I am not sure what led me to write this because I usually post about one blog for every two years. 2010 has been a landmark year for Alex and I and we have both felt the Lord's blessings and we have also felt the Lord's comfort during a difficult season of loss. Some highlights of 2010:
--In January of 2010, we saw a good amount of snow which resulted in 4 snow days. These were a blessing especially during one snow when it snowed 5 inches. My very pregnant sister Lyndsay and her husband Chris decided to drive up and spend the night with us. After a night without any power due to the snow changing to ice and a rescue mission where Chris and I had to saw a tree out of the road that had caused a lady to wreck (who had a newborn in the car), we had an amazing time. This was probably the most snow that we have had on the mountain since 1998.
--In May of 2010, our baseball team at CCS advanced to the Region Tournament for the first time since 2005. I am so proud of this team since I feel that we squeezed out every last drop of potential from them.
--On May 19th, 2010, my nephew Shepard Walker Slaten was born to my sister Lyndsay and her husband Chris. I could write and write about how adorable and perfect this little boy is. But what I really want to focus on is how proud I am of my sister. She is an incredible mother and I feel that the two of us have become much closer as a result of his birth. Chris and I have always been close (even before he knew Lyndsay). Chris is also a dedicated and Godly father to Shepard--what more could I ask or pray for? Anytime that Alex and I can invest and spend time with this family is a blessing because we love him. The simple fact that he is a boy still floors me! If Alex and I have all daughters, we will always have Shepard. It was am emotional experience to be there for his birth and a blessing that I could be there as I thought I was going to miss it...I had to leave on the senior trip the next day.
--In June of 2010, I decided to start Graduate School at UTC. This decision was a very difficult decision to make for a number of reasons. Having not been in school since 1999, I was concerned that I would not be able to do it any longer. I found though that being a teacher for 13 years really prepared me for success. So far, I have completed 9 hours out of the required 33 and I should graduate by the spring of 2012! Alex and I are determined to finish this as soon as possible. The degree is in teacher leadership which could allow me to broaden my horizons down the road. I have thoroughly enjoyed most of my classes and professors and I find the work to be fulfilling.
--In July of 2010, Alex and I celebrated out 2nd anniversary. Celebrating anniversaries are difficult these days because Alex is usually not in the country as she serves on various mission trips with her job as a youth director. Alex was in the Yucatan during this time and we were able to celebrate before she left. She remains an unbelievable wife to me and I feel that we are a lot closer with each other after this year of marriage. I continue to marvel at her passion for the Lord and her huge passion for the youth that she leads--especially the young ladies. I can truly say that I married way-way-way up. She has done some major projects around the house such as re-doing our bathroom, painting our bedroom, adding several storage features to the kitchen, and some other minor things. I spent a great deal of time water sealing our deck which was badly needed. It is also a workout to keep the lawn up at our house because we are blessed with a fairly big yard.
--In August of 2010, Alex and I found out we were pregnant. I cannot remember a time when I was more excited after learning this news. Your life changes in an instant when you find out you are going to have a baby. My head began to spin and we immediately began to make plans such as how and when we were going to to tell our families and how we were going to be parents for the first time. We even decided what we were going to name the baby if it were a boy.....we were struggling with a girl name for some reason.
As time went on, Alex's doctor began to grow concerned at some numbers that kept popping up in her blood work. We anxiously scheduled an appointment for an ultrasound and a general examination to see if everything was progressing smoothly. We were blessed enough to see the baby and learned that it was 5 weeks old. What began as excitement quickly turned into shock as we were told that we were likely to lose the baby. As a man, I have never felt as helpless in my life. There are a lot of things that I can control but this was something that I literally had no control over. On top of this, my focus now shifted into protector mode as Alex faced a difficult and emotional road. During this time, I was amazed at how well Alex handled the news and the subsequent miscarriage. During the next 5 days, I watched her great inner strength carry both of us. We certainly had our moments of grief but it was a week where we were drawn much closer as a couple. We did lose the baby about five days after the doctor's appointment and it was hard. Without going into detail, let me just say that the Lord carried us through this difficult time with His Word and His Holy Spirit and angels of comfort. We prayed and prayed that the Lord would allow the baby to live but we were able to accept His will, move on, and trust that this was for the best. We also struggled with several theological questions such as, "Where does a five week old baby go after a miscarriage". We wrestled and wrestled with these thoughts but both believe that life begins at conception and the Lord is raising that child for us---we can't wait to meet this child one day.
Even four months later, there are still days that are hard but we are doing very well. We have been blessed by the support of many people who have also lost a child. We have both been amazed at the incredible frequency that couples lose babies. I am not sure why this is so frequent but the doctor has encouraged us that this miscarriage should not be in indicator of the future.
I take a yearly retreat with my best friends from high school and the Lord showed me several verses in the book of 1st Peter that answered a lot of my questions about this event. On top of that, he continues to use my friends as a major support-through good and bad times. We took this retreat to the mountains of North Carolina.
--Rest of 2010: I continue to teach at CCS and this has been a blessing. I have some terrific students this year and I have enjoyed the schools recent focus on discipleship. Each teacher has a GAP group now (growth--accountability--and prayer). I am teaching 4 sections of Pre-Calculus and 1 section of AP Calculus.
Alex and I are both looking forward to a wonderful 2011 and we both wish all of you a Merry Christmas and Christ filled 2011!
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