YES! There are tears!!

So often military wives hear "How do you do it?"; "I bet it's tough"; "I couldn't ever do it."  We really only have 2 choices: 1) Deal with it or 2)Quit.  Quitting means destroying a marriage, that was sworn by an oath to God to let "no man" (or orders) tear apart. If children are involved, it means destroying their lives. YES DIVORCE IS A TRAGEDY! UNLESS there is severe abuse. Marriage can survive anything (even abuse and adultery) IF God is in the middle with STRONG consistent counseling from a marriage therapist AND a Pastor. Divorce is a choice that shouldn't be taken lightly, but in some cases it is the only option.

Since Matt is not abusive or an adulterer AND we have 3 little lives that would be effected AND I love that man more than I can ever say... I really only have ONE choice... Deal with it.  Yes that's a little BLUNT. But sometimes being blunt is all that works. YES, there are tears! YES, there times the loneliness actually physically hurts! YES, the kids act out more often! YES, there are days we want to quit! YES, there are days we question our judgment to marry a military man! YES, emotions run very deep!

No matter how hard it gets we have to choose daily, to wake up a deal with daily life. We take it one day at a time. We lean on God for strength. We learn how to deal with the children's emotional breakdowns. We learn how to become "psychologists" for children, teens, and ourselves. We lean on "sisters" in the military and in church.  We learn how to be repair men. We can fix almost anything that breaks and if it's too big of a job,  we have a LARGE network of other military wives to find out who has the best work for the money.  We find that ONE friend who is the only one who can look at us in the middle of an emotional breakdown and say "Girl, get hold of yourself and put your big girl panties on". 

So no matter how lonely we get; no matter how much we cry; no matter what the future holds, we simply have to trust God and keep going one day at a time.

I'm not perfect but I'm positive

I'm not a perfect mom. I'm not a perfect wife. But what makes me better than average is the fact that I continuously try to do better. I try to be more loving, more knowledgeable, a better cook, a more educated person. I expand my thoughts and knowledge through books, blogs, articles, and experiences.

THEREFORE:

If I don't post everyday as intended.... THAT'S OK! Because I'm a busy mom and it's ok to "fail" to reach a goal. The key to winning is to NOT give up. If I quit all together and decided that it's not worth the hassel, then I have failed myself and those who "follow" the blog. If I sit down and type for 15 minutes like I am doing NOW then I can continue on. The journey of life isn't fun unless there are mountains to climb and valleys to tread. Thorns may cut but the beauty of beholding the rose is worth it.

In all things: 1) KEEP GOD FIRST, 2) KEEP FAMILY SECOND, 3) LOVE OTHERS AND GOD WITH ALL YOU HAVE. Keep your priorities in the order God has set and you will succeed in life. When you step off the correct path, all you have to do is turn and get back on the right one. It's always YOUR CHOICE. Choose to do right, choose to keep going, choose to keep positive.

Loving vacation

We are still visiting with family. It's been such a relief to be near the ones we love the most during the holidays. We are waiting for payday so that we can go back to Colorado. We will miss our families so much, but we know it's time to go back to Colorado. Matthias starts school once he turns 5. Halle will start preschool at the same time. I prefer "year round" schooling so that we can vacation and take breaks as we need.

It's been a blessing to be with family!