Graduation Blessings

Between finishing up school and my internship, saying goodbye to Ryan as he headed to training, preparing for my trip to Spain, taking it all in on my amazing getaway with my best friend from high school, and then returning to volunteer/work fun, there hasn't been much time for posting lately, but I want to remember how special my graduation was so I am just going to skip past all that for now.

I was actually dreading my graduation festivities. I ended up skipping my VCU graduation because I was tired from trip and knew it would be emotional going without my family since Ryan was in training already and my parents were on a cruise with my Grandma (which they loved and I am so happy for them). I had friends offer to go with me and I knew I would have friends there but I think half the battle for an Army wife is figuring out where your limits are and I knew that would be too much too soon for me. But, my parents were back in town for my BTSR graduation and I knew it was supposed to be special, but was I ever surprised by how much so!

I got into town and was able to pick up my VCU diploma quickly and easily which was a welcome surprise. I got settled into our beautiful hotel room and headed over to graduation rehearsal. I saw my good friend and former neighbor Donna right away and everything else that is going on in the world just fell away being in the presence of one of the strongest most amazing people I know.
It was sooo nice to see some of my other friends from seminary and surprisingly fun. My parents got into town in time for the dinner and it was so beautiful. Next to the actual diploma, the highlight of graduating from seminary is receiving the servant's towel. This year they made the towel ceremony extra special by reading a paragraph the President wrote after receiving affirmations about the individual from faculty, staff, and other students. This is what he wrote for me:

"You are a strong, bold, go-getter disciple. Your profound sense of call is evident, as is your deep and abiding love for your family--and for God. You are an encourager and helper. This towel is a reminder of Jesus' attention to the simplest kindnesses of life. As you know, we are the hands and feet of the Savior. His ministry of goodness, kindness, and salvation lives through us. It lives through your ministry. Serve with gladness."

I cried when he shared the family part. I was missing Ryan and remembering all the times I drove up to help with Pop during my last year of seminary. I was also remembering the joy of my Tate Mondays my first year of seminary and will always treasure that precious time with him.

After the dinner we headed to pick Sammy up from his sweet dog sitter, a former youth, and then back to the hotel. It was Sammy's first time in the hotel so he was a little restless but otherwise we had fun reliving old times of the three of us in not quite as nice accommodations:)

Graduation was beautiful Saturday. It was wonderful to celebrate with old friends who showed up to support us and to really feel blessed by the community and staff who put together a truly moving ceremony. It was so nice to walk with two of my closest friends from seminary and to walk through and thank the faculty at the end.

After graduation I went to take a picture with one of my favorite professors from seminary and she gave me the biggest hug. She had just heard about Ryan's deployment and she was so sweet about it. I learned a lot about Christian tradition through her classes, but I learned more about loving my husband through the way she loved hers. He was very sick and she cared for him in such a graceful way during my time at seminary. Then she gave the most loving testimony about him and their time together in one of the most amazing memorial services I have ever been to. She loved him with everything she had and she cared for him in such a selfless way until the very end. Love bears all things. I am so grateful she shared this journey because it helped Ryan and I to learn not to take each other for granted and it gives me hope that we can weather whatever may come.
There is so much more to share but I am headed to mom and dad's to work on some projects for the unit's send off. I hope that you are all having a wonderful Memorial Day. God Bless our troops and all those who have served.

Special time with our parents

Have I ever mentioned how much we love our parents?! We are so blessed to have basically grown up with each others parents and so its like we have almost always had two sets of parents who we respect and love dearly. I pulled two of my favorite pictures with our parents from the vault as I share how they made the past week before Ryan left for training special.
Shown here at Ryan's commissioning, we celebrated Jeff's 61st birthday this week and Mother's Day with dinner at their place Wednesday night. I was so tired from finishing things up at school and the internship but it was such a nice dinner and it is hard to believe it will be one of the last like that for a while. Sammy was actually pretty well behaved too (he usually just begs to play in their awesome outside when we go over there) and seemed entertained by their new robot vacuum thing (too cute). It was so nice to be able to give Linda her annual Mother's Day family photo book. I think this was the best one yet and I wish I could share the pages on here but you'll just have to ask her to let you see it the next time you are at her place:) Jeff is so hard to buy for but we gave him this book that Ryan had highly recommended for him to read so that he and Ryan can both read the same thing and have a better picture of what is going on where Ry will be serving.
I always loved this pic from our wedding. I wish Ry were in it but I am so thankful his Aunt Denise captured this of the original 3. My parents have been incredible in showing their support for us at this time. Friday night they treated us to Outback carry out since they were going there for dinner. It was a real treat for the homebody who wanted something special before resigning to MRE's and Army cooks. Saturday after I left Ry's unit I picked up lunch for Hillary and I to celebrate Mother's Day with mom and it was fun watching It's Complicated and relaxing together. Sammy spent the whole day with Grammy as his Mother's Day gift which was nice for me since I had a pretty full day. Yesterday we came back for lunch as almost always after a beautiful service at church and ended up making an afternoon of it. I have had UP for a few weeks from Netflix but we have been too busy to watch it so I put it on while I prepared lunch and we all got sucked in. It was a really sweet movie and of course we loved that the dog had a lot of similarities to little love. It was so nice to have all three of us plus Samson on the couch and to enjoy yummy lunch and ice cream after together. I don't know what I would do at this time without them and I am so thankful we get to spend so much time together. We definitely recommend this movie as a way to rethink priorities and relationships. It's not your typical cartoon movie.
So....Happy (belated) Mother's Day to you all! We are both so thankful for our moms and how much they have taught us and sacrificed for us over the years. I hope that you all found a way to make the day special and prayers for all of you for whom the day may be a difficult one.

19.5 years later

Applause went up after the final presentation last night and it carried on out into the parking lot. I am thrilled to be done with classes, papers, tests, and all the late nights and weekends I could have been doing more fun things. I am also sad I won't get to see my friends every week and won't get to learn from some really great professors anymore. Talk about some mixed emotions.

I am excited this means I am one step closer to getting a real job and that I survived what has seemed like a really long journey. At times I thought I was going to burn out but I really feel happy that I finished as strong as I did. I am so thankful Ryan and I decided I should take off of work during the school year for this final stretch. There is no way I could have managed that with my internships and ever spent quality time with him. I am so thankful to have been blessed with some really great groups in school too. Group work can be tough and especially when you have a group in all of your classes right til the end. We worked together so nicely though and definitely accomplished our girls. I was dreading research but I loved my group and will definitely be in withdrawals now that I won't be getting together with them at least once a week. I am looking forward to getting together with them just for fun though.

Yesterday was bittersweet, but I am all too aware of how painful it will be to drive away from the elementary school on Thursday and how I just might cry through my entire goodbye lunch with my supervisor. I always get attached to the kids I work with, but these kids really got to me. I know they will be okay and I will be okay and I am so thankful for what God did with our time together. It will still hurt though.

I am thankful Ryan and I both have off Friday to process it all before the unit leaves for training Saturday morning. I know I will need that and I am so thankful I will have it. For now, I am enjoying a day to get things done and regroup so I can be as strong as I can be at my last two days of my internship.

19.5 years in the making I am finally done with school. Wow, God is good! I cannot wait to get my MSW and MDiv in my hands and on my wall!

That was some party!!!

It would be an understatement to say that we were really excited to celebrate my graduations and Ryan's send off with family and friends. We had 83 people come show their love and support and we could not be more grateful for that. It was definitely an incredible party! I wish I could post all of my pictures from the party on here but I tried to choose the best. You can catch more of the pictures on facebook and I will post them to our picture site too. We are especially thankful to the people who traveled from PA, SC, and other parts of VA for the party.
This was the first thing we saw when we pulled up. How cool is this?! My Dad created a model so people could see what Ryan's unit will be doing over there.
They build bridges and no one will be falling over (some glue might have helped out the plastic dudes). We were so surprised by the way my parents and our other family and friends outdid themselves with speeches, fireworks, a presentation of service flags, great food, and company, etc etc etc.
Ryan's best friend from the unit and his Platoon Sergeant were able to make it. They got to help set off the fireworks and it was nice to hang out with their lovely wives too.
Now if that isn't a happy face I don't know what is:) The fireworks were a hit for everyone but the babies and Sammy.
I probably shouldn't, but I love how it looks like live fire coming out of the helicopter. At least the explosion is on the enemy's side and not ours, but hopefully there won't be any of that over there.
Ryan's parents look so happy in this picture. I am so glad they had a good time and were able to enjoy themselves.
Tate got the first piece of cake and Uncle Ryan let him have whichever piece he wanted, which was in the middle (of course)...too cute!
Carter may be my photographer's assistant one day for as much as he tries to get my camera:) Love this smile.
We didn't expect gifts since we had asked people to make or bring donations for the Wounded and Deployed Soldiers. We are so happy to hear that some people donated to the Wounded Warriors Project and we have three nice size bags to take to the military outreach meeting at church tonight. We were also really blessed by several beautiful arrangements of flowers (two pictured here) and Susan brought me to tears with her gift. It was a purse that was her husband's godmothers and she felt it was only fitting that Tate's godmother have it. I love that I am now a part of three generations of US Army Corps of Engineer officer's wives. I can't wait to use it at the next Dining In when they all come home and I have the perfect gold dress to wear with it that I wore at my Senior Dinner Dance in college.
I didn't get a chance to get a good picture of my parents at the party but we went to put the alcohol away and pick up the donations on Sunday and we had to get a picture in front of these beautiful blooms. We never intended for them to take over the party but they did such a wonderful job and I am so glad they had fun with it. Special thanks are due to Diana, Hillary, Tawnya, Kelly, Sierra, Jeff, and Linda for your help as well! It was really nice to be able to come enjoy the party and not be exhausted from prep because with what my week had looked like with school and the internship that's what would have happened.

What meant the most about the party was to be reminded of all of the support Ryan and I have. In the next year or so we are going to need prayers, people to talk to, fun escapes from reality for me, and backup in case things don't go according to plan. We were surrounded by a really strong reminder of that support on Saturday night and we feel so blessed by that.

Congrats Mr & Mrs Sabo!

Laura and Dave's wedding was so beautiful! Both the bride and groom were glowing and everything was just so nice. It was short and sweet and so meaningful. It was most likely (you never know) the last wedding before Ryan leaves and that made it extra special to me because I feel like Ryan and I renew our vows and remember what our marriage is about each time we go to a wedding. Of course our party clashed with their reception time but to me the ceremony is the most special part of a wedding. I know most people thing that is weird but I just think there is something amazing about seeing two people commit their lives to each other. I can't wait to catch up with Laura after her honeymoon now that both of our lives will hopefully be a bit calmer. Congrats Laura and Dave!

Party Time!

I had so much fun at Costco with mom Thursday night. We filled up two carts with lots of yummy things for all the people who said they are coming to the party. My list is at about 80 right now and not that it's about the numbers, but it means soooo much to know that people care enough to take the time to celebrate with us. This is an exciting time and an emotional time. I have waited to graduate for so long but saying goodbye to the students at my internship and to friends and the program I have known is harder than I had anticipated. We are both happy that Ryan will finally be able to get over to the sandbox where he feels called to serve, but a year is a long time to be a part. We know God will provide in both situations and we are so thankful to be at this point in our lives and to know that things we had waited for (a full time job for me in a career I want, a deployment under his belt, a house, a baby, etc.) are not all that far away.

Today I am finishing up some of the party prep, not that I have that much since some of our friends and family have decided to take over (props to my mom and dad for coordinating all of this). Then we are headed to a friends wedding and then we finally get to see all of the surprises they have cooked up. We are just thrilled to get to see so many of our loved ones today. Here is to praying for safe travels for all and a wonderful time had by all.

Last days of grad school

Monday was unbelievable. My two final group presentations were amazing and I am so proud of my group members. In the first one we shared the story of a Mormon couple who had lost a child at age 2 and were still recovering two years later as they morn the sudden loss and try to cope with parenting the child who was born soon after and reconciling their faith with the fact that the wife does not feel like she can have another baby. Classmates were in tears as we walked them through key points to be mindful of and what an intervention with this couple might look like.

In the second one, my research group who I have spent more time with than most of my family members in the past year rocked the house. As the final presentation of a long day of presentations in all of our classes we were able to keep everyone's attention with our pretty interesting findings and a sense of humor. I really love that group and am so glad we are going to continue to get together for fun now that one of the scariest and rewarding journeys of our grad school career is over. I don't think I have shared what that project was on but we interviewed local youth resource workers to try to figure out why there are more non-white youth in the juvenille justice system and yet studies show more white youth are using substances. We found that race and class were linked and those with money had lawyers and parents to help them stay out of the system. We also found that those with the most contact with youth had the least knowledge about substance abuse and treatment options and were more likely to leave it up to the parents to manage the issue privately. This one finding that made me the most frustrated because it is such a difficult issues not to reach out to parents or get the experts involved in cases where the use is a serious issue. Most workers felt like parents or another caring adult in the child's life is the strongest protective factor. All kids need someone to love them, teach them, motivate them, spend time with them, and keep them on track!

Yesterday I took a break from it all to have lunch with the boys and to catch up with Christen. I am so blessed to have such a close relationship with them. It was so nice to escape from presentations and papers and job aps oh my! Then last night was my first small group since leaving both churches. I missed having my place filled with a group gathered together to grow in the Lord. It was so nice to meet some of the girls I will be working with and to know that more will be joining us soon. The girls started off kind of shy but quickly opened up and I can definitely see that God is going to do some neat things through this group. Samson was a pretty big fan of having new friends over too:)

I'm off to my second to last set of lunch groups and am doing my best to stay focused on the kids since my time with them will be up all too soon. I will miss them so but my brain and heart are going in way too many directions right now. I am really excited about the party on Saturday, thinking about the job aps I need to turn in, realizing that Spain is coming quickly and I need to do more planning, and reality is hitting that Ry and I only have so much time together before the big D. One thing at a time and for the rest of the day, the time with my students is top priority.

Almost there!

In some ways it is pretty sad that I spent most of one of Ryan's last weekends home working, doing homework, and running errands, but Ryan put it best when he said that we have a skill for making even the mundane fun when we are together. The truth is that I feel so much better after having a weekend to get everything I need to done. It was so nice to have him here to encourage me and keep me on track. The truth is I had been dreading having to be at work while he was home on Sunday but it was nice to come home to him after he had a day to take care of what he needed to (chores, Army stuff, and video games of course).

Today I have two group presentations and will officially be done with the work for two classes and almost there on two others. I only have one more day of classes after this, hopefully forever. Tomorrow I have the day off and other than lunch with Christen and the boys and my small group, I hope to make huge progress on things I need to do for my internship. I have two more lessons to plan, goodbye folders to put together and cards to write. This all seems so unreal.

We are both really looking forward to seeing some of our friends and family at our party on Saturday night. I have no clue what my parents are up to and why we are kicked out of the house until the party, but it should be exciting none the less. Did I mention that they had an impromptu road trip to Gettysburg to get something for this weekend?!

Back to practicing for the presentations, switching it up by taking the Samster on a well deserved long walk. I hope you all have a good week!

What will heaven look like?

We talked about some pretty intense stuff in my last dual degree class yesterday and I thought I would share one thing that really hit home. The Pastor/Seminary Dean who co-facilitated the class shared that a lot of his students ecclessiology does not match their eschatology. In English that means they believe in being one body in Christ on Earth and reaching out to all people, but they believe that ultimately some will get to Heaven and others will not. This prominent church leader struggles with that and said so well what I have always believed to be true. If Jesus asked the Father to "forgive them, they know not what they do" and if his blood made it possible for our sins to be washed away, how can it be that some will not be able to eat at the table with the Father in Heaven? God conquered sin and death, so why are some in the church still so focused on Hell?

A Christian artist, Jennifer Knapp, recently came out as a lesbian. She shared that this is something she has struggled with for years and the reason she left the Christian music scene years ago. She felt like she had betrayed her fans and like there was not a place for her in the faith community. For more on her story see this wonderfully written article: http://www.advocate.com/Arts_and_Entertainment/Entertainment_News/Christian_singer_Jennifer_Knapp_Comes_Out/

How sad that someone who has touched so many lives and who is so gifted could feel so alone? The Christian community has been quite vocal since this story broke, both to show their support and to throw scripture and disappointment at her. What ever happened to the one who is without sin casting the first stone? I know I have no place for judgment in my life and that there is plenty of sin I need to work on addressing in myself. What I think people lose sight of is that there are all kinds of sin and some are so common we commit them everyday. Yet as a society we target certain "sins" and deem them unacceptable and unpardonable. I'm not sure how the all powerful and all loving Jesus I know feels about that. It's not my place to speak for Him. What I do know is that there are people in my life who I know and love who I believe Jesus created and called perfect and called to a purpose in this life.

Is being gay a sin? I still struggle with that because yes there are passages that condemn a man lying with another man, but as far as I can tell, Jesus didn't say anything on the topic. I know some pretty amazing gay people with a lot of love to give who are making the world a better place. Who I am I to say that they are wrong?

Is judging a sin? Absolutely! I know Jesus talked about that a lot. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ. We were all created to love each other and to live in community with each other. We were all given certain gifts, talents, and I believe even struggles for a reason. If we focus more on finding the good in people and less on finding their faults, I believe this world would be a better place. If we stopped worrying as much about right and wrong and simply accepted people where they are at and left the rest to God, I believe there would be more room for Him to do work in all of our lives.

The God I know is good and merciful. The God I know has given me so many blessings in this life. I know that I make Him sad sometimes and that I do not always do what I am supposed to do, but I know that His love covers me.

You don't have to agree with me and I am certainly not one to back away from any conversation where the purpose is to try to understand God more. I hope that if nothing else this post encourage you to think about your beliefs and what your understanding of God in this life and the next looks like. I hope that we can all sit around the table together and finally truly be one and at peace in His presence.

Grace and Peace to all of your lives my brothers and sisters.

Lots going on these days

I am finally feeling like a real person again. This past week may have started out wonderful with my parents anniversary brunch and a nice FRG meeting and been tough in the middle with being sick, but it ended beautifully. On Thursday my students were wonderful. I was out Wednesday and the kids I missed came running when they saw me and I was able to make some time to check in with them so that was really nice. I still can't get over how much these children adore the adults in their lives and how even the difficult ones have ways of showing they care. One student even asked if I needed to turn half of the lights out like last week when my migraine was so bad, how thoughtful is that?

Then Thursday afternoon we had our intern meeting with the lady in charge of social workers at Fairfax County Public Schools. It so nice to share with her what an incredible experience this year, and particularly my two social skills groups, have been. I think she was really surprised to hear the issues we have been able to address in this group and to learn about the partnership that has developed between the teachers, administration, and I. I am hopeful that she may encourage other social workers to set up such groups for their interns in the future. I think that would just be wonderful for the students.

Friday, Sammy and I got to pick up the love of our lives at the airport and it was so nice to talk in person on the way back even though army stuff took over the rest of the night as he headed right into a three day drill. Friday night I got to head over to meet my cousins new baby after Ry headed in to bed. Claire is so beautiful and so attentive. After she went to bed my cousin Colleen and I were able to have some quiet time to catch up. I am so in awe of the fact that she delivered her naturally and it was great to finally get to hear all of the details. Not sure what I'll decide when it comes time for my lil ones.

Saturday I spent the majority of the day at Ryan's unit. The Family Readiness Group (FRG) is in full swing now. After some fundraising at the unit, the steering committee and I got prepared for our first big meeting with other family members. I am so pleased with the turn out of 30-40 family members and we really pulled it together with a great meeting. Of course I asked that we start out with a game and I found this great game called "Common Ground." Everyone was split up into groups of 5-6 and challenged them to come up with the longest list of things the group members have in common. My group had the most at 27 (in 5 minutes) and it was really fun learning what we did and did not have in common. As time started to run out we got desperate and came up with really random ones like "Everyone can name a constellation."

Then I got to share a presentation about the emotional cycles of a deployment. I am so thankful God guided me in selecting what pieces to share. There is so much information out there and I felt called to validate their feelings and emotions by sharing what they might experience at each stage of the deployment process. I was really happy with some of the suggestions I found to make the next year or so of our lives run more smoothly. I may share more of that in a later post.

After the FRG meeting I headed to pick up the boys and Samson to head to my parents where my cousins and aunts and the rest of the Girl Scout crew would be hanging out for the night. I was so excited to see Claire while she was more awake and to get to hold her for a bit. Tate and Carter have never been over to my parents before but they were so cute and had the place trashed in no time with the toys I brought for them. I just love how Carter is in love with Sammy and how Sammy puts up with just about anything Carter does to him. Tate was a total ham and really got into the toys. The joy on both of their faces when Ryan walked in was priceless. I don't think either of them have ever seen him in his uniform and I was surprised that they didn't seem to mind it. It was so sad when bedtime came and I had to take them home but I loved that in all of this craziness I could make the time for them and it was fun passing them back in forth between Oma and I while their parents were at the wedding of the person who did my hair for our wedding.

I'm writing this as I am on the job for my first real assignment with that part time job I got back in February. The father is a sweet young Dad and the baby is an adorable almost two year old. She is kind of sick today but enjoying the time with him. I'm not sure why the mom won't let him have at least partial custody or why his visits have to be supervised but so far he has been nothing but attentive and so aware of her needs. It's so sweet to see a Dad who cares so much when some Dads might just walk away in this situation.

Later today I plan on heading over to see Sammy at Grammy's house for a few (Taylor was so excited when we decided to leave him there last night since it was late anyway and we were both headed to work early this morning). His May babysitter is planning on coming over to hang out with him for a few and hopefully I won't be too nerdy about him. Then its off to what is hopefully my last weekend group meeting. I love my research group but I love time with my love even more and he is actually home the next two weekends before he gets mobilized. Here is to hoping we can be super productive and that I can come home and make fast progress on my last paper for my practice class. It's due tomorrow and it was supposed to be my primary focus this past week but you know the best laid plans go out the window when you get sick.

Here is to this week being one filled with health, productivity, and a little fun family time in the mix:) I have my final dual-degree class in Richmond on Tuesday and will be learning how to teach the parenting class at ACS on Thursday night. It doesn't look like my small group will be starting up this week (it was canceled last week because the Youth Minister never had time to let the girls know or give me their numbers). I was kind of bummed but I know God has a plan and if nothing else it is teaching me to be more patient and to accept the fact that I gave up control of working with youth when I left my youth minister position. I know its a demanding job and trust that in time I will be able get in a groove with this youth pastor and at least I know the small group is going to happen soon.

I am hoping we can steal away another day on the boat Saturday and I am kind of bummed my supervisor needed me to work on Sunday but Ry wants to get what he needs to done on the truck anyway so that will be a good time for him to do that without me bugging him:) I think he is really excited about getting it ready to sell so he can get his nice new car when he gets back from "the sandbox."

Things are going so well with this visit I guess I will start working on my paper. I hope that you all are having a good day!

Countdowns

I have been dealing with major allergy and migraine issues the past week or so and I finally hit my limit with it yesterday on the way back from class in Richmond and decided to take the day off today. Okay, so maybe my mom had to beg me to take the day off...and maybe it didn't hurt that my supervisor was super sweet and knew I dealt with a lot while feeling terrible last week and told me to take as many days as needed because she was worried about me. I am so blessed to have people in my life who remind me to take care of myself because I am not very good at it and it's hard without Ry here to remind me that I need to not push my luck. So it's off to the doctor for me after my internship tomorrow since they couldn't fit me in before then and hopefully they can figure out why my meds and sprays aren't working.

I think part of why I am sick is that the world is coming at me with some pretty great and some pretty big stuff in the next few weeks. I'm just trying to hang on and get what I need to done while taking it all in. I thought I would share some of my count downs:

2 days: Ryan coming home and dinner with family from PA (including getting to meet my cousins baby!)
3 days: First Big Family Readiness Group (FRG) Meeting
4 days: First time actually doing my part time job with For Children's Sake
16 days: Ryan and my big party which my parents are so sweet to be doing so much prep for
18 days: Last day of classes
21 days: Last day of my internship
23 days: Ryan gets mobilized
28 days: My trip to Spain with Ashley
37 days: My VCU graduation
44 days: My BTSR graduation

I wonder where my new job will fit into this countdown? I found out a friend of Pattie's could use me for babysitting until I find something and she doesn't mind if I watch the nephews too and they all come to my house since Christen is going back to work soon and may need some help during the transition time (Sammy will love that) so at least there is some hope of income until the real thing comes along.

My parents loved their weekend!

In case you didn't get the updates from facebook, my parents loved their anniversary weekend! I am thrilled that they plan on making time for getaways like that more often and I was happy to offer to help plan future escapes. Here are some of my favorite pictures that they took from their weekend and might I add that I am so proud of them for actually taking pictures like I asked them to (can't wait to have time to make their scrapbook for it).

They started their weekend off at their favorite Chinese restaurant that happens to be right next to the Verizon Center so they didn't have to travel far to the game.
They both loved the game and it was a landmark one at that. The CAPS won and Ovie scored his 50th goal of the season. The team also was awarded the President's Cup at the game. They can't wait for their next game and I could not be more proud as a CAPS lover myself:)
They decided to enjoy their anniversary cake with breakfast in bed a la room service. They look so happy and relaxed in this picture, I love it!
Then it was off to the spa where Dad was massaged by the same person who massages the President and First Lady every other Sunday. They were both in heaven apparently and loved being treated like "royalty."
It was so nice to celebrate as a family on Sunday at one of our favorite restaurants. Thanks Diana and Jason for treating us. I loved hear my parents stories and the peace and happiness on their faces when I picked them up was priceless. I am so glad they enjoyed every minute of it and I hope to plan another surprise weekend for them soon, only on their dime this time:)

Happy 25th Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Here is the letter I wrote for my parents to read upon their arrival at the Mayflower while I got them checked in for their two nights there:

Welcome to your 25th Anniversary Celebration Weekend!

You all have been through so much to get to this point and have been such a wonderful example of working together (even when its tough), compromising, and having fun together. That is what this weekend is all about.

Mom has always said that after putting Ryan and I up in the Roach Motel in NYC we owed her a night at a five star (The Mayflower mentioned specifically) so we hope that you enjoy two nights of living in luxury in the nations capital with The Mayflower staff there to spoil you.

We love our dates at the Verizon Center watching the Capitals play so tonight you all are going to get to experience the top ranking hockey team for yourself. You can take the metro to the Verizon Center and enjoy a dinner at your favorite Chinese place before heading to the game. You should start making your way to the game by 6:30.

We know you both work so hard so enjoy yourselves and sleep in tomorrow. Order breakfast from the room service menu and eat breakfast in bed or eat at one of the local diners and take in the sound of the city in the morning. The Cherry Blossom Festival is going on and enclosed is a packet of information on the activities you may want to partake in. We hope you have nice weather for a walk along the water to take in the beauty of the blossoms.

Make your way back to the hotel to get your swim bags and comfy clothes on because you have a 2:00 reservation for a massage at the Splash Spa at the local Sports Club. You will each have an 80 minute massage tailored to your needs and having these massage appointments gives you access to their pool and facility the entire day. All you have to do is check in and enjoy. You can go there early, stay after, or come back later in the day to swim if you want.

Relax the rest of the night tomorrow. Order room service, a movie, or relax and read your fun books. There are plays at the Arena Stage and Shakespeare theater. They didn't look great but if you are up for the adventure, the box office numbers and addresses are included so you can check to see if tickets are still available if you want.

Go ahead and sleep in on Sunday. You may want to try a church service at one of the local churches or you can enjoy breakfast off the room service menu or at the restaurant in the hotel. Don't eat too much because check out is at noon and you'll be picked up to join Diana and Jason and I for lunch at one of our favorite restaurants.

Then its back to reality, but I can't do anything to change that and the truth is, your reality is pretty sweet:)

Be sure to take some pictures and to enjoy every moment of your romantic getaway in DC.

Love,
Erika and Ryan

They were so excited and stunned when we pulled up to the hotel and they found out about their other weekend plans. It is a moment I hope I don't forget too soon. I wish Ryan was hear to celebrate with us on Sunday but he is safe in Missouri and April 20th can't come too soon to see him again.

Yesterday was a doozy

I found that there wasn't as much of a need or outlet for working with the students at the high school I am assigned to and began spending more of my intern days at the elementary school I intern at because there is such a great need there and I can spend most of my days working directly with the students and providing additional support to the teachers. That changed yesterday. I came at the end of the day for my weekly one hour of supervision and my supervisor was supposed to be leaving early so I was prepared for a casual end of the day. It turned out to be anything but and Thursdays are already my intense days at the elementary school so just when I didn't think I had any more to give and was battling an intense migraine as it was, God showed me I could handle a little more...

One of the students from my autism group last semester was threatening to committ suicide and reporting child abuse by his father who he lives with. We couldn't let him go home to his dad or leave on his own because he was a threat to himself and others and we couldn't guarentee he would be safe with his dad. I ended up being the one to sit with him when he started to get angry after school let out and we couldn't let him go home until his mom who lives fairly far away came to pick him up to take him to a mental health facility. I don't think I have ever been so scared and had to stay so calm. It was amazing how instinct kicked in and to know that I had a plan of both blocking the door so he couldn't run and being able to move out of the way fast if he got physically out of hand since it was pretty intense.

I just got some great feedback from an administrator and a random teacher about it and it was helpful to hear from them what they think I did well and what I may want to keep in mind for the future. It felt so strange to be the one in charge of a situation I have never encountered in my professional life though I am all too familiar with trying to manage an out of control and angry family member because one of my cousins has some mental health issues and has always been super strong. It was also nice when I realized how supportive the security staff was and to have them wait with the student and I until the mom came. It was also my first experience working with an irrate mom who was so off base about the schools involvement with her son and blaming the school for the whole situation since it was "obviously because he is attention starved at school" when this student has so many adult and student mentors in his life it may almost be too much. I just stayed calm and did the best I could to diffuse her and make sure she knew and was going to follow the next steps in this situation.

I don't think I have ever had the number of learning experiences that I have had this year between the two schools. I have dealt with such a wide variety of issues and such a diverse population of students. I am so thankful for this experience and so sad it is about to end. I do not want to leave these students but such is life.

I better get back to case notes but stay tuned for a post about my parents surprise anniversary getaway once I drop them off for it this afternoon. So excited!

Happy Easter

We had such a wonderful Easter! I hope that you all had a blessed and joyous day as well. Hillary came over Saturday night to help with the final pre-party preparations and then we all went to church with my parents in the morning. The music was amazing and the sermon was quite powerful. The church was so beautiful with a different cross at the point with a scarf on it and flowers everywhere. It was also incredible how packed the place was and so amazing to worship with that many people and a sweet baby in front of us clapping to the music. After church we came back and opened presents and finished preparing lunch for my parents, Ryan's parents, Ryan's Aunt and her family, and Hill. I forgot to take pictures of everyone because it was such a nice day and I was just soaking it all in. I still can't believe I was able to fit our regular dining room table and our game table in the dining room so that everyone could have a seat. The food was so delicious and we played games afterwards. We don't get much time with Ryan's Aunt and her family and it was so fun to play wii with Ry's cousins. I think our favorite times playing wii have been with them and when we played with the nieces.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from yesterday:
Mom and Dad being hams about the books we got them to enjoy on their anniversary getaway this coming weekend. Can't wait to drop them off for a weekend of luxury, pampering, and fun in just 4 days.
It was so great to have some time with Hill and to have a little extra help with the final prep. I don't get to see her enough but it sounds like that is going to change since we are just a little over 6 months out from the big race.
I love that Jeff got in on the wii playing. Ry said that he was really good at archery. It was so nice that everyone stayed for a while after lunch and it was so sad when I finished the last of the dishes this morning before school and it hit me that Easter was really over. The meaning of it is not but I love Easter and this is the last holiday I will have with Ry for a while so it will be sad taking the few decorations down.

The last countdown is on for school. Only 31 days until both school and my internship are over. I have mixed emotions about that. It will be so sad to not see my classmates and professors I am used to seeing every week for the past two years and even more sad to say goodbye to my students who I have grown quite fond of (there should be no surprise there if you know my heart for kids). I am excited to have my life back though because I think a regular work schedule without homework to work on at night sounds like heaven. Speaking of which, last night I saw that my resume got forwarded for one Fairfax County job. This still doesn't mean that the HR department will call me to set up an interview, but it is one step in the right direction and I am so grateful for that. I think my heart stopped when I saw that my status had been upgraded for that job and it really gave me hope that God has a plan for me after graduation, whether this job works out or not. Its not my dream job but it would put me on the path to getting licensed, which would be nice. I know whose in charge and prayers about my future job situation are still definitely appreciated!!!

Happy 1st Birthday Carter!

If you know anything about us, its that we adore our nephews. Yesterday our youngest nephew turned one and he was such a great party star. He soaked it all in and was so social at his party. Some kids get overwhelmed but not this one. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the party.
His cake was too cool.
He loved having everyone sing happy birthday too him. He was beaming from ear to ear.
Can you tell he got into his cake? Good thing that was just the smash cake.
Tate was not into having his picture taken but I was able to sneak one when he was talking about what he hoped the Easter bunny would bring (a quirt gun, I haven't checked in to see if he actually got it).He was too distracted by the party to get any good pictures of him with people but I was glad this one turned out alright.
I just love the kids funny face pictures. I hope they don't hate me for them later!

It was also my parent's 25th anniversary yesterday which was very exciting but mom was kind of sick so they passed on the party. Glad she was feeling better today for our Easter celebration. More on that in the next post.

Boys and Easter time

I got a few hours in with the boys today and we had a lot of fun. I finally got to hear the little man say a word and it was an almost perfect "cracker" after he had already eaten a ton of food. Where does it go?! The dogs were lined up waiting for something to drop but he is learning not to give them food even though you can tell he really wants to. Tate did not want any pictures taken at lunch but was a ham for me later in the afternoon, so funny to see his personality develop.
We went on a ride/walk to the park and the pond by their house. Though I was thrilled to go for a walk with them, I was not looking forward having to carry Carter and the bike up hills but Tate did really well with a little pushing until the very end. I can't believe how much of a big kid he is now!
I asked Tate to pose with Carter in front of the lake and he was so sweet looking at Carter who was pretty tired by this point. I love the sweet moments between them and this picture is definitely one of my favorites of them.
When I got home I found two cards in the mail from Tate for us. He colored on them and was too excited about the fact that there was pink on mine so he told me about it today. I put the Easter cards we have gotten up next to our Easter tree. I have never put an Easter tree up before and I think it may still need a little something but I'm not sure.
We're about to head to church for Maundy Thursday service. I am really looking forward to it and just really excited about Easter in general. Last year Ry was already in training and missed it and I know he probably won't be back for it next year so we are going to live it up with family and friends and our new church family. As much as I love Christmas, Easter is what the journey is all about...

Just signed up for the Army Ten-Miler

I just signed up for the Army Ten-Miler at the encouragement of my good friend Hillary who is an avid runner to say the least and who for some reason has faith in my ability to make it across that finish line. She asked me to do at least one race with her while Ry is deployed and while I was thinking more along the lines of a Turkey Trot, when she pulled the Army card on me this week I couldn't say no. I have gotten so much better about my eating habits and about buying nice quality healthy food, but I have not been able to get into a good groove with working out. I think my fear of being dead last should be a good motivator! Looks like our family walks just upgraded to family walk/runs and hopefully I will have a decent and consistent schedule once I am out of school so that should help with training. I am looking forward to spending some extra time with Hill for training and to checking this one off my list. So please pray that training goes well, that my ankle holds up, and that this helps me get back into shape again. Here is to giving it my all for the next 205 days! And no, this is not an April Fools Day joke:)

Some samples from my latest order

I'm currently working on another order for the twins mom and thought I would share some of the samples I gave her. I love having these small orders to keep me busy with a fun project. I am so excited to go spend some time with Christen and the boys today after I finish some stuff for my research group. I hope you all are having a good day!

Graduation/Send off Party

I can't believe its almost time for graduation and Ryan's mobilization and deployment. The good thing is at least we have an excuse to throw a party. Well, actually my parents have taken over I think:) It should be fun and if you don't get an invite in the next few days and feel like you should have let me know because my brain is full between wrapping things up at school and the internship and applying for jobs.

In lieu of gifts, we are asking that family and friends consider donating to a cause we are passionate about, supporting the troops. Wounded Warriors and Deployed Soldiers need to know we care and appreciate their service. You can make a financial donation online or bring any of the items in the list below to our party in May. Thank you and this list will be in a box on the left side of our blog for a while too because our church is always collecting these items for care packages and the wounded warrior project does such great things so we hope you will consider continuing to support them. Thanks and we look forward to seeing some of our loved ones at the party in May.

Cash gifts for the Wounded Warrior Project can be made through:

www.woundedwarriorproject.org

Other items being collected include:

Magazines (sports, cars, weight lifting, etc.)

DVDs (funny/upbeat- nothing about war or depressing)

Paperback books

Pop Tarts by the box

Hard candy

Granola bars

Power bars (20% protein)

Sudoku books

Pages of jokes from the internet (keep it clean)

Washcloths

Travel size toiletries

Ziploc bags

General notes of encouragement

Spring Break

It is so nice to have four days to get things done! I even have one extra day than expected because my Richmond class got postponed to next week. Last week was just insane and I am so thankful for a full nights sleep last night and I know the next few weeks are going to be pretty crazy so I am going to just enjoy the calm of the next few days.

The plan:
Today- catching up on e-mails and this blog (you may want to look back at pictures I added to the past two weeks of posts), I dropped Ry off at work this morning and we'll leave right after I pick him up for our second Caps game of the season (woohoo!!!), and hopefully I will get some bill and job ap stuff done today
Wednesday- A walk with Christie and her dog Bonnie since its her Spring Break too, catching up on case notes for the internship, a relaxing night with Ry
Thursday- Time with Christen, Tate, and Carter and helping with party prep. Maundy Thursday Service at church.
Friday- More time with Christen, Tate and Carter and final party prep. Holy Friday service at church.
Saturday- Carter's 1st Birthday Party and my parents 25th Anniversary. Hillary's coming to help me get ready for my first Easter lunch at my house on Sunday.
Sunday- Easter Lunch for 11. So excited!!!

Last week was my intro to both the Family Readiness Group (FRG) at the unit and to volunteering with the youth at our new church. It was great to finally start doing things with two groups I have been wanting to get involved in for a while. I really enjoyed meeting with my confirmation mentee this past weekend and look forward to building a relationship with her. Working with youth is so encouraging because they have fresh eyes and such raw passion for the Lord.

Working with the FRG is certainly different than I expected but it was fun shopping for the fundraiser on Thursday night and making flyers. I love activities like that. It was sooo nice to get to see the soldiers Thursday night and to talk to them about how they are doing with the deployment coming up. It is nice getting to know some of the wives better too through this group and I look forward to our first big even with all of the families in just a few weeks.

A special thanks to my friends Tawnya and Kelly who helped me with the invitations this weekend. It was so nice to catch up with you all and to my parents who helped me with getting them in the envelopes (I hate licking them so props to you Dad for doing that part). Not sure how I got my papers done with all the extra activities that got added into last week and with going to see Warren Brown of Cake Love Sunday night with Mom and Diana, but they got done and I think they turned out alright.

It was so good to have Ryan home after just this four day drill, not sure how we are going to do the two weeks in April, month of May and then the year after that. Well, I do know how, with the strength and grace of God and the hope of finally starting the next steps in our journey:)

Camera phone pictures

A friend recently cleared out his camera phone and I realized I have some great pictures on there that I forget to share so here are some of my recent favorites:
Sammy loves to play soccer at the Deems. He found the last pile of snow to cool off in after running for two hours while we washed and waxed our cars.
Tate is a puzzle making pro. He put this together all by himself.

Carter was so mad I wasn't giving him my phone to play with. I was getting told off in this one so I gave it to him after this.

Sammy's new hair cut. Starting fresh this spring and I think he is loving his new look.
Sammy bugging grammy while she was helping me make invitations. I think this was his attempt to make her stop working on ribbon and pay attention to him.