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}