Friends

Rachel & I all ready to go horseback riding around Cappadocia

The scenery was beautiful and we had a great time!

Karese, Rachel & I being silly on a swing

All of us sitting inside one of the caves. Behind us was where they had wine making pits ages ago. Tonney & I have small glasses of fresh pomegranate juice

Outside one of the underground cities that we got to explore. The Kaw-uh family includes Tonney, Teresa, Bryce, Karese & Nate. They host a Sunday night snacks & game night time after church - we all love them bunches. Rachel & I were tagging along on this trip to Cappadocia.

Our adventure in Mersin... Rachel, Casey, Robert, Isabelle & I while exploring the "Castle in the sea."

During our weekend trip to Mersin and riding back up to the apartment in the elevator... Sharon & her husband, Robert, Deanna & Isabelle (the Parton family) and me :)

Just thought you would enjoy meeting some of my friends I've made along the way.

My Kitchen & Bit of Living Room

A few people have asked to see some pictures of my house and as I'm slowly getting things set up, I'll post a few pictures...

The view of my kitchen from the dining room

A view of the kitchen from the hallway that leads to the living room

Living room is in progress still. I'm hoping to get a real couch in the future, but what I've got works for now.

Hope everyone is doing well. Much love &

God Bless!

So when you don't do anything too stupid...

... You may end up getting promoted :)

Being sworn in by my commander (someone who I really admire).

Two of my friends/mentors who are pinning on my new Capt bars.

The great looking cake they got made for me. Was delicious!

My co-workers and friends who came to support me.

God has really blessed me in where I work & who I work with!

Thank you Lord for helping me not do anything too stupid and be able to serve my country in the process.

In God's Hands

David Graver died on Feb 17th and his viewing & funeral are on Tuesday and Wed. Please pray for Fran as it's going to be a lot for her. I know the stories of what he's done will be numerous and a blessing, but it's going to be a lot of emotions to go thru. Dave was her support, so please pray she leans on God first and then utilizes her family for support and help.

Above is a picture of Dave & Fran. His description of her at one time was, "This young lady has been my girlfriend for 37 years now"

as well as,

"The best wife a guy could ask for..."

People I'm Missing

I've had the opportunity to meet lots of great people, but there are always those who impact your heart more than others. I could go on for a while listing those people, but there are two on my heart tonight.

I learned recently that one of my skydiving friends, David Graver, is headed to be with the Lord soon. And it breaks my heart. I know that he'll be better off in heaven than here on earth but it makes my heart ache with the fact that I won't be able to have him around anymore.

This is a man who was in the Army and loved talking about his experiences. I can just remember sitting at his desk with him & looking at his pictures and hearing about the different adventures. He would do some skydives then as well and would mention how it was to jump so close to the ground versus the jumping we do now.

His love for his wife Fran is one of my favorite things about him. He loves her so much - she is & has been his sole mate. She has been with him thru the Army and the years since. She is at his side now supporting him as much as she can. I am so glad God let me meet Fran & Dave.

God allowed me to fly in the blue sky with Graver a few times and I hope I can do so when we get to heaven. He loved being in the Sky and one of his favorite skydiving pictures I'll post below. He got to go skydiving on the west coast and got a picture of him with Mt Rainier in the background.

Knowing I won't get to see my friend, mentor & brother in Christ until I reach Heaven makes my heart ache.

But God is amazing! And I will get to see Him again in the future.

There is HOPE!

The other person that I cannot wait to see when I get to heaven is my Poppop. He was a wonderful grandfather and there are so many times I think of him and miss having him around. His love for my grandmother, his joy in sharing God with the people around him, his focus on God each day and his love for his family have always made me admire him.

I hope that one day people will say that I am like him.

The only thing better would be to be told that I am a little bit close to what they imagine Jesus as being.

And that's going to take some work and years of experience! :)

Lord, please say hi to Poppop for me. And please be ready to comfort Fran with your peace and hug Graver into your presence!

And thank you for the hope I have of knowing that I'll get to see them both whenever I get to come see you! Love you Lord!

Happy Valentine's Day

I feel like it could be odd to be starting this new blog on Valentine's Day, especially considering everything that has happened in my marriage this 7 months. And yet, despite it all, I feel like God has blessed me in so many ways.

Most of all, I want to thank God for His love - "For God so loved the world, that He gave His one & only son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

No matter what is happening in my life, God is the One who will love me no matter what! Nothing I do will stop that, even if at some point I didn't want it. And how I love God for it!

God also provides hope... each day I go thru, I know that He will provide, He will take care of me, He will love me, He will help me and He has a future for me (if only I will listen :)

This Valentine's Day has actually been one of the best I can remember (Not that I remember a ton of them). It's never been a day that I focus on - I neither love nor hate it. It's usually another day in the week. But today, it started with a box of fun pens (40 of them - can't wait to use them) being left on my desk at work (not really for valentine's day - but God had a friend remember to bring it to give to me today). I also got a Valentine from my friend & co-worker Linda - who thoughtfully remembered me (& I think knew it could be a hard day for me and wanted to help). My friend Deanna later stopped by with chai (I never refuse chai), a sweet card, some chocolate, a small gift & a visit at work. I am truly blessed with her friendship.

I had two favorite parts of the day though. First of all, I got to be a blessing to Deanna & her husband, Robert, but helping to set up their bedroom while they were out to dinner. Deanna wanted it to be a surprise and had supplies ready; so while they were gone, I set up the candles all around the room, as well as wine and some decorations. I must say, it was truly beautiful! They were thoughtful enough to call & say thank you for the surprise despite the fact that they could have started into something a little more fun ;) The adventure of planning the surprise & setting it up was fun and the anticipation of hearing how it went off was a delight. The best part was that I could help two friends grow closer in their love together & thus hopefully in a more solid marriage.

The second best part of the day was hearing from my mother & the joy she had over getting some flowers from me. My mom does so much for me and I am truly delighted whenever I manage to show her my appreciation back.

I've always enjoyed being able to give to people, but sometimes, like today, the giving was better than the receiving. I think the Lord loves it when we learn that lesson (though I will admit that I will NEVER tire of receiving packages!!)

My goal for this year is to try to be more thankful each day. I don't always succeed and I know I whine/complain more than I do thank, but it's a start.

So thank you Lord for my friends, for my family and especially for days to remember Your great, never-ending LOVE!