Baby Makes Three!!

It's official- I am the worst blogger in the history of bloggers. I believe the last post before this one was from last summer. Yikes. A lot has happened since then. We have gone on some fun trips ( Vegas again, beach camping, Napa/ San Francisco)and recently found out we are moving to Virginia at the beginning of May. We've also had one of the hardest things I've ever gone through happen with the passing of my mom. We find comfort in knowing she is with God and there is no better feeling than knowing she is no longer in pain. Through all of this God has also brought us the greatest joy of our lives thus far. A new addition to our family- Baby Caro :) I am now 16 weeks pregnant and I feel like I'm getting bigger every day. It's amazing how something so little can change your life in such big ways. Here are some pics of our last ultrasound. They are scanned, so not too clear. I labeled them to make it easier to make out what you're looking at.

Our Little Man!

VEGAS!!!

We were fortunate enough to get the opportunity to visit Vegas with our good friends Alex and Stephanie. We had a great time and we are planning another trip back in August. I have to say the absolute best part of it all was seeing The Lion King. It was the first Broadway play I have ever seen and it was absolutely amazing! Walking the strip at night is definitely sensory overload. Beautiful, loud and colorful. We both loved it and now understand the pull Vegas has on people. It's like stepping out of the real world for just a little while. Like Disney, only tailored to adults.

The Aloha, Sunshine and Golden States

The month or so after Jordan's return was an absolute whirlwind of coming and going. It was an amazing time, but exhausting as well. Before leaving for Florida we finally made it to the San Diego Zoo. Yes, it only took us a year. The wait was worth it though because we had a great time. Our first big trip was back home to see family. Living so far away is hard on us, so we truly treasure any time we get to spend catching up and just plain being around them. When we returned from Florida I thought the two days we had between then and us leaving for Hawaii would be perfect for going to Disneyland. One should always make time for Disney of any kind :) Two days later we were on a plane bound for Hawaii. All I can say is- wow. It was everything I imagined it would be. Absolutely amazing. I am so thankful for the experience, and you had better believe I am already planning a trip back ;)

My Hero Comes Home

Since his return Jordan has taken to making fun of me because the last entry in our blog is from September of last year. OK, I'll admit that I haven't done such a wonderful job updating this thing. Call me a slacker, if you must. But, maybe the fact that I haven't updated our blog in a long time is a good sign. To me it means I was pretty busy living and making the best out of him being gone. I feel a sense of accomplishment and when I think back on that time I smile. Was it the hardest thing I have ever had to do? Yes. Would I go back and not go through it if I were given the chance? Never. To me the time that he was gone was a time of enormous growth. New friendships were made, old ones were made stronger, and most importantly I was made stronger. You can't imagine what a deployment does to you unless you have gone through one yourself. It's pretty amazing what you find you can do when you have no other choice but to do it. There are days when you wake up and your first thought is "He's gone". As time passes you still have those mornings, but they get to be fewer and farther in between. It doesn't hurt any less, but you learn to focus on other things. Looking back on that time its not the hurt, the missing him, and doing it all alone that stand out to me. When I think back to that time what comes to mind are the good things that happened and have since come from it. Nothing can compare to the absolute thrill you feel when seeing them for the first time in months. It's hard to compare it to long distance relationships, or separation because of other circumstances. Letting go of the best thing in your life, knowing he is going somewhere where there are people who want to hurt him isn't easy. The beautiful thing about it however is that you learn to truly put your trust in the Lord. There was no greater comfort than to know that God was watching over him and what an amazing blessing it was just to see him walk through the door the day of his homecoming. Thank-you to all of our friends and family who prayed for both of us during that time. It was our faith and your blanket of prayers that saw us through.

We love and are so thankful for all of you.

I made a slide show today with some of my favorite pictures of Jordan. Yes, I was missing him a lot. Sunday was our day. I can't wait to have him home...

One day at a time...

Two weeks have passed since Jordan left and I feel like it has flown by. It's been a whirlwind of emotion and everyday that passes I feel a little stronger and more confident. I've been extremely busy at work and with friends as well. Even though Jordan isn''t here I am trying to make my life as full as possible. So far I have been extremely successful. Through this I'm determined to thrive, not merely survive. I took my first trip to Santa Barbara this past weekend and it was amazing. Later this month I will be going with friends to Santa Monica and will also visit friends stationed at 29 Palms. I'm taking a class next weekend where I'll learn to make chocolate truffles. This weekend I'm painting a few rooms in our house and hiking at Torrey Pines Nature Reserve. I experienced my first earthquake this week as well. It was minor but scary just the same. I hope to fill my life with wonderful experiences during these seven months and support my husband the best I can from so far away. We've been fortunate and have been able to speak every couple of nights through the web cam. Being able to see him and hear his voice keeps me going. It reminds me that I still have a best friend out there and that he'll be back soon. I'm looking foward to so much with him. We have plans for things we want to do when he gets back and I'm making a list of places I want to take him. Out of all those things though, what I want most is to hold my husbands hand or give him a hug. Its amazing and beautiful how the little things become such big things.

Beautiful Santa Barbara:

Hiking at Torrey Pines:

Saying Goodbye...

The day we thought about and planned ( and I thruthfully dreaded) for so long finally arrived this past week. Jordan left for Iraq this Wednesday morning for seven months. Sometimes I find myself thinking he is going to walk through the door any minute. Other times I find myself trying to wrap my mind around living apart from someone who since high school has been my best friend and sweetheart. Its been difficult, and a true test of my personal strength and my faith in God. However, I am finding out new things about myself every day. I have already discovered that I am a great deal stronger than I ever thought I could be. I've also realized that the things I miss the most about him are things some married couples take for granted or find mundane. I miss just knowing that at the end of the day I will get to see his face. I miss hearing about his day at work while I cook him dinner. I miss watching TV with him at the end of a long day. Simple, unfabulous moments that were and still are everything to me.

I'm starting this blog so that our family and friends (most of which are far from us) can stay updated with what is going on in our lives. I hope to write fairly often and I will send out an e-mail when there are new posts. I will also try to include pictures.

I want to let everyone know that I am doing fine. I am working at a job that I absolutely love, I am sorrounded by amazing friends, I have a wonderful church home and am constantly busy. Nothing can replace Jordan in my life but there are things that can make it easier not having him here. I have been blessed to have those things and am confident that we will come out of this stronger as individuals and as a couple. Most importantly however, I truly believe this will bring us closer in our relationship with God. That alone makes everything worth it.