1:40am (or 0140)

It's almost 2 o'clock in the morning and surprise, i'm still awake! This is about a nightly process. I've just given up on even trying to go to sleep before like 3 o'clock. i just lay there for ever because i just keep thinking and stuff. So now I just get things accomplished. I usually do things that range from actually cleaning things, organizing things, editing pictures, just simply finding information, etc... It's amazing the things i've gotten done! :) tonight I have been editing me and Kendall's Christmas pictures :) I'm loving them! Two I already had, and two i edited tonight :)

I got a phone call tonight! I was 20 minutes long! I was so excited to finally get to talk to him again! I can not wait til we can finally be together. He was telling me that they went to FOB this week and it was terribly cold. their heater broke on day 2 and their tent froze. so they were out in single digit weather. But they are done so it's all good. :) He said now that they are done with basic everything is totally different. They don't give them as hard of a time with everything, they can eat whatever they want, and stuff like that. He's loving it! I can't wait for the graduation ceremony. I'm going to be so proud of my soldier!!! YAY! Kendall asked me all about my trip down to Georgia, too. It was nice to be able to tell him a little bit about how it went and the place that I found. That was really nice!! and they should be getting their phones back here in the next few days so that too will be nice.

I have to say, I absolutely LOVE being an army wife! The pride I feel towards my hubby is amazing and some of the other wives I've met have been incredible! I love how I cherish our time together way more than I used to. And how God has taught me so much about truly trusting him with everything. Trusting that he has a plan in all the craziness. I love when people ask me what my husband does that I can tell them he is in the military. It just really fills me with pride. Plus, I finally feel like I really belong somewhere. Like there is a group of women that no matter where they move us I will belong with. Some of them I have never met, yet I can say i am closer to them than other people. This whole thing has just made me so thankful for everything I have. Thankful for my time with my soldier, for a God that cares so much about me and thankful for a wonderful husband who love me so much!

Have a great night!

Erica Gilliam

5 days!

5 days left! I can NOT wait to see Kendall. All this time apart has really made us appreciate all the time we do get together. I can not wait until I actually get to see Kendall more than not at all. ha. It will be really nice!

The trip down to Georgia was really good. It was really nice to learn all about the area and to see potential places. I have one picked out that I really want to live in now we just have to contact the realtor to set everything up. I'm really excited to get everything going! However, I can not say that all this does not come without fear. It's definitely really scary knowing that I will be moving to town where I know no one and nothing and living there. It's also scary that I won't be near my family and friends and that I don't know how often I will get to see my hubby. But I know that God has a plan. He's really been teaching me that I need to trust him and I have been. I know that he wouldn't open all these doors for me if he didn't have an amazing plan for me and Kendall. So I'm going to trust that and put it all in his hands. :)

So lately sleeping has seemed nearly impossible for me. Once I finally get to sleep i'm fine, but actually getting to sleep its so difficult! Last night I got my bathroom incredibly cleaned! so that was nice. ha I think I just get so excited about seeing Kendall and my brain just won't stop thinking! But it's all good. I get a lot of things accomplished, which is really good. I feel really productive at night when I can't sleep. Well time to go organize more stuff.

Have a great day!

Erica

back from Georgia! 6 more days!

Me and my daddy went down to Georgia to look at apartments for me to move into when I go down there! It was a great trip! We found a great place that I will hopefully get. I can not wait to go down there. and to be with my hubby. I miss him so much! I can not wait to see him in 6 days!! it will be amazing. I seem to not be able to sleep or think about anything else but him!

I'm not going to write much tonight. But i will write again soon :)

Have a great day!

Erica Gilliam

9 days!

AH I can't believe I only have 9 days left until I get to see my hubby!!! It feels like it's not really happening! I can not wait to see him again! He graduates from his Basic Training on February 4th at 10:30am! I am driving down to Fort Knox on the 3rd. and coming back on the 5th. I wish I could drive Kendall down to Fort Gordon for his AIT but he has to fly. A bit of a bummer, but with everything it will save us money, so I guess that's a good thing! I need every penny I can get ha.

Here's an update on moving: Tomorrow me and my dad are going to begin our drive down to Georgia :) We are going to do half the trip tomorrow and the other half on Wednesday since it's a good 12 hour drive! I'm really excited not only to see the places that could potentially be where i live soon, but we get to visit friends of the family as we go down there! that will be really fun. Right now my list of potential places is like 20 places! my dad is going to call the Augusta Police Dept. to see if they think those areas would be safe for me to live in. and then I begin the phone calls! It still feels unreal that I might be living in Georgia in a few weeks.... i've never lived out of central Illinois. But it will be good. I trust that God has a plan and that he will provide all that I need.

Last night's Fuel (a college ministry that I attend here in Btown) was really good! Brandon spoke about Jonah and how God actively pursues us. And when he does we have a choice to follow him or to run. and that we are all runners in one aspect of our life or another. It was a really good sermon and the worship was great! I LOVE worship so i'm a little biased. :) I'm hoping there will be something like Fuel down in augusta that Kendall and I can attend.

So totally unrelated. I would like to introduce you to Yessenia. Yessenia is my compassion child. :) In spring 2008 me, my mom, my sister, and two hearts ladies went down to El Salvador on a trip with something called Compassion. Compassion is a program where you can sponsor a child. When we went on this trip it was incredible to see the way people have to live, but also the joy that Christ has brought to these children! To hear a little more about our trip and what compassion does you can read about it at my mom's blog. But this is my compassion child Yessenia.

Yessenia lives in El Salvador. her birthday is December 20th! just like me! I began sponsoring her during our trip. She was 3 years old at the time. She is now 5 :) She is going to be attending school soon! She also has an older brother who has also been sponsored. I got to meet Yessenia, her brother, and her mom. :) It was such a great time together!

Well I will write more soon! Keep you updated on my adventure in Georgia with my dad :)

Have a great day!

Erica Gilliam

I wish so badly I could sleep.

So it's 2:30ish in the morning... I can't sleep. This is pretty typical lately. I don't really sleep in that late. usually around 9:30 ish. But I've been like this in the past. Before Kendall came home for Exodus I was like this too. Maybe it's excitement. Maybe nerves. Maybe not related at all. Who knows...

On the plus side, I get a lot accomplished! The other night I did my laundry around 12:30 in the morning. That was nice! i have clothes again. I always wait until I am completely out of clothes to do the laundry. When Kendall was home he did all the laundry and stuff because I was always at class or working. So when we have our own place I want it to be the opposite. I want to take care of our home. I seriously can not wait!

So next week me and my dad are taking a trip down to Georgia to look at places for me to live. I'm really excited to look at the places and I'm really hoping that I can find the right place. I'm just going to have to trust that God will work it all out so that I will find it! I know that he will provide for me. He always does!

It's been incredible watching God work in Kendall's life, and in mine. Although I grew up in the church, I never really had a relationship with Christ. I actually wanted nothing to do with it. Kendall didn't really know what he believed or anything. We were both very hesitant when it came to things like religion. But after we got married we went on a retreat with our church group (We had only been attending for 3 weeks when we went) about a week before he left for the army and it changed everything. We saw everything differently. And I can honestly say that I could not do this whole process without God working in my life. It's been amazing see God work in Kendall's. He now has regular Bible studies with some of his friend in Basic and often leads them. He loves to tell stories from the Bible to his friends. And he really has a passion for those close to him to have a relationship with Christ. It's so cool to think that about 3 months ago we didn't even really believe in God and now he is the center of our lives. And it feels amazing!

Well i should probably attempt to sleep now. I have a big day tomorrow! I get to meet another Army wife who lives near me! I am really excited for it!

Erica

Figuring it all out

These last few days have been filled with trying to figure out how Kendall's AIT is going to work and when I will get to see him, where I'm going to live, what i'm going to do, how i'm going to afford it, etc... It's been pretty crazy! Here are all the new details I have regarding seeing Kendall:

- I know when he gets there he will be a phase 4. This means that he will not be allowed to leave base. However, he can get on-post passes so that he can go around base. During these times I will be allowed to come onto base and hang out a little and eat dinner with him.

- When he gets there he will have to do what is called detail. Basically they will give him tasks like cleaning and stuff to bide the time. This period could last up to a couple months because they are so backed up on classes. however, during this waiting time he can still phase up to a phase 5.

-During phase 5 Kendall will be allowed to get off-post passes! during this phase he will be allowed off base, probably just on the weekends, and have to be home by bed check/formation.

- The next phase he can get is 5+. I believe he can do this within 2 months or so. Once he is a 5+ he can get off-post passes for the entire weekend! That means he can leave after formation on Friday and he has to be back before formation on Sunday. That will be incredible!

I can not wait to actually be able to see him again! it's only 13 days away! I'm planning a trip next week to go down there to see some of the places i've been looking at renting. I'm really excited for it, but a little nervous!

Today I got two letters from my hubby! He send me his official picture!

It is really exciting to finally have this!!

I'll have to post more as I have more details about everything!

Have a great day!

Erica Gilliam

Graduation in 15 days!

My husband is graduating from Basic Training in 15 days! It's getting really close! I am so excited! I really want to see him again. A lot has happened since my last post. Kendall came home for Christmas exodus! it was incredible! the best Christmas we've ever had! I was so glad that I got to be with him. I'm currently trying to decided about whether or not i'm going to move down to Fort Gordon during my hubby's AIT. I'm thinking i'm going to move down there. I found out recently that I will be able to go on base to have lunch with him even when he can not go off base to see him. that will be amazing! it will make me very happy to be able to see him more often. However, I found out that signal training at Gordon is really behind. One guy who graduated on November 13th didn't even start his training until the beginning of this month! That means that Kendall's training could potentially last a lot longer.

I got a phone call today! that was incredible to hear from him! He got a letter saying that my great grandma had passed away and he was calling to make sure I was okay. I was very glad to know that he cared enough to ask for a phone call to make sure I was okay. It was great!

Tonight I wrote a song. Here it is, let me know what you think of it! It's all about being an army wife and living with this kind of lifestyle.

I also found this magazine! Military Spouse. It's my new favorite! I'm really loving the articles!

It was so nice to talk to Kendall. It was truly just what I needed! I was really struggling not hearing from him! It's amazing what 4 minutes can do for someone! It changed my whole outlook of my day really. Well I need to sleep now, but i will post again soon!

Have a great night!