San Diego or bust!

Our house is in a box...well, many boxes I guess. Some 160+ of them to be exact! Wish I could post pics of it....the place looks really funny with nice neat labeled boxes stretching floor to ceiling throughout every room in our home! We have little pathways etched into each room to enable us to get to our beds (about the only things that haven't been boxed up!). Faith was SO adorable before bed last night. As I was putting her to bed, her crib stood exactly the same as always in the center of her room, laden with her blankets and array of favorite animals...and it wasn't unless you looked up at the walls to see that they were bare, or turned around to view the rest of her room, that you realized the boxes and the reality that "this is it! There's no turning back! San Diego or bust!" As I stood holding Faith so she could see each box and explaining where all her stuff was, and what all these boxes were doing here, I realized that our awesome packers had labled each of her boxes "Faith's room" with her name on it! It was so cute! Faith got a huge kick out of pointing to each of them, as I dramatically spelled out each letter of her name as we read them. What great professional packers we've had! They were so efficient! I actually love the way our house looks right now, even though that probably sounds strange, since it resembles a warehouse! But everything is so compact and orderly and neatly labeled....and once the movers come today, it will be completely empty! And I can begin cleaning!! ....if you haven't realized already, this is Bethany writing...John is sound asleep...but it's 4am and I couldn't sleep...and just had to get some thoughts out of my head.

Well, yes it's been 7 months since our last blog post!! (He may or may not admit it, but John's been WAYYYY too busy lately on Facebook :) to keep up with our family blog! So I am taking over!!!) I am contemplating starting to update this blog more frequently, and using it as a way to keep everyone posted on our new soon-to-be-life in San Diego, CA....but I am new to blogging, so we'll see how I do on this test run!

I mainly wanted to update everyone as of tomorrow (Thursday) the Duarte's are hitting the road for our new home in San Diego, to be more specific, Vista, CA. Yep...that's right! Faith and I will be California Girls...and Mickey will be a California Puppy! John is SO thrilled to be returning to his home state and his roots in Southern CA. So many exciting things to look forward to, yet the goodbyes in Annapolis have not been easy! It's been really hard to "feel". I think I am still numb and it hasn't hit me that in a few short weeks, the excitement of cross country travel, moving out, moving in, unpacking, decorating, will all be over, and while we have MANY exciting opportunities to connect in San Diego, it will hit me that I won't be able to see all my close friends in Annapolis anymore! Thank goodness for email and Facebook, which will keep us connected...but I know it's going to be so hard!! It's been a bit easier for John I think, because after he gets Faith, Mickey and I settled in our new home, he's going to fly back here and finish up at the Naval Academy for the month of June. He's also done quiete a few more big moves than I have, and is a little more used to the goodbye's and hello's.

In the meantime, we've enjoyed every last moment here! Annapolis has been John and I's first move together....the first place we've put our roots down as a married couple, where we had our first child....the list goes on! And God has been SO faithful! We have been so blessed by our church, neighborhood, even the Naval Academy, and the great friends we have from each place! for me, this is another 'welcome to Navy life' I guess, where the words of the song "Make new friends, but keep the old...." really rings true! Annapolis...we will miss you so much!!!

Walking by (with) Faith

Greetings,

In August, Bethany and I took a few days to get away from our normal lives in the mountains of Northeastern New York State. It was gorgeous. We drove to Buffalo first and stayed the night with Bethany's parents (Tim & Cheryl) and left Faith and Mickey (our dog) with them the next morning when we drove out to Friends Lake Inn in the Adirondacks. There, we enjoyed everything from a Six Flags Theme Park, to canoeing, to hiking, to... just plain nothing. And the food at the Inn was to die for... well... almost to die for. It was great. When we drove back to Buffalo, we found that Faith had found a new hobby -- Walking!

In addition to walking, Faith continues to grow in her friendship with Mickey, and they have loads of fun together. Please check out the videos posted here if you haven’t already seen them. It’s amazing, I tell ya… how we never cease to be amazed by our daughter. It’s amazing, that even when she drives us nuts, we can go into her room at night and look at her with such adoring eyes. She is absolutely precious to us, and we thank God every day for the blessing that she is to us.

Yet even a blessing has its moments. Recently, she has become more independent and more defiant at times. And though she is 14 months old – she knows. When she’s going toward the dogs food, or the stairs and we call out her name… she gets that look. You know the look I’m talking about. She turns her head and looks at us intently… as if she is watching us to see when we look away so she can continue about whatever it is she is doing. It’s a look that says, “I know Mommy, I know Daddy… but, I’m testing you.”

Lately, she loves to share. And I mean… everything. She shares her books, she shares her toys, she shares her food. She will be chowing down on a cracker or some apples, and then she’ll hold a piece up to either my mouth or Bethany’s mouth, and say… “gah!” She shares with the dog too, but we’re trying to break her of that. I am surprised by how much she understands. Though she doesn’t say the words, she knows what we are saying. I ask her to bring me a book, and sure enough… she walks over to where her books are and grabs one (or two… or three) and brings it to me. When I ask her to put them back… she puts them right back where they belong. I tell you, she must’ve gotten that one from Bethany… because anyone who knows me, knows I don’t put stuff back where it belongs all the time.

Bethany has taken on some extra responsibility at the church as a member of the steering committee for MOPS (Mothers of Pre Schoolers). MOPS is a program that meets monthly, where (you guessed it) mothers of pre-schoolers gather to give/receive mutual encouragement, partake in various crafts and activities, eat some good food, grow in fellowship and honor the Lord. On the steering committee, she has specifically taken on the role of hospitality coordinator… and she just loves it. She spends a lot of time setting up and planning the decorations for each event. She also welcomes all newcomers and puts together gifts for those who just had a baby or whose children have reached other major milestones in their development. It’s a lot of work, but definitely a blessing to be able to bless others with her gifts.

Things are going fine for me. I will tell you that this job here at the Naval Academy has been such a great opportunity for me as the Lord develops my management skills for whatever He has for me in the future. The Lord is doing some big work in my heart lately. Though the road to the Chaplain Corps is a long one for me in education and ministry experience, the greatest challenge ahead of me is the work that God will be doing in my heart over that time. Please be prayerful for me about that. Just the last two months, He has been doing a major work in me… but imagine spending a few years without taking a bath, and then stepping out into the light and realizing how filthy you really are. Spiritually speaking… that’s how I feel right now. But don’t get me wrong; this is not a bad thing. If anything it is an awesome blessing. Stepping into the light gives us an opportunity to respond to God in obedience in regards to the things that are truly wrong with our lives. And that is how I view this. I just need to continue to be faithful to God in pursuing my relationship with Him… pursuing His Word… pursuing His ways.

Please pray for Bethany, Faith and me as we travel down this road of spiritual renewal.

Celebrating one year of life

July was a good month for the Duarte clan. We started the month out with a trip to Southern California for my brother David's wedding. Bethany and I met our new sister in law (Leticia) for the first time and Faith met Uncle David and Aunt Leticia for the first time as well.

This was not Faith's first trip to California, but probably one of her most memorable thus far. She fully enjoyed some time at the beach, hanging out with her grand parents, great grand parents, and so many more. Even better than that, she got to see her future home. That's right... Bethany and I just found out that we will be moving to Southern California next July. I picked up verbal confirmation of orders to work with the Marines out of Camp Pendelton. With that, we spent a day in San Diego to start looking at potential homes to purchase.

It's a good thing that I took Bethany back to California during the Summer months. I finally sold her on how great the weather is in Southern California. So even though I am taking her far away from her side of the family, she will be closer to my side of the family. We're not quite sure where life will go for us beyond this. The orders I am taking are two year orders. After that, I anticipate getting out of the Navy and going into full time ministry while I finish up my Masters in Divinity. While I imagine that will keep us in San Diego County, it really can take on many forms. Please be in prayer for us in the years to come as we seek God's direction in the decision making process.


After returning to Maryland from our trip out West, we made preparations to celebrate Faith's first birthday. After 12 months of life, she's crawling all over the place but not quite walking yet. She has taken a couple of steps on her own, but not all out walking yet. We had a few of Faith's friends over for her birthday and she experienced cake and ice cream for the very first time. It was a messy adventure... but, nothing that a little soap and water couldn't take care of.

With that, we wrapped up the month of July. The Brigade of Midshipmen returns to the Naval Academy in the middle of August, and work is going to pick up pace a bit more. After that, Bethany and I plan on taking a trip up to New York State and spend some time without the baby girl. It will be a good time for us to celebrate the last two years of marriage and get some much needed rest.

Summer days begin!

Greetings!
In Annapolis, the beginning of the Summer is marked by an annual visit from the Blue Angels, the Navy's Flight Demonstration Team. Faith saw the Blue Angels for the first time after hearing them from inside Bethany's womb last year. She didn't know what to make of it, but in the end... she loved it.
My job picked up a more intense pace as the building manager of the world's largest single structure dormitory. I was busier than a one legged man in a butt kicking contest with over 60 new employees to manage, a 200,000 sq. ft. portion of Bancroft Hall going under renovation, and nearly 10,000 people sleeping in Bancroft Hall throughout the course of the Summer.
In addition to that, I began a condensed Seminary class over in Springfield, VA. Over the course of 3 weeks, I had 40 hours worth of class, reading material and assignments, with a 15 to 20 page paper to write by July 15th and a final exam that I completed before the end of June. The course was a general look at the Old Testament Prophets, and I absolutely loved it. My brain hurts... but I loved it and I look forward to studying the Old Testament Prophets more in my own person time with the Lord in the years to come.
So.. yeah... I was busy (understatement of the century).
Bethany and I both celebrated our birthdays and towards the end of the month, we vacationed in Cape May, NJ with close friends April and Michael and their

two precious children. This was Faith's first trip to the beach and also her first time on a boat (the Cape May - Lewes Ferry). What a blast and what a blessing to spend the time with April and Michael. Faith was crawling up a storm, but wasn't sure what to think of the water.

Up and coming in the month of July, we will be headed off to California for my big brother's (David's) wedding. He will be marrying Leticia in Southern California. We are planning on spending a week there, and we are all looking forward to seeing my side of the family, which just so happens to be the west side of the family (Bethany's family is the east side). In addition to that, Faith will be celebrating her first Birthday! Woohoo!!! We're just waiting for her to start walking any day now.

Watch out!

Another week of our blessed existence has passed. Faith keeps a' crawlin'. Just this past weekend, we purchased two additional "baby gates" so that we can protect our baby girl. Well, while we were still debating whether to physically mount them to the wall or not, Faith was crawlin' around and her daddy (that's me) had the baby watch. She crawled right on over to the baby gate, which was leaned up against the wall. I don't know how she did it, but after a *bing* *bang* *boom* *crunch*, she was hollerin' out loud.

It was one of those moments first filled with horror, but once I knew she was fine, I wish I had a camera. Because words can't describe the sight. there she was, laying on her side, the baby gate fallen over ontop of her, with one end of it laying on top of her left cheek. I immediately dove to the rescue (though, it was a bit too late to try to rescue her). I picked up my precious darling baby girl, and held her close to my chest and let her cry it out. :-(

After mommy and daddy both spent some time soothing her, she was back to her normal self. Within an hour, we had that baby gate mounted. No longer an issue now. :-)

Here you will find some more photos.

Faith was with us a few weeks ago when we went up to Buffalo for Great Grandpa Sammarco's Memorial Service. What a blessed time of celebrating his extended stay here with us. Faith rejoiced with us as we thanked the Lord for the time that He gave us with Great Grandpa.

Man she has gotten big! And she'll just keep on growin'. We don't quite realize it, until we see an infant.

Well, just a few weeks ago, Bethany, Faith and I all welcomed a new addition into the family of our dear friends Dan and Sarah. They had a baby boy, Carter, on April 2nd. And he's a hoot. Check it out, he's even got the homeboy stance already. It's so fun to see Faith interact with all of her friends. Atleast, we anticipate that they would be her friends. Though we are in the Navy, we hope and anticipate being here in Maryland for a good 6 to 8 years. Hard to say what God will do in us in the years to come.

The way it stands now, my orders are up at the Naval Academy in July '09. My intentions are to go overseas for a year without Bee and Faith. Not exactly the most ideal situation, but one of the better options available to us (believe it or not). Where would I go? Well... to quote a great movie of the 80's, "I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you." :-)

So here I am, trying to make plans for my family's future, and God keeps challenging me to keep my head on my shoulders, and not to get too far ahead of myself. I like what James said:

"Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit"; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.'" (James 4:13 - 15)

So with that, I must say... "if the Lord wills... we will be here for six to eight years." One thing is most certain; God has called our family to pursue vocational ministry full-time. But where that begins is a mystery to us. The assurance of God's provision to get us there is solid. Our knowledge of the way between here and there... not so clear. But God is faithful, who has called, and who will direct us in His ways as we seek to do His will in joyful obedience.

In the meantime, we press on. The last few weeks were a bit rough. Not only did I get slammed with a gazillion things at work, but I had a quiz, then a test, then a quiz and a paper, then one assignment, then another assignment. Sounds like school or something! Wait a minute, I am in school! In any case, I've got a few moments to come up for air before I hit the books hard in preparation for my final exams mid-May.

One such breath of fresh air happens on Friday nights. I joined our church softball team. We had a scrimmage this past Friday, and I thought I was all that. Flying across the outfield to catch fly balls, zooming around the infield after hitting the ball... but I assure you, Saturday morning... I did not think I was "all that" anymore. The term "old" comes to mind. My aching knees and shoulder got the best of me. Of course, I'll beat my body into submission again this Friday because the game is just that much fun. Our first official game is this Friday. We'll be sure to keep you posted on it all.

Anyhow, I'm off to class. We're about half way through the book of Revelation now. Very interesting stuff. Let me know if you have any questions. Because I'm running out of questions. :-) Just kiddin'... about running out of questions. One thing I find for certain, the more I learn... truly... the more questions I have. It's funny how that happens. God bless you all, and stay tuned for more to come.

Let the blogging begin

Well, this is the beginning of our blog! Things are going well for the Duarte clan as the Lord continues to bless us in more ways than we can count. Faith is nearly NINE MONTHS OLD! Just this past week, I was getting ready to go out the door for work in the morning and Bethany put Faith down on the dining room floor. She was so close to crawling, and I just didn't want to miss it. Thankfully, the Lord blessed me with the opportunity to be there on Friday afternoon when she just went NUTS crawling.

We were on the web cam via skype with my mother and step-father (Grandma and Grandpa Stanfield) and Faith was on a roll. Of course, she has taken an interest in anything electronic, so she was after my laptop, and I had to keep moving it away from her to prevent her from pounding on the keys while on the web cam. But Grandma and Grandpa got to see their Grand-daughter crawl, even though they were on the other side of the country.

Bethany is doing very well. She is such an awesome mother to Faith as the two of them have great routines each day. Throughout the week, Bethany will work in the Nursery at the church (Riva Trace Baptist Church) to allow other moms an opportunity to be involved in weekday ministries or Bible studies. As you can see, Faith has begun to enjoy cooking with her mommy as well. Aren't they just precious?

As for me, life is so full of blessings. Many times over the past month, the Lord has turned my eyes to my family and helped me to realize how blessed we are. I know that the days will come when we will face many struggles, and I view these days as a time to prepare ourselves for that as we continue to seek the Lord each day. Every night, as we lay Faith down to sleep, we thank God for His blessings, His Spirit, His Son, and His hand being in our lives... and we cry out to God, that He would do His work in us and that we might bring glory and honor to His name. Just as Jesus would say, may the world see our good works and praise our Father in Heaven.

Life is a stretch at times, for me, being a husband, father, Naval Officer and Seminary student. But that being said, the Lord is providing. My studies are going well and I'm learning more each day. I am half way through my second semester at Capital Bible Seminary. This semester I am taking 2 classes (6 credit hours). Both classes are New Testament classes (covering everything but the Gospel). I plan on taking two more classes in June before having the remainder of the Summer off. It's tough at times. Two days a week, I leave at 7:00 am and get home after 10:00 pm. But then, the remaining three week days, I get to come home to this precious little girl and her wonderful mom. How could anyone in their right mind possibly complain about that?

This summer, my big brother David, will be getting married to his beloved, Leticia. Bethany and I haven't even had a chance to meet this blessing of a woman yet! But she's gotta be somethin'! We are so excited to be there for their celebration and to finally meet the woman that hath wooed my big bro. It wasn't even two years ago that we had the entire family together in Florida for Bee's and my wedding. It's amazing how fast things happen.

Anyhow, I think I will end this for now. If you haven't had a chance to see our video from when Faith was born, check it out below!

Faith Arrives