Some wedding/engagement photos

We will be celebrating 3 years of marriage the weekend after Seth graduates. 

So much bigger than us

So, when Seth first left I took it way harder than I had expected. It was like it didn't sink in until the actual day he left. I had to call in to work and say I couldn't come back that afternoon. The reality sunk in, and though I still trusted God, the fact that I wouldn't get to see him for 5 months was weighing on me. We got no phone calls besides the initial "I have arrived at Fort Leonard Wood. I am safe. I will call you when I can." I will never forget that one! I started getting letters pretty early though, and reading Seth's words was so soothing to the pain I felt. I would rush home to the mailbox and then read the same letters over and over again. The thing that gave the most comfort from those early letters was the realization and proof that we had been obedient and God's plan was set into action. At reception (where they wait before basic even starts) Seth had started a bible study. He said more and more guys were coming to him for prayer and guidance. He told the married men about our God-centered relationship, and they said they wanted that with their wives.  Seth and I both began to really grow closer to God and each other. He started bringing guys to church. Several got saved on Easter. One funny thing that happened was a drill sergeant came up and apologized to Seth because he had cussed in church earlier that week. You have seen the movies. you know what the language is like. You know how drill sergeants treat SITs (soldiers in training) and it sure isn't likely that they would  apologize for anything, especially something as common as using profanity. Seth said, "I don't even know how he knew I was a Christian." Well, I do. One of Seth's favorite verses, Matthew 5:16, says, "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven." Anyone who has ever been around Seth has seen this light. He is so full of joy and laughter. People want to be around him because he just shines from within. You cannot deny God's power in the presence of a light like that. He has a joy that others long for. It is so strong, it became evident to a drill sergeant during the first and hardest days of Army Basic Combat Training. My favorite book in the Bible is Esther (also the name of my PRECIOUS niece). Esther 4:14 says, "...And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this." At such a difficult time, God gave us comfort by showing us, over and over, that we were put in this position "for such a time as this." 

To answer the question: Why?

Why did Seth join the Army? FYI, I and many other Army wives would probably much rather hear, "Thank you for your husband's service," than feel like we have to scramble to find the words explain why. But, we do try to explain, mainly to get past the disapproving look on your face when you ask, "why?" There are several reasons that we made our decision. Seth needed a career path. He was running into one closed door after another in Tuscaloosa, and it became clear that our "season" here was over. It was time to move on, at least for now, in order for him to get some job training, education, and experience. Seth had been thinking about it for a while and we started to pray. We prayed for several months and felt like maybe the military was what God wanted us to do. We knew it would be a good ministry opportunity, and we would get to travel the world together. :) Plus, Seth could finish his degree, make a career of it, or get a job like military police where he could get out after his initial enlistment and get a policeman job somewhere. There are a lot of other benefits too, like insurance, lower interest rates, etc. I was thinking pretty logically, but I can honestly say I think Seth just felt right about it, and he wanted to serve his country. He knew that joining the service was something to be proud of. So, after a lot of prayer, we were ready to become "army strong." But, we were still met with a lot of opposition, from godly people whom we respected, so we were still a little unsure. This decision, to sign your life over, is not one you want to be unsure about. We started to be very specific in our prayers. We prayed that when we met with the recruiter to see which jobs were available to him, that we would know based on those jobs if we should go forward or not. We prayed this a lot, but one more time before we walked into the meeting. He had like 3 jobs he was interested in, and we wanted him to be able to start sooner rather than later so I would have time to find a teaching job in our new place before it was too late. We wet into the meeting to find out that his number one job choice (military police) was available, and he would leave in about a month! (Normally it takes 4-6 months.) We knew God had answered our prayers, and that is "why" we made the decision.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says "there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven"...it goes on to say "a time to plant and a time to uproot." (Verse 2)

Matthew 28:19 tells us to "go and make disciples of all nations."

Pictures I took after Seth first left for Basic Training

These are pictures of me, our Cane Corso, Sam, and our adopted beauty (mutt), Lucy. As soon as I got his address, which was several weeks after he'd been gone, I sent him these pictures and all the letters I had been writing him. (We didn't get to talk on the phone for over a month.) He says he sleeps with the picture of me by his heart every night. His drill sergeant even asked about it. Now the other married men do the same thing. <3 He also said the drill sergeants look at their pictures. At the beginning of BCT (basic combat training) they are not yet considered soldiers. They aren't supposed to say "hooah" or do any other "army" things. When they saw the pics of Sam with his "Hooah" sign, they started joking and said, "That dog's not a soldier! Warren, you tell that dog to get in push-up position." Lol! Seth says they don't do it often, but it's always good to get the Drill Sergeants to laugh.

My Handsome Soldier

To start...

I am starting this blog because seemingly out of nowhere my husband and I decided that the Army would be a good career for him. (We are both 26 and have been living in Tuscaloosa, Al for quite a while.) He is in Missouri now, completing his AIT training to become a military police officer, and though what he is doing is WAY more difficult than my role here, I am left, all alone, to field the numerous and sometimes intrusive questions/comments people like to ask/say. (For example, "Why in the world would you let him do that?" Or "Aren't you afraid he could die?" or my personal favorite, "Make sure you..." followed by whatever expert advice this person has about military life, moving, finding a job, etc.) I don't mean to come off as rude, as I really do love sharing our story; it can just be exhausting sometimes. So, I wanted to start a blog to tell our story, share our adventures, and most importantly give God the credit for His guiding hand in all of this. Also, I wanted my students, coworkers, zumba ladies, and other people with whom I won't regularly communicate to be able to keep up with me and Seth. Well, here's the initial post, and I will be posting more soon!