random

i have a few completely unrelated things going on with me right now and while they dont really have anything to do with the other, humor me and just pretend to follow. first of all, i am actually experiencing a brief and im certain all too fleeting moment where there is a tinge of excitement at the korea move that is now a guaranteed part of my near future. we received a sponsors letter recently and discovered that pat's new squadron has partnered with a place in the community that has me actually longing to be there. get this, they volunteer at a local orphanage right off the base. how awesome is that? i really believe this is one of those "i spys" as my mom calls them. its basically when God just reveals to you in tangible ways that He really is in control and looking out for you. He really doesnt have to bless me that way or give me something other than the shopping to look forward to, but low and behold, theres an orphanage that i can be a part of. i cant imagine too many things i would rather do than love on those most in need of it. i cant wait.

onto the other thing going on with me that actually does relate to the korea move. youll have to rewind with me back about 4 years when we were in the process of selling our first home (by owner), selling our car, packing our belongings, resigning from a dream job and relocating to hawaii. oh, and of course hiring a pet travel agent to get us through the 32 pages of absolutely insane requirements to bring our beloved abe with us. it was during this time as with any particularly stressful move in the military that patrick had to leave to attend a 2 month class in sunny florida to prepare him for his new job in hawaii. (every other military spouse reading this is nodding their head in agreement as they remember their all too similar situation.) God was amazingly good to us, selling our home within 30 minutes of our first open house, having my best friend buy our car, not completely shady movers packing us (although, i did mention to my mom on the phone while they were packing our house that i had just cashed the 'good faith' check of $1200 that day and was worried about all that cash...neither my parents nor i slept well that night as i was sure one of my underpaid movers on work release was going to break in and kill me for the money...just another lesson learned...dont discuss the large amounts of cash you have while you are home alone in an empty house while your husband is boating, i mean working in sunny florida). and while leaving my dream job has left me with moments of deep regret and sadness, it has also left me with a lifetime of good memories and gratitude that i was able to have that experience ever, much less for 3 whole years. but anyway, during this time of transition, i began to notice that i couldnt take a deep breath. silly, huh? it lasted for a few months as we waited for the moving process to die down. there was the family vacation patrick couldnt go on, the 37 day roadtrip across country which was a total blast, but still the breathing issues persisted. then of course there was the month we lived in a hotel on waikiki beach, which was great too, for a vacation, but the reality that we were being outbid on homes, rentals were not an option because of our pony of a dog, the waiting list at the base was 6 months and we only had one month before our hotel bill and subsequent housing issue became our responsibility made for some really stressful days. again, breathing issues persisted. all the while, my mom tried to reassure me it was anxiety. whatever. she has no medical degree and clearly i was not anxious about anything. afterall, this is paradise as everyone reminded me. what could i be so stressed about? of course these "issues" were really just great avenues for God to pour out the blessings on us. on our last day at the hotel, the base called and they had a house for us which just so happened to be located on the same street that would house some of our best life long friends. all that worrying for nothing. within a few days, the breath i couldnt get for 3 months was there and i didnt think about it much again. until yesterday. yesterday would be the day that this little ailment arrived again. hmm, perhaps my mom has a masters of the obvious and this could potentially be anxiety related. im not feeling stressed. i mean, we have 6 weeks until movers are supposed to be here, we need to sell one car and ship the other, and we are still waiting on actual orders to begin setting this stuff up. oh, and this all to get ready to move to korea...you know the other paradise. so im really not feeling super stressed or anxious and yet i cant sleep and more recently cant breathe right. ugh. im sure in just a few short months, i will be feeling much much better. until then, i jumped head first off my "sugar free wagon" and had a bowl of cookie dough. im feeling better already and realizing that this entire post actually is related.