Jackpot!

So, I felt like I hit the jackpot yesterday! I got two letters in the mail from Abel yesterday. One envelope had 3 letters and the other had 1. I have never in my life looked forward to getting the mail each day than I do now! I definitely took for granted the convenience we have in technology, not anymore!!

Overall he is doing well, but he said it is very tough mentally. In this phase, they try do discourage them and "tear them down so they can build them up the Army way". Not exactly fun, but what are you gonna do, right? :)

In one of the letters he was telling me that most of the guys in his platoon are young guys that basically have no respect for authority and they are constantly getting "smoked" meaning they're getting in trouble and they make them do a ton of push ups or other physical stuff, not letting them shower, etc. He said there are a couple of older guys like him in his platoon and he said they all understand each other and try to stick together but are all feeling the same way about these young kids, because they all get in trouble as a platoon. He said he was having a really hard time with this at first, but he said one day something just clicked in his heart and he is pushing through it and keeping his focus.

He said he likes his Drill Sergeants and actually likes Basic Training, except for what I explained above...one of the days they did Victory Tower which he said he LOVED! He was a little nervous about this because he's kinda scared of heights, but he said "it was sooooo fun!" Basically they have to scale up one side of this really tall tower and then repel down the other side. He also said they got their M16's (their own gun) and are learning all about them and that this week they'll get to go use them, he said "I can't wait!" :) He also said that they've done obstacle courses and some combat survival classes but said it wasn't very interesting. :) He said he can't wait to get out of this phase that they're in the "Red Phase", so he can move on and do what he came to do! So proud of him!!


So please be praying for him:
1. For the guys in his platoon, that they would get their act together!!!!!!!
2. For his mind that it would stay sharp and that he could keep his focus on his goals
3. For his strength, health protection and stamina
4. For his feet, literally. He said his feet are killing him, trying to break into his boots.

Address!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, I got the standard Army welcome letter today. It had Abel's address and the graduation dates confirmed for May 5th woooooo hoooooo!!! The letter was just the standard, but our names and the graduations dates were written by him and my heart skipped a beat just seeing his handwriting on the page :)

So if you'd like to write to Abel, here's exactly how you need to address the envelope:

SPC Vargas, Abel F
Delta Co., 2-39th Infantry Regiment
4th Platoon (Head Hunters)
10400 Hampton Pkw
Ft. Jackson, SC 29207-6820

Also it said that his platoon color is BLUE so when you're addressing the envelope please write the address in BLUE and then on the back of the envelope write a big "4" also in BLUE. This helps them to sort the mail faster.

I know he'd love to get any mail, even if it's just a short note that says we're thinking about you :)

Peace In The Waiting

Waiting...that's what I'm doing, waiting, wondering. When will I get that next phone call, the first letter. Why is waiting so hard?!
It's been a little over a week since Abel left for Basic and though I think I've experienced a roller coaster of emotions, I feel peace in the waiting. I have to honestly say I would never be able to go through this time without Jesus on my side. I cannot tell you the immense peace I have felt. Never in my life have I had this peace.

John 14:27, "I am leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give you isn't like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid."

Peace that the world gives, what does that mean? Usually when the world defines peace, it means the absence of conflict. I looked up the word "peace" in Merriam-Webster's dictionary, and two of my favorite definitions that it gave were:
1. A state of tranquility or quiet.
2. Freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions.

Jesus never promised us a life without conflict, but in the midst of all of that, he gives us peace, i.e. tranquility, quiet and freedom. And true peace isn't found in "positive thinking" or in good feelings, it comes from KNOWING that God is in control.

Philippians 4:6,7 says, "Don't WORRY about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."

I've started to connect with a lot of people on Facebook who also have loved ones at Ft. Jackson right now in Basic and the bottom line in so many people's posts seems to be worry. Understandably so. Many of them have very young sons and daughters who have never been away from home. Many of them have husbands or wives who this is the first time being apart (ME!), but I just pray that I can be an encouragement to those people and point them to the Ultimate Peace Giver!

So as I think of my husband today, I pray PEACE over him. Not the peace that the world gives, but the peace, tranquility and freedom that comes from knowing God is in control. God is in control of his loneliness, his fears, his tiredness and fatigue, his pain, his weakness. And God is also in control of his peace.

If you think about Abel today, please just say a quick prayer for him, I know he can feel every on of them!

Let The Journey Begin...

Well, friends, our journey has begun. Abel is officially in Basic Training and we are a military family!
When the new year arrived, I thought, wow, ok we've got 9 weeks before he has to leave, that's a good amount of time and then, it felt like I had only closed my eyes for a second, and it was already time for him to leave. Over the past month, we really tried to do as much as we could together, knowing soon it would just be Karina and I. We made the most of every moment we had together and felt our love for each other grow so much stronger. We did lots of simple things together, but we also did a few special things.


We went to see Toy Story 3, Disney on Ice
COTTON CANDY!!!! Yummmmmm!!!

Mezmerized :)

Of course Woody & Jessie had to come :)

And frozen yogurt afterwards...so good!

Then another special thing we did was we went to Build-A-Bear and got a special bear for Karina. They have an army bear, complete with his little uniform, just like daddy's. So we got this for Karina so that each night when we pray for daddy she can give it a hug and and a kiss and daddy will feel her hugs and kisses.
She named him Fuzzy :)

The day he had to leave, he had to report to the Army hotel by 6pm and then he could check out and spend some time with us before we had to leave him. We spent the day together and went out to lunch with his sister and brother in law and their daughter...


And this was our last photo together, moments before we had to say goodbye...

That was an extremely, extremely hard moment in my life. Saying goodbye to my best friend, the man I have shared 14 years of my life with, and have never been apart from for more than a week at a time. Having said that, it was also the most peaceful time of my life. I have never felt more peace in my life than I do right now. Yes he'll be gone for 4 months, yes, it is hard being away from him and yes it is going to be hard being the only parent right now, BUT the reward at the end will be more than worth it.

So, he arrived at Ft. Jackson on Tuesday night around 8 pm along with buses full of other recruits, and had to go through security and didn't arrive at their station until about 2 am. They had to be up by 4am. This whole week was spent in Reception, where they went through medical, dental and vision exams, given shots, haircuts, uniforms, boots, paperwork, etc...He was able to keep his cell phone with him throughout the week of reception but had to turn it in today when he arrived at Basic, they are supposed to call on Sunday to let us know they arrived, and then after that, phone calls will most likely be few and far between.

The first day he was extremely tired having not slept hardly at all, but I could hear the excitement in his voice as he just wanted to "get on with it" :)

While he was in Reception this week, the Head Drill Sergeant that they had turned out to be a very vocal Christian. During one of their formations, he told them this, "you are here for a reason. God brought you here to do something great. It was not a coincidence that you're here. Some people and even your family asked why you are doing this, but they don't realize that God has a great plan for you. When you're out on the course and you feel like you can't go on, ask for His help!" Abel said you never hear him cussing like most of the other Drill Sergeants do and he told them all that that was the reason why, because he has God in his life. Even though Abel will not have constant interaction with this Drill Sergeant, he told all the guys that anytime they feel like they need to talk to someone or need someone to pray with to just let their Drill Sergeant know and he would be happy to do it. Wow! I just thought that was so awesome!

Here's my Soldier! So proud of you babe!!

His dog tags (I had to blur out the middle cause his SS# was on there!) :)


So now, it begins for him...

Weeks 1-3: Red Phase

Soldiers meet their Drill Sergeants and begin training. While often considered a difficult week for Soldiers due to the adjustments, it is actually pretty easy compared to later weeks. Most classroom-type training occurs in this period where Soldiers learn about:

• Ballistics and Rifle Marksmanship Fundamentals
• Personal financial management
• Law of Land Warfare
• Uniform Code of Military Justice (Military Law)
• Dismounted Land Navigation (using a map and compass)
• Fundamentals of Physical Readiness
• Nutrition
• Rappelling and navigating rope bridges
• Drill and Ceremonies (marching)
• Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical (NBC) Defense (often referred to as the Gas Chamber)
• Fieldcraft
• Patrolling

I'll keep updating as much as I can. He's supposed to call me tomorrow with his address so if anyone is interested in sending him letters or cards, I'll post the address as soon as I get it. I've heard from SO MANY people who have gone through this, that for them to get something in the mail is like they've struck gold :)


Please keep us in your prayers :)

Carla

Happy New Year!

Well, Happy New Year Everyone!! We've made it through another year, and let me tell you, we barely made it through! It was a very difficult year for us BUT God has also been very good to us this year.

So it's sort of cliche to say, "a new year a new beginning", but for us this cliche could not be more true! Some of you may have already heard some of you this is brand new news. We have officially become a Military family.

Believe me this is not a snap decision, or a decision out of "desperation" as some might do, this has decision/process has been almost a year and a half in the making. We wanted to make sure we were doing the right thing at the right time. So through much prayer, seeking God and weighing all our options regarding this opportunity, we finally felt that this was the right thing to do. So here's what we're doing: Abel enlisted in the California National Guard and will be doing his Basic Training in Ft. Jackson, South Carolina for 9 weeks and then will go to job training in Gulfport, Mississippi for 7 weeks. When he's done with all his training then we'll be moving to Southern California where his unit will be. With joining the National Guard he will be serving one weekend a month and 2 weeks a year, so, he will still need to have a "monday-friday" job, so again we're weighing all our options and one of those options is working for the US Border Patrol. He'll be taking his exam for that next week. Abel's ultimate goal in enlisting is to become an officer and to specialize in intelligence.

We (and when I say "we", I truly mean WE) are so excited about this next phase of life. Never in million years would I have believed anyone if they told me this is where we'd be at this point in life, and even thought I know it is going to be extremely hard while he's gone, the end result is going to be so rewarding. Abel and I have never been more on the same page about any decision in our married lives and it feels so good. And to see my husband SO incredibly happy about his job and what is to come, makes my heart full and proud and happy. We joke around that he's gonna be the "old guy" at Basic (he is almost 34 after all!), but I know he's gonna kick butt! He's ready for this, physically and mentally. He had his first Drill weekend with the Guard in December and they already made him squad leader! He goes again next weekend and this time he's coming home in his fatigues, I think that's when it's gonna hit me that it's even more real!

I'll be keeping you updated as things progress...thanks for taking time to read about our lives!!

Traditions? What Traditions?

So the presents are opened, toys are scattered around, bits of wrapping paper still appearing out of nowhere, tree is still up, but Christmas day is done, traditions were carried out...or were they?

Earlier this fall, even before Thanksgiving had come upon us, I started thinking about Christmas, and all the significance, joy, wonder, beauty, fun, family, candy (yes!!!) and everything else that comes along with the season, yet I was very bothered and frustrated about one thing. Traditions. What were ours and why couldn't I think of one single tradition we carried out. Now, I KNOW of many traditions, yet if someone asked me, there was not one that I could say, "we do _____ every year at Christmas". We've been married 10 years and have a 4 year old, you would have thought I would have figured it out by now! (But after a conversation with my mom and sister 2 days before Christmas, things all made sense...keep reading down below)

Well, time went on and Thanksgiving passed, still feeling like even then we didn't have any traditions, and then during the first week of December, I attended my MOPS group (Mothers of Preschoolers) and the speaker we had that day, was all about...say it with me...TRADITIONS! Coincidence?? I think not! Not only was it about bringing traditions into your family but bringing back PERSPECTIVE to Christmas, WHO it's really all about, and simplifying the holidays. It feels strange to say, but I really felt like a burden had been lifted off of my shoulders and like everything started to become clear. I certainly can't explain things like she did, but she shared with us that by passing on traditions to our children, it makes them feel safe, loved and knowing their place and role in their family. Things that may seem silly when they're children, they'll want and expect when they're adults.

Some of the things she shared were fun and simple things to do, and some really held the significance of why we do what we do at Christmas.

Here are some of the things she mentioned that we started:

1. New jammies on Christmas Eve (fun!)
2. Milk and cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve (fun!) Now I know for some of you, you don't do Santa, and honestly, we don't promote it either and it doesn't over-shadow our Christmas, its just kind of something that happened, but it is fun and Karina definitely knows what Christmas is about (more to come about that in a bit)

3. Get a Nativity Set Devotional. The lady that spoke at our MOPS group that day explained how she loves to decorate for every season and of course at Christmas she put out her Nativity Set and she stopped one day and stared at the scene set out before her and wondered, do my children know the difference between this "decoration" and the significance it holds as compared to all my other decorations throughout the year? So God gave her the idea to write a devotional to go along with all the pieces of the Nativity, and instead of putting it out all at one time, each piece, (the angel, the shepherd, the donkey, sheep, etc..) gets put out one at a time and has a story/devotional to go along with it, and eventually building up the anticipation to the ONE who it's all about...Jesus! So, I bought the Nativity Set and Devotional to go along with it and we started it on December 1st and did it every other day all the way up to Christmas (you can do it that way or start it on December 13 and do every day). Karina (and Abel and I) absolutely loved this. She was so excited who would get to come out next, and hear the story of the character she would ask me EVERY day, "do we get to read the story tonight??" We also read the Christmas story in the Bible ever y time we did the devotional, just so that she would know the story and not just hear it one time on Christmas. By the time the week of Christmas rolled around, she could tell you the story if you asked her, and also when I would read the story, I'd leave out words to see if she was listening and knew what they were and she definitely did! I also heard her in her room yesterday playing out the manger scene with her little dolls and animals, and she had it all right! I stood there, with her not knowing I was listening in, my heart swelling as this precious child knew who this Jesus is and the real reason we celebrate this season.

4. Birthday Cake - It's Jesus' Birthday so we made a Happy Birthday Jesus cake!

Another area she talked about was gifts. She stressed, "Be Free From The List!!!" Something they have implemented is that they get their children 3 main gifts, coinciding with the 3 gifts that Jesus received at his birth, gold, frankincense and myrrh. We tried this with Karina this year and it was a little hard for her 4 year old mind to completely grasp the concept, but I wanted to start it now. If your kids are old enough, ask them to make their list according to the following:

Gold - it represented something very valuable. For your kids this represents something that they REALLY want, something they consider valuable. For Karina it was a little piano. She has been talking about a little piano for a long time and every time you asked her what she wanted for Christmas, it was this little piano.

Frankincense - it represented something about who Jesus would become. For your kids, it represents something that will help them grow spiritually. For example, it could be a Bible, or a CD that they like, or a movie that helps them learn important life lessons, etc. Karina wasn't really sure what she wanted in that category, so we're planning on going to www.adventconspiracy.org and getting a gift card that donates clean water to people all over the world, you can choose the project you want to donate to and then you can follow that project and see who's getting the water. I highly recommend visiting this website.

Myrrh - it represented a gift for Jesus' body (it was used for embalming). For your kids, this also represents something for their body. For Karina this year it was the jammies, but it could be anything from clothes, shoes, slippers, lotions, perfumes, etc...

Now, does this mean that your kids ONLY get 3 gifts??? Absolutely not! But it does mean that you can be free from getting your kids useless junk that will most likely go on the garage sale next summer, and it helps you to get your children, meaningful, thought-out gifts that represents your relationship with them. So ask your kids to make a list according to the 3 gift above and then anything else you get them is just bonus for them and you never have to worry if you got them "enough".

Sooooooo....back to the conversation with my mom and my sister that made it all make sense. Two days before Christmas, my brother in law asked my mom and dad what their favorite memories of Christmas were as kids and neither one of them could really answer the question, because, they really didn't have any. (I honestly don't have too many either unless I look at pictures and it kind of jogs my memory) As we talked more, we came to the realization that since both my parents come from a very conservative background, where they lived a much simpler life, no tv, probably no radio, basically where the ways of the world were very much discouraged. Christmas for them was not really as we know it today. Obviously there was not the commercialization of Christmas back then as it is today. So for my mom and dad growing up, for the most part Christmas was just another day where they had a big meal sometimes with aunts, uncles and cousins, and no one went to work. I don't think that it's not that they didn't "celebrate" Christmas, it's that their way of expressing it was not in the area of gift giving, or celebration like we know today. So anyways, since there really were no traditions being had during their growing-up years, why wouldn't it make sense that there were none to pass down to us? (Now, please understand me, I sincerely mean it when I say I hold no regret or grudge to anyone in my family, grandparents or parents, nor do I wish my childhood any different, it was wonderful and FULL of memories. God specifically puts us into the family we are born into for a specific purpose in life, so I believe it's our response to that which determines what we decide to do with our own families.)
So it all kind of came together for me, meaning that we've had to confront some emotions that are not so easy, BUT I'm already so excited for Christmas next year because, Traditions are to be had!!!!!

I sincerely hope that each one of you had a wonderful Christmas and continue your celebrations into the new year with blessing, favor and happiness, whatever may come your way...I'll let you know what's coming our way in the next post! Stay tuned!

P.S. I'd love to know what some of your traditions are, please leave a comment on this post or on facebook...I need more ideas!!! :)

Tea For Two

We all have one. We've carried it around for years. Neglected. Ignored. Haunting us. Yes, it is that one (or maybe more than one) box that you've had since you've been married that has never been unpacked, sitting there unused, yet you refuse to get rid of it, because "maybe someday I'll use it". Well, 'tis the case of the unused tea set for me. This particular tea set has been with us now for 10 years, through 8 moves, has been on 4 garage sales (it won't sell), and yet it still remains in the box, unused. "Someday, when I have a big enough house, I'll display it, someday" I said. I finally decided I'd give it to Goodwill...someday.

Someday has not yet arrived, and I am so happy it has not, because today that was all made history, the tea set came out of the box! I have recently been focusing on what my priorities in life are, and really doing a mindset shift of sorts and deciding what really matters in life. Does it matter that I have a cute little tea set still in perfect condition in the box, never being used? NO! Does it matter that I have decided to set aside a time each week to have a tea party, with this tea set and my precious little girl, and not care if the tea set gets ever broken? YES!

Today I told Karina we were going to have a tea party today and she said, "oh with my little play tea set?" "No," I said, "with mama's tea set, you know the one I have it the garage?" Her face lit up with excitement and she couldn't wait to get the tea set out of the box. I taught her how to pour the tea and hold the cup, although it practically covered her face, but she was thrilled to be having tea with mama. All too soon, this little girl is going to be into clothes and friends and I'll wonder, "will she still want to have tea parties with mama?" (I swear I've only blinked one time and she's already almost 5.)

Also in refocusing my priorities, I know I've been carrying around "boxes" for a long time, waiting to be opened up and used. I've known for a long time that they're there, neglected, ignored, unused. Sometimes, I've felt like they'd be better off given to "goodwill" better used by someone else. Well, I think some of my "boxes" are about to be opened (to come in a later post) and I am very excited. My Heavenly Father wants to have a tea party with me and I still want to too.