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.