So much can change in 7 weeks...

Hello friends,
It's been a while...So much to fill you in on. A few weeks after my last post, we were getting ready for our cruise and low and behold...Positive Pregnancy test! Remember what I wrote almost the last couple sentences of my last post? God hear our prayers! What a blessing! His timing is perfect! Brandon and I could not be more excited to finally join a lot of you friends in the joys, struggles, and exhaustion of being parents. One week before we set sail on our 7 day adventure, the news of this just made it even more of a beautiful time together. And what fun we had on this cruise! The water in the Caribbean could not have been more turquoise! I got to Zip line through the jungle of Rotan, swim with sting rays in Grand Cayman, see the sights of Cozumel and Belize. Highly recommend cruising.
After we returned and I must say, NO sickness on the rocky ship, but it certainly showed it's ugly head Monday! Whoa, not fun. It's gotten so much better but still comes and goes slightly. The hunger has set in! It's hard to find the perfect thing to curb my appetite! Kind of annoying, but not complaing. So, we have been trying to wrap our heads around this new life change that is the deployment and now bringing a 3rd life into this Collin's home in January. Brandon is so wonderful to do as much to not let me have to stress about things around the house while he is gone. Meaning, I don't have to do the yard work! Just water the yard/plants. Thanks babe! Then on Monday the 23rd, he boared a P-3 and took off for the desert. 6 months started. I know I can handle it. Thank God for Skype (when the Internet works there) But now the lovely emotions of me being pregnant thows another dimension to this experience. A lot of people said, you guys planned this pregnancy perfectly. I think most of the guys (with kids) meant he won't have to deal with me and my emotions and all! But it is good timing, he will be here for the birth (God willing) and the first year. Brandon is kind of bummed he is going to miss all the firsts...first ultrasound, heart beat, see me get bigger, be there when we find the sex of the baby and see/feel the alien moving in my belly...you get it. I will nicely, but firmly ask for videos to show/send him!
Over all, we are just so blessed. I cannot contain how God is all knowing and knew this was the anointed time for this to finally happen to us! (we have NOT been preventing this for over 2 years) I am just to honored that the Lord would allow us to bring a life in this world and raise it! Many prayers would be so appreciated for not only me but for Brandon as well. He needs it. All I can say is
"...The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." James 5:16 To God be the Glory!

Pre- Deployment

Hello fellow bloggers. It's been a while and yet it's now closer to my first military deployment. I have to say that I am an ignorance is bliss kind of gal. Weird...maybe, but I am known for being so overly emotional, it must be a way for my mind to deal with it. But we had our first pre-deployment meeting and now it's staring to hit me. All the emotions but I am trying to be cool for my husband. He wants me to be strong and I SO WANT to be the same! I can handle this but it is going to rock my boat a bit. Bob Marley song there...ha ha!
But amongts the wondering what to do or buy for my man who's going to be playing in the sand for 6 months, we are going on our FIRST CRUISE! Now, this may not be a big deal to you...but I have been trying so hard to talk B into going on a cruise for 7 years with no avail. And of course, he makes a new friend at the squadron, who happen to be seasoned cruisers, and now...we are going on a trip with this couple and another couple that are in the squadron! Thankyou Greg! ;-0 I AM SUPER Excited! WE leave out of Miami, never been there, go to Cozemel, Mexico, then Beliz, then Rotan (both in South America!) then lastly Grand CAymon Island! That's right folks...7 days!! Did I say how excited I am???? So I am focusing on that!!
You know, I know I am going to be fine. It's just the unknown that is uneasy. I have ventured into the home business market and I LOVE IT. I am being blessed with my sales too. SCENTSY is where it's at people...side plug (website www.jencollins.scentsy.us) Wickless and flamless. Ok, I will stop it! But I love them. FYI. So, I am praying about another hookup from the hubby, his highschool choir director. He spoke to her about me and my voice lessons. I am charging a resonable price and she wants me to put a flyer up in her choir room and she knows a few that would jump on! I have 3 part-time jobs and I need to give one up and I know what I want it to be, but I want to do it the right way and in the right timing...so if anyone feels so inclined to pray with me on this. As well as one more thing...I know, I know, shut up already. But I have a lot on my mind...we want to start a family. We know that time is running out for this year, but it's somthing that has been weighing heavy on my heart. This desire to be a mother to a child which would be a mix of Brandon and myself...I got to see this creation! God knows what all the mechanics are, but it's somthing that I don't want to make me sad or depressed. Just pray folks, if you so feel inclined. Psalm 37:4 "Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." God is good and His timing is perfect.
THanks for reading from my heart! Just Jen learing how to be a great Navy wife!
Over and out...
Till next time!

Time for growing

It's been a while folks. We bought and moved into our second house that we actually own! We love it and the dogs a super happy. Funny thing about us getting out of the previous, inexpencive but TINY place, it's been better for Brandon and our marriage. Strange? Not for this quirky family. We love our space...not a 850sqr ft newleywed place. I guess after 7.5 years, it's to be expected! Non the less we are so greatful that God helped us get such a wonderful home with the wonderful price tag to match! This is a great benifit to us because of the VA loans for us military! We have been busy painting and just finished up the wood-work in the dining room. Brandon is so tallented and handy to have around! I used to get annoyed with all the power tools, but NOW I can see why he has them...to do things like this!

Now on to what's going on with me. I am working part time at the bank, I have 3 vocal students with more on the way, and I started this Scentsy business...I am tired but excited to see God moving in my life! I have wanted to work for myself for as long as I can remember. I have taken piano and voice from women who had their own businesses and I liked that. So that longing that was placed in my heart to teach kids/young adults private lessons (beg. piano and voice) has always been there but NOW I feel as if God is showing me that it is time to step out of the comfort of a steady paycheck and HE is bringing me students by word of mouth. I feel God bringing me through the things we went through last year has all led to this moment in time. Brandon has been more supportive than ever. That's new, not that he wasn't supportive but now he tells people about my Scentsy and private lessons and has given out my cards! He's so sweet. The waiting was the hard part of all of this. The military has been such a blessing for us...strange to hear as well as type it but it's true. I see God using all of this for our good and His glory!

Brandon just got promoted as well and well that's another blessing! It just reminds me of Romans 8:28 "all things work together for good for those who love God." Even military life. I believe this whole heartedly even with a 6 month deployment just around the corner from us! (He leaves in mid-May) God is so good and faithful and just wanted to share.

So...the Orders are IN!

What does this mean you ask? Military lingo...which in civilian terms means, we have gotten written orders to where we will be stationed for the next 3 years and we got Jacksonville!! WHOO HOOO! We got them about a week ago, so I am a little late in sharing this news. Friday the 17th Brandon finally got his coveted Wings! It was an exciting time! Such an accomplishment in life! I am very proudHe us going to squadron VP10, and Brandon found out that they deploy next summer in June. So I am glad we have some time with each other and to figure out the living arrangments.

So after the winging party and all the comotion was over, we decided that we found a house we love and put an offer on it! It's a short-sale which is new to us, so the seller ageed to our asking price but now the long wait to see if the bank will agree to this price. This apparantly could take months! Sigh* I would love to be in my new house for at least Christmas, but we will see! I am excited to get out of this little duplex but it has been a blessing in disguise. Saved us tons on money cause we might have to pay closing costs on the new place but we are trying to avoid that!
Today is the first day to where it doesn't feel so hot or humid. It's nice out even for Florida! Still the high today is 84, but it's wonderful, I love it here! Now, if I could get Brandon to go to the beach more often!

God is so good, He is doing a new thing in me and my family. I just pray for continuing growth for both Brandon and myself.

And the waiting continues....

Hello all! It's been too long, but I must say....a much needed break to focus on God, me and my family. God is so Good! Things are so great right now! Learned a lot about myself and God during my time of searching my heart. So now Brandon and I are anxiously awaiting orders that could come in as short as a few weeks to find out if we stay here in Jax or move across the country and even across the Pacific. I know, we must be crazy to say no to Hawaii or Whidbey Island (outside of Seattle, well kind of) but Brandon and I on this journey have learned one thing about us. We like to own our own home, have a big yard for our dogs to run and maybe even this time, have a pool! Ha! Music to my ears people....this Ohio gal wants to stay here in Jacksonville....What you say?? We are nuts? Well, maybe but we love it here and we have found a wonderful church that Brandon has the opportuninty to do his hobby of running sound and I get to sing and lead worship every other Wednesday nights. Also Brandon's sister is about to have her first baby, so can't wait to meet little Aiden. And I love my job...sure I work at a bank as a teller, but I work with the most wonderful people and I know God brought me here to this town with a huge support system to deal with the military life and issues in our lives only for me to be a better person. So with all these things, how can I leave??! Oh and Brandon's not making it any easier when for fun, he searches the internet for great deals on houses and we drive around town and go looking at them and dream...Ah yes, owning our own piece of Jacksonville, ok it will probably be Middleburg but who cares! (gotta love the redneck name!)
So we wait....
and get nervous, anxious....try not to worry about having to stick my huge Great Dane on a plane then having to board him, well quarantine him actually, for possibly 2 months because the lovely island of Hawaii has no rabies or something?? But my dog has no such thing but every pet has to go through this process....Huff!
Brandon gets his much awaited wings Sept. 17th...for those of you not military, this is kind of a big deal...and I am so new to this military life that I find it uber cool!! I am so proud of him! He has worked harder than he did in college and he worked pretty hard then too. His time in flight school is slowly winding down and off to a squadrine (family, I hope) only to probably find out that there is a huge chance for him to be deployed right away around the holidays...so I just pray if the latter is the case, that we would get stationed here so I don't have to change my whole life over the holidays only to spend them alone! (well with new people) ;-)
God knows what is best...he sees the big picture. I have faith in His plan....I also know too that he knows the desires of my (our) hearts too. So until then we just wait patiently.....

The art of communication....

So, after being married for almost 7 years this summer, I am re-learning how to communicate and effectively listen. This is hard because after so many years with someone, you just get in the same rut and think that you are communicating effectively. After a marriage counseling session, I think Brandon and I have realized that we have lost our way in this battle for effective talking and listening. Men and women process information totally different from one another. I mean, with the help of the counselor, I started with a statement and Brandon was to understand and reply back what he heard and I was to say Yes that's what I said or no. And this was kind of astounding. We both put our own Jen and Brandon twist on each others words. Basically, the art of communication has broken down as well as actually listening to the words someone is saying. I left this session feeling like Brandon heard me and I felt like I heard him clearly for the first time in a while. Now we have a lot more work to do on many more issues but I am so hopeful that we will have empathy towards what the other one is saying that we will get the message instead of trying to interpret it to how it applies to each other.
Now also I am a smart person, but my way to trying to understand someone or something is to ask more questions to get more info to decide if I can accept the information handed to me. We all have a certain expectation for our mate, now weather we want to admit it or not, it's there. I am guilty of this. I prob and prod for more info to try to rationalize my understanding in my head and to try to make peace with an issue. This is tough folks. What if we stop probing and prodding and just accept the information handed from our mate and because we accepted them, things actually change instead of me constantly challenging the info. This was my Ah-ha moment to use the Oprah-ism. We are called to accept people for how God made them and understand will come after we accept them. Wow, deep Jen...ha ha! But really, I am beginning to understand that my questioning just leads to an annoyed husband that feels I am trying to get in every single detail of his life and that was not my point...I equated questioning to equal understanding. Did Jesus question everyone about all the details of their life or did he just love them unconditionally and accept them as the different human being that they are. My friends, this is eye- opening for me. I just pray for more insight to effectively communicate and listen to my spouse. This is all for now but I pray for more insight to be a better wife and follower of Christ in the days ahead!

Weak-Willed Woman

That's what I am. I am consumed by my fears and it's fear that makes me unstable and needy. I care more about what others think of me to where it almost guides my decision making.I have lost my ambition and passion. I have been unsure that God loves me the way I am and I am not sure if I have even considered that God thinks I am beautiful. My starving soul tries to get it's fill from others and when I don't get enough, I retreat into self pity and mild depression. I am easily hurt and offended, spiritually knowledgeable but essentially lost. I go to bible studies, but my life never really changes because there is nothing inside me for the truth to latch on to-and my will to become and grow is weak. I am tired of being and easy prey for the attacks of the enemy. My instability becomes emotional distress. The cause of this....FEAR. It's parallizing. Wow, when I read that in the book I am reading, I started to cry and felt so embarrassed. Did this author know me and start to read from my heart?
God is really stretching me, my marriage, and my perspective of God. I am a work in progress and I pray that God gives Brandon and I wisdom during this time. I know this might sound harsh, but sometimes the truth is and I am tired of hearing great things and not being able to make that heart-mind connection. How does one make this connection? Being still, waiting on God and not listining to the fear that parallizes me. At 31, I am still learning how to do this. Friends, please keep me and my husband in your prayers. Things are wierd right now, and I just pray that we take the right steps to make our marriage one of fullfillment. God can only do this, but sometimes we have to realize that we need to change. I am praying for a soft heart and open ear to what God wants. I am going to stop listining to the fear. He needs to go. We are at a pivitol moment and we need God to show us the way and hopfully both of our ears will be open and our hearts will change to be more like God.
God is able! He is a marriage champion! He loves us and wants us to NOT fail! God, I am being still....please, change me from within. I am going to not believe the lies any longer! Praise Him!