Big things are brewing!

Wow!  It's been so long since I've blogged.  A lot has transpired but I will hit the highlights!

Here Goes.....

In January I found out I was pregnant!!  I was scared, to put it mildly.  I had long conversations with God about how there is no way I could endure another miscarriage.

In March they told us they were "almost positive" we were having a baby boy!  If you remember the specialist had told me I would probably not be able to carry a girl successfully so this news of a boy eased the emotional roller coaster I was on.  It was truly a relief but also bittersweet.  I had prayed for a baby girl but was simply excited to have a baby that might actually survive!

In May we went in for the sex determining sonogram.  It was the same technician who told us the baby was a boy (Rewind, a few weeks earlier i had an ER visit in which they said they thought it was a girl).  I told our technician all of this and about how our sweet Elijah was thought to be a girl until he was born.  Well sure enough, after lots of looking, re-looking and bringing a second technician to "ease our minds" they announced that this baby was "definitely a girl"!

Now, if you are in the Air Force you know that moving is a huge part of life.  Stephen and I talk about our "next move" a lot!!  June became time for Stephen to re-sign his commitment to the Air Force or decline their offer and go into he Guard and on to different opportunities.  We talked about what he wanted a lot and decided that if we could get a good assignment we would definitely stay in Active Duty.  Of course, everybody knows there are tons of changes going on in our country and the military is not removed from these changes.  So, we waited and trusted God thinking it would be a while before we HAD to decide.  The one odd thing was that the resign bonus that is usually offered in early Spring had not come down yet.  If that had come into play earlier this year, we would have likely taken the bonus and been committed to at least 5 more years in the Active Duty community.

Stephen comes home one day with big news of a possible next assignment but it was a tricky one and we would have to wait and see.  It was in a good location and doing a job he would love.  We all sort of hoped this was our answer.  Shortly thereafter we find out that he can't try for this assignment until October because of some of their rules for hire.  No big deal, we thought. The baby is due in early September so it seemed perfect.  Literally one day later: Stephen comes home to tell me that he has been "non-vol'd" and has to rank these five places in order of desired placement.  In other words: we would be moving by the end of this year to one of five places, none of which were desirable in our opinion.  We sat down and ranked them with heavy hearts but thinking, well if we get first choice then maybe it will be ok.  The next day he comes home and says, "I got Vegas" (His 2nd choice). I felt sick!  Ugh!  If you know me, you know that Vegas is not my idea of a prime location.  But, I vowed to him to stick with him through thick and thin.  My dad even put in our vows the passage from Ruth, "wherever you go, I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge...."  I told him it was his decision and we would make it work no matter what.  I prayed hard that God would give him guidance and his decision to separate from Active Duty came pretty soon after the news.  A few other things transpired between then and now but the results are the same:  we are moving on!

We are excited and nervous.  It's exciting to get to have a choice about where you live and the thought of our children going to the same school with the same people is a big relief for me.  Stephen will soon be busy with finding a Guard/Reserve unit to work for and trying to get on with an airline or FedEx.  I have full confidence that this was very much all God's timing and trust that Stephen's hard work and dedication to his passion will see us through the transition.  I married a pretty special guy and I am excited for our new baby and the new opportunities that await!

Sorry for the novel!! I will update more frequently over the next several months to keep all of you in the know!!

Until next time....

PS We just returned from a 9 day trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton....it was amazing!!