New Beginnings...

Hello dear friends and family,

Welcome to our blog! Obviously, I'm very new at this and this blog is still very much under construction, but so much is going on that I wanted to start posting anyway. So over the next weeks, you might see some make-overs taking place.

The biggest development in our lives right now is Daniel's acceptance in the military as an officer in the Navy as a Chaplain. This was made official on July 29 when he signed on the dotted line. That was sobering for me. I knew this was coming and had a certain peace about what this would mean for our lives, but at the same time, it was a little scary. Daniel's last day as a civilian was August 14. On August 15, I dropped him off at the airport for his flight to Rhode Island for ODS (Officer Development School). He will be there until his graduation, which Skyler and I will fly up for, on September 17. From there, he flies to Columbia, SC for Chaplain school. He'll be there for seven weeks. Daniel says that I will be able to drive down and pick him up and bring him back to my parents here in NC on weekends. I have two sisters who live in Columbia, so this will be a good opportunity to see them more often.

Right now, Daniel isn't allowed to use his cell phone while he's at ODS. He says he has to "earn" the privaledge. He does get to use the internet periodically. He was given a miliary email address which he says I'm not allowed to give out. Right now, when I send him an email in return, it sends it back to me. So this is frustrating. Daniel said the miliary has to approve my email address, so until then, they'll continue returning my emails to him. Hopefully, he'll soon be getting my emails! Anything I have heard from him so far is positive and he's actually enjoying his time there. But he's only just gotten started!

As for me, this time of separation has been filled with planning for Japan, taking care of Skyler, spending time with family members, visiting friends, and spending time alone with my heavenly Father allowing Him to work in my as he prepares me for my coming ministry as a Chaplain's wife.

Daniel and I thank you for your prayers and thoughts as we are continuing to transition in to this whole new way of life. We would love to hear from you!