A time for change

Today is the first day of the rest of my life...as the wife of a cop!

In one of my first blogs Change of Seasons I alluded to the long road we have been on these, hmm...three-plus years, and my husbands desire to be a deputy sheriff.  After completing night classes and training, my husband became a reserve officer last fall (pics of him getting sworn in).  Jessie has put in over 300 hours since last fall as a reserve officer and he has loved, I mean LOVED every minute of it!  Never has he been more sure of anything, except marrying me of course. :)  His passion is evident when you talk to him about his work.

The opportunity has finally come for Jessie to go on full time with the local sheriffs office.  This means training starts over for him.  He will head off to the academy before long for more intense training and testing than what he went through with the reserve classes.  He is excited and nervous and ready!  I know he will do well.  I am SO proud of him for pursuing his dream wholeheartedly! He inspires me.

As Jessie begins his new venture and our family falls in line with all that entails, we are also preparing for our girls to start school.  We home-schooled last year, which was a blessing in many ways.  My girls are SO smart and learn so quickly! It was nice having them home with me one more year, especially while baby number three was still so new.  However, trying to home school while running my business from home, nursing and caring for an infant, and taking care of a new dog...it was not an easy task.  While the flexibility was very nice, we were completely burnt out!  Our girls are ready for school, a classroom, a teacher, and new friends.  I am excited for them!  I know they will thrive in their new environment.  I'm looking forward to afternoons with them, catching up on their day, helping them with any homework, and letting them play with their dolls/dollhouse together as I am sure they will miss each other after their busy day.

My husband and I have often joked that we always have big changes, at least one, each year of our marriage.  Whether it is a move, a job change, a baby, a dog, a new business venture, or all of the above, there is never a dull moment in our home.  So it is really difficult for me to imagine the next 25 -or so- years with my husband doing the same thing.  However we will still have our side business, my full-time job.  And our kids are getting to an age where they will soon be involved in sports and plenty of things to keep us extremely busy.

I have no doubt that the fun has just begun!

Linking up with Carissa at LowercaseLetters

Armed and Adorable

I mentioned in one of my very first blogs, Change in Seasons, about my husband pursuing the police reserves program.  I'll admit it was something I was very uneasy with at first.  I knew classes were to begin right around the same time Wesley was expected to arrive last spring.  Thankfully, there was a delay that put the classes off just long enough for us (me really) to recover and adjust to our new life with 3 children.

Jessie attended classes 2 nights a week for nearly 4 months and some Saturdays.  He studied a lot and attended his classes faithfully, while working full time, and running the machinery for our side business, and being tremendously helpful with the kids as always.  He didn't view it as a sacrifice so much as an investment in his dream.  He has a strong desire to help others and this is something he has talked about for a long time.

As I said before, I wasn't settled with the idea at first.  I was worried about the time the classes would take, getting three children ready for bed 2 nights a week all by myself, and lots of other selfish thoughts that didn't serve any purpose whatsoever.  I was stopped in my tracks one day...I was so upset and was whining and venting my frustrations out loud (no one else was around) and a supernatural peace literally came over me and God just quietly told me "you need to support your husband".  I called Jessie immediately and told him that I would support him through this.  And after I obeyed the Lord--just like that--my heart changed.

Last month we got to go to his ceremony to be sworn in as an officer.  I am so proud of him!  He has to get 200 hours in as a reserve officer.  He is eager to get started!!  One of the things he said he has been most impressed by is getting to know the people he will serve with.  The other reserve officers, and some of the officers who taught their classes, he said, are so strong in their faith.  He would come home from classes telling me about some of these guys and he was just excited to have the opportunity to work alongside them.  Being in the reserves does open the door for a potential full-time position when the department is ready to hire.  In the meantime, Jessie will serve loyally and enjoy every minute of it, like a little boy living his childhood dream.

Little Surfer Girls

We are truly enjoying some fun family time this week!  Jessie is getting his work done as quickly as possible so he can come play at the beach with us.  Abby & Katie are LOVING going out on the board with their daddy!  I took these pictures yesterday with my phone, but I really wish I had my camera this morning when we were out there.  Abby and Jess were on the board and two beautiful dolphins came by not even 15 feet away from them. The dolphins were splashing each other with their fins. Later, I wish I had seen it, but my girls were out there with my parents and they said the dolphins came back and were jumping and splashing their tails like they were playing and just showing off.  So fun!  

SuperDad

My husband has tried to convince the girls that he is a superhero.  This began almost 2 years ago and has been an ongoing debate.  It started when we were watching "The Invincible's" one evening and Jessie told the girls he was a superhero.  They didn't believe him and had dozens of questions.  Shortly after, he disappeared, and we were all startled as he returned by leaping over the stair rail and somersaulting onto the bed decked out from head to toe in a black ninja costume.  He swore them to secrecy.  But occasionally the questions pop up again, "is daddy a superhero?", "what is his super-power?", "he can't fly".  Abby, our 5 year old, asks most of the questions and is convinced daddy is not a superhero, but she continues to ask questions.  I think it's adorable!

The thing is, he really is a superhero.  One day they will look back and realize that. Their daddy loves the Lord.  He is a fairly quiet man, but his faith is real and settled deep in his heart.  More than anything he loves spending time with his kids.  He is an excellent example of the kind of man our girls should desire to marry one day, and the kind of man Wesley can be for his wife and family.  He and I have a very real relationship, with tiffs and difficult conversations, but we work through things together, trusting the Lord almost every step of the way (I say almost, speaking for myself, because I can respond "in the flesh" sometimes).  We are equally corny and each others best friend!  We have been through some stressful financial struggles these last couple of years, but we stayed in agreement and stayed strong because our marriage is not based on circumstances, but the foundation of our marriage is the Word of God.  Jessie works hard to provide for our family, working 2 jobs, thankfully one of which is at home.  In addition he is pursuing something he has always been passionate about in law enforcement.  He is taking classes 2 nights a week for 4 months so he can volunteer with the local police department, because he has a desire to help people.

See, their daddy is a superhero, he is a SuperDad!

Change of Seasons

I just love this time of year! I can see the tiny buds of new leaves forming on the trees, my daylilies are poking up through last years dried up pine straw. I especially love seeing those perennials that look like they have shriveled up and died through the winter come back year after year. It's so exciting--and I paid for them years ago so it's free spring decor!! I will not be surprised if we get one final cold spell--we usually do, but spring is definitely underway. Granted, it's only February, but an early spring is very welcome since spring and fall are my favorite seasons!

This spring will bring a new addition to our family. April 4th we will be welcoming our little boy Wesley into this world. He is already so loved! Abigail and Katelyn walk by and randomly kiss my belly and tell their brother they love him. This has been a fun pregnancy since our girls are old enough to understand and get excited about having a new baby in the house.

Other changes include Jessie's job that he started last October. It has really been such a blessing to have a great job with great insurance. I would say 'it took long enough', but God's timing is always right. After over a year and a half living off of what was intended to be our "side" business, we saw God provide in ways we never could have imagined (that experience is a book in itself). While searching for full-time employment through that time, my husband had applications pending in several work environments outside of his comfort zone: steel mill, police department, etc.  But God provided a job in the food distribution business that we didn't even know about.  After accepting this job, he changed his pursuit of a job with Dorchester County Sheriff's Dept to a reserve position, since this was still something that he really wanted to do.  This is a long process, but one that will be quite rewarding!

Another new "season" we are experiencing as parents is making decisions regarding school. Who knew how difficult this would be. I have to remember to not allow myself to fret and stress over this decision, but trust God that He will give us wisdom and discernment as we seek Him...in everything, but particularly in regard to school. For 5 years, we have had Abigail (our oldest daughter) close under our wing, allowing her to experience new things under our supervision. One of us has always been there to comfort her, answer tough questions, explain situations...and while we will never stop doing that, her little world is expanding just a bit---and that's a tough pill to swallow as a parent. We have prayed over her, and done everything in our ability to protect her precious heart and teach her to make good choices--again, something we will always do!

Just this past week, on February 22nd, Abigail prayed with her daddy and asked Jesus to come into her heart. She said often that He was already in her heart because "I ask Him every night". We told her that you only have to ask Him one time...and she said she wanted Jesus in her heart. She asks questions often about Heaven, and what happens to people who don't know Jesus. She has said that she wants to sing on stage to kids so they can know about Jesus. This has been an ongoing bits-n-pieces conversation for some time now. Her faith is so basic, but the Word says that we should all be like that [Matthew 18:2]. Salvation isn't complicated, Romans 10:9 says "if you declare with your mouth "Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. It is really that simple! If you allow Him to guide your heart, He will fill you with a peace and reassurance like no other. As Jessie tucked her in that night, she asked "Daddy, Jesus is in my heart now?", "yes" he replied...and she smiled!

Okay, so like anyone else, I tend to worry at times over things such as where our children will go to school, or how I will manage 3 children, our side business, and our home, not to mention my husband out in the field as a volunteer police officer. However, when I get my focus on God and His desires, that peace which surpasses all understanding will guard my mind and heart [Philipians 4:7] and my will then lines up with His will. So yes, salvation is simple, living it out and overcoming your own desire to fix things yourself is the tough part. As this new season of life brings lots of changes in our little family, my desire is to stop trying to figure it all out and to trust God that He will direct our paths.

Proverbs 3:5,6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.