Delayed

R&R is finally here...or not quite yet. I'm still waiting. I'm realizing that I'm not as patient a person as I thought I was! It's one thing to wait for a date that you know and can count down to, and it's a whole other beast to wait for something you have no idea when it will happen, or how. I need to learn how to not have expectations, and just accept things as they come. I'm just so excited to see my husband after 5 months! He is on his way, but the weather out East is not making it easy for him to get home. Non-functioning airports are not good for trying to get home from overseas. On the bright side (because I force myself to find it), he is getting a longer leave because of the extra travel days which is good rest for his tired body, and the longer it takes him to get here, the less days there will be left after he leaves! I've waited 5 months, what's a few more days right? Ugh...So I have been having a nice anxiety filled week so far, running errands and cleaning, trying to keep busy. He will be here soon :)

Book Blog: The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

This was another book that I just pulled off the shelf not knowing what it was about. I had heard the name many times, seen it on booklists for years, but never knew anything about it. It was a little hard to get into right away because it was like reading a fairy tale bible story, but it actually turned about to be another spiritual read for me. A boy goes on a journey to find a hidden treasure and along the way he meets people that help him learn valuable lessons about faith, life, and love. I think the appeal of this book is that the lessons can be pretty universal depending on your religious views, probably why the book has been translated into 56 languages. The ones that stuck out to me are that you should never give up on your dreams, true love lasts despite time and distance, you should live life one day at a time and not worry about the future, you should constantly be seeking and living God's Will for your life, and that God can be found in everyone who believes in Him. I recommend reading it, it's an interesting story and not like the typical fiction that I normally read, and it's full of great reminders about the gift of life.

Book Blog: God Strong: The Military Wife's Spiritual Survival Guide - Sara Horn

I had heard good things about this book and my mom found it for me at a book sale. I think this book has actually helped change my life. Every military wife should read this book. I am new to military life, but we all go through similar struggles, things that other people don't always understand. The challenges we face may seem impossible and sometimes we feel like we can't do it, we can't live this way, but we do it because we love the amazing men in our lives and we want to support them in serving our country and helping others.

I have been praying a lot lately for patience and peace with the decisions my husband and I make, and peace with what comes our way in the future. This book has been a great addition to the prayer and attempt to really give my heart to God, letting go of my worries and trusting that my life will go according to HIS plan. It is always helpful to hear stories from other wives about the strength that they find in God that allows them to be a strong military wife, a strong woman. And it's even better to be reminded of God's promises - that he is always with us, that he has a plan for our lives that may be unknown to us. The titles of the chapters lay out these promises well:

My Strength Comes from God
Fear Blocks My Focus
I Am Not Alone
Superwomen Get Grace Too
God Is in Control
God Knows My Hurts
I Can Have Joy Despite My Circumstances
Worship Lessens My Worries
I Find My Hope In Christ

So often we feel like we know these things, but we don't actually trust in them. No matter what kind of life we find ourselves in, no matter what kind of struggles we go through, God is always there and we can find joy in any situation because of that. My whole outlook on military life has taken a turn for the better. While I still don't like the thought of deployments or being away from my family, I know that I will be ok. I'm trusting that if that's the way our lives go, it's because God has a bigger plan for us. My husband is very passionate about serving his country and helping people, and although military life is not the life I would have chosen for myself, I am blessed to have such a giving and loving husband who enjoys serving others and I am so grateful to have him in my life. I need to focus on the blessings I have been given and not give in to the fear and worry. I will continue to pray for God to strengthen me into a supportive wife, a faithful servant, a woman who is God Strong. With all the inconsistency and uncertainty that comes with military life, we always have one constant.

A Whole New Year

Thank goodness this year is finally over. So much happened this year, and it has definitely been a stressful and emotional ride. Work has been busy and a seemingly impossible deadline for an office remodel, plus planning a party that was to take place New Year's Eve in said office added a giant dollop of stress on top. BUT we pulled it off (mostly), and actually the one thing that was not done turned out to be a positive. We were supposed to have glass walls put in to separate the reception area and the offices/meeting rooms. They were not able to go in on time, but it was actually nice because it was open and roomy for the party and it was like a dollhouse because you could see into the rooms, and use the tables.

So after about 4 very short and busy weeks of construction, the ceiling collapsing, painting, stripping paint of of brick, new hardwood and carpet, installing electrical and light fixtures, moving around furniture, and building cubicles, we totally transformed the space. I don't have any before pictures, and we wish we would have taken progress pictures but we didn't have extra time or energy for that sort of thing. I can tell you though that it looks a million times better. It used to be dark and dingy with black carpet and black paint on the brick. And the prior tennant was a questionable "massage parlor" so that made it feel extra shady.

We got lucky with the furniture. About two weeks ago I had a mild panic attach thinking about how all this needed to get done, and THEN we needed to furnish the space. So I went on a used furniture hunt and hit the jackpot. $60 round tables, a desk that matched our current desks perfectly, nice looking side chairs that were in good shape, cubicles that we had actually looked at previously at another location and they magically found me again (the exact ones we wanted to buy a month ago but someone bought them out from under us), and a nice new desk chair for me. On another trip there to pick up some of this stuff I found the perfect conference room table in the back room of the furniture place, and we got a set of chairs to go with it. We got the reception love seat and chairs at IKEA and they are actually pretty comfortable for IKEA furniture.

So the furniture made me feel better, but there was also the cleaning and party prep that needed to get done. The contractors were finishing up the day before the party, there was still stuff all over the place and things like plate covers on outlets still needed to be put on. So we were down to the wire getting the place picked up, and it needed a deep clean real bad. The bathroom was probably the grossest bathroom I have ever cleaned, and I made that thing sparkle! I also scrubbed the kitchen floor on my hands and knees picking paint off with my fingernails, cleaned the fridge that had mold and other surprises in it, cleaned out all of the cupboards and drawers, washed all the windows, vacuumed both offices, and cleaned the other kitchen floor. Man that was a long day.

Here are some pictures of the new space:

 Sparkly clean bathroom complete with new shower curtain (yes we have a shower in our office)

 Clean kitchen getting set up for the party

 Reception area - love the exposed brick and the light fixture

 This will be my boss' office once the glass walls go in

The "dollhouse" view of the meeting rooms.

Yesterday morning we were busy with final clean-up and party prep. I had to go pick up the food and luckily that was right before the freezing rain started. As much as this party stressed me out and I didn't really want to be there for 6 hours making it another 12 hour day, it was a success. We had a pretty good turn out, people seemed to be enjoying themselves, and the bosses were pleased with the outcome of all of it. It feels SO good to have it all done, or at least mostly done. Hopefully next week I'll be moving into my new office with a window again. I have only a 4 day workweek left and then I have time off to be with my husband while he is home! 2011 is going to be a good year, I can feel it.