Lots happening!

So let's see where to begin. I am feeling better and better everyday. I am only sick when I get too hungry or eat the wrong thing. Which that kind of thing sticks around for most the pregnancy. We have a part time job. If you will recall Ray was working for Home Depot for a bit, but he stopped that in December because we thought we were opening the jiu-jitsu academy in January. Did I ever tell you about the academy? A friend had offered to help open it, but he just didn't have the funds ready when it came time. Raym got a blessing from the Bishop and he was told to continue on the path he was on, but to keep an open mind that things might not happen the way we were planning. Okay so we knew we were going to the right direction trying to open the school. We were looking for some work until we could get it opened. We were praying about how to get money to open it. And the most exciting thing we had no money. There for a few weeks we literally had no money. It really isn't as scary as you think. Ray's parents came in town to help with Stephanie's new baby and family. They were generous enough to offer some money to carry us for a bit. We sold some more stuff...random stuff really that people bought off Ebay. But during that time I felt so peaceful. I have felt peaceful really this whole time. I have always known the Lord knew my family's needs exactly, and he has provided for those exactly. About three weeks ago I was lieing on the couch while Raym put the kids to bed and I had the clearest thought, if Ray went away in the military for a few months I would be ok, I could handle it. The thought did not linger, it came and went. The next day Ray was at the skate park our friend runs who was going to help open the school, and an Army recruiter came in to drop off stuff for the park. When Ray came home he tossed a shirt at me with the Army logo and off the cuff said "maybe I should join". I said okay, which stopped him dead in his tracks. I shared with him the thought I had the night before. We prayed about it. And the next day he went in and told them he wanted to join the reserves. That next week he swore in and went through all the processing stuff. He will leave on April 8th for basic training. It lasts 9 weeks. Right after that though he will have AIT (advance individual training). They will let him come home for the birth of the baby for two weeks and then he will go back and finish up. So in all I will be a single parent for 4 to 5 months. This whole thing would be hard if I hadn't already had a confirmation that at the time I hadn't realized was a confirmation. In the reserves they serve one weekend a month and two weeks a year, after his basic training and AIT. It will definitely be helpful for the business because he wanted to teach hand to hand combat, and work with the police departments, SWAT, and the military. And with the 'bonus' money we get from joining we can use some of it to open the business, it will help pay for Ray's school (he is getting his master's), and open up client possibilities. On Tuesday he was asked to work for Missionary Mall in Layton, originally they wanted him to manage the store but because he will be gone for so long they asked if he could work part time until he goes. So we are still poor :) But poor with direction. I like how my life is going. The Lord is rebuilding our lives one small step at time. I love that the Lord is never in as big a hurry as we are. I learn a lot from that. He knows that we are supported solely just about by the church. Our food, our basic bills and housing. And I know that he is ok with it, he is ok with us being exactly in the situation we have been in. If he wasn't our lives would have gone in a different direction. We have been so prayerful every step of the way. I am sure there are some along the way who have thought we "should" do this or we "shouldn't" do that. Thank goodness they aren't making the decisions. My life, if you know me very well at all :) has never gone the way anyone has ever thought it "should". The Lord's way are so much higher. I know that soon (that could be a whole year from now) we will back in business. We will be able to pay our own bills. We will be able to sustain ourselves. I also know that that is when the real test will begin. What will we do with our money? What will we do to show the Lord our gratitude for what he has done for us? How will we repay him? How we will make sure we always remember where real success comes from? I must say though, I love that by this years end the Lord will have done so much more with our life, so long as we constantly turn it over to him, than we ever could with out him.