WELCOME DECEMBER

17 Day Till Christmas...
Who’s excited? …I am but im not.

I AM…. because this is the very first Christmas with Arianna and McKayla and I know they’re extremely excited for Christmas! This will be their first real family Christmas and I’ve never really been around little kids at Christmas time where you have to be all secretive about who “Santa” is …im trying to keep my mouth shut on that one cause I don’t wanna blow it. Haha but im also excited to see them learn the TRUE meaning of Christmas and the spirit of giving and receiving and loving.

I’M NOT…. since Aaron won’t be home, but im still going to try to enjoy the family time, and find joy in this celebration that Jesus came down to earth and became a man just so he could [GIVE] teach us and show us love and provide a way for us to [RECEIVE] be saved and forgiven. We are extremely blessed.

PROVERBS 16:1 To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue.
*I’m kinda struggling with my plans…as im trying to find a home and figure out whether to move all our stuff up to NY or leave it here till we move to OK, and im trying to find a car that will be affordable on our budget (sine my car won’t make it to NY)
I know I should be seeking GODS PLAN. But at the moment im struggling with wondering What exactly His plan is for this part in our life.
I could pounce on one apartment that’s good price-wise but not furnished meaning I’ll have to pay more for moving everything, or I could wait and see if God has something waiting, at the last minute (which would be last minute for me but really it’d be His Perfect Timing)
I don’t want to do things FAST and miss out on what He has for us, but I don’t want to WAIT and miss something that He may have for us.
Im still trying to pray and find peace, but Aaron and I are getting anxious since the countdown is down to somewhere around 10 weeks till he’ll be back home! [oh how I can’t wait to give that man of mine a big hug and a kiss!!! I may never let go!]

AARON'S CHRISTMAS


My parents and I sent him some Christmas presents…here’s a picture of the stockings that we sent him and he hung up. The red one is from me and the Cowboys one is from my parents (I love them, and they love him! (and me) lol) I also sent him Christmas presents that I told him he has to wait to open till Christmas day, im so glad they finally arrived, I had been stressing that they wouldn’t get there in time because I’ve heard rumors about the pile up at Christmas time not only for regular mail but for overseas mail. …But he got my gifts along with two tins full of cookies I made for him




and another Christmas Present that I let him open early since it’s getting cold over there….A Texans beanie.

November so far....

My little sisters McKayla (8) and Arianna (5) were officially adopted on November 5th. We all celebrated it, and it was even National Adoption day. We’re so thankful to have them officially apart of our lives! Welcome to the family little sisters! I love being a big sister!!




Aaron got promoted to Specialist November 7th Im so proud of my Specialist!!




I’ve just about gotten all of my Christmas shopping done. Im very proud of myself. This year I started shopping in October and I’m practically finished BEFORE December even starts. I just have two gift cards to get next time we get paid and I’m finished! AMEN, Im not good with the holiday crowd, prices are too high and people are so unfriendly when they really should be in a good mood cause Christmas is a beautiful holiday!


My mom and I had lunch today. I was on the phone with Aaron before we sat down to eat and when I got off the phone I said “He was having a down day. He’s just ready to be done with it all and home again.” She asked me if it was because of the holidays and then asked me if I thought the holidays were going to be hard without him here….

Im not sure how to answer that. We’ve never spent the holidays together where we started our own traditions, Aaron did get to celebrate Christmas with my side of the family last year, so there’s a little glimpse of him being apart of my holidays, but we were just engaged… this is our first year of marriage and this would have been the year to make new traditions. It’s hard knowing that we’re not able to start our holiday traditions until next year but then it‘s exciting that we will get to plan for next year!
. . I told my mom that im not really looking forward to the holidays, not because im going to be a grinch or a gloomy gus, it’s just because im ready for them to hurry up and be over because he’ll be home just soon after they’re over.
Yes, it's gonna be hard, but i hope to still be able to enjoy it.

While we’re on the subject of Holidays….Thursday is Thanksgiving. And I just want to say how thankful I am that I have such an amazing family that surrounds me and Aaron with loads of support and prayers. It would be so difficult to make it through this deployment without them. And im thankful for Aaron and all the soldiers serving our country and for their sacrifices they make for their families and country! THIS WORLD WOULD BE A HORRIBLE PLACE WITHOUT THESE HEROS TO HELP PROTECT US! Thank you!


Prayer requests:
**Right now im trying to get out of my lease early to be able to move to NY and be with Aaron when he gets back from Afghanistan. He’s supposed to be home between Feb 17 and March 17. Im not sure if his deployment orders are going to work or not, but im blessed to have a great apartment manager and I know she’ll try to help me out as much as she can to get me out of the lease
**But that brings me to the next thing. Housing in New York. So far I can’t find any apartments that are available without signing a 12 month lease which is not good because we’ll only be there for 5 months before we move off to Oklahoma. So it is pretty stressful not being able to go apartment hunting in person and not knowing what else to do if I can’t find a place there.
**I've been having some jaw problems for about a month now. I called my dentist and am supposed to go on the 1st. They think it sounds like TMJ, but it's been popping and locking and hurting for a really long time and it's so painful...im hoping i can get it fixed soon
**Also, please continue to pray for the safety of Aaron and all the soldiers over there. As well as the spouses and family back home during the holidays. Theses next few weeks will sure be lonely without our loved ones by our sides to celebrate with

That’s about it. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! <3

Dear October,

We’re almost at the halfway mark for this month. Im almost able to say that another month has gone by and I survived this deployment…and life!
Things with the boys are still on a see-saw. I have no idea what’s going to come of the situation, but I’ve done my part so that’s all I can really do.
I’ve got some good news. Rumor has it that back in NY the FRG is preparing for the soldiers’ homecoming February 21st. Now im not going to hold my breath on this particular date, but I know me and some of the other wives are feeling pretty good about hearing this amazing news. You see, February is only about 4 months away, as opposed to waiting 6 months (because really this month is only 6 months down). So Feb. is definitely looking good.!
I know Aaron is definitely ready to be home. Every time we talk on the phone he tries to make plans for “When I get back…” It’s exciting but it also makes the time seem like it’s going slow on purpose just so 4 months will feel like 6.

Right now there is some good news from Afghanistan. Aaron is going to rank up to being a Specialist on November 1st. And also he isn’t going to be going on missions for at least two weeks. His job right now is CP, which is guarding the radios. He’s not working with his platoon, he’s working with the men on guard and making sure they change the radios out every few hours and making sure they get their meals and have enough water and stuff. He’s working different hours than his platoon, working all night and sleeping during the day, while they’re sleeping at night and going on missions during the day. But he says the men he’s working with on CP are really cool and he’s enjoying the change. Praise God, two weeks of not so much worry because he won’t be out on missions!

Im applying for college so I can take a few classes next semester at MCC. I’ll probably just be taking a few online classes so IF I end up moving up to NY when Aaron gets back home, it won’t be too much trouble and I can still complete the classes. Im ready to get my degree! The process my parents are going through with the adoption of my two little sisters, and the process that I’ve had to go through trying to help out my cousin’s two little boys with CPS has definitely made me want to hurry up and get my degree so I can go help children like these and doing it to the best of my ability.

My computer had been acting funny the past few months. Randomly beeping at me, freezing in the middle of some tasks, and just randomly not turning on or off when needed. My parents got their computer looked at and were told theirs was pretty much dead, and since we both had the same kind for the same amount of years and have put them through a lot (brownouts in Poland and moving them around for 6 years) it was inevitable that we were going to need new computers soon. So yesterday after looking for deals, my dad and I went out and bought laptops. One for me and one for my mom. So here I am, typing on my new laptop. And im so thankful to have one that’s not rude and beeping at me! Haha

I had a good talk with my friend Jessica this morning. It’s been a while since we’ve talked ever since she moved to Mississippi. But im so thankful for the conversation, and to hear that she’s doing well and is really happy being closer to her boyfriend and all.
Now if only I could get a call from my husband today, I’d say this has been a pretty amazing day!

Please continue to pray for the safety of my husband and all the other soldiers defending our country! May God bless them all!


This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.
1 John 5:14-15

The End of My September

I finally took the plunge and bought a vacuum cleaner! I have only vacuumed my apartment twice since I’ve lived here (going on 6 months..) When I first got it I definitely vacuumed away!!! It made my apartment seem just like new! Now I definitely use it weekly!


I also got some blonde highlights in my hair…


I got a little carried away sending Aaron care packages this month…I think I sent him at least 10 if not more lol He was talking about how he wasn’t eating much lately and I felt bad, and don’t want him to die of starvation…so I went out and bought him a bunch of food…and some other stuff..



I write him a little something everyday and stick it in an envelope. I’ll wait at least a week and then I’ll send the letters together in a care package. These are what the envelopes look like



I had the girls over one day for a reward for not getting their colors changed at school…we painted and I sent the hand prints to Aaron




Amber and I celebrated her 24th birthday the weekend before her bday (which is Sept 16th) We had a great sister sister time. Loved it.



I kept Remington again…Cute little guy, we had so much fun. And thanks for my friends Tiffany and David Davlin, he got some new toys to play with and a new cute toybox to keep them in. He’s getting so big since the last time I saw him last month…





I had a litte too much fun too, playing with the dump trucks and toys, when he went down for his nap!



Poor Remi was sick again, so when he left, he definitely left his germs again. I got sick and was down for half the week starting Tuesday…
I got a call from Aaron on Monday and then I had a home study done that afternoon for my cousin’s little boys. I don’t know what’s going to happen with the home study because Aaron didn’t get a chance to contact the lady and she needed to talk to him before submitting it. Well, the satellites were down for a whole week so he didn’t get to talk to her and she had to submit it by Friday. So we’ll see how that goes. It’s all in God’s hands.
Since the satellites were down, that also means that I didn’t get to talk to him for a whole week. Thankfully I had another army wife who relayed a message that he was ok, and that the internet and phones were down that’s why he hadn’t gotten in contact with me (or the home study lady)
Last week it was kinda hard not getting to talk to him and not having any idea how he was doing, along with me being sick,but I made it through, and I got a call from him today! I went a whole week without breaking down! God is good…and gave me peace throughout the whole time.
Praise God!!

Also one of my best friends moved to Mississippi this month…so im sad but she seems happy, and hopefully when she comes home to visit we may get a chance to hang out again.

But anways, that’s the update of the rest of my September! Now, October has started….and I have a dentist appointment tomorrow…so prayers for that please cause I have to get a few fillings and im SO not good with shots!!

The Enemy Under My Feet (Psalm 91:13)

Psalm 91:13
You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

Today was an emotional rollercoaster. Just little things tended to happen that bugged me. First of all i got up late for church, got lost (how ironic cause ive been there a thousand times!) didn't make it in time to go in, i'd be too late. I had a little argument with my mother when i went over to my parent's house...and that's not even the biggest part of my day.

Well, today Aaron and i have been married for 6 months! :) I am celebrating it (even though tons of people tell me you only celebrate on the years) because im so happy to have found the love of my life at the age of 20 and wow!! 6 months! :D He told me he'd call me today...and when he didn't i got the feeling something came up. If he doesn't call, he at least writes me something on FB so i know he's ok...but he didn't today. So i prayed for him and missed him but all was ok...

I got home and kinda watched movies and sulked. Around 2 o'clock i got a phone call from my Key Caller (a lady from the army who keeps army spouses up to date on things during a deployment) She said that there was an "incident" that affected Bravo Battery (which is Aaron's battery) But because i was getting this call (and not the soldiers at my door) it meant that he was ok, but there would be more information about it through a "Red Message" and they would email it after all the other spouses had been contacted.
When she first called i didn't know what to think. She said there had been "an incident" and i imidiately felt like praying, but i didn't know for what. I knew in my heart and had peace that Aaron was ok, but who wasn't?

Later this afternoon i got the e-mail. A soldier had died.
I have no idea who this man was, but all i know is that when i saw his name, i immediately prayed for his family and their loss. And then, selfishly, i thanked God over and over again for protecting MY husband.

Tonight as i read through my Psalm 91 devotion, verse 13 spoke to me...
It's about fears that we have- our spiritual enemies, they may start out little and become big in our lives and once they become big they can create big problems. I thought about that little fear that's always deep in the back of my mind that Aaron might not come home to me. But this verse says that we have the authority to "tread" upon these fears, "the lion and cobra and serpent."

When i look back on today, when i got that phone call and i had peace in my heart that Aaron was ok, i feel like that was a moment where i trampled on/"treaded" on these fears that the enemy has placed in my head. The fear that Aaron might not come home to me.Yes,that could happen, he is a soldier and he's on a real battlefield. Not only a battlefield with humans, but also a spiritual one because he's a believer.
Instead of breaking down thinking the worst and worrying and keeping that worry on my top priority day after day that he may not come back to me, i believe that God has helped me have the peace to overcome that fear. I am treading on that fear. And i am proud to have that peace in my heart about God protecting Aaron.

Please pray for the soldier's family who died. This loss is a great one.
And please continue to pray for our soldiers' safety as they are in a very dangerous situation. [this situation today kinda made all the dangers of deployment life come to real life, there are people dying. Ive tried to ignore it but being an armywife now, i can't. You never really know until you're living it. I feel, even though i had never met this man, that he was a part of my family too just because he was a soldier.]
I've been fervently praying over the last few days, every chance i get, that Aaron and his group would be safe. That God would place a hedge of protection over them and i truely believe that God has been answering my prayers.
Thank you to everyone else who is praying for Aaron, and all the other soldiers out there. They all need it.
And prayer is powerful. It works!


*thanks for reading this really long post, hope it wasn't confusing, i think for the most part i just needed to get my thoughts and feelings down.

Just Plain Tired...of it all...

So it’s been a long, lonely weekend. I’ve been overwhelmed with emotions. Mostly missing Aaron TERRIBLY! I can’t seem to push this feeling behind me. Im feeling clingy, but im left without my husband to cling to. He did call me Saturday morning. We talked for a while and it was Wonderful to hear his voice, but I haven’t heard from him since. I know him being in Afghanistan is a BIG deal, and I should be grateful I just heard from him….but I still feel like I need him right now. He seems to be the only one that can calm my heart and mind with all that’s going on (and everything that’s not going on) and I just want to be able to talk to him or just have him on the phone with me listening to the noise of the phoneline. I just want to feel that connection right now. I miss him. A LOT.

Im also tired of the negative comments coming from random people in the world and the supid judgemental things that seem to keep being said and happening to me. This one lady said "you're only 20 and he's in the army...honey, get ready, you'll be divorced in a few weeks."
Somone else..."newlyweds and military don't work"
...theres more but i won't go into that.
I'm tired of these people being so judgemental. Maybe it doesn't work for some people, but THOSE people are not ME AND AARON. I love him. He loves me. And we both love God. So, to all those negative people in the world... First of all, STOP talking to me. And secondly, WE WILL LAST!!! And last, STAY out of our business if you're not going to support us!!! (ok, sorry, i had to vent...)

Anyways....

My parents decided to take a mini-vacation. I offered to take care of the girls for a day while they went and had a day/night off. They definitely deserve this break!
Their energetic spirits (the girls’) have definitely kept me busy enough not to sulk about missing Aaron, but there’s still that feeling.—even more so at night-- I let the girls go outside for the afternoon and decided to take some pictures for my future scrapbooking needs (*Im thinking about signing up as a Creative Memories Consultant*) Here are two of my favorites I took of the girls interacting with each other….there were a lot more, but I didn’t want to put too many on here…the rest are on facebook.


So now I should go to bed. (if i can sleep....sleep has been a problem lately, AGAIN) I have a lot to do in the morning, getting them ready, making breakfast and lunches….hopefully I won’t make the girls late for school. :)

Growing Up

Wow, My little sisters are growing up so fast. This is their second week of school and they love it. I went with my mom and the girls on their first day of school. We walked them over to school and there we left them. I actually almost cried, because we were just leaving them in a new area all alone, they looked so small. But they were brave and sooo excited that morning!




I got to keep Remington for another few days. About 4 days or so. It was really nice to have his little energetic self running around this apartment, keeping me company and definitely on my toes!


Mom and i went to the pool and took him with us so we could do some laps. We got him a cute little float. He was quiet the whole time...i don't know what was goign through his little head in that "big bathtub" lol but overall i think he enjoyed himself. Aunt Rachel (mom) and i took turns supervising and playing with him while the other would go swim a few laps. It was fun. And he really enjoyed getting to play with Arianna and McKayla when they got home from school.
Such a sweet little boy, but wow! He has definitely grown since the last time i took care of him, and that was only a few weeks ago!





Aw i love this little guy!

Someone else who's growing up....AMBER
My sister is going to be 24 years old this month! I'm so proud of her. She's the best big sister any girl could ever ask for. I've known her for a little over 20 years, and gosh, we're always best friends forever NO MATTER WHAT!!! Can't wait to celebrate with her!

My best friend JESSICA is moving to Mississippi this month. I sure am gonna miss her....

AND... last but not least, There are 365 days in a year. And Aaron has been gone for 133! So we only have 232 days left until he gets to come home since his orders only allow him to be gone for a year and not longer. Im praying he gets home sooner than a whole year, but with only 8 months left, im glad this deployment has gone smoothly so far. I definitely feel that our relationship is stronger through this distance and stress of deployment. And we definitely couldn't be doing this great without God and the prayers and support of family and friends. Thank you.
**September 19th will be our 6 month anniversary**

Comfort

I got a call from my husband this morning (who knew phone calls would be the thing i look forward to the most in life) :) well, GUESS WHAT??....he sounded HAPPY! :) Oh goodness, that's such a relief!! We had a good talk and it seems like he's seeing the light at the end of this long tunnel of a bad week. *and it even helped that he slept good last night for the first time in about a week. I hope and pray that the next few days keep getting better and betterfor him...
The sound of his happy voice on the other end of the phone gave me comfort..Aaron's going to be alright. This phone call just showed me again how God is bigger than anything that tries to stand in our way. And He's taking care of it all


Last night my heart was heavy. I was feeling helpless when it came to encouraging Aaron so, i started reading Ephesians. Ch. 1 verses 1-3. It was about blessings. And God has given us so many blessings. And needless to say, last night after reading about blessings, i was truely blessed.
I had started out trying to find a verse to send Aaron for encouragement but it turns out , going to God's Word is uplifting during every situation in life. (i've known this...just it takes a while for me to put it into practice sometimes)
I was comforted by what i read...
I SLEPT good last night! I gave everything to God before i went to bed so my heart was more relaxed, and yeah...yesterday evening my mom and i went to Anna's Linens and i bought two new pillows...so that could have helped alittle too :)

Boys and Life

Boys:
First off, i miss the love of my life. MY HUSBAND. This week has been a really rough week for him. I don't know all the details i think he's just emotionally and physically strained right now. Not getting much sleep and well...being in Afghanistan...it's got to be rough. Anyways, i've been feeling like i can't encourage him enough. And then it doesn't help that my phone has decided not to ring all the time, so i missed his 3 calls one day. 3 calls and it never rang...i just got a voicemail and Aaron seemed really down.
Today i almost missed him again, it was a God-thing that i walked in my room as my phone lit up saying "one missed call" and then THANKFULLY, he called right back. We talked for a while, but i can still tell that he's not himself, not happy and such.
If only there were a way to send a real hug to him. Just to go there give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek and say Everything's going to be alright. I think that's all he needs right now. But since i can't do that, im just going to ask for a lot of prayer for him.

I haven't been sleeping too well lately, i don't know if it's me or if it's me worrying about things or what...but it's getting rather annoying so im gonna ask for prayers about that too. I feel EXTREMELY tired lately and i don't know what to do about it, because i try to sleep but can't. And during the day im so tired, but ill make myself stay awake, but when night comes, no matter how sleepy i get, i'll still not sleep much. But who needs sleep anyway?

....Two other boys on my mind are my cousin's two little boys. Channing (3) and Remington (1). In June, the boys got placed with my grandparents under kinship care. My cousin is now supposed to go to rehab and get her act and house cleaned up and then she can get her boys back. Prayers for these two little boys is needed too. They miss their mama so bad.
Also for my cousin, she needs the strength to get through this stuff. And realize that she has two little boys who desperately need their mother! She's such a great girl, but got into a little trouble. Im praying that she can make things right again and get her boys back so they 3 can be a family again.

Well, my grandma hurt her shoulder two weeks ago, so i got to keep baby Remington for about a week. We had so much fun. He's a handful but such a sweet boy. Channing came to Waco for the weekend too. He enjoyed playing with my little sisters Arianna and McKayla. Arianna and him got along great especially since they're kinda clost in age 3 and 5. Channing is such a sweet boy too, so smart :)
I love all four of these kiddos.

Life:
My two little sisters are starting their new school Monday. They're going to Midway Elementary. McKayla will be in the 3rd grade and Arianna in Kindergarten. They're SO excited and can't wait for school to start.
My mom and i are a little excited too. It looks like we'll have a whole week to go swimming just the two of us and do laps and stuff at my pool and maybe get in a little mother-daughter shopping time without having to worry about two bored little girls causing chaos lol

Im not sure what my plans are for this fall. Looks like im too late on enrolling for college classes. But my plans are kinda in limbo right now. Im talking to some people about helping out with Channing and Remington, but if that doesn't come into play then i guess i'll be looking for a job. Lets just hope IF the second thing happens, that all the good jobs won't be taken by the college students that are coming back to town.

Anyways, that's my update for now...sorry no cool pictures or anything. Maybe next time.

Beginning of August...

Now that all my posts for JULY R&R are done, i guess i'll get caught up on the beginning of August.

McKayla celebrated her 8th birthday two weekends ago. Her birthday was August 1st, but the party was on Saturday the 31st. She definitely enjoyed her day being the center of attention. haha. It seemed to go well. It was a family party since she hasn't been in school yet to have school friends over, but im sure next year she'll have a big party full of a bunch of 9 year old (oh helps up! lol) It was amazing getting to celebrate with her...this was the first birthday she's had as a part of the Rushing family! :)


Since the party was held in Tyler, Jessica and i spent the weekend with Amber at her new apartment. It was a great weekend spending time with my two favorite people, my sister best friend and my best friend! :)
Since Jess is about to leave for Mississippi soon, it was good to spend a few days with her. The two of us went to a Casting Crowns concert Aug 5th. It was AMAZING! Very good!! Im glad she invited me to go with her. We met in Austin, and then i spent the night at her place afterwards. We didn't get much time to talk since i had to leave early the next morning, but im hoping for at least one more chance to hang out together before she leaves :)

Anyways, i've got my cousin, baby Remington for a few days...so i better get off this blog and go rest up. I heard through the grapevine that he gets up early! lol

Psalm 91:4...
He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find shelter....

R&R POST 4...last r&r post

Thursday we went to Dallas for a Rangers game. The very first baseball game i've ever been to. I really enjoyed it. It was hot, yes, but i was definitely a great experience! Aaron wanted to go, and at first i wasn't so sure of it, but by Monday i was definitely excited and looking forward to the new experience. We got some pretty good seats too! Oh btw, the RANGERS WON!!! And Josh Hamilton is my favorite! Not only is he a good player, but he has some pretty sweet Christian songs that play when he steps up to the plate :)



After the game, Aaron and i ate breakfast/dinner at an IHOP. We stayed in Dallas that night with my Aunt Mary. Friday for lunch, all three of us met up with my cousin Will and his wife Samantha. It was a pretty good day. The weekend seemed to go by fast after that. He was to leave on Tuesday.
Friday when we got home we just rested because of all the driving we had done! Saturday i felt bad because we didn't do anything at all. I didn't feel good and slept almost all day, did laundry and cleaned the house a little. Thank goodness Aaron had his xbox or im sure he would have been bored and wanting to do something.

Sunday- we went to my church. It was a really good service. And you know, after two Sundays having my husband sit beside me in worship, i really can't wait until he gets home so we can go to church together more often! We ate lunch at Chili's with my parents and little sisters. Then we spent the afternoon/evening playing Nertz. Aaron loved the game. (A card game that EVERYONE should know how to play!) He won the very first rounch we played- his very first time to play. We ended up playing till almost midnight!

Monday we took the girls for a bit, i can't remember why. But we took them swimming. Aaron and i had some "us" time before going back over to my parent's house for some homemade enchiladas and another night full of playing Nertz :)
We stayed there late, and then when we got back home, neither one of us wanted to go to sleep because we knew once we did, the time would come for him to leave. We tried staying up for a while and ended up going to bed around 3 or so in the morning. I took him to the airport around 11 and there we parted.
That part isn't so good...but the two weeks we did spend together were amazing. And i can't wait for him to get back home for good!! :)

....If i wrote these posts any earlier i might be crying my eyes out, going through tissue after tissue. When Aaron left, it was so hard for me. After a few days of just crying and horrible loneliness, and memories everywher i turned, i finally started this devotional book that Aaron let me borrow. It's over Psalm 91. It goes verse by verse in the chapter. As i read it, well i cried some more as i read Psalm 91:1 and God spoke to me.

"Those who dwell in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty."
The book talked about how i must first "dwell" before i can "rest"
I then decided that instead of trying to make myself feel better, i needed to rely on God and have Him comfort me. So that's what i did. The tears stopped coming so harshly. And yes, im still sad that Aaron isn't here, but im also content and growing closer to God through this. He has definitely been speaking to me through this study and, WOW!...my heart is feeling more peaceful, hopeful, and happy every day that goes by.

God is so good!

R&R post 3

Aaron's last week home we stayed in waco pretty much the whole time. Aaron slept in Monday. I was so glad that he finally got a chance to rest and sleep in. I think the weekend wore him out! We took the girls swimming at my apartment one day. They enjoyed that. Then we had them over again for a few hours...they came over around 10:30 a.m. and I let them help make brownies. They finally got Aaron into the kitchen to help too. It was cute, they loved making brownies with him.




After we put the brownies in the oven to bake, i put in a movie. The Fox and the Hound, for the girls to watch while Aaron and i attempted to make spaghetti for lunch. He helped make the sauce. Haha....umm, we need more practice. The noodles stuck together and the sauce was more watery than saucy. lol Oh well, it was food and the girls ate it and so did we. While we were cooking, Aaron took a break and watched the movie with the girls. They love their big brother (in-law). He definitely fit right in with them.


After lunch we let them finish themovie so their food would settle before we took them swimming. It was a good long day. They definitely wore Aaron out! He was napping on the couch after we swam, before mom could come and pick the girls up. lol

R&R Post 2

More about when Aaron was home for R&R...

When we got back from San Antonio, we spent Wednesday and Thursday at home in Waco. It was nice to finally be in "our home" together.
Since we went straight to San Antonio when Aaron got home, when we finally got home we had no groceries...sooo...Aaron and i went to the store. It was nice to finally have someone to go with me to the grocery store! :) We picked upa few things since we were only going to be home for two days before leaving for the weekend. I made him pot roast that night. That was the very first time i made it, and it was beyond AMAZING! Perfectly juicy and so tender...yum! I made mashed potatoes and corn to go along with it, and my honey loved it! I was thankful that it turned out so great my first time. And im STILL getting compliments on it! :) I really enjoyed getting to cook for him while he was here

--A few weeks before Aaron got home, my mom and i found a deal on a table and chairs for the girls. I offered to paint them for the girls, and so they had been sitting on my balcony since we got them. I went to walmart with mom and the girls and we picked out the paint for the table and chairs. When i got back to the apartment, later that afternoon, i asked Aaron if he wanted to help me paint. So, had some fun painting. He wasn't too thrilled at the beginning, but he loved getting to do something for the girls. (They fell for him the minute they saw hime! He's already like their big borther!)
It was really hot outside when we were painting, and Aaron got a little tired of making sure he got every spot covered, and then he got distracted painting ME instead of the chairs. lol, silly. But we did eventually finish painting the table and chairs. It went by really fast with two people, im so grateful for his help because i definitely wouldn't have been able to do it that quickly by myself.




We spent the weekend with Aaron's family in Iola. We got there Friday night in time for dinner and his niece was also there. It was a pretty relaxful evening. Aaron and his brother Evan dended up playing basketball outside after dinner until it finally got too dark to see. I stayed inside with the AC and everyone else watching tv. Aaron definitely enjoyed the one on one time with his brother.

Saturday Aaron's dad was grilling out. So while the meats and stuff were cooking, Aaron and i ended up going into College Station and hanging out in town at the mall and stuff. We went by Gamestop and he saw that the xbox was on sale. So i let him get it, with one condition...that he didn't spend the whole time he was home on it and spent time with me. He agreed. After buying it, we went back to his parents' house, and while the rest of the food was finishing up cooking, Evan and Aaron played some xbox.
After dinner, which was delicious, they played some more and i even played a little too :)

Sunday we went to Aaron's church and had lunch at CiCi's Pizza. Then we went back to his house and spent a few more hours with his family before we headed back to Waco. It was a pretty good weekend. I found it really relaxing since he lives out in the middle of nowhere with alot of land around him. It was beautiful and peaceful feeling. But i was glad to get back home to OUR house :)
Here's a picture of Aaron playing with his new toy...

R&R post 1

My next few post will be about the most amazing two weeks that i got to spend with my most amazing husband when he came home for his two weeks R&R.

Aaron flew into the Dallas airport on a Sunday morning. I spent the night with my Aunt Mary who lives in Dallas, and asked her if she could drive and help me find the airport and where Aaron's gate would be. It was amazing. Dallas has a thing where people actually sign up and there's always a big group of people lined up to greet and support the troops when they get off the airplane. Not all of them had family or friends there, they were just there to show their support. I was totally blown away by that. it was awesome.

So my Aunt Mary and i were ushered into the front of the line since i was waiting (ever so impatiently) on my husband. Well the soldiers started coming out one by one or two or three at a time....about 10 minutes of waiting FINALLY Aaron came around the corner! oh i can't even explain the excitement i had! It's pretty much a blur except i do remember giving him a big hug when he first walked up to me! <3 the love of my life <3

I planned a trip to San Antonio for two days just so we could get away from the world and have fun. I thought Aaron was going to be home friday or saturday, but instead he got there just in time. We drove to Waco to pick up Amber and then all of us drove to San Antonio for the hotel reservation. We stayed in the most amazing hotel ever. It had a beautiful view, it was right by the riverwalk. Here's some pictures ...




Monday we all three went to the Alamo and did a little Tomb Raider ride and shoot the scary animalsthings game, and went to the world's records museum. IT was really fun. We ate at the Irish Pub, the girls were dressed pretty...umm...yeah but the food was good :)
Amber left me and Aaron to hang out with some friends.
So we went back to the hotel room and went to the hot tub. It was very relaxing. We were the only ones in the hot tub and we just talked and got to spend some good one on one time getting to share stuff and just...well, talk. It was great to finally have face to face conversations without the phone line goign in and out and only hearing parts of the conversation and hoping that nothing important was being said :)

Tuesday Aaron and i went to Seaworld. We got in free since he's military. It was definitely a great experience. Although we were a little late, we only made it to two showings. We saw the alligators being fed and talked about, we saw the beautiful dolphins and the Shamoo show. It was a long hot day but very nice to just walk around hand in hand with my husband. We even went to the little water park area for a little while to cool off while waiting for the showtime for the whales. Here's some pics...and im very proud of the one with the whale in the air...i took nearly a thousand and this was a total accident cause i didn't mean to push the button, but hey! it was PERFECT!



Anyways, that was only the first three days that Aaron was home. He was home for 15 in all so there's more stories where this came from....
so...

.........To Be Continued...