Faith Deployed Again

I am reading a wonderful book that one of my new blog friend's Tonya is featured in. It is becoming my favorite morning read with a cup of coffee in hand and a moment of time devoted to God. It is a book of devotions and I can tell you it is something really special. I think you could use this book even if your husband was not deployed, but since mine is, and this is the focus of the book, it has been a God send to me. I hope you will go over to Tonya's blog, which is awesome too, and check out the post she wrote about Faith Deployed Again. I know many people that this book could be a comfort too. I am even going to recommend it to my FRG at the meeting next month. I wish you the best with this book Tonya and I know it will do well and that God will use it to help many.

Busy

Since Dominic has been home for 2 weeks R&R, Vanessa has been in from Hawaii, and Brandon is home for the summer from college, we have been pretty busy. By Next week everyone will be gone except Brandon and the other 3 boys. I will be able to relax and get back to blogging and reading. For now, things are crazy, but fun. Hope everyone else is enjoying their summer.

Northwest Trek

Last week we visited a place called Northwest Trek. It was pretty cool. We got to ride on a tram that cruises you through a wildlife park that contains animals from the North West. We had a good day and got to see many animals. The kids loves it because the animals came right up to the windows of the Tram so we could get a good look at them. After our day we enjoyed dinner at Olive Garden, which was awesome, as always.

Darrin is very technical. He likes to fix things and do things like this (see pic above). I think he was a little bored the other day, with school just ending on the 27th, and waiting for summer school to begin on July 5th, he found something to occupy his time...this was it.

Dominic is due into the SeaTac tonight at 8:45pm and my son is due in from Hawaii tonight at 8:45pm, nice coincidence for them. They will take the shuttle home and be here around 10:45. Hopefully there are not glitches and Dominic will finally be able to start his leave.

Homecoming

Well Dominic is supposed to be home by July 1 for 2 weeks R&R but he and 2 other guys have not been able to get flights out of Afghanistan for the past 5 days because of weather, sand storms and all that. He was supposed to get a flight out last night for the first leg of his trip but so far I am not sure how that went. He won't make it home by July 1st but luckily his leave won't start until the day he signs in here. I am praying he gets home soon. It is hard for the guys to be waiting for flights all the time.

Happy Birthday Stephanie

I just wanted to wish my little sister a Happy Birthday. she blogs at: Stephanie's written word. Her blog is a book blog and she does a good job with it, so if you are a reader you might want to check it out.

Darrian fooling around in his older brother's hat, doesn't he think he's the big shot!
So what is everyone doing for the 4th of July? My daughter wants me to come down to Oregon for a picnic but since falling down the stairs and cracking my tail bone (butt!!!) I have not found driving very comfortable, so unless it starts healing quickly then I don't think I will be making any big trips for the 4th of July. I have been using a dohnut, you know those things they give you after you have a baby to sit on, but after awhile even that doesn't seem to cut the mustard. My Dr. says it takes about 6 weeks. 6 weeks, it he nuts? It's not his fault, but for one tiny crack you'd think it would heal a little faster or maybe feel a little better a little sooner. So far though that hasn't happened.

Church Day

Off to the house of the Lord soon and am happy for it. I always love starting off my week by going to church on Sunday and then going out for an inexpensive bite to eat. Whenever I miss church it makes me sad and somehow I don't feel like the week has a good beginning. It helps that I love my church. We have been blessed since coming to WA that God has led us to the perfect church for our family. I miss my church in Hawaii but since we will most likely retire there I will be able to go back so for every season there is a time. Hope you all have a great week out there and enjoy it.

Well the Army ditches the beret for the patrol cap. I'm glad. My hubby says the beret was a pain in the you know what. I think the patrol cap is sexy. Personally the beret did nothing for me. I can't wait to see my soldier back in his cap next month. Seems like someone has been away too long. lol! Here is the story

We saw Soul Surfer last Saturday and it was really good. I remember when this happened to Bethany because I lived on Oahu at the time and it was all over the news. My daughter told me that the movie people wanted to take some of the Christian parts out of the film, but her dad said "no" so they went ahead with it the way the story actually unfolded. For once, a clean, Christian, movie the whole family can enjoy. Even my 7 year old, who loves to refill my coke for me, would not leave his seat, not even for 1 moment. He was glued to the screen and so were the rest of us.

Thanks to my dear friend Mikki, and also the writer of one of my favorite blogs, The Not So Perfect Housewife, I am bestowed with this fun award. If you have not read Mikki's blog, I can assure you that you do not know what you are missing. So go on over and check her blog out, it's awesome. Anyway here goes, I have to share 7 things about myself and then pass the award on to 15 bloggers. I think I am pretty much an open book but here goes.

1. Like Mikki I grew up on the upper East coast, but in NJ not Maryland, and I absolutely do not like the cold, no not one bit. I wish I lived in Florida like her, but for now we are stuck going wherever the military sends us. We are going to try for a tour back to Hawaii so that will surely fit the bill.

2. I have Bieber Fever. My grandaughter Kai'lie gave it to me. I can't help it, I love his music and have 3 CD's. Of course it was going to Justin's movie with the grandkids that really hooked me.

3. I have ADHD. Anyone who is around me can tell you that this is true. I sleep maybe 4 hours a night and am as hyperactive as can be, but if you give me 16 oz of coffee 20 minutes before bed I will be out like a light in no time.

4. I always have a house full of kids. It sounds crazy but most of the time it is fun getting to know them all, even the crazy teenagers and I wouldn't have it any other way. In fact the other day I was watching ice road truckers on line with my son's 7 year old friend while my son and his other friend were off in the living room playing Quibits. I think there was another kid playing Wii upstairs but I am not completely sure because me and Ellie were so engrossed in truckers sliding off the road. Like Mikki and her show I am not sure why I love this one so much, but I do.

5. I like beer. I don't drink but once in a blue moon I will have a few glasses when out to eat with my husband. I mean very few so basically I don't drink.

6. I love Hot Buffalo Wing pretzels, which I hide from the kids, and am never found without. Same with French Vanilla creamer.

7. I love tv. I read a lot but I also watch a lot of mindless tv late at night when the kids are in bed. I practically watch anything. Love crazy haunted shows, and I can't help myself. Ghost Adventures is a pleasure of mine that I just can't resist.

Well that's it so I am just going to say that any of my blog friends who read this can participate if they want to. I hope some of you will because it was great fun. Maybe that will make 15 but I'm not sure.

The boys are really enjoying having their older brother home from college. They shoot hoops every day....Oh my, what will they do in August when he goes back to Greenville?

Just got finished reading Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks. Another amazing book with an ending that blew me away. If you are believers in romance and everything happens for a reason, then this book is for you. It's about a woman named Katie who moves to North Carolina to hide from her past. She then meets a very sweet friend and a man with two kids whom she can see spending her future with. All I can say is there are many surprises in this story. I totally enjoyed this book, as I do all of Nicholas Sparks books, who didn't love "A Walk to Remember?" So chalk up another one for Nicholas Sparks and let's hope he never quits his day job.

Kira's new blog

My daughter finally started a blog. Even though we keep in touch on Facebook, and even though she only lives 2 1/2 hours away in Oregon, we don't get to see each other much and I told her blogging is a way to share pictures with family, and they don't have to belong to blogspot like you have to belong to FB. Also it is a great way to meet friends. I have met many through my blog and all of them are special to me. So if you want to welcome Kira to the blog world go on over to her blog All under one roof.

Darrian and his little friend Ellie play together every day. I think they are adorable. He said to me the other day "mom, I'm going to miss it when we leave WA." I asked why and he said "I will miss my girlfriend." He has no idea that this might only be the first of a few broken hearts for him along the way.

Vanessa's birthday

Today is my daughter Vanessa's 21st birthday. My how time flies. She is living in Hawaii but will be coming home for a visit in June. We are looking forward to it. Anyway I just wanted to wish her a Happy Birthday and let her know we are proud of her and are thinking of her on her special day.

Homecoming

Brandon will be home from his first year of college. I know he won't be here for long but we will enjoy him while he is at home. Vanessa is supposed to be coming in from Hawaii for a few weeks soon and Dominic will be on 2 weeks R&R in July. So our house will be full once again. My daughter Kira and her husband and my 3 grandkids are in Oregon so that is nice. We are going to visit her this weekend. It's a 2 1/2 hour ride to her house so we don't go all the time, but we are going to bring her brother down so that they can spend time with each other. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Club Penguin

The kids love to play the online game Club Penguin. I like it because it is an innocent kid's game that is monitored. It actually suits kids of all ages although the older one's would never admit it. They just sit at the computer with the younger kids and pretend like they are helping them. Does it look like the big kids are helping....more like the big kid is playing.

Then Sings My Soul Saturdays

I am posting this song because it's just one that I love.
For more Then Sings Your Soul Saturdays go on over to Amy's blog: Signs, Miracles, and Wonders.

Darrian and Julian enjoying Easter candy.
The girls.
Damian playing with his nieces.
Easter was fun. We went to my daughter's house in Oregon. The kids enjoyed their baskets and Easter egg hunt. In the middle pic, Kai'lie is smiling, this is the little one my son Darrian whose 7 calls "the girl who looks like Dora."

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In

This week’s questions are:

1. How many pets do you have? And what type? submitted by Life and Times of a Displaced Jersey Girl
None. We want to get a dog but since we plan on moving back to Hawaii for retirement we are nervous about bringing one over. You cannot fly with an animal in the storage compartment when it gets too hot and it's hot a lot on the way to HI.



2. What are your favorite projects to do while hubby is away? submitted by my-inspired-nest
Reading and chatting with hubby whenever he is on line. Also I take a lot of pictures to share with him so this is kind of fun.

3. What are the must-haves in your deployment care packages? submitted by Christine’s Little Blog
Trader Joe's blueberry scones and vegan chocolate chip cookies. We eat pretty healthy and although there is a good chow hall where he is at it's not totally a health food fest.

4. If you could star in any TV show, which would it be? submitted by Just a Girl
I have no idea. Although it may be Fringe. I'd love to play Olivia.

5. What was the biggest hurdle that you faced during your/your significant other’s first deployment? submitted by The Pavlik Perspective
I was 09 months pregnant and basically on bed rest with 5 other kids to take care of. It was a close knit post in Germany and my husbands commander let him stay home for 2 weeks and then head on to Albania. That was a plus of being in an MLRS unit in Babenhausen. It was very cohesive.

For more Friday Fill-Ins go on over to Wife of a Sailor

Bible Code III

I read Bible Code I and II by Michael Drosnin and now I'm reading number III. So far so good. A little scary but truly a book that I find good to have in my Christian library. Has anyone else read any of these books?

Besides that, today is Sunday, The Lord's Day, and we are headed off to church in a few minutes.

Next week we are thinking of driving to Oregon to visit my daughter and her family. She usually makes the 2 1/2 hour trek up here on Friday night after her work and then makes it back down on Sunday, she knows I have trouble with driving. My eyesite is pretty good except at night and when it rains, and it rains a lot in WA and OR so she makes the trip up here instead. If next weekend is as sunny as this one I will probably visit her. So that's my plan. Anyone else have any awesome Easter plans for next Sunday?

Darrian's new biker chick. Just kidding. My 7 year old has the worst crush on this little neighbor girl. He says he is going to marry her, she says she's just getting a ride from him. He rides her around every day after school, I taught him well.

I can't help it. My granddaughter gave me Bieber Fever. I remember years ago when my kids got me hooked on Hannah Montana, I thought I was over that, I thought wrong. I am now the proud owner of a Justin Bieber CD. I better go now...I need to get a Bieber Fever T-shirt.

Then Sings My Soul Saturday

It's been awhile since I have participated in Then Sings My Soul Saturday, but it used to be one of my favorite posts of the week. After all the ups and downs today with the possibility of a government shutdown and not getting paid I thought it appropriate that I post the song that has been running through my head for most of the day. For more Then Sings My Soul Saturday go on over to Amy's blog Signs, Miracles, and Wonders.

Government shutdown and the Military

I can't believe that our gov't cannot come up with some sort of plan to avoid a complete shutdown. I feel very sorry for all of the people who will be affected but especially the men and women fighting overseas. By the Grace of God, my husband and I, have been able to keep a savings account that would tie us over in case of no pay or limited pay, but my heart breaks for the young soldiers deployed, who because of rank and being newly in the Military, may not have this buffer. I feel President Obama, who claims the military will only be paid for one week instead of two, aught to think very carefully before he goes with this plan. What will this do to the men and women who defend the US and their Commander in Chief. Imagine being in a war zone, worried about your family, and on top of all this stress having the added benefit of worrying about how your family will pay the bills for basic necessities...food...dental...housing....etc. Like I said there are many soldiers just starting out, living pay check to pay check, where will this leave their moral. Shame on you President Obama for laying this at the deployed men and woman's feet. What are you thinking? With the number of suicides being so high, and the military being shot at on a continual basis, how the heck do you think this is going to work.

If you are a fan of American Idol you will know who Chris Medina is. He is the guy who after 6 years proposed to his girlfriend Juliana Ramos in the Starbucks they both worked at. 2 months before they were to be married Juliana was in a horrific car accident that left her severely brain damaged. Chris is her primary caregiver and works round the clock to take care of her. He didn't make it all the way in American Idol but he made it all the way into America's heart and the heart of Producer Rodney Jerkins who wrote a song for Chris to record with the proceeds going to a fund to take care of Juliana. It is available on itunes.

Once again Army Wives was hard to watch on Sunday. I thought the death and funeral for Jeremy Sherwood was excruciating, but the fallout is just as bad. It really showed how the death of one soldier affects so many. The few scenes that broke my heart were Roland breaking down when he saw his 2 year old daughter in her mom's beret, when Denise and Frank got Jeremy's effects, and Chase's reaction to the news that Jeremy was KIA. I don't know how much more of this season I can take but I guess that is why the show is so compelling.

On a lighter note, maybe, I watched Camelot and enjoyed this quite a bit. Love seeing the history from a Fiction point of view. It was a little graphic and very violent but done well. Starz has created this one and I think it will be a great series.

Anyone else watching anything good? Or reading anything good? I am reading "The Walk" by Richard Paul Evans, and so far I am enjoying it, but once again it is a tearjerker.

Little Critters

My son Dominic Jr, who is very creative always finds something on the computer he wants to make. For awhile it was origami boxes, then it was duct tape wallets, and now it's these. They are called Little Critters and the one on the right is the one Dominic made of my 7 year old Darrian. I think they are cute and the good news is that he will have a bunch of neighborhood teens in here making them this week as he always does. It's like an art class which is much better then them hanging out in front of video games all afternoon.

My daughter Kira, with her kids, pictured above, came up from Oregon this weekend and we had a great time. We went to Whole Foods to get some organic items I just can't get here. For instance my kids love Stoneyfield Farms Blueberry yogurt and I can never seem to find it in WA except at the Whole Foods. They have every other flavor known to man in the commissary, but blueberry, no way. Then it was off to IKEA where my daughter wanted to purchase shelves. That turned into quite a fiasco but nonetheless we had fun. We didn't come home with the shelves mind you, but we had fun. For some reason the shelves rung up wrong and the customer service in Renton was terrible. It ended up with the little girls saying I'm tired and melting down, and my daughter and I swearing never to return to this IKEA. Well that's a bunch of hooey. Like it's IKEA. Like I'm not going to return. In fact today I'm thinking, maybe we should go back to IKEA and get some other type of shelves. I don't know though because yesterday my daughter said "I'm all over finding shelves." I'll bet when she gets up this morning she will be ready for round 2.

We do have a knew church we found a few months ago that I want to take her too, but after, you never know, it could be IKEA or bust.

Hope everyone had an enjoyable weekend too. God Bless.

Mil-Spouse Friday Fill- In

1. What romance movie scene reminds you of your s/o or spouse and the LOVE you share? submitted by Simply Sunshine and Daisy’s Kind of a lot of scenes from the movie You've got Mail. Don't ask me why because we didn't meet this way but the two character have very similar personalities to us and the end scene at the Empire State building reminds me how they got together almost under impossible odds. Like what are the odds. That's how it was for us. We came together like it was fate. We sure had a lot of obstacles but for some reason it all worked out.
2. If you were allowed to deploy with your husband to a war zone would you and why? submitted by I & J Yes Possibly Iraq. It seems like these people will need a lot of help in rebuilding. Although I am not sure if it is considered a war zone anymore. Maybe then Afghanistan. I think the women and children there need to be protected from the Taliban. I would love to work in an orphanage in a place like this trying to make a difference.
3. Have you ever done anything (intentionally, or unintentionally) to embarrass your spouse/significant other in front of his military cohorts? submitted by Marrying the Navy No.
4. What is your most irrational fear? submitted by Eights on the Move I hate to park in certain parking spaces. I don't like 3, 5, 8, I won't usually park in spaces with these numbers attached to them. For instance I love the number 7 but would not park in a space marked 37. I have lot's of fears when I'm in the car and someone else is driving, the parking space thing is the least of them.
5. If you could only live in one kind of climate for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? submitted by Many Waters The climate we lived in for 8 1/2 years in Hawaii and the place we plan on retiring in. It's always perfect and rarely changes. I can't ask for more.

For more Mil-Spouse Friday Fill-in head on over to Wife of a Sailor

Jiffy pop the magical treat as much fun to make as it is to eat

Sometimes the Commissary carries Jiffy pop. What is it about this stuff that kids love. I remember liking to make this too and then it seemed to disappear. All of sudden it reappeared and now the kids like to make it as much as I did. I wonder if it's the fact that this small plate of popcorn turns into a big ball of tin foil. I will admit it's not my favorite tasting popcorn, we already have a carnival sized popper, but it is the most fun to make.

On a more idiotic note the Army has blocked my hubby and all his peeps from viewing any blogs over in Afghanistan so I will be posting more pics on FB. I prefer this format so I will continue to blog, but as of now I will be jamming up my FB with pics of every little thing we are doing. As my friend Pamela said "the Army is blocking blogs but not Facebook?" Go figure.

Darrian fell asleep with his deployment doll last night. I think these are a great idea. If you don't already have one, and are in the Army, you can suggest the deployment doll to your FRG and they can try to locate them. I am not sure if they have them for the other services, but I don't see why not. You can put a picture of your loved one in the face and it is just something a little extra to hang onto while daddy or mommy are away. We have 2 because I got one when my husband last went to Iraq and then they gave them out here. So I put one in my older boys room and my younger one sleeps with his, and me of course. He has stolen daddies spot since dad has been gone. He tells me he doesn't want me to be lonely. I tell him that when dad get's back he get's his spot back. I know this is probably not a good habit in the normal world, but he no longer lives in the normal world. In the normal world dad's don't go to war. So sometimes living the military life you make exceptions. Not many, but some. Anyway I thought some of you might like to know about these if you have kids.

Happy Birthday Raya

My grandaughter Rielyn (Raya for short) had a birthday on March 20, the day before my son Brandon. So we had a birthday party for her at her second Mama Rachael's house last Saturday. There she is in the middle with the right sided pony tale enjoying her pizza. We had a lot of fun and the kids enjoyed it.

Today I got an e-mail from Dominic so at least for now I know he's safe.

Goodye Jeremy Sherwood

Yesterday a soldier on Army Wives was killed in action. The episode was heart breaking yet so well done. Normally I would not watch something like this with my husband being deployed, but I've watched the show since day one and I wasn't going to miss this episode. Apparently in the following weeks the death of Jeremy will cause the wives to question everything they believe in. I think this has to be done. In fact since I have been at Ft. Lewis there have been many of us wives in my neighborhood and their kids who have questioned their beliefs. You see there is a lady around the corner from me who lost her first husband in Iraq. My son's play with her daughter. Her daughter is only 13 and an Atheist. She told me she lost her faith when her dad was killed. IT saddens me when I pass her SUV parked in front of her house all the time and on the back is a magnet that says "we love our hero Sgt. So and so," that was her dad There isn't a day that this doesn't impact me. Then their is my sons friend who lives next door. His dad was wounded in Iraq and has very little use of his arms. We have become friends with both families. Both families go to our church. What they have gone through is more then anyone should have to. My hat goes off to Army Wives for not only portraying the death of Jeremy accurately, but of following up on the impact of his death in weeks to come. Was anyone else affected by this show, especially this episode? I know my friend Sandra (Diary of a stay at home mom) was because the episode barely ended and we were chatting about it on facebook. I could tell that it was heart wrenching for her too. She is also a military wife and Knows many others in the military. So I think for us it was just a little too close to home. So with tears in my eyes I will finish this post.

Congratulations Darrian

Yesterday Darrian got an award for Student of the month for responsibility. He struggles a little in school so he was very happy to get this award. There he is scratching his head as his principal looks on.

Everyone who knows me knows I love the cooking show Extra Virgin. I act like I know Debi and Gabriele personally. Last night I sat with the boys until 10:30 pm catching up on the episodes I missed. Today I made Gabriele's Bruschetta Pizzaiola. It was delicious and so easy to make. I gathered all the ingredients, went to work chopping and mixing and then put the mixture on sliced Italian bread that had been toasted. Popped them in to the oven for 10 minutes and the next thing you know we were eating Bruschetta to die for. There will be many recipes over the next few months I make after watching Debi and Gabriele. I will share them with you. In the meantime check out Extra Virgin if you like cooking shows. It think it's one of the best for authentic Italian food. After all Gabriele is from Tuscany.

MilSpouse Friday Fill in

There is a wonderful blog out there called Wife of a Sailor and she has this Fill-in so that Military spouses can get to know each other better. The questions could pertain to people outside the military also. So if anyone wants to participate I would go on over to her blog Thursday and get the questions and answer them for Fridays blog. I'm finding this to be great fun. I love reading the other spouses answers. Here goes: 1. What is your must have gadget? submitted by Flying High With My Flyboy: Cell phone with a qwerty keyboard. I love being able to text my husband and friends all day and I especially like knowing the kid's and their school can get in touch with me at any time. Also my Kitchen Aid blender, is this a gadget? DVR, can't forget this one.
2. How does your adulthood compare to what you imagined it would be like when you were a little kid? submitted by L to the Third: I think it's better then I imagined. I always thought I would work in the Medical field and have a family. I ended up volunteering at my kid's school and having 7 children. I still love anything Medical, but my heart lies in working with kids. I found my soul mate and nothing could have prepared me for this. This has been the best thing that ever happened to me. I always imagined a white knight marrying me and I got one. So my adulthood definitely is better then I could of ever imagined. Also being able to travel all over the place: Germany, Spain, France, Hawaii, doesn't hurt either.
3. What is your favorite chocolate recipe? submitted by Our First Deployment: Brownies, brownies, and brownies.
4. How do you deal with military life when it gets to be to much or to hard? submitted by Combat Boots And Pointe Shoes: I watch mindless tv, or lose myself in a book, or just imagine what it would be like if I couldn't show my kids their is a whole world out there that the Army is enabling us to experience.
5. What piece of advice would you give a new Military spouse facing their first deployment? submitted by The Albrecht Squad: You don't need to go home. Staying close to the base and helping the FRG is a lot of fun and who else can support you better then the spouses going through the deployment at this moment. In fact that is what I am doing right now, Immersing myself in the FRG. Blog, there are spouses out there who can give you a world of info. Have a life of your own. Whether that's work, volunteering, anything. Hobbies help too. I scrapbook and blog when my husband is gone so he can feel connected. Can you tell this is old hat for me.

Can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with tomorrow!

Surreal

Surreal...How else to explain the first few weeks of deployment. It feels like I am walking in a fog. Today I found myself wandering around the commissary without even glancing at my list. I have been down this road before and the feeling never changes. Until Dominic is safe on the ground, settled in, and able to shoot us an e-mail here and there, I know this feeling will hang around. I plan on it being different every time but it never is. It's hard getting used to being by myself. I have the kids, but it's not the same. No more listening for the van to pull up front at night, no more "I love you" texts during the day, and no more impromptu lunches. If the hubby was here I know just what I'd text..."How bout that sun Eyore?" I call my hubby Eyore because when it comes to weather he only likes sun and we live in WA, need I say more. I tease him about it all the time. Anyway that's what I would text him. He would of course text something amusing back, but for now I will have to wait. His last text was from McChord AFB last night as he loaded the plane. Tonight I will take over all the stuff that dad likes to do. It will be the first time I drive 20 minutes to Lacey to take my son to youth group. His dad always gets home on Wednesday night by 6:30 to drive him, no matter what, even if he has to go back into work. It will be strange, but it will be my job. Until he returns things will be like looking through glass, but I know he is trained well and will do his best to keep him and his soldiers safe. For now, we will survive.

Goodbye my love....see you soon...Godspeed

This is the last picture I have this morning of dropping the hubby off at his company (he looks like a polar bear, overdressed as usual, trying to recreate the Hawaiian heat he enjoys so much). Please pray for the 54th MP company to have safe travel and a safe deployment. Dominic is supposed to be home in July so we can attend a family reunion. I am hopeful all goes well. Also please pray for my new blog friend Mari's son who is also deployed to Afghanistan. I will be praying for my husband, Mari's son, and all the men and women of the Armed Forces. Please join me. Thank You.

IHOP

Dad is deploying tomorrow night so we have been having a bit of fun as a family. We went to the IHOP last night for dinner, which was fun, except for the fact that my hubby chose chocolate chip pancakes and was not happy when he ended up with chocolate chocolate chip pancakes. I told him to try the Cinn-a-stack, which my good friend Pamela recommended, Thanks Pamela, but he stuck with his old favorite, except for his old favorite doesn't include the pancakes being chocolate too. That's why you should always read the description before making your choice. I'll have to say the Cinn-a-stack was to die for though. Tonight we are going to the Red Robin and surely we will all be reading the hamburger description's before making our choices.


Can we all say YUMM-O!!!!!!

Milspouce Friday

Join us for MilSpouse Friday Fill-in over at Wife of a Sailor


1. What are some of your ideas for staying connected with family…you know, those people we moved thousands of miles away from? Skype. Also I keep my blog so my husband can look at it any time he gets the chance and so can my relatives and friends. This keeps them up to date on our lives past and present.
2. What’s the most romantic gift you have GIVEN? My hubby always try to buy me red roses on my birthday and Valentines day. I find red roses very romantic.
3. Would you encourage your child, if they came to you and wanted to join the military? Yes. I would encourage my children in any path they want to take. I have a son in college now who plans on enlisting in the air force afterward.
4. What is your least favorite bill to pay and why? Cell phone. we all have a phone and the bill is high and we barely have any services. I can't imagine what it would be if we all had internet capabilities.
5. What is the proudest moment you’ve had as a military spouse? So many I wouldn't know what to put. I'm always proud of the men and women in uniform. They really impress me.

New book....and deployment time....

I'm now reading "The Book Thief." I know many people have read this one and I just wanted to give it a try. I read mostly Christian fiction but once in awhile bear off the beaten path. I did not really like the last book I read because It was a little to progressive for me, but I liked knowing how other people think, so it was a worthwhile read.

Dominic is leaving for Afghanistan next week so it has been a busy time for us. I will have a whole year by myself so I'd better get used to it. It's always hard in the beginning but settle's down to a normal pace rather quickly. We just try to go about our day to day business and keep our mind off dad being in deployed. This seems to make the time go a bit faster. It will be strange with just occasional contact but he knows that I like to talk and that I will save up all I have to say for that phone call. Same with the kids. We write down things that are happening in their lives and then they won't forget anything when dad calls. And then there is my blog. This was the way we kept in touch last time. I post lot's of pictures of what we are doing and then he e-mails me all about what's going on. Thank God for modern technology. So be prepared for my blog to be filled with many pictures in this year.

Putting Away Childish Things

This is the first piece of fiction Marcus Borg wrote. Although I don't agree with many of his beliefs, I'm more of a C.S. Lewis type, I like to read about what other people may be thinking. So far I am enjoying the book but finding it very controversial. The main character has some Christian beliefs that are definitely not along the lines I believe in. All in all it gives a good picture of what a progressive type of Christian looks like.

The Veganist

I am reading "Veganist" by Kathy Freston and am really enjoying it. Most people who know me know I am a food nut in a way. I am a very picky eater so going Vegan would probably be rough for me. I do eat meat, minimally, and only bought at Whole Foods, but much of my diet still consists of dairy (ie, cheese, milk, eggs, etc.) which is not exactly Vegan. I am trying to eat less meat so I am on the hunt for the best alternatives out there. I do make a wicked baked ziti made with vegetable crumbles, which no one ever guesses is not meat, and I make a wicked fettuccine, shown above, which people also love, but not Vegan. So on my quest this year I will be showing some of my dinner's and letting people know how they taste when I veganize them. So Sat. it's hello again "Whole Foods" this time on the search for a perfect Vegan cheese...and of course a caramel sea salt gelato, my bad!

Time to get back to blogging....

...so I've said before. It's been awhile but I miss it. Life has been so busy. My husbands parents came for a visit. We had a lot of fun but it was too short. March 21 is leave day for hubby to make his way to Afghanistan. Please pray a blessing over him and his unit. I'm reading the Veganist and enjoying it. It's crazy how much I still have to learn about eating.

Our Pastor's new book

Here is the link to my Pastor's new book. He is doing his preaching on the things he wrote in this book and it's amazing. Last night he preached on how powerful the words we speak are. It was an awesome night. I learned a lot.

Ipad VS laptop. I love my Apple laptop but it is shot. I have had it evaluated and it would cost me almost as much to fix it as to buy a new one. I have heard that Ipad's are good but they still can't come close to a laptop. Does anyone have an opinion on this?

Anyone who knows a military person will appreciate this video

FT. HOOD TRIBUTE TO THE TROOPS

Happy New Year...Seattle style

We had a fun Christmas. The kids say it was one of the best we ever had and I'm pretty sure they were right. With 4 kids there it was crazy. I love lots of kids and lots of fun and lots of chaos. Anyway eating was so good especially since we got to share the holidays with my daughter, her kids, and Dawn's family. Definitely planning a repeat. Anyway here are some crazy videos, and I do mean crazy.

Merry Christmas

'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

New kindle Skin

I love pink so when I saw this skin on Amazon for my Kindle for only $2.97 I had to have it.

Percy

I will be reading these books 1-3 to the boys over the Christmas holiday. Percy has dyslexia although he sounds a lot like he has ADHD. My boys can totally identify with Percy. Although Jr. has read the first one I want to read it to all 3 boys. I think they will get a lot out of these books and I will enjoy them too. Anyone reading anything interesting for the holiday season?

Trip to the tree farm

It was sunny yesterday and we took the kids to get our tree. Here are the pictures from the hunt for the perfect tree. The hubby wanted to know if you cut a tree and then find a better one what do you do. I told him I don't think you're supposed to do that.

Time to Decorate

I'm late this year with buying a tree and decorating the house inside and out. My neighbor put up a lot of lights as you can see. So when my hubby came home from work tonight I pointed to their house and said "I want you to do that." Let's see what happens. If anything I will get something going on this weekend. Probably not as elaborate, but Christmasy all the same.