Review

Tonight, while avoiding working and packing and all that goes into getting a family of 8 (okay, so 7 of us are actually travelling...) out the door, I went back and took a trip down memory lane. Do you ever do that? I love remembering the good, the bad and the indifferent of what life was as a child, teen, young adult....those things that eventually slip from my mind...Yeah, I've finally put some of them on paper...or, rather, digital paper! I LOVE seeing how God has worked in our lives over the years! I have now decided that I need to go back and add to those memory posts....because life goes on, and more memories are added every day!

A blog worth reading

Chaplain Brad Lewis posted an entry on his blog Training for Eternity. The article from July 6, 2009, One of Those Days, is well worth the read. Head on over there.

I cried. Jus' sayin'...

Gotta LOVE those Marines!!!!

August has been INSANE...

Every month has its own brand of insanity..but I think August has been especially hard this year. Actually, this last week was the most crazy week of the whole long crazy month.

Our friend from church got home from a 7-month deployment.
We went to the homecoming...and those are always fun...DJ, flags, pompoms, pictures to color, spouses all dressed in their best, new babies seeing daddy for the first time, anxious girlfriends unsure of where they stand, older children running around not sure how to handle the pent-up emotions....and face painting!

Our girls partook of that particular fun part of the party....

Heather

Leah

Katherine

Then, on Sunday, we hosted a BBQ at our house, so he could get to see all of his friends from church...it was a blast...and a little bit overwhelming.

But we're GLAD to have him home!!!

Aliens and Strangers

Lately, Jason and I have been hurting with some friends who are struggling with their relationships as a direct result of separations imposed by the military. While marital difficulties are by no means limited to those in the military, statistics attest that those in the military have a higher rate of divorce.

I talk to military wives all over this country, and hear about multiple, back-to-back year-long (or longer) deployments, and how much they miss their husbands. They talk of making the most of every minute their husbands are home. They testify to children who do not remember their dad when he comes back from being gone for half of their little lives.

Those same wives get very frustrated with their civilian counterparts who are complaining of their husbands going away on a week-long business trip. They get tired of the attempted compliments of "I could never do that" or "I don't know how you do it."

Make no mistake. We did not get married planning to be separated for months on end. We did not plan to raise our children as single-married parents. We have our difficult days (and even weeks).

Yet, somehow, we dig deep and find reserves we never thought we had...and probably only have developed since entering this lifestyle. We make friends quickly at each new duty station (and probably frighten some of our non-military friends with the intensity of the need for those friendships to grow quickly). We find new churches and dig in deep, quickly, because we highly value our extended family in the local church. We KNOW where our strength comes from, and will do what it takes to stay plugged into our power source.

Yes, we know we are different from the mainstream of American life. We thrive in our own circles. But, please recognize that we are not super-human. We have our faults and weaknesses. We are going to have our down days. Please allow us those. And PLEASE, support us when we are trying above all else to hold our relationships together. Long-distance relationships are never easy. Long-distance relationships with the added stress of war and trying to maintain day-to-day life are immensely harder.

• Please do NOT suggest that we divorce him, since he's never home anyway.
• Please do NOT ask why he doesn't get a job where he can stay home. He has a good job that he loves (for the most part).
• Please recognize that when he is sent somewhere, he does not usually have the option to tell his superiors "no"....not that he really wants to, anyway.
• Please remember that we are also human and need a shoulder to cry on some days.
• Please recognize that we are individuals, and as such have our own opinions about politics, the military, and life in general...though we may not share them with you.
  

If you want to be supportive of your friends, family and acquaintances who are in the military, or are married to someone in the military, be a friend. Recognize the differences. Be supportive when things are hard. Be available. Make a little effort to learn what their life is like. Invite them for dinner...they usually do not have family close by, and would relish the opportunity to get to know you. Chances are they will be some of the most loyal friends you will ever meet. And if not, at least you will have expanded your view of the world and blessed a military family.

Who knows but what you will entertain angels...we certainly already feel like strangers.

It is Friday...

My plans for today are limited to working, supervising the grounded teen, and heading to the base gym for an appointment concerning nutrition and exercise. My doctor has given me a new label, which I am trying to shake, if I can only lose 10 to 15 pounds in the 3 months. So, my project for the next 12 weeks. The problem is that some of this weight has become really good friends with the rest of me...having been hanging around here since my eldest was born, more than 15 years ago.

Oh, and we have our LAST softball games for the season tonight...at 8:45 and 9:45 p.m. It's going to be a late night...and that's a hard time for me because that is when my blood sugar tries to tank on me. Then tomorrow, the kids are wanting to spend the day with some friends from church and Jason has drill.

Do you have plans for your weekend?

It's Official....

...I have a teenager with a Learner's Permit. If you live anywhere near Virginia Beach, you might not want to be out on the roads.

Well, you might just avoid the roads in Virginia Beach because the drivers here are CRAZY. Really stinking crazy. The kind that make you wonder where they acquired their licenses.

And my daughter gets to learn to drive here. THAT is what scares me. Fortunately, I am NOT the one getting in the car with her to teach her. My husband, who, bless him, has nerves of steel, will be performing that sacrificial act. I can't. I remember when I was learning. I remember how anxious I get with Jason driving. I CAN'T do that to my daughter.

So, I will be spending a lot of time praying....because otherwise I will probably die of a heart attack!