Valentines...

This Valentines of course was different. One David is 8hour ahead so Valentines came earlier for him.  David and I usually get Breakfast at Ihop or Panera on valentines. Which is a treat, because rarely do I get out of bed that early. This Valentines David and Skyped... I was waiting on my valentine flowers to arrive. Funny that his is how we will spend time together for the next year. Let me tell you our communication skills at least verbal are going to be amazing by the end of this. The time we have is so short especially with the time difference. So you listen more carefully and are much more intentional with your words.


David of course being the sweet and precious husband he is... Sent me Flowers, Gave me a SWEET Card, and I haven't showed it off officially but he gave me two new wedding bands. They are beautiful and look like they were meant to go together! They are my Valentines and 5 year anniversary Gift.

There is love that swells the heart so full it splits and leaks an aching joy.

I never want to say good bye and I can’t imagine this ever ending and who am I to have lived having been known, the Adam knowing Eve? I lay by his rib, of his rib, and I rise and fall with his breathing. Familiarity breeds boredom only to the blind.

And the real see-ers know the worth of vows worn polish smooth with all the days. 

One can become true one and God knows the mystery.

www.aholyexperience.com

anne voskamp

Signing off!

The humbled and loved wife!

Short but SWEET

So David and I had accepted the fact that we quite likely would not see one another in person again until November. But David called me Wednesday February 1, that they were going to get what the call, "liberty" before they shipped out. So of course I immediately started to look up flights hotels, and a rental car. So in less then 24 hours I had everything booked! (side note: Thank you to my amazing Friend/Employer for giving me the time off and paying for my hotel! You guys are simply amazing!)

So I could hardly wait till February 9th to see David. So fun to be that excited to see your beloved! I simple touch of a hand means sooo much more now!








So Thursday evening finally arrived, I headed to the GSO Airport! When I arrived at my gate I was reminded by a sunset as to how much God loves and blesses me. All the reds, pinks, and oranges blended in this beautiful messy glow.

God's Blessing never stop when we take the time to look and listen. As I flew into Philadelphia I looked out the window and was taken away by the view.

***Twinkling Lights***
The moon above guarding the city

The view was spectacular to say the least


I arrived in Philly in one piece and got my rental car... well half a car

I got a FIAT. Funniest little thing I have ever driven. Anyway, I arrived at the Days Inn around11:30pm Thursday Nite. I tried to sleep but it was quite difficult. I was sooo excited about seeing David I could hardly contain myself. I finally fell asleep around 3am, only to pop out of bed at 7am. I could not sleep one more wink.

I finally got to see David at 10:am. You have no idea how sweet a kiss from the one you love feels after a month and half.(I'm sure it's only half as sweet then after 9 months). Our time was short and sweet. We just really enjoyed our time together. We explored Philly a little and went to the Aquarium in NJ. We even got in an Anniversary/valentines dinner in at Maggianos and saw a movie.

Saturday was of course bittersweet. We made the most of our time mostly just relaxing. When 3:30 came we said our goodbyes and held hands and prayed together. Let me tell there is very little that compares to being able to hold the hand of your beloved and Go before the Throne of our Heavenly Father.

So  the time was short but such an amazing blessing. The time together was priceless. watching him walk away, I'm not gonna lie it was tough. But God is sovereign and I bowed my head and thanked Him! That is what life is truly about! Eucharisteo!

GRACE***THANKSGIVING***JOY

So once again we flipped the switch to "The new normal."

Before I left it had snowed. This is what the drive from Fort Dix to Philly looked like. And again my heart was "THANKFUL"

Signing off

The Wife

Part B Over. Now on to the sandbox...

Hello all,

  Well its been quite busy these last two weeks as we are finishing the Army training, and now we are about to begin customs training which will only last two days then its off to liberty (time-off). I am looking forward to see Lindsay during liberty even if its only for a couple days.

  Well lets recap the last week and a half, but first I want to show you the hummer that I drove during my time here.

A few interesting facts about the vehicle shown here is that Humvees came in several different models, this one shown is an armored type. It has 3 inch windows all around and can resist AK-47 rounds, it also has doors that weigh 500 pounds each and can be combat locked so enemies cannot enter, lastly the tires are designed as run flats so if they are blown out they can be driven for an additional 15 miles.

  I had the pleasure of shooting at an Army 9MM range and was able to qualify as well. The Navy course is quite different but the course here has pop up targets that were programmed to pop up at different times and distances, and of course it was job to shoot them down again. This course was fun and was my first experence at shooting while wearing my gasmask. You had to be able to shoot 25 out of 40 targets to qualify, I was able to shoot 30.

I also was trained on the crew serve weapons (squad based weapons) like the SAW M249, although we did not get to actually shoot them instead we trained on weapons that were modified to operate on air pressure so that they worked, and felt like you were shooting them. This was called EST Simulator. Try to picture a large scale video game that was designed with these weapons and you shoot enemies on screen.

I completed land navigation which was a three day long training event, now most of you who know me well already know that when it comes to reading maps and giving directions I am the worst by far. So day one was basic map reading and compass reading, and later that day we had to complete a 3 mile course wearing all of our gear, which is about 40 pounds. Day 2 was the same except we were driving our humvees through the woods, which was fun. Day 3 was something special, the Army ran us through a squad movement course that involved us low crawling under barb wire, throwing hand grenades (not real ones), all the while the trainers were throwing live explosives around us, you could feel the blast wave when they were close. This course was fun but I was exhausted afterward.

Next we moved on to IED (Improvised Explosive devices), which are the primary weapon used by insurgents. This class was interesting as we looked at examples of IED's used in the past and how to identify IED's while in a convoy. This was also a 3 day class, so I will skip over to day three. Day three was Humvee convoy training, we were tasked with trying to identify an IED's along the way, and locate a homemade explosive lab. They had actors dressed up as middle eastern locals some of which were friendly, & some that were foes. They used live explosives on the course as IED's, our humvee was destroyed about half way through the course. If you are interested, watch the film Hurt Locker it shows a great deal about IED's

The next course was CLS (combat life saver) it lasted 4 days. This course was challenging and fun. Day 4 was the final exam which involed more obstacle courses like transporting a patient while trying to avoid being shot. At the end of the day you were fairly exhausted.


The next day we moved right on into MRAP (mine resistant ambush protected) vehicle training. I was able to drive the M-ATV later that day.

The M-ATV was designed in 2010, and may one day replace the standard humvee. This thing was massive, notice the wheel comes to my waist, now try to imagine the size of this thing. I am not allowed to tell you much about the M-ATV, but this thing was awesome.

I want to say thanks to Lindsay for my second care package.

I dont know how she manages to pack so much into such small boxes but she does. My room mates also thank you as well.

Well my time is over in Fort Dix, and now its off to Kuwait. I will publish my Kuwait address as soon as I know that its not going to change.

Thanks to all for the prayers and support this far..

To be contined

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