you simply could.  And as you cracked a smile at me and left, I shuddered.  You laughed, and I shuddered.  I shuddered because I had a million different scenarios running through my head as I wheel my three month old by you. 

No nothing happened.  But I have never felt so uncomfortable before, and I never want to experience that again.  I came home and told my husband that I never wanted to use a public facility again.  Because I walked into a situation where nothing happened, but what if that isn’t the case the next time.  In the mall, the bathroom is down an extremely long corridor.  I can guarantee you that I will never use that restroom (just as a disclaimer, I live in Washington, and they passed a bill which basically makes everyone allow men to use the women’s restrooms everywhere.)

Yes I am a Christian. No I may not agree with the transgender issue, but they are still people and deserve the same basic comforts as the rest of us. But when we allow our policies to be as vague as target (and the state of Washington) has, allowing ANYONE to use the women’s restroom, you make about half of the population be put into situations that could make them feel the way I did.  Because you will always have  people who misuse this policy; as a joke or as an opportunity to do harm.

I am not ok with that.

My Perfect Birth Story

My Perfect Water Birth Birth Story

March 12, 2016 is definitely a day I will never be able to fully describe. Both because of the immense joy that came on that day, and because I was probably asleep/not exactly in a present state of mind to be able to explain it to you! Gabriel Andrew Wiseman was born on that day and that makes it one of the best days in the world.

Now, before I go into details, I want to explain my reasoning for desiring a water birth in the first place.  I felt the Lord tell me that he was going to draw me into a deeper relationship with him through my birth experience.  I would lean into him and trust him with my labor and pain, knowing that everything would be ok. So I opted for the drug free route and decided that a water birth sounded the most appealing for a natural birth.  With that decision made, Shane and I started taking a 12 week Bradley Method class to help us navigate the birth process and pain management techniques.  Shane was going to be fully equipped to be my birthing partner and coach and I felt completely ready and prepared to face the challenge of labor along with the potential detours that can happen during labor that might not be exactly what you had planned.  We had Bethel Pandora radio station all set up to play during my labor and snacks and water/Gatorade for me to eat and drink between contractions to give me some energy.  We had a meal planned for when I went into early labor (deer fajitas… yummm) so that I would be fully energized and ready to get through an incredibly physically exhausting time. We were excited to meet our little boy.

Our plan didn’t start out like we though. I completely skipped early labor all together and woke up in active labor with contractions 4-5 minutes apart at 1:30am.  The night before I wasn’t hungry, so I ate a piece of banana bread for dinner.. And I definitely wasn’t in the mood to eat anything while in active labor.  So I started this beautiful journey just a bit hungry and not very energized.  Shane and I started our relaxation techniques and he was absolutely excellent at making sure I was getting water after every contraction and changing positions every few minutes.  Once my contractions were 4 minutes apart, we left for the hospital.  We got to the hospital at 4am and I was already dilated to 6.5 centimeters.  The nursing staff there was absolutely wonderful and were all ready to encourage me with this natural birth.  I got changed into my cotton gown that I had picked because it was comfortable and Shane put on my non slip socks and we labored a bit in the room till my midwife got there and said I could try to labor in the tub for a while.  Unfortunately, the tub made my contractions space out.  In the moment, it was nice for me because I was so exhausted and I was sleeping between my contractions. During most of the labor, I don’t even remember having my eyes open, that’s how exhausted I was. On top of being exhausted, every snack we had packed to give me energy between contractions made me sick except honey sticks, so Shane was trying to force me to eat honey when he could because it’s the only thing that stayed down. Shane had my Pandora station on and I prayed through most of my contractions. But because my contractions spaced out, I had to get out of the tub and try different positions to progress. At about noon, I was so tired, that my midwife suggested an IV to try and give me fluids to boost my energy.  Shane and I talked about it and agreed to try it, because I would definitely need more energy to push.  During this whole process, I not only felt the love of Shane just pouring over me, but the love of the Lord and I had no fears or anxiety. During transition labor, I was definitely feeling ready to throw in the towel, but Shane was so good at encouraging me and reminding me why I was doing this. It was truly beautiful. I finally reached 10 centimeters at 12:30. Because the tub spaced my contractions out, my midwife wanted me to try pushing in the bed first, then if that was going well, we could move to the tub.

Once I started pushing, my midwife found out that the baby was in a posterior position. This means that instead of being face down when he comes out, he would be face up. This is the cause of a lot of back labor and it’s harder for the baby to come out because it’s more difficult to get past the pelvic bones. I pushed for an hour and a half before my body had hit its physical exhaustion climax.  My body was exhausted, my uterus was exhausted, and I was only able to push for about 3 seconds at a time before needing a break.  At that point, my contractions also spaced out to 7-9 minutes apart. My midwife knew I didn’t want interventions, but suggested an epidural to give my body relief and sleep, and Pitocin to get my contractions to get closer back together because the baby wasn’t progressing at all.  Shane and I discussed it, and decided that we trusted our medical professionals and we knew we had done everything we could to get the baby out my own.  Epidural it would be.

That was probably the most amazing 4 hours of sleep I have ever had.  I received the epidural and don’t really remember getting it because I was falling asleep while he was administering it. I was also still having contractions and feeling the urge to push. I don’t think I could ever describe just how tired I was.  During the 4 hours I was able to sleep, they had the Pitocin going so that Gabe would progress on his own, slowly. At 6pm, I started to push again, completely energized and fully alert, ready to meet my son.  However, he got stuck and ended up needing to be vacuum suctioned out while I was pushing.  At 6:45, I delivered a beautiful, perfect and wonderful baby boy and it was absolutely amazing.

This was not exactly the birth story I had thought I would type up, but it’s my birth story, and it’s perfect.  It’s a story full of love, and hardship, and hard decisions, and new life.  Its proof of how much I can truly rely on Jesus that everything will be ok and just to trust in him. And its proof of how much Jesus pours out his love on me through my husband.  I couldn’t have asked for a better labor experience than the one that Shane and I were able to have together.  The amount of patience, kindness, and love that he poured over me during this labor was just too much to describe. And at the end of it all, I got to enjoy my wonderful baby boy. 

A Birthday Insight

So, as you all will see, I changed the name of my blog. As it happens, I haven't traveled very much as an army wife.  So I decided I wanted to rebrand my blog.  What I noticed in all my blogs is how the Lord is teaching me to taste and see that he is good. So there you have it.  Now on to this very long awaited blog..

While it is still Valentine's Day here in the US, where Shane is, it's his birthday! I wanted to take some time to explain why I am so thankful that he was born 25 years ago.  This is not only one of my favorite stories, its a very big piece of my testimony.  Be warned, it may get a little sappy because I miss him, today he surprised me with getting our friends to give me flowers and my favorite chocolate, and I'm pregnant so the hormones are flowing. I hope you enjoy it, because it is open, honest, and raw.

I am thankful for Shane on his birthday, because his constant faithfulness to the Lord is what ultimately brought me to Christ.

January 22, 2011 Shane Tanner Wiseman took me on our first date (a group date with his friends) to go swing dancing. Disclaimer: this was after we had been talking for about a month and getting to know more about each other over lunch (which made him nervous that he was entering the friend zone). I knew he was a Christian, but I wasn't entirely sure how big of a part of his life this was.  I always believed in God and I believed that Christ was the son of God, but I had never fully given my life to the Lord.  I had never surrendered everything I have and am to following God.  Later on down the road, Shane would tell me a very profound statement: "Satan believes in Jesus Christ. What sets us apart, is we desire to become more like Christ, instead of living our lives in opposition to him." The majority of my life had been just that; living opposite of the ways that the Lord desired me to live, and not really thinking twice about it.  Anyways, that night, Shane invited me to church the following day.  After church, he asked me how I liked the service, and then asked me if I was saved. Of course I said yes. He told me that he couldn't date someone who didn't know Jesus as their lord and savior.  He asked me to share my testimony with him. So I came up with something that I thought was good from a young life retreat that I took in high school. I realized then how serious he was about this whole "church thing". He asked me to be his girlfriend that evening, and I decided that he was really nice, and I would like to give it a try.

The next day, I went to Barnes and Noble and bought a bible.

Every time he would stop by my dorm, I would throw the bible open and read something real quick so I could show him how I got a nugget out of this or that passage. I was bamboozling him into believing that this girl, who he thinks is awesome, was a Christian. (When I tell him this later, he laughs and tells me he always thought it was strange that EVERY time he came over I was reading the bible. But then, being the sweet man that he is, he goes, "then I just thought maybe you were just really getting after it".)

We started going to Northstar church every Sunday.

I started enjoying church services, and paying attention to what was being said.  I enjoyed the people who were pouring into my life and the new friends I was making. I became curious about this new life people kept talking about, because it seemed so wonderful.

On Easter Sunday, 2011, Jeff Noble handed out a book called " A Case for Easter". If you haven't read it, please do.  It is only 100 pages and it will change your life.  That book was the tipping point on the scale. After reading it and ugly crying over it, I fully gave my life to Christ.  It wasn't a game for me anymore. I felt my entire life shift in that moment toward something that is more than I could ever hope to put into words. As I look back, I am thankful that God loves us so much, that he will reach down through our own sin, and use it for his glory.  He chose me to be his daughter, and I am so undeserving, but so very grateful and thankful.

Mark 2:17 "And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."

Thank the Lord for that, because I desperately needed a physician.  And don't mistake my words, because I am definitely still a sinner, but I am constantly in hot pursuit of my physician!

I have been so blessed to have Shane in my life as my husband.  He continues to show me the love of Christ on a daily basis in his patience, grace, love, kindness, and leadership.  I love seeing God work through our marriage and use our times apart to reaffirm his position at the center of our marriage.  We love each other so well because we both strive to show the other the love of Christ.  The way Shane treats me, makes me strive to be the woman who he seems to think I am.  His patience alone is astonishing and is a true testament to the Holy Spirit living in him.

I am thankful that God loves me so much that he not only gives me the biggest blessing of my life in saving me and promising an eternity with him. No, on top of that, he extra blesses me by giving me this man who I absolutely adore and look up to.

Happy Birthday Shane. I love you, and I am forever thankful for you. Thank you for your servant-leader heart, and for being a shining example of what it means to follow the lord and obey his calling. I get so excited when I think about raising our son together.

What a stud.

No presents under the christmas tree

So I realize it has been forever since I have writtwn on here. Part of the reason was that I wanted my next post to be my testimony. However, im still working on it and refining it so that one will be coming later. A few updates that most already know, Shane completed ranger school and continues to amaze me every day with his love for the lord and how he lives to serve Him. Marriage has been absolutely blissful and we are continuing to soak up as much time together as possible because he will be deploying shortly,  which will be our next big adventure and hurtle. I am constantly surprised by how God seems to have made our marriage thrive in the military and through training and prepping for his first deployment but im so thankful for how much we ginuenly love eachother and continue to show each other Christ through marriage. God is so good.

   Now, to what this post is about. I just wanted to share how Shane and I have decided to spend Christmas.  A couple years ago, a friend shared a blog that impacted mine and shanes life and convicted us on a few different levels. It was about a young boy asking his mom why he received presents on Jesus's birthday. This question hit my heart in a big way. How often to I ask for things I don't even need, just because its considered tradition? Now this is not saying that exchanging gifts is wrong. Each person is convicted in different ways, and this is just how Jesus spoke to our hearts. Matthew 25:40 says "and the king will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'"

  This makes me so excited! Because now I'm giving presents to Jesus on his birthday! This year, instead of buying presents, we are buying military grade blankets and hand warmers and im cooking a hot meal. On christmas, shane and I will be in downtown olympia handing them out to the homeless. Ive never appreciated christmas more and its significance.

  I'd like to say thank you to all my family for being so understanding and loving in our decision to not give gifts. A big shout out to my mom who still sent me some bomb pots and pans (she has this uncanny instinct as to what I need) and to my dad who sent some christmas money. I am so blessed by the amazing family I have and love you all so much.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Going, going, gone

It is hard to believe that another year of being married to shane has gone by. I look at my wedding pictures and feel like it was just a few weeks ago; Nope, two years.

It amazes me how much I learn and grow by being married to shane and having a dog. For example, if there is a space under your fence for the dog to get out, cardboard boxes will not help to keep him in and you should expect a call from your brand new neighbors while you are at work (my lesson of the day today). They were super nice though so that was cool but I did find out that the old couple across the street are not very nice (Mr. Wilson type guy) so I have to steer clear of them.

On the more serious side, although shane and I only spent 3 months of this whole last year together, I feel like we couldn't be stronger. Not only in our relationship with each other, but in our personal relationships with God as well. I learned to be patient (disclaimer: I have not master this, especially when I am hungry). Waiting two weeks for a response to a question you wrote in a letter is definitely not optimal but we got through. I learned to start controlling my emotions (again, still working on this when im hungry). Shane has so much going on with work and the responsibilities of being the lease of our household. I dont want ro mal his job any harder. He left yesterday for ranger school and we are back to letter writing do four + months. No matter how sad I felt, I constantly tell him how proud I am of him and how good he will do and I encourage him in his endeavors for the Lord. I refuse to be a wife who brings her husband down and I strive to always lift shane up; to be his helper. I learned to forgive easily and apoligize quickly. When you have limited time with someone, the last thing you want is to spend that Tim being upset with one another. Most importantly, I learned to fully rely on God for my needs. I see any time with shane as a huge blessing but my heart belongs to Jesus and he keeps my cup filled <3 its nice to never have to worry about a deployment or training school with God,  He never leaves and that is my greatest comfort!

We were definitely blessed by shane being here to move in and spend the first night in our home together, and we even got 2.75 hours of our anniversary together before I dropped him off! I soaked in every second :) here he is off to ranger school:

What a year it has been and im so excited for what the next year of marriage will bring :) God has some big plans for us here, i can already tell.

A Shining example of boldness

So right now it is 9:31pm in washington and we have a traveling vacuume sales man in our home. He has been here for nearly two hours now. However, he has not been selling a vacuum to us. Instead, shane has been selling him the gospel truth! It starts at 7 when he knocks at the door and asks if we will allow him an opportunity to demonstrate this vacuum. We say sure and he said he would be back in 30 minutes. I start to make cookies for the man because thats what I do, then I continue to pack my things while shane stays with the guy. As im in the room, I hear shanes voice getting louder. I crawl (literally I felt likea kid sneaking out of bed) and listen. Instantly I know shane is sharing the gospel with this man and I can't help but just continue to listen and be so overjoyed by his faithfullness.I am so encouraged by how bold he is to share the word of god with complete strangers! then I hear the man say that he knows God brought him to our doorstep. I am so blessed to be married to a man who is constantly chasing after God's heart. What a good and faithful servant. I love him. Then end.

A different kind of excitement

When you love someone so much, all your priorities and excitements start to change. They become something you probably never expected you would get excited about.

This evening, Shane got a call from one of the sargeants telling him he needed to be at work by 6am instead of 9 because he is taking the ranger pt test. "What does that mean?" you might ask.

It means he is going to Ranger school.

This is what he has been wanting since day one of joining and what he has worked so hard for.  This is one of the hardest schools to go through and opens the doors to so much more when completed. This is an avenue to be in a leadership position and be able to share the gospel to the men who will be looking up to him. It is a way for him to lead not only militarily, but spiritually! It has been shane's deepest desire.  He has worked so hard.

To give you a better idea of what it takes to even be allowed a slot into ranger school, most men dont get to go until after their first deployment and then it goes by how long you have been in the battalion usually.

Shane has been on zero deployments and has been here 3 months.

He is the hardest worker I know. He truly does everything to his best ability to further the kingdom of God and my heart could not be more grateful. He is a light not only to me but to all the men who watch him. He goes the extra mile and has been noticed for it. That and having the best physical training score helps too haha.

So here I am, after nine months of being away from each other, we finally got these past two months together. And now he will be leaving for 10 + weeks with little to no contact.

 I couldn't be more excited!

I am so thrilled because I know what it means to him and I know what it means to God. 

Who would have guessed I would be so excited for this? I was certainly surprised by it ha. Its crazy how love changes your heart's desires. Christ's love for me makes me want to show shane some of that love in my everyday actions. My support being one of those actions. It makes me desire to support him as he is being used by God. Im so excited for where this journey will take us. Even if I dont know where that might be just yet. :)

Washingtonian?

So to start this thing off right, ill make you guys chuckle. A bonus of my job is that I get super amazing discounts and buy shane workout clothes. Well apparently one of the shirts I got him landed on the wrong rack. All I hear is "hey honey, I think this is a woman's shirt! I can't get my arms all the way in." Instantly I start laughing as he comes out flexing in what I thought to be a mens large. I personally think he liked the way it looked on him haha and here it is for your viewing pleasure, although the picture doesn't do it justice!

As i put these up i started laughing again. I have am awesome husband. Hands down.

So if anybody remembers my difficult time finding joy in my job i have some exciting news! I LOVE MY JOB NOW!! It is so amazing how much nicer people are here and it just makes your whole work experience so much more fun! That and i really do enjoy the added responsibility that i have now because it keeps me busy and i really feel like i impact the work experience of my associates! I want them to want to be at work and enjoy it and i have been having such a great time making that happen for them! And i ran into one of them at church which was so cool! I am thankful for this wonderful place that i spend 45 hours a week at hahah

Finding a church home has definitelty helped in this transition. I have had the opportunity to meet some wonderful people and make really meaningful relationships. One of those people is Brooke!  She has two beautiful kids and they have the coolest house with and orchard! It means the world to me that God put this woman in my life and her husband in Shanes life. Im excited :)

Well now to the weather. I love the weather here! This past week has been absolutely beautiful! Sure it rains more than most states but when it does rain it is more of a mist or sprinkle. It hardly ever rains hard. And the rain is worth it when you see how georgous it is on a sunny day! This place is growing on me <3 it is a place where God's glory and presence is unyielding,  undenying, and unexplainable! Hah it is home <3

Redefining ordinary

Through this journey of Shane joining the army, I have found that my definition of an ordinary day has definitely changed! For example, Shane has three phases of training, hard weeks, medium, and easy. During his hard weeks of training (which he just recently had two in a row) he leaves at 8am and gets home at 1am the next day. Most people would probably find this difficult to deal with, but for myself its pretty easy. I value our time together so much more during weeks like this amd it gives me time to grow in my personal relationship with God. And I usually spend most nights buried in a book while he is gone :) so while I value our time together, time apart is something to be valued too. It makes that time together that much more special.

Anyways, while most people go to bed wondering how the next day will go or what they will wear, I go to bed wondering what injuries Shane will come home with and how hard will I have to try to convince him to get it looked at. Like this gem for example:

It took almost a week for me to convince him to get medicine to this. He says a splinter caused this but im not so sure haha. i was convinced he was getting gang green and was going to lose his finger. Alas, it was just an infection. I also have to wonder if something went wrong during training. One night shane came home after an accident happening and he had to turnikit someones arm. I have to prepare how to be supportive in times like that and how to comfort.

God is the key in all of this really. Its amazing how He Prepared me for this life. He helps me with peace of mind. Most would worry about their husbands and while i sometimes worry, i try my best to trust in God to keep shane safe if that is His will. not worrying is key in my role as a supportive wife. Its one less thimg shane has to worry about and for that i am thankful.

Anyways, when we do get time together like this weekend, we make banging dinners like this:

This is cheese tortolini with grilled chicken and vodka sauce with shrimp and halibut kabobs. 

So this is an ordinary week for me, which leads me to believe that my definition of ordinary has most definitely changed. But i love it. :)

An unsettling settlement: unfiltered

Who would have guessed?

One month left until Shane was to be done with training. After nine months apart, I was supposed to be thrilled beyond belief! Instead I found myself down, stressed, and worried. I had become so familiar with the comforts home again that leaving my friends and family, everything I've known since second grade, was a depressing prospect. Leaving was much harder than I anticipated.

I found myself to be harsh to my husband and placing blame on him for taking me across the country. I knew my relationship with God was being tested and I was failing.

Finally, sunday came and we decided to try a church in the capitol. What was the message about, you may ask? None other than the fruits of the Holy Spirit; love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control (Galatians 5: 22-23). I realized at that moment that I had shown none of those since being in Washington. I had forgotten how to give my life fully to God and I had neglected my husband. All the while, when I deserved nothing but anger from Shane, he showed me a glimpse of Christ In how much grace and understanding he gave me. I am constantly reminded how blessed I am with a man who is so patient with me. He stands firm in his decision making and leads the family the way God intends him to, and he doesn't let me sway his decision. Yet he does this with a grace that baffles me.

So I finally realized that I'm doing this whole move thing wrong. Im sitting here trying to deal with all my emotions by myself, when I have a God who is asking me to give it to Him. You can imagine how my life turned around with this very simple realization. I knew that I wanted my life to bear the fruits of the Holy Spirit and I work daily to demonstrate these attributes. I apologized to Shane for being a bear of a wife and his beautiful respond was "thats ok, I'm just glad you're back". Again just baffling.

I am a woman who constantly makes mistakes and failures. Sometimes i realize i have strayed from the flock without even realizing how i got so far away. And I am so thankful that I have a God who says to me "thats ok, I'm just glad you're back".

Awestruck by His grace and love.

5 Flights and One 10 Hour Car Ride Later

Hey everyone!

So sorry for the lack of updating on my part.. It had definitely been a busy time in my life.  So some updates are that I have been able to visit Shane 3 times! This is where the title comes from hah.  What a blessing time has been to the both of us.  Through this experience of being apart, it has truly brought us together.  Not only in how much we miss each other, but in how much we rely on God to get us through everything and to be our true joy in life.  While this time apart has definitely been difficult, it has truly been a blessing.  It gave us time to take a step back and see how much we appreciate each other and love each other, but most importantly, it gave us each personal time to grow in our individual walks with God which has been the biggest blessing of all.  A lot of times, when people grow, its apart because their focus isn't on the same thing.  But while Shane and I have grown individually, it has brought us closer together; more than I thought possible, because we are both focused on God being at the center of our marriage.  It really has been beautiful to watch and to see how God is working in both of our lives every day. 

Some updates on Shane are that he has finished basic training, and just recently finished airborne school (you know, the part where he jumps out of planes).  So he is now officially an Airborne Infantry man!  I couldn't be more proud of all that he has come to accomplish.  Even more than what he has accomplished, I am proud that while surrounded by an environment that is dark and not very encouraging, Shane continued to be a light to those around him.  He truly relied on God and grew so much and I could see it.  Every letter he wrote to me was dripping with faith and encouragement and I was and am amazed at the work God is doing through him.  Shane is now waiting to go off to Ranger Assessment and Selection Process which is going to be the most difficult thing he has done by far.  He starts November 7th and will be done around mid January.  Although it may be difficult for him, I have no doubt in my mind that he will make it though.  He was born with the ability to do this and is relying on God's strength to get him through this, so I have no fears.  As time is drawing near to finally get to live with him again, I find myself antsy.. A part of being in the military is the cloud of uncertainty that comes with it.  That cloud being that we won't even get to know where we will be going until the day they tell him he has made it into Ranger Battalion.  So there are no plans as to where we will be living, although, I am just excited to be with him again for longer that a period of 3 days.  So send some prayers his way for this next phase of training he is about to enter.  And send him an encouraging text if you want, or a call. :)

My job has been very tasking but more enjoyable lately.  I am done with my training and am now an assistant manager!  But, because we don't know where we will be living, I am just an extra manager at the store I was training in because they can't place me anywhere.  Granted there are still some challenges and emotional hurdles that I have to get through with this job, I am still trying to find joy and be the manager I want to be.  Now that fourth quarter has gotten here, it is getting crazy in the retail world.. once black Friday hits, i will be working 6 days a week.. yikes.. I'll definitely be needing God's help with this one.  Something that did rub me the wrong way though, is that we will be opening at 8pm on Thanksgiving day.. I just wish we could go back to the days when everything was closed on holidays AND Sundays... what ever happend to family focus?  So now, people will be leaving their homes at 6pm on Thanksgiving to stand in line to shop.  Call me crazy, but that doesn't really sound awesome to me.  And being on the working side of retail, it means that I won't get to be with family on Thanksgiving.. So I think retail is not very family oriented.. I think that once my job here comes to an end, I will not be reentering the retail industry.

Some exciting news about my sister-in-law, she is almost 20 weeks and finds out the sex of the baby on Tuesday!! I can't wait to hear about it!  She has been another big blessing in my life.  Not only is she my sister-in-law, but while Shane has been away, she has become a very good friend.  I love the fact that we talk all the time, because there are some things that I ohh and ahhh over with her, that Shane would just not appreciate in the way I would want him to hahah I guess its just a girl thing.  And really I wouldn't want Shane to have the same reaction as Cheyanne because I fell in love with him because of how manly he is haha as weird as that may sound, I love the fact that he is basically a lumber jack.  But it has been nice to get such a wonderful friendship formed with family :) Love you Chey!

Ok, so here is my last little bit.  I just recently read the book alliegant (the very last book to the divergent trilogy) and have never been so upset with an ending before.  Upset to the point where I wanted to start writing books, but as you can tell from these posts, I would need a really good editor.. whoops.  I cried I was so upset.  The reason I like young adult books is because they are supposed to leave you with a feeling of hope and love and this ending crushed my dreams. But maybe I will read it again and feel differently.. but I need some time before I can read it again haha. Just a quirk about me, I really get into books.  I submerse myself into the story, its like a retreat.. im a book worm, who would have guessed.

Thats all for now :) and I'll try not to make it so long before a do another one of these.

p.s. maple is still spoiled, I died my hair brown, and lost 15 pounds.. so far. :)

Excitement is in the Air!!!

So the past week or so has brought so much excitement!

First, I am so excited to announce that I will be an upcoming aunt again! Shane's sister, Cheyanne, is pregnant with the first grandbaby!! I'm really excited for them and the journey they will be taking.

Second, One of my best friends, Nikki, got engaged and asked me to be a brides maid! I can't wait for their wedding and am so honored to be apart of it.  I couldn't be more excited :)

Finally,  I was able to go to Blacksburg and visit good friends and get my hair done! Horray! In doing my hair, however, I have decided that the upkeep is so difficult and I spend too much money getting my hair highlighted.  So i have made the brave decision to dye my hair back to its natural color (light brown), once my roots have grown out to a point where it is awkward looking.  From there, hopefully I will not be getting my hair colored any more.  I haven't talked to Shane about this, but I don't think he will mind much. We will see how it goes when the time comes, probably in December haha.

New hair:

Oh, I also got to see these wonderful faces this weekend!

This weekend, I also had a profound awakening by God.  I have been consistently saying how I don't like my job and I can't wait until I don't have to do it anymore.  Then I was able to finally pin point why I felt that way.  I feel like to be a manager, you have to be a certain type of person, that I personally can't be.  I don't want to make someone cry, I want to make personal connections and relationships, and I want to be compassionate towards people and make friends.  Well, all of the above are not considered professional for an assistant manager... and that is why I have been struggling so hard.  Then, at church on Sunday, the sermon was partly about being thankful for the spot God has placed you in.  So instantly I was confused as to how I could do that. So I prayed and asked God to intervene.. I said, " God if you want me to quit my job, let this penny land heads up three times when I toss it in the air."  I tossed the penny once.. and it landed on tails.  So I thought, maybe I just didn't pray hard enough.. So I prayed again, harder, more in depth.. and I tossed the penny in the air and lost the penny because I am terrible at catching... When I found the penny, it was tails up.  So i chuckled a bit and thought, " Alright, I get it.. I'm supposed to be here."  Then yesterday, I had the best day of work I have ever had.  I know now why I am there.  I am there to redefine the role of a manager.  I am there to show that you can effectively manage your people while showing them compassion and making friendships and personal relationships.  I can give them a review without hurting their feelings.  I can show Christ's love through the way I manage.  I don't have to be the manager they are trying to mold me in to... I'm here to mold them into the manager God wants me to be.  I am here to be BOLD.

Today was the first day that I am actually excited to go to work.. I know my purpose and how God is going to use me in this season of my life, and I am so excited to deliver. God is good, always.

A Touch of Home

I have been staying at my mom's now for almost a month! It's crazy that is already been that long. It has been really good to be able to stay with family and develop relationships. It has already been such a wonderful experience :) I have the majority of my things unpacked except for some books but more and more it feels a little like home. Is nice to come home after a long day at work, walk into my room and have a feeling of home while shane is away. <3 which by the way I get to see him in less than two months!

These wonderful paintings that I get to look at are painted by Mrs. Neil! She is so wonderful at what she does!

In other news, I am enjoying my job more and seeking enjoyment in all the little things throughout the day. And of course Shane's letters give me encouragement constantly. I'm so proud of how well he is doing and with all the crazy things he is having to deal with eight more, I don't have much to complain about. I am continuing to  seek enjoyment I'm the place that God has put me in. <3

sending our love

So I got a call from Shane last night and he was finally able to give me his address!  But there is a very particular way in which you have to send it. So here is your own personal instruction manual complete with pictures :)

First off, this is his address;:

Shane Wiseman RN:453

Fox Company 1-19

9075 Holcomb Drive

Fort Benning GA 31905

However,  in an effort to sort the mail,  you need to highlight the entire perimeter with green highlighter and on the back,  in big writing,  RN:453. This is what it should look like before you mail it:

Also, to give Shane more free time,  please send him some extra sheets of paper to respond on as well as an envelope with the address filled out and a stamp.  It will make it easier on him. 

I know he can't wait to hear from everybody,  so on your mark,  get set,  GO!

Letters of Contentment

So I guess this would be sort of a continuation from my last post... recently I have been praying alot that God would help me find pleasure in work and of course to bring me comfort in Shanes absence.  I don't know why I'm always surprised when my prayers are answered because they are always answered,  but this time it was an overwhelming blessing.  God came through when I needed him the most like he always does.  It has been so good to feel my relationship with the Lord grow during this time because I have fully relied on Him. I have started enjoying work a lot more! Although it still is not what I really want to do,  God has helped me find contentment in my work.

Today I got my first phone call from Shane :) yet another blessing from God.  And we have decided that once we get to our first station,  I'm going to pursue my masters in elementary education. I am so excited and I think the timing will be good for us.  It will allow us to pay some bills and I still want to give my current job a chance.  But my true passion is children. Thank you to Nora and Azalee for helping me realize this. Although i know that not all the children i work with will be as wonderful as these two,  i hope they are.  These two little girls have made one of the biggest impacts on my life.  They are so wonderful. I want to make an impact in other children's lives in the same way that these girls have made in mine <3 I want to inspire.

Well anyways,  the teaching adventure will be coming a little later but I will keep you updated on it! 

Along with my first phone call from Shane,  I also got his second letter today :) I thought I would share a  little of what he said so that everyone knows how he is doing.  He also told me during his phone call that he can't even count the amount of Times he had been able to share Christ!  I'm so proud of him and am so glad that he is giving his everything to God so that He can use Shane for His purpose <3 what a man.

"Read Romans 12:1 today,  loved that verse. I am going to a bible study at 10:45, and I think we should have an easy rest of the day (It's Sunday). Oh and I was made bay leader,  which is kinda cool they all respect me and listen to what the sergeants tell me to tell them."

He has been doing really well and is a natural leader :) I always knew that though.

A Change of Heart?

So I have officially been working as a manager in training for a week now! It's weird that it has already been a year week.. haha. This week has been probably one of the longest but towards the end it started getting faster.  As I was working this week,  I was surprised at how long work seemed to be lasting and how much I wasn't really enjoying it :( last time I worked there I remembered loving it. Maybe it is because I sad that Shane is away so it is hard to enjoy much at the moment,  our maybe I have had a change of heart?  I have been thinking about getting a master's in education. . Just a thought. . I have decided to stick with my current job because I really do remember loving it and maybe I just need to give it a bit more time. I'm sure it will be better soon. At the end of this week though I'm ready for a good nap.

In other news, Maple has been adjusting to this move fairly well and keeps me company :)

More than anything, God has been so comforting to me and is easing this transition.  GOD IS SO GOOD :)

Distance Makes The Heart Grow Fonder

"Distance makes the heat grow fonder" is a phrase I have been hearing a lot lately as you can imagine. Today is the day that starts the beginning of my and Shanes seven months apart while he is training to become an Airborne Ranger. Although this phrase is definitely true, it doesn't make me miss him any less.

As much as I will miss him however, I couldn't be more proud of him; not because he is serving our country, but because he is serving our Lord. Shane's mission in the Army is to spread the word of God to the men on the front line and anyone he comes into contact with really. It fills my heart with joy to see him serving our God with all he has. In this past year together I have witnessed Shane grow into a stronger and stronger man of God. He has led me and pointed me to the Lord in times of darkness and light. More than anything Shane had shown me glimpses of Christ's love through the way he loves me and glimpses of Christ's grace through the way he forgives me, even when I least deserve it. He has become a man I look up to. I am so thankful for God's presence in Shane and my life. I know God is going to do wonderful things through Shane and wonderful things through our marriage.

So as I say goodbye to my bestfriend, I look forward to the time God and I get to spend together; strengthening the most important relationship I have.

James 1:2 -" count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,  for you know that the testing of our faith products steadfastness."

P.S. this is an example of how handsome shame is going to look in his uniform :)

The boys together for the last time

So here I am, car packed to the top, ready to begin my first journey.

Our Farewell

Being newly graduated,  we have had the pleasant experience of packing up our apartment and getting ready to leave the place we called home for four years,  Blacksburg.  So many memories have been created here, like meeting Shane, getting engaged, and getting married. As good as it feels to be done with school, it's a scary thought that now I have to enter the real world. And even more scary is the fact that I will have to start it alone because Shane will be joining the Army, officially making me an Army wife.

With this blog, I hope to take all my friends and family in this wonderful, exciting scary, and sometimes sad journey with me; to give you an insiders view to the trsvels of an army wife. My first location will be Virginia beach, where I wait for shane to get done with his seven months of training and where I begin training as an assistant manager at kohls. This week has been filled with farewells and I'll see you laters. Although we are leaving Blacksburg thousands of dollars in debt, I feel like one of the wealthiest women in the world. During my four years in Blacksburg I have been blessed by the people I have come to know and the friends I have come to love. The saddest thing about leaving is leaving those who have become family to me; the ones who have inspired me to become a better woman; the ones who have encouraged me to grow closer to God.

I love you all so much.