you are not forgotten

I am the proud daughter of a U.S. Marine and the honored sister of two Airmen. I have the privilege of living in a military town where heroes are a part of every day interactions. The sounds of freedom rattle the windows of my apartment and my neighbors all wear camouflage uniforms.

As part of living near a base there comes the reality of knowing the cost of such freedoms. There are men and women that leave this town and other's like it with their squadrons to report for duty on the other side of the world. They leave behind husbands, wives, children, and friends. They also leave behind every day things we take for granted like regularly running hot water, clean sheets, and grocery stores around the corner.

As an even greater cost, some of these men and women don't return home with the ability to hug their families once more. They are escorted by a fellow military member to a place like Dover Air Force Base in a coffin draped with the very flag they died protecting to be put at rest.

The families and friends of these men and women go to a place such as this one to pay respects, show their love, gain closure, and even get some sort of comfort. It is definitely not the same and surely doesn't compare to having them with you but there is closure indeed.

Yet, there is another set of families who don't even get this privilege. I use this word privilege carefully considering the gravestone above is that of a dear friend of mine and visiting his grave was never considered a privilege. It was a circumstance in my life I wished had never happened but recently it was brought to my attention that I am lucky to have a memorial to still be able to give him my love and honor.

This other set of loved ones are left behind by those who show this same bravery. They too are mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, and siblings who bid their loved ones farewell with the same fear, hope, and prayer we had for our dear Timothy. The difference? These brave and honorable men and women go away to fight and never return home. They are declared Missing In Action.

Since World War 2 there have been 83,432 men and women declared MIA. There are thousands of loved ones with aching hearts and lost hope clinging to their name. When someone joins a branch of the military, their family signs up too. They might not carry a gun and wear a uniform but they too make a sacrifice. They sign over their loved one with honor and are proud to do so but they sacrifice too.

In my opinion, it is the ultimate sadness to lose a loved one. Words do can not describe the feeling of loss. It is part of life and is all in God's plan but none the less, it hurts. But I do believe the loss of hope experienced by this group of people makes it all the more painful and unbearable.

Never forget the costs of freedom. It truly isn't free.

the half of me

It is no secret that I have made some mistakes. These mistakes have had some pretty terrible consequences. They have damaged my reputation and changed the way people see me (people I've known for years). I have done my very best to do what's right consistently while spending lots of time praying that these people see it. The hardest lesson I've learned through all of this is that it doesn't matter if they see it. It doesn't matter what they think or who I lose, it only matters that God sees it.

When Adam and I decided to get married we needed to find a church for the ceremony because the one we attend doesn't have a center aisle. We started with the church I grew up in here in Yuma that is currently under new leadership. When we met with the Pastor about using their facilities there was this very long shpeal about how they want to keep things Christ-centered in their church and especially during weddings. He laid out the rules before us on the way they do weddings in their church. As we left we knew it wasn't for us but I couldn't help but conclude that because my dress didn't have sleeves and I wanted to walk down the aisle to Coldplay that my wedding would not be Christ-centered.

As most of you know we ended up finding the most beautiful church to have our ceremony. It was filled with lots of people who have lots of love for the two of us and I don't regret our decision for a second. There was so much love and so much of Christ in our wedding and it was the most wonderful moment in our lives. It was everything I ever wanted it to be.

We were married on Saturday of Easter weekend and my oldest nephew was scheduled to be baptized that Sunday, the very next day. This is an event I never would have missed no matter the circumstances and we really didn't want to miss church on Easter either. He was baptized in the church I was raised in mentioned above so we went to their early service. The Pastor came to greet us during the greeting song and said that they've never had a couple show up for church on their honeymoon. We said there wasn't anywhere we'd rather be and left it at that.

Later on as we left the church a family member honked at us in response to the writing on our car windows and my dad was still standing outside the church. A man that we do not know was standing with a friend of our family's that still attends this church and my dad overhears a conversation between these two men. The stranger says, "Wow! They came to church on their honeymoon!? That's impressive." Our friend looks at my dad and simply says, "Yeah, that's Shandi and you don't know the half of her."

I am Shandi and you don't know the half of me.

adam, my heart

Adam and I have known each other for going on 7 years. Ironically we met through Tristan, they were best friends. We have been buddies since and even stayed in touch between my relationships with Tristan.

Adam was around as the last relationship with Tristan was falling apart. He was a very dear friend to me as well as Tristan. When I started to doubt my relationship with Tristan and became genuinely fearful of what my life would be, Adam was one I went to to help me straighten things out. He is very unbiased when it comes to advice and was very good at helping me think of things from all angles. When I came to my final decision he made a promise that he would stand by me this time and be a friend to me- the first breakup between Tristan and I came with a lot of extra junk.

Adam was faithful in his promise to me. All of my friends lived elsewhere, so for a long time he was all I had and he wore that position well even when I made it hard. In April of last year things began to change. I could tell that he had turned to an interest in me and I was a little scared of it. It was very important to me to have the time to get myself together. I had lined up a fantastic job and was moving into an apartment and I really wanted time to just be me. He was very willing to be along for the ride.

In July we decided to give this a try but I realized that I wasn't ready and needed more time to work through things in my past. He was completely crushed but he gave me over to God and made the choice to let God renew his love for me. Slowly over the next few months things completely changed in me. I was ready. I was done with everything that I had been fighting and realized that I was letting them hold me back. Adam had never left and God was making it clear that he wasn't going far anytime soon.

Over Labor Day weekend I laid everything out for him and we hashed through everything that I had been struggling with and even the things that concerned me about him. Adam is a fixer. He tends to act before he thinks sometimes even when it comes to me. Over this weekend with lots of tears on both sides he finally learns how to help me the way I need and I learn to help him. He has never been in a relationship that gives. Every other woman in his life before sucked everything out of him. I was new for him and he was new for me. It was after this weekend that we began to work very well together. We were no longer just buddies. We were partners.

In October, Adam did the mature thing after us praying for God's timing and approached Tristan to inform him of our deciding to date-things with he and Tristan faded over time and they didn't even speak at this point. That talk went very well and it was evident that God had gone before us. After this we began to make our relationship public.

Our relationship has been incredible. It is unlike any relationship I've ever had. There is a maturity to it that is so comforting and makes it all the more realistic. Adam loves me with everything he has and asks God for the ability to give more. I have never wanted to give someone so much. I love having the ability to challenge him, care for him, and love him. We have overcome a lot around us and God is blessing us.

I am engaged to a man that loves the Lord more than anything. We have the beautiful blessing of being able to serve in church together. We are involved in the music ministry as well as the children's ministry. He is winning young men to the Lord and making a clear difference in other's eternities. I am excited to tears about the future that God has for us and the ways he will use us.

I have always heard that the best spouses are the ones that you notice next to you as you are running your course. Ones that have been there all along and God continues to reveal to you in different capacities. This year I am marrying the man that was running next to me. He truly is my best friend and life with him is the only option.

lonely and human

This is the first time in my life that I haven't had a group of people around to be my earthly support. I have many many acquaintences, due to being in one spot and so active for so many years, but only one true friend.

A true friend being someone I can call and at the drop of a hat and we can find something to do to kill the time and make the demons go away. He is proud to be this friend and I'm thankful to have him but the lack of others is taking it's toll. Especially this week.

My family has had a major issue occur this week, my brother has decided to take on another family completely and leave this one in the dust for now, school is stressful, I'm sick as a dog, and here I sit without my community.


I am tired, I am overwhelmed and all I want is a group of people around to invest my time and energy into to help it all go away. Most of the time I am just fine without it but I have my days when I don't know how I've functioned so long without it.


I know it is by God's grace and His companionship that I have made it through it all but I am still human unfortunately and sometimes I can't overcome those desires. Tonight is one of those nights

fool me twice, shame on me

It's a funny thing when you try to force someone to love you.

Everything made sense logically:
      Similar family backgrounds
      Same religious backgrounds
      Same future family goals and ideals
      Family/church family that wanted it so desperately to work

But for whatever reason it just could never work.

The same problems from the first time were there the second time around. I was never enough. I always needed to work on something. I was always misunderstood. I was always taken advantage of.

I was just a warm body.

So here I sit wondering what is wrong with ME when the real question is, why do I care if he never loved me to begin with?

You can talk the talk but walking the walk is a very different story.

"My heart belongs to someone I've yet to meet."


     

tiny voices down the hall

Lily Bell age 6                                                                                            Jaden May age 5

I have these little girls for an entire week. They are shrill, they bicker like nothing I've ever seen yet life apart seems impossible. They forget so easily that I'm also the hand of discipline. They hum, they dance, they color, they hug me.

Yes, they hug me. They wrap their arms around me and tell me I'm beautiful and even lovely (that's a new one). After waking me up at 5:45 in the morning, fighting me at naptime and then again at bedtime, making me break up fight after fight after fight, I have a hard time remembering why I do it.

Oh yeah. They hug me <3

a lovely ride

I had every intention of doing this at the 6 month mark but I was in the middle of life so here I am 7 months later...

December 24th 2010 I called off an engagement. I made the decision to give up a life that I had run into to get out. He is a great man and he's been a great friend to me but it just wasn't a fit for more. This was a decision that forced me to get my feet back under me and figure out what I want to do with life. I went on  an extreme budget and set a goal to be situated in something by August 1st.

 I have had my heart broken multiple times by people that I considered friends. The Lord has put a lot of effort into ridding my life of all of it's toxins by removing people that I thought I needed and reminding me that HE's the only one I need. I remember thinking in December that I had no idea how I was going to make it through to summer without anyone around to count on.

So here I am as August 1st approaches after yet another broken heart situated not just in something but most things. I am sitting in an apartment that is entirely mine and a place I can finally call home. I am starting a job in 5 days that is an unbelievable opportunity. I get to go back to school in two and a half weeks which is waaaaay overdue. December is now 7 months behind me and I am overall happier than ever.

There are things in my life that I desperately want but God has decided that now is not the time for me. I often wonder why He doesn't give them to me but I have chosen to be happy with where He has me and what He's given me. I am thankful to have a God who takes care of the things that are out of my control and can find comfort in the fact that letting Him control it equals a better outcome.

I am far from perfect and made a lot of mistakes in the last 7 months and am unfortunately confident in the fact that they won't be the last. I am a sinner trying to do what's right in a world that encourages me to do wrong but my chin is up and I'm moving forward.

Thanks for coming along for the ride