Sudden Urge

oh my goodness, I'm trying really really hard to be good right now... but the urge! I think I'm starting to twitch! I love love love extra big, extra long, comfy, cozy pajama pants. I feel like I need 10 pairs of them along with some slippers for the hospital and recovery days... goodness gracious I think I'm going to give in.
I mean... LOOK! at these...




and oooo fuzzy socks!

It comes natural to us girls...

Anything is possible with the right pair of shoes on. yep, its true. Shoes are a powerful thing.

Happy Birthday Nana!

We had a celebration on Monday! It was our Nana's birthday! Complete with a birthday sign, balloons, noise makers, flowers, a yummy dinner, and birthday cake! WOO! One great thing about being with my folks right now is getting to spend time with my Mom. And Rachel just adores her Nana. She gets so excited every time she gets home from work.





Rachel was completely intrigued with the noise makers! She couldn't get any noise to come out, so she improvised and pretended to make noise come out herself! Look at that concentration... she is such a hoot! (and if you're wondering why she's always half dressed in pictures... well, I don't really have a good excuse, it just seems to be a part of life right now... haha)



I love this girl...




Happy Birthday Nana! May all your Nana wishes come true!

Busy bee

I figured I'd never get done with all the projects I've been working on... I won't even start about the dadgum sewing projects I've started, I swear that machine hates me... anyways, here are a few of the projects we've done...
Bow Holder- No more sifting through a basket to find the right bow! Believe it or not, I have an another bow hanger on the other door that my sister-in-law gave me...haha... Can you tell I like making bows? So what? :)





The unfinished guys...found that stool at a garage sale for one buck! He was pretty sad when I first saw him, but I think he cleaned up well. Still want to put the girls names on the steps..





Wall Bookshelves! love them! Only 5 bucks each to make!





My first experience with Mod Podge.. pretty nifty stuff. Cut out the A&M sign with a jigsaw and then used the Mod Podge to make the glitter stick. Also, made some wall plaques and then painted over the top with Mod Podge to make it canvas-like. I think they are pretty cool. I love the one in Rachel's room. Every time she wakes up she see's her Daddy. I like that.





The baby room is definitely my favorite room in the house. Took forever for me to decide on the wall color! I just love to go sit in there and read with Rachel. The toy box that we built from last year is still my favorite. :)

And now the big one! We built a bed! Always wanted one, so I thought, what the heck? lets do it!

Unfortunately it wouldn't fit in our room! haha, after all that work! I'm so excited to get into our own place and set it up! This is what it looks like all together... I found plans for the wall bookshelves as well as the bed at http://ana-white.com/... her site is amazing and will totally inspire anybody to get to work in the garage!

It has always been a dream of mine to make furniture for our home. I don't know why, I just love seeing things Tyler and I built together. I also love being able to paint it any color I want! I am so grateful that Tyler likes to build stuff too, or else I'd never get past hammering two pieces of wood together. What a guy! Seriously though, what man doesn't like an excuse to buy power tools? And a wife that encourages it? haha. Our projects don't always turn out the way we want. Sometimes we end up getting REALLY REALLY frustrated... but then a project turns out good.. and all the bad ones don't seem to matter anymore. :)

Soliderman Update

So, I know you're all dying to know how Tyler is doing...haha... at least I am!...
He is through with Pre-Ranger and is now in his second week of Benning Phase. I got a letter from him last week, and he sounded like he was in good spirits. He definitely still has his sense of humor about him. He also got a good friend that he met this summer during IBOLC (Officer Infantry Training) as his "battle buddy". That made me feel so good! Anyway, he gave me an address so I can finally write him!! WAHOOEY!!
I thought I'd share it, I know he'd love any letters ya'll send him.

2LT William Tyler Payne
4th Ranger Training Battalion
RN#, Company C
10850 Schneider Road
Fort Benning, GA 31905

He gets a new address for every phase, so I'll be sure to update when he heads to the Mountains. Thank you all for your sweet comments. They always make my day! I am so blessed to have good friends. Hope you're having a Happy Monday!

Love,
Jess Payne

Let me Explain...

Being in a new ward, as well a new town, I often get asked the question... "So, what does your husband do?" After trying to explain myself and our family's current situation, I see the person's expression go from engaged and curious to confused and "I'm sorry I asked". One day I hope to be able to answer this question feeling completely sure and confident. However, I'm not counting on it anytime soon. I'm sure all you other army wives out there can sympathize with this feeling.

Anyway, my immediate answer to this question is, "He is in the Army. He is at Ranger School." That being said, I'm going to try and explain what the heck Ranger School is hoping that the cloud of confusion will be lifted from both you and me. Yes, I am still confused. Welcome to my life. haha.

So in order to fully answer this question I did what any normal person would do, I googled it. Here is the explanation I came up with. I hope I do it justice...

First of all, Army Ranger School is comparable to Navy EOD training or Marine Recon. He is not training to be a Chuck Norris of the Walker Texas Rangers.
Ranger School is an extremely intense 62 day combat leadership course consisting of 3 phases: Benning Phase, Mountain Phase, and Swamp Phase ranging between 18 and 22 days long. Each Ranger candidate is evaluated, tested, and then scored determining whether or not they are allowed to continue on to the next phase. Candidates can expect to get an average of 2 MREs and 3 hours of sleep a day. Ranger School is designed to push soldiers to their physical and mental breaking points. Approximently 50% of each Ranger class is "recycled" at least one time, meaning that they have to completely redo the phase they failed. Only about one third of each Ranger class actually graduates and becomes "Ranger Qualified". There are many rumors floating around about Ranger School that I'm not sure of, but there is one thing that I am sure of... Sometimes it's just luck of the draw, who's in your platoon, and who your Ranger Instructor is... there are many outcomes you simply have no control of.

During the course the only form of contact with loved ones is through written letters as well as one brief phone call after each phase stating if you passed. OH- and they receive one 8-hour pass after the Benning phase to see family(if they are close by), do laundry, take a nap, and resupply. I am so looking forward to a good long talking to at that time. Many people have told me not to expect more than one letter a week. So far, that has been accurate.

As if Ranger School wasn't long enough some regular Army soldiers as well as all Army National Guard Soldiers (which is what Tyler is) are required to pass a 2 week long Pre-Ranger course which is basically designed to weed out as many candidates as possible before letting them go on to Ranger School. During Pre-Ranger, candidates have to perform and pass the same tests as the first 2 weeks of Ranger School. The tests of the first week alone being: RAPT test (push-ups, sit-ups, chin-ups, and a 5 mile run), combat water survival assessment, land navigation, 12 mile road march, familiarization of the M240B and M249 machine guns, the Darby mile, and the Malvesti obstacle course.

If there is still confusion, there is a new Discovery channel series called "Surviving the Cut" that goes into the intense world of military elite forces training, and one of the episodes is dedicated to Ranger School. I thought it was pretty interesting. Tyler thought it was pretty funny. If anything, it makes for a fun FHE activity followed by a crazy obstacle course around the house (thats what we did anyway...haha)
So there you go, that’s all I got.
I feel better now.

Sometimes, I just marvel at what these men go through every day. I can't describe how proud I am of my husband. I wonder what he's doing right now.

Lastly, I want you all to know that it has been a huge matter of faith for me to publish this post. It has been sitting in the drafts pile for a while, and I just keep going over it again and again in my brain. Please don’t misunderstand; I have complete confidence in my husband’s abilities. I know that if there is anyone out there capable of completing this course it is Tyler Payne. After all, you can ask any of the Payne boys; he is the Alpha Male. Haha. However I’m also realistic enough to know that something could go wrong; a infected spider bite, some weird swamp germ, looking over his shoulder at a buddy during a ruck march and stepping into a hole breaking his ankle… it’s like John Wayne says in “Big Jake”… “Your fault, my fault, nobody’s fault”… things just happen. But, I also know that this is what the Lord wants us to do right now, spider bite or no spider bite.

flying

There was a lesson given in Sunday school the week that Tyler left that has stuck with me ever since. Which is incredible because we're studying Isaiah, and I never know what the heck the guy is talking about! I have a long way to go before becoming a master scriptorian, obviously.  But there were a few scriptures that spoke to me, enlightened me, made me happy, and gave me strength...

Isaiah 40: 28-31
  28 ¶ Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
  29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

  30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
  31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles;they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

There are mornings where I lay in bed listening to Rachel wake up thinking, "How in the heck am I going to do this?"  It feels like my body is telling me, "OK Jess, I've had it. I'm not moving today." Does anyone else's bodies talk to them?... well mine does...(that was supposed to be a joke)... haha, anyway, and then I think of these verses.  He giveth "POWER to the faint and weary"! Then, my favorite part, "They shall mount up with wings as eagles"... I kept repeating that line over and over again in my mind... what do you think that means?... 

Have you ever looked back on your life and wondered, "How did I ever make it through that?"  There are several instances where I've looked back and wondered that.  Then, I think of that line, "They shall mount up with wings as eagles.."   

I know now... It's because I was being carried.  I was flying. 

 It brought me back to moments in my life where I truly felt like a could fly... I even gave it try! HA! didn't work, but I think I got as close as you can get...( I just had the line from "Toy Story" go through my brain..."Oh, what? What? These are plastic. He can't fly.They are a terillium-carbonic alloy,and I can fly"... haha... just call me Buzz Lightyear)... okay I am now officially blabbing...