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...