Hello, Everyone!

Just a few quick notes here...

• Last month, I bought a new car on Valentine's Day. A Kia Rondo, 'volcanic red,' no less!
• Tiger and I are adapting well to each other, though he loves to talk!
• Sharon and I continue to make final plans for our wedding in August!
• I put a bid on a house in Syracuse, NE. More info on the house if our bid is accepted.
• Trying to transfer to a MP (military police) unit in Omaha
• Put in to take the Coporal board in April (in corrections, it goes Officer, Corporal, Sergent, Lieutenant, etc.)

So, needless to say, things are going pretty well, but very, very busy for me! But, God has so richly blessed Sharon and myself that I am extremely excited about our future!

It's getting late for me, and I need to get up kind of early tomorrow. So, I'll write more another time. Take care and God bless!

In Christ,

RC

Greetings in the Lord, Everyone!

I just wanted to take a moment to let you know that there's a new addition in my family. Just about two weeks ago, I adopted a cat from the Humane Society in Omaha. Tiger, a fairly large brown/gray cat with black stripes was 'showcased' at PetSmart near where Sharon lives. And, after some discussion, Sharon and I decided to get him. Now, Sharon has Hannah and I have Tiger.

Do the two get along well together? Yes, they do. Hannah grew up around cats, and Tiger's former family had both another cat and another dog. They have adapted very well to each other, from playing together to napping right next to each other. They even compete for attention from Sharon and myself together.

Work goes well for me. I've been working down in the Special Management Unit at Tecumseh two to three days a week. I enjoy working down there, though some days can be fairly draining. But, that's life for you. And, the occasional break with working on the yard or in the kitchen or some place else helps to relieve the stress.

God seems to be putting things into place with moving to Omaha. I am prayerfully trying to transfer from the Tecumseh prison to OCC (Omaha Community Corrections). I received a phone call from one of the Lieutenants from OCC last Thursday, right after receive some bad news about my car. He wanted to schedule an interview concerning my transfer request. It went very well. Long story short, there isn't an opening for an officer right at the moment, but if the leadership above use are willing to approve everything, when there is an opening, he wants me to transfer. That's definitely very positive!

And, like I said, I am starting to have problems with my Kia. I've had it for seven years now, and it's now stating to slowly break down. So, I am prayerfully looking at trading it in. There are several things that I have to do, look at my finances to see what I can afford, determine how much money I want to put down, look into getting a car loan from a bank, shop around for a car that meets the needs of Shaorn and myself while still being affordable, etc. Lots of work to do. At least I was planning on buying a car this year, just not quite this early. Oh, well... God allows the things that He allows for a reason.

Well, I have a lot on my plate, so I need to go for now. I'll include pictures of 'all of us' when I can work out some technical problems that I've been haivng today. So, stay tuned for those!

In Christ,

RC

Well, time has been going by pretty quickly for me. It seems like it's my weekend and I go up to Omaha to visit my fiance, get laundry done, get my groceries, come back and start getting settled back into my regular routine here in Tecumseh. Then, it seems, it's my weekend again and time to go back up to Omaha! It's almost unbelievable how fast time flies at times.

Something that has been going through my mind off and on over the years is where I've been and where I'm going. Last night I was working in a control center at TSCI (a prison) with another officer that I haven't really done a whole lot with. When I told him that I have a Bachelor's in German Studies and a Master's of Divinity, he did like a lot of people do when I tell them of my education. His jaw dropped. After a few seconds, he asked me what the heck I was doing working at a prison. I had to laugh (not like I haven't heard that question before) and told him that I wasn't sure myself. It's just where God has called me to be at this time.

It was 14 years ago this month that I committed my life to Christ. My plans at that time were to study German and do international business, international government, or something like that. Needless to say, God did not open up that path for me. I am no where close to where I expected to be 14 years ago. And, I don't know if God will continue to call me down the same path that He has been.

I sometimes also ponder why God would bring someone like Shaorn into my life, especially calling us to start a long distance relationship while deployed. Just having a long distance relationship while deployed totally caught me off guard, let alone meeting someone like Sharon, who has become a very special and wonderful friend to me.

When I returned from Iraq this past August, I weighed 210 lbs. After my return, since I have been borderline overweight and just barely meeting the Army's body fat requirments, I decided to be more focused on loosing weight. With exercising as regularily as possible (though sometimes, I just do not want to get out of bed), and being more mindful of what I eat, I am now down to 192 lbs, according to the scale that I bought a few months ago. Initially, I did not think I would be able to get below 190 lbs and be a healthy weight. But, with the way things are looking now, I might be able to reach at least 180 lbs. We shall see.

A couple weeks ago, I managed to sort and pack most of my Army gear and a good-sized portion of my books. But, before I move this year, I still have a lot more to go.

It's interesting... While cleaning out some of my old files in my file containers, I came across a large number of old bills, over due payments, as well as old correspondances. Many of them were highly damaged, or totally ruined, because they had been stored in my former wife's parent's garaged and had been flooded. Because they chose to do nothing about the boxes of things that had gotten wet (either themselves or have someone else come and take care of them), I lost a large number of clothes, books and other things. It was almost ironic to me, while going through all of the old letters from my ex-wife, that all of them were badly damaged to totally destoryed. That life, like my life before I became a Christian, is always a part of me, a part of my memory. However, it is in my past, and God calls me to live for Him now, and to continue to live for Him. Not to live in the past.

Though I could focus a lot of energy on 'what could have been' with April or with several other ladies that I had been in love with, I choose not to. God has a plan for me, and I stronly feel that the journey that He has called me to take is far from over. And, even now, to my amazement, He has called someone, Sharon, in a very personal way, to share in that journey.

I know where I have come from. I have a good idea of where I am at now. But, what is in store for me and Sharon in the future, I cannot say. God has thrown so many 'curveball blessings' (blessings that seem to come out of no where) and redirected me that I have quit trying to guess. All I can do is look at my options, ask God in prayer to open the doors that He wants open, and then seek His will. The journey has been long, rough, and sometimes very, very painful. But, God has never abandoned me or forsaken me. And, I am convinced that He never will.

What a journey it has been. What a journey it will be.

In Christ,

RC

Greetings!

Yeah, this will be yet another one of those "New Year Blog Posts." Don't want to 'disappoint' you!

So far this year, things have been too bad. As of today, I've had at least five fillings put into my mouth. And, that's half of what I have to have done. But, at least it's being done by the VA. Having come back from deployment, I have two years of free medical care, so I'm able to save quite a bit of money. So far, though... I haven't been able to tune into any radio stations. Any tips with how to do that?

Sharon and I are doing well. Our wedding plans are slowly getting take care of. It's hard to believe that we'll be getting married this coming August. That's not too long from now! I'm excited about that, but that also means that there's a lot to do between now and then! And, part of that is getting transferred from Tecumseh to Omaha. Another big issue is getting new housing for the two of us as we start our new life together. Do we get an apartment or rent a house. Or, do we buy one? Where do we live, in Omaha or in a near by town? All issues that we have to prayerfully address.

All in all, my life is going well. I have to admit, my spiritual disciplines could be a whole lot better. Like many people, my journey with my Lord has been rocky and sporadic. Since giving my life to Christ in mid-January 1994, my life has been a very interesting journey. College, seminary, marriage and divorce... Working at summer church camps, working for Office Depot, being in Military Intelligence, being a correctional officer... My life has been so full of twists and turns, in my opinion, it's not even funny! There have been many joys and many sorrows. But, it's my life...

Even though it's been a rough road for me at times, God has brought me through a lot since '94. I definitely do not do things like I did back then. My outlook on life is definitely very different. And, how I handle stress and difficulties have improved a lot. I've learn a whole lot about myself and about my Savior in the last 14 years. But, I also know that I have a whole lot more to learn.

What's next in life? I don't know for sure. Yes, I have my upcoming marriage to look forward to and to plan for. And, there's work and National Guard Drill each month. But, that's only the tip of the iceberg of life for me. There's the beginning of new relationships, major changes in life that are coming up, planning on getting a new car (summers in a car without AC got very old years ago!), finding a place to live, getting accustomed to a new neighborhood, finding a new church, etc., etc., etc.

Not too long ago, I heard a really neat song. Part of it goes, "Some times God calms the storms. Sometimes He calms the child." And, that is my hope and His promise. That no matter what I go through, He will always provide for me and guide me. Ooops.. I'm sorry... "Us." He will always be there for us (Sharon and myself) and always provide for us. And, that is what we have to keep our focus on, no matter the world around us might say.

In Christ,

RC