On Behalf of a Grateful Nation...

"On behalf of the President of the United States,

The United States Navy,

and on behalf of a grateful nation

we would like to present you with this flag

in honor of your loved one's service.

Thank you for your sacrifice!"

These words, or something similar, are said as a tightly folded flag is laid in the hands of a grieving family.

I had the honor of attending a funeral for a friend of mine this last week.  He had faithfully served in the U.S. Navy, worked as a civilian for the Air Force, and was a loving Husband, Father and dear friend to many.

As I attended his funeral, with full military honors, I listened to Taps, watched them fold the flag, and heard them say something similar to the above as they passed the ceremoniously folded flag to the family.  We celebrated and honored the life of a man who was a magnificent example of what a godly man should be.

I couldn't help but pray that it is another 100 years before I have to hear those words for myself!  I pray the the rapture happens before that time comes!  But I know that just as my dear friend was surrounded by friends and family that the same will be true for me.

This leads me to my new determination in life. If there is ever a time I can be there for someone during a time like this I will take it.  It is not easy attending things such as this but I imagine that it is almost impossible for someone if they have no one to lean on for support.  I pray that I am able to be a friend and support to anyone I know that may need it during a time such as this.

Beautiful Weather

We have been enjoying some very beautiful weather the last week.  After some major storms that rolled through last month a bit of sunshine is very welcoming.

Yesterday I had the privilege of attending an engagement party for a friend of mine.  It was a lot of fun and it was great to see her and her fiance so happy together.

Since I was right down the road from a movie theater I decided to go see a movie before heading home.

It was a good movie and was nice to have an excuse to be out of the house for a while.

As I was walking along the canal downtown towards my car I realized that it was perfect weather for a nice walk with my hubby.  It got me to missing him and all the times we have walked along that canal together.  I spent the rest of the night missing him.

Today as I was thinking about it I realized how many days of beautiful weather I have to be thankful for so far.  There are so many memories I have of us going to a theme park, the Zoo or just a walk in the park on a nice sunny day.  I cherish all those memories and look forward to adding many more to the ones I already have.

Even though I miss my husband I have promised myself to take every sunny day and fill it with a past memory until I can add a new one to the list!

Anticipation

Do you remember as a little kid, the days/hours leading up to a big event like Christmas, Vacation, or family visiting?

I remember counting down days on the calendar as a kid.  I was always so excited for Christmas, Vacations,  visiting family, Camp and just about anything else.

Usually I would have my bags packed weeks, if not a month, in advance so I wouldn't forget anything.  Then, the night before, I would not sleep hardly at all.  My excitement would keep me up.

Well.... Nothing has changed.  Especially when it comes to visiting my husband.

I the last 5 months we have spent a total of 7 days together (not even all in a row).  I know being in the military means we won't get to see each other near as much, but that doesn't change how excited I am when I do get even just a couple of days to spend with him.

I would start thinking about what I'm taking weeks in advance, and sometimes even start packing that early.  I have the days numbered on my calendar so that I know exactly how many days I have left until I leave.

A couple days before, I start counting down hours as soon as I realize I am down to 48 or less. Then, I can't stop talking about how I can't wait to see him in X number of hours.

Then, the night before, yeah.... might as well not even go to bed because I KNOW I'm not going to be able to sleep.

On the drive down, I might as well be pumped full of caffeine the whole way because even if I'm driving I'm practically bouncing in my seat with excitement (without any caffeine).

Once I get close to where he's at.... I pace until I can see him because I'm that excited.

Once it's time to meet him, I anxiously scan the faces of every man in uniform that walks by..... hoping the next Airman to walk past me is my husband.

Then it happens.... I see him walking towards me and my heart stops!  The time is finally here!!  At that point It doesn't matter if it's been five minutes, five months or five years since I've seen him.  All I want is to be in his arms again.

The time always goes by too fast but the memories that we make (whether it is going to the zoo, a movie or just walking around somewhere) is what keeps me going until the next time I start counting down days.

My Airman

My Airman

 (By: Martha Pruett)

No words can describe

How proud I am of you

Putting everything you have

Into everything you do

Rising early in the morning

Staying up late at night

Spending every free moment

Becoming a unified flight

Classes, marching, saluting too

Rank recognition and learning to shoot

Chain of command, cleaning your gun

Learning to sing in the middle of a run

Seven short weeks left

And then I will see

An Airman in uniform

Smiling down at me

I’ll watch you run in front of me

An Airman’s coin you will receive

Parade, salute and an oath you will say

An Airman you’ll be at the end of the day

No words can describe

How proud I am of you

I hope you realize

How much I LOVE YOU!!!

This is a poem I wrote for Zac about a week or so after he left for Basic.  I sent it to him in a letter, hoping it would be an encouragement to him. 

Communication

(I have re-written this due to the fact that I wasn't 100% happy with the original version.  It ended not being what I was looking for, therefore the new version.)

Communication is the key to every relationship.  For some it is easier to keep up the communication than it is for others.  For those of us who are living a life in the military, either serving or as a spouse, there are different challenges that we face.

We go for days, month, sometimes years without seeing our spouses.  Zac and I went almost 9 weeks while he was at basic where we didn't see each other.  The only form of communication that we had were the letters and brief phone calls on occasion.

I remember, before he left, I made a promise to write him at least once a day while he was at basic.  From the day before he left until about a week before I went to see him(I wanted to make sure he would get the letters so I stopped writing the week before I went to see him) I wrote him everyday, sometimes twice a day.  I would tell him about my day, how work went, how our dog Misty was doing, funny things that were said or done.  I would also tell him about my good days, my bad days and the days that were somewhere in between.  I wanted him to know I was surviving, finding a way to keep busy so I don't miss him as much, and that I am extremely proud of him and love him so very much!

My letters just let him know what was going on in my life.  But, I sent other things as well.  At Christmas myself and a group of others whose men were in the same flight as Zac got a list together and we sent Christmas cards/letters to all the Airmen that we had names for.  I sent a birthday card to the guys in Zac's flight that I knew would have a Birthday while they were in basic.  I sent a page filled with pictures of my latest cake projects just so he could show them off to his buddies.  I printed pictures of me, or us, in some letters so he could see my smile again. I sent pages of funny jokes one time, and another a page full of encouraging quotes and verses the week before he had a field exercise.  Our nephew and I even sat down and colored pictures for Uncle Zac over Christmas.  One of my favorites is the two or three times our dog Misty wrote him letters.  I would add a Bible Verse at the end of each letter so that he could have an encouraging verse each time he read a letter.  I wanted him to know that I supported him, prayed for him, wanted him to laugh and to encourage him!

I also eagerly anticipated a letter from him in my mailbox.  I would check my mail daily hoping for a glimpse of his handwriting on the small blue envelopes I had come to expect from him.  After he was actually able to write and started sending me letters every week I would check my mail, sometimes more than once, near the end of the week hoping that he was able to send me even a short note.  I even remember checking the mail 3 times one day because I knew it was about that time of week where the mailman would deliver a letter from my hubby!  I cherished every word in those letters, sometimes read them 20 times and about memorized some of them.

We would also get short phone calls almost once a week.  I remember making sure my phone was always charged and the volume turned way up so that I would hear it ring if he got the chance to call me for a few minutes.  I would spend my Saturday nights staring at my phone hoping that he would be able to call again like his did last week.  Over Christmas and New Year's I was blessed with the opportunity to talk to him for about an hour.  Seeing as we had only had maybe 15 minutes to call the whole time he had been in Basic this was a HUGE blessing.

Now that he is out of Basic Training we are able to text, talk, Skype  e-mail and still write each other.  There have only been a couple of days in the last 4 months that we haven't talked for at least 10 minutes or more at night.  A lot of times we will talk for an hour or more on the phone or Skype at night, usually about nothing much just going over how fun, or boring, our day was.  We are even able to send packages to each other with little things that we know will make the other person smile!

I am really thankful that I am able to keep in contact with my husband easier now.  I know there are many families who still don't get the chance to talk to their loved ones on a regular basis.  I have learned to cherish every letter, every text, every e-mail and every minute we can call or Skype each other.  This is my lifeline to him and without it my days would be much harder and my nights much longer.

Thank you Lord for Modern Technology and the privilege to communicate daily with my husband!!

School Again

Even though Zac is done with basic, he has to go through almost 7 months of training before he is done.

The good thing about him being in School rather than Basic is the simple fact that now we can talk on the phone every evening.

The first week we would be on the phone, or Skype  for almost an hour each time.  It is a huge relief to be able to talk to him everyday, even if it's just a short text, instead of having only 15 minutes each week, if even that much.

Also, I've been able to visit him once so far and will be visiting again before he is done.

I was thinking the other day, so far Zac has been gone 5 months.  In that time I've only seen him for one week (7 days), it wasn't consecutive day, and even then we weren't able to spend the whole time together.

At times I have felt so overwhelmed with simply being the only one at home, taking care of bills, taking care of a dog that was sick for a week, handling small issues with the car and the simple fact that he wasn't here to  just give me a hug after a bad day.

I know that he will be home before I know it.  I know that God will help me get through anything and everything that comes my way.  I know that I have friends and family there for me.  But, sometimes, a girl just needs to be allowed to have a bad day.

What do I do on those down days?  Usually, Curl up in the living room with a good book or movie and have pizza and soda! (Not very good considering I want to lose weight, but hey, it works).

I do have my good days too.  Those days when he and I get to video chat for 2 hours and be stupid, the days when I get a package from him, or a small handmade card, or when he just tells me how well things are going for him.

I am definitely adjusting to this life.  It has taken time, patience and a lot of prayer but I am surviving.  I think we both will fit in well to the military life before long and I can't wait to see where this road leads us!

Graduation At Last!!

It was Friday, it was a bit chilly and damp, but still a nice morning.  We got up and went to the base to get our seats by 6 am.  We wanted to make sure we had good seats near where Zac's flight would be standing.

We sat for about 3 hours I think.  Someone made a Starbucks run for breakfast and we just talked, waiting nervously for the Graduates to arrive.

As the stands filled I was able to meet families of other men in Zac's flight and we shared stories from the last 8 weeks.

Finally, off in the distance, we could see the flights marching in for the ceremony.

Marching onto the Parade Field

Row, upon row, upon row of men and women in uniform.  Marching in step, with a purpose.  You could feel the level of excitement, anticipation and pride in the stands among the families and friends who had gathered to watch the ceremony.

As the ceremony began a hush fell over those gathered as we stood and listened as the National Anthem was played and all the new Airman stood at attention with a crisp salute to our nations flag.

We then got to watch as all those new Airman marched along the stands, in review.

Flights passing in review.

As his flight passed by I was so excited, I could find him in the formation!  This would make it so much easier to find him after the ceremony.  I felt such pride!!

Finally, we were getting close to the end of the ceremony.  All the flights marched forward as one.  They all recited their oath, and then in one voice recited the Airman's Creed.  The crowd sat in silent wonder as the words echoed off the nearby buildings.  Their voices grew in conviction and and had everyone close to tears as they reached the end.  Calling out in unison the last line... "WE WILL NOT FAIL!"

Immediately following the training instructors marched off the field and the families were allowed to go find their Airman and release them from formation.

I ran to the spot that I knew Zac would be standing and gave him another, massive hug and told him how incredibly proud I am of him.

A much anticipated hug after Graduation.

We enjoyed a nice, leisurely weekend where he didn't have any obligation (except being back to his dorm on time).  I was so thankful to finally have some time with my amazing husband.

I am so thankful that God has brought us to this point in our lives.  It has been quite a journey so far.  There have been difficult times, lonely times, times of utter relief when we have realized that yet again HE has provided for us, and certainly times of great joy.

I can't wait to continue this journey with the man that God has brought into my life, who has worked so hard, and who continues to follow the call of God even into places we could have never imagined.

My Husband and I after the Ceremony

Reunion at last!

It had been the LONGEST 8 1/2 weeks of my life!  

I was a mess the whole 10 hrs we were in the car on the way to Zac's Graduation.  I had spend the last 2 months dreaming about this upcoming weekend and I could hardly believe it was finally here.  I was so excited that I only napped for maybe 2 hrs the whole drive down and was almost bouncing in my seat the final stretch of the trip.  I'm sure I was driving my In-Laws crazy with the amount of energy I had.  I just couldn't wait for the next morning.

Thursday (Airman's Run and Coin Ceremony) dawned cool and drizzly.  The gloomy weather did nothing to affect my mood however.  I was still extremely excited to see my husband. 

We got to the base and walked to the stretch of road where all the graduates were going to run in formation past all the families.  Did our best to stretch out our banner where he could see it and anxiously awaited our my first, in person, glimpse of my wonderful husband!

Finally, after what seemed like hours, they started their run. 

 I stood and watched as my husband ran by with his flight and felt nothing but pride for what he had accomplished so far.

After the run we went to the Retreat Pad where we would watch the Retreat Ceremony (where they lower the flag) then the Coin Ceremony where they trainees officially became Airmen. 

We watched as they marched in, stood in formation and then received their coins.  As soon as the ceremony was over the families were allowed to go find their airman.  

I practically ran from my seat to where his flight was and after a minute of searching I finally found him!  I was so excited that I simply threw my arms around him, I didn't want to ever let go!

We spent the rest of the day on base simply spending time together, and with our families.  After the long weeks of waiting I couldn't believe that I finally got to spend time with him, talk with him for more that 15 minutes, and actually get to hug and kiss him.

The reunion was very sweet, greatly anticipated and made us both so very happy!

Back to Basic

We had not been apart more than 6 weeks before.... and that was the summer I went home to visit family right after we started dating.  Even then, we Skyped as much as possible and IM'd each other every chance we had.

This was a whole new experience for me.  I heard from him for less than 2 minutes the night that he left, this was when he told me that he made it safe, gave me his address, and told me he loved me.

I didn't hear from him again for about two weeks.  Thankfully at that point it was a 15 minute conversation.  I got to hear how he was doing, whether or not he liked it there and more.  The best part about it was just getting to hear his voice for that long.  I was grinning from ear to ear the rest of the week!

I had liked the Air Force Basic Training page on Facebook because I knew that they posted pictures of the trainees on occasion.  It was about week four when I found one single picture of him.

He's the one in the middle of the picture.

I was so excited that I sent it to most of the family and even called a couple of people to tell them that I had found him.  Just seeing him, knowing he was doing ok, and the weekly calls made the separation bearable.  

I think it was about 3 weeks into his training that I got my first letter from him.  Now, I had been writing him about twice a day since the moment he left, but simply seeing a letter from him in my mailbox.... at that point nothing was better.  I kept the letters and would read them a hundred times before the next ones came in the next week.

It was really hard for me, him being away.  I cherished every minute in the phone calls, every letter he sent, even the smell of his cologne on his hoodie that he left at home.  I had my bad days where I didn't even want to get out of bed because I missed him so much.  I also had my good days when I was able to write him an encouraging letter, or send him a picture.  My baking also kept me busy while he was away and helped keep my mind off of how much I wanted him back home.

I even had a weekly countdown, as any military wife/girlfriend/fiance does I'm sure.  My consisted of Starbucks Vanilla Frappuccinos.  I would drink one every Tuesday, starting the Tuesday after he left and drinking the last one the day before I left for his Graduation.  

I kept them all in my fridge at the same time, so that I had a daily visual reminder that the days were going by.  The empty ones would go to a shelf (where they still sit) as another reminder of how far we had made it so far.  It was a pretty good countdown if I may say so myself!

The 8 1/2 weeks at basic seemed to fly by and drag by all at the same time.  There were plenty of tears, stress, smiles and even laughter.  Holidays came and went and at the end I came to the realization that I DID SURVIVE!  

It is only by the grace of God that I didn't have a meltdown while Zac was at Basic.  There were plenty of times that I thought I wouldn't be able to stand another day where I couldn't talk to or see him.  But through it all my family and friends were there for me and so was Zac, through our phone calls and letters.  Plenty of people gave me words on encouragement and prayed for me and at the end we both came out of it having grown in ways we never imagined possible.

I can't say I would want to go through that again, but I now know that I can if it is needed.  Deployment is not something I look forward to, or wish for, but I know that if I can make it through basic then I can rise to any challenge the Military throws at us!

Extreme Pride, Hugs then Tears!

Finally the day arrived.  After over a year of working towards being able to ship off to basic the day is here. Zac stayed at a nearby hotel the night before and his parents and I met him downtown at the federal building to spend a few last hours together with him and watch him swear in before he boarded a plan to leave for Basic Training.

That morning I was a wreck.  I hadn't slept much the night before because I knew what was coming the next day and I was nervous, excited and a bit scared about what the future held.

My In-Laws stopped by and picked up Starbucks before we headed out.  Once we met up with Zac we sat and talked/hung out with brief interruptions when he had short meetings.  I could practically feel the minutes ticking away.

Finally, the time came when we were ushered into a small, private room where a group of recruits were officially sworn in to the United States Military.

I was so proud of my husband at that point that all the worry faded for a few, brief moments.

Shortly after he swore in my In-Laws headed for home.  Zac and I went to the waiting area to spend a few last minutes together.

They were the longest, and shortest, minutes of my life.  We talked about random, totally irrelevant things until the time came where we decided that me being there was too hard for both of us and I should head home.

He walked me out as far as he could and we hugged for the last time for 2 months.  I never wanted to let go!  After our hug we both turned and walked away.  I couldn't turn back to even to look at him one last time because I didn't want him to see the tears streaming down my face.

I made it outside and to my car and had to sit there for almost 15 minutes before I could head for home.  I had only just left him and already I missed him so much.

Thankfully that evening I went out to see a movie and have dinner with friends so that helped take my mind off the fact that the love of my life was going 500 miles away and I didn't know when/if I would hear from him anytime soon.

The night was difficult and adjusting took time, but I have survived and am now counting down the days until he can come home again!

The Journey Begins

Getting married is the most wonderful thing that has happened to me yet (Second to my Salvation).  

I still remember how our story began.... Our first kiss, first holding hands, walks in the park, even flying pigs!!!  

I remember how it continued.  Trips to the Zoo, walks around the African animals, my man on his knee, a ring in his hand..... It was one of the best days of my life.  I felt so blessed that he had decided that I was the woman that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

Next came a year and a half of planning, shopping, more planning, a bit of stressing, and even more planning.  The day was going to be perfect.  We chose a beautiful sunny day in the middle of June to be our special day.  We bought the decorations, rented the tuxedos, bought a dress, decorated the church and chose the rings.   I even caved in and got a manicure and pedicure, even though it tickled like crazy.

That day, as I walked down the aisle, looking at the smiling face of the love of my life I couldn't imagine anything better than having the privilege of getting to spend the rest of my life learning more about this man and loving him with my whole heart.  

We finished school a year later and moved to help in a small Church in Oklahoma.  Zac was the youth Pastor and I taught the children's church.  Things were going very well for us.

One day my husband tells me that he's been thinking about joining the Military.  When he first told me I thought he was joking.  Then we talked about it more and I realized he was very serious.  That's when I started doing some serious praying.  I was scared to death of my best friend going to war, being gone for undetermined amounts of time and never knowing when/if he would come home.  I knew that in order for me to be OK with this God was going to have to give me some of His Amazing Peace.


A couple of months later, with an unexplained amount of peace about the situation, we decided that this was the path God has chosen for us.  The next week he walked into the recruiters office and began the journey that has brought him into the United States Air Force.

It has been a long journey so far, and yet it has only begun.  If it weren't for the amazing God that we serve I would have never survived this far. 

At this point, I could not be more proud of the man I married almost 4 years ago.  He is determined, hard working and won't give up even when things get tough.  He has made a fantastic Airman so far and will only be more so with time!

Thank you Lord for the man you brought into my life to share it with!  I am more blessed that I ever imagined!

The Life of a Military Wife

In the last year I have become something I never imagined.  The wife of a Military Man.  Growing up, if you had asked me who my Prince Charming would be, he would not have been wearing a uniform.  However, through the direction of my all knowing, all loving, all powerful God that has changed.  
I have decided to use this as a sort of journal to document my life as the wife of a United States Airman.
I am extremely proud of my husband and look forward to sharing my adventures, funny stories and even my fears and trials with you all.