Answered prayers.

Hi blog! You might not remember me anymore after such a long hiatus, but here goes nothing! Between sitting down and just not having the words, or the fact that I was incapable of sitting at the computer for more than a few minutes without feeling sick, it was a nice break and I think it's going to be good for me to jump back in (granted I have the time).

So my last post was about this new year. A year of hope. I definitely had the right idea, but I've decided to amend that to a year of change! So many things have happened in such a short amount of time I'm having a difficult time catching my breath. The first of our big answered prayers is our permanent change of duty station! We will no longer be tied down to Ft Bliss in El Paso, TX and I cannot begin to tell you how relieved that has made me. While I will seriously miss the friends I have made here, I am very ready to get out, to move on and to start fresh with a change of scenery. We will be going to Okinawa, Japan, a place I have not been to since I was a little baby. While apprehensive, I'm ultimately excited for the opportunity. How many people get the chance to have a paid-for move to Japan??? We could be leaving as soon as September 1st if everything goes right! But then comes change number 2...

I'm pregnant! With our little girl Scarlet Ariella. I have to tell you, we received our orders before we discovered this. Literally, days before we found out, Sam and I had come to the conclusion that we should stop actively trying with this impending move. We definitely weren't planning on necessarily preventing, but we had decided to stop with the tracking and just leave it in God's hands. Funny what can happen when you release control to the One who's ultimately and actually in control... Hmm. While it was crazy timing, Sam and I are both extremely ecstatic! She's due to arrive October 30th :)

Although so many huge prayers have been answered so quickly this year, it is still not without struggle. I'm still left wondering if our decision to continue with this move was a terrible idea. Overseas assignments are difficult enough, let alone doing it while 8 months pregnant! I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared to death! It's scary and emotional enough becoming a first time parent, but now I won't have any of the support most people get from friends and family. We'll be in a foreign country, where we know no one thousands and thousands of miles away from our family. It is EXTREMELY intimidating! This isn't even counting the move itself which is proving entirely more stressful everyday. Part of me wonders whether or not we should have cancelled those orders and waited, but deep down I truly believe this is where God wants us. This is not the first time we've had an option for Okinawa. We turned it down because Sam was JUST getting back from a deployment and we didn't want to have to hassle with an overseas move right after that. Now we were offered it again, and the timing truly felt right. This is actually a very difficult assignment to get within the Army. Okinawa is primarily an Air Force and Marine area. The Army has a very small niche on the island. I'm kind of thinking we're meant to do something important here, and judging by the road blocks we're encountering I'm starting to believe that more and more. And regardless, I am definitely relying on God more than I have ever had to in my life. I do not have the strength to do this on my own. I do not have the strength to make sure things are moving along properly, the strength to wait and see if things are going to work out, or the strength to prepare for the arrival of this child in the midst of it all! I am anxious, I am stressed, I am making myself sick with worry some days and I am trying my absolute best to take more time to RELAX for the sake of this baby. But, I have a FAITHFUL rock to lean on, because God is my rock! Praise Him for that!

I cannot stress enough how much prayer we need though. Prayers for rest, prayers for continued strength, prayers for the miracle of everything actually falling into place correctly!

I will make it a point to update as often as I can again. I think I need the outlet more than ever!