I Am Impatient

I have never been good at waiting. When I was young I would often get in trouble for opening up the oven before the food was finished just to look at it. “If you keep opening that door the food will never cook.” My dad would say in a loving tone. So, with the news of Emily being pregnant, I thought… can we just hurry the process up?

Nine months. Seems too long. I have never had to wait nine months for anything. Sure, Christmas comes only once a year, but I at least have a birthday, Halloween, and Thanksgiving to tide me over until the big day. This is different. I have to just sit and wait until the stork decides to drop off the little package at our doorstep. Does anyone know how to contact this bird? I just assumed he would call us.

While we do have to wait, at least we get cute little pictures like these:

Is it wrong that it took me about 5-10 minutes just to figure out what part was the head? If you are like me and can’t tell what’s going on in the picture, I will give you a rundown.

Emily is 10 weeks pregnant Tuesday.

The baby is due January 11^th

The baby is currently one inch long.

Its heart rate is 178 beats per minute.

If you ask me, it is a boy.

If you ask Emily, it is a girl.

Our next trip back to the OBGYN to figure out the sex of the baby will be in August. I will start taking bets on the gender. I figure it is a good way to start a college fund for when he/she is all grown up.

What do you think?

Hello Summer

Oh how I have missed your 100-degree days. But I am not the only one who has missed you; apparently our lawn is bursting with joy at the sight of your death rays. At least, I think that is what it means when the yard turns from green to a brown/tan straw color. Now I know why people complained about lack of rain during the summer. Since this is the first summer Emily and I have had a lawn, I never knew the amount of water it takes it to keep it looking healthy. I also never thought the water bill could get this high. Thanks summer!

But with the summer comes travel plans. The time of year where everyone gets to dream for weeks about their exciting summer journeys. I think the planning and anticipation can be more fun than the actual trip. This summer Emily and I are very lucky to have the opportunity to go on three different trips. One to Tennessee for the General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and one to New Mexico to visit Emily’s grandparents. We also will be headed down to Bayview, TX in early August for a mission trip with New Hope Fellowship.

Another big news headline in our life is the decision by both Emily and myself to pursue chaplaincy within the US Navy. I used the word both for a reason. While I feel a strong calling toward the Navy, if Emily was not on board with this, it would not work and there would be no point in putting us through the stress that comes with the territory. Right now I am currently filling out the massive amount of paperwork to become a CCPO (Chaplain Candidate Program Officer). This means that I can do my ODS (Officer Development School) and Navy Chaplain School training throughout the rest of my summers in school rather than all at once.

However, the news did not go over that well with some of the family. At times it has felt as though we are on the hot seat with others wondering ‘why’ we would do this and I get the sense that secretly some are hoping this is an idea that will fade with time. It is one of those things that must seem ‘crazy’ to an outsider. Who would want to move every 3 years? Who would want to leave their family months at a time? I can tell you, these are not things I am looking forward to if I am able to become a Navy chaplain. However, one will learn to adapt. It is a completely different lifestyle but we would not be the first family to do this and surely we would not be the last. My prayers are that with time comes understanding, and with understanding comes joy. The joy that both Emily and I have found when seeing the impact we could make through this opportunity. To share love to those who need it, to give hope to those without hope, and to live our life with the understanding that we only get one shot at this thing. We only have one life to make a difference, so why not get out there and do something.

With love,

Trey