Home for Christmas!

So...... the semester ended, I found out that I passed my CBEST test, I got my grades back, 4 A's and 2 B's (one of which i was very surprised about because I expected something lower :/ but I was excited :)) And no news yesterday like we thought. It was a hard day yesterday, not really knowing what was going on. But today, I got a call from Nick. He actually tricked me, the call started out something like this......

Him: "Hi babe"

Me: "hi babe, how are you?"

Him: "I'm ok"

Me: "So you wont be coming home wednesday huh?"

Him: "no"

Me:"Oh...."

Him:"jk im coming home tomorrow (wed.)!!!!"

Me: "AHHHHHHHH"

(imagine me screaming here as he laughs at tricking me)

Anyway thats how I found out. As long as the weather doesn't cause any delays he should be landing tomorrow at about 10:21pm

I know tomorrow will probably be THE longest day of my life lol.

I can't wait to see him. AND he will be home for Christmas :)

I am SOOOO excited, this has truly been a good week, I am so thankful and excited to continue this blessed week by celebrating Christ's birth.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!! :)

A Bitter-Sweet Announcement.

Yesterday I received not 1, not 2, not 3 but 4 letters from Nick :) I was so happy, my dad brought them to work for me when they came, it was so nice :) Nick has been so successful in Illinois. The Lord has been able to use him so much to reach many of his peers. He got a 100% on his first test. One of the main guys in charge came up to him and said, "I don't shake recruits hands but I am going to shake yours." He is doing so well and I am so proud of him.

So...... as many of you know, Nick has been very sick. He has not felt well for most of his time there, he has been gone for a month now and only had about 4 more weeks to go. He was expected to graduate on January 15, as I mentioned before. Yesterday he called his dad and told him, he is being sent home. He has two kidney stones, one in each kidney, they are pretty large so they have to send him home. This is so confusing because the Lord has really used this month to glorify Himself and has taught both Nick and myself so much through all of this. Although this is not the ideal outcome for now, we are both trusting the Lord. He is in control, He has been the whole time, this is a reminder of that. I have been reminded to be still and know He is God. He has a plan, whatever it is we are excited to see. This all is bitter-sweet. I am bummed he will have to come home, but SO excited to see him. He can always go back but will have to wait a year and start all over. But we are trusting the Lord will show us what He wants and guide us in His will. Whatever the Lord wants is what we want. We know it was His will to be there during this time and I am continuing to pray God uses Him while he is there and on His travels back home. I am also praying for His friend Carter, who is still in boot-camp and is now the only strong believer there. For some reason God wants Nick to come back home for a while, we don't know, it is all confusing but I know God has a plan, and is still in control. He is our guide and we will allow him to direct our steps.

He should be home in about 2 weeks. A few days before, on, or a few days after Christmas. Please pray he is home for Christmas :D that would be so nice :)

Please pray for guidance, wisdom, and clear direction from the Lord for both Nick and myself, thanks :)

Long Blog and 40 more days!!!.... hopefully...

WOW! Thats all I can really say. So much has happened since Nick left. Today is day 27. I have, so far, sent 30 letters and 1 card. I am LOVING getting to write to him. I will admit that sometimes it makes it harder because I am really focused and thinking about him when I write but I think about him so much throughout the day that it is nice to tell him what is going on.

So.... let me think... I got sick. I was sick over Thanksgiving break. I did not know what was wrong with me so I went to the doctors the Monday before Thanksgiving, he did an xray and said he did not know what was wrong with me either. But obviously something was, I was in excrusiating pain and could not do anything. I had a constant fever and was throwing up (sorry for the details) and felt horrible. You have to know that I NEVER get sick, I have always had the best immune system but not this time, I was def sick. So he told me to go home and rest and take tylenol and come back in a few days if I was not feeling better. My friend Bethany brought me some flowers with a note, so that was nice, such a blessing! :)

So yep... Wed. I was def. going back but this time I decided to go to Urgent Care. They did a test then figured out I had a kidney infection! Crazy bc Nick and his sister both had them a month prior. Kidney infections are not contagious so that is why it was so ironic that they both had it and then I got it. I decided it was because I had started working out a lot and I was not drinking enough water so I was dehydrated. So anyway... they gave me a shot and some medicine, actually 3 medicines and I started feeling a little better.

My sister and her boyfriend Justin (actually it was his idea) bought me flowers :)

and a few friends brought over another nice little blessing.

Thursday I was still very sick but I decided that I was going to go to my aunts with my family anyway, it was after all, Thanksgiving. So I went. I was sick and didn't feel well like the whole time but I was happy I went. Friday I had to work, and I was almost back to myself but I was ok. Then Saturday I was back. I was finally me again! It was so painful I don't know how Nick could handle being sick for so long before they found out that was what he had. So.... Sunday... I got my ears pierced... I have been wanting to, when I was little I had them pierced but they got infected so they had to close. So I decided I was going to do it. I was at the mall with my mom getting pedicures :D and then I was like lets go I am going to do it! Very brave of me by the way bc my ears are very sensitive and sometimes I pass out when I get shots but... I did it! I did not pass out and I had 2 girls do it at the same time so I got it over with at once! :) YAY! :) so then school this week and work, I still had not received a letter from Nick and to be honest I was getting a little depressed, his mom had already gotten 2 by Tue. so... Wed. I get home from school and... my sister tells me I have a letter on my desk from Nick!!!!!! I started crying before I even opened it. (the girl emotional part of me coming out) and I LOVED the letter it was so nice to read it. In the letter he referred to a 1st letter, so this was really the second so I was wondering what had happened to the first... but later that night found out that KC and my friends Walter and Ily and Michelle both got a letter too! I was so thankful I got mine before I found out that they got there's lol. I would have been a mess! Anyway, it was nice to hear he is doing so well! He is a Section Leader in his division, which means he is always busy and has about 15 guys under him. In his division about 5 people have already been sent home. 2 guys had nervous break downs! CRAZY! But Nick is doing very well and he has been able to share the Lord with many people out there. He also has a Christian friend which I have been praying for :) So... YAY! things are going great :) I am so thankful for the Lord's faithfulness and for continuing to bless us! Thursday it was our friend Walter's birthday and we went out to dinner :) We got dressed up and that was a blast! Of course I was missing Nick though. And then Friday... I was at school and then got home, checked the mail (hoping the 1st letter would come) and as I am walking in... wait for it.... NICK CALLED ME!!!!!! It was so nice to hear his voice and talk with him. He also told me he felt bad bc the first letter got sent back, he put his parents zip code instead of mine but that I have letters on the way :) yay! And he is sending the 1st one back. He also mentioned he can only send them on Sundays.. If anyone wants to write to him, they can give it to me and I will send it along with mine, the more, the better! Anyway...but then he said "I might have some bad news.... I might get sent home" that was NOT was I was thinking I would hear. Apparently he has been sick the whole time he has been gone, he didn't want to tell us because he didn't want us to worry. We are thinking it has to do with his kidneys but he has felt this way the whole time! (So... I think the Lord allowed me to get sick so I can feel a little of what he is and sympathize with him more, it is SO painful) anyway.... He has a cat scan next week and then we will know what is wrong, if he can't get better he will get sent home! :( so be praying... Nick and I are trusting God, whatever the Lord wants is what Nick and I both are praying for, His will be done. If he is able to get in medical and get better then the only thing is his graduation will be later than January 15, which is the current date that he is supposed to graduate, which will also mean he probably would no longer be a section leader because he will be in a new division. So all of this is to ask that you please be praying for him. Thanks so much for all of your prayers! But it was so nice to hear his voice when I got to talk to him :) I miss him so much. Later I went to his house and talked with his mom for a few hours. It is so nice to be close to his family. I am so thankful for them!

Saturday I had to take the CBEST, I am hoping I did well on that, and then in the afternoon I hung out with my sister Kendall, I asked her to take some pictures of me that I could send to Nick :) So... we went to the park, we were going to go by the mission inn but I decided there would be too many people and that would be WAY too embarrassing for me lol. So we went, we took 171 pics... lol obviously some didn't turn out but there were some that I have picked out to send him :)

Here are a few... more are on my facebook....

so that was fun and now I am here, I have had a nice relaxing weekend. My last day of this semester is December 17, so I am almost on Christmas break. I have a lot of things coming up, I have planned to do a lot with friends and family over break, hoping time will fly by faster :) so anyway thats what has been happening. I am missing Nick more than ever but excited to see what the Lord is going to do in our lives :) I am so blessed by so many friends and family and very thankful. Thank you for praying :)

This is a map on my phone from my house to Nicks current address.... 1983.5 miles away... TOO MANY...

Anyway, thanks for reading, and going on this journey with me. Trusting the Lord and excited to see what He has planned.

Blessings!