New meaning for Veteran's day this year..

So tomorrow is Veteran's day, AND my 32ndIknowIdontlookit birthday. Those days have ALWAYS been one in the same. It has been kinda cool growing up ALWAYS having my birthday off from school. We have been to a few parades on those days, and I have always loved the military, and held Vets in very high esteem. I felt, and still feel, very special on my birthday because I share the day with a group of VERY special people.

But this year is a little different, and will be from this point on. Now I am the Veteran. Whoa. When I think of Vets I think of guys with the cool hats with all the pins and buttons, sitting at a VFW sipping on bad beer and trading war stories and showing scars. Not me. I am only 32...I have a wife and a kiddo in diapers...but now I can check the box on job applications that says "Veteran." Weird.

But as I wrap my head around it...it does sink in. I have served for only 4 years, was gone for 1 of them in Afghanistan. I saw my share of fighting...I have some stories...and I am here to talk about it. There are those that were not as fortunate as me. They are either having a tough time coping, or they are no longer with us. I have lost friends, and that is something that I will always carry with me. I have seen what losing a husband/father/brother will do to the family...and that will stay with me. I thank the Lord that I have Him to lean on..and carry me through the times that are a little rough. He did so for a year, and I know he will be there in the ones to come.

So, tomorrow, if you see a Vet, are related to one or know one. Its ok to say thanks. (I am not fishing for thank you's.. ) We do appreciate it...and sometimes don't know how to respond, but it always makes us feel good...heck...buy em lunch..or a beer... :)

So...I will end by saying my 4 years in the Army has been tough, amazing, growing, and humbling. I will never regret it.

I'm Home...

I'm done. The process getting home was a long one...and the year has been hard.

But it's over.

Thank you again for all of your support over this last year, for my family, and myself. It means more than you know...

So here are 2 of the 7 or 8 videos that we have...the "meat" if you will, we will post the others later... ENJOY!

Put a fork in it...its done!

So here I am.

In my room, on the wireless Internet. And I have less than 2 weeks left here.
In 2 weeks I will....
-I will see my beautiful bride's smile and hear her laugh in person
-See Cooper in all is adorable goofyness
-Hear Chase say dadda in person...and kiss those cheeks!
-NOT smell...stuff that makes normal people wretch!
-NOT hear artillery go out
-NOT worry about IEDs
-EAT MY WIFE'S COOKING!!!!
-sleep in my bed...

Ah...the list could go on and on. But...I am here, done. And it feels good. I look forward to the post when I am home, and I hope to put down on here what I have learned while I was here. What the Lord has taught me. It has been alot. And I look forward to sharing it.

I will start my trip home in about a week. And I really can not wait. This has been a hard year. This second part of the deployment has been harder than the first for me missing my family. It has been a little easier on the army side. And there have been alot of big things that have happened. But, the Lord has been faithful, and has carried me through.

So thank you too all of our family and friends. God has used you to make this time easier on us. I can't imagine what it would have been like with out you all. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I look forward to posting the welcome home/reunion pics soon. Stay tuned on Facebook, Tiffs blog and here. They will be up in about 14 days!!!!!

Looking down the mountain to the other side

Yep. I update this thing about every three months. Not what I wanted to do...but, oh well.

We are back at Frontenac. And I have to say, I love it here. There is a fellowship of believers here that is just amazing! The Lord knew what He was doing when all of us came here. It is awesome. I have been able to get back into leading worship, it has done wonders for this soldiers heart.

Stuff has been pretty low key here. Not alot going on. That is also nice. Being on the extreme down side of the deployment, none of us really want anything to happen. LETS JUST GET HOME ALREADY!

This thing is getting pretty old. You can tell by looking at some of us. We just want to be done. We just want to go home and be with our families. I know I do!

Right now, Tiff and the boys are in Saint Louis. To say that I am jealous would be an understatement. Seeing family, our cherished friends, and the food...ugh...I wish I were there! They are having fun, the boys are enjoying cousin time, and Tiff is reconnecting with old friends. Not to mention there are some grandmas and grandpas that get to see their grandsons! Stuff is going well there.

The question tiff and I have fielded alot from you all in the Lou is...

Are you coming back?

The simple answer.

Yes.

The next question is- What are you going to do?
The next answer is- We dunno.

So...here's the deal with that. We are praying for 2 things.
1-that we know when and where our next paycheck will come from BEFORE we leave Washington
2-that we have an address to have our stuff sent to BEFORE we leave Washington

I will be putting apps in at a few police agencies there in the saint Louis area. Other than that, we will be counting on our friends and family to help us network so I can find something to do. Ideally we would still like tiff to stay at home. That is our goal. As far as work for me...well...if you know me, you know what I can do, and if not...just ask!

As far as a place to live..we are fully prepared to rent until we are well-enough established to purchase a home again. So no big deal there. If you know of anything..Let us know! :)

We are excited...and nervous about the changes coming up. I am more excited...and my head-not-always-in-the-clouds bride is a little more nervous. And that is OK...we balance each other out.

We ask for your prayer in all of those things, as well as for our boys as we transition. Cooper will be starting Kindergarten ....wow...in the fall of 11....so we have some big stuff ahead of us.

Thank you all for your support in all of this!

-on the downhill
Jerm

Here and there

I can't lie....this one just might be all over the place.

Where do I start? I have moved to a new FOB home when I got back from leave. It is better...and worse. There are more good things than bad....like the internet in my tent, and the food. But the bad stinks. Literally. The bathroom situation is not ideal. Nor the laundry. And by the time those get fixed...I bet we will be leaving...or gone...so whatever.

I really do like the internet in the tent. It rocks. Yea, we pay for it, but you really cant beat the convenience.

New topic.

My oldest. Man, he is having it pretty rough right now. He is not listening to momma, questions EVERYTHING she tells him, flat out disobeys....ugh...the boy is pushing her to the edge. I know that part of it is his age, and hes just being a boy, but, I can't help but think, that part is because I am not there. And it kills me. Tiff tells me that its ok, but I feel awful. I can't help my best friend parent, and just be there for her. Of the entire deployment, this has been the hardest part thus far. I swear being in a firefight is easier than this. Please lift my family in prayer with me, especially my sweet Tifi.

New topic.

This thing is winding DOWN time wise. Less left than we have been! WOOHOO! But that brings up another point...we are almost done with the army! At this time next year we will either be done...or just a few short weeks from being done! C R A Z Y ! ! It all has gone by so fast. And that raises some other fun questions.
Where am I gonna work?
Where are we going to live?
Whoa.
Tiff has some applications to a few different police departments. That is something that I will definitely pursue. But I am not going in with tunnel vision. If there is something out there that will provide for my family...I'm all over it. We will be praying about this, I ask you all to do the same please. This will be the 2nd biggest transition we have made...and it could be a little stressful. (Right now Tiff is thinking..."A LITTLE?" hehe) So, late in the summer some of you that read this could hear something from me asking if you know of any open positions in your or other companies!! LOL...yeah networking.

I also plan on going back to school on top of all this too! HA! Yep. I would love to start fall of 2011, but we will have to see where we are job wise and stuff...even if its online...I am going to get that degree! I mean...the army is gonna pay for it! Why not right? I didn't do these last 4 year for nothin!

New Topic.

Dad...seriously...you dont even drive the mustang.

New topic.

To my dear friends in seattle. You will be missed more than you know. I know I talk alot about going back home. But we will be leaving a huge chunk of us there. You all mean the world to Tiff and I, and I shutter to think of what life would have been like there without you all. We love you from the bottom of our hearts!

K....that is all for now.

I love you Mrs. Nevil!

There's no place like a new home.....There's no place like a new home...

Hello from FOB Ramrod! Yep. Ram. Rod.

We are now down here, and let me tell ya...its pretty sweet. WIFI internet, good chow, my own room! (and by room I mean cubicle...in a tent, but we could be in CHUs in a month or two...we will see) It is really cool actually.

So there is not much to say. But, man...I had a PERFECT time on R&R.

I was really worried that war had changed me. I mean, I have had nothing to compare myself to other than the guys I work with, and that was a fear of mine when I left. That war would change my heart...make it hard. But, it didn't. The Lord has looked after this husbands/daddys/sons/brothers heart and it is well. Very well.

We all had a blast together. It was like I had never left. And that is when I noticed it. That the Lord was taking care of my family...perfectly. They get what they need, when they need it, just like I do over here. I have seen the Lord soo much over here, and to see that He has taken care of the people I love the most, puts my heart at ease. He is such a sweet father, and takes care of His children better than they know how themselves.

The highlight of my journey back, was my bride. She is my best friend. My buddy, my world. To be with her reminded me that I am human...not some soldier robot...that I am loved, more than I know. To see her smile, hear that AMAZING laugh, made my leave. To see her be the awesome mom she is with the boys, and be with the hottest wife on earth, ugh...I am running out of words. (BTW...I dont suggest this, maybe on a lesser scale. But 6 months away from the fam does AMAZING things for your marriage. You learn alot, and well...there are other...awesome....uh...yea.) Anyway, to say that she was the best part of this whole thing would be and understatement.

I Love you Mrs. Nevil!

So, I am at a new place, with alot more access to the interweb...so...hopefully we can all talk more. I plan (yep plan...) to update this more..but we will see. If you stop by...COMMENT...I love to hear what people say...

Jerm

R&R

Home sweet home. I know a lot of you that read this have seen the videos of me coming home and some of the photos on Tiffs facebook page. So...I wont have a lot of that stuff on here. Just an FYI.

But I will tell you that other than 1-Getting married to Tiffany 2-Having my kiddos- This has been the best experience of my life. Being separated from them for so long, and then reunited is a feeling that I really can not even put to words. I wanted to explode....scream....run around....cry.....just such a mix! It was so awesome. To see Coop and have him run to me yelling DADDY!...wow.

And Chase (Chaz....Chasey-bud...) He has gotten so big. He really did not know what to think about me at first, but after a few hours...he knew that this was not "web cam or picture" daddy. It was the real thing. And we have had a blast re-connecting over the last 2 weeks. HE IS SO FRIGGIN CUTE!

Then there is my best friend. To see her beautiful eyes looking back at me...her amazing smile, and to smell her hair....ah.. it was perfect. (And not to mention we were not together for more than 3 hours before I heard the most amazing laugh in the wide world!) To hold her hand and to taste her sweet kiss again, time stopped. She is so amazing. And I knew this all along, but there is something about being away for so long that makes you realize how much you take for granted. And I appreciate and cherish her so much, and coming back just made all of that come to the surface. It was almost too much....almost.

Our time here has been great together. Lots of laughs. And even more love. Cooper has been attached to my hip the whole time. Chase loves to cuddle, and I get to see my Tifi be her amazing super mom self........which brings me to my next point..

I HAVE NO IDEA HOW SHE EVER LEAVES THE HOUSE!!!!! I am not even kidding. I don't know how she has the time or anything else to keep this house the way she likes it let alone herself! She is amazing. I know that I am at times dodging bullets and IEDs....but she has a MUCH harder job!

We have done lots....shopping for Christmas gifts....celebrating our favorite season...eating out ( LOVE BJs and the Original pancake house)... Just hanging as a fam... its been great. And Weird.

When I first got here that is what I told Tiff one of our first nights together. I said that it was so odd that I was just in a combat zone a week before. (I had about 3 days leading up to my leave "off" and not on missions) And then I was cuddling on the couch with my wife. To go from one extreme to the other was just something that I have never experienced before. I mean, soldiers in WW2 did not get this. They went to Paris...but they were still there with other soldiers. I am with my family...far removed from all things war. Its good....just weird.

But...our time is drawing to a close. The Lord answered a prayer of ours and time did not fly. I am a little excited to get back..because every day I am there...is a day close to being DONE! And the next time I come back...I wont GO back. But we have enjoyed our time together, and thank you to everyone who has helped.

And a special thank you to our parents. Especially mine. I am sure that it was the hardest thing you have ever done in not coming out here. I know it would be if Coop or Chaz were in my shoes and I in yours. Thank you. It means the world the sacrifice you made. I love you.

Be on the look out if you are on "The List" for some updates...

Thanks for your prayers and support in all of this. I cant wait to say all of that in person.

Jerm