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.