Friday, August 8, 2008

the twists and turns of life

{I Matthew John Ellingson having been appointed an officer in the Army of the United States do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic. That I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion. That I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter, so help me God.}


so, when we first got married matt and i wrote down and mapped out a 5 year plan. from planning schooling, to jobs, even down to when we wanted children. as for that 5 year plan, which planning and working towards a goal are great, the only thing sthat truly happened are that i became a kindergarten teacher, and matt is in dental school. i guess we should have done it in pencil so that we could erase and add changes as they came our way. also, to leave room for all the wonderful life's lessons learned and relationships gained along the way who help shape you into the true person you really become. even though jack came 3 years early, and my sweet husband joined the army...i would have it no other way.

well, as we embark on a new chapter in our lives, the military chapter, we go forth with excitement. if you asked me a year ago if this was even a possibility, let alone the army, i would have screamed NO! matt was always on board. with the military paying for all our school plus giving us a substantial monthly stipend...we figured that after all was said and done, and after paying off our student loan for the next 30 years, the military will save us over 1 million dollars. huh, it's a "no-brainer" if you ask us. plus, matt and i both like to consider ourselves patriots and are happy to serve our country in this way. matt will give 3 years back as a dentist for the US Army.

after many prayers, and 100s of questions, hearing the good the bad and the ugly...the army was a better fit for our family. if the opportunity arises, we hope to spend our 3 years in Europe. we'll see where life takes us at that point.

{jack and gracie sitting by matt while he signs the paperwork}
{jack and gracie sneaking in a squeeze...jack wanted to wear his camo pj's like the "solider" and they were both very excited about the "soldier" coming to our house}
{matt taking the oath written above}
{matt and major Riggle}

19 comments:

Steph & James said...

Congrats to you guys, that is really great and a very smart move. How cool, your husband is a soldier. Very patriotic. I am excited for you guys. If I would have told you my plan for our first 5 years, I'd probably have you stitches...especially where we are in in year two.... :) (p.s. James has that shirt too!)

Micah and BriAnne said...

Wow, Lara! I could cry, I'm so proud of Matt. Micah had always felt a pull to the military as well. His brother just re-enlisted and Micah almost joined him. It still isn't off the table for us (depending on how well his new job turns out to be and everything), but I am so thankful for our soldiers. Thanks so much.

Lainie said...

Wow, Lara! What an exciting time in your lives! It dosen't suprise me - your family seems to thrive on serving our country! Congratulations! (We miss your sweet family in our ward!!)

Anonymous said...

I am so proud of you and Matt, Lara....what a great gift to our country and for all of us. I am thrilled to call you a friend!!

Jack looks so cute in his camouflage!!

Hugs...

Alicia

Corinne said...

Congrats soldier! That is so exciting. I bet it feels so good to know what you are doing now after all of that decision making.I love this whole blog thing it is such a good way to keep tabs on eachother. We miss you guys like crazy. When Kyson saw Jack's birthday party pictures he said,"Mom I was supposed to go to Jack's party!" So sad that they don't understand that there is more to it than just jumping on the plane and flying to see eachother. Love you guys!

Jake & Sarah Salmon said...

Wow! Its official! Thats so exciting that you guys made your decision and you are fully on board! Very brave and very patriot!:) This sounds like a great plan for you guys and we are so happy for you! We love you!

Jake & Sarah Salmon said...

Wow! Its official! Thats so exciting that you guys made your decision and you are fully on board! Very brave and very patriot!:) This sounds like a great plan for you guys and we are so happy for you! We love you!

Amber said...

At least you accomplished a couple of things on your 5 year plan! Ours was a complete wash. Heavenly Father has plans that none of us can see.

Kristi said...

Congratulations! I am proud of you guys. It's hard sometimes to change a course that seems to be so defined and wanted, but when we do (and you know this, I know), it always ends up being better if we were following the the spirit. You guys are awesome. We'll come visit in Europe... :o) FOR SURE!

Anne said...

Wow, I'm so excited for you guys! It's always scary but great to finally make a decision like that. I hope you guys do get to go to Europe, too!

(And I know Matt's my cousin, but come on, he's going to look way hot in his dress uniform!) :)

Congrats guys!

Carma Lee said...

We're pleased and proud of you two. You're great at listening to the Spirit so I know this is right, even though it's scary and I hate to think that you'll be away for so long. Wish time could pass for you but not us - we're getting too old too fast. We're putting Europe on the agenda!

Auburn said...

Yeah we're so proud of you matt! I'll make sure that dave salutes his little brother from here on out ;o) We want to come visit you in Europe!!

Tracy said...

I've been thinking of your family and about your decision. Congratulations and best wishes!
And I related to your so called "5-year plan!" I think back to what Brian and I thought we'd be doing after 10 years of marriage. Uh, yeah right (we're celebrating 15 this year, btw).
Man plans, God laughs!

Ryan, Sarah , Ruthie and Tate said...

Wow! I had no idea, but we're so excited for you! It will be fun to see what adventure this leads to next! Also, my sis-in-law had a baby boy on Jack's b-day. Kinda fun! I cannot believe you have a 5 year old though. Didn't we just get married?

Caralee said...

Matt and Lara- I have to admit that I am envious of you. If we could logistically make it happen we would totally jump on your ship. What an amazing adventure your family will have! We are so proud of you.

danahollis said...

Woweee! I guess I'm out of the loop. I thought that the military was not going to be an option.

But, I can honestly say... I LOVED my military experience. Being a Navy girl was really one of the highlights of my life.

I understand the weight of the decision and feel proud to know you, Lara. Please give Matt my BIGGEST congratulations and best wishes. It's a tough road... but one that is so worth the travel.

I can't wait to hear about your family adventures!!

Hugs!
Dana

Sara said...

does this mean we won't be neighbors in two years???

Leslie said...

You guys are just some of my favorite people! I think that is awesome. My bro-in-law is applying to dental schools right now and they are seriously condsidering doing it through the air force. You are right...the money that it will save you is just ridiculous. Best of luck to you!

J.R. said...

Congrats bro! I am very proud of you and excited for the adventure this will be for your family.