Happy Mother's day to all of you very special and AMAZING mothers. I've been feeling the need to tell you all how much I love and appreciate you. I've been blessed with all these amazing examples of very strong spiritual women. They stay behind and raise amazing children. Children that will be the next leaders of our fine country. I strongly believe that our children are being blessed with strength through our husbands service as well as ours. It's not always easy. There's those moments right after they leave where the house is so quiet and peaceful ( the calm before the storm) where Heavenly Father leans over and takes our hand. Right at that moment I hate to admit my heart breaks. My husband is my rock my world. I see his brothers and sisters who are blessed with being side by side everyday with their companions and sometimes I can't help but feel a slight pain. Pain that I have to be the one to let my husband go. Then the pain gently leaves and I see the strength move in and save me. That's what makes my friends, and neighbors here my heroins. My true examples and teachers. This Mother's Day I'd like to thank them all for everything they do for us. Their Kindness courage and strength. For the amazing children they are raising and for the tears they shed to help get them their. For all the sacrifice and uncharted territories they manage to navigate. I'm so blessed to be a mother. To be able to stay at home and hold their hands and teach them lovingly. I pray everyday for patience and the power to grow closer to my Father in Heaven. I know that someday we will all look back and see that our life has been a rich life full of love and compassion. A truly Blessed life. Thank you all for who you are and who you continue to be AMAZING!

To Catch Everyone up!

It is now Jan. of 2010! I can't BELIEVE how time has flown by! The blessings and trials that have been ours since our last blog. It AMAZES me!! We've been so lucky and even more in love than ever. You hear every now and than the "Army" has broken up yet another home. Well, it has made This home stronger and Happier than ever. We have little money as we always have ( I say this with a smile and a giggle of course!) BUT we have never gone without the things we needed. We were also VERY blessed to have my husband home for nearly a year. Most in our situation would never even dream of such a stretch.

I'm trying to think of everything I might want to say to you all. It seems that these days there are truly so many more of us. Seems that there is so much more work for our rightouse men to help our Father in Heaven accomplish. I've been so blessed to have met several of you over the year and have been so impressed by the strength and spirit you carry. I've been beyond THRILLED to see that our Blog has a follower! YAY! You all work so hard and are the most amazing mothers and wives. Not to mention of course amazing examples of love and compassion for me. I've seen myself grow and prosper with your example. You'll NEVER know how much I love and appreciate you..... ALL of you!

Our year as a family was a bit more trying than I expected to say the least. My husband learned Russian which was also fun for me. It's amazing to hear family prayers given in another language. He did all this with a calling in the Young Men's Pres. in our ward. He received a blessing before he started and was told the more time he spent with us as a family and the more he did to full fill his calling the easier the language would come. We also got him a Book Of Mormon and the church magazines in Russian. He loved it all and it helped unlock even more blessings. We truly LOVED every minute of it!

As for my personal journey.... I have learned so much more! So much that at times I still feel myself processing it all. Things were going so well and all the world was right. Till the spring came when I started struggling. I fell extremely ill. The doctors were sure that I had all the signs of Lupus which is an auto immune disease. If it was the right one it would slowly and painfully kill me. THAT about killed me. Two small children and a Husband who needed me more than ever. What would they do without me? So... after millions of tests and several millions of doctors a specialist diagnosed it as Fibromyalgia. Also an auto -immune but non life threatening. (It"s a Chronic Pain and fatigue disorder.) She told me in our very first appointment that if I were to have a more comfortable life my husband would need to quit what he was doing and spend more time at home. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate what he was doing she just thought I needed more attention. I often think of the moment that "I" decided to stand up and fight for myself.... IT WAS THAT VERY MOMENT! We had come so far to only "Give up!" NO WAY! Not here!!! So, I started taking the meds and started taking better care of myself. I went in two weeks ago and I amazed her! I'm NOT the same person she once saw. I'm nearly off my meds. at this point! I have to take things much easier than I once did BUT... I can say that my kids and I still play and have GREAT fun. I can now keep up with them. I know that I would NEVER have been able to do it without the love and full support of my dear sweet husband and the healing power of our Father in Heaven. I was also sent some wonderful friends. I've felt my testimony Grow yet again in leaps and bounds! I LOVE the growth that comes threw those hard times.

As far as where we are... we have moved from our little apartment off base to a three bedroom rambler on post. The Greatest decision we ever made. We don't struggle with money as much as we almost never have to gas up anymore and we have plenty of room. My daughter LOVES her school and our son LOVES having a backyard to play in. We have also been blessed with amazing neighbors ( which I know doesn't always happen) and even better friends than we could have imagined. Our new ward is so AWESOME! Full of Love and support for one another. Always there to lend a helping hand for one another.

I give thanks for all that we have learned and all the fun adventures we have had here. I can only hope that this next year is half as fun as the last. I promise to make sure I update our blog more. Thank you all for your continued love and support it's what drives us. We are honored to give back to those who gave their lives to keep us free and for the many families that support the men and women who continue to keep us free. We remember you ALL as we pray for you daily. God Bless and may the Lord watch over and care for you!

The start of our journey...

Our journey into the military started nearly a year ago when my husband came to me with a desperate look in his eye.  I had seen this desperation before on several occasions. Each time having the same sinking feeling that at some point in our lives we where supposed to take a different path.  Since my Husband and I married nearly six years prior we filled our lives with school, work, serving in the church and being the best parents we knew how to be to two small children.  My husband completed school and starting working in his career field as a graphic designer.  That's when I could clearly tell the look had gotten worse.  In passing on several occasions throughout our time together he'd also mention how wonderfully fulfilling serving our country would be. This was mainly discussed around September 11th as I'm sure many men do.  Finally last year I had, had enough of the "maybes" and in the hope that he'd be told he was too old he was after all 26. I assumed the recruiter in his/her wisdom would dismiss him and send him home to his wife. That was not the case.  The first thing he was told was to bring his wife in.  The recruiter had enough respect for me to make sure he brought me in as soon as possible to continue the discussion.  I was very grateful for that man.  He was the reason I decided to get down on my knees and pray about it.  I remember the feeling of reluctance in my heart that day.  As if I had already known as long as forever that this was indeed the path our Heavenly Father needed us to take.  This is what he had always had in mind for us.  The confirmation came as quickly as the first time I prayed to know the truth about the gospel at the age of eighteen.  I felt the Lord circle his arms around me and strengthen me that night.  He helped me to understand that indeed serving him and our country was going to be challenging and at times down right heart breaking.  Since then my husband has joined the Army through the National Guard.  We were blessed to have made our decision at the exact time they released the "active first" program which was the key to enabling my husband to do what he is trying to do at Ft. Bragg. 

My husband joined in November of last year and started boot camp in March.  At that time I was left with two toddles and all the decision making I needed the Lord more than ever.  I prayed and fasted to know where I needed to take my young family.  If I needed to stay in Utah keeping our own apartment or except one of the several generous offers from family to come and stay with them during the duration of my husbands training.  We knew at that time he'd be gone for over six months and the decisions which I was not use to making without my husband the choice was left between Heavenly Father and myself.  My heart ached when the decision was made.  My parents are not members and our history was rocky.  I knew having my family there would be difficult for all but I knew that it had to be done.  I promptly moved my family in and spent several wonderful/challenging/heart breaking months with them.  My children will forever have great memories of their time spent with their Nana and Opa in California.  We were also blessed to meet the most amazing families in our home ward.  I received a calling to primary and the weekly play group/support group helped us thrive.  I had never experienced a separation/deployment before so I was unsure when the inevitable melt down would occur.  So, I would tread lightly and I'd make sure to never forget to add myself in my prayers.  To pray that I could continue to be a good mother and friend and that I could somehow try to fill the void left by my husbands absence.  We all struggled at times but the more we prayed together the more we stayed together, helping to lift each other and comfort each other.  

Here we are six months to eight months later still trying to finish the first stages of our entry into the army.  We're stronger than we've ever been as a family and personally.  My husband no longer looks as if he's "going through the motions of life".  He's feeling accomplished and fulfilled in his life.  Our children feel safe, secure, and stable.  The relationship between my daughter and I  has never been more open and happily in tune. We look back and count ourselves blessed at the amazing things that have come to pass over the past year.  

I often remember that not everyone understands what it's like to be an Army wife.  That's why in these times there are so few of us. We might not always have the support and understanding that we crave from our family and friends who aren't "Living in our shoes" but it is such a blessing and comfort to know that Heavenly Father is always waiting there for us to come to him so that he may lighten our burden.  I can't thank him enough for all that we've been blessed with and all that we continue to be blessed with in this new life.  I'm grateful for the love and continued support he gives to me personally as well as to my family.  I love him and will continue to serve him till his return.   I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ amen.