My first Turkey

Not being back home for Thanksgiving sure was hard. We both miss our family so much! Throughout the day I missed so many of my family traditions, such as our Thanksgiving church service, my brother's annual Turkey Bowl, and Nana's thanksgiving dinner....

But well, since you got to make the most of things, my little family over here decided we would look on the bright side of things and see the joy in celebrating our first Thanksgiving together since we have been married!

We had a great day. Uncle Danny was here to celebrate and it was great having family around. We also had a few guys from Jeremy's work over which was real nice as well. Most of my day, however, concentrated around the kitchen.I know you would never believe that I actually woke up early on a day off since I love to sleep so much.....but wouldn't you know I woke up with a stomachache because I was so nervous about making the Turkey! Well I wont bore you with all the details about the 7 hours I spent in the kitchen prepping and praying that we wouldn't have to eat pizza for Thanksgiving...but I included some pictures in case you were wondering how I handled it.

According to those who ate, everything came out good. I was too nervous to enjoy it. Hahaha!

Well just to close this up...I just want to take the time  and thank the Lord for all He has blessed me with this year.....for Jeremy's safe return from Iraq, our first "real" year of marriage together, our firstborn puppy Baloo Bear who is our pride and joy, the sweetest most cutest nephew in the world, a new beautiful place to live in, wonderful family who love & help us so much back home, friends that are like family to us, jobs, health and most importantly God's great gift of love and salvation. To all of those of you who are reading this....know that we love you and our so thankful for you being part of lives. I hope you all had a nice day too!

Washing the turkey is a lot harder than I would have thought. It is so heavy and slippery.

I am supposed to stick my hand where?!!!!!

 

Jeremy could'nt handle it so I had to take over.

 

Baloo was sitting near the counter hoping something would fall his way. He ended up getting some flour all over his face.

 

Dinner is ready!

  

Well of course we had to have give Baloo some turkey too! See his obedience training at work? He is performing his Wait command here.

 

The Great Place

Well I know I said I want to try to stay positive in this blog but I just felt I needed to write about the tragic events that happened at Fort Hood on Thursday. It breaks my heart and I've been told that sometimes writing about things makes us feel better so here goes...

This news definitely hit close to home because Fort Hood was our home just about four months ago. Sure we may have not lived on post or always thought it was the best place to be, but it definitely holds a special place in our hearts...because it was our first duty station and it was where we learned and grew to be part of the army family. I often joked about the post, that it was in the middle of nowhere and there is not much to do there but hang out at Walmart. Or that upon entrance at the gate when security would greet you with a "Welcome to the Great Place", you would always think sarcastically to yourself, "Uh...not really, but Ok...if you say so." But as I realized before, when we left, I loved that place for it was where I made lifelong friends. 

When I first heard the news from a friend, I called Jeremy right away...our first thoughts were to call those we left behind at Fort Hood. Thank God, after awhile we found out everyone was OK and accounted for. It breaks my heart to know that not everyone got such good news. I heard on the news that some families got word as late as midnight, maybe even later, that their loved one had not been so fortunate. I know that the military does there best to follow procedure and notify, but I know how awful it feels to hear something in the news and to sit and wait and fear that two uniformed men  will show up at your door instead of getting the phone call from that person you love so much. My heart and my prayers go out to all those who have been affected by this tragedy.

I think the thing that gets me the most though is that these men and women were killed here at home, a place where they are supposed to be safe. I know that danger and the possibility of death comes with the job but its just not supposed to happen on post. I remember breathing a sigh a relief when Jeremy and the guys got back....almost like a weight being lifted off my shoulders. And yet to hear that a young woman just got back from being deployed, was getting ready to go on leave to see her family, and then gets killed before they could see her again..... It's horrible.

I have no idea why this man did it. There is a lot of speculation going around....maybe it was PTSD? maybe it was a relgious thing? maybe it was that he just had a mental disorder? I dont know and I have all kinds of thoughts on the issue but I can't really say too much on it since we just dont know. What I do know though is that I sure hope he gets what he deserves. 

Yesterday, two years ago, Jeremy left for Iraq. I think it was one of the hardest days ever for me...knowing that there was a greater possibility than normal that I may never see him again, given that his job requires him to be out there in the middle of everything. He told me not to cry and I didn't, not even as he was pulling away on that bus and I was trying to make out every last detail about the face that I would not see until possibly June. Thankfully, the Lord protected Him and he is back home now. Not everyone , including some of Jeremy's close battle buddies was so fortunate. I don't think I will ever understand why some have to get hurt and die and why others don't. As a human, I cant help but think about it sometimes and I mind goes in circles. However, I hold on to my Lord or rather He doesn't let me go and I though I dont get it, He gives me reassurance that He is in control and knows things that I cannot see or understand and I feel at peace.

In light of this tragedy on our first home, what I need to do is thank God for His love and grace. And thank God that Jeremy and our friends are here and will be getting to spend their first Thanksgiving, Christmas, Anniversary (well me and Jeremy at least), and New Year in the States,  in two years! I will do my best not to focus on all the bad things out there and just be so thankful for the fact that they are here now. Thank you for your prayers as Jeremy was gone and please please please continue with me to hold up these families in prayer who had to undergo such tragedy at a place where though I first did not realize, was truly the Great Place because of the brave women and men and families who made it so.

I love cars!

Well as some of you may know we only have one truck and have to share. Jeremy tends to need the truck more at work because he is required to drive around on the different bases and go to trainings. I on the other hand have the luxury of time and bus stops being available at the places I need to go...so I tend to use public transportation some of the time. Here are a few lessons I have learned while riding the bus and walking that I hope may help you if you ever need to do so.....

1. Dress appropriately. Wear comfortable shoes. And if you are going to a nice job or interview, carry them in your bag because your feet will freeze in 30 degree weather and have blisters after you miss your bus and have to walk 3 miles home. And even though your clothes may seem right for the weather, it gets cold when you are standing for the bus and hot when you are walking
   
2. Bring tissue if you are going out in cold weather. Your nose and self esteem will thank you for it.
   
3. Bring a pair of sunglasses along. Even if it isn't sunny you might need them to block the pebbles and small dirt from entering your eyes that bounce off the road when the cars drive by.
4. It might be good to invest in a map of the town. You never know when you will get lost and you don't want to spend your time going the opposite way of where you were supposed to be going. Oh and don't forget to pick up your bus route schedule. It never leaves my purse.
   
5. It's not a good idea to stop at the library if you love books like me. If you do you will probably end up walking home with way too many books. They might not weigh too much at the library but they will after a few minutes of walking.
6. It may not be too fun being early but it is a good idea to take the bus prior to the one which will drop you off on time. Buses break down. Buses pass before they are supposed to. And Buses are late. You don't want to be late to your job orientation.
7. Do not take it personal when the bus driver yells at everyone on the bus. It's not his fault everyone who gets on the bus complains about him being late when in fact it was the bus in front of him which broke down.
8. Do not assume that cars will stop when you are walking in the crosswalk. Sometimes I don't think they even notice you are there.
9. If you live in Washington an umbrella is a must.
   
10. Never ever...no matter how smart it may seem at the time...trade 2 cars including your newly fully paid off car...for 1 truck! ha ha ha :)

I know like it may seem that I am complaining but I am not. Sure these experiences may not have been to fun at the time but they make for good stories and they make me laugh now. I have noticed while riding the bus that many handicapped people use public transportation. I find them so brave for not letting their handicap keep them at home. And it has also reminded me to be thankful for what I have. Praise God I can walk! Praise God that I can drive the truck when I really need it! Praise God that I don't have to ride the bus at night or on the weekends! Praise God that many times my husband can get out of work and come to my rescue at the bus stop! Praise God that I am getting more exercise! Praise God I am learning more about the town and can get us around different places as long as we follow the bus route! Praise God that we will not get stuck in the snow when it begins snowing here and that we were able to transport our things when we were moving!

Yeah, walking and the bus may not be the funnest thing to do and I definitely do have a new appreciation and love for cars....but the experiences are interesting and help me to remember why I am so blessed.

Our walks

He just never sits still for pictures

The Boogs in his "Halti"

 

 

Baloo insists on smelling everything.

Normally I don't let him but he got away with it today since I was taking pictures.

  

Cesar Millan would be very sad with me for letting Baloo walk ahead of me

Just some pictures from my walks with Baloo. Actually we are starting to run now and it seems to be going well. The black thing you see on Baloo is not a muzzle but a head harness. He has some trouble with pulling and his trainer suggested we try the "halti". It works pretty well though lately he has started to want to pull again. Anyways, I just wanted to share some pictures because I think my neighborhood looks so beautiful right now with all the trees.

Back to Work

Well i finally got a job!.......Yay! Praise God! I was really beginning to get very down about not working. (though I do love sleeping in and spending the day with my Baloo) Up until now, the job hunt  had been very frustrating and disappointing. Initially I was hoping to get a job as a substitute but that route was not going so well. They are really strict about their subs being highly qualified and I was having a difficult time getting all my references together....then when I finally did get in, I found out that the districts have an abundance of subs given that so many teachers were let go last year and they are the ones getting the jobs. Even so, even they are only get called only about 3 times a week.
Well after turning in several applications for different jobs in education, I finally got some interviews scheduled. And though most of the interviews went well, I was only offered one job. But that is a good thing! I asked God to make it really clear as to which job He wanted me to take, so that was a very clear sign :o) So within the next few weeks I will be starting my job at a Christian school district in an early childhood center as a breaker, which is basically an assistant postion. Although this was not what I really had in mind, I really feel good about this job. It seems like an awesome place to work and ther director says I can definitely work my way up and apply for a teaching position when one becomes available. I'll be honest and say that I wish I could be teaching given that I had been in San Diego but I am just trusting in God that He has a great plan for me here. And for that I am happy.