Guatemala Part 3: Glow Bugs & Bucket Lists

I was sitting on the living room floor watching an episode of Winnie the Pooh with my little sister. Pooh Bear was holding a jar with a glow bug in it. I turned to my Mom and said,
"Mom....are glow bugs really real?"
She responded, "Yes. Your father and I used to see them in Alabama."
I recall, very clearly, turning back to the T.V. and making my first determined statement concerning my future.
"Some day...I will see a glow bug."

Thus was the beginning of my bucket list.

To hunt down a magical little bug that was no more real to me than a unicorn.

#washingtongirlproblems 

I thought the time had surly come the day I boarded a plane to Texas in April of 2010. 

My eyes were PEELED April....May.....June....July....

Nothing. 

I didn't see a single one.

Flash forward pushing two decades from when I made that promise to myself. I was at a water park in Honduras (June 2013) and it was beginning to get dark. We had local friends who worked there, so when the park closed, we got to stay! We were all being silly, sitting around talking, when I saw a faint glimmer out of the corner of my eye.

I turned my head to see it again and my stomach DROPPED as I saw another and another and another. I completely forgot about anything around me. This was the moment I had been waiting for almost my whole life. I took out my camera and tried for about 30 seconds to get a good picture before my Jimminy Cricket whispered faintly....."your missing it..."....I sat in that tiny futbol field crying silent tears and feeling SO much joy.

They were more magical and beautiful than I had imagined.

This may sound silly to you...
but when you make yourself a promise, waiting so long to fulfill it with anticipation building and conditions you can't completely control...

You never stop looking with a mindful eye
and then,
when the time is right and
conditions couldn't be more perfect...
the promise finds you.

That's heavenly.

May 2014

I have a spot. Facing the treeline behind the barracks. Yesterday, I saw just two. Tonight, I wait. They will come if they choose.

Guatemala Part 2: Helicopter Tour

I am very lucky to have been on a few Black Hawk rides in my military career! I must start with this statement: my experiences I post are NOT typical Army life for most soldiers! Deployments to Honduras and Guatemala seriously come once in a blue moon and mostly never for the majority. Why am I so lucky? Honestly? I came in with some serious connections. So if you have other options, don't have connections, or/and don't plan on commissioning....DON'T DO IT.

Now that I no longer feel liable for anyone losing four years of their life thinking they were joining for extensive free travel or helicopter rides, let me show you how much fun I had!!!  

When we arrived to the flight line and were being briefed on heli safety procedures, our bird came in looking all kinds of awesome. 

I love this pic!

We loaded the birds and I didn't get a single photo of myself not looking like a crazy. =\ Thank heavens I have a hair appointment June 3rd! Trust me...no one will be more excited than me for a hair blog update!

Einstein's sister everybody!!!

In my defense, there is a lot of wind associated with boarding helicopter...

The following photos have not been edited in any way. They are all real color raw images taken with my Xperia Z1S. 

Some photos look out of focus...but mostly, it was really that smoggy from burning garbage or/and some light rain fall.

Mayan Ruins

This is where it was raining. We hovered for a bit and it started to clear up as we were pulling away.

And Waterfalls!!!

We also flew over a volcano with a 

lake at the summit. GORGEOUS.

It was so windy I was afraid of dropping my phone out the open window. 

I had to keep that image just for me. :)

Here is some agriculturally developed area.

This is right before we 

touched ground again.

If you ever see a killer deal or get the chance to go on a helicopter tour DO IT!! 

It's so much more intimate than commercial airplane flight and you get to be so much closer to the ground. Even these pictures don't come close to doing the experience justice.

Also, if your pilot is anything as cool as ours was, you'll get a mini roller coaster ride!! ;D

I'm sure having some cool experiences, but I am anxious to get home to the Hubbz!! I'm definitely counting on my next grand adventure including my best friend. <3

INHALE

pause

EXHALE

(: HAPPY LIVING :)

Guatemala Part 1: Conquering Fear

Okay, so an update for this little Wilkinson family is overdue. I have been out of country for a week tomorrow, and Clynn has been hard at work catching up before Spring quarter finals arrive and picking up some extra work around the Auburn School District. The kids love him and all the teachers want him!

I don't have the patience to tell you about every day here in Guatemala. However, I'll be sure to hit the highlights in a 3-5 part series!

PART 1

Conquering Fear

As a little kid, I was HORRIFIED of needles. If you ask me, I had bad medical providers and mean older siblings who taunted me over it until I was about 10. By then, it didn't matter how good the providers were, I didn't trust a thing they did or said. I had recurring nightmares that crotchety old lady nurses would hunt me down and force vaccinations on me. I didn't refrain from crying and throwing a fit until my HPV series at like 15 years old.....Now that I am older, I don't see medical professionals unless the Army makes me. (Even then, I sometimes find a way out.) I anticipate dying young over the matter. I am at peace with my decisions.

Given my past, it was a straight up insane miracle that I performed my first IV insertion yesterday! Little Jackie would have lost her mind if I had known what I'd be doing down the road. ;) My mom could hardly believe it either, so I was sure to document well. I put them in black & white for my readers who get queasy. (That used to be me!.....still kind of is.)

These are some photos of my very thorough class prior to the sticking. 

I haven't been so focused in ages! 

You'll notice my mouth is open allot. 

I was taking deep breaths as often as
I could remember to breathe.

This is after I begged for more training. They said "I just have to do it" and my patient, who was also my secondary teacher, informed me that no matter how it went, he's had worse. Haha, poor guy gets queasy from needles too! What a trooper and a stellar NCO.

Here you can see me holding the vein taught (left thumb).....

And here you can see where I let go too early (left thumb).

Here,the patient (also seasoned medic) took control for a minute to reset the needle himself to make sure I had the chance to set the catheter. (Yes, that's a band aid in his left arm from the example stick my primary instructor performed just minutes before this.)
Freaking beast mode.

Here is me about to cap and finishing up. He was making sure I was applying enough pressure so as to not....squirt blood everywhere. (No nice way to say that) I actually ended up spinning the catheter in a circle in his arm trying to apply the cap...oops. =\

I learned a ton and apparently I didn't do too badly for my first try! I learned about proper angles, valves, keeping the vein taught, the feel for a catheter resisting vs. not resisting, and how much pressure is really needed to stop blood flow. (More than I thought!) Most importantly, if someone needed an IV in a life or death cenario, I am confident I could provide!

I'd love to hear about a fear you conquered!

Feel free to leave a comment or shoot me a message! :)

Stay posted for an epic helicopter ride, Mayan ruins from afar, local food, some hilarious signage, futbol games, and tree climbing for mango picking! 

Shout out to my AMAZING husband:
I miss you!!!! I love you more than fried plantains and home made tortillas! I am so proud of all the hard work you do and how readily you support my military endeavors. I could never do it without you. <3 

Three Years

May 7, 2014

Clynn and I have been married THREE years! 

I'd like to say it's all been lovely and a refreshing breeze in the park on a sunny day...

buuut it's been really hard. 

Our singles ward stake president actually warned us. He said, 

"Are you sure you don't want to put an end to this... 

because I can tell this relationship will not be easy for you guys." 

I'll bet not many other couples were told THAT!!! When I heard him say that...I was offended. Clynn was hurt too. We were hurt that he couldn't see that OF COURSE the love we had for each other would be worth every struggle.

However, I've grown to see his words as the most brag worthy defeatable challenge in my life. 

It's not always sunny. Sometimes it feels like you have nothing in common any more. Sometimes it feels like the time you spend apart is the best break in the world and the only opportunity to be you. Especially, when over 1/3 of your marriage has been spent in different states and even different countries.

Learning to band together, to walk boldly into the realms of adversity holding the had of the one you love, learning that every mountain will make you stronger...this is where the real butterflies happen. Those are the moments you look back on and realize you could have never done it alone.

I had a very pivotal moment in our relationship this year. One day, I was preparing to go out on a mission in Honduras. I had gotten back from another mission not long ago and knew that everywhere we went, we were followed by the Honduran Army who had us constantly surrounded protecting us from every angle with their weapons and trusted skill. Why? Because the potential for danger was obviously there.

So that day, packing to go on this mission, I decided to write a letter to Clynn. A letter I hope he NEVER reads. It was a letter, letting him know what to do if he ever had to live without me. I sat there and balled my eyes out as I pictured the things I needed to say and the way he would feel if he had to read this letter. I reached for every ounce of comfort and genuine love I could muster, stopping several times to pray that I was choosing the best words I was capable of for my Eternal Companion.

Write a letter like that....and you'll never want to part of your own free will. 

This family, right here, is tried and proven. We love each other no matter what. We forgive and forgive again. We make goals and strive onward hand in hand. 

Nothing will ever tear us apart, for we have been sealed by priesthood power in the 

Temple of our God for time and all Eternity.

THANK YOU

to all of our friends and family who have given us unbelievable levels of support, guidance, and advice in keeping (and sometimes regaining) the strength that helps bind us. 

You have been irreplaceable examples in our journey.

WE LOVE YOU

Mom & Dad

Mom & Dad

Kelsie & Mike

Nicole & Austin

Brothers & Sisters

Amy & Stew

 Pres. Duke & Kathy

Beverly & Mitchell

Kelly & Brent

Julie & Doug

Nate & Susan

Aunts & Uncles

Grandma & Grandpa 

    

Looking forward to many more years of adventure, defeated struggle, laughs, snuggles, compromise, mistakes, lessons, family growth, and 

a love like no other.

   

Up In The Air

Oh, boy have things been changing for us! We have a million up in the air goals we're shooting for, but you never can count on until they're in action.

Remembering not to count our chickens before they hatch...

but we're making goals.

Clynn is about to wrap up his second to last quarter at the UW!! Summer quarter will be his last, and OH, ARE WE EXCITED!! 

He is looking to pick up full or part time work Fall quarter, where he will begin completing his foreign language requirement one quarter at a time. (Three quarters of Spanish at a community college and then he will HAVE HIS BACHELORS in General Mathematics. Easy Peasy, but I'm sure it will drag out. =/ )

My last day with my nanny family will be May 14th because....

I am supposed to be going to Guatemala mid this month, but am still waiting on my official orders. I'll be gone for a few weeks, get back, have a little break, then head off to my Sergeant School (WLC) a couple weeks later and be gone for another few weeks. When I get back home, I'll have another two week field training and then be heading off to some kind of Military Job specific school where I will further my education in Environmental Health with the goal being to start a career in that field civilian side. 

(Most likely Water Sanitation)

I'm not super thrilled about it, but I am excited for a new path and a reliable career. :) Also, it will give me the ability to really be a crucial part of my community. I'm confident it will feel productive and meaningful. 

Why the new route?

As we were going about our lives some how all of our goals became separate. We were no longer working together and were merely each others little side cheer team, yelling from a distance. I suppose you could say we never quiet readjusted to me coming home from deployment. The support was nice...on both ends, but we were not viewing our relationship as a family in the making. We realized we needed to start working together more, and that we would get more and better things accomplished this way.

We are looking for some serious stability before starting our family and wanting to give Clynn the utmost opportunity to pursue his career as an Options Trader for Maverick Trading Co. In order for him to have a good chance at that, he will be needing a year or two to get it up and going strong.

WE BELIEVE IN TEAMWORK

Hope you enjoyed the update! 

Now sit back and watch as some of our plans unfold....

and some inevitably crash and burn. :)

Love, 

The Wilkinson's