The Military Wife

I got this off of : http://awtr.blogspot.com/2009/07/military-wife.html


The Military Wife


The good Lord was creating a model for Military Wives and was into his

sixth day of overtime when an Angel appeared.

She said, "Lord, you seem to be having a lot of trouble with this one.

What's wrong with the standard model?"

The Lord replied, "Have you seen the specs on this order? She has to be

completely independent, possess the qualities of both Mother and Father,

be a perfect hostess for four or forty with an hours notice, run on black

coffee, handle every emergency imaginable without a manual, be able

to carry on cheerfully, even if she is pregnant or has the flu, and she

has to have six pair of hands."

The Angel shook her head. "Six pair of hands? No way!"

The Lord continued, "Don't worry, we will make other Military

Wives to help her. And we will give her an unusually strong heart

so it can swell with pride in her Husband's achievements, sustain

the pain of separation, beat soundly when it is overworked and tired,

and be large enough to say "I understand" when she doesn't and

"I love you" regardless."

"Lord", said the Angel, touching his arm gently. "Go to bed and

get some rest. You can finish this tomorrow."

"I can't stop now", said the Lord. "I am so close to creating something

so unique. Already this model heals herself when she is sick,

can put up six unexpected guests for the weekend, wave goodbye

to her Husband from a pier, a runway or a depot, and understand

why it is important that he leave."

The Angel circled the model of the Military Wife, looked at it

closely and sighed. "It looks fine, but it's too soft."

"She may look soft," replied the Lord, "but she has the strength

of a lion. You would not believe what she can endure."

Finally, the Angel bent over and ran her finger across

the cheek of the Lord's creation. "There's a leak," she announced.

"Something is wrong with the construction. I'm not surprised that

it has cracked. You are trying to put too much into this model."

The Lord appeared offended at the Angel's lack of confidence.

"What you see is not a leak. It's a tear."

"A tear? What is it there for?", asked the Angel.

The Lord replied, "It's for joy, sadness, pain, disappointment,

loneliness, pride and dedication to all the values that she

and her Husband hold dear."

"You are a genius!" exclaimed the Angel.

The Lord looked puzzled and replied,

"I didn't put it there."


-Author Unknown

No Title...Just Pure and Simple Thankfulness

Snow while we lived in the camper...2007/2008 winter

Our Trampoline in Jan 2008 before we got the
rest of the snow! :)

These pictures are just to prove that we
actually did what I wrote in this post! :)
I don't mind that I look stressed and horrible...
I was! :) The condensation is even there on the windows...
though, thanks to bleach the black mold was under control! LOL!

Sheldon, a new born, in his bassinet without legs! :) At night
I would move the bassinet to the couch where it was warmer,
or he would sleep with me on especially cold nights. During the day
I would put his bed by this window if there was sun! :)

This is our camper with the addition, behind the horses, there.

My kids were always happy, despite how I felt!

Me, right after James left for Korea and right before we
moved out of the camper!

It is days like these when I feel as if I am in a dream. Three years ago my life was crumbling, my marriage was VERY slowly crumbling but it was crumbling, and without my Lord and Savior, I would have crumbled under the load I/we had. I NEVER thought I would sit on the couch and watch a movie with a husband who wasn't tired (or falling asleep) because of a week or more of driving a semi-truck. But I sat today and watched a movie with my rested and happy husband and my children, in western Washington, in a home very much bigger than my past home on wheels (our camper), while it rained outside. I didn't have to worry about a leaking roof between our camper and the addition we had on it. I didn't have to worry about moving Sheldon's portable crib away from that wall where it leaked into his bed, and laying out every towel I had to soak up rain or melted snow. I didn't have to worry about filling water tanks, shoveling snow so I could empty the dirty water out of our camper. I didn't have to worry about horrible condensation on all the windows that dripped and produced black mold everywhere. I didn't have to worry about how I would keep my children warm at night. I am rested from many good nights sleep...no waking up to a freezing camper and going outside to switch propane tanks in the snow. I don't have to stress out with worry about how much snow we will get and if I will be able to even get to my propane tanks. I don't have to worry about my old horse, with no shelter whatsoever in blizzard-like conditions. I didn't have to worry about what would happen if we lose power in the winter for an extended period of time. My body is rested, gaining weight, and under very low stress, compared to those 3 years. I was warm, curled up in my favorite blanket, with my family, happy and content.....and need I say again....WARM!

I still look around, I still assess my surroundings and our wonderful circumstances, in complete THANKFULNESS, to a Holy and Living God who saw us through the biggest valley in our life, yet. I still do not know how I made it through my trials, practically alone on Earth (it felt like). Not alone spiritually...I would have never made it without the Lord and amazing friends from my church who spurred me on, yet I still felt humanly alone, miserable, stressed and worried. At one point, suicidal, to a small degree. I am still in utter disbelief. I don't think people realize how hard it was. Most don't even know my story. And yet, I can still think of MANY who had it worse than I did, then. But, when you are amidst those trials, it always seems like no one knows what you are going through and no one cares, either. I am excluding my church friends ( they didn't know how bad it was but they DID care! :) I still thank God for my bathtub every time I get in it! I am amazed at running water. I am thankful for a shower that provides more than 2 min of hot water! I am amazed that when we flush the toilet we don't have to see it again. I am thankful for a low maintenance heat source, good insulation, thick windows, plush carpet, a shelter for my horse, beds for my children that are not wet with condensation, and a husband who keeps me warm at night. I am thankful for food other than beans, eggs and homemade macaroni and cheese (these are great foods but think about eating them everyday). I am thankful for my washer and dryer. I am thankful that I knew how to live on less and economize. I am thankful that I could live in the wilderness and probably survive due to what I learned and taught myself during these times. I am thankful that God made me strong. That God taught me to be more faithful...(think about the word Faithful....it does NOT mean loyal, only.....it means simply....full of faith). I am thankful that God prepared me to be a better military spouse than I was prior to 2006. I am thankful for my children, my husband and my marriage. I am thankful that we are all together now, and not drifting aimlessly about in a sea of bad decisions and debt that we could have easily begun to drown in. I don't think many people can so easily be SO thankful for these COMMON AMENities! :) Can you all say AMEN to amenities??? I doubt that many of you can find such comfort in the things that I do, now!

You know...our camper is in our backyard. I see it everyday. I see the remainder of foam insulation on one side where we had the addition...failed foam insulation, by the way! :) I see all the places where the snow and ice and blowing wind peeled the emblems and decals off of it. I go in and smell the familiar smell of the furnishings and wallpaper. Our camper was brand new when we bought it. I probably wouldn't have survived in an old one in North Idaho...so i AM thankful that my husband had the wisdom to buy a brand new one. But you know...it doesn't look brand new inside or outside. We didn't trash it but it looks lived in because I lived in it for 18 months (12 of those months we were almost buried in snow) with three kids, two cats and a dog (for part of the time). I used to hate that camper. Up until today I wanted to get rid of it in any way that I could. Today, I am kind of starting to love it. How is this possible that I don't really want it to go anywhere? I don't want anyone else to live in it. Even if I never sleep in it again, I don't want anyone else sleeping in it, owning it or taking it. I want it to stay in my back yard. I want it to be a constant reminder of how thankful i am for the common things. For life. For love that withstood. For bad decisions. For debt. For lessons. For marriage. For perseverance. For my Living God.

Tut Tut

Tut Tut

• Jun. 11th, 2009 at 6:02 AM

Well, it finally rained after like three weeks! It was so nice! I have had to water the garden everyday so it should be nice and wet, now. We have an abundance of Spinach, Leaf Lettuce, and just got done harvesting all the radishes. Besides those, the other plants are doing great. We have White and Red Potatoes, 4 Tomato plants, Red and Green Pepper (we hope these make it to the end of the season...they are pretty little still), 4 rows of corn, Bush Green Beans, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Cucumbers, Patty-pan summer squash, acorn squash, Butternut Squash, and as for herbs, I have Dill, Parsley, Basil, Chives, Thyme, Tarragon and Marjoram. We are pretty happy with our garden so far and I am keeping it weed free! I was finding slugs in my lettuce so we put a shallow pie pan of beer next to the lettuce. 8 or 9 slugs died happily while floating in the beer! :) Then we had trouble with the ants eating little bits of things and bought marigolds to randomly plant in the garden and they are staying away.
We had been getting slightly annoyed with driving 40-50 minutes to church, so we had kind of thought about trying to find a new church. I was very worried about not being able to serve in AWANA as a leader for the simple fact of the drive, the gas prices, and the fact that AWANA is during the winter and there is no way I can make that drive in the dark on icy roads. So, I was just stressed out about that and worried that the kids wouldn't get to go because of all that. We were annoyed that most of our Sunday it seems like we are driving, and that by the time we get home we are starving. I took the kids to the park in McKenna on Wed. last week, and on the way back I saw a sign for McKenna Community Church. I turned and went to see if it was an open and operating church...much to my happiness it is! They have a little park there, and the outside reminded me so much of my old church in Idaho. So I got out to read the sign and low and behold, they have AWANA there! :) They will also be having VBS in July which I REALLY wanted my kids to go to. Anyway, the church was open because a boy was mowing grass so I went in and grabbed some flyers. There was one for a Family Fun Night, that they do every Thursday when AWANA isn't going on. They have outdoor games, fellowship and a BBQ/Potluck. So, the kids and i went on Thursday and we are going to go today! James couldn't make it to the last one because he had to work late but he is planning on coming tonight. We went to church there on Sunday----(which is why we weren't at church, Sarah). We loved it! Sheldon would consistantly cry at Emmanuel....like, shrieking....which he had never done before. Well, this past Sunday he didn't utter a sound when I dropped him off BOTH times! I couldn't believe it. I think he was scared at the other church because there were so many people. He just walked right in and started playing at this one. The other kids loved their class, too....not that they didn't love their other one, but you know... Also, I forgot to mention that the added bonuses of this church are these: it is THREE miles from my house....there are several military wives and about 80% of kids there are homeschooled....there about 100 kids there....and probably half of the kids are very mature (it seemed like) teens, and the other half kids my kids age. All seemed very nice. I already made several friends and I only went twice! :)
We liked our old church, but in practicality it just wasn't working. And gas prices are going up. Another thing...my friend Brandi and her husband have been wanting to go to church with us, but said it was too hard for them to make the drive (she lives a mile away from me). Well, she came with me this past Sunday and loved it, and it is only 4 miles for her, so it is working out for both of us! :) So, praise God for that!
Two more days of school and we will be out for the summer! Hallaluliah! :P
My father in law is driving up for a visit (from KY) and bringing some of our things that they have had in storage, and a flat screen Plasma tv that my sister in law didn't want anymore! Another good thing, because we hate ours and would never be able to afford a new one right now!
Then August first we are having a family reunion (a small one) here at our house. My sister in law will be coming...her husband, Randy just left for Basic Training last month, so it will be nice for Ashley to come over and spend some time with family. She has two babies and one on the way, so she will need a distraction by August. She will be 8 months pregnant when she comes (also from KY), so pray that everything goes ok and that she can come. I have never seen her kids! :(
I've been mowing my heart out, and sprayed weeds the other day...lots of yard work to do.
James is in Cross-fit right now, a very strenuous work-out that he goes to, that the Army pays for ....I think he has like 5 weeks left of that, but will be able to be an instructor and use it for PT at work. He is getting very muscled up. I liked him before and I hope he doesn't get too beefed up! :) I like men with slender, slightly smooth-muscled arms. I'm not into the beefy look, but he looks wonderful right now! :)
Life is good right now. I am getting a lot done....being very productive and just enjoying my summer! :) I hope you guys are too!

Military Seperations

This was written by my friend, Amy Brigham...a fellow army wife with a husband soon returning from a one year deployment. She says it better than anyone else could...I've tried to express myself in this way, but she always has the right words! ...


Not All Seperations Are The Same

Dear Well-Meaning Friend,

I understand you would like to empathize with me; to support, encourage, and lift me up, but comparing your husband's business trip or a long distance relationship to our experience of war is not going to do what you intended, for myself or any other military spouse. Separations of all kinds are hard, I will never deny this fact; however, this doesn't mean all separations are similiar or cause the same upheaval and adjustments in one's life.

When my husband walks away to board that bus or plane or ship, we are saying goodbye to more than just each other. We're saying goodbye to innocence, goodbye to normal, and, a very small chance, goodbye for good. The next time I see my husband, he will be a changed man; older and different than the man he was the day he left, on a warm sunny day, that now seems so far away. He will have seen things--terrible things--things we all hope we'll never have to see. The bodies of children lying dead in a field hospital. Blood running alongside the road, after an IED attack. The remains of human beings--men he knew--scattered all over the ground in the aftermath of a bombing. He may have out processed coffins, as they left the country, with the body of a young person his age, perhaps even somebody he knew from high school or basic training, contained within. Maybe a soldier he shared a meal with that very week.

My husband will have witnessed the lives of comrades destroyed, when a Dear John letter arrives in the mail or divorce papers are served over R&R leave. He might comfort one of his men, as he learns his wife has committed adultery and that the baby she's carrying may not be his. He'll watch all of this pain unfold all while miles away from me, hoping, praying, and trusting that none of this nightmare will come true in his life. Even with the utmost of trust, a long separation causes insecurity and questions in the minds of even the most emotionally strong men.

When he comes home, after a long time away, it will be a joyous time to be sure, but an anxiety ridden one as well. What happened while he was gone, he will wonder. Where is his place in this family anymore, if life went on without him for a year, while he was essentially replaced. Will his children know him? Will the littlest ones recognize his face? Will his teenagers still need him? Will his wife love him as much as she once did, knowing what he's seen, what he's touched, the experiences that have scarred his heart and psyche, just as the shrapnel once scarred his hand? Will she still love him? Will that something special have been lost during his absence? Much anxiety indeed.

He'll look around his world, needing to adjust to American culture again, needing to learn to navigate our roads, needing to re-learn how to be part of family life again. The dangers of war won't just lift off his mind, the moment he sets foot on safe ground. There will be boxes to avoid on the sides of the road. Abandoned backpacks in sporting goods stores, from which he'll need to protect his family. He'll jump at the crashes of plates falling at the restaurant, or the screech of the kettle, perhaps ducking under the table, and he'll avoid crowded public places possibly for years to come. For months, he'll feel unsafe without his body armor and weapon at his side and he'll call out all of the possible hazards on the side of the road as he drives.

There is the marriage contract to be re-negotiated, as you learn to live with each other again, to accept the numerous changes that came during the year's time, to adjust to the new people you have both become. Many changes of which cannot be fully appreciated until you have come together again, thanks to oftentimes questionable communication during the time he was gone. Roles have shifted and what once was can never be again. You're both older, wiser, different, and changed. There's no going back, just moving forward, together, hand in hand. Even the most intimate parts of the relationship will need to be entered into slowly, re-learned, and explored anew again. Everything doesn't necessarily fall into place right away but takes time. He's been gone for a year. That is a very long time.

My husband isn't coming back from a brief jaunt to a city across the country. I'm not seeing him after a few months spent apart, with adequate communication possibilities, including a phone that rings both ways, and his being in a safe location. No, my husband is coming back from a war or time spent floating around on a naval ship, a city at sea. From a year of frustration, emotional upheaval, a time when he couldn't adequately address hygiene needs or always have access to a flushing toilet and time spent living through the bodily abuse of twenty four hour shifts. The reality we have lived through, and the road that lie ahead, are mighty different than what you have experienced, my friend.

If you desire to help us, to extend your hand in love and friendship, this is a reality that you must appreciate. You don't have to have lived through the realities of war yourself, to be a blessing to those who have, but you do need to understand where we're coming from, to appreciate the differences between what was yours and what is ours. This isn't just a happy time but a frightening one as well. Everything doesn't fall into place again, easily picked up from where life left off, but must be worked on to find "normal" once again. This isn't going to be easy or going to happen overnight. My husband isn't fully "home" just because he's walked through our front door again. To best be there for me, my friend, all of this I need you to understand.

With Love,

Your Military Wife Friend

~ Naomi's Wedding 2009 and May Report ~

THE WEDDING CAKE
NAOMI'S COLORS WERE APPLE RED,
BLACK AND IVORY

ZANE AND ABBIE BEFORE THE WEDDING

MY SISTER NAOMI

SAMUEL LIGHTING THE CANDLES DURING THE
CEREMONY

MY SISTER SARAH

THE WEDDING PARTY WATCHING NAOMI COME
DOWN THE AISLE...UNFORTUNATELY SARAH WAS
BLOCKED BY THE CANDLES!

THE FLOWER GIRLS...MY COUSIN GRACIE AND
ABIGAIL

NAOMI AND OUR DAD COMING DOWN THE AISLE

SAYING THE VOWS

AFTER LIGHTING THE UNITY CANDLE

US GIRLS IN THE RECEIVING LINE...THAT'S ME
HOLDING SHELDON

CUTTING THE CAKE

ABBIE LOOKING PRETTY!

JAMES AND I ...THIS IS A REALLY NICE
PICTURE OF US!

MY BROTHER SAMUEL(13) AND TWO OF OUR KIDS
BEFORE THE WEDDING!

OUR FAMILY MINUS SHELDON

ABBIE AND I DOING OUR NAILS BEFORE THE
WEDDING!

Well, those are some of the pictures we were able to take from Naomi's wedding. We were quite busy the entire time and I am grateful to anyone who had our camera and got these shots for us! :)

We left to go to Idaho on friday night, the 15th. We got in at 9:30, since luckily James was able to get off early around noon. Otherwise we would have gotten there at about1 o'clock. Our trip was good, and the kids were good. On Saturday, we left to go to the church around 9 or so, with the rehearsal around 1 o'clock. It was a very stressful day, but the ceremony itself was beautiful, except that the candelabras were too close together and cut Sarah and Samuel out of the view... Naomi was a beautiful bride and it was a very emotional time for all of us, I think. Sarah cried through the whole wedding and made me start crying, too!

Naomi and Jesse went to Montana for their honeymoon (not too sure where, though). It was kind of a crazy day, since James and I had just gotten there and really didn't know what to do except fill in wherever needed.

On Sunday, we went to Trinity (our old church in ID) and afterwards met with my good friend Lori and her husband and children at the park for lunch. We visited and let the kids play. It was a wonderful time. Then we headed over to my mom's to pick up Naomi's old bed (a rose day-bed) and my sisters' old set of bunkbeds for the boys. We headed home after that and got back around 11:30 or so at night. We were all exhausted the next day, especially James who had to get up for PT at 5 am.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~


So, for the rest of the month of May (before and after the wedding), we have just been focusing on homeschooling and getting things wrapped up for the summer. Zane will still need to read everyday throughout the summer. He is done with everything else, but needs to get through 1 last reader. He is a little behind, but personally I think he is doing extremely well and it IS the curriculum that is a bit too advanced for a Kindergarten student. I am so proud of his accomplishments though, this year! His handwriting is beautiful and his Math skills on target. He did very well in his Phonics book, which I thought was a bit advanced, too. We got through it though.

Our garden is doing ok, but there are a few things we will need to replant soon, as they didn't come up or they were killed by a light frost. We have Potatoes, Tomatoes, green and red Peppers, corn, Pattypan Squash, Bush Green Beans, Radishes, mixed Salad greens, Spinach , Beets, Brocolli and Cauliflower. We will need ot replant the cucumber, winter squashes and watermelon. Most of the cooking herbs that I planted in pots, also came up. I have Dill, Thyme, German Chamomile (medicinal actually), Sweet Basil, Cilantro, and Chives. My Rosemary, Sage, Marjoram and Tarragon didn't sprout so I am thinking about replanting those. James bought me lots of houseplants. I am new to having houseplants and didn't realize that they really do need very little suinlight and definitely not bright light. I set them out for the weekend while we were in Idaho and burned them all up pretty bad. I have a huge fern, an ivy plant, a Polka Dot Plant, a Cactus, a Martha Washington and this other one that I got from AWANA for leading that I don't know what it is. Anyway, the cactus (obviously) and Martha Washington are ok. I hope the Ivy and Polka Dot plants revive. I trimmed the fern back until it was green again, so I think it will be fine. So the obvious lesson is this: If you have houseplants...keep them in the house! :) I am a nerd!

James also bought me a new beddingset, that was greatly on sale at JC Penney. It was normally 250.00 and he got it for 89.00! Woot! All bedding was on sale, so we also got summer (cotton) sheets for Abbie, Zane and Sheldon, and a beautiful set of gold Satin sheets for our bed that matches the bedding set. Then I happened to see Flannel sheets half off at K-mart and bought all of the kids a set for the wintertime! :) I think each set was 10.00!

My birthday is on the 24th, and my brother and law and his wife are coming up from Boise to visit, since they haven't seen James since before he went to Korea. So, we are thinking about the next weekend doing something for my birthday! I suggested that James have a "backyard" camping trip in the camper with the kids on Friday night and leave me alone! :) I have been dying to just sleep as late as my body wants to!!! So, I told him, that if we do this, that he will have to take the kids to the park in the morning and no one is allowed to come in the house until nooonish! I think that is what we will do, because I am exhausted! I am so looking forward to it though, so I hope it works out. A quiet morning where I can sleep as late as I want is the PERFECT birthday present in my book! :) And cheap...


We are still waiting on more money from our move, from the Army. We love doing a DITTY move because we usually make out pretty well. The money will be going into savings for when times are tight, or we have an emergency. We had to dip in just a little bit to our er fund, so we need to get that back up. For the Dave Ramsey plan, you need to have 1000.00, but I just feel more comfortable with 2000.00 in there. So, with the money we will get from our move, we will have almost that, I am thinking! YAY! Hurray for the Dave Ramsey plan! I hope you will all read about Dave Ramsey's financial plan to Freedom at www.daveramsey.com or read his book The Total Money-Makeover!


So, not much else going on! I am loving being a soldiers wife, as I always did! I am quite spoiled to be one again! :) TOTALLY LOVING LIFE RIGHT NOW!!! :) James starts an 8-week course on Monday called Cross-fit. It is a civilian fitness program paid for by the Army. He is excited, but he will have some very early mornings for 8 weeks. Plus, some late nights, I am sure, at work. But he is happy to be able to go through the program.



Well, summer is almost here! I am anxious for my favorite 80 degree temps! I hope you all have an awesome June! :) Blessings!

~ Just some recent pictures ~

A picture of me on the trampoline

Abigail on her birthday

A picture of our new schoolroom/office...

The kids at the Seattle Zoo

Abbie on the trampoline...

A picture of Abbie's cake...I made it homemade, with strawberry
frosting in between the layers...the cake itself, was a yellow cake.
It was delicious!

A picture that Anne (the kids adopted grandma) took on Easter
at our church!

I need to get some pictures of our house and property to put on here...it is really looking like home now, and everything is organized! :) We are enjoying it so much! Take care!

April Update

Wow, what an awesome month this has been! Very busy and a bit stressful with the move, but AWESOME! I am just loving this new season of my life! It feels so strange to actually be a family after two years of sporadically seeing James and one year, of him being in Korea. What a great change!

Let's see...the first week of April I spent doing last minute moving stuff. I packed up the basement stuff but didn't do a thing with all of our tools. I brought everything up from the basement and stacked it by the door. Pretty much everything was ready to be loaded by the time James got home on the 8th. I even had time to clean all of my tack, saddles, bridles and saddle pads. I washed all my saddle pads by hand in the tub with a scrub brush and bleach (for the white ones), and they came out so nice and clean! I am so happy I was able to get to the tack, because our garage is so nice and I wanted all the tack to be clean and dust-free, since it has to go in the garage!

On the 8th, we picked up James at noonish, and came straight home. I told him I had a surprise for him but he had no idea what it was. I had made arrangements with my next door neighbor to watch the children for a couple hours. So, when we passed our driveway, he said, "Is Lori watching the kids for the night?" I told him it was just for a couple hours, because I felt that they should be able to be with him, too! So, anyway, we had an interesting couple hours to ourselves! :) It was so awesome...and I am so thankful that Lori agreed to watch the kids for me, and was understanding about it! What a great memory we made! ;)

The 9th, and 10th we just relaxed around the house and then the 11th and 12th we loaded the uhaul, went to church, and then we left on Monday morning the 13th.

Our church had a farewell party for us after the Easter services. They had a huge cake for us that was delicious, and they also laid hands on us and prayed for our family, that we could make an impact for Christ in our new neighborhood, and church, etc. It was a very emotional time, with a lot of tears and hugs. It was hard to leave. They also (much to our disapproval) took up an offering for our family. It was crazy. I kept telling them we didn't need or want it, but they insisted. When we got in the car we didn't even want to open the envelope. I cried when we finally counted it. We didn't know what to do with it, so we put it in savings...what an amazing group of people, that I love so dearly and will miss so much! At least we are only 6 hours away! :)

On Monday, our friends Ty and Amanda and their little daughter Mia, showed up with their truck and horsetrailer, loaded Hope up for me, and James and I did a few measly last minute stuff and we left. James drove the U-haul and our little black lawn trailer, I drove the Suburban and our Camper, and then ty and Amanda drove their big trailer with Hope in it. It was quite the caravan. We had an awesome trip and were only about two hours behind schedule. Nothing whatsoever happened on the trip which was nice! :)

We got to our new home around 8:30 pm. We LOVE it! :) My husband is about 25 min away from work, and he doesn't even have one stoplight to go through, to get to the east gate of Ft. Lewis. His drive is very stress-free...with mostly roads full of forest! :) Our road was worse than we thought, and has some very interesting people living on it. I say hi to them and they won't even wave. We live at the very end of the road, and have the nicest home and property on the road, so I think that they probably refer to us as "those people who live at the end of the road", and won't associate with us. I have some extra Army Bibles laying around and I am thinking about walking over next door and giving one to that family and try to get to know them better.

Our house has a nice privacy fence and we can't see anyone who lives on our road, the driveway to our house is really nice and the property perfect for Hope and the kids. My landlady is working with the county to get an easement road put in for us that will take us down to 2nd Avenue instead of 8th, which will by-pass our horrible pot-hole road and the very un-friendly people who live on it. we are hoping that happens, soon.

Our house is bigger than I ever imagined! The bedrooms are huge! The wall-space is incredible, and I have had a horrible time trying to decorate all of it. It seems like everything I have is too small and the walls too big. The cheapest way to go is probably to get some very tall house plants to put on some of the walls. I have looked at big pictures and clocks and they are just too expensive for our budget.

When we got here, James fried my dryer, so he bought me (with CASH) a brand new Whirlpool front loader Washer and Dryer and a huge chest freezer for the garage. I love them! Unfortunately, the control panel went out on the washer and it took them a week to get out here. Then the lady didn't have the right part, so it still isn't fixed. Hopefully, it will be fixed by Thursday. That will make it two weeks without my washer! My launrdy has really piled up and I will be doing laundry everyday all day! At least it was under warranty! I thought that I had ruined it and just started bawling. James was outside, and he came in to find Abbie in tears. He asked her why she was crying anf she said she didn't know. I was in the bedroom crying and told him that she was crying because I was crying. He asked me why I was crying and then I just started bawling and told him that I was sorry and that "I am just a hick, redneck woman who can't even operate these new electronic things". He started laughing. Fortunately, the lady who came out to look at it, told it was impossible for me to be the one to break it! That made me feel better!

James also bought a little beater truck for shoeing horses out of and running back and forth to work. We paid cash for that too, and still have our emergency fund! :) So, with all the money that the Army gave us to move and our wise spending of it, we got everything we needed and still have the emergency fund! :) I am so happy! We really need new furniture but it will have to wait! Ours is so hick, but oh well.

I have ridden my horse a few times, and James put front shoes on her since it is so rocky here. She seems to be very happy! :) And I also have a really nice area for teaching the kids how to ride!

I will have to add some pictures to this post tonight, later...We went to the zoo in Seattle on Saturday, and then we just have a lot of cute pictures of the kids! :)

Even though it is wonderful to be a family again, it has been a time of adjustment for everyone. It is hard not to treat my husband like one of the kids and I think it is hard for him to not treat me like one of his guys. The kids have had to adjust a lot, too, to being disciplined by him, instead of just me. We will work it all out though...it is just a matter of time.

James goes back to work on the 1st of May. I think he is looking forward to it.

We used the time while we were moving for Spring break from homeschooling and we started back up on the 20th. We will be done on June 5th and I am so excited for the summer break! :) Zane is really reading well, which is so fun to watch.

We visited Sarah Neblock's church, Emmanuel Bible Fellowship. We really liked it, though the music is different from Trinity. At Trinity we sing hymns and praise songs by request. Emmanuel is very similar to the church that we went to before Trinity (Grace Bible Church), so it was easy to swing back into their form of worship. The sermon was good, and was by their associate pastor (I think). I am looking forward to hearing Kieth's messages (though I have listened to him online before already). The kids were awesome during the sermon. I stood up in the back and held Sheldon until he fell asleep, so I got to hear the whole message. The kids had already gone to Sunday School and I didn't feel comfortable sending them to another one during the sermon, so they stayed with us, which Zane and Abbie are used to anyway. I want the kids to be with us, during some point in church, so they can learn to sit and listen and be patient. It seemed very strange that no kids were in church during the singing/worship time. That was the only thing I didn't like about it. Hopefully they won't mind if my kids stay in for the worship time...


Anyway, I need to attend to things in the house and I will try to post some pictures later! :) Blessings!