What's going on around here?

Well, that's a big question! Seems there's a little bit of everything going on. So here's the scoop on us: After a nice visit with our families, we made the journey to Illinois. We have been in O'Fallon Illinois for almost a month now. We did a marathon house search (looked at 15 in one day) and found a perfect home for us; we've been in the house for two weeks now. We are thrilled with our pick, there are many kids to play with and we have some very nice neighbors (some of whom are military as well). The kids are most excited about new friends, our neighborhood pool and the ice cream truck that comes around at about 7:30, EVERY night! Our days are filled with unpacking boxes, oh yes...fun times! We have already done some sightseeing and fun things, I will post pics and catch up later. We visited the First Baptist Church here in O'Fallon and we already like it, alot! It's a large church with many opportunities to be involved and again, it seems to be just what our family needs. I have prayed about some very specific things in regards to settling down here and God is faithfully answering them. There are several cities that make up the area, and they all run into each other. We have lots of shopping, parks to visit and restaurants in our area, not to mention all that there is to do in St. Louis. Want me to share a secret with you? I already like it here, my heart feels at home, and the area seems to be a perfect fit for our family. We have met new friends, ran into some old friends from previous bases and looking forward to some friends moving here in September. It seems like such a small military world now that "we" have been in for a while. Am I rambling? Sorry. Back to my point of the post...Greg is settling in at work, still trying to get processed in and all the paperwork finished. This is going to be a nice change of pace for him, not nearly as stressful, demanding and hectic as his job in Korea; we're both looking forward to this change. Jannah is going to be starting school August 14th, she is super excited. Jordan will be going to the preschool at our church 2 days a week, I think he's going to really like it...he's not sure about it right now. Jamison, well, he'll be stuck with me! And for me, I am doing well. Thank you again for all of the prayers. God is so good and I am thankful that He is my sustaining grace.

10 Years Ago...

I married the man of my dreams. Little did I know, I would love him stronger and deeper today than I did back then. Oh, I loved him 10 years ago, in fact I was smitten with him, I really thought he was perfect! The beautiful thing about it is that I know now he's not perfect (neither am I), but I love him just as he is. I'm amazed every day at our relationship and how God has made our marriage so strong and how He has taught us how to love each other in a selfless manner.

Here's our love story: Greg was stationed at Moody AFB in Valdosta Georgia back in 1997-1999. While there, he attended the church that my family attended (the same one I grew up in). We were both in the college/singles singles group, and were around each other in a group setting all the time. As time passed, I found that I was drawn to him. He was a godly man, one who trusted God and followed him; he was a kind and generous man; he was a leader and very compassionate. To top it off, I thought he was a hottie! We started spending more time together, but we we were still just friends. In October of 1998, I started praying that God might have a future for Greg and I, or that he would take away the feelings for him that had found their way into my heart. As a couple of months passed, I was sure that he was the one for me; but Greg had obviously not gotten that message! In February of 99, Greg shared with me that in June, he would be moving to Spokane Washington. I was so sad, I was starting to believe that nothing was going to happen, and I would have to settle for a friendship with the man that I wanted to marry. I was falling for him more and more. I wanted to believe that he was falling for me to, due to the amount of time we were spending together, even though we were just friends! In April, after being at Greg's house, with some other friends, he called me as I was heading home; it wasn't uncommon, we talked all the time. After being on the phone for a few minutes, he said he wanted to ask me to pray about something. I said okay. The words that came out of his mouth shocked me....he said we should pray about what the Lord might have for US. Us, he really used that word. I told him of course I would pray; little did we know, for the last 6 or so months, we had separately been seeking God's plan and praying for wisdom concerning us. So, the next weekend, we had our first date. Finally, it was just he and I; it was a great night, and I must say that I KNEW he was the one for me. From then on, we were together every day, and we spent a lot of time talking about us and our desires for the future. Four weeks after Greg asked me to pray about our future, he proposed to me; my answer was YES! We dated for a short time, but we both knew the outcome, because we had already been friends for a year and we had been praying about it long before Greg had mentioned it to me. Greg has always said his big hang up was our age difference...he's 11 1/2 years older than me...that seemed like a lot when he was 32 and me 20 (our ages when we married). In June, Greg left GA to go to Washington, he would be stationed at Fairchild AFB in Spokane. While he was getting settled, I was planning the wedding and counting down the days until I would see him again. On July 24th, 1999 we said I do; I thought our wedding day was perfect and beautiful. Greg surprised me with a cruise to the Bahamas for our honeymoon, after a one night stay in a bed and breakfast in St. Augustine that I had always thought was a romantic place. Eight days after we married, we made the move to Spokane WA. Greg had already been living there, so he had our first home set up for us. I think the best thing for us is that we were in a new place, just the two of us. We learned to rely on each other and establish a friendship that has turned into best friends with one another.

Thank you to my dear husband for 10 sweet years, I love you more than words can say, and look forward to growing old with you. Thank you for your commitment to me and our family, you are my knight in shining armor.