My two guys the day my husband was promoted to SOC. Caleb was so proud of his dad, and I was too. A father's love is timeless, and a child's admiration is impenetrable. These two have a bond no one can understand.

Changes

So to continue on to our story, my husband set forth the process to become an Army Officer last fall (beginning of winter). During all of that time, we buckled financially and had to move in with his mother (I love her like my own) until it came time for him to report for duty. During that time, he struggled to get back into shape. He has never been one who liked to exercise, so preparing for his APFT was challenging. But, he did it, running through sometimes 12 inches of snow in 20 degree weather (see why he's my hero). And he passed his physical, and the board. When he called me to give the news of acceptance, I cried. There was this overwhelming flood of emotions that just hit me like a ton of bricks. I was so proud of him because of all his hard work and dedication to our family and our country, but then I was scared to death because I know that deployments are inevitable. But, April 20th we moved into Columbus, Georgia and prepared for the end of May when his true testing would begin.
For those of you who aren't familiar with OCS, it is one of the most stressful trainings a soldier can go through. They bust your tail everyday of the week with both physical and mental training, not to mention lack of sleep, you must live in barracks with little communication with the outside world (at first), and the emotional challenges as well. We really struggled at first. I mean, it was rough. We are both very puritanical in our morality and values, and his living in co-ed barracks was a big suck pill for us to swallow. He still struggles to feel comfortable. I trust him, but have my apprehensions as well. Nevertheless, we made it through all the challenges on our marriage, the trials of trust, and his poor physical testing (blisters the size of dollar coins on his feet, messed up knee, and days with 3-4 tests to study for). And here we are, the hardest part...he's doing an FLX right now, which means 12 straight days in the field with no communication home at all! This is the first time I have been away from him like this. I was just getting used to him not being here at night because I still always got to tell him "I love you" before he had to get off the phone...but now, it's all through faith and our prayer we have chosen to get us through these times: the "Mizpah prayer" which can be found in Genesis 31:49. Now you understand the name selection of this blog. If you know this passage, and you know anything about military life, you will understand perfectly how this prayer would fit into our situation, and how we could find comfort in this prayer at times like this. If you aren't familiar with it, google it, or grab a Bible and read it. It is very short, but honestly doesn't need length to communicate it's significance in the lives of all military couples.

Decisions

So, I'm completely new to blogging (well beyond Myspace blogging). But, with the plethora of emotions running through my life right now, I feel it is essential for my sanity to let this out...one way or another.
October of last year (2008) my husband and I were like many Americans...busting tail and doing everything in our power to make our bills and still find time for happiness and family. Well, we weren't exactly succeeding. He had been laid off twice, I was working 40+ hours a week while going to school full time...and our son was suffering because we were always tired. Something had to give. Finally, we sat down at our table and decided it was time for things to change. We spoke about our alternatives. I didn't really have much to contribute as far as options, for I am still in college. My husband, on the other hand, already has his B.A. and has done four years of service in the United States Navy. So, we decided to speak with recruiters to see what the options were. The Army contacted us first, and this is where our journey began...