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

1,000 mark!

Wow, as I return from a fun filled day of Chuck E. Cheese and sledding; I notice that my blog since July 1, 2010 has reached 1,000 viewers! This blog was only served to keep local family and friends updated on the progress of Jonathan while being deployed. I am overjoyed to look at that number and seeing nothing but the outpouring love that so many of you have given not only to Jonathan but myself. I pray that this blog finds you full of appreciation of ALL of your service men and women. It is truly a gift that there are so many of you praying for his safety and well being during this difficult journey. And a difficult journey it has been thus far. This blog has given me tranquility, relaxation, and the release of stress. So many times it's so hard to share my true emotions of how I feel. When coming here, I feel like it is an escape to get everything that I think about during this time. I am thankful that God is working through me during this experience! It has been a difficult one, but sooooo rewarding for so many reasons! :)

Since there are so many people that have reached out to this blog, I am beginning to think that this could be something I could get in tuned with as the new year approaches. Why not right? Just finishing my Masters a few weeks back, I feel like I will have a lot more time. My plan was to stop the blog once Jonathan was out of Afghanistan. However, since so many people are interested, I may in the future turn it into a photo blog that captures Jon's time in the military as well as our time spent together. Who knows? I think it would be a great way to look back in the future and see the blog and how much both of us have grown.

So, if you start to see the blog change a bit in the upcoming year, don't be alarmed! It's me trying out my new creativity.

Please continue to pray for Jon while he is on this dangerous long mission for the next twelve days. He has contacted me and seems to be doing well "virtually." I know that it is very dangerous where he is at, but I also know God is working in and through him!

I pray everyone has a safe and prosperous new year!

Love and Prayers,

Kristine

Holiday Photographs

Here are some pictures Jon's sister took right before he was heading to the airport. Some of my favorite ones captured our happiness together! :)

Safe

This morning I received great news that Jon is safe! It has been three days since I have talked to him and he was not sure if he would have been able to call at all. However, when I awoke, I had a missed call from him saying that he was doing well and was safe! I needed that little reminder today to get me through the day. The past few have been pretty rough. It is so hard thinking that the one you love is in harms way and you don't know what is going on, what he is doing, or what is he thinking. I am so grateful today, as I start a new day for Jon's sacrifices and dedication to our country so that all can remain free here in the United States. Please Lord, continue to watch over him and his unit and keep him safe through the rest of this mission.

Love and Prayers,

Kristine

Rough Stuff

Christmas has gone and past. What a wonderful day it was merely for celebrating our Christ Saviors Birth! Time spent with family, joy with one another, and sharing old time stories from the past. However, something was missing, and that was Jonathan. It was a very emotional day. We tried numerous times to talk to him and be able to just say Merry Christmas, but deep down inside it certainly was not the same for him or for us. Failed connections via Skype, dropped phone calls made it even more frustrating. It broke my heart talking to him, knowing that of all things he just wanted to be home with family, and he couldn't. The Army did provide him with a nice hot meal which was nice to hear. I think that's the best thing I have heard the Army do since he has been deployed.

Today marks the first of fourteen days that Jon will be on mission. YES, this will be the longest that I will go without talking to him! It certainly will be a long two week. Especially when he is so sacrificial to call home or send a message to let us all know how he is doing every 1-2 days. However, this mission is different. 14 days gone with no communication. It is dangerous, unknown, and life risking. I would say this is the most intense mission since he has been in Afghanistan, and I know there have been quite a few already. I pray that God will continue to protect him and keep him focused and aware of his surroundings at all times. He could not share much with this mission, which is totally understandable. Please keep him in your prayers through another difficult task. I could only fathom the cold weather, deprivation, depression, and anguish he must be going through to know that he is stuck on this mission for 13 more days! It breaks my heart. I want him back to his FOB safe and sound with a nice message saying "I'm back safe, Kristine." Until then, I will patiently wait and continue counting down the days, hours, and minutes.

On a brighter note, the new year is fast approaching. I hope you have all your resolutions set and stick to them! I'm looking forward to a new year in that Jon will only have 5 more months left! Thank you for all your support and prayers. Happy New Year!

Love and Prayers,

Kristine

It's a Cold one

Wow! It surely is getting cold. The hustle and bustle is taking place everywhere you turn. People rushing for the perfect gift, on fast forward, with no time to stop and think about the real meaning of this holiday season. Our world is so caught up in the societal view of what everyone else is doing...in my words all I can say is "grrrr!"

I was able to spend time with family tonight and head into Delaware Park in Buffalo, NY where we took in the beautiful sight of God's creation! It was incredible! As we were driving home, an awesome song came on that reminded me of Jon as well as the rest of the soldiers fighting around us. I miss him terribly but was happy to be able to talk to him today! Man, do I loooove skype! Great communication tool...especially when it is built into your cell phone :) Anyhow, a quick note to share this video with you all! Merry Christmas!

Love and Prayers,

Kristine