life's little moments

i had an absolutely fantastic experience today. often when i talk with wives of past wars, they marvel at the amount of communication we have today. it is not uncommon for jon & i to chat online every day, not to mention phone calls, emails, and the classic letters of old. in many ways, it makes me feel badly that i have something these other couples didn't. i feel like there's some rite of passage as a military wife that i don't have to experience. that said. . . i still am thankful for what i have!

this week i got the blessed experience of getting a package from jon, and one that contained pictures and video at that! a few weeks ago he recorded a dvd of a chapel service, and never having actually heard him preach, this was something i greatly appreciated. it stirs up much emotion. i can't quite put my finger on exactly what these emotions are... if you have ever been away from a loved one for an extended amount of time, then see video of him, you know what i mean. more than phone, more than letters... it's like, it's the combination of senses that evokes these feelings. i never realized how important each sensor is until i was lacking. you see, when most married couples interact, it involves varied combinations of the senses. not only sight and sound, but smell...touch...taste...

unfortunately, even with our advanced technology, these latter three things are yet unattainable to me. so today, as you see...hear...smell...touch...taste...your spouse, think of these. bask in them. enjoy them, each of them. don't take even one for granted. i long for the day when i can do the same...

i'm a champion.

tonight was one of my most stunning achievements. yes, I had katelyn in bed and quiet before nine. i know, i know, hold the applause please. you see, katelyn is my 5-year-old niece (and therefore loves anything with the number 5- on the way to her house tonight, she wouldn't let me change the radio off the preset button with "5" on it...) i have to admit, i recieved a lot of help from the "tickle monster"- little trick i learned from my mom. the night was everything normal and lovely: spaghetti on guyanese plates, eating off a special tv tray in the living room, building a baby bed with legos, making cards for those she loves, drinking hot cocoa, and even watching charlie brown and the great pumpkin. brushing teeth went off beautifully- she even asked for a little more when I thought we were done, and after me telling her a few memorable stories from my childhood, she quietly agreed to go to sleep. i felt like i had won a gold medal. after that victorious evening, i am now sitting on the couch downstairs...watching tv... basking in the unmeasurable glory of my success.

sweet autumn brew

sweet autumn brew. what's it all about? well, fall is simply my favorite time of year. the colors here in michigan are amazing. the crisp air. the smells, the feel...that's fall...

fall has always been a nostalgic time for me...it's interesting, in school it was nostalgic, yet it in that, it also marked the beginning of a new year. i suppose it's a time that i have always reflected on the past with anticipation for the future. and that is where my life is right now. with a husband deployed in iraq, i have no idea where i will be this time next fall. i am excited about possibilities, yet a bit sad for those possibilities taking me far far away from this michigan i know so well...

you know what's interesting about coffee? when you brew it, you're planning for the future. coffee is not an instantaneous commodity. it immediately brings an atmosphere of comforting anticipation... you brew it when you have a long night ahead, to enjoy an evening with friends, to begin the new day.

so this is my blog, my brew...