New Year, New Beginnings...

IM MOVING TO NEW YORK AT THE END OF THE MONTH!!! Why you may ask? So that i can go prepare the apartment and make it a nice place to live for when AARON COMES HOME! He should be home before the end of March. Im not exactly sure what the dates are because well...that's the army for ya! lol But im so excited this deployment is almost over!!!

I've been so blessed to have my family close by through this long year of having my husband in Afghanistan. And although im a bit nervous about the new state and being away from parents, im confident that i will enjoy the new scenery and new friendships and i am definitely looking forward to having my husband back home!

Please pray for safety for these soldiers as they continue doing their job over there, but look forward to being home with their loved ones soon! And for the wives who are starting to travel back towards base so that they can be there to welcome their soldier home. <3 <3 This is going to be a great year!

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. :)