The Small Things

This post is gonna be short I suppose. I've been feeling grateful for the flood of blessings recently. Thanks for the prayers everyone. It's said that you don't understand what you have until it's gone. That's true. But it isn't true that we can't appreciate things while we have them. Even the small things.

Before you get married, you tend to (or at least I did) think of the big things. Wedding. Kids. Finances. Goals... And those are really important things to consider and discuss with your spouse. I've been so glad on several occasions that we figured most of those things out before tying the knot, because it has made a huge difference in our happiness as a married couple today. Being on the same page is SO IMPORTANT.

What I didn't think of though, are the things that've been on my mind lately. The small things. Before we were married, I didn't stop to consider the times I'd be sunburned and she'd tenderly cover me with Aloe Vera. Nor did I ever imagine I'd be staying up late with her on FaceTime when she's sick and can't sleep, knowing that I can't do anything for her but just give her my time. I skipped over thinking of the songs we'd sing in the car, or the long conversations we'd have. The inside jokes. The moral support. The fun we'd get out of making silly faces at each other. The way she'd remember my favorite appetizer, or the way I'd know her favorite TV shows. I couldn't have imagined these things before, and now that I have them, I don't want to let them slip away unnoticed. The small things. The things that make life worth living. Because at the end of the day, it isn't the car we bought (which I love, by the way), or how much we've got in our savings that really makes me happy. It's those little daily interactions that we take in our stride. Those are the things that bring me the joy I seek.

Thank God for the small things -- And for my Nana. Without her, I'd never enjoy them.

Please pray for us.

When I first got to Texas, I thought I made it very clear to my chain of command that I wanted to try and get stationed with my husband, and had asked everyone I could for advice on what to do to make that happen. Apparently that wasn't the case. Everyone I had talked to, my NCOs here and my future NCO in Colorado, had told me that it would be impossible and that I would have to suck it up and wait two years before being able to change duty stations in order to be with my husband."Shouldn't have married a Marine, Porter!" Of course I won't be taking no for an answer, Army protocol or not, there's always loop holes somewhere. So I figured I'll have to wait until I got out of training before I could actually make any progress.

About three weeks ago, my class and I were getting ready to process paperwork to leave training and had a briefing to attend. During that brief, one of my classmates who is an MOS Transfer (switching jobs and attending more training) had asked me why I didn't get my orders changed before arrival to my new duty station so I won't be locked in for the two years. He was shocked that no one had told me it was a possibility, and honestly, I was a bit miffed myself. So right away I brought it up to my chain of command, and after a week (my platoon sergeant was and still is extremely busy) we got the ball rolling. She made it clear that there were no promises that it will go through and get approved. Kite and I didn't have our hopes up anyway.

Then rumors started trickling in... another soldier had gotten married, and had his orders changed within 24 hours. I had gotten this news over the weekend. It had been a week and still no news on my paperwork. I honestly can't help but be frustrated. Why is it taking so long? It can't be because I'm so late in the game, this kid has his changed within 24 hours! Is it because my husband doesn't have his orders yet? Or maybe because he's a Marine and I'm a soldier? At the end of the day today, after uniform inspections, my platoon sergeant told me she wanted me in her office. Still, I didn't have my hopes up.

We had to resubmit the paperwork. Apparently because it goes up to the Department of the Army, my commander can only recommend approval, and not actually approve it. She assured me that she would do her best to fight tooth and nail for me if she had to, in the time that we have until I leave (THURSDAY!!!) and again told me not to get my hopes up -- they weren't. She didn't want to disappoint me.

So this is where the story ends, and where I asked for your prayers. I'm not usually one to ask for help (just ask my husband, he gets frustrated with me all the time), but I feel like I would be more at peace with the outcome. I'm not asking for you all to pray that my paperwork gets approved and that my orders get changed, but I'm asking that you all will pray for the best outcome. What's best for Kite and I in the future. If Hawaii isn't the place for me, and my orders aren't changed, I can accept it if I know that many thoughts and prayers were put into the outcome. If Heavenly Father wants us apart for two years for whatever reason (or maybe somehow Kite will end up in Colorado with me?), I want to know for a surety that good will come of it, and it's for the best.

So please, pray for us.

Thanks so much for the love and support!