Feb 2023 Update

 I sit at my usual table at the TAMU RELLIS campus do type this update. I say my usual as if it infers some sort of regularity to which I come to this physical place but I have not been here in months. It is a dead zone for me to recruit from but it is a great place to be left alone while still being in a space I am comfortable and can connect to the internet for free. 

The holidays are long behind, the spring is soon to be upon us. Perhaps a few more cold snaps will come but the warm days outnumber the cold by a large margin the last month. My boys have become angsty tots having been cooped up inside the house for the winter and chomp at the bit starting a little after the sun comes up to be released into the backyard to terrorize the turf and dirt. My wife, in the time since the last update, started and ended her employment with TAMU. It was quite emotional. Babysitters came and went in uncouth and inconsiderate ways. My wife once again became torn between being home and going to work; being at home eventually being the choice we made and the sacrifice she will have to bear until the kids are off to school. The boys suffered the worst of it, having to see two different babysitters during this time frame and be without mom or dad during the weekday working hours for a few months. In the end, we learned valuable lessons about what we value most and what is really important. God guiding us towards the decision we made. 

I now have a tentative projection to report back to the regular Army. This time being assigned to a Combat Aviation Unit. After talking with a few people it may prove to be less exciting that I initially had hoped. I toyed with the idea of calling different companies within the brigade to try and get a slot with them in order to guarantee my pinpoint assignment within the unit. I have decided that I am incapable of making the best decision as both my pride and sense of selfish wisdom will cloud me from seeing the right choice. No matter what, I trust God will guide the rest of my career in the Army. I have chosen, mentally, that I should focus on being the best leader to the soldiers under me and not pursue any selfish desires with Army assignments or schools. Should they be offered to me I will consider it an open door and consider it after prayer. 

I have really dug back into photography in the last few months; it has become somewhat of an escape from my job but I think I need to reframe the way I see it. I would like to see photography as not a hobby I have as if it were some skill to master but rather see it as a sort of gift/opportunity from God to help serve His purpose and serve others. I imagine serving at church events by photographing the events and letting the church do what they will with the media. At the same time, taking pictures of my own and interpreting the content to others through a spiritual lens. Anyone can take decent street photos but I think it's how we think about the content that really matters. Some will say that street photography is about capturing a moment, an emotion, a scene, etc. I would like to argue that each street photo can show us, in some form, a problem to pray about, a blessing to praise for, a new way to look at someone or something the way God would like us to see based upon scripture. This is a thought/concept I have been bouncing around in my mind. For the moment, I am just taking photos and posting to Instagram, the only social media I participate. Even so, under a pseudonym. 

I feel the urge today to also physically prioritize some thoughts about my life. Not that I am super confused about what needs to be where in the mental totem pole of my priorities but I think I would like to be able to physically see it. Even if it is on a screen. I will not disclose that in this format but a private document. 

October 2022 Update: New horizons in familiar places.

      Since my last post things have changed quite substantially. My wife just accepted an IT job with TAMU and I am expecting to have orders to report back to Fort Bragg in Feb of 2023 and to move back to Bragg in Oct/Nov 2023 when my recruiting time is done. All my boys are walking now and Nico is babbling more every day. On top of all this my wife and I had our vow renewal ceremony as well!

     My wife applied for a job with TAMU after my father sent her the link for the application. It took a few weeks to get an interview, which she crushed, and a few more weeks to get the official offer. In this time between the interview and the offer we contemplated staying here in College Station on the grounds her new job met a certain salary. Sadly it did not come close. The plan would have been for her to work this job and I would transition into the Army reserves and work as a teacher. In doing this, I would more than likely have to rely on her paycheck alone for a semester while I started a teaching certificate program with TAMU. We prayed daily for God to show us what path to take with the answer in getting the job offer and a salary offer to meet our families needs. We are disappointed in some ways we won't get to stay but excited for other opportunities that God may bring us in the future move. For now, she will enjoy working there starting in early November and get about a years worth of experience.  

     The Army now has in place a market system for "choosing" next assignments. Basically, it shows the slots that will be available for the quarter of the year you will move. These slots are based off of your rank, military job specialty and any special skills you may have. I have many options before me and have been assured by the civilians in charge of managing personnel movement that due to my service as a recruiter I will get back to where I want to go. It doesn't get specific beyond what division or brigade you would be assigned too but my top 3 picks are 82nd aviation, 44th med (exactly where I was before recruiting) and 82nd infantry division; all of which are located on Fort Bragg. We still own our house out there and plan to move back into it should we get the chance.

      My oldest son went to pre-school for a few months but after seeing how a few bad eggs were influencing his entire pre-k class we pulled him out. He wasn't learning as much as we thought he would, mostly because of the curriculum, but also due to the few other highly disruptive children in his class. The pre-k program is free to active duty military and to those who are under a certain level of household income. The latter no doubt affecting the level of disruptions and negative behaviors in the class. For now he is at home with my wife continuing to be awesome. My middle boy continues to grow in his boldness physically and I fear will soon start to replicate my feats of strength and courage. These feats will no doubt lead to a rise in my blood pressure. Our youngest boy is now walking around with ease in the house and a little bumbly on the outside terrain. He says a few words, mostly "yeah!" when he wants something. For example, when I take a drink of my water bottle he will look at me, point at the bottle and say "Yeah?!". Upon receiving the bottle from my hands he confirms this with more of a statement "Yeah..". All boys are doing fantastic and growing faster than I want them too. 

     My wife and I have anticipated renewing our vows for a year now. The planning started last October and it actually took place on her birthday, 08 October. I took the opportunity to show my class and culture by wearing the appropriate tartan wool kilt. It cost almost as much as my wife's dress and looked slightly less fantastic. Gordon Weathered tartan went well with our fall theme with it's subdued colors. Matt, my childhood youth pastor, agreed to be the minister for the wedding of which he did an absolute perfect job. My wife and I had a few counseling sessions with him in the months beforehand and we really enjoyed the knowledge and wisdom that came from that. The actual day day and ceremony were perfect and honestly more beautiful than I could have imagined. My wife was absolutely ecstatic and only maybe once was upset. (An individual didn't stick to the plan!) This was quickly passed over and the festivities cheered everyone in attendance! The children, of which there were many, danced the short evening away as did my wife and several other guests. It was an amazing day that I will remember forever. 

     I also started hosting a bible study group in my house on Thursday nights at 2000 hours. Between 5 and 12 guys will show up and we study through the book of Ephesians. It's actually happening tonight and I really enjoy every day we do it. I was not really having a great day up to this point and just thinking about doing that tonight is lifting my spirit. God has really blessed me this past few months and I have tried to lean more on God for patience and trust in His decisions for my life. I just pray that I will be used by God in whatever place I go whatever job I do and to end my pride getting in the way of these decisions. It is much easier to make decisions using my pride than it is to rely on God's will and being patient enough to wait for an answer. However, the peace that is granted once you trust in God's goodness for your life is irreplaceable. Some days I remember this more than others; each day has it's own struggles after all and tomorrow is something I shouldn't worry too much about.