14 January 2012

2012?

I'm not sure about the rest of you, but I still write 2010 on important documents, checks, lesson plans, and everything else in between...and now you mean to tell me it's 2012? Time is flying by, or so it seems!

I am going to award myself "worst blogger ever" award...life is so busy! After work, going to the gym, convincing myself to make dinner even if it is only for myself, I just can't seem to want to sit in front of the computer... :)

So, here's a hasty recap of life...
We had a whirlwind of a December; I'm not sure I've ever felt so many emotions in one month. The month started off with the Angel tree drive I was in charge of at school...let's just I made good work of the Wal-Mart toy department in less than 2 hours one school day. I'm not sure I'm going to bite off an a project that big again with a school as small as ours, but Praise the Lord, we got it done! And I also realized that while guys may be eager to help in wrapping presents, they usually don't have a clue about what they're doing... I'm talking using several different sheets of wrapping paper, enough tape to bind a wound...hilarious! Definitely unwrapped several and then rewrapped them!

That was Thursday. That weekend, I was looking forward to de-stressing from the week and packing my bags because Brian was slated to be home for R &R for 2 weeks and I needed to get in gear for his arrival! That was until Saturday...
We lost 3 men from Brian's platoon to an IED blast, and let me tell you; it was the hardest week of my life. I'm not sure I've ever cried as much as I did that week; the heartache and sorrow I felt for those families (we knew several of them well) was almost too much to bear. To add on top of that, I was bound by confidentiality standards from the Army, so I had to keep it quiet until the details were sorted out. Thankfully, the Lord has provided some incredible friends here for me to talk to and cry on. Our Battalion's leadership here and overseas is wonderful, and they helped us navigate the week as well as possible. It was so difficult to go to work every day that week, feeling as if I wanted to do everything but at the time could do nothing...I don't like feeling useless, but that week demanded a lot of patience on all our parts. I haven't had to deal with death much in my life, thankfully. I still have all my grandparents, and death hasn't brushed our family the way is has some of my friends. It was such a surreal week; you realize your own life is so fragile, you have a difficult time accepting it actually happened, especially because it happened so far away from us all, and you worry about the ones left behind. It brings the reality of war, and daily life, into focus a little better. Your prayers and thoughts for Brian during this deployment are so appreciated and felt so deeply; He has provided for us in so many ways, keeping him safe and healthy.

The Lord knew we'd need each other after this; the week it happened I was only able to talk to Brian about it for about 10 minutes total, and if you know me, I wanted (and needed...) more time with him. So, praise the Lord, he came home for R &R! My principal is so understanding and let me take the entire last week off of work...God is so good! Our two weeks together were wonderful; we got to spend so much time together with our families and our friends, as well as by ourselves. And, the 2 weeks felt LONG! Praise the Lord! The "Army road" usually means missed holidays and special events, but we've been so blessed to have the last 2 Christmases together! We'll miss some other important landmarks this year, but you start to realize that one day on the calendar doesn't hold some secret power to make it more special than another; while something important or exciting might be happening/have happened on that day, you learn that any day of the year can be May 15 if you want it to be :)

Ok enough with the sappiness, onto resolutions! Haha, for once in my life I'm actually making some! I even wrote them down and framed them...getting serious here people! :) I'm a little chicken to admit them here (hello, what if I fail? haha!) but here goes...
Be more intentional in my friendships
Be more intentional with the Lord
Eat better...seriously, cooking for one is no fun! :)
Run a marathon (I swore I'd never do this, but suddenly after you get a few half-marathons under your belt, you begin to toy with the idea of a full...yes, I am deranged, I fully admit that)

I'm sure there's more, but they're downstairs and if I looked at them I might become depressed-ha!

And for the most exciting news of all time: I'm going to have a nephew! I seriously cannot wait for him to get here! Thankfully my sister-in-law, Lindsay, does not seem to mind the fact that I (gently) attack her belly every time I'm around her...she's seriously the cutest preggo woman you'll ever see. I probably need to back off lest I become the overbearing aunt...haha!

2012 also marks the fact that we've lived in El Paso for a full year now! And believe it or not, I actually like it here. I enjoy teaching, I LOVE my friends and my church, and the desert, while not home, feels like home for now. I don't want to wish this year away, but if July came tomorrow, I wouldn't be sad... :)
To add to my self-awarded bad-blogger title, I apologize for I feel this blog is all over the place...I'm out of practice! :) Happy January! Because let's not kid ourselves; I probably will forget to do this again until February :)

5 comments:

Jessica said...

Oh Rebecca, this made me cry. I'm so sorry that this all happened so close to you. I cannot even imagine what this all feels like. How great that Brian could come home to you!
I know that you are super busy, but we are always right here! And with Andrew, I have to cook dinner whether Trey is home or not.. so if there is any night you especially don't feel like cooking, there's always a hot.. errm.. well.. warmish meal here!

Erica DeSpain said...

Definitely teared up reading about what happened with Brian's platoon. I honestly can't imagine what you went through. I am ready for July to be here for your sake! :) Erica

Shananigans said...

My favorite part was that May 15th can be any day. SO true. Keep up the writing. You truely are an inspiration! PS-marathon...over-rated. Haha I have a little over a month until the big day and the training has been intense. I'm honeslty ready to get this sucker over with! I'm sticking to halves from now on:)

D.Cooper said...

Sooooo glad to see you blogging. Had a meal with Lindsay Sunday and love keeping up with her belly too! She is a month ahead of Elizabeth, so I get to imagine about how Elizabeth is looking too! You and Brian are in our prayers. So sorry for all the trauma you have been through with the loss of the friends. You are thought of a lot and we miss you!

H said...

Becca- thank you so much for sharing your experiences, they've been a great source of much needed insight for me. I found your blog before moving to Ft. Benning, after searching for what to expect while my hubby's in IBOLC. After reading this post, my heart wrenched for you and Brian. I don't know what the Army life has in store for us, but I hope to be strong and provide insight for others just as you have done for me. I pray for Brian's safe return home, and for your comfort while he's away.
Ashton

P.S. great job on the run...and I LOVED the tanks!