Ready and Waiting

I have always looked forward to the first day of school. I don't know what it is, but I think it might be that it represents a new and fresh start. I loved the first day of school as a student as well as a teacher. I think it may have been my favorite day of the school year.

Anyway, the first day of school is rapidly approaching and we have a 5 year old that is very ready to grab his backpack and head out the door for his very first day of school. I finished my inaugural school supply run. Luke was excited that his backpack is now already to go.

Yes, this is a new phase for us that I have mixed emotions about, but at the same time I'm really excited for Luke and this new phase of life he is entering as well as all of us. Thankfully, God will be with us every step of the way.... and thankful that I still have two weeks at home with my oldest.

Mission Accomplished

We didn't know if we'd see the day when both of our vehicles would fit into our new garage. However, it did happen today. When we bought this house, we knew it would be a challenge to make everything fit for this house was much smaller than our last. We got royally spoiled with our last one that featured a full basement complete with a huge family room, guest room, guest bath and huge storage area. We pretty much lost all of that space in our new home. However, Chris and I both agreed that we needed to get rid of stuff and downsize a bit. I am quite thankful for this house and the more intimate setting it provides. I'm also thankful that we have less stuff and that we "fit" into this house - including the cars. However, I must admit, it is a tight fit and I'm not sure how often we'll be using the two car feature.

Snake Country

A few rattlesnakes at a nearby rattlesnake round-up
(yes, they had their rattles shaking...)

If you know me, you know I do not like snakes or more accurately, I am TERRIFIED of snakes. It's all I can do to walk through the reptile building at the zoo when the kids want to go in there.

So, the one thing that I am definitely not fond of here in our new home is the snake population. There are places around here that hold city festivals around the theme of rattlesnake round-up - yikes! The picture above was taken at the one we attended when Chris was at this base for training a few years ago. People even go out and hunt these things. I think I read somewhere that this is one of the largest in the state. I guess that I shouldn't have been surprised, then, when Chris came home from a brief about the local area and informed me that there were more venomous snakes than non-venomous - nice (not!!) I've informed the kids not to play with any snakes if they see them and I would be perfectly fine if I never encounter one of these creatures in nature.

Now, I hope I can avoid the spiders and scorpions of this area as well....

Swim Lesson Complete!

On the very day the movers came with all of our stuff, we began this year's swimming lessons. Luke and Hannah were old enough to take them, but Andrew will have to wait for a future year - maybe even two years...we'll see. Anyway, the kids did great. They spent quite a bit of time in the deep end of the pool. This was good for Luke, especially, because I think he began swimming lessons thinking that if you couldn't touch bottom then you couldn't swim there. Anyway, his greatest accomplishments were swimming the width of the pool by himself, going off the diving board and the water slide. The later he absolutely loved and I think he could possibly do it for hours. Hannah was much more tentative this year than last, but I think she did eventually jump into the pool without holding onto someone. She also went down the big water slide all by herself today. Not only did they learn about swimming and get consistent practice for the last two weeks, but they also learned a lesson in praying for courage and trusting that God would take care of them in the water. It was neat to see how God answered that prayer and to see their faith in action.

Swimming lessons were also a good time for me even though most days I came home feeling terrible simply because it was hot. It didn't take long to learn to drink more and to take a snack. That helped tons. The other really neat part for me was that I got to meet and spend time with other Moms that are also stationed here (the lessons were on base and Luke and Hannah were not in the same class so we were there for two hours). I was so thankful for that interaction and a kick start to making this place feel more like home.

In the first video, Luke is jumping off the diving board. It takes him a few more seconds than usual because it is the first time he does it without landing on the red buoys the lifeguards use. He became much less tentative over the next few days. The other video is of Hannah jumping off the diving board. This is the first time she does it without one of her teachers lowering her off the board. Enjoy!

We've Landed!

We landed a couple of weeks ago. Since then, we've been busy unpacking and making this building our home. I am not one to enjoy looking at boxes and spending 20 minutes searching for something every time I need it so I have been on a mission to unload and put away all of those boxes. I think we are now down to less than ten boxes, but it's taking awhile to get those unpacked. I'm not sure exactly why, but it is...

We've also been spending two hours each day at the swimming pool for swim lessons. Luke and Hannah are not in the same class. This has been hot and right in the middle of the putting-away-process, but it's been a good way to meet and get to know other ladies from the base. More on how those swim lessons later...

Here are some observations of our new home...

• It's hot, but I think this is a true statement for half of the US - at least that is according to The Weather Channel (I think this place is now going on 60+ 100 degree days this year and it's only the middle of July - at least that's what I've heard. Thankful to only be experiencing a fraction of those)
• I have been overwhelmed with how welcoming the squadron has been. So very, very thankful for this!! I think there are already several families I could call if we needed something. So thankful!
• It's nearly like winter when I can't let the kids go play outside in the afternoon due to the first item - bummer because they have a fun place to play. On the flip side, they haven't seen some of their toys for six weeks so it's somewhat like Christmas getting to play with all of them again.
  
• Our house is feeling more and more like a home each day as I get stuff unpacked and put away. It definitely helps to put up our decorations and pictures (still have a long way to go in this area, but it does help!)
• I never thought I'd say this seeing that I will always be a Hoosier at heart and I enjoy trees, but I really have come to fall in love with the wide (really wide) open spaces where the "wind comes blowing across the plains" (also helpful in dealing with the first item)

What We've Been Up To

We arrived in our new home late last week. Since then, we've been busy painting and doing minor repairs (the major ones will come later). Most of our time has been spent doing a bit of painting and the kids even got in on just a little bit of the action. However, it wasn't without one small mess - actually, it was quite a bit mess. I (yes, you read that right, it was me and not the kids) that kicked over a nearly full gallon of white paint. Thankfully, we lost only about a 1/2 gallon of paint. Thankfully, most of it landed on the newspaper. Thankfully, Chris is a genius and was able to clean most of it up. You can barely tell where the mishap occurred. Today, the movers are to be here and I'm so ready!!

Chris's Masterpiece

Chris working a bit of magic on the paint clean-up.
A special thanks to friends stationed here with us who let us borrow their Shop Vac to complete the final clean-up!

Thoughts on Our Arrival

Last evening, we arrived in our new town. When we first got the assignment a few months ago, I was just relieved to know where we were going and a bit excited as to our new home. There is a chance that Chris could be home more and that reason alone made me excited. However, yesterday morning, I woke up looking forward to not being on the road for awhile, but a bit nervous about it. I'm looking forward to the positive things I've heard about, especially the sense of community among the military families. Yet, at the same time, it takes time to feel settled, make new friends, find a good, strong Bible church, etc. All of that bringing on this sense of anxiety. I know this feeling is not of God, but it keeps me in close contact with Him throughout the process.

Anyway....many of these thoughts were swirling through my head yesterday morning. Then, I read this brief devotional from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. God knew what I needed to hear yesterday and I felt like these words were for me. I thought I'd share an excerpt of it with you. (written as if Jesus were talking directly to you)

Nothing can separate you from My loving Presence! That is the basis of your security. Whenever you start to feel anxious, remind yourself that your security rests in Me alone, and I am totally trustworthy.

You will never be in control of your life circumstances, but you can relax and trust in My control. Instead of striving for a predictable, safe lifestyle, seek to know Me in greater depth and breadth. I long to make your life a glorious adventure, but you must stop clinging to old ways. I am always doing something new within My beloved ones. Be on the lookout for all that I have prepared for you.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39

When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?
Psalm 56:3-4

See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.
Isaiah 43:19

That last verse really resonates with my heart....

6 Weeks in Review

In case you're thoroughly confused as to what we've been doing this summer, I thought I'd give you a brief run down. It has been fun (and a bit stressful just because we're not in our normal routine). When Chris first told me all that was to happen and in a short amount of time, I thought something would have to give. Then, I remembered that nothing is impossible with God. God has been evident every step of the way and I'm thankful for His protection and provision for our time together as a family.

May 4: Chris returned from his 90+ day deployment (our longest one to date) and I had done essentially nothing in regards to our upcoming adventure
May 16: Chris listed our house in Wichita, KS to rent and it was rented in about 4 hours
May 19: Put an offer on a house at our next duty station
May 23: The movers came to pack up our home
May 27: Said good-bye to Wichita
May 31: Chris began leadership training in Montgomery, AL
June 9: My parents came for a visit for a few days
June 18: Chris's parents came for a visit
June 30: We said good-bye to Montgomery
June 30: Began a brief family vacation on our way to our new assignment where the wind comes blowing across the plains
July 5: Arrived in our new town

We should be in our new home with all of our stuff early next week. It will be so nice to have "landed"!

Uncertain, Texas

Yesterday, when we took our boat ride, we were in the town of Uncertain, Texas. The name of this little town just made me laugh. It is true - Chris and I were a bit uncertain as to where we were. The GPS in my car was even a bit uncertain as to how to get there (thankfully, Chris's was a bit more up-to-date). The funniest sign we saw was "Church of Uncertain". The only thing "certain" about the entire place was that God had made it uniquely beautiful and I was thankful to be able to enjoy that!!

Caddo Lake

Yesterday began with a boat and today we started with a boat ride. We've been blessed to do tons of fun stuff this summer, but I think this morning was my very favorite thing. We took a steamboat/paddleboat ride out onto Caddo Lake, the only natural lake in Texas and it is actually on the Texas/Louisiana border. God's beauty was amazing. I loved it!! I had seen pictures of cypress trees in swampy areas, but not naturally. They are simply beautiful and the wildlife was fun to see. I also treasured the true quietness of the setting - so very refreshing to my soul.

The kids also loved the boat ride. There were not many of us on the tour and ours were the only kids so the Captain let them drive the boat for a bit and blow the whistle. Obviously, this was the very best part of the entire morning.

The Best Toy

So my trio has been a bit toy deprived ever since we left our home nearly six weeks ago in Wichita, Kansas. Most of their stuff was packed up on the moving truck and a few favorites were included with the stuff that has traveled with us. It's not too surprising, then, that a simple cabinet made for a very fun toy at our hotel last night. They loved getting in it and playing mostly kittens/puppies, but there may have been a few other things as well.

Another Stop

Checking out the sleeping arrangements on the battleship

The USS Kidd

Yesterday, we began our day with a tour of a WWII battleship, the USS Kidd. We had to do it in the morning because it gets so hot so quickly in southern Louisiana. Even then, it was rather hot when we did the tour. I made me think back to the men that served on this ship in the South Pacific, how terribly hot it was when they were simply traveling from point A to point B let alone battling the enemy. This tour made me rethink and remember what the men of previous wars sacrificed for our freedom and our country.

On the Road

Tower where they tested the Saturn engines

This tower tested the much smaller Space Shuttle engines

Andrew in one of the Space Shuttle tires

Hannah was not to be left out....

Earth is the only place where you'll see me wear this outfit

We had another plan of a place to visit, but made a spontaneous decision to visit a NASA space center. I had no idea there was a space center on the border of Mississippi and Louisiana. Anyway, we boarded a bus and we soon found out that this center was where they do all of the final testing on the rocket engines that NASA sends into space. It was much smaller than the Kennedy Space Center and Johnson Space Center, but interesting nonetheless. Chris and I have been to both of the other ones that are so well known, but this is the first one that the kids had been to. They enjoyed it and I think Luke is starting to understand that type of thing a bit better. It was a nice interesting stop for us!

Naval Aviation Museum

Fun time with friends!

After hitting the beach, we decided to check out the Navy Aviation Museum. Yes, I know we're Air Force, but it is still airplanes and really neat stuff. It was a nice museum full of stuff to do. We first took a riding tour of their planes that they keep outside. Our tour guide loved telling us about nearly every plane and proved quite knowledgeable. We searched their model aircraft carriers to see if we could find the ones my Dad served on several years ago. Overall, we just enjoyed checking out all the planes and hearing the story as to why certain planes were on display in the museum.

We finished the day visiting friends we met during Chris's pilot training in Enid, Oklahoma. They are a neat Christian family. As you can tell Hannah and their little girl were in the minority. With that many boys and all of the kids were five and under, it wasn't as nearly as crazy as you might think. It was a wonderful evening of catching up with each other, hanging out in their backyard, enjoying a meal together and just having fun with friends.

Beach Time!

Hannah enjoying the water before she realized there was wildlife in the ocean...

For some reason, Andrew enjoyed throwing the sand

Checking out some of the sand crabs. They were fun to watch bury themselves into the sand

Taking a short jaunt

Luke loved every aspect!!

Chris finished up his training on Thursday and we hit the road shortly thereafter. We headed south of Montgomery, Alabama to Pensacola. The primary reason was to visit some friends stationed there, but we also did some vacation stuff as well. So....

We had to first hit the beach. We will live no where near any oceans at our next duty station so we took the kids. Luke and Hannah had been just shortly before Andrew was born, but they didn't remember that. They had a great time. They got to let the waves splash around them, go to the deeper part with Chris, dig in the sand and experience some of the wildlife. We got to see birds, crabs - a few different varieties, fish and jellyfish. They definitely had a good time and I loved watching them take in this new experience!