Well I am officially back in good ol’ Alaska!
Coming home always has its pros and cons. You really have no clue what to expect until you come back to it….
...Thus, the fun has begun!
The first fun on my list has been reuniting with my pupkins again! It's been all frisbee, wiggles and tennis balls for the most part. I have missed him and his unique little personality.... even when he does things he when he knows he shouldn't. However, this time he showed no remorse!
No guilt to be seen in that face!
What a rascal.
I attended my first Anchorage 4th of July parade—and it just didn’t feel natural to be sitting at a July parade and not sweating at all! Haha—a refreshing change for the Prego!
Yummy funnel cake!!
The flag :)
Alaskan culture
The bagpipe gang
More Alaskan culture
The start of the many phases of cars...
However, this one is my favorite!
Doggie guides!!
The start of the military portion...
More old cars:
Alaskan culture...?
Japan relief fund:
And it can't be an Alaskan parade without the reindeer, now can it??
Too much fun!
Another thing I have enjoyed about coming home is the weather. Let me just tell you, the last couple of days have been absolutely amazing. In most cases, it goes from overcast and yucky to the sunny 70s and amazing (everyday but today… o well. Can’t ask for too much here, haha)!
No, that is not cotton in that tree....
And that is not snow!
Dandelions!!
Speaking of Andrew, we are 45 days into our 76 days apart. He now is stationed in Manas, Kurdistan. It’s a much better climate compared to his last base in Qatar, but the food has not been as good, leaving him to endure stomach issues (be praying for him) and the morals have been on the slope side as well…. It all comes with the territory of taking whatever you’re given, I suppose. He got to go on an incredible hike though—and he sent me pictures to post too!
His hike:
Update on the projects: I have started on the nursery this week (finally! Haha—I know: I am having a baby in less than 2 months and the last thing I dive into is the nursery… I am such an oddball!) The baby’s room is coming together and I hope to finish it up by the weekend (is that unrealistic aspiration??). I have started on the baby mobile (not complete yet), sewed some curtains, painted some old furniture/handmade pieces and put together the crib that came in today (thanks mom and Debbie!!). All of this hard work in hopes to push through these projects diligently and on the scheduled timeline for my projects. Here are some pictures to hold you over now ;) … forgive me as I had trouble getting some good shots with the awful lighting I had to work with… ugh.
Welcoming the beginnings of Elyse's room!
(thanks girls for the beautiful crib! It's perfect!!)
(Lacey and Jenn, I needed your help for these curtains! I am definitely not a seamstress and it shows!! Haha!)
So what are the cons of coming home? Missing the one who share a home with and missing my dear family being so near. It’s a tug at the heart strings, that’s for sure. I know one of the things I regretted not doing while at home was to let my hair down and give myself permission to feel and to let others know I love/miss them just as much as they expressed to me. I guess I just get into a “let’s not make this a river of tears session every visit”… but really, if I do love my family and I do feel like crying, I need to let myself cry. I need to remember its ok to care as much as I do about my family. Yet every time, without fail, I put up my guards and try to prevent as much feeling and tears as necessary… or lately, at all. It’s a sad dynamic, but I really do need to pray about changing…. I do miss my family. And I love them. So here’s to you lovely family of mine! Hopefully next time you see me, I will have allowed God to soften my heart to embrace feeling. After all, that’s what makes us human … and it was beautifully designed that way!
And yes, I am already feeling the pang of longing as I think about how much I miss my wonderful husband. He is indeed wonderful. I already knew I had a good husband, but I am again reminded of how good I have got it when I have my husband take care of matters/problems from hundreds of miles away, in a different country and on a different time zone. Ladies, these are the men you need to look for: the ones who will take care of you no matter what or where they are! I am so blessed, and I have no idea have the time….
And this is not to denote us girls by any means and say we cannot take care of ourselves (I am the first to disprove this one!), but I do believe God designed our marriages to reflect the Heavenly Father-Son relationship. It is good we have the leader of our relationship’s support and additional input before we go forth in certain decisions or push towards an involvement. Just like Jesus did not do anything on his own without his Father’s care, direction and help, our relationships should be modeled in the same way to reflect this dynamic to the world. When displayed appropriately, people will be able to see the gospel as it was intended to shine in our marriages.
The next couple of days, I plan on reading a book that speaks of gender issues in the church. I have been meaning to read this book for a while too (… I have been meaning to go through a lot of books in fact-- especially the thousands of baby books stacking high! Haha!) As I go through the book, I will share my thoughts on the discussed issues in more detail.
Well, I suppose that is it for now…
Until next post, BLESSINGS! XOXOXO