A Military Wife

 This picture was taken at Chris's pinning on/swearing in as a US Air Force Officer.

I guess this is when I officially became a military spouse....

December 2004

I have read this poem before and was reminded by a friend that posted it on Facebook.  It always hits closer to home when it is evident that God is moving us on to the next place/phase of our adventure called life.

A Military Wife

Lots of moving...
Moving...
Moving...
Moving far from home...
Moving two cars, three kids and one dog...all riding with HER of course. 
Moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house;
Moving curtains that won't fit;
Moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours.
Moving away from friends;
Moving toward new friends;
Moving her most important luggage: her trunk full of memories.

Often waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting for housing.
Waiting for orders.
Waiting for deployments.
Waiting for phone calls.
Waiting for reunions.
Waiting for the new curtains to arrive.
Waiting for him to come home, For dinner...AGAIN!

They call her 'Military Dependent', but she knows better:
She is fiercely In-Dependent.

She can balance a check book;
Handle the yard work;
Fix a noisy toilet;
Bury the family pet...
She is intimately familiar with drywall anchors and toggle bolts.
She can file the taxes;
Sell a house;
Buy a car;
Or set up a move... .....all with ONE Power of Attorney.

She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her.
She reinvents her career with every PCS;
Locates a house in the desert, The Arctic, Or the deep south.
And learns to call them all 'home'.
She MAKES them all home.

Military Wives are somewhat hasty...
They leap into:
Decorating,
Leadership,
Volunteering,
Career alternatives,
Churches,
And friendships. They don't have 15 years to get to know people.
Their roots are short but flexible.
They plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who come after them.

Military Wives quickly learn to value each other:
They connect over coffee,
Rely on the spouse network,
Accept offers of friendship and favors.
Record addresses in pencil...

Military Wives have a common bond:
The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands; his commitment is unique.
He doesn't have a 'JOB'
He has a 'MISSION' that he can't just decide to quit...
He's on-call for his country 24/7.
But for her, he's the most unreliable guy in town!
His language is foreign
TDY
PCS
OPR
SOS
ACC
BDU
ACU
BAR
CIB
TAD
And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his.
She is the long- distance link to keep them informed;
the glue that holds them together.

A Military Wife has her moments:
She wants to wring his neck;
Dye his uniform pink;
Refuse to move to Siberia;
But she pulls herself together.
Give her a few days,
A travel brochure,
A long hot bath,
A pledge to the flag,
A wedding picture,
And she goes.
She packs.
She moves.
She follows.

Why?
What for?
How come?
You may think it is because she has lost her mind.
But actually it is because she has lost her heart.
It was stolen from her by a man,
Who puts duty first,
Who longs to deploy,
Who salutes the flag,
And whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her Military Husband,
She will remain his military wife.
And would have it no other way
--Author Unknown
  
Just as a side note and disclaimer...not all of these are true for our family, but many are.  Thankfully, Chris does our taxes and I have never bought a car or house by myself.  Chris is the one that drives with the kids and navigates all the unknown routes when we move (I just follow).  I don't even know what all those acronyms mean, but I know a lot of them.  And I have never thought of dying his uniform pink!

Where Courage Calles - A Book Review

I have always been a fan of books by Janette Oke.  They offer an easy read with a good, pleasant story line.  In addition, you get an idea of what life may have been like for the early settlers on the US/Canadian Prairie.  She held true to these qualities in this book.  This is one of her longer books and the story was a bit more involved, bu that did not take away from the book.  It actually enhanced the book as more time was spent on character development and character relationships.  This is not a fast paced book, but if it were it would take away from the essence of the story.  Life was not fast paced.  It was hard.  You definitely get that impression as you read this story.  I'm hoping there will be a sequel to this one because there is plenty more that could happen when the book finished. 

I received a complimentary copy of Where Courage Calls by Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan from Bethany House Publishers.

Taking Advantage

It seems like we live in a place of extremes - summers are extremely hot, wind is extremely harsh, extreme temperature changes can occur in even one afternoon.  Spring also comes extremely early, but I'll take it.  I even have a few tulips that have poked through the ground.  We had a beautiful early part of our week and we took advantage of it.  The boys had received kites for Valentine's Day (thanks to Grandpa & Grandma).  We usually have the problem of too much wind for kites, but that was not the case this day.  It was the perfect amount.  So, off we went to a nearby field and flew the kites for a bit.  They did a great job.  They even shared with Hannah for a few minutes. 

We also had another beautiful evening and Chris decided it was time for the Robey family soccer practice to commence.  We signed them all up for soccer this spring (not sure if that was a good idea.  I'll have to let you know).  So, Chris worked with them a bit dribbling and stopping the ball.  I think they were catching on.  Plus, Hannah was enjoying her new-to-her cleats and Luke was getting used to his new-to-him shin guards.  They had fun.  Hope it stays that way!

 "Let me fly it, Daddy!"

 Hannah's turn

 Dribbling time!

An Afternoon Hike

We have been blessed to not have the winter that our northern friends and family have had.  However, ours has been one of the colder ones that we've experienced here.  So, it was with a lot of eager anticipation that we saw in the weather forecast a weekend of temperatures around 65-70 AND it was a four day weekend due to parent/teacher conferences and President's Day.  We were going to head out on Saturday, but the wind does seem to plague us here and that was one of those days.  Instead, we headed out Sunday afternoon to a nearby wildlife refuge to take on a hike.  Water and canyons are somewhat rare in this part of the world so when a friend posted pictures of both, I knew I wanted to go see it for myself.  We even found it (and that was not because of my savvy navigation!  Good thing my husband knows where he is going!).  We spent a very pleasant afternoon of hiking through rock fields, along the river and finding the "Lost Lake" (aka a reservoir).  I don't know why we've not done this before...I have feeling it may have something to do with the crazy hot temps that are a part of our lives much of the summer along with the rattlesnake homes I'm sure we walked near.  I'm assuming they wouldn't be out this early in the season so I didn't feel as threatened.  It was a great way to continue prepping the kids for future hikes when we head to Big Bend National Park in a few weeks.

Valentine's Day in Pictures

 Hannah and her Valentines

Valentine's Day actually started a day early in our house.  The trio didn't have school on Friday due to parent/teacher conferences so they got to party Thursday afternoon.  I made the rounds to each of their classrooms.  Of course, everyone was a bit excited and all had a good time.  I'm sure I don't need to tell you that they came home with full tummies and a sugar overload!

 The best picture I managed to get of Andrew.  I guess I'll have to work on this next year....

 Luke looking satisfied after enjoying an ice cream sundae!

Valentine's Day actually ended up looking pretty good on the thermometer.  However, the wind was crazy - as usual.  There is a reason that the song "Oklahoma" has the line about the wind comes sweeping across the plains.  Anyway, we took full advantage of the 60 degree temps that afternoon.  We took a walk and then met some friends at a park.  Yes, we were wind blown, but it was nice to work off some of the Valentine sugar!

 Luke waiting for his Valentine date

To finish off the day, we took the kids out for dates.  Chris took Hannah to the "Princess and Her Papa" dance at the base.  They went last year and had a great time.  This year was no different.  They enjoyed some meatloaf, mac and cheese, green beans and of course all sorts of sweets.  Then, it was off to the dance floor.  They even announce their entrance and take pictures.  Hannah also got to bring home several princess treats as well. 

Of course, I had to take the boys out for a date as well. We ended up at Braum's (a yummy hamburger/ice cream chain in this part of our world).  Even though, it wasn't a fancy eatery, I had them dress up in their church clothes and we were off.  After all that afternoon activity, they ate a fair amount of food and of course finished it off with ice cream.  It was fun, though.  We talked a bit about what you do on a date.  I mentioned that you talked so that you got to know the other person better.  Andrew chimed in that he already knew everything about me.  Luke caught on and gave us some conversation starters.  I learned (but not surprised) that Luke loves hot dogs, wants a Ford F-150 and would love to go to Lego Land.  He wasn't sure of his favorite candy because he hadn't tried all the kinds in the world yet.  Andrew wasn't as opinionated about things.  However, I learned that Andrew likes hamburgers, wants to go to Indiana and his dream car is a Saturn (in honor of our Saturn).  We had a good time.  Now, we get to enjoy the rest of our four day weekend!

All Things Hidden - A Book Review

I'm always ready for a fun, fictional, easy read and this one did not disappoint.  The story did seem a bit disjointed at the beginning as the characters and plot are introduced.  There are a couple unexpected turns in the book, but most of it can be guessed as you read along.  The best and by far my favorite part of the book was that it was historical fiction.  The authors do a wonderful job of documenting in the introduction and the notes at the end what events that occurred in the book that actually occurred and links as to where more information can be found on the historical events.  I really appreciated this and learned some things about the depression in Alaska that I didn't realize had happened.  Yeah, for a fun way to pass a bit of time!

I received a complimentary copy of All Things Hidden by Tracie Peterson and Kimberley Woodhouse from Bethany House Publishers.

Raingutter Regatta Races

 The final round to determine places - Hannah is in the far right lane and Andrew is in the left lane

Saturday was the much anticipated boat races at Awana.  Hannah and Andrew decided they would like to participate, but Luke opted for his beloved Lego Robotics club instead.  So, Chris and I went our separate ways in support of our trio.  They had the event divided into age groups and my two participated in the K-2 group.  The competition was tight, but it was fun to see the two of them place 1st and 2nd in their age group.  Hannah said, she thought only boys could get first.  Andrew didn't think he would do well since this was his first time and he was one of the youngest.  They had good competition - the winner from last year came in 3rd. Probably, the funniest question we got was from a friend that asked if we'd done anything special to the boats.  It just makes me laugh.  I wasn't home when the kids worked on them, but Chris said he handed them the boats, they sanded them for about two seconds and then painted them.  Chris did put on the rudder, mast and sail, but that was just following the directions.  There was definitely nothing special.   

 Hannah's technique - definitely need to pull her hair back more next year.  She was dragging it in the water.

 Andrew's technique - I don't know what to do for him, but since his right arm is over the gutter, his sleeve was pretty wet.  You don't mess with a good thing, though.

And the winner's are....

In Memory of Friends...

Amy and I

June 2013

Several years ago, I was a freshman in high school and at one of my first band practices when I was assigned to sit in between two young ladies that eventually became my two closest high school friends.  Time and life circumstances have taken their toll, but we've kept in loose contact over the years.  One of those friends, Amy, I knew had been diagnosed with cancer.  Thankfully, I had been able to visit her and her family a few times over the years.  However, I was saddened and surprised last summer when I received a phone call inviting me to a surprise potluck to celebrate her life.  I really mulled and prayed over this decision since we currently live several states apart.  Eventually, I made the decision to go and I must admit it was a wonderful one.  You see, Amy went to her heavenly home early last week.  Last summer was the last time I saw her.  That will always be a meaningful and special afternoon in my memory.

Amy was just two months older than me so it's really made me reflect.  Since the summer of 2008, Amy is the fourth friend that I've had that has passed away from this awful disease - all of them young, full of life and leaving behind young families.  Each time my heart is saddened, but at the same time I'm so thankful that each one of them is no longer suffering.  It is done!

So in the midst of all of life's uncertainties and heartaches, we can rely on this...

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, 

neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord.  

"As the heavens are higher than the earth, 

so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."