Let's begin at the very beginning, or at least, today.

So in the past few months, i've felt the need to write. as a means to get out my emotions and as a means to inform others, i just have felt the need to put pen to paper, errr kinda, and just see what comes out. i'll start tonight with just a brief recap of Bernard and my relationship. We met in college through Catholic Heart WorkCamp (http://www.heartworkcamp.com/). I was on the first half of the summer team and Bernard was on the second. We met through mutual friends, Wayne and Daisy, and did NOT immediately hit it off. i had been burned in the past and had prayed to God for no distractions that summer, specifically in the form of a boy. i just wanted to focus on the teens i was there to serve and go back to my like at Auburn. well, He had different plans. Long story short, Bernard pursued me for a month on the phone from the road and then asked my permission to come to AU and take me on a date. the day after our first date, i called my mom and told her i had found the man i was supposed to marry. Two years later after a purely long distance relationship including summers apart, a trip to Africa and 3 months of living in Italy on my part, and enlisting in the Army on Bernard's, we were engaged after basic training in Fort Leonard Wood, MO.

We were married Sept 1 2007, moved to Fort Bragg, NC 2 days later and pregnant in late December. bernard left for his first deployment in May 2008 and Gabriana Joy Olsen was born (one month early) on August 23, 2008. I couldnt dream of a better life. Bernard is the most amazing, loving and supportive husband and i am madly in love with him and Gabbi. She brings so much JOY into my life and motivates me to be a better person everyday. Bernard re-deployed May 25, 2009 and Gabbi, Ali (our boxer) and I moved back to Franklin, TN and in with my parents. We've been back now for almost a month and are all adjusting well. We each miss Bernard terribly, each in our own way, but we hold each other together. we're very fortunate to talk with him almost everyday and are able to Skype with him just as often. Gabbi is SUCH a daddy's girl (seriously, they're twins) and is delighted to hear his voice, see his pictures and to talk with him on the computer.

My prayers are for constant strength, endurance and above all, safety. My hopes for this blog are an outlet, a source of information, and if at all possible, an inspiration to someone. We're so thankful for our friends and family, for all of your prayers and for the life we are beyond blessed to live. I'll leave you tonight with the verse Bernard and I have built our life around.

"May the Lord watch over us when we are apart, one from the other..." Genesis 31:49