March is Here!

Well, where in the world did February go? In and out and without a single post from me! We are so thrilled to have dear husband home for good from deployment in Iraq in February. He came into Kinston and I actually was able to find the armory on my own with directions from Mapquest. The kids had posters and eager, happy faces to greet him as he climbed down the stairs of the bus that brought him home from Ft. Stewart, Georgia. Words cannot describe the moments that came next, seeing his face and feeling his hug and seeing the children and their reactions to having him home for good. It was a wonderful, cold Saturday afternoon!

The family is humming along now. Getting used to our "new" old normal of having Dad in the mix once again. It is warm and sunny today, although the weatherman says winter will make a run at us again tomorrow. Dear husband is looking forward to warmer weather. He just cannot get used to how cold it is here. He really enjoyed the 110 degrees of Iraq! I am looking forward to those gentle warming days of springtime as well.

We have dear husband to ourselves one more week, and then he will start back to his normal routine. Today we are going to try a movie at the theater. We haven't been to see a matinee as a family for at least 2 years. Should be fun! Dear husband is taking one of our 3 out for their special lunch with Dad first and then we will all meet up for the movie.

We are trying to be intentional about our time together and do some fun things as a family and couple before really getting back into the swing of things. There are so many lessons learned from our 15 months apart. These are the things that I want to hold on to the things God taught us as individuals and as a family. I want to work hard at not taking one another for granted and for living each day to the fullest. .

I am thankful that this March our family is once again complete! Welcome home darling!

The Blur That Was October

Well, amazingly enough October 2009 has come and gone. The month has faded into one big beautiful blur! Our family begin the month traveling with dear husband who was home for 16 days on R&R. Our travels took us to Busch Gardens at Williamsburg and the Great Wolf Lodge, followed by a few wonderful days at the beach, soaking up some sun, but mostly enjoying one another and making memories, the weather was a little wet!


Dear husband returned to Iraq October 9 which left us with the rest of October and we continued the whirlwind of activities with birthdays, Ginger's and mine, the State fair with the chocolate covered bacon and finally our church's Fall Festival.



Our time with dear husband was fleeting, but having what one of our friends calls a "Practice Homecoming" was wonderful. I can only hope the rest of our deployment time will fly by as quickly. I surely appreciate having a completed family time because nothing really is the same without dear husband. God continually reminds me daily even when I feel so very overwhelmed how blessed we truly are, and what an honor it is to have my husband who is following God's call on his life to serve his country and set an example for our children. Yes it is hard, but it is so worth it. Hope you enjoy the pictures. I am going to try to get back in the habit of posting more regularly. I will always remember the blur that was October!

Anticipation

Sweet husband has started the long Army journey home for 15 days of R&R, which in the past was called rest and relaxation, now it has some other name, but it means the same thing! His first flight on the first leg of the journey was canceled due to dust storms. The new plan was convoy! After much prayer and trusting, I received the call this morning at 4:45am, safe and sound. Now the next part of the journey begins. I do not know when or where for sure, and that is o.k., because I do know ultimately whose hands he rests in, always.

We wait with great anticipation for the final phone call, saying come pick me up, I am HOME! Preparations are going on, cleaning, grocery shopping, making sure that all the comforts of home are in tip top shape for his homecoming. I know that everything to him will seem wonderful, and I don't have to make a big fuss over him. He never has asked that of me, but I want everything to be just right.

He needs the rest. He needs the relaxation. He still has to return and finish the rest of the time of his deployment. Praying for strength and wisdom to know when to do what and how to minister to him. Thank you Lord for this homecoming. I will always remember these 15 days!

Rainy Day Reminders

I am grateful for the rain. Today is a reminder of how much I thirst for God's love, to show it to my children, to feel it from Christian friends, to give it with graciousness to all the people in my life. Thank you Lord for the rain. My sweet husband needs to feel the "rain" of God's love in the dry desert land he is in right now. He is weary, he is parched from long hours,sleep that is hard to come by and separation from his family. He would be receiving words of encouragement and rest if he were here with us in his normal daily life. Please pray for his comfort, for him to feel God's love all around him in a dry and barren place that sees dust storms, not rain storms. Pray for him to see the "rain" in the desert. Thank you and hold on sweetie, the rain is coming for you too!

Pictures from Afar

Sharing some photos from my sweetie, remembering the brave fallen heroes KIA of the 30th HBCT at their memorial service. Praying for the families who lost their brave soldiers and for the long road they have ahead of them. Praying for the soldiers that continue on, that they be encouraged.


I am really thankful that we have the internet to stay connected to dear husband. It is amazing what a little bit of conversation and laughter can do for the morale of both soldier and family. Thank you for the internet dear Lord and for Skype!



My sweetie and his legal buddies over in the desert. They look pretty cool for temperatures around 110 degrees! What a handsome bunch of soldiers.

Catch Me If You Can! Part 2

This is part 2 of our great adventure doing lots of fun things with Dad, like eating at the Kanki and throwing baseball at Fort Bragg. We also gathered with family and church friends for a farewell barbecue supper! We packed in as much as possible in just a short amount of time. We have collected more memories for our mental scrapbook to help sustain all of us in the time ahead. Here are some more photos from some of the adventures including our time at Fort Bragg with dear Husband. It has been quite a ride!

We were stuffed after eating lunch at the Kanki. I think that lunch will go down in history as the most exciting and the quietest lunch ever! The kids were awestruck. Maybe I should take up Japanese cooking! I am not sure about those sharp knives...

Dear husband celebrating his birthday a little early, surprise honey, I got you! HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Always connected, no matter where he is...amazing.

Our son learned the finer points of baseball catching and throwing from Dear Dad. He will start baseball in a couple of weeks and Dad wanted to get in some practicing with him


A quick photo with my sweetie!

The Final Four

I know this title is a teaser, I am not talking basketball right now. I love the NCAA tournament and all of the excitement it brings this time of year, especially since I am a TARHEEL! I am referring to the final four days that my dear husband will be spending with our family before deployment. I have heard through the Army wives' grapevine that it may begin sometime this upcoming week, but as with everything Army you have to be flexible. So I have started thinking of all that I want to do in the final four days with him. Go out to eat at favorite restaurants, play with the kids, get together with friends, watch a favorite movie, TALK, laugh, go for walks, do laundry...pack again and repack, TALK, go over lists of to dos and not to dos...

I am apprehensive about the time coming so quickly too. I know once it is here, it will be gone and that is it! So now I need to get a plan, ask God for guidance, get preparing for the joyous homecoming/departure and get my love tank full by spending time with God in preparation for my husband's four days here. Four days, they will feel so normal, like nothing has changed, but they will be so different, a hello and a good-bye at the same time. What would you do with your sweetie if you had four days? What would matter, what would fall away, what little things would you over look if you only had four days?

My Prayer:
Please Lord equip me, give me wisdom, let us soak up every minute of the time, help me to watch out for too high of expectations, but also not take for granted what time we have. Help me Lord to see the "stressers" for him and the encouragement he needs. Help us to know how to help the kids, what to say, how to say it...Lord just walk with us as I know you will and let's do this the FINAL FOUR!


I will be posting pictures later of our trip to Charlottesville and some neat pictures from our Tapestry of Grace co-op dialectic class and the display board projects the students completed, oh and some Upward photos thrown in as well.