Wait a Minute Mr. Postman!!

After almost a week of absolutely no contact, and thinking my husband had either had forgotten about me or fell off the planet I FINALLY got a letter.  Let me clarify that this was just me acting crazy and had I done more research I would have not been so disappointed when I didn't get a call the first few days.  You never realize how much you talk to a person and depend on a person until you can't talk to them at all.  This week was so much harder than I ever imagined.  I wrote Will every day simply because I didn't want him to miss out on what little man and I were up to all week.  The hard part was not receiving any mail and having no idea if he was getting mine.  Every day I was like a pathetic puppy dog checking the mailbox, it was the highlight of my day and all week it was pretty disappointing…Until Saturday!!

Finally when I had given up any expectations for this week, there sat a little envelope all by itself with my name on it! I couldn't breath, it was the biggest relief and I couldn't help but get teary-eyed.  Wills handwriting was SO hard to read( I think I had to read it three times to understand what he was saying) but it was from the day I dropped him off.  He talked about how long and drawn out the day was, there was a lot of paperwork and standing at attention.  He said he was praying and trying to stay strong even though he missed us a ton already!!  This letter was such an encouragement even though it was from day one and he had the worst days right ahead of him, seeing his words on paper gave me such comfort.  

In the first four days of Will being gone I was so frantic to hear from him, I had read other blogs where wives received phone calls the first two days and as soon as Tuesday rolled around I was panic stricken that Will had either not passed his tests or had realized life without me is pretty sweet(crazy preggo hormones to blame on that one).  I obsessed about him calling or writing and what he was doing, I just couldn't shake this empty feeling.  Im sure this is somewhat normal for a wife who has never been completely cutoff from her husband in the 2 years they have been married but does not having Will around mean I crumble and lose my joy?? Is Will where I find peace beyond all understanding?? Is Will where I get my strength?? While my husband is amazing and so great at comforting me, the answer is a big fat NO.  These thing need to be found in my Savior.  This week was so eye opening and helped me realize that I need to be first seeking God for my peace and for my joy.  He is the only one that can sustain me with strength during tough times and He is the only one that is going to get Will through these next eleven weeks(eleven sound so much better than twelve eekk!) 

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Through my weaknesses and trials, Gods power is proving to be stronger at every turn.  I have to seek Him daily for happiness and reassurance so I can be all that I can be for my boys and all that I can be for Gods glory.  No letter or phone call can fill me up the way that time spent with Jesus can and he will equip us with exactly what we need to jump over any hurdle that comes our way!! 

After days of online shopping in attempts to keep my mind off the time away from my husband, I decided a needed a project to keep me occupied during Will's nap time.  Luckily the guest room I have been sleeping in at my parents house has yet to be remodeled from its fabulous 70's looking state.  It was completely covered in floral wallpaper, well it was until I got bored and started peeling way.  After almost a week my sister and I have almost successfully all of the wallpaper and repainted but in the process I learned three great lessons.

1.  DIY projects require patience
2. Peeling wallpaper does not cure a worrisome wife syndrome
3. Wallpaper is from the pits of hell

Nevertheless, I will be greatly reaping the benefits of this DIY endeavor when I am snoozing in a pretty room with a fresh coat of paint! Will also found someones hot chocolate and thought we might appreciate his painting services :) 

So thankful for more mail from Will this week!! Got three letters on Monday.  His spirits sounded great, he even drew me a picture of what he thinks his bald head looks like.  It was a scary resemblance to Homer Simpson (lets hope these are just artistic flaws).  When writing these letters he had yet to meet his DI(Drill Instructor), so hopefully even through those tough days he can keep his head up.  Thank y'all so much for all of your prayers and support.  So proud of my sailor!

The Drop Off 3.24.15

After several weeks of living in the limbo between Jackson and Memphis finishing all of the moving, we finally made our trek to New Jersey to spend Wills last civilian week with my family.  We decided to use the night time to travel to optimize time with little man asleep, which I am so thankful we did due to very impatient toddler that was ready to be out of the car come morning.  The 16 hours passed pretty quickly and before we knew it the whole loud Peterson clan was under one roof again.  It was such a sweet week of nothingness.

Thanks to some rain and many babysitters we were able to hang around in PJs and watch movies most days, taking occasional breaks for Wawa and Sam's Pizza.  However we did make it out of the house at least one night to have a proper date night at one of our favorite restaurants.  Too quickly Saturday rolled around and we woke up to a huge breakfast prepared by my dad and the family came together and prayed over Will.  Then all of a sudden it was time for us to pack up and head to Newport.  Luckily I was distracted enough with making sure we didn't forget to pack anything from Wills OCS list.

The drive to Newport was quite surreal.  It was this feeling of wanting so terribly to just get there already while at the same time I was completely dreading it.  Luckily the drive was beautiful and we arrived in Newport just in time for sunset.  We decided to check out the Navy Base to get a feel for where we would need to go in the morning, then have one final date night.  Thanks to Urban Spoon we ended up at the prettiest seafood place right on the water and had our quintessential New England dinner complete with lobster fritters and scallop chowder.  It was amazing!  We had planned on walking around and checking out the town after dinner but it got really cold really fast so we ended up calling it an early night and heading back to the hotel.  It was the picture perfect last night with my Wilbur Senior.  We talked, we prayed, we ate and just enjoyed each other in a way that I wish I would have on every date we've been on.  

Unfortunately Sunday did have to come.  It was an early morning so I was hoping my exhaustion would completely knock out my sadness....HA  The drop off was a success though.  The base looked beautiful as the sun was just coming up which was comforting knowing Will would have some scenic runs in his near future.  After following several OCS signs and crossing a small bridge we found where Will needed to check in.  I would love to tell you that I did not completely make a scene and embarrass both of us but I would be lying.  Luckily there were other people around us walking by forcing me to contain the audible level of my crying.  I imagined us getting to park and hug and kiss and say a proper goodbye but we were instructed to just pull to the side with our hazards on so we needed to hustle with our goodbyes.  I sniffled and snorted out an "I love you" as Will reassured me he would be fine.  I jumped back in the car and watched him make his way into the big building and was able to snap a picture before he made it inside.

This picture still makes me tear up thinking back on how bravely he trudged in their knowing the hard and trying months ahead of him.  Luckily they have to make a phone call first thing when they check to let someone know they made it, so before I made it off the base he had called.  He asked how I was holding up and let me know he had made it and we got one last "I love you" which made the hysterics start all over.  By the time I got to Dunkin Donuts I had composed myself and was able to sit and pray. I dont remember most of the prayer but I know I was pleading that God would just send me something to comfort me, to remind me that He's not leaving me or Wills side in the next 3 months. I then started my drive back to NJ and was so grateful for being able to drive back alone and get myself together.  

About an hour into the drive I received a text from a dear childhood friend, that I really think was my answer to prayer.  She let me know that she and her family were thinking of us and praying for us and gave me a verse...

Isaiah 26:3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. 

Thank you Jesus, not only for this sweet friend who continues to pour out love on our family, but for giving me exactly what  I needed to hear.  A promise of peace.  A motivation and goal to keep my eyes fixed on Him, the only one who can give Will or I this inexplicable peace.  What a gift!! 

The rest of the drive seemed to fly by and I made it back just in time to celebrate my youngest sisters 14th birthday.  An exhausting day but so grateful to see how God molds and shapes my family in this adventure to come!!

Please email me if you would like Wills address.  I know he would love to hear from everyone!!! Chelseaep@me.com  He can only receive standard letters and envelopes right now and any boxes or packages could get him in trouble or even pushed back and therefore I would have to hunt you down and fight you! (joking, kind of) I know mail will be a treat for him though so I know he would be so appreciative of anyone who wants to write him!

Thank yall for your prayers and encouragement!