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.

sexual abuse/trauma + solution-focused therapy

One of the assignments in my brief therapy interventions class entails reading a book from a suggested reading list and then writing a review: the highlights, my resistance areas (i.e. what I disagreed with or didn't like), points I thought would be helpful, and other comments.

Originally, I wanted a book on PTSD, but another student mentioned that she wanted to read it, so I chose "Even From a Broken Web" by Bill O'Hanlon and Bob Bertolino. At first, I thought it would be a tedious read about sexual abuse and trauma, but I quickly found myself drawn in by the easygoing writing style and incredibly insightful/helpful content.

Also, I at first thought that I wouldn't like the solution-focused approach (I'm a fan of Adler and family constellations and genograms), but after learning about solution-focused therapy (SFT) in brief this semester, I think I may have found "my" theory.

ministries

We are busy.  Busy and blessed.

"The Case for Christ" is going to be good, we can tell--we're breaking the sessions in half because of the involvement in and debate around the discussion questions.  I think one of our struggles will be the fact that we are all fairly strong in our faith, so the best way to approach this study will be to gain knowledge in order to answer those tough questions we might not expect (but that might be the opportunity for us to be fifteen).

The fall quarter of Sunday Morning Life Group ended today.  Teaching is a little overwhelming, sometimes, and I've really stepped out of my comfort zone (I am a fan of my introverted tendencies and I strongly dislike praying aloud, but I've done it for the past eleven weeks).  However, I would like to continue teaching.  Classes and teachers typically change every quarter (granted, this is only the second quarter that Chapel Next has offered Sunday Morning Life Group), so I would like to be able to offer a stable class that people can count on.
I'm just not sure if I should offer it for women (PWOC meets on Tuesday mornings, but I know that not everyone can attend), or if I should offer something similar to "Captivating" meets "Wild at Heart"--a class where men and women can learn about themselves and each other, and how to relate to one another in a Christian sense.  Or maybe something completely different.  I brought this up with a friend Monday night at dinner--we talked for two and a half hours about this and that and life in Texas and ministry opportunities, and it was a blessing.
Meanwhile, Alan keeps busy with Children's Church, which he teaches on the first Sunday of the month.

This was my first week off between semesters.  With God's help and direction this semester, and much support and love from my husband, I earned a 4.0 and believe that this is exactly where He wants me.  One of my professors said that she would "strongly encourage" me to go for a doctorate after this program, because she believes that I have "a brilliant writing style" and sharp skills--both of which are generous blessings from God and just the message I need to hear (and remember) during those times when I feel inadequate.

look what came in the mail!

Along with a pretty sweet key chain and car decal.  And let me tell you, any university that sends you a key chain and car decal is a pretty cool university.

Anyway.

This Friday, we're leaving for a Chapel Next retreat at Lakeview, which we're all excited about.  This weekend is a four-day weekend for Alan.  Aside from the sessions (the retreat focuses on family), C has repeatedly mentioned that he can't wait to try the zip line, and T is excited about "the blob."

We're hoping to stop by UMHB on the way to Lakeview so I can register for the fall semester.  I am so excited to start grad classes (I can't wait to buy books!) and be back on a college campus.

C found a sea urchin fossil near the house yesterday.  We went fossil hunting and the boys returned with a rucksack full of fossilized seashells--we're going to put some of them in our aquarium.