Courageous

My husband finally made it home last night! Yay! I was certain that he would be stuck on the west side because of the weather but thankfully he made it home safely. It is so good to have him home, things can somewhat return to normal, at least for a little while :)

Get ready for a very...."faithfilled" post 

I rented a movie that I had wanted to see for a long time and while it was in theaters we never could make it. Its called Courageous, it is made by the same filmmakers as Fireproof. I strong suggest you see the both, they are incredibly insightful movies. I suppose I should tell you that they are "Christian" films, they have a very faith filled message.

So on to Courageous, the plot of the movie consists of a group of policemen in small Alabama town. They go through heartache, trials, love, excitement and confusion. It really puts things into perspective on the crucial role that fathers play in their child's life. My husband and I were both moved to tears (sorry babe) while watching this film. It drives home the importance of leading by example, being a honorable father, and most importantly teaching your child about the importance of trusting in the Lord.

The film made me realize how many moments I have taken for granted. The moments that I will never get back..moments that I did not embrace my children or take an extra 5 minutes to snuggle with them. This film, this amazing, wonderful film, made me realize even more that I as their mother and Ben as their father need to ensure that our children have a strong faith, a faith so strong that they will always know that they can trust in the Lord.

Neither my husband nor I grew up in a faith based home. There was no education on the subject, no introduction at a young age and I have to wonder that if we had would things have been different for us growing up. (I know everything happens for a reason) I know that there were times in my young life that I felt like I had no one to turn to and I think if I had known that I did have someone (God) that I would not have struggled to constantly find somewhere to belong as a teenager and a young adult. So this is our hope for our children, that because of their introduction into faith at a young age that they will find comfort even in the worst of times, that they will seek Him when they are in doubt,  and that they understand the unconditional love that He has promised them.

My children, are my everything, so at night I will be sure to pray now more than ever that God shows me the kind of mother that He wants me to be, that He will show Ben, the father that He wants him to be.

I really encourage everyone to watch this movie, even if you have a different faith than me, this movie has so many important messages that anyone who watches it is bound to take something positive from it.

 

RESOLUTION

I do solemnly resolve before God to take full responsibility for myself, my wife, and my children.

I WILL love them, protect them, serve them, and teach them the Word of God as the spiritual leader of my home.

I WILL be faithful to my wife, to love and honor her, and be willing to lay down my life for her as Jesus Christ did for me.

I WILL bless my children and teach them to love God with all of their hearts, all of their minds, and all of their strength.

I WILL train them to honor authority and live responsibly.

I WILL confront evil, pursue justice, and love mercy.

I WILL pray for others and treat them with kindness, respect, and compassion.

I WILL work diligently to provide for the needs of my family.

I WILL forgive those who have wronged me and reconcile with those I have wronged.

I WILL learn from my mistakes, repent of my sins, and walk with integrity as a man answerable to God.

I WILL seek to honor God, be faithful to His church, obey His Word, and do His will.

I WILL courageously work with the strength God provides to fulfill this resolution for the rest of my life and for His glory.

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. – Joshua 24:15

It's been good...

So it's been a week since I left Facebook. My husband put my name on his as well because there are a few people that I can only check in with on Facebook. I think I have been on there twice for maybe three minutes at a time.

I am enjoying being distant from that part of the cyber world. I'm actually talking on the phone more to my friends and family. It's been a blessing.

We have big news, but I can't share it just yet! In the next few weeks we will have a major life change!

This weekend we are heading over the mountains for my besties little girls birthday party. She is just a month younger than Hannah. Her mommy and I spent much of our pregnancies together and I love their family like my own. I cannot believe how much our little girls have grown!

We will also be visiting with my family in Seattle, and poor Jer has been begging to go to the top of the Space Needle so that is also on the agenda. I'm praying my vertigo keeps itself under control!

Alright, that is it. School started for me yesterday so it's time to dive in!

Sincerely
Momma Bechen

Our little getaway...

Ben and I went yesterday morning to The Marcus Whitman in Walla Walla. I love, love, love old buildings and we totally scored on this one. When we walked in, I was totally in love. There is so much detail in every part of the building. I spent at least a half our just looking around the lobby. The staff was the nicest I have ever encountered at a hotel. After we paid for our room, we were told about all the complimentary services that they have...there was a lot! The owner lives on site, I met him his bull terrier Katie, which totally made me miss my pups.

Ben and I went our room and were just amazed. Again completely beautiful...

 We got ready to go and went down to the lounge to have some snacks and drinks.

We then walked a few blocks to hear some live music. We were the youngest people in there which is completely fitting for us. We are not club people, we love just being in a relaxed atmosphere and chatting. We spent the next four hours there, chatting, catching up on what we have missed out on the last 12 days Ben has been working nonstop. I just love my husband, we are no where near perfect alone and we do not have the perfect relationship but we absolutely perfect together. 

We were bummed that it took us so long to discover this beautiful hotel, I wish we had found it long ago so that we could have visited it more. 

Long days and even longer nights...

My poor husband, he has been working every night since the 26th, 13 hours shifts. I guess there is a huge job at some plant that has to be done asap so they have crews working round the clock. So basically I spend about 1 hour with him a day and that is when he is getting ready to go to work. I miss him...sigh


He has been too tired to do anything, which I totally understand, so the entire house load is on me, including taking care of the children. What makes me ever more sad is that these next two weeks he is in Seattle for the military. Thankfully the kids and I will be going over for four days to visit some of my favorite Seattle people. This visit will mean so much more to me than any other but I will get into that some other time.


Truth be told I have really been enjoying being on break from school, I get to spend so much quality time with my babies. I think I have built more Lego creations in the last two weeks than I ever did as a child, and I totally love it! My son is incredibly talented with Legos and the whole "12 and older" sticker on the box means nothing to him. He just sits down with the book and starts building. Now little sister is starting to do the same, I found her in her room with a little book from her girl legos building a car. Smart little cookie! Jerimiah who just turned sever started his first chapter book! So proud of him, he loves reading and I could not be happier about it.

As for me, right now is incredibly stressful (again I'll get into that some time soon) but I am dealing with it the best that I can. I have found that when things get stressful, I totally shut others out. I guess its my way of dealing with it on my own, which I am really trying to work on! On the plus side I did finish my first semester at WSU with straight A's so obviously the stress is a good motivator.

Ben and I are spending the night in Walla Walla this weekend before he leaves. We booked a beautiful room and plan on having a nice dinner and just enjoying each other after all of this time we have spent apart. I am so excited!

Alright that is all for now...Hope everyone is doing well

Goodbye Cyberworld...well, for the most part

Well I have decided to no longer have a Facebook account. For many reasons I know that this is the right thing to do. I really want to start simplifying things in my life and this is step one. I feel that it takes my attention away from more important things, like my family, school and just having my time. I also noticed that many of my "friends" on Facebook are surface level friendships, if you can even call them that. I do not think there is anything wrong with having lots of friends on Facebook but me, personally I really just want to communicate with the people who love and support my family and I, and not just someone that I went to school with that really could care less what my two beautiful children are up to. I want to start calling people that I love and care about and personally telling them how proud of them I am, or how I support them or whatever the case may be. I think it is so simple to write one someones "wall" five words of encouragement but I think it means so much more when you actually make the effort to speak with the person. I hope this doesn't sounds rude in any way because that is not at all my intentions. I think it is great for those who enjoy having Facebook, I mean there are a lot of pros to it; you get to see pictures of friends and family,and for many it makes people feel closer to their friends, but for me personally it has made me feel more distant from people. So I will be keeping my blog and updating it weekly...for sure this time ;) I would also love to have the phone numbers of my friends so that we can actually talk to each other instead of just Facebook messages. I'll leave you with some photos of the last few months.

A Special Thank You

We all know that it is Veterans Day but how many of us really sit down to reflect what it means? It is wonderful to recognize those who have served, and those who are currently serving, I wish we, the people would do this daily. I know first hand how difficult it is to be involved in the military. It is taxing, exhausting, heartbreaking, and absolutely wonderful all at the same time. Remember what today is all about and then continue to remember it every single day. One day out of the year is not enough time to appreciate and remember what these people have done for this great country. Heres a few shots from my sons Veterans Day assembly.

Jerimiah singing and signing America the Beautiful

A special thank you to my husband, who has 10 plus years of service and counting and who was just promoted to a huge position of Task Manager!

Viva Las Vegas!!

As I sit here typing this, I am sipping on a glass of my favorite wine, thats right Lindsi you guessed it, Columbia Winery! We are only hours from our Las vegas vacation. I am having complete anxiety about leaving, of course I am excited but I am also so nervous to leave my children and puppies. The last time we were in Vegas my baby Molly Dog passed away, so naturally I am fearful about leaving. This is also my second time flying without the help of medication, yes call me a coward but I typically get Xanax before I fly to help me. I hate, hate, hate flying! Ever since out emergency takeoff on our way back from Disneyland I hate them even more! However, I am so excited to go, spend time with my husband and just be Ben and Stephenie for 5 days. Life seems to get in the way and we often lose track of the fact that beyond parents we are husband and wife and more important than that, we are partners in life. I am so grateful to have the husband that I do, and I cannot wait to devote all my attention to him! I am also so excited that my sister and her awesome boyfriend are already there waiting for us! Yay for sister time! We will be staying one night at Aria which is a new hotel that looks beautiful and the the rest of our stay was comped at the Bellagio. Included in that comp is the spa, and dinners! Yay! What makes this even more special is it will be my husband 31st birthday! Well time to go! Prayers for a safe flight are always welcomed, although I am sure we will have landed by the time you read this ;)