month 3 // Today was rough; I think it would have been easier if Alan were home. I was feeling sad and grateful to be blessed by a husband who orders pizza delivery from another continent and a friend who blessed me with a little pampering package.

month 4 // I don't want to say that certain people are "made" for the military lifestyle, as I don't believe that we were created to be separated from our spouses, but I do believe that some people adapt more easily and are more self-sufficient, traits that turn deployments into periods for growth and challenge instead of misery.

//

+ savage. Temperature in the 20s. Waist-deep water. Lots of mud. I ran the Savage Race and loved it. I skipped some of the challenges because I was afraid of hypothermia--Texas' Savage Race was the coldest on record!--but I still enjoyed the obstacles and have officially completed my second race.

+ volunteering. I started volunteering at the Family Life Chaplain Training Center on post. I'm there two days a week and I love it.

+ umhb. Three more semesters until graduation! Thanks to God and a supportive husband, I have maintained a 4.0 (which was a challenge, especially since I had a stomach flu during finals week). Also, I think solution-focused brief therapy is "my" approach. I really like it. One of my professors also loaned some emotion-focused therapy material to me and I've been studying it over break.

+ almost there. I ran 9.06 miles. I could have made it to 10 but I quit because my phone (and therefore, Endomondo) died around 7 miles and I wanted to know exactly how far I ran. Also, after surviving the Savage Race, I did two evening runs in 23F and 27F weather, respectively. It was raining the second time.

+ flyboys. After a friend recommended Flyboys to me, I purchased it and have been reading it off and on for several months. I finally finished it. In my opinion, the book was well-researched; I enjoyed learning about the history of Japan and Japanese-American relations as well as an area of history I had not studied before.

+ bucket list. Some friends and I went to Outback for dinner--it was my first visit, so I can cross off another item on my deployment bucket list! Also, I took a friend out to lunch at Rosa's after PWOC--yes, I was there the Tuesday after I posted about it and have been going semi-regularly ever since. I attended a class on mentorship based on At the Feet of Ordinary Women and asked the ladies to pray about whether any of them would be interested in mentoring me. Recently, one of them approached me and she's going to start mentoring me in the new year! And, I'm currently writing from Pennsylvania. Plus, my wonderful husband scheduled a massage for me last month and it was amazing.

+ snapchat. I downloaded Snapchat. My sister and I have been using it to send each other pictures of our dogs. While we're both in the same room.

may in review

It's almost June ... and I'm just now publishing the recap for May!

+ moving on. The kids left for another placement (with relatives) at the beginning of June. The two and a half-ish months that they were with us were some of the most educational, stressful, testing, enjoyable weeks. I'm beyond grateful that Alan and I were able to share the experience together; we learned a lot, too.

+ 4.0. Thanks to God for blessing me and our awesome friends for babysitting when Alan worked and I had class, I finished the semester with a 4.0!

+ 1 cav demo. There is free entertainment and education on Ft. Hood. Every Thursday at 10:00 a.m., the 1st Cavalry performs a demonstration for the public. If you ask, they'll even give you a tour of the stables, farrier, and leather shops, and teach you about the weapons and riding/ground crews. It was ridiculously educational and exciting.

+ best compliment ever. "You guys are really different. Not in a bad way. You don't argue or anything. I don't think I've ever known anyone like that." --the oldest of the two children we fostered

+ c.t. studd. I discovered a favorite quote.

Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.

+ vertigo. We watched Veggie Tales until I was tired of it (I mean, I seriously dreaded seeing the main menu for "The League of Incredible Vegetables"). I had vertigo for about two weeks, and the first few days were horrible. I laid on the floor while watching the youngest; fortunately, Alan was able to come home early one day, and he was able to drop off and pick up the oldest from school the entire time.

+ the little things. A friend gave me a bag of Ghirardelli chocolates because "sometimes moms need to hide in the closet, and you are an acting mom."

+ little owl. I hosted a Pinterest-inspired, owl-themed baby shower for a friend. It was a little nerve-wracking because I've never hosted one before and I wanted it to be super special for her! My wonderful husband arranged the fruit, sliced the cheeses, and helped me decorate the house. Another of our friends came early to help prep food. It was a lot of fun and it was wonderful to see other ladies support a mom-to-be!

life is full of blessings!

Life has become so full, and we have been so blessed over the past few weeks!

+ Alan was supposed to be "in the field" this week, which would have meant that he would have been sleeping on post all week, but plans were changed, so he's been home every night.  We love being able to see each other in the morning, enjoy lunch together, and spend time together in the evenings.  It's especially nice on Thursdays, because Thursday seems like the weekend for me (because of grad classes) and he gets off early on Thursdays.

+ I'm (Elizabeth) a graduate student!  It's challenging and stimulating, and I've met some really great people in the program.  There's a Chinese student who's been in the country for two weeks.  We met at the graduate student welcome reception--she asked where I was from and seemed a little disappointed that I wasn't Chinese, but I asked if she spoke Mandarin (in Mandarin), so we've been practicing our English and Mandarin together, and I've been trying to get her off campus and out and about.
I've also met two women whose husbands are serving in the Army.  One is writing a novel and one works for the Army as a civilian.  Last night, I went to the writer's house and we talked a lot studied together.  She said it would be cool if I visited her church and she visited mine.
Lastly, I met two women at the reception who seemed really nice.  We started a conversation and were rather gregarious and extroverted ... and then we all admitted that we usually aren't so outgoing, that we'd much rather just sit in the corner and eat our food and people watch.  Immediate bond?  I think so.
Here's to the introverts of the world.

+ Alan and I are going to start leading a home life group, which is like a home Bible study.  We'll be studying Resilient Warriors.

+ I (Elizabeth) am going to start teaching a book/Bible study on Sunday mornings at chapel.  When we first arrived, Chapel Next had only just started life groups (the chapel's version of Sunday School), and they were for both men and women.  I really missed the cohesiveness that I had with the ladies class in Pennsylvania.  (Also, I had attended the same church for over two decades.)  While we were undergoing training to lead a home life group, I asked if something like a women's group was available, or if one could be started.
I think there's a need for a women's group (especially because not everyone can attend PWOC on Tuesday mornings), and I've been wanting to teach ever since I took an inventory on spiritual gifts at my home church in PA.  The home life group leader mentioned it to the chaplains, and now we'll be studying Captivating.

+ I (Alan) would just like to say that the lord our God has brought us together and is pouring out his blessings around us. As for me and this house we will serve the lord. Our cup runneth over.  For Christ's sake . . . for when I am weak I am strong.