"Firsts"

So it's been a little over a month and a half since Chris left. We've been able to talk almost everyday on Skype or g-chat. Technology is so great. What a blessing to be able to talk to someone you love that is far away; hear their voice and see their face. I can only imagine how much harder this would be if it were years ago when people only had letters.

I've just been taking it day by day and staying busy. Chris is having a much harder time connecting with people and is very bored. He truly has it a lot harder than I do. He is in a new place with a new job and new people. That's a lot of 'new' at one time, a lot of changes, it can't be easy. I try to remember and thank him for his service and for working hard for our little family of two. I so appreciate my wonderful hubby. Thanks Chris! and I miss you. Can't wait til you can work hard and ALSO be near. A month and a half down, only... well that doesn't matter. :)

So the title of this blog has a purpose. I was having a weekend full of 'firsts' this past weekend and I'm not going to lie, it was hard. By 'firsts' I mean that I did several things that I would normally do with Chris but I did them alone for the first time. The first time of doing them alone is always the hardest and then it's usually not so bad the times after that. For example, I went to the Ballroom Dance Center with a friend on Friday night. The BDC was a place Chris and I went several times for date nights. We (especially I) like to dance and learn to dance. At the beginning of the night they have a 30 minute lesson on a basic step for a specific dance. They have the girls line up on one side and the guys on the other. So that night, when I went without Chris for the first time, I felt very sad when I looked across the dance floor and didn't see my man looking back at me (usually giving me a goofy, playful smile). Of course I had a good time dancing and learning from the instructors but it was certainly bittersweet at first. Dancing with others can be fun and is a good way to learn but dancing with Chris (although there have been arguments) is always my favorite :). Other 'firsts' included hanging out with our group of friends from church at the Match Day party and hanging out with my brother and sister-in-law (Chris's brother always reminds me so much of Chris because they both love to joke around and do so in a similar way)

So anyway, I know I have many more 'firsts' to get through but it's ok, it's getting a little easier as Chris and I settle into a routine. It'll never be easy though and there's not a day or night that goes by that I don't wish I could give my baby a hug.

I have some scripture that I actually have hanging in my shower (I know weird, but it's a good time to do some memorizing). One of my favorites right now is Isaiah 26:3-4:

"You will keep in perfect peace
those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust in you.

Trust in the LORD forever,
for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal."

I am trusting in the Rock eternal. This is hard but it's good.

Peace to you

Always,

Shannon

Lets give it a try again :)

Hey there again,

So I think I may give this another go. A dear friend of mine was visiting last weekend and we love looking at blogs. Turns out we each have our own blog but we rarely ever post anything on them anymore (more like never for me), so we challenged each other to start it up again. So, dear friend, and you know who you are... now you have to make a post too :P

My life is quite different now from the last time I posted. Not drastically really but it sure seems like it, and such is life, I know. I have been married to a wonderful man now for almost 2 years. We have lived, worked, and played in Augusta, GA for those two years. It's been very fun and very challenging. It took a minute but I can now call this home. My favorite part of Augusta is definitely the church, First Presbyterian, and the wonderful group of friends that Chris and I have become a part of through this church. One of the hardest parts of leaving Valdosta was leaving my church family (I still miss them greatly) and I craved something similar when I moved up here. It took time but God, as always, is faithful and provided a new family :) It's fun.

Soooo biggest news right now is that Chris (my sweet hubby) is in South Korea for a year. He was re-assigned and stationed at Camp Casey in Korea. He will actually be there for longer than a year :(. This is, of course, not what was on our top 10 list of things to do in our first years of marriage. In fact it's pretty disappointing that we specifically wanted to wait a couple years to have kids in order to spend those years TOGETHER. I don't know why I keep planning out my future as if I have it all under control...

Anyhow, Chris left Feb. 7th and I have just been taking it a day at a time. I am now a part time nanny living on the property of the people I nanny for in a cottage behind their (BIG) house. It's a cute, comfy place and they are a wonderful family. I have enjoyed the job so far. I certainly didn't see myself doing something like nannying but it's what the Lord has for me apparently. I am safe and near a family and near some other girls that live in a carriage house right next to me. It'll be a good way to stay safe and not feel so lonely. I'm also still working as an SLP in the mornings with the RCSS. I am at new schools though. That has been difficult surprisingly. I thought it would be better to switch to a different school (the one I was at before was SO transient I could barely do therapy and was always in meetings) but it has been kind of hard. I'm really thinking I want to try something different than the school system; we'll see what happens with that.

Chris is doing ok. He has it harder than me seeing as he has nobody over there that he knows and it's a new job and new culture. I pray all the time that he will meet a godly man and find a good church. I miss him a lot. I especially miss hugs and kisses and cuddling at night and in the morning. We get to chat at least twice a day and usually even see each other (through skype) but it's just kind of hard not to be able to just sit next to him and feel his arms around me. After this I hope I never take it for granted. I better not!

So that's my life in a nutshell as of now. It's certainly one of the harder times but I'm sure not the hardest time yet to come. I am so grateful for the comfort, peace, and love I so often feel from the Lord when I am lonely, sad, or even bitter. I find it through His word; through the sweet people He has placed in my life to serve me, love me, and speak truth and comfort to me; every now and then through a song; or sometimes just on a pretty day when I remember that the sun came up, like it always does, and the moon will come out at night, like it always does; a reminder that God is faithful and good.

Psalm 100:3

"For the Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations."

Isaiah 42:5-6

"This is what God the LORD says—
the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out,
who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it,
who gives breath to its people,
and life to those who walk on it:

“I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles"

Peace and Grace to you.

Love

Shannon