Missing their daddy

All about David!

The Dogs and I have settled in nicely! We all miss him soo much. They proved that to me tonite. And well here's the story


So I almost lost it... But I stopped myself. So tonight I was editing photos and the heat came on. The Dogs thought that it was the Garage Door opening. They were so excited and anticipating their Daddy to walk through the door.

Sylva was whining and jumping on the door. I caught it on video. It was sooo precious. They are definitely missing him as much as I am. It was a nice reminder of how dogs have emotions and loyalties.

Sylva sat at the door for like 10 minustes waiting and waiting.


She finally turned and looked at me with her big sad eyes like she could not understand why he never came in.

You can see the video in the post Above!

Signing off!

The Wife

The busy life of The Wife!

It's funny! Don't get me wrong, I Miss David! But life is good. God is doing amazing things in both mine and David's lives. We do not count this time as Lost Time with one another, but an opportunity to grow and let God be our Beloved! Back to the matter at hand... Life is a little easier scheduling wise because it's just me. So my Photo shoots, Weddings, Friends and Family Time are whenever I want! I know why women say it is hard to have their husbands come back and reintegrate. I can already imagine that it is difficult to adjust back, you have been doing a year on your own, you develop new routines and habits. Alot changes... I am sure that God will use that time again as well for David and I to again Cleave to HIM!

So anyway... My first wedding of the year was in Emerald Isle, NC. Nothing (photography wise) is more fun then shooting at the beach! It was cold but it was fun! Meet Mr.& Mrs. Gibbs!(Left) What a fun couple! It's always fun to go somewhere different to shoot. Emerald Isle is a pretty beach.

This past weekend was my second wedding of the year. A very sweet couple. Again I got to shoot at a new venue, the Tanglewood Clubhouse. I admired this bride! It seemed like there was nothing she could not do. She is a mother to a sweet little girl and 6 month old twins. She cracked me up when we left the church... I watched her walk to her car get herself and all her dress in the car and drove herself to her reception. While the event was wrapping up, I watched her pick up 2 car seats, diaper bags and her dress off the floor getting ready to leave. I looked at her and said... Like a true mother! I wish this couple a lifetime of happiness!

All in the same weekend I had 3 baby shoots, a 6 month, 9 month and a 12 month sessions. There is very little that compares (photography wise) to doing baby sessions. They are soooo fun! To capture them at these various stages is incredible! Meet Grace 9months, Elissa 12 months, & Vivienne 6 months!



I also got to see a movie with my brother, and spent a precious evening with my brother and his family. Seriously... one of my favorite places to be is with my nieces! So adorable and fun!

Signing off!
The Wife

losing to win...

So as you all know I am floored by all the things God is doing in my life and in Davids'. I am typing this at 12am, January 24th. As many of you know I lost someone quite precious to me this year. God BLESSED my life with a friendship that ended too soon. Josh and I became friends about 8 or 9 years ago while I was volunteering and interning with Youth For Christ. We became instant friends and spent countless hours together planning youth events and mostly just being silly. He had an infectious personality and an infectious love for Jesus. Without going into too much detail, I lost him suddenly and tragically. No words can really explain how my heart felt at that moment when the reality hit that he was in fact gone. My last encounter with him was after we ate lunch on Wednesday July 21st the day he died. We talked all about his new relationship and the plans they were making. I asked him if I could pray with him before he left, and of course we bowed our heads right there and I put my hand on his shoulder and prayed.

Since this I have been trying desperately to understand why God would allow this sweet precious godly man to leave this earth so soon. I know God has used the circumstances and his life for HIS glory. But I needed it to make sense to me and for me. What was God doing? I felt like I was wandering in a dessert. I was thirsty, but not in the physical sense but spiritually. Melinda, a sweet and dear friend told me about this book
"1000 Gifts"by Ann Voskamp.  
This is where the "New Story"  and Outlook on my life starts! It is extremely hard to be thankful in the midst of tragedy. I could feel my heart growing bitter and at times still do. My sense of fairness and justice have to be soothed by my Father in Heaven! This book is teaching me to live in a state of "Eucharisteo." This word has three meanings. Thanksgiving, Joy, and Grace. This year and the rest of my days need to be lived this way. Anne's blog "A holy experience" is quite incredible as well.

January 23 was titled

Why You Really Need to Think About Losing (Because This is how You Win)

http://www.aholyexperience.com/2012/01/why-you-really-need-to-think-about-losing-because-this-is-how-you-win/

This post by Ann is thought provoking! I now know why I lost Josh. (I shouldn't say lost, because I know exactly where he is.) It's so I could learn to Love! The people in my life are now more precious to me than ever. I am being more intentional with my time with them. I want the time to be quality and to love them more deeply and appreciate the time I have with them. I appreciate and love the time I had with Josh and focus on that not the time lost. I am thankful God placed Josh in my life when he did. Josh helped me see what being a "Real" fleshy christian was. He was not afraid to love people and share Jesus Passionately with them. I find myself falling in love with Jesus all over each day. His mercies are NEW every morning, Great is His Faithfulness.

So losing... is making me win! LOVE

This time that David and I apart has been a blessing, God is teaching me to love HIM more deeply and love David more deeply. It's funny how just a text is no longer "just" a text. It's knowing that David love me and is thinking about me. It makes me remember the days of dating... being intentional to let the other know you love them and care for them. It's easy during day to day life to forget to say and do those things. So far I have not been sad, I have not had any pity parties, and I am not lonely. I am Strong, I can do all thing through Christ who strengthens me. God is who sustains, comforts and my ever present help!

Signing off the!

The Wife

Controlled Chaos

Hello All,

            It’s been a while since I have posted, the training pace has picked up quite a bit so I have been fairly busy as of late. A lot has happened this week; so far I have trained on the Humvee and should receive my military license soon.

I had the opportunity to drive the Humvee on an off road course, during the day and at night wearing night vision goggles, which was quite awesome, I really enjoyed that training event.

                                  (this is not an image from the course, but this is how it looked)

Driving with NVG’s (night vision goggles) was strange at first, because it’s like your looking through a tube so you have blind spots which makes driving a little difficult, but once I became accustomed to it I was off and running.

Later this week, I had to complete roll over training, which is a simulator that looks like a Humvee that rolls over and you have to escape, it sounded easy when they were describing it. So basically a Humvee is a cramped 5 person capacity vehicle with a limited amount of room, and if you wear the amount of gear that was issued to use then it’s really tight. So they place you in the simulator and they give a basic scenario, they then roll you over upside down and give you the order to egress. Once you unbuckle yourself you drop about a foot, and then the fun begins at this point its knees, elbows and boots just flailing around trying to right yourself just so you can begin to find the doors and attempt to escape. It was tough when you are competing with four other folks to exit the simulator. At one point and time my head was wedged under the passenger seat and I was unable to move, as luck would have it I managed to free myself under all the controlled chaos and attempted to open the door, and that didn’t go so well, however one of the four managed to open his and everyone else headed for that door as it was the only available exit at the time. We had to do this while wearing all of our gear which made it that much more challenging. The vest we wear weighs 30 pounds which keeps keep you protected but adds to making the task much more difficult.

So needless to say it’s been busy and another week has passed by.

Thanks for all the prayers and God bless you all.

To be continued…..

That Dog or in my case DOGS! Plural for sure

Just to let you all know I have definitely been without company!! Meet my kids!

Meet Snapple Chicken Cloer

Breed: Dapple Daschund

Color: Graey Brown, and Black

Favorite Food: Watermelon and Peanut Butter frosty paws

Best Friend: Maverick (the dog next door)

Favorite place to sleep: My mommas Neck

Favorite Pastime: Stealing everyone elses toys and bones

Nicknames: Snickels, Nickels, Napple, Snickies

Meet Stewart Little Cloer

Breed: Rat Terrier Chihuahua

Color: Black and Grey

Favorite Food: Anything

Best Friend: I'm Old and angry Dog no FRIENDS

Favorite place to sleep: under all the covers

Favorite Past Time: Sleeping and snorting like a pig

Nicknames: Stu-doo, Doo Doo

Meet Sylva Peaches Cloer

Breed: Beagle Lab Mix

Color: Black and White

Favorite Food: Anything!!!

Best Friend: Maverick & Ellie

Favorite place to sleep: On top of mom

Favorite Pastime: Digging, Jumping, and Digging

Nicknames: Sizo

These dogs make sure that I am good. They are such snuggle bugs! I am so thankful for these guys. They make the nites not seem so lonely. 

Seriously though I have been doing well. I know you all are praying. I have been able to sleep through the nite and been able to do it without my mind reealing. God has helped me be still! He has given me a peace at nite that surpasses all understanding. 

David and I have gotten to talk over skpe and on the phone. Today I went and had Tea with my sweet g-mom and we skyped with David. G-mom was thrilled to be able to see and talk to him. I heart technology!!

Signing off 

The Wife

MAC-P

Hello all,

Well today finally began the training regiment, which I am excited about for several reasons:

1. It makes the time move faster

2. It makes the time move faster

You wouldn't imagine the amount of downtime you have where you do absolutely nothing, so you have to find creative things to fill your time; I have been spending my time going to the gym and enrolling in college, and of course chatting it up with people on facebook and skype.

Today was especially fun we trained with some Army instructors in MAC-P (Modern Army Combative Program) here is the link to the web site if you are interested in learning more about it http://www.moderncombatives.org/home.html

In short in looks like MMA fighting close distance self-defense type stuff. These guys were MAC-P Instructors and they love to make you do PT (Physical Training). We started out doing 250 jumping jacks as the warm up, and I was not prepared for that. The PT lasted about 20 minutes consisting of several different style push-ups some I have never seen before, and several different styles of sit-ups all back to back with no resting periods. This showed me just how out of shape & fat I really am, so I have work to do. Afterward we moved to the combat training with instruction on several striking techniques, grappling and some really effective choke holds that can stop an attacker in 8-10 seconds; that’s fun for the whole family, needless to say they had me tapping out real quick. Overall the training was outstanding and I signed up for more during my downtime hours I figure if I have nothing to do might as well fill my time up with something constructive.

Special thanks go out to Jimmy Turner for helping Lindsay with a dead car battery and to Kristen for inviting Lindsay over for dinner. Thanks Jimmy & Kristen. Also want to thank all those folks who reached out to Lindsay through phone calls and going out to dinner. Thanks to all who are helping make this more bearable.

Also want to say thanks to the folks at JPS who I assigned EHS tasks while I am away. I really appreciate your efforts and willingness to help. It really means a lot to me.

Love you all and God bless

To be continued…

The New Normal

So when my Dad and I drove home from the airport he said, "So now it's time for the New Normal." I have thought about this phrase quite a bit in the last few days. It especially came to mind this past Tuesday, as I got up and did my morning routine... fed the dogs and left the house. It was strange thinking I am going to do all these things minus one for 320 days... I realized this week all the things David usually doesthat I sometimes overlook; calling me at 7:11am to make sure I am up, feeding and letting the dogs out, getting the mail, taking the trash out, setting the thermostat, turning out the lights, putting gas in my car and the list goes on. I am so thankful for this man! I miss his sweet hugs the most though!

The picture you see in this post is the NEW NORMAL. This is how we spend time together!

This week though has been good. God is growing within me soooo much. He is sustaining me, strengthing me, and He is teaching me that in all things I can be thankful! I also see how God is using both David and I and our marriage to encourage others. It's funny how I am learning to be a better wife in David's absence. But God is showing me that I am complete and whole in HIM, it is not David that completes me, God gave me David to complement me. My mom says that when 2 people are in a God Centered and healthy relationship that you begin to see the other grow and become the people God wants us to be. David and I know that putting God first and loving God more is really putting one another first as well, because as we each grow closer to God the more close we become to one another. I have committed this year to becoming more like the Proverbs 31 woman, I want to strive to be a Godly wife and woman! You can read the passage below! I really see how especially the highlighted parts pertain to me as David is away!

Signing off,
THE WIFE

Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character

 10. A wife of noble character who can find? 
   She is worth far more than rubies. 
11. Her husband has full confidence in her 
   and lacks nothing of value. 
¹² She brings him good, not harm,     
   all the days of her life.            (side Note: HOW AWESOME!!
¹³ She selects wool and flax 
   and works with eager hands. 
¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships, 
   bringing her food from afar. 
¹⁵ She gets up while it is still night; 
   she provides food for her family 
   and portions for her female servants. 
¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it; 
   out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. 
¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously; 
   her arms are strong for her tasks. 
¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable, 
   and her lamp does not go out at night. 
¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff 
   and grasps the spindle with her fingers. 
²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor 
   and extends her hands to the needy. 
²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household; 
   for all of them are clothed in scarlet. 
²² She makes coverings for her bed; 
   she is clothed in fine linen and purple. 
²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate, 
   where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. 
²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them, 
   and supplies the merchants with sashes. 
²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity; 
   she can laugh at the days to come. 
²⁶ She speaks with wisdom, 
   and faithful instruction is on her tongue. 
²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household 
   and does not eat the bread of idleness. 
²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed; 
   her husband also, and he praises her: 
²⁹ “Many women do noble things, 
   but you surpass them all.” 
³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; 
   but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. 
³¹ Honor her for all that her hands have done, 
   and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Part A is Complete, Now on to Part B

Hello all,

Well its been a crazy week, with a lot of waiting in long lines and running around from place to place to just get cleared for moving on to Fort Dix (part B), sadly several folks did not make it through and had to be sent back due to different reasons.

Well today was my first military flight, and it was interesting.

That's us boarding the C40, if you look at the box truck next to the plane that's several of us loading our gear onto the plane, it was the first time that I have flown that we had to actually load the plane, welcome to the military. My morning started out great as I got a short video from my niece of her doing a David dance, some of you may not know what that is but its quite special and that's all I will say about that, however the video just started out my day on a happy note, thanks Brian for sending that forward.

So I arrived to Fort Dix about 2pm,

Upon landing I realized that in this group of sailors that their was one that I knew from when I first began to drill with the Navy, and of course we had a small reunion, its a small world after all, on top of that he was placed in my group, so that makes 4 close contacts that I have going in to Kuwait.

The Navy Reserves is a fairly small community so its not to uncommon to run into someone you once knew.

I am in good spirits, even though I miss home and of course my beautiful wife, who I cant wait to see soon. I enjoy serving in the military, but life with Lindsay is hard to beat.

So far Fort Dix has not appeared as bad as I once heard, you just have to keep a positive attitude with what ever  happens and make the best of what ever situation you are in.

Love you all, and God Bless you

Another Great Navy Day

  Hello all,

Today was another great Navy day the weather was 70 degress with a warm breeze, the only thing missing was Lindsay to hang out with.

Well lets just do a recap of the todays events:

This morning we started out at medical to get a couple of shots, Anthrax and Hep B, followed by Dental and a very very long hearing test...Can you hear me now?...just kidding.

Later on we moved on to gas mask fitting and testing,

"Luke I am your Father"




Anyway,












So here is the schedule so far:
I  will fly out on Saturday on a C40

I wonder if they will let me fly it?

I will be at Fort Dix for 5 weeks and then off to the land of camels and sand and heat, and more camels. Lots of camels. Just kidding I may never even see one the whole time there.

Overall its not been to crazy yet, I feel like things will move at a much faster pace once I get into Fort Dix.

Thanks for your continued emails so far they are most helpful.

DC

Leaving on a Jet Plane

   January 2, arrived and went. David and I shared an IHOP Breakfast Monday morning, then went and checked over all his stuff. My Father was so sweet to come and take us to the airport. The picture to the left is his bag and orders. The car ride seemed sooo long as I suspected it would feel. I kept looking at David and I just couldn't even fathom what must have been going on in his head. He seemed to be in what my dad calls Duck Status, calm on top of the water but the feet kicking like crazy under the water. This is what I imagine was going on with all the mixed emotions. I bowed my head and said a quick prayer for him and asked God for Peace that surpasses all understanding.

     When we got to Charlotte we got him checked in and thought we were going to have to say goodbye at the ticket counter, but with military ID we were able to get gate passes for David's parents, my dad and myself. This was such a blessing! We went to the main terminal and had some lunch then took the very long walk to the Gate. As we walking we noticed a lot of young men and women taking that walk with us. About 80% of his flight was made up up of army, marines, and navy guys. We sat at gate E18 for what seemed like forever. I took that opportunity to cuddled up next to David and say one last prayer for him where I could actually hold his hands. 2:45pm finally rolled in... it was time to hug his neck and kiss him and say goodbye. Inside I was so incredibly sad,
I know he is fulfilling his duties as a reservist and I am so proud of him. David said to me the nite before how happy he was that he had life worth missing. He is right in so many ways. The last 4 years and 10 months have been the best years of my life. Be married to David is well "THE BEST." God knew what he was doing when he chose David for me. Being apart I am sure will draw us closer to our Heavenly Father and to one another. People ask me what our secret is... there is no secret, it's simply being unselfish and always wanting and desiring Gods BEST for each other and realizing that it's not a 50/50 deal! Some days it's 80/20 others are 100/100, but David and I fill our days with laughter and silliness and being ever mindful of the gift God has given us in each other.
      Be encouraged! God is always moving and always desiring us to draw close to Him. We are thankful for what God is doing and how he is stretching us! As hard as it was to watch him walk away... my heart skipped a beat and I turned and looked at my Dad and said I was ready to go. David and I both flipped the switch as we walked away from one another. Here's to the "New Normal" we call our lives for the next 320 days.

Signing off,

The Wife

1 out of 320 complete

So day 1 is complete out of 320, when you put it in terms like that is seems so long but I feel that once this deployment really gets moving that time will melt away just like 2011 just seemed to zoom past as all. Well today was long and slow paced, we were in class for most of the day which we were tormented by drawn out powerpoint slide shows all day. I did however meet some really great folks, however I also met some folks that made me wonder what their parents were thinking, some people just should not be  allowed to breed....just kidding of course but wow. Any way I just want to say thanks for all the facebook posts of encourgement, cards, letters and gifts that myself and Lindsay have recieved during this deployment. We are truly blessed by you all, and I want to say thank you for just the amazing outpouring from family and friends, you all have made this much easier for both Lindsay and myself.

I will be in Gulfport until Saturday then its off to New Jersey for part B of the training. I am not looking forward to the cold weather, but hopefully it wont be that bad....right? Just wanted to say how proud I am of Lindsay for the way she helped in preparing me for this, & for filling 2011 with awesome memories to take with me in 2012, because in the end life is about experencies and memories and of course family, and lets not forget the blessings from God that we are provided with daily.

I will attempt to post on this blog about the things I encounter along the way.

Can any one tell me where the title of this blog comes from "There and Back Again"

I bet some of you can.

Take care and I will chat with you later.

David...

Reflections

I caught this photo of David this afternoon. He was looking out into the back yard and watching our dogs play. He was also reflecting on the past year. This scene brought tears to my eyes. I began to wonder what he must be thinking about and feeling. My life here will continue as per usual, work, photo shoots hanging with friends and family, but for David... well everything is going to be different. He will be in a different place, time zone, food, structure...

We found out last december that he was on the infamous "List." In March we found out that he was going to be getting official orders to Kuwait. David and I definitely made the most of this past year. We went to the beach a few times, the mountians, and we even went out to St. Louis to see my Cousin Kim and her family. We saw lots of movies, had alot of parties at the cloer cul-da-sac, great dinners and times with friends and family. 2011 is filled with great memories. 

God has soooo richly blessed us with amazing friends and family. I have been so overwhelemd with all the love and support! Reading through all the Facebook messages and posts has been so uplifting and encouraging! We can already feel your prayers being lifted up!!! 

So tonite our last nite... we will reflect on how GOOD GOD IS. I said to David how amazing to have the kind of life to be missed! God has truly given us the best life. I look at David as HIS greatest gift to me. The marriage we have... well let me just tell you being married to your best friend has it's advantages. It's like my friend Bekah Spurgeon says, "Marriage is like having a slumber party with your best friend every nite!" It really is that way for us... I will miss him more than words can say, but I also know that I have a God that is guiding and directing our steps. This deployment is just another step in our life that will ultimately grow us closer to HIM and closer to one another. Ok so I am signing off to go cuddle my Sailor on the couch one last time!

Siging off!

The Wife

Shot by Setzer! Anchors Away

So Saturday was an unusually nice day for being December 31st. So I asked my freind Rebecca (who shoots weddings with me) if she might have a little time to take a few photos of David and I before he "Ships Out" she was more than willing. So David put on his uniform and we headed to Thomasville.

As you can see from these few photos the shoot was a sucess. David and I are so greatful to have these sweet photos of us together! It's always nice as a photographer to sometimes be on the other side of the lens. 

After the shoot we headed to lexington for bbq. David and I have been saying that we wanted to go to the "lexington No. 1 barbeque." But in all this time we had never gone. We each had the bbq tray and chocolate pie! It was delish and worth the wait. 

Signing off,

the wife