Happy Birthday Misty!!

Today is my wife's birthday. Since I met Misty in the music building at OBU in September 1995 my life was changed forever. On December 21 we will celebrate our 12 year anniversary and I can truly say that I love her more now than ever before.

Misty has put up with me and my crazy antics for the past 12 years. Of course I have had to say I am sorry for thousands of stupid things I did or said. Each time she has always found a way to forgive me even when I didn't deserve or it took a while for the hurt to go away.

Now she is demonstrating her love for me again by agreeing to sell our house, put her career on hold, and to literally follow me around the country so that I can pursue a dream of mine.

God placed Misty in my life that day back in '95 and I thank Him daily for her constant love and support. I plan to spend the rest of my life trying to show her the same unconditional love that she as shown me.

Misty,
I love you and look forward to many more birthdays together!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

I am thankful...

This is the first thanksgiving in my life that I did not have a family meal with lots of food. We have not always had the traditional turkey and loads of other stuff, but I have always been with some part of our family and a large meal was involved. This year we spent Thanksgiving Day touring the city of Philadelphia. It was fun and educational and I spent it with Misty which was the best part. We both love history and have always wanted to go to Philadelphia, so we did. Besides how could we pass it up, being in Norfolk, we were only a six hour drive away and our lodging was already paid for since we stayed at one of our timeshare resorts. The drive from Norfolk was awesome we drove along the Atlantic Coast the entire way. We even had a one and a half hour ferry ride to get across the Delaware Bay.
Then on Thanksgiving Day, we toured Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell exhibit. If you don't know what these two places represent for our country, then you should study a little American history. We also took a carriage ride and learned a little more about some of the historic buildings in Philadelphia. After touring the downtown area we went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. We did not go for the art exhibits, but to see the "Rocky Balboa" statue which is one of the many statues outside of the building. Later that evening our Thanksgiving meal consisted of eating dinner at Hard Rock Cafe in the Trump Taj Mahal Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. On Friday morning after spending some time on the board walk and climbing 228 stairs at a light house, we left Atlantic City and spent the rest of the weekend at Mason and Sarah's house. On the way to Mason and Sarah's we were able to stop at for dinner at an On the Border restaurant. This was great for me because I have been craving OTB since I was in basic - thanks for dinner Chris and Valerie!!
So as you can see we had a great time and of course good food!

As I have mentioned in earlier posts I have come to realize the importance of family and spending time with them. So this Thanksgiving I am listing just a few of the many things that I am thankful for.

I am thankful...
that I serve a loving, merciful, and gracious God and that He continues to bless me daily even though I don't deserve it
and proud that I live in the United States of America where we have so much freedom
for my loving wife who has been so supportive while I chase my dream of playing music
for my entire family for being so supportive of both Misty and I during this crazy adventure
for my church family (Memorial Baptist Church) and their love, prayers, and support

the small things

During the last few months I have learned to truly appreciate the small things in life. This time apart from my wife, my family and my friends has made me realize how important relationships are. The past two weeks I have been blessed by being able to spend time with Misty.

Two weeks ago we spent the entire weekend together for the first time since June 24 (when I left for basic). We did not do much, but really enjoyed our time together. We just stayed on or around the base the whole weekend. We were able to go to church together again which was awesome and walk on the beach here on base.












Then this past weekend Misty picked me up and we spent the weekend at Mason and Sarah's house. We had a great time just chillin' playing Playstation and Wii bowling and watching TV. I do have to admit that the highlight of my weekend, besides spending time with Misty, was seeing Sebastian for the first time since June 23.

I hope the next few months are filled with moments like these. These are truly blessings from God.

is this a dream?

Well I am adjusting to this new phase of training pretty well.
I am actually having a great time. I still can not believe that I am getting paid to practice my saxophone, attend music classes, and rehearse with various ensembles.

At this point I am required to practice sixteen hours per week. I am trying to put in at least two hours a day, but a lot of days I squeeze in three hours. Right now my progress is slow, but I am improving a little each day.

The music classes are basically a review of what I studied in college. At this early stage most of it I have been teaching for the past twelve years so I am doing good. I am having to learn some new terms, but it is not that hard. I've been studying or teaching music since I was in the sixth grade so it should not be a problem.

The ensembles that I have been in so far are a saxophone quartet, jazz band, concert band, and of course the ever so popular drill band. The drill band is basically a marching band. This has been the most challenging for me, because I lack the coordination to execute most of the maneuvers we are learning. As a band director I have been teaching kids to march and play for twelve years. It is entirely different to actually do this my self. I have felt like the kid who was always struggling to learn to march; the kid who the band director calls out at every rehearsal. I am improving and I guess that's what is most important. If my former students could see me now they would definitely get a good laugh.

Despite my lack of coordination, I am having a great time. I still have to remind myself daily that I am not dreaming. God has given me this awesome opportunity to follow my dream of playing music and I am so thankful.

I am also very thankful for a loving wife who has been my biggest fan during this crazy time. It has been hard being separated for so long, but I know God is going to bless us when the training is complete.

a weight lifted

Literally I have had some weight lifted, but not only off my shoulders. More on that later.

First let me say that God has come through yet again!
I was very uneasy about this new phase of training. There were a lot of unknowns and stupid rumors I had heard about my AIT. You can ask Misty, Mason, and Sarah I was a little nervous about being away from family again and not knowing what to expect. Well I wasted time being nervous. This is going to be fun!!!! There will be tough times. There will be tasks I don't want to endure. However, the bottom line is this, the Army, our country's government is going to pay me for the next six months to practice my saxophone, review and perfect my musical knowledge, and place me in various ensembles ranging from marching bands to jazz bands to rock bands. WOW!!!! I am living a dream!!!

First, when I arrived at the school of music I had a great conversation for about thirty minutes with one of the music instructors. She began to set my mind at ease right away. She was very nice to Misty and I and answered all my silly questions. I felt like a kid with all my questions, but she answered them all.
Next, we drove to the barracks. I was issued a key (a key card like in a hotel) and linens for my bed. When I got to my room I discovered new furniture, that it was only for two people (not the eight bunks that I was used to from basic), each person has their own walk-in closet and the best part a bathroom for just the two of us. This place is just like a hotel, but I have to keep the room clean (no maid service or room service yet). I may be so excited because our barracks at basic were so bad, but this place really is great I'll try to post pics later. Also for this first week I have not had a room mate, so another plus!
After I got my stuff in my room I told Misty, Mason, and Sarah goodbye and went to my room to enjoy being alone for the first time in months. Not as fun as I thought it would be, especially after spending three days with my family, but I got over it.
Now, one week down and things are looking great! Yesterday was a great day because of two things.
First, I had my incoming audition. The purpose was to give my sax instructor an idea of where we should start with my instruction on the saxophone. I will not try to explain the point system, because it is confusing. However, the school of music program is designed to take a student with an average score of 2.3 on the audition to a 2.7 in six months time. A score of 2.7 is required to graduate from the school. With a 2.7 a musician is considered to be able to function in an regular Army band. My score on the incoming audition was a 2.75. The instructor said "You're already there." I am not bragging in any way. God has called me to do this and has given me a talent. It is my job to try my hardest, to use it for His glory and to improve as much as I can. Believe or not I still have some improvements to make. Thanks to that audition score the expectation level is going to be high for me. Again with God's help and a little discipline I will hopefully exceed those expectations. By the way the highest score with this system is a 4.0. The saxophone instructor made a 3.2 back in the day, so my goal is 3.0 or higher. With that score it will open many doors in the Army band world for us in the future.

Second if that was not enough great news, I had my first weigh in at AIT. Here's the part about weight be lifted off of me in the literal sense. We will do a weigh in each month to make sure we are staying in shape. For my height and age I need to weigh 153lbs. However, when you are over weight they measure your abdomen and neck and do a body fat content - I am allowed 24% body fat. Remember those numbers and prepare to be amazed, I was! By the was this was the first time I had officially weighed since I began basic training.
On June24 before shipping to BCT here were my numbers:
weight: 171 lbs
abs: 36 inches
neck: 15.25 inches
body fat: 23%

On September 11 after BCT and pigging out for about one week:
weight: 156 lbs
abs: 31.5 inches
neck: 14.5 inches
body fat: 17%

Again I am not bragging. God is in this all the way. He provided me with the motivation, the drive, the endurance, the strength, the discipline, and the drill sergeants that forced me to get in better shape. I am so thankful and feel great!!! Now as with my music it is my job to maintain and improve.

So as you can tell yesterday was a great day for me and I only expect it to get better from here.

This has been a long post and I must get to the ol' practice room. This is the part that a lot of people don't understand. I love my instrument and my music so much that I truly love to practice. I have missed practicing my sax and I am slowly getting back in the old routine.

Thanks for reading and thanks for your continue prayers.

I am an American soldier.

Well Army Basic Combat Training is finally over!!
I arrived at Ft Jackson on June 24th and graduated on September 4th (one day early). Misty and I are staying tonight in a hotel provided by our wonderful family who came to watch me graduate today. So I thought I would take advantage of the free high speed internet access. It has been a long time since I have been on the internet or even touched a computer. The short time I have with my family is important so this will be short.

First, a huge thank you to all who have been praying for me. Without God's guidance and strength I would not have made it through some of the tasks I endured. Yes, there were many lonely, frustrating, and hard times, but through it all I knew that God was in control.

The next phase of training will be the Army School of Music. At this time I do not know what to expect. A very common phrase from our drill sergeants during training was "plan for the worst and hope for the best". Well my hope is in an awesome and mighty God and once again I place it all in God's hands. If He can get me through BCT, He can get me through the next phase. In the words of a good friend "where God calls you, He will equip you and where God leads you, He will provide." He's never failed me, so here we go!

A Sweet Word from Patrick

Upon returning home from a quick but wonderful trip to OKC, I received a new letter from Patrick. In it, he shared that although he still hasn't passed the 2-mile run, he has improved greatly on it and the rest of the physical fitness test. He has one more opportunity to pass it and has felt the prayers of all of his family and friends. Please read the following words from Patrick that he asked me to post.

TO ALL OF OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS:

"Thank you so much for your prayer support. Daily I can feel God's guidance through this training. My PT scores have drastically improved and I WILL pass the next test. I love and appreciate each of you and look forward to finishing my training and getting to thank each of you in person."

-Patrick

last post for a while

Well today is the day! I have been anxious about this day for months. I will not actually ship until Tuesday, June 24, but tonight I will stay at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Dallas and begin processing at 4:30am Tuesday morning.

Here is my schedule for the next few months:
June 24th - ship to BCT (Basic Combat Training) @ Fort Jackson, South Carolina for 9 - 10 weeks.
September 5th - BCT Graduation (that is the current projected date)
September 8th - AIT (Advanced Individual Training) @ the Army School of Music, Norfolk, Virginia for 6 months.
After AIT we will go to our permanent duty station. At this time we have requested the 77th Army Band - Ft Sill - Lawton, Oklahoma.

Again this time is a little bittersweet. I am excited about the opportunity and adventure the Lord has in front of me. However, I am a little nervous. I am nervous about being separated from family and friends for so long. I am nervous about being able to handle the physical activities (I am a little older than than the average recruit). I do know that God is in control and will take care of me. A few weeks ago we were able to visit our friends in Frankston, Texas and heard a great sermon from Darin. He told us that where God calls you, He will equip you and where God leads you, He will provide. God had that sermon timed exactly where and when we needed it. So while I am a little nervous, I know that God is going to be right there with me.

I am so thankful for friends and family that have been so supportive. I am especially thankful for my wife, Misty. She had been my biggest cheerleader, coach, and mini drill sgt during the last few months. I am thankful that she is allowing me to chase my dreams of playing music for a living. I am thankful that she is willing to put her career on hold while I go through the next few months of training. Misty I love you and will miss you.

I will of course not have access to e-mail, internet, or cell phone for the next 10 - 12 weeks. I will only be able to send and receive snail mail and maybe get the occasional call. ( I think we all know who those calls are reserved for). During this time you should be able to keep up with things on Misty's Blog. I know that most of you have been praying for us, so we ask that you continue to pray for us.

Until next time - HOOAH!

keep Austin weird?

Well we are back from Austin. We had a great time despite the train/bus ride down there. To make a very long story short we were scheduled to leave Dallas at 12:20, but did not leave until 9:00pm. We were supposed to arrive in Austin around 7:00pm, but did not arrive until 2:00am. We were supposed to travel by train from Dallas to Austin, but due to an electrical short in both of the engines we traveled by charter bus.

After finally arriving in Austin we caught a cab and headed to our room at Austin's Inn at Pearl Street (a bed and breakfast) for some much needed sleep.

On Tuesday morning with just a few hours of sleep we set off on a "weird tour" of Austin. We took a tour of downtown Austin on Segways with a tour group named Segcity on 6th street. We had a great time learning to ride a Segway and learning about the capital city of Texas. Thanks to our friends Jerry and Brenda Ballew for recommending the Segway tour it was the highlight of our trip.

After lunch we took advantage of the Capital Metro transit system and went to North Austin to visit Carolyn my step mom in the hospital. My dad and Carolyn were in Austin for a friend's wedding and unfortunately had to extend their stay in Austin with a trip to the hospital. Carolyn is fine now and they are back home recuperating.

After our visit we headed back toward downtown and had dinner at Kerbey Lane Cafe. It was great food and a fun environment, this was one of the two restaurants recommended by our friends Jeff and Leslie White (former Austinites).

On Wednesday we slept late since we did not get much sleep the night before. Our first order of business was to find the 2nd restaurant recommended to us - Castle Hill Cafe. Again we took advantage of the Capital Metro system. With Misty's master navigational skills and the "Dillos" we found the cafe with no problem and very little walking. Again the food was great... no it was awesome. Thanks Jeff and Leslie!!!

Next, we were off to the Texas State History Museum. We have been wanting to visit this place since we first heard they were building it. It was really a lot of fun. Even if you are not a history person this is a great place to visit. We spent about 5 hours there and still did not see everything - they actually had to kick us out at closing time.
The next item on the agenda was of course dinner. We did not care where we ate, but wanted to find Amy's Ice Cream for dessert. So after much deliberation and walking we began to head in the direction of where we thought Amy's would be. We were hungry and decided to break our rule of no chain restaurants. We ate at The Melting Pot (a fondue restaurant). This was probably the most expensive meal we have ever had, but it was a really neat experience. Of course the best part of the meal was dessert - the flaming turtle. The flaming turtle is milk chocolate, caramel, and pecans flambeed at your table. With the flaming turtle we got strawberries, bananas, brownies, pound cake, marshmallows, and cheesecake to dip in the sauce. To say it was awesome would be an understatement. Unfortunately, we were too full for Amy's which was our original destination. So we went back to our room and crashed. Oh I forgot to mention we walked back to our bed and breakfast. The trip was about 25 blocks and according to Yahoo maps it was about a 2 miles. We did not intend to walk the whole trip, but the "Dillos" had quit running, we did not have change for the bus and we were too cheap for a cab - especially after the meal we just had.

On Thursday we had our final breakfast at the "bed and breakfast" and headed to the train station. The train ride home was much better, mostly because we were actually on a train and not a bus. The train was only 10 minutes late and we arrived back in Dallas only an hour late. To those who must have a strict schedule, traveling by train is not for you. If you have nothing but time and patience it is a fun experience.

I am not sure that I quite understand the whole "weird Austin" thing. We saw a few weird people, but they are in every large city. Overall we really enjoyed Austin. I wish we had taken the time to visit more often during the 9 years we have lived in Texas. I am sure we will be back one of these days.

Well I hope you enjoyed this long winded summary of our vacation to the capital of the Lone Star State. I figured it would be ok since this is one of my last posts for a while - I ship to Army BCT next Tuesday.

we have moved

Well we have moved to Frisco, Texas. We will be staying with Misty's mom until I ship to basic training next Tuesday. At that point Misty will stay here while I am in basic.

The move went alright we got all our junk in a storage unit and did really well with our garage sale. We had some great help getting the moving truck loaded from some church friends and family. We loaded the truck in about 40 minutes. However, the unload time was much longer. There were only four of us unloading and we had to strategically place each item in order for it all to fit.

Misty and I will be leaving Monday for a short vacation to Austin. Then when we return I will only have 5 days till I ship to Ft Jackson.

The closer the date gets I find myself getting a little more nervous. But I know that God is in control and I am always reminded of
2 Timothy 1:7 - God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love and self control.

oklahoma

Oklahoma where the wind goes sweepin' down the plain.

The wind sure was sweepin' last night, but we survived the storm. In fact I slept through it.

We are in OKC visiting my family. We got here Thursday afternoon and met Chris, Valerie, Kinley, and Kayden at the hotel. Then a couple hours later went over the Brandon and Jennifer's house to hang out.
It was so much fun to watch the kids interact. Kinley and Clayton remind me of Valerie and Brandon when they were younger. Especially Kinley's "desire to gently point others in the right direction" just like her mommy.

Well in closing I leave you with an excerpt from the musical "Oklahoma". Feel free to sing along if you would like.

We know we belong to the land
And the land we belong to is grand!
And when we say
Yeeow! Ayipioeeay!
We're only sayin'
You're doin' fine, Oklahoma!
Oklahoma
O.K. L - A - H - O - M - A
OKLAHOMA!
Yeeow!

commencement

The definition of the word "commencement" is the time at which something is supposed to begin.

Many schools refer to their graduation ceremony as a commencement ceremony. Well today was the Rice High School graduation. It was a time for the graduating seniors to reflect on their lives up to this point and to "commence" life in the real world (or at least go off to college and postpone the real world for a few more years).

An interesting observation about today is that it was also our last official last day at Rice High School and we are also commencing a new journey in our lives.

It was a little sad to think that may be the last time I see some of those kids. I did not think it would be this difficult to leave my job. The truth is I have never really grown attached to my students before. In the past when I left a school it was easy, because I never let my self get too close. These kids were different or maybe I am different. Either way this move is going to be harder than I thought.
I will miss these kids.

I know that I need to take a break from teaching. I may never go back to it, but in all of my frustrations I have always loved my students. I don't always show it, but I love our students as if they were our own. Most of the time I am glad they are not ours and at the end of the day go home to their families. However, I feel sorry for them when I see the pain they suffer from family problems or friends stabbing them in the back. I laugh at them when I see the joy and excitement they have over some of the silliest things. I am still not sure why God sent me to Rice, but I am so glad I was able to have met and known the students we had in band class and will miss each of them.

One of my students got me a gift which had a bible verse on it. The verse was Jeremiah 29:11 and it is perfect reminder that God is control. It is a special reminder to Misty and I that He is control of this journey that we are about to begin.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.--------Jeremiah 29:11

preparing to move

Well one of the first steps in preparing for the big move was to sell our Mazda Miata convertible. On Monday we took it to CarMax and they bought it for a pretty good price. It was a very fun car to drive, but we decided not to keep since it will just sit in storage for the next nine months while I am in training.
Here are some pics of the cute little thing. Enjoy!!

run & not grow weary

²⁸ Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

²⁹ He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

³¹ but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:28-31 NIV

I can't wait to see the day when I run and not grow weary!!
Since January we have been exercising almost on a daily basis. I say we because Misty has been faithful to help me along in this process. It has been a great help to have her helping me through this. Since March 10 (when I officially joined the Army) we have been on an exercise program developed for "future soldiers". Of course part of the program is running. I am not a runner. I thought I was going to die the first time I had to start running. Unfortunately even weeks later I still feel the same way. It has become easier, but when my body gets used to the running then the program increases the level of intensity. I am up to running a full mile, but still need to shave off a couple of minutes. The entire time that I am running I am praying for strength to finish. And of course every time it works! I may be huffing and puffing and feeling close to death, but God gives me the strength to get through it!

Even if you are not literally running, we all face struggles where we need strength to get through it. In Isaiah 40:28-31 we are told that God will give strength to the weary and that those who put their hope in the Lord will have their strength renewed. I find great encouragement and comfort in these words. I believe that God cares about each and every little detail in our lives, even if it is something as trivial as getting in better physical shape. I hope that you find encouragement through this passage and pray that you too will be able to "run and not grow weary".

uncle patrick

Uncle Patrick....the sound of that still catches me off guard. I enjoy hearing it and hopefully will be hearing it more often in the near future, since we will be living so close to our family in OKC.

I also will hear it more often because there is another addition to the family. I am excited to announce that on Thursday, April 24, Kiley Dawn Faircloth was born. We are so happy for my little brother Brandon and his wife Jennifer.

It has been a really inspiring for me to watch my little bro (Brandon) and little sis (Valerie) grow up and start their families. When my brother called me with the news I could hear the joy and pride in his voice. He was so happy. It was hard for me to hold back my tears of joy when he first told me. (I am a big cry baby though)

I can't imagine the joy and pride that I will feel when we begin having our children.

Congrats little brother and family...can't wait to see you in a few weeks!!!!!

choices

Well blog fans we finally received our choices for our first assignment with the Army.

The choices were:
3rd Infantry Division Band - Ft Stewart - Hinesville, Georgia
82nd Airborne Division Band - Ft Bragg - Fayetteville, North Carolina
98th Army Band - Ft Rucker - Dothan, Alabama
434th Army Band - Ft Gordon - Augusta, Georgia
62nd Army Band - Ft Bliss - El Paso, Texas
77th Army Band - Ft Sill - Lawton, Oklahoma

The first two bands sound exciting and we would love to live in Georgia or North Carolina, but the title "Division Band" indicates they are not the best choice at this time. In the Army a "Division Band" will be deployed to war zones. Now if God wants me to go to a war zone I will serve and probably enjoy it, but if I have a choice, I would rather stay here for now and serve my country in other ways.

The "Airborne Division Band" is even more interesting. This band is an airborne unit. They can be deployed with only 18 hours notice and they jump out of planes. Now why would you want to jump out a perfectly good plane? One of these days I would love to parachute or skydive and have considered going to "jump school" if the Army will let me. However, I don't think I want to do that for a career. I am content staying on the ground with my saxophone. Besides don't you think it would be a little hard to play while you are falling from the plane?

Of course everyone is thinking the obvious choice is El Paso, Texas because we live in Texas. Well neither of us wants to live in the desert at this time.

So the decision is (drum roll please)


77th Army Band - Ft Sill - Lawton, Oklahoma


We both felt like this was the best choice for now. The Ft Sill Army Band has some great playing opportunities for me and we will be in a decent location for Misty to consider grad school.

Of course I have to get through BCT and AIT (school of music) first. If everything goes as scheduled we will be at our permanent station some time in March 2009. Here is a link to the 77th Army Band Web Site if you are interested: http://sill-www.army.mil/77thband

Thanks again for all your prayers. Please continue to remember us both as we close out the school year and move on to the next stage in this adventure.

the wait is over

I wait for you, O LORD;
you will answer,
O Lord my God.
Psalm 38:15

Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.
Psalm 27:14

The wait is over. On Monday, March 10, I was sworn into the United States Army. My job title (MOS) Army Bandsperson 42R. We are so excited!!! And really anxious to see where the Lord will send us and what He going to do with us.

But I have to admit it is bittersweet.
It did not think it would be hard to resign from my job, but it was. So far everyone has been very supportive and think it is pretty cool. I think the hardest thing so far was to tell my high school band kids the news. I was barely able to hold back the tears. They really annoy the mess out of me sometimes, but I have grown attached to them. I have never allowed myself to get too close to my students, but this was a different situation. They actually applauded me when I told them I made it into the Army Band as if they were proud of me. And they asked if I would stay in touch and come back to visit. I love these kids as if they were our own...thank God I don't have to take them home though.

My ship date is June 24th. I will be going to BCT (Basic Combat Training) at Fort Jackson, South Carolina for nine weeks. After BCT I will go to AIT (Advanced Individual Training) at the Army School of Music in Norfolk, Virginia for six months. After AIT I will go to my permanent station. At this time I do not know my permanent station, but we should find out the choices pretty soon. As soon I know I will post more news about our station.

Thanks again for all your prayers and please continue to pray for us as we begin this next adventure in our lives.

a little closer to an answer?

Here is a quick update.
After the audition, the local recruiter sent my medical records to MEPS for approval. I just found out that the surgery may be waived (which means approved). Now they want me to get another hearing test and note from the doc that I am fit for service. It sounds as if this is it!!

However, this is what I have been concerned about the most. For about a month I have been having trouble with sinus and allergies which is causing stuffy ears. I am concerned that my hearing will suffer from this and that my hearing test results will be below the minimum standards.

Please pray that God will take care of all the little details and show us His will for this situation and our future.

it's finally over

Finally after three months or so of practicing the audition is over!!

I passed the audition, but was disappointed with my performance.

There are three sections to the audition a prepared piece of my choosing (40%), 12 major scales and 12 minor scales in all three forms by memory (10%), and sight-reading (50%). I did pretty good on the prepared piece, but not as good as I should have. I did great on the sight-reading, not perfect yet. However, I bombed on the scales. I literally could not play some of them. They only select a few of the 24 total scales. I did ok on the major scales, but could not play any of the minor scales he asked for. I was so angry and frustrated it was as if someone deleted them from my memory. Oh well it is over now and I will probably stop beating myself up by tomorrow sometime. The best news of all is that I can take a break from practicing for a little while, but if I get in I am determined to get to the Army School of Music in a few months and know those stinking scales.

Thanks to everyone who has been praying for me. I know God was with us on this adventure and now some more waiting to see what MEPS says about my ear and nose jobs. By the way MEPS stands for Military Entrance Processing Station. MEPS is the final step in the process. The doctors at MEPS will determine whether or not I am fit for military service. I am little nervous, because most of them are Navy docs - just kidding I think.

Please continue to pray for us. I am not sure where the Lord will lead us next, but I am convinced that I need a break from teaching. I will keep you posted on the progress.

By the way Mr. Strawberry and Mrs. Orange were unable to go on our San Antonio trip with us. They are house sitting while we are away.

it's taco time!!

I am not sure what that means, but it sounds cool!! Each February Misty and I go to San Antonio for the annual TMEA convention. (TMEA stands for Texas Music Educators Association)
At the end of each day when it is time to close the HUGE exhibit hall, they announce the closing and say "it's taco time". Not sure why they say this, but it does make everyone hungry and we go eat, sometimes we even eat tacos! When I say this convention is huge that is an understatement. Last year over 15,000 music teachers attended the convention. The attendees of this convention include band, choir, orchestra, teachers from ranging from elementary to college level and thousands of elementary music teachers walking around with their little canvas bags. Although this is probably really interesting for all of you, this is not the point of this post.

While in San Antonio, I will be talking with the US Army Band again. On Friday I will audition for the second time. After the audition I will have 45 days to process and be sworn in. So we will just have to wait and see if the Lord is leading me in this direction. I would like to ask for your prayers during this time. Of course this what I really want, but my prayer is that I simply follow God's plan not mine.

I'll keep you posted on what happens next!

A little side note, I think that Mr. Strawberry and Mrs. Orange will be attending TMEA this year. Stay posted for their adventures in San Antone!!

adventures of mr. strawberry & mrs. orange!

I know you are probably asking yourself what in the world is this dude thinking! If not you should be! The Adventures of Mr. strawberry and Mrs. orange will be a new feature to your favorite blog. Hope you enjoy!!!



There first adventure was a trip to the back yard. Here you can see Mr. Strawberry and Mrs. Orange chillin' on the grill. You can also see Mr. Strawberry is getting a little "fresh" with Mrs. Orange. I had to put a stop to that fast because the neighbors were a little disturbed.

Be sure to check back soon and see what the next adventure for Mr. Strawberry and Mrs. Orange will be.
If you have any suggestions leave me comment and let me know.

answered prayers

I have been wanting to get this blog in for a while now, but we've been pretty busy lately.

As you have read, we were able to celebrate Christmas with my little sis and brother in law (and fam) in Chicago. We had a chance to just sit and talk about God and what is going on in our lives. It was awesome!! It is so inspiring to see these two so on fire. They have both recently restarted their journey walking with God and they are so excited about what they are discovering. It is awesome to see this in them, because I have been praying for them and for this to happen for many years now. In high school I was a very immature and judgmental Christian. I can remember conversations and arguments I had with my sis that I am sure turned her off from the whole church thing. Looking back I can't say that I blame her. Regardless, God is awesome and allows us to restart any time we need to. He forgives us when we fail Him and is just happy that we return to fellowship with Him.

What is even more awesome is how they are raising their children in a Godly manner. One huge example is how we celebrate Christmas. We did not just open gifts from Santa, but we had a birthday party for Jesus. We had a birthday cake even sang Happy Birthday to Jesus!! When you ask my niece what Christmas is about she will tell you that it is Jesus' birthday. Wow!!! The honesty of a child is so awesome!

I am so proud of Chris and Valerie both. They have been an inspiration to Misty and I.
Thanks guys. We love you!!!

road trip finale

Yes, we are finally home!!! I wish I could say "home sweet home", but it is just home for now.

We spent the last three days at my brother and sister in-law's place in Yukon, OK. We had a great time hangin' with our nephews. My mom and Terry came to visit us at my brother's place and then on New Year's Day we went to my dad's for a great meal. Yes, it did involve black eyed peas! We had great time visiting with the fam in Oklahoma, but wish we could see everyone more often!!

This will wrap up our travels for a while. We will probably stay home and veg out for the next few days, that is when we are not at school. Hope you enjoyed "the chronicles of the traveling Faircloths". Stay tuned for your regularly scheduled posts.