My Hard Working Hubby

Ok so I know many of you are proud of your husband for how hard he works, so your like so what your husband works hard! I just want to exhort my husband publicly and say what an awesome job he is doing as an army chaplain. He has taken on a whole new world/culture, and ministers to around 600 soldiers. He has already untiringly counseled hurting soldiers and their families in suicide, marriage difficulties, infidelity, depression, etc. He gets up early almost every morning and some weekends to go run up hills...mind you I'm still in bed hitting the snooze button and curling back up for a few extra z's. He not only works a typical "8-5" job, but is on call all the time. He has a phone for that and they use it...alot!! He answers and dresses and heads out for emergency situations. He goes to meetings, has to prepare briefings, does pre marital counseling, works out (again), plans for retreats, and much more than I can even name. He will go out into the field sometimes overnight, sometimes until way past his new 9pm bedtime, and sometimes for a week! Just to talk to soldiers about their issues and give them a chance to corporately worship God. All of this AND he is preparing for a month long training away in winter and a year long deployment in late spring. Austin is truly my hero. I am very proud and so blessed to have such a hard working husband who still finds time to take me out to Chic-fil-a for dinner or converse with me even though he is practically falling asleep! A man stopped us one morning we were having a quick cup of coffee before he had to go to work and said thank you for serving our country. I was beaming with pride. Austin just shrugged it off because he doesn't feel worthy of it...ah my hero! Makes me even more proud. I am so thankful for all our armed forces who put their lives on the line and for policeman and firefighters as well. You wives should be proud. And I am also thankful for their chaplains, who seek to minister by their presence to these men and women who put their lives on the line everyday!

ARMY WIFE DOWN!!

I should have known what with my previous experience with army aerobic classes, but I went anyway! Last night I took a spinning class at the Forest Fitness Center on Fort Carson. If any one has ever been to a spin class, you know that it is quite the workout. Basically, you get your own bike and your instructor leads you for 45min to an hour in biking virtually uphill, sprinting, standing, sitting, and some quad burning hovering that I could only consider as pure torture.

As I walked into class, I met the instructor. She didn't look that tough and was nice enough to ask me if I had been to spinning before and if I needed help with my bike adjustments. Confidently, I smiled hoping she would see all my spinning experience from the last few years. "Yes, I have." I felt confident at this point watching newcomers getting help on how to adjust their bikes and having to take a flyer on spinning. I had this. About half way through I was questioning my sanity...this chic was unsuspectingly tough. I had some soldiers in my class and they were barely making it. This was the hardest spin class I had ever taken. I was NOT about to let this class get to me. Something from deep inside me rose up and I decided I was going to defeat this class and ultimately show that little tough instructor my skills. I was NOT going to wimp out. I spun harder than I ever had...

I had a hard time getting out of bed this morning. I proved my prowess out in the fitness room, but I may not be able to walk today. Will I go back...you bet!!

Being an Army Wife

When I knew that someday I would become an army wife, I did all I could to know about and prepare for life in the army. I even got hooked on this lifetime show called Army Wives last summer. It is an awesome show and the chaplain even got some play time on last nights episode! (I told Austin I thought he could have done better with marriage counseling than this guy!)

Being as prepared as I was, nothing could have prepared me for how much I love it already! Of course, my husband is not deployed right now (probably May or June '09), but I am already so grateful for what God has provided here. I prayed for friendships, and I have already been over to one of the spouses houses for lunch and invited by several others. I meet women from all walks of life, but who are so real and have a strength I have seen little of in other places. I have been attending a ministry Bible study on Tuesday mornings called Protestant Women of the Chapel or PWOC for short. I know it doesn't sound riveting, but on those days I feel so encouragd and so excitd to be where I am. I guess you just make friendships quicker since everyone is usually always going and coming. And, you learn to depend on each other much quicker because your spouses are gone often. I have never felt like an outsider...I'm in the club. They understand a part of my life, no offense to my civilian friends and family, that is so important- my call to live this life and minister to people in the military. And in such a short amount of time!

Granted there are huge sacrifices that they make/have made and I will make in the coming months and years. Many of them are on there third or fourth deployment over the last five or six years! As one lady testified though, she doesn't think she would have become a Christian had it not been for the army lifestyle and her having to find dependence on God. Another lady in my Bible study last week, said she had never been to church before, but she knew she needed to come. What an opportunity to be used by God like never before.

The sacrifices are great... but there are some great benefits. I have this magic card now called my military ID. Let me just tell you it is awesome!! I get free healthcare and perscriptions...that's right I said FREE!! I get discounted and tax free grocery's at the comissary (that's the grocery store on post) and the PX (like a Walmart/Department store). I get free fitness center membership and I believe a certain amount of free childcare per week (when we have kids). And we even get many military discounts off post. Not only that, but in edition to Austin's salary we get an extra tax free amount for housing and living expenses. I'm not trying to brag here, but let you know that God has blessed and He is providing for us. We hope to be able to give much because we have been so blessed!

God is healing us as well from the trials of the last couple of months and is showing us new dependency on Him everyday! I love where God has us right now and I love being an army wife and a chaplain's spouse. HOOAH!!