In a nutshell…

It’s been way too long. Since I’ve written a decent and worthy blog post, that is. I was doing pretty good about keeping those of you who are interested informed on the happenings in our lives. Then hubby came home and I pushed this little blog to the side. Because family time was definitely more important than blogging. {Especially since I didn’t really have that much to talk about to begin with.} But today, I’m going to sort of give you the rundown on what we’ve been up to and then I plan on getting back on a regular blog schedule at some point this week.

For starters, I really want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to those of you who have kept me and our family in your thoughts and prayers over the last couple of weeks-especially this past weekend. Some of you have reached out to us more than our ‘families’ have, and for that I am deeply humbled and grateful for your friendship. There are those of you that I know I would be best friends with if we lived close to one another because you are always Facebooking, emailing or Tweeting with my to let me know that you are thinking about us. Words don’t do justice to the gratitude that I feel. Thank you.

Ok. So. I’m sure you guys are all wondering exactly what has gone on with the husband and A-School and all of that jazz. For starters let me just clear up, because I know that this has been said-Hubby DID make the grades for EMT School. In fact, he had the second highest GPA in his class, since some people are so curious. The reason he is going back through is because of one teeny tiny technicality. One itty bitty phrase that hubby did not say during his Practical Exam [you know, the hands on part.] It wasn’t something that Hubby did not do during his practicals. He did what he was supposed to, but he didn’t tell them he was doing it. {Yeah, it’s stupid…but they rephased him anyway. Over that. Go figure.} Sooooo….he is going through it again and will graduate from A-School December 17.

I was a little…irate…to say the least when he told me exactly what their reasoning for rephasing him was, but that’s their call and I can’t control it. And I know without a shadow of a doubt that this was done by God and God alone and that he has much intentions for this little bump in the road. That’s the mentality that has gotten me through this. Because in the beginning all that I could think about was the additional 5 months that he would have to spend in California. Making our time apart a grand total of 8 months. But, God granted me a sense of peace and understanding and we will do what we have to do. Because I know that this is God’s will for our lives right now. And that is all that I need to know.

Hubby did get 25 days of leave to come home and visit and it went fabulously! We spent a lot of time relaxing and enjoying our time together. We took Little Man to the Waterpark in Panama City, and hubby and I spent  4 whole days at the beach….alone…with no children. It was amazing. It was the first vacation we had been on alone, together, since Little Man was born. We spent the 4th of July weekend in Atlanta with the mother-in-law and Hubby’s little brother. We went to a Braves Baseball Game, watched a Firework show, went to another Waterpark, and took Little Man to the Georgia Aquarium. It was just one of those surreal and perfect times…being back together and getting to relax.

And now Hubby is back in San Fran, getting settled into a new room and waiting on the next EMT class to start. Little Man and I are enjoying the rest of the summer, mostly inside because the 100* temperatures are not pleasant for anyone. We’re planning our first trip to Cali in October for Little Man’s 2nd birthday, and I’m lining up Fall Photoshoot’s. We’ll be getting our next set of orders in September or October so I’ll be heading somewhere to find us a house and get all of the paperwork for my photography business filled out and taken care of. There are several things in the works for our little family right now that I know would not even possible without this time apart.

I realized how much my faith and trust in God has grown while I was at the airport the other day getting ready to say goodbye to hubby. We were waiting for them to start boarding his flight and I was totally overcome with emotion. Pride, sadness, loneliness, and gratitude…for the things hubby will and already has accomplished, for the time I’ll be without him, and for the sacrifices that men and women like my husband make every single day. And I’m grateful that God has given my husband and I the strength and the faith in him, in one another and in ourselves to know that we can deal with this. We can overcome this and come out stronger and happier and more in love with one another in the end.

The next 5 months will be trying, no doubt about it. But the benefits are so worth the sacrifices we are making. Knowing that my husband will be part of an elite group of Coast Guard men and women…knowing that he has chased after, pursued, and achieved his dreams and is on his way to achieving even bigger things…knowing that our son will grow up having faced and overcome adversity…seen his mom and dad deal with the trials and tribulations that life throws at them and come out of those trials better and stronger than before…those are the things that make this time apart worth it. These lessons and hardships make people stronger and build character. That’s what I want for little man. I don’t want him to walk through life without overcoming adversity. And growing up in a military family will provide plenty of that.

And hubby is so supportive of my goals and my ambitions. He’s talked me through, encouraged me, and pushes me to go for more…for better…to dream bigger.  He’s doing everything in his power to help me get my business off the ground, including playing financial backer…LOL. But more than anything, he believes in me and my talents and my abilities. And that in itself is something amazing.

So that’s basically the rundown of what’s been going on. I’ll try to get some photos of little man and our Atlanta trip posted in the next day or so. Hope you all are having a fantastic Tuesday!!