Being content and cute kittens

Well, we're a little under a month away from finding out the gender of our little peanut! I've already picked out some neutral colors for the nursery (light green and yellow) and have the two paint colors I like best narrowed down. So painting the nursery will be a fun project that I very much look forward to.

We've been attending the church in Bainbridge Island that we liked and have really started to enjoy being there. It's a good-sized church, which makes it a little difficult to get involved in, but the music and sermons are wonderful. The sermon this morning was on "chasing glory" and was very convicting. It went along well with a book my mom recently gave me called Calm My Anxious Heart. It's all about being content with what the Lord has given you, no matter the circumstances. It's one of those books that makes you realize just how self-centered and ungrateful you are. We all struggle with coveting different things based on our interest or needs at the time. I struggle with wanting pretty things for our apartment, more little pets to take care of, more time with my husband when he's at work, a job I love to keep me busy, etc. Andrew, on the other hand, struggles with wanting things like a new phone, a higher rank, a nicer car, more time to spend doing things he loves, etc. We both want more money, to be closer to friends and family, the honeymoon that we never really got - it's fairly easy to come up with a ridiculously long list of things we both want. Some are silly little things and some are important things like financial stability. But the main message God has put in my life recently is that your own circumstances are not supposed to dictate your satisfaction with life. This book I've been reading makes it clear that being content is a state of the heart.

The man who preached the sermon this morning has been fostering a little baby boy for the past few months. He said he and his wife's philosophy was to have one more kid than you're comfortable with to force yourself to rely on God. He was half-joking, but I loved that. We're always supposed to be challenged by God so that we can learn to trust Him completely. If you are completely content, it should not be because of your circumstances because even if they are great, circumstances can change in a second. There are so many people that have demonstrated contentedness for me over the years, but the first people that always jump to mind are my teachers in high school. I got to watch them firsthand for four years and admired them more and more as time went on. They work harder than many people I know and do it with a smile. They get very little thanks or recognition and while they should be getting paid like NFL players, they are definitely not. I never stop admiring how much they care about their students and their willingness to always work around the clock. What a great example of being content where the Lord has placed you.

So, since I don't have much of an update on what's happening in our lives right now, there's what's been on my mind. Here's a picture of our new kitten, Winnie, hanging out on the changing table next to Philly. They're best buddies.

Exciting news

Well quite a bit has happened over the past couple months. The last time I posted was just three days before Andrew and I found out we are expecting! Our complete surprise was accompanied with overwhelming joy and we are excitedly preparing for the new member of the family due on July 29th - my birthday.

We had a blast telling both sides of our families the news on Christmas. What a relief to know we don't have to keep that secret anymore. After the families' jaws had un-dropped, we all enjoyed discussing name ideas, nursery decorations, etc.

Obviously because of this change in plans, I won't be looking for a job anytime soon. One thing I've heard of many military wives doing is becoming a nanny/daycare provider for another family during the day and keeping their child with them. It's a great way to earn money and not have to put your own child in daycare. So, that's one long term prayer I have. I'm sure we won't start thinking about anything like that for another year or so.

Andrew has been put in Alpha 2nd, which means he is stationed at the waterfront. This is great news for us since we've heard that those working the waterfront get much better hours than those who are in the limited areas. It sounds like he should be able to return home most, if not all, nights when he's working. Alpha 2nd started work this week, but Andrew and a few others are held back simply because of some equipment that they have yet to receive and are unable to stand post without. So he could be detained for up to another month before he will officially start work. Things can change by the minute around here. Flexibility is crucial in the military!

Along those same lines, Andrew has it on fairly good authority that we will be stationed here for four years instead of two. Of course, we realize that anything is still subject to change, but it's sounding more and more definite with the more people he hears it from. There are pros and cons to this news, but our overall reaction was disappointment. We are happy in Silverdale, but Andrew took his job here based on the fact that it was a two-year ballot. He probably wouldn't have taken it if he had known it would be four years. So, there are many things to consider now - whether he wants to change his job description after two years, how this will affect his decision of reenlisting or not after four years in the service, etc. The definite bonus of this that I am very thankful for is that he will probably not get deployed in the next four years. Especially with a baby on the way, that goes a long way in calming some fears.

So, our main prayer requests are these:

• That we stay content, no matter where the Lord places us over the next few years
• That our "little bitty" stays healthy over the remaining months
• And that God continues to keep Andrew safe in what he does

We are also struggling to find a church that we really love. We went to a church on Bainbridge Island last week that we liked more than any of the ones we've tried so far, but I'd love to find one that I can really get involved in. It would be great for me to know that I have a support group while Andrew is working and out of touch for the better part of two weeks at a time. I'm really starting to miss the fellowship and worship of my church at home and would love to find something similar out here.

Thanks to those who continue to read these very spaced-out blogs. I think I'm afraid if I write too often it'll turn into my own personal diary that no one would take any interest in. :) If there is something to write, I'll write it. Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Years!