>the past few days have been so fun. friday evening i got into phoenix. aaron picked me up and we drove to flagstaff. we stayed at the springhill suites marriott that i got on priceline for $100. we woke up and were on our way to the grand canyon early. it was a gorgeous drive. we got to tusayan around 9:30 and waited for his parents who were meeting us at the red feather lodge. they were coming from vegas.
they paid $25 for a 7-day pass to get into the park. we asked about a military discount and the ranger said the reason they don’t give them is because since it’s a government entity it’d be double dipping. but they asked if any of us were over 62. hmm. wouldn’t that be double dipping as well? or the fact that we already pay for national parks in our taxes and then have to pay to get in.. wouldn’t that be double dipping for the park? something to think about…
we saw so much of the grand canyon. and of course the first view always takes your breath away. it doesn’t even look real! anytime i saw it it looked like a painting. the only time it looked more real was when aaron and i went on a 5K hike down the kaibab trail on sunday morning. what a great way to worship God on a sunday morning, right, but by reveling in His creation?
it’s interesting because we overheard someone on this trail saying something like “and people think this was created? how can one not believe in evolution? are there any other theories out there?” and we think the exact opposite.. the position of the earth, the way our bodies work and maintain themselves.. it’s obviously God, right?
tusayan in itself is a little town with not a whole lot to offer. everyone seems to price gouge because they can. there aren’t any other services for about 25 miles. however, that’s something we kind of expected up there. we left early early monday morning around 5. we stopped in flagstaff to get breakfast. that town is gorgeous and a possibility for where we might like to settle someday. we stopped for lunch outside of tucson and then made it to sierra vista/ft. huachuca at around 2pm. not bad considering we stopped twice to eat and a couple more times for fuel.
on a different note, while we are so happy to be together, a few days seems like weeks to us. we haven’t spent more than two weeks consecutively together for the past 14 months. aaron will be home on leave and then reports to korea by the 17th of this month. that leaves us with two more weeks together.
already we’re starting to see the implications of what living together again will be like. i don’t write about this to put down my marriage, not at all. we are crazy in love even after seven years and all the changes we’ve gone through; this is just another stop on the way. i want to be transparent and share our life with you, the reader, so you can see God’s glory in our life and maybe glean something along the way.
i realized today what a day might be like in korea. we won’t have a car since it will save us money not to have one (insurance, gas, maintenance). aaron got up for pt formation at around 4:30 and left around 5:15. i got up at 6:15 to my sister calling me (it was 8:15 in illinois). i got up, got ready, and went out for breakfast with some fellow army wives (and one girlfriend). one of my friends came and picked me up since aaron needed his car today for all his outprocessing stuff. he picked me up and we got lunch (so sick of eating out by the way; we’re going to the store tonight to get some real food). i did some laundry, watched some tv and took a nap. that’s been my day.
i have been either working or going to school full-time since i was 14 and got my first “job” teaching piano, babysitting and tutoring. to not have a job to go back to in the fall is unnerving. and since i don’t know when my command sponsorship paperwork will go through, i can’t apply for jobs yet. last time i tried that, orders changed, haha. sometimes, though, i think.. i have this degree, and we’re paying on this degree, therefore i should use it.
i think if i don’t get a job right away i will still enjoy being a stay-at-home-wife. i hope to volunteer and get involved on post. we want to live off-post, which is totally feasible since the wait list for Camp Humphreys is up to 18 months long. we would like to also get involved in a korean church. and learn korean. and learn to love the culture and the people.
like i’ve blogged about before, aaron and i have had both the roles of breadwinner over the past two years. it’s awesome when i’m working too because i feel like my life has more of a purpose (i obviously believe that teaching is my calling) and i can contribute financially. aaron is supportive of whatever decision i make, or we make. we will be financially stable enough for me not to work in korea… that’s was the whole point of me staying back this year to complete my second year at midland.
this is when i need to cry out for reassurance and guidance. i have the world open to me right now and i don’t want to squander any of it. my priority right now is to seek the Lord and find my identity in Christ, not in any job or role or relationship. my second priority is to love my husband.
i love this song by kristi northup:
“Jesus, do something new in me
It’s not that I don’t love You anymore
I just feel empty
Jesus, I’m tired of spending time
On things that may appear to be for You
But they define me
Restore to me the joy of my salvation
The genuine elation I found when I found You
Restore to me a passion for what’s holy
A longing for the lowly in everything I do
Jesus, sometimes I just forget
How quickly I can lose myself in You
When I cease striving
Jesus, I want to just let go
I’m longing for that secret place, and yet
My flesh is fighting
Take not Your Holy Spirit,
Take not Your Holy Spirit from me
But grant me a willing spirit
A willing spirit to sustain me”
and this verse caught my eye this morning:
psalm 145:19
“He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.”
by looking at these photos, how can this world not be created by a loving and omnipotent God?
oh, and this love that was knit together before either of us were ever born. if there is evidence of how God works through hardship, it is us.
mercies per mile 