Goal: To make it through this post without my eyes leaking…
Ten years ago today, (TEN YEARS?!?!) God threw me a curve ball that I was in no way expecting. It has been a horrible day… Many of my close friends were experiencing great loss, and I had spent the day either on the phone receiving/relaying heartbreaking news or shut in my room crying. That night, Becky Fouard and Emily Loeb begged me to go to Aggieville with them. After all, fellow Clovia sisters Amber Seibert and friends were in town. I didn’t want to go. But I did anyway.
That was THE night that I met THIS MAN. I was 40 days from graduation and thought I had my entire life figured out (wrong). This guy found me on the dance floor and we cha-cha-slid our way into great conversation.
The rest, as they say, is history. I was unexpectedly twitterpated. The next Friday, we went on our first date, which is when this picture was taken… (THAT SMILE! THOSE EYES!) Then he left the state for two straight months. #TasteOfArmyLife I remember the second thing he told me (via FB messenger) was that he “was in the infantry in the army, and probably wouldn’t be able to give me the time or the attention I deserved.” I scoffed and rolled my eyes, saying to my roommates Kally Smith, Kaitlyn Peine and Robin Blume, “Sheesh. This dude needs to settle down. It’s not like I’m gonna marry the guy!!”
And then God laughed and laughed.
I always told Brandon he sure peaked early with receiving birthday presents in our relationship, since in 2009 he essentially got an awesome future wife as a birthday gift! (Humility not included, apparently).
Happy birthday, my Beloved. So glad God’s plans are better than mine. So glad that mama Cj Lacey was right when she said that when I met “The One” I would face plant (I did). Thanks for taking me on that first date and holding my hand at the College of Ag concert in Weber area (and making all of my animal science friends totally wig, texting me wanting to know if it was true I was holding hands with with a boy!!!) I love you and miss you dearly and can’t wait to feel all twitterpated holding your hand again in a few more months!
(Is it misty in here or is it just me? AHEM).
Things we love: Saint-like Aunts who drive 12 hours to help parent for a week (and allow me to go on PWOC retreat!!!) and best friends who take pictures and capture smiles that transcend our circumstances. We love and miss you, husband/daddy. Hope you had a wonderful birthday!!!
***
New deployment motto: When in doubt, get a cake. Just kidding. But seriously. We implemented some mandatory fun last night to celebrate our dear soldier’s birthday from literally 6,500+ miles away. And yes, Flat Daddy “Blew” out the candles. And yes, Charis was angry about it. And yes, we relit all the candles to let the kids blow them out a second time. And yes, this is the third birthday our family has celebrated in 6 weeks, so yes, Malick thinks there should be cake + fire every two weeks from here on out. And yes– AUNT Jackie Knobloch IS HERE!!
***
Deployment Log, Day 173:
1. Deployments are so awesome. Especially this one. It’s my fave.
2. APRIL FOOLS.
3. It’s almost crazy to me how one night of yucky sleep changes your whole attitude. Malick decided sleeping was overrated last night so I was extra twitchy today. Meh.
4. I’ve been trying get our cars registered in Texas because they conveniently expired last Thursday on Brandon’s birthday. (Not on the last day of the month like I thought. Neat). Thanks, Georgia!
5. I’m not typically a procrastinator, but since I didn’t get a renewal reminder (per the moving from another state business) it kept slipping my mind.
6. I also discovered that TX requires an emission inspection. So I thought I would enlist Aunt Jackie’s help and knock it out before going on PWOC retreat last Friday.
7. Good news, the Mariner passed with flying colors.
8. Not-so-good news: The truck didn’t. Because it’s battery was toast (I was wondering why it was going ka-putt after just a week of sitting…)
9. Fun fact: When they replace the battery ($192 later) it reset all the computer monitor sensor thingys in it (that’s the technical term, I’m sure).
10. So they said I needed to drive it a bit and it should reset the drive cycle. They said to the West side of the mountains and back (about 50 miles) should do. So I drove it to Las Cruces for the weekend for PWOC retreat. (Probably 80+ miles).
11. Took it in again yesterday. Failed inspection because the magical circuit stuff hadn’t complete reset. Drove another 50+ miles, aimlessly around El Paso.
12. Took it back in this morning. Failed AGAIN. I was super frustrated, since it isn’t like a pop in/out project. At least 30-60 minutes per trip. I asked the guy HOW FAR I NEEDED TO DRIVE IT and he was like, “I dunno. 50 miles should do it…” He got a little snarky with me and told me that whoever normally drives it should just drive it like they normally do.
13. Great idea. EXCEPT THAT DRIVER IS DEPLOYED TO KOREA. AND I DON’T HAVE TIME TO JUST DRIVE THE TRUCK AROUND JUST FOR THE FUN OF IT. Because I love Jesus, I stopped talking and just left. (I was very tired and emotional. Blurg). I may or may not have (briefly) cried in the parking lot.
14. I looked up specifically how to reset the drive cycle on the truck and I’m not even kidding… The “short cut” way to do it was CRAZY. It was like “start the truck cold in the morning. Turn on the air conditioner. Wait 60 seconds. Put your foot on the break, then shift through all the gears, waiting 20 seconds each. Pull out on a side road and drive 15 miles per hour for 1/4 of a mile. Don’t take any sharp turns or slosh the gas. Take it over 8 speed bumps and be sure to get epic air. Say 6 Hail Marys. Do 14.5 push-ups. Then eat a fried green tomato while walking backward singing Kumbaya” or something like that. RIDICULOUS, I tell you.
15. After two trips to the registration office, the Mariner is officially a Texas vehicle now. Yay.
16. Enough about that: PWOC retreat was good. So grateful Aunt Jackie made the (long!) 12 hour drive across the state to be with the kids so I could go!
17. I also went to see the movie “Unplanned” yesterday with some PWOC sisters. It is a powerful story. I highly recommend it (and don’t be intimidated by the Rated R rating. I think that’s a little overstated. PG-13, yes. R? I don’t really think so. Not nearly as graphic as I imagined a movie about pro-choice/pro-life would be.
18. It’s a heavy homework week for me. Two big writing projects. I’m trying to be cool with the fact that I didn’t really get much of it done today, since I spent half the day messing with the car situation then taking a nap this afternoon just so I could function (and not cry at every little silly thing that stressed me out).
19. I fantasized today about having a personal assistant. Can you imagine how milfams would thrive if the army issued us a personal assistant during times of separation by duty? I envision someone following me around with a clip board and taking notes as I talk: “Be a doll and contact Oriental Trading Post about the item I ordered but received it broken. Please find three credible, peer-reviewed journal articles about assessment in trauma counseling, published in the last 5 years. Afterwards, if you could pick up groceries (the list is on the fridge) and fold the laundry, that would be wonderful. Oh, I think Malick dumped sand in the kitchen again too. Afterwards, please drive the truck around El Paso for a few hundred miles then take it back into the shop for emission inspection. Print those three Love Letters from God then laminate them. Finally, if you could update and close out our family budget for March, then swing by Starbucks and grab me a venti iced Americano with a splash of almond milk, that would be lovely.”
(Any takers for this position? I’m a big tipper…)
20: Prayer requests: That I can get the truck registered sooner than later (with minimal stress and no citations for driving with an expired tag!); peace with all of the tasks that need to be accomplished this week and joy as I parent. My heart’s desire is to BE WITH my kids more than I DO FOR my kids, but I seriously don’t know what that looks like in this season.
21. Closing thought: “But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” ~2 Chronicles 15:7
