Friday, November 16, 2007

Jonathan in Iraq

My brother, Jonathan, left for Iraq two weeks ago. He said goodbye to his wife, Jessica, and my parents in Ft. Hood, TX. I'm so thankful for his service for us and our country. He'll be flying Apache helicopters over there for the next 15 months. Even though it's difficult to be separated, I'm grateful that we have internet and phone to keep in touch. Below are two photos of his departure from my mom's camera.

Thanks for keeping him (and Jess) in your prayers!!


Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Meet Deric.



It's my pleasure to "introduce" you to my boyfriend, Deric! He and I met at school back in late September, began dating very soon after, and have been having a blast ever since. He's in his 3rd year of an MDiv degree and he wants to be an Army Chaplain. We're enjoying getting to know each other, he's amazing, and I consider him such a gift from the Lord.

Here are some photos from the past month:

At a mission organization's fundraising banquet.

with his truck.

at the Taylor Swift concert.

after brunch with the springstons.

And here are some fun facts about D-Rock (his nickname):

-grew up in a small town outside of Sioux Falls, SD
-works part-time as a valet
-his birthday: February 8, 1983
-passionate about people and relationships
-loves kids (was a camp counselor for several summers)
-interned at Focus on the Family Institute for a semester during college
-is a 2nd Lt. in the Army reserves
-doesn't own any movies (doesn't watch many either)
-used to work for Youthworks (a missions organization) and has been to China
-graduated with a ministry and Bible double major from Northwestern College in St. Paul, MN
-has a slight upper-midwest accent (dontcha know)
-likes dogs (esp. Golden Retrievers) better than cats
-plays the guitar and sings (baritone)
-likes to read
-has never jazzercised...yet. :)
-favorite colors: blue and purple
-used to run Cross Country in high school
-used to do theatre
-is doing an independent study on the psychology of killing (in relation to being a soldier at war) in order to be a more effective chaplain
-hopes to graduate and be ordained (Baptist General Conference) in December 2008
-he grew up fixing up old cars with his dad and brother
-drives a white and orange 1970 Chevy pick-up truck that he restored this summer
-loves all different types of music, a current favorite is country-singer Taylor Swift
-is a fun dancer