I wasn't quite sure what to call this post. I started it with "Bad News", but honestly I don't look at it that way.

As I've said before, my dear hubby is trying to join the Navy. I haven't had much time to expound on our story, but to keep it short - he entered the Army at 17 but was sent home just shy of graduating boot camp on a medical RE3 discharge.

Fast forward a decade and a half to today, where we both feel that God brought the Navy into our hearts as an earnest desire for our family to move. We know that the RE3 will make the task of re-enlisting an arduous one, but we also believe whole-heartedly that God is working in this process. We've asked him to open the doors that he wants us to travel through and slam shut those that would lead us astray. If the Navy doesn't work out, we feel that God brought it about to teach us something and (as far as we can tell right now) to urge us to move away somewhere else.

Which leads me to our "negative" news. We've known since the beginning that the Navy is overcrowded these days due to the economy (everyone wants to join and nobody wants to leave). We got the call this week that they've put a stop to all RE3 waivers (which is what we are in the process of doing). Our only hope for entry at this point is if they can squeeze us through because we were in the process before the hold came about.

I know that it has The Deputy a bit down, but I also know that he has the same faith I do. God is working in and through this entire process. We've literally asked him (over and over again) to slam shut the doors to any path He doesn't have in mind for us. If the recruiters confirm that we're out of the running, I have full faith that it's God's doing - and it will launch us on the new adventure of figuring out where He DOES want us to go!

Whew! That was a lot of typing, and there is still so much more to tell LOL! I'll keep you posted as we get more Navy News. In the meantime, as a reward for reading through ALL THAT - here's a nifty little freebie! Click the image or the text link below it to download.



DOWNLOAD THIS FREEBIE

It's a little set of 2 papers - one tan textured cardstock and one really nifty plaid with a distressed, scratched edge. I really like this one :) I thought of holding onto it and designing a full-blown kit around it for the store, but I couldn't keep it under wraps... it hopped its way onto the layout here, and I just had to share! :) Enjoy!!!