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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

What's Important to Us: Each Other

This seems pretty basic right? Of course we're important to each other. But when we really looked at how we were living, it sure wouldn't seem that way. Ask anyone who is/has been married they'll tell you that marriages have their ups and downs, and that has been the case for us too, we'd just like to make sure the ups last a lot longer than the downs!

I'd say the boiling point was right before I came out to North Carolina. We were living apart, both doing our own thing, and not really focused on the other person. We were playing the blame game... both focusing on what the other person was doing wrong, not noticing how we were making the other person feel. At least that was the case for me.

Carrick and I would talk on the phone daily, but I was not really there. I'd be watching tv in the background or working on school, or more often than not on facebook or pinterest. Then he'd ask me a question and I'd have no idea what he was talking about. Busted! Turns out I'm not as good at multi-tasking than I thought.

It was then that we made a promise to each other to do better. To think about how our actions would make to other person feel, to give our undivided attention when it's required, to give up some of ourselves so that together we can be stronger. It has made a huge difference.

We speak kinder to eachother. We have new hobbies that we enjoy together. We've started disc golfing and hiking/biking together at the local National Forest. We share more about our day, and spend more time together when we're both home, instead of us being off in our own corners...

And now I see that being together is more important than ever... Carrick will deploy to Afghanistan in a couple months, and once again we'll face the world together but apart. It hasn't quite hit me yet, that he's leaving. It probably won't until he gets on the plane, but I do know that I will cherish our time together and be in every moment.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

To the Future...

I haven't blogged in awhile party because we were transitioning to life in the states, and I was completing my pre-student teaching, but also because I just didn't have much to say.

This blog started as a way for us to fill in our families on what we were doing while living in Japan, and I think I've done an ok job so far keeping it updated and meaningful. Our lives are changing though, and for a while I didn't know what the new purpose of this blog would be, or if it would even have a purpose.

I've decided to keep it going, and to write about our new life. I don't know if anyone will read it or find it interesting, but at least I will have a record of where we are now, and who knows... someday maybe our kids will enjoy reading it and laughing at how nuts their parents were.

As this blog finds a purpose, we hope to also. Coming back to life in the states combined with the end of Carrick's enlistment looming over us (only a year away!), we've had to decide where we go from here and what is truly important to us. We're starting on another journey of sorts because we've felt called by God to be more, do more, for each other and the world.

We're very much still learning and trying to figure it all out, so if you'd like you can come along for the journey on this blog. Cheers!

Korea

I know this is very late, but for documentation's sake I figured I would include a post about my trip to Korea. As I've mentioned before, the trip was to train adults in Girl Scout programming. I had an incrediable time, and it was great to be able to spend time with my friends before I moved. Two days were spent training and meeting other Girl Scouts, and we took two days to see the sights. We went to a shopping/cultural district on one day and to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on the second.







Stephanie, a Korea GS Leader, and I after training.


Seoul Tower



Me outside the GS Korea store.



At the DMZ.



Arwen, GS Director - Okinawa, and I standing in N. Korea.