family

It's December! Can you believe it?! 2008 flew by and 2009 is just around the corner. I LOVE this time of year. Fall is my favorite, the beautiful warm colors and crisp air is a welcome relief from the long hot days of summer. It's hard to be in a cranky mood when you're surrounded by festive holidays. A day to give thanks, a day to celebrate our Savior's birth, and a day to mark the new year with hopes and dreams and prayers for what that new year will bring. Two things I wanted to share with you all -

First; Garrett is out in the field this week. He took my camera with him so sorry, no photos this post. For those that might need translation, being out in the field basically is when his unit has trainings / simulations in an area out away from civilization. Sometimes it's just for the day, but most often it involves overnight stays in the wilderness. Thankfully it's just for a few days this time (we have a friend that is scheduled to be out there for like the next 10 days - not fun). I bring this up because this week I realized something. Kayla and I have come a long way! The last time Garrett went out in the field (while we were living in the same house) was when Kayla was three weeks old. My mom had just left to go back to San Diego and I was ALONE with this little baby. Things were not good. She was colicky, I was crazy from jacked up hormones and the beginnings of a serious case of the 'baby blues' (that's for another post) and it was all I could do to just shower and eat a meal or two to keep me going. I was not enjoying being a new mom and I definitely was not loving being a military mom. A couple months later it was time for Garrett to leave for his various schools to make the switch from enlisted to officer. And there was no question that I was going to pack up myself and the bebe and head to be with family and friends in good old SD! So really, even though Garrett and I were apart for 10 1/2 months, I was never doing the mom thing alone. Kayla and I were back home with my mom and we were constantly around family.

This brings me to my current realization. Garrett tells me he has to go to the field this week.....and......ok. I miss him, of course, but there was never that sense of dread, the 'crap, what am I going to do, how am I going to make it through these days with the baby' thought. We have our routine, Kayla is happy and healthy, and we're doing OK. It's a complete 180 from the last experience. All I can say is God is good. He carries us through those difficult times where we wonder how could we have ever gotten through that without Him and then lets us frolic in the easy carefree days. Thank you Jesus!

Second; We have found ourselves a new church! Layton Chapel Baptist Church (LCBC). They are a passionate, God fearing, Bible-preaching church! It's much smaller than our previous churches, about 160-180. In Hawaii we attended a Calvary Chapel and in Denver we went to a Vineyard. Both awesome churches, but after the huge Vineyard experience, Garrett and I realized that smaller churches are more our style. We both have a Baptist background, and being in the South now with Baptist churches galore it wasn't a huge leap. LCBC, although a small church, has so much to offer. There is a small group for everyone, strong children's ministry, amazing choir, a Pastor that goes by Preacher, and just enough 'fire and brimstone' for the occasional reality check. We love it and look forward to sharing our experiences with this church with you all!