Cousins

Zach, Anna, Malachi, Elijah, Ruby, Israel, Naomi, Ruthie

Our home in North Carolina

Cute little thing, isn't it? I like how affordable it is! I won't tell you the exact price per month, but let's put it this way...it's almost three times less than what we paid per month on our old house! I'd say we made a smart move! Thank you Jesus for giving us a new start.

The Husband and Wife

Okay, I thought I'd finally post a pic of myself...in case any of you who haven't seen me in a while wonder what I look like.  Pretty much the same. I don't really like this pic of myself but I can't seem to take one that I do like, so...here we are! 

The toughest guy I know! Doesn't he look even more stronger and cooler now that he's SF?! :) 

Malachi and Zachary

Zach putting his hat on by himself.

Trip to Cabela's

Malachi and his new sunglasses with his favorite shirt and hat.

I love this one! This is how it went.

"Zach, do you want me to read the Bible to you?"

"Ah Huhhhh" Zach said.

"Here Zach, sit on my lap."

Laughter.

"Okay, Zach....Genesis 2, 5....In the beginning..."

Anna Malia

She is a thumb-sucker like Zach. She is a hair twister/grabber like Malachi.

Micah is Done!

Wednesday, the 1st, I received a text message from Micah. All it said was "Hello beautiful, are you there?". Immediately I thought something bad happened because he wasn't suppose to be done until Saturday, or so I thought. Nothing ended up being wrong at all, in fact, he was done with the selection process! 310 men started, only 129 finished. Micah was one of those 129!

Micah didn't quit! He finished what he started! He made all these past months being apart worth it! He did it--God did it.  And after going before the selection board the next day, Micah was chosen, SELECTED to continue training to become a part of the United States Army's Special Forces! the Best of the Best! A Green Beret! Yes and sweet! 129 finished, only 120 got selected.

Things go as planned for us then. We have a cute little rental house awaiting us in North Carolina, just a 20 minute drive from base. We will stay there for 1 to 1 1/2 years while Micah continues training. He is going to train to be a SF Medic, and he is to learn Arabic! That's right folks, not only do you have to be strong physically but mentally to be SF! No dumb rocks here! :) Arabic is a tier 4 language, which is the highest tier their is. Yikes! Pray he does well. It's gonna be tough! 

Micah actually was inches away from giving up on the fourth day of training. His mind was convincing him it would be an okay situation for our family, if he quit. Now for those of you who don't know, IF Micah were to quit or not get chosen, that meant a very near deployment for him. Two months from now he would have most likely been deployed to Afghanistan but thanks be to God, we don't have to face another soon separation! Instead, we can look forward to somewhat '9 to 5' training days for a long while! Yes! Our family will be functioning as a family again! He said by the next morning he was 100% back in it mentally, and was the most motivated in his group! He testified that he felt us praying for him and knows his mentality flipped because of our prayers.

He has some great stories! I've only heard a very small percentage of them but from what I've heard, it was torturous and terrible! He confessed it was a lot harder than he expected. He walked away with three blisters, a huge wound on his heel, stress fractures to his foot, and damaged and swollen hands. He had a run-in with a Water Mocassin!

Apparently Water Mocassin's are territorial and aggressive. A man actually died last year in SF Selection because of a Water Mocassin. As one of my prayers for Micah was not to get bit or hurt by any animal or insect, I see why God put that on my heart! Micah made it past this nasty creature, who was protecting his territory in the water Micah had to swim in, and never took his evil beady eyes off Micah. Micah was ready to kill him at the second the thing moved, but no confrontation was needed. The snake let Micah pass without a movement. Almost like God put him to sleep. Thank you Jesus. By the way, the snake was nearly six feet long! I hate those terrible creatures...

There was also PLENTY of physical training/smokings with loss of muscle control and vomiting, as well as carrying telephone poles, and other body-beating activities. I haven't heard the best of the stories, so when I do, I will share them with you all! 

I am in awe of God and my husband. I am thankful to both. God answered specific prayers and kept Micah overall safe, healthy, and full of strength and determination. Micah told me he knows God did it for him, and without Jesus and our prayers, he would have failed. Face it, without Jesus and prayers, wouldn't we ALL fail in life? I would. Thank you Jesus for being a loving and caring God.

Thanks everyone for your prayers, thoughts, and concern. To God be the glory, great things He has done! This is the best scenerio for our family right now, and it's because Micah didn't give in and give up.  He knew what was best and kept going to take care of his family.  A deployment in two months would have sucked (wanna know how I really feel?! :) ). Micah knew that and fought his way through...for himself? No, for us. Thanks honey! 

And if you'd give a new SF wife room to boast...I think Micah is so the strongest guy ever! Micah truly amazes me. When I think about all the things he had to endure and do, I'm just...amazed. Thanks Hubby...you amaze me.