Always Stand up and Salute

Good evening! It's been about a week. Again, sometimes no news is good news! Above is a beautiful sunrise taken in Afghanistan last week. Jon's 15 day mission went well. Wow was it ever a long wait! I cannot begin to tell you how difficult it is waiting not only on a daily basis, but a weekly basis to get a phone call to say "I'm safe." I don't think I have ever been so upset since Jon has been deployed, as in that few weeks. It was awful. He said that the mission was okay. Interesting enough they got to put their survival skills together and make some awesome food! They went into the town and got some chickens from the local vendors...and did one thing...came back to cook em! Gross! The thought of him and his unit plucking, skinning, and grilling chicken...irks me. However, I guess it is good to know that they truly know how to survive during hardship. 9 days with no shower was definitely a drag. Jon does not take a shower for granted anymore after that awful experience. Overall, that mission went well.
As we speak he is now in KAF doing some work for a another five days or so. This is about a two day voyage from where he is at now in Tarin Kowt. Upon finishing, his unit will then head back to TK for more missions. I pray that these 15 days missions are not going to start being a regular routine. However, I know that God is protecting him and the rest of his crew.
Please pray for a young man in Jon's unit who was injured last week in the motor pool. He has been sent back to Germany where he will remain to get surgery and recover. He will not be returning during this duty. I pray God will heal him quickly and allow him to be back in full force. I know that he is a great guy according to Jon and was very close with him during this deployment.
As the weather gets bitterly cold here in Buffalo, all I can say is STAY WARM! I am off to FL for a week to visit some friends. I'm also looking forward to a wonderful lunch date with Jon's aunt while being there. High seventies beat the negative temperatures up here.
Please keep Jon and his unit in your prayers. We have almost met the 5 month mark! I cannot wait!
Love and Prayers,
Kristine

Happy New Year!

Wow a new year! Who would have thought that this past year would fly by so quickly? I had an amazing 2010 and am looking forward to an even better 2011! With that being said, the whole resolution thing kicks in! I'm excited to stick to new goals and keep them. Last year I was able to lose 30 pounds! This year, I have many attainable goal.
First, I want to lose 10 more pounds. I blame it on all that holiday food that has gotten the best of me this past month! In doing so, I plan to start working out and most importantly watch my eating habits. I feel like this is key when maintaining a healthy lifestyle. It is a real challenge, but once I get started I am pretty good at sticking to it! Secondly, I would like to spend more time becoming active and sharing the love of God with others who may not be enlightened by his love and grace. Through faith, I will be able to be active in various ministries and other organizations throughout the community. This is something that I have always wanted to do more, but since being in school for the past seven years, that was unreal in my world. Lastly, would be saving. Ahhhh...I am always so quick to spend. If I have the money why not? But now I am saying why spend it? Saving will truly put my priorities into check and allow me to see the greater benefits in doing so. I look forward to many things in the upcoming year....mostly because Jon will be out of Afghanistan and home for three weeks! It will be truly awesome to spend time together and know that he will be heading back to Germany to be safe and sound. I look back the past few weeks, and I have been an emotional roller-coaster. I never imagined how hard doing this would possibly be. Lack of communication and predicting the unknown has got to be the most hardest part. I cannot imagine people who have spouses that do this as a regular career, on a regular basis! I don't think I could do it....well if it were Jon I would! However, I know that pressing into God makes it so much easier during this difficult time.
It's been quite a few days without a word. I know Jon is safe and I trust that he is being well aware of his surroundings at all times during this mission. This has in fact been the longest that we have gone without talking and I look forward to hearing his voice in less than one week (6days!). I miss him so much.
I hope everyone is sticking to those resolutions! Please continue to pray for Jonathan and his unit.
Love and Prayers,
Kristine