Jordan came home from his two-month stay in Ft. Hood and it has been so amazing having him back home. I'm sad to say that I took my own husband for granted, but I've realized that even the tiniest bit at home with the kids or the housework is such a HUGE help to me. Even now, when he has to get home from work after dinner time and interrupts the kids' bedtime routine, I'm so much more grateful to get to see him when I go to bed. It is so comforting having him home and I hate to have it any other way.
That being said, although most of the time while he was gone I felt like I was just a whiny, mopey, wimpy military doctor wife, I can see now that I am stronger for going through that and it's prepared me for what lies ahead. What does lie ahead...you may ask...well we'll get to that in a bit.
For now I want to talk about Christmas break!!!
It was a really nice year. We decorated our house and put up lights! We also went to a gingerbread house party with my Mom Tribe!
Before Jordan came back from Ft. Hood, San Antonio had a miraculous event happen: IT SNOWED! It's been 7 years since it has snowed and it ACTUALLY stuck to the ground! There were screams of delight, snowball fights, fireworks, and staying up late to have hot chocolate and watching the Grinch. It was spectacular, and Jordan completely missed it. :(
Olivia had her Winter dance recital and it was so fun watching her! She has enjoyed dance so much at Mary Lou's School of Dance, and all of the dancers worked their butts of to make it a grand performance! I'm so proud of my little dancer!
Since Jordan had to work on Christmas day and the next couple days after, we decided to celebrate the holiday a day sooner. I made A TON of cookies over the holidays to take to neighbors and friends and I'm so glad I did. It's not Christmas without neighbor goodies plates!
We invited some friends over for a Christmas Eve dinner and then went and saw Santa with them. We played games and did Christmas PJs and had a wonderful evening together. The next day was Sunday, so we woke up a little early and opened Christmas presents with the kids then went off to our Sunday service. The day was so nice because we got home and we were able to relax and not worry about all the Christmas craziness.
The next day, which was the REAL Christmas day, my friend Amanda and I took sugar cookies and cards to some of the pediatric patients at SAMMC hospital. Her husband had to work Christmas day too so we merged our families for the holidays and came up with a plan to serve others so we didn't feel so lonely without our husbands...and it worked like a charm! My heart was filled with gratitude on Christmas, for my healthy life, my healthy kiddos, my husband, and my Savior. We live in a wonderful world where people still have giving and loving hearts, and it was through these people, that I felt like I needed to get out and serve on Christmas day. I'm so inspired by those peoples' examples. We also got to Skype with Jordan's brother Riley, who is on a mission to the Belgium's/Netherlands, which was so awesome! It was good to see his face. For Christmas dinner we were invited over to our neighbors' Chuck and Donna Higgins! They have been such awesome neighbors and we feel so blessed to have them in our lives!
The day after Christmas it was a whole 'nother party, because Grandma and Grandpa Gisseman came into town and spoiled the kids rotten! They stayed for a week and while they stayed, they gave us the gift of an overnight couples stay to a bed and breakfast in Gonzales, TX! Jordan and I ate at a delicious Cuban restaurant, got pedicures (a first for him (and he liked it)), saw The Greatest Showman (A-freaking-MAZING), got dinner at a grill and bar called the Come and Take It Bar where they had delicious pizza, and went to a museum about Texas history. It was such a fun and much needed trip for Jordan and I, and I'm so grateful for Jordan's parents doing that for us.
We also went to eat yummy food at Thai Dee, saw the Zoo Lights, and celebrated New Years together with an excellent array of food. I'm betting you're no longer believing my first theory about how my weight magically appeared again.
Anywho, all good things must come to an end. The Gissemans went home. Jordan went back to work, and now Olivia is back at school. It was so nice having Jordan home for a solid six days during the holiday though. It was really a superb Christmas break and I couldn't be more grateful or satisfied.
Ohhh! I forgot to mention that we are now a minivan family! Because our other car was totaled, we had to find a new vehicle fast, and I feel totally blessed that we found a 2010 Honda Odyssey in Austin for a steal-of-a-deal! I love it! Yeah, vans aren't flashy, but they sure are comfortable and easy to handle with kids!
I guess my last news has to do with just me...Drum roll...brrrrrrr...."JOY TO THE WORLD"....lol, ok, ok, enough with the suspense. I am going back to school to get my Bachelors in nursing through an online school! Yay! I really am so excited. This has been a step I've always intended to take, but I wasn't sure when the timing would be right, and I'm happy to say that the time has come for me to take this next step in my career! In case you don't know, here's a few things about the nursing education process:You can become a nurse without a degree. It's called a Licensed Vocational Nurse or Licensed Practical Nurse in some states. You can work as a nurse, but you don't have a degree to back you and it's abbreviated LVN or LPN. You often can't work with high acuity patients as an LVN unless you receive special training, so if you want to work in higher levels of nursing, then it's best to get more education. My next step in the process was to get my Associates degree in nursing. This gained me the hallowed "Registered Nurse or RN" title and it gets me into doors that being an LVN wouldn't. Now the nursing world is pushing having your Bachelor's degree in nursing, which has been my goal all along. This would simply give me more education in the nursing field, make me a more competitive candidate at job interviews, and make me an all-around better nurse (according to what I've read). It's the logical and best next step for me and I'm really happy that the time has finally come. I'm so grateful to live in a world where technology can make these things easier and more accessible to people like me. I feel really blessed with my life and I have a lot to look forward to this year....
Oh, and I dyed my hair and put in a cool raspberry color and some frosty blonde! Have a happy 2018!
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