A testimony worth sharing.

"Do you wonder why you have to
Feel the things that hurt you
If there’s a God who loves you where is He now

Maybe there are things you can’t see
And all those things are happening
To bring a better ending

Someday somehow you’ll see.. you’ll see..."

This isn't going to be an easy post, mainly because I've only shared this with my husband, and a few of my closest friends. God, however, is asking me to share this with the world- so here it goes.

September 7th, 2010- Ayden James Heare is born. The most beautiful little boy in the world. Born healthy as expected, and perfectly PERFECT. His little button nose, his big blues eyes, his frog legs, his innocent smile, simply everything about him. You could (and can) just see the very fingerprints of God over his whole being. Given to me, by God Himself? I'm amazed, in awe, that He found little old Abby worthy of such an incredible responsibility.. raising one of HIS precious children.

Okay. I have struggled with postpartum depression since a few weeks after Ayden was born. However, I didn't recognize it until he was around 7 months old. When it began, it really wasn't anything serious. My hormones were still leveling out as I got the hang of nursing, so that played into it at the start. I cried a lot for no reason. That was really it. As he got a little older, I always had issues with "keeping up" in the sense that I was constantly tired, and needing caffeine or a nap to keep going. I found it really hard to smile, and be happy.. even though I had been blessed with this beautiful little boy- smiling from the outsiders perspective, should come easily in my shoes. I really didn't think anything of it (assuming it would just pass) until much later, when I started feeling anger. An anger I've never felt before. It overwhelmed the innermost part of my being. Ayden was 7 months old when this started. When I would get angry (over the l.i.t.t.l.e.s.t things), I would have to set Ayden down and walk into the next room to punch/smack/or break the crap out of something. I told Jaymes what was going on, and my 3 closest girlfriends- outside of them, no one had a clue. I remember texting Crystal one afternoon, just asking her to pray. She called me to see if I needed her to come over.. (because she was well aware of my "state" at this point in time) I started balling because I didn't feel like I could keep living like I was. I was very much “stuck”. Needless to say- she was at my house within 10 minutes and spent the whole afternoon with me & Ayden, just letting me vent while our boys played. I can confidently say that if it weren't for friends like her, I would lose my mind.


Fast-forward a bit (to about 8 months): things got better in the sense that I wasn't feeling that anger anymore. That was a HUGE blessing. I started to feel human again, and much more in control of myself. So I don't need help, right? Oh. my. wrong. I still don't have energy, I'm still not happy (like I should be), and I've lost interest in so many things I used to love doing. What is wrong with me. Why can't I just snap out of it? It's been 8 months. I just need to be stronger. I'm going to do devotions & spend time with the Lord everyday, just the 2 of us. I'll see what He has to say about this mess (thank GOD I did).

Megan Breedlove (www.mannaformoms.com) writes amazing devotions for mothers. Every day when Ayden went down for his first nap, I would (and still do) read one of the devotions that she posts weekly to her blog. She also has an amazing book. She has been very blessed with the gift of encouragement. Her posts are God breathed, and they never disappoint me. Anyhow, after I would read, I would spend time in prayer. Specifically asking that God would show me what I need to do to be healthy again. I was convinced at this point (8 months) that it was just going to "fix", and that with God's help alone I would be good as new. Well, that was my unrealistic expectation of my circumstance. I did this routine for a month, when it finally hit me that I NEEDED HELP- I could NOT heal without. I had to act NOW.

I called my doctor right away and scheduled an appointment to see him ASAP- well, "ASAP" was one month from that date because he was on vacation. I waited. I wasn't comfortable seeing any other doctor for something this serious. I trust my doctor, I've seen him forever, and I know I'm in good hands with him. It takes awhile for me to build trust in a doctor, which is why I HATE leaving them once I've established a good relationship with one. As you can imagine, it was a VERY long month. I'd finally realized that more or less, I'd been in denial for 9 months, and desperately needed help. I was missing out on so much.

Can I just say I am so thankful for my Heavenly Father? I don't know where I'd be without Him, and I really don't want to think about it! The Lord was (and is) my strength. He has shown me time and time again that even when I feel like I’m failing as a mother, I’m not. Just because I don’t always have energy, just because I’m not always a happy-go-lucky momma, does not mean I don’t love my son more than anything in this world, and does NOT mean that I’m failing as his mother. I had trouble realizing this before He filled me with his perfect peace. Now I’m confident that the Lord placed Ayden in my life because He knew I’d be the perfect mother for him here on earth.. and with the Lord’s help, I am the perfect mother for Ayden. I love him.

The appointment went very well. I poured my heart out & explained exactly what had been going on for so long. I realized then, that I should have done this so much sooner. We discussed my options as far as medication goes- (something I haven't mentioned yet, is that along with this depression I've had horrible bouts of anxiety- to the point where I start hyperventilating & my blood pressure sky rockets) since I'm nursing, that makes my list of medication options dwindle significantly, but thankfully, there were still some safe options. I am currently taking an SSRI antidepressant, and have been on it for exactly 3 weeks. The way the SSRI antidepressants work, is by increasing the serotonin in the brain (the "happy" chemical). My doctor gave me fair warning that it would take a good few weeks to build up in my system, but really, I've only noticed a huge change in the anxiety. I don't have panic attacks anymore, and when I feel one coming on, I can make it stop. It's amazing. However, the depression is really the biggest issue, and it's discouraging that here I am, 3 weeks later, still waiting for that "miraculous" change in mood.

Recently, Megan Breedlove sent me a personal e-mail of encouragement because she too, went through PPD. I had commented on one of her devotions just thanking her for it. It was just what I needed to read that day. I had mentioned that I was struggling with PPD, and that all of her posts helped me daily to get by. She jumped right in and told me that she, too, struggled with the same thing and would love to help me in any way she could. Now, as mentioned above, I hadn't told many people at all, so I was hesitant at first to explain my situation to her. I am so thankful I did, though! The response she sent me was something that I read over & over again.

A few pieces from the e-mail:

"Please know that God knew you would suffer depression after the birth of your son. Yet He still chose to give your son to you. Somehow, your depression is part of His plan for your son's life. Don't assume that just because you can't always feel the warm emotions you want to feel toward your son, that your son is missing out or somehow "doomed" to suffer emotional consequences. God can--and will!--take care of your son so that His plans for your son's life come to pass. Your depression will not frustrate His plans."

"Perhaps, also, during this time you have a wonderful opportunity to learn what love truly is. In the Love Chapter of the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13, it describes what love is. Not once does that passage say that love is "feelings". You may not always have warm feelings for your son, but you can still love him very well."

"Also, just remember that it's okay to take things one day at a time. Sometimes when feeling depressed, I would be down on myself for not looking forward to the future very much. It seemed like nothing was very exciting to me. But I realized--and I hope you will realize--that that's okay. Making it through one day at a time is good enough."

There's more, but those 3 things alone have helped me daily. I am in the process of healing! It's a slower process than I'd like, but have you heard the song, "This is the Stuff" by Francesca Battistelli? "..might not be what I would choose, but this is the stuff You use!"..? I've focused on that for awhile now, and prayed that God would use my depression as a tool to lead other's to Him. I don't for a second want my depression to just be another thing I "went through". I want to help others, and show them that even on the hardest days, God is there to pull you through and give you the strength you don't have without Him.

I know that I bought into Satan's lie that "no one could understand exactly what I'm going through, so I'm not going to talk about it, or even ask for help". And that's exactly what he wants us to believe- that we're stuck, and are doomed to suffer alone. God says otherwise, friends! THIS is the stuff He uses. So if you know someone who's struggling with depression as a new mother, send them my way. I am not perfect, and I still struggle daily. But there's 2 ways to suffer- alone, or with the help of others, and the Lord.

That's my testimony. God is so very present in the midst of your trials. I'm not sure what they are.. whether you, also, struggle with PPD, or maybe something else.. maybe even worse. But I am 100% sure that if you ask Him to help you, spend time with Him daily, and completely surrender your whole circumstance unto Him, He will begin to heal you, and He will use you & your situation to help others. He will never place a heartache in your life before having it go through His hands first, and without giving you the strength you need to pull through. God uses all things for His glory, and God is always good. Please believe that!

"Would you dare would you dare to believe
That you still have a reason to sing
Cause the pain that you’ve been feeling
It can’t compare to the joy that’s coming
So hold on you gotta wait for the light
Press on and just fight the good fight
Cause the pain that you’ve been feeling
It’s just the dark before the morning..

Once you feel the weight of glory, all your pain will fade to memory.."

My pain is fading to memory, and I want to help those who have yet to feel that weight.

Share this with others.

Love you all.

"and the greatest of these is love.."

Jaymes started school back up last night- he's attending Indiana Tech & taking sociology for the next 5 weeks. This means he's gone one night a week, until about 9:30. So as much as that's a bummer, it's also great for our family. Since he's in the Marine Corps, we're getting BAH for him going to school full time, which is a huge huge blessing (about an extra grand a month for us to save up and get a place of our own). We've been praying that this would be a positive experience for him- that he would enjoy every moment in class, that he would have great teachers, and that he would meet some great people.

Last night he came home around 9:45 as I was just getting out of the shower and getting ready to go to sleep. He had stories, and lots of them. He said that at the beginning of class they did a "get to know each other" activity. Jaymes strolled in after everyone else did, so he was sitting in the far back by himself. The teacher said, "Okay, everyone choose a partner- your job is to choose someone you don't know, and get to know them!" Jaymes said that everyone paired up within a few seconds except for one young man sitting in the middle of class, who came with a friend (so, he obviously couldn't use him as his partner). Jaymes was still looking for someone too, but wasn't having much luck. After a few seconds they made eye contact and the rest was history- they were partners!

I think this activity lasted just a few minutes, but Jaymes learned a whole lot about this gentleman in the time they had. His name is Cherron (sp?), he's 23, and he has an 8 year old and 5 year old. He told Jaymes he doesn't have a job right now, but he's going to school full time so he can start up his own restaurant and provide better for his family. Jaymes said that he talked about how his children hardly have any material things right now, but they do have love. They know that their daddy loves them, and more importantly, they know that Jesus loves them. Jaymes was blown away by this young man's faith, love, and determination.

This story smacked me across the face. How often to I COMPLAIN about what I don't have, what I do want, and how annoying it is that I have to wait for these things. Yet, I have clothes on my back, clean water, plenty of food on my plate, a roof over my head, a wonderful group of doctors, a beautiful little boy, an amazing husband (the list goes on). My son has enough toys to last him a lifetime, enough food to eat as much as his little heart desires, and a family that loves him more than anything in this world. Yet, I complain because I can't have what I want, when I want it. How immature, when some people have so little, and are so very content with what the Lord has chosen to give them.

Needless to say, I was a sobbing mess after hearing this story. I'm so glad Jaymes met Cherron, and I hope that a wonderful friendship blossoms between the two of them. I want to meet him and his children, and be a light to them.

Spend today, tomorrow, and all the days God blesses you with, focusing on what you do have- and much less on what you don't.

June.. already?

Well, this time last year I was already "over" being pregnant, and ready to meet our precious little man, but still had a full 3 months of pregnancy ahead of me- ha! He was born in perfect timing though (literally, right smack dab on his due date) and we are so very thankful for the blessing he is to our life's! I just wanted to start with that, because quite frankly, it's so hard to believe how fast this year has gone! We're just T-3 months to Ayden's first birthday, and it's so bittersweet! :( He is changing so fast at this age (I should add, he's always changed fast- it's just that this past month has been full of some pretty big milestones for him)! He recently started going from the laying position to the sitting position, and then back and forth. I had no idea this meant a whole new "can of worms" was opening though. Starting Saturday, we put Ayden down for his morning nap around 9 as usual, and about 10 minutes later we heard what sounded like him blowing raspberries in his crib- so of course, we went to check it out.. he was sitting up, looking at the door, crying & blowing raspberries in-between breaths. Funniest thing I've seen in a LONG time.. (funny until we realized that this actually means he's charge of when he really falls asleep now.) His 2nd nap was just as interesting, and his 3rd he chose to skip all-together. If we've ever seen our life's change before our eyes, it was then!!! He's testing our patience, and slowly (but surely) learning what the word "NO" means! We have a very determined little man on our hands, and I really hope he carries this remarkable trait all through his life!

Other news on Ayden: his 9 month check is right around the corner, which means, more shots.. but also means we get to see how much he weighs, etc. and that's always exciting! Lets see, he's not crawling yet, but he gets on all 4's and scoots backwards/stumbles forward- so I have no doubt that we're super close to the real thing. He's MUCH happier than he's ever been before with this new found sense of independence! Ayden really enjoys playing with his friends- Kyle Pannabecker & him are best buds, OH, and Emma Pannabecker is his girlfriend (they've been on 2 dinner dates already, and even though I love her.. I think they need to slow things down a bit)! It's so cute to watch the boys interact though. It's amazing how different they are with only 5 1/2 months in-between them (which someday, will be like nothing)!

We had the Pannabeckers over for supper on Saturday night, and the boys just loved playing (Emma enjoyed watching, of course)! Kyle throws things at Ayden out of excitement, and Ayden, in return, attempts to rip every part of Kyle's face off- it's a healthy relationship, I'd say! ;) (for those of you reading and wondering why on earth we'd allow our babies to do this- Kyle is just over one year old, and Ayden is about 9 months- so really, they don't know any better yet. Either way, we can't wait to tell them how they treated each-other when they were babies.. right, Crystal?) We're thankful for Brandon & Crystal and the friendship we share with them. It's a huge blessing to have friends in the same stage of life living so close to us- literally, a 10 minute trip down the road instead of 2,000 miles away-HUGE blessing! We love you guys!

Sunday we had our Church community outreach carnival- it was loads of fun! There was all sorts of food, cotton candy, popcorn, snow cones, kids running around everywhere, live music, etc. etc. etc.! Ayden got the privelage of going on his very first horsie ride with his momma (I'll post pictures on facebook soon of all of Ayden's "firsts" this weekend- ((driving the car, his first lick of ice-cream, putting his toes in the pool, and playing in his crib while he's supposed to be sleeping)) so much fun)! He was hesitant at first, but once we got up there and started moving around, he had the time of his life. I think this means we have to buy a horse..! ;) We had a great turnout too, so I hope we'll be seeing more faces at Cedar Road in the weeks to come. Good work to everyone that pitched in!

Another thing I'll blog about this time: how incredibly powerful our Lord is.

I feel blessed to say that I've been "in a relationship" with God since I was in Kindergarten- ha! However, just in recent months, my relationship with Him has really deepened, and is exactly where I want it to be. There is nothing more rewarding then a DEEP relationship with our Savior, friends. I've learned recently (always known, but recently have learned), that sometimes, He will allow us to fall to our very lowest point, just to lift us to the highest & make us stronger than we ever were before. I've also learned that you have to ASK Him for help, and not just assume that He will help. Not because He doesn't know our needs (He's God, of course He knows what we need), but because He wants us to acknowledge that we can't do it without Him, and specifically ask for His help. It's amazing how quickly He intervenes on our behalf's when we admit we can't do it on our own. God works in funny ways, and I'm so very thankful for His humor!

Friends, I really do have the best husband in this whole world. I don't deserve Jaymes, yet God has given me the privelage of being his wife here on earth, and I couldn't be more honored! He rarely thinks of himself first, and is always doing cute little things for me when I need a "spirit lift". I had a horrible day with Ayden a few weeks ago, and he came home from work with a rose in his mouth.. for me! This past week, yet another horrible day, and he walked through the door with a candle and insisted I stop what I was doing immediately, and go take a relaxing bubble bath by candlelight. Seriously, SO blessed I am- he never focuses on how hard, or long his day was, and always makes sure I get enough "me time".. which is CRUCIAL as a momma!! I couldn't have picked a better daddy for my son, either. Ayden will never know how much that man loves him, and how far he would go to make sure he has the best life possible. Thank you, Lord, for placing Jaymes in our life's!

I'll end with the lyrics to this beautiful song, "Love never fails" by Brandon Heath. It's made a huge impact on my life recently, and I hope it does the same for you.

Love is not proud
Love does not boast
Love after all
Matters the most

Love does not run
Love does not hide
Love does not keep
Locked inside

Love is the river that flows through
Love never fails you

Love will sustain
Love will provide
Love will not cease
At the end of time

Love will protect
Love always hopes
Love still believes
When you don’t

Love is the arms that are holding you
Love never fails you

When my heart won’t make a sound
When I can’t turn back around
When the sky is falling down
Nothing is greater than this
Greater than this

Love is right here
Love is alive
Love is the way
The truth the life

Love is the river than flows through
Love is the arms that are holding you
Love is the place you will fly to
Love never fails you

GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

The Heares :)

Bettering HIS Kingdom, new job, Ayden update, and living the green life!

Good morning friends!

Ayden just went down for his first nap, so I'm hoping that gives me a few minutes to post this much needed blog.. (fingers crossed!)

Well, it's almost April! Which is INSANE! Jaymes & I have almost been married for 2 years! I think I can speak for both of us when I say that these have been the craziest, most amazing, most rewarding, 2 years of our life's to date. Time is a fast moving thing.. very fast. I sometimes, well, most of the time, wish I had the "super power" to slow it down. :) All that being said, here's what's going on with us these days:

Jaymes has a job, Ayden's almost 7 months old, we found a Church, and I'm on a "living GREEN" spree! I guess this means I have to elaborate on everything? Probably the fair thing to do!

Jaymes has just completed his first full week of work (aside from his week of training in Indianapolis.) He's enjoying it! There's lots to learn, but he already knows so much from his experience in the Corps, so the odd's are in his favor! He's working with some pretty neat people, AND he has normal hours (which spoils us because we never had a "schedule" to rely on in the Military!) I will never fully understand what he does, because quite frankly, I'm not that smart in the "technology" part of life.. and that's okay with me! :) This job like I've said before, is a huge blessing. It's allowing me to stay home with our baby boy, and really, there isn't a job more rewarding in this world! I'm planning on doing this until it's time for pre-school. Thank you Lord, for making this possible!!!!

Okay, "living GREEN".. I LOVE IT! I've been on a mission for some time now to better the well-being of my family, and I'm just now getting "serious" about it. This includes making my own home cleaners that are free of chemicals, switching to cloth diapers, making all of Ayden's baby food, and changing the things Jaymes & I are eating as well. Right now I'm focusing on making the cleaners. I'm personally not comfortable with any of the traditional cleaners you can buy at the store. Clorox, Lysol, "green" works, (which is not green, by the way!), and everything else they sell out there. They all have harmful chemicals and that marvelous "WARNING: Keep away from children, if ingested, call poison control immediately, etc. etc. label on them!!!" WHY ON EARTH would I want to clean my home with these things? I have a little boy who's working hard on crawling, and putting his mouth on EVERYTHING! I want to know that what I'm cleaning with, will NOT harm him! So, that's my main motivation for doing this. I know everyone has their own opinion on this sort of thing, and that's fine. But mine is this: if I can make something better, healthier, and more safe for my family, I'm going to. I'll blog about the rest of my "Green spree" later! :)

Ayden will be 7 months old on the 7th of April. He is SO much fun! I love my job, because I get to stay at home with him and play all day. It doesn't get better than that. :) He's experimenting with all sorts of fruits & veggies! So far he's tried butternut squash, peas, plums, pears, and avocado. This week we'll be trying sweet potato, and apricots! I LOVE making his food for him, and he loves it too! Let's see, he's a blink away from crawling.. literally. He knows how to pick his butt up and turn in the direction he wishes to be in, but he's still working on the scooting part of it. Once he figures that out, he'll be off!! He's also learning how to give kisses, sitting up perfectly on his own, saying "da-da" all of the time, and starting to high five. This boy learns at the speed of light! Jaymes & I are blessed beyond words to have Ayden in our life's, he truly completes us.

Well, I saved the most exciting news for last. Jaymes & I have chosen a Church, and we are completely confident that this is where the Lord wants us- Cedar Road Missionary Church! This was by far one of the most difficult decisions we've ever made, and I'm glad it's over with! We're very excited about the ways that God is going to use our "gifts" here. When we made this decision we had 2 main things to focus on: where we could be used the most to better His Kingdom, and obviously, what would be best for our family. Both of the Churches we were choosing from were GREAT Churches, which made the decision that much more difficult. One of them appealed to us a little more than the other for a number of reasons- there were more people our age, more children Ayden's age, more things to plug into right away, etc. However, we didn't want to take the "easy" way out with this choice. God didn't tell us ONCE in the Bible that serving Him would be easy, actually, He told us the opposite. And for that reason alone, we chose Cedar Road. Because we know that God NEEDS us there, and that our family can do great things through this Church, for Him. We have some great friends that attend there along with us, and we're so excited to worship, and serve there along side of them! It's our hope that we can help the Church to grow & start some really exciting things there. God is faithful, friends!

That is all for now. Ayden will be up soon, and I have other things to accomplish before then!!

God Bless!

New beginnings in March!

It's March- isn't that exciting? That means one step closer to beautiful weather, which means: one day closer to playing OUTSIDE with my baby! Hallelujah!!!!! I was about ready to book our tickets back to Cali.. ;)

Well, we have some really exciting news this month.. (No, I am NOT pregnant again! You won't be seeing that exciting news for a few years, friends.)! Jaymes got a job!!!!!!!!!!!!

He's been hired by the "AME Group" (Advanced Microelectronics) in South Bend as their network engineer! He starts on the 14th with a week long training course in Indianapolis. After all that's said and done, he'll be working out of their South Bend office. This job is such a huge blessing to our family. It's full time, with full benefits.. and that's exactly what we needed. Now, I'll be able to stay home with little Ayden until it's time for him to start school, just as planned. We are blessed, and SO thankful for God's provision in our life's! Thank you to everyone who prayed for this job to come along, we cannot explain how much we appreciate it!

Since this blogging thing doesn't happen very often anymore- I suppose I'll update on the rest too.

Ayden James will be 6 months old in T-3 days. Excuse my language, but HOLY CRAP. That's his HALF birthday. That makes him HALF of a year old. That means only 6 more months until he IS 1 year old. Really, I'm still trying to figure out where the past 6 months have gone. He is learning at the speed of lightning! He's sitting up almost perfectly, learning lots of new emotions, and within the next month he will be crawling. He is beautiful, he is healthy, and he is happy (when he isn't teething)! We really couldn't have asked for a more perfect child! Thank you, Lord, for Ayden.

I just have to add a little paragraph or so on how amazing my friends are. I have such a great group of friends that encourage me daily! Recently, a dear friend sent me SUCH a sweet message about how much she looks up to me & how she thinks I'm such a great mother/wife/woman. I think she must have sent the message to the wrong person, because I fall short SO many times (if only she knew!) I'm so happy that I, also, encourage my friends. THAT is what friendship is about.

Last but not least: we've been on the hunt for a good church in this state for the past few months. We're happy to say that we have it narrowed down to 2 churches and will have a final decision by Sunday, March 13th! God is in very the center of this decision- we're not basing it off of who wants us where, not even necessarily what we feel would be easiest for us, but by where HE can use us the most. With all of that said, this will not be an easy choice & your prayers for us as we decide would be greatly appreciated as well!

Time for bed, hope you all enjoyed :)

God bless!

SLOW DOWN!

It's 10:45 pm and Ayden is sound asleep.. I should be too, but my mind is just racing tonight. I cannot believe how fast my little boy is growing up. I want it to slow down SO bad, but we all know that's not going to happen.. so I'm embracing every little moment. Every precious kiss, every perfect smile, every little coo, EVERYTHING. It was just a few months ago that we were leaving the hospital with this helpless little being. I just want to crawl into a bottle that freezes time with him.. is that too much to ask? :/

-Momma

Re-cap of the past 5 months!

Hello friends! After a 5 month break from blogging, we're back! Our "blog" is currently under construction (as you can surely see) but it's been made aware to me that we NEED to post a new one... so, here it is!

Well, the past 5 months have been nothing short of beautiful for Jaymes & I! I'm going to put a re-cap on the events of September-now as best I can. Starting with.... *drum roll* the birth of our baby boy!!!!!! Ayden James Heare was born on September 7th, 2010 (his due date) at 12:52 pm weighing in at 8lbs 1 oz. 20.5 inches long. He is perfectly healthy & absolutely breathtaking. We are so blessed to be his parents & thank God every day for blessing us with such a beautiful opportunity here on earth. I can speak for both of us when I say that we didn't think it was possible to love someone (other than each other) SO much. Ayden is our world. Being "mommy & daddy" has changed us for the better, and we are learning new things about life everyday. Family really is everything!

Fast-forward to November where our next big event took place. Jaymes' EAS ("end of active service" for you civilian folks) was on the 28th. However, his last day of "work" was the 3rd-ish. (I don't recall the exact date because it changed a dozen times.) I'd be lying if I said that I didn't shed a few tears while watching Jaymes walk out of our little apartment in his uniform for the last time. The Marine Corps has been such a HUGE factor in our relationship since the beginning. It was kind of like watching a part of our life's walk away. *sigh* But... once a Marine, always a Marine. OORAH!

On to the next: The move.

So we packed up & moved back to Indiana at the end of November. We are currently staying with my parents who have so kindly loaned us their basement until Jaymes finds a job, or until we save up enough to purchase our first home. Not exactly ideal for newlyweds, but it's what works for now & we are THANKFUL for their generosity! :)

And here we are, in the not so warm state of Indiana.. waiting for work to come along, and looking into our other options if nothing does. God is in control, and what a comforting truth to relax in.

This is short. But it's all we have time for right now!

Blessings to you all!

Jaymes, Abby, and our newest addition.. Ayden :)