A Lifetime of Love

I haven’t posted because we left last Friday to go to Ohio to visit my family. Thankfully the drive was pretty uneventful, although I did see 5 deer in the woods. My mind works in strange ways, and after spotting the 2nd deer, I began to wonder why God allowed me to see the deer and not anyone else in the car (the kids were too enthralled with a DVD and TJ was driving). That thought lead to this next thought: how many other “things” (events, circumstances, people, animals, etc.) has the Lord allowed me to see that perhaps others did not? I know, pretty deep thinking for no apparent reason. But, it made me appreciate seeing the deer as more than just a simple glance out the window, especially since some of them were pretty deep in the woods and not near the highway. The trip has been nice, although we are all running short on sleep. My kids do not sleep well when not in their beds, and this results in TJ and me missing out on sleep. Ta has a tendency to wake up at night and throw a tant...

My cell phone is only 2 years old. The contract expires mid-August, and I’ve been having problems with my phone. It no longer takes a charge from the vehicle charger, which is not a big deal, except lately the phone only holds a charge for a short time. Recently, it’s started to shut down on its own, even while plugged into the wall charger. I had to run some errands one morning with all 3 kids and planned to go to a friend’s house for lunch. I got my phone to call TJ and tell him of my plans, only to find my phone off inside my bag. I powered it back on, made the phone call, and before I could even hang up, it powered itself off again. Ugh! This was a few weeks ago, and was the last straw! That evening, after supper, we headed to Verizon to see what could be done. I didn’t want to replace the battery because when my contract expired in 6 weeks, I was eligible for a new phone. Of course the Verizon store was packed, so I waited in the van with the kids while they watched a movie. I tol...

My sis told me last week that Paul received a phone call from his best friend still in Iraq. She didn’t know what was said, but when Paul hung up, he was really upset and didn’t want to talk about it. All he told her was that somebody from his unit in NC, serving in Iraq with him, had died. Here is the link to the article. Remember, only 2 people have offered to die for you: Jesus Christ and the American soldier. The first for your soul, the other for your freedom. Don’t take either lightly.

Sorry for not posting in a few days. TJ and I attended the wedding in Sumter on Saturday. As I suspected, memories of our time in the Air Force came rushing back, and our conversation during the drive home reflected some of those feelings. TJ and I both agree that although life in the military is tough, we both like the fact that we (members of the military) are working toward a bigger, common goal. We want our children to understand that, as well. In civilian life, the focus is on “me” and “Number One.” We want our kids to know that what they do affects others, not just in our family, but in all aspects of life, like a ripple effect. The military really helps one to learn that important life lesson. For instance, as a mechanic, if I didn’t do my job correctly, that affects the aircraft. If the plane breaks down, then the mission cannot be completed, and more than likely, there are others depending upon the mission (whether for fuel, supplies, people, equipment, etc). My poor action ne...

Believe it or not, I don't really have much to talk about. The derm appointment went well considering I had one child who couldn't sit still, one who wouldn't sit still, and another that was about to break out into tears at any moment. Thankfully the nurse listened to me when I told her Ta was very nervous and asked the doc to take off her white coat (hence the term "White Coat Syndrome"- it really does exist!) before entering the room. It seemed to work great! Ta didn't like her looking at him, and he didn't say one word the entire time the doc was in the room, but he didn't cry, either. That is real progress! Oh, about the diagnosis. All 3 spots are unrelated to each other. The bumps on his foot are a birth mark that will continue to grow as his foot grows. The spot on his leg is, um, I don't remember because I had difficulty concentrating on what she was saying because I was distracted by 2 of my kids. I do know it's not contagious and it f...

I cleaned the house yesterday. I didn't finish everything I had hoped to accomplish, but I made good progress and feel better knowing the house is clean. . . even if it is short-lived. I just have a few minor chores (i.e. cleaning the downstairs bathroom, mopping the kitchen floor, & dusting the dining room) to do today in order to be totally finished, and will do it this afternoon while the kids are napping. Ta has an appointment with a dermatologist today. He has had some bumps on his foot for at least 2 years, if not longer. I mentioned it the pediatrician at one of his well-visits (either 9 or 12-month), and she wasn't sure what they were, but since the bumps weren't changing any, she wasn't overly concerned. Neither was I. Until about 2 months ago or so I noticed a bump on his stomach. It has now "spread" into the same type of bumps on his foot, except these bumps on his stomach itch. He was also scratched by one of our dogs a long time ago, and the s...

I planning on taking full advantage of the boys being at science camp this morning. I am hosting some friends of mine for Bible study on Wednesday morning, so today is the perfect opportunity to clean my house while the boys aren't here. I plan to begin upstairs with the bedrooms and full baths, then work my way downstairs to the half bath, kitchen, dining, and living rooms. I have 2 1/2 hours to finish. Ready! Set! Go!

It’s been a busy week for us. Monday night we promised the boys we’d take them bike riding in our church parking lot on Tuesday because Th wanted to learn to ride without training wheels and our neighborhood is too hilly. However, the worst storm we’ve had in months hit Tuesday night, forcing us to retreat to our house. We have been in a drought for a year and the night we want to do something fun for the kids, it doesn’t just rain, it storms! The storm was so bad that lightening struck TJ’s building at work, causing him to be extremely busy on Wednesday and work a 12-hour shift. We couldn’t go bike riding Wednesday because we go to church on Wednesday nights, so we finally made it there last night. Of course, it was overcast and threatened to rain the entire time we were there, but nevertheless the kids had fun and Th learned to ride his bike sans training wheels. Speaking of Th, I am so proud of him. We did the same thing last fall, and he was just so afraid of falling that he would...

TJ surprised me on Saturday by arranging to have a sitter come and stay with the kids while we went out to dinner for our anniversary. Although we didn’t make it to the Cheesecake Factory or the Melting Pot, we did try a restaurant that we had never been to before called Harry & Jean’s. It was very good, and although a little expensive, it had a quiet atmosphere and excellent food. We debated on going to watch a movie, but since neither of us knew what was playing, we decided to order our dessert to go, headed to Wal-Mart and bought “Radio” from the $5 bin, and came home to enjoy a peaceful evening. . . once we got the kids settled. They were really excited all day because a sitter was coming over. We got home shortly after 9pm, so it wasn’t terribly late for them to still be awake. When TJ and I got closer to our house, he asked me if he should park in the garage (he feared the opening garage door would wake up the kids). I chuckled and told him to go ahead because I knew the boys...

I guess the day my dad had to call 9-1-1 he was napping on the couch since it was raining outside. Erin came in and woke him up and said she thought he had better call for help. Well, he jumped off the couch, ran into the kitchen, and poured a glass of orange juice. He brought it back into the living room where Erin was sitting and told her to drink it, and that he wasn’t going to call until she did. She told him she didn’t really feel like drinking orange juice, but he insisted, so she did. When she was finished, he asked her if she was feeling any better, and when she wasn’t, he then called. She was a little confused as to why he did that, so I explained that my uncle (my dad’s twin) is a diabetic and has been since he was a child. My dad’s brain is programmed to give him orange juice to help bring his blood sugar back up, and it was probably just his first reaction, especially since he was asleep. His mind wasn’t really processing everything she was saying, and he just knows to give...

Erin was released from the ER last night. She was told she over-exerted herself yesterday which made her heart rate drop too low. I don't know exactly what tests the doctors did, but the last I spoke to my mom, Erin was having a chest x-ray taken. I'm not sure why; I think to check and see if her lungs were collapsing again. I spoke to Erin this morning and she sounded fairly good. Of course her voice was weak, but Paul was there and my mom was home from work today for the holiday. She said her biggest challenge was wanting to care for Kaylee and not being able to, especially when it came to nursing. She is not used to having to depend on others for so much help, especially since Paul has been gone since March. On the other hand, Erin told me a funny story that happened to my dad today, so at least her spirits were up and she was able to laugh (if you know my dad, you know how "accident" prone he is). As far as I know, Paul has to report back to NC this upcoming Thurs...

My sis was released from the hospital Tuesday evening (with no diagnosis and instructions to follow up with the dermatologist and rheumatologist next week). She is staying at my mom’s house where there is more space and less people so she can rest and recuperate. I spoke to her yesterday morning and the plan for the day was for Paul to take Kaylee to his parent’s apartment (30 minutes away) for the day so Erin could nap without worrying how Paul is doing with Kaylee. Paul and Kaylee left around noon, and my mom came home from work at 3pm so she was only “alone” for 3 hours (she was never alone because my dad and brother were there working on the deck outside). I called again this morning to check on her and she still sounded weak but the plan for today was the same as yesterday, with the exception of my brother being gone at Boy Scout camp until Sunday, and my dad stuck inside because it was raining (can’t build a deck in the rain!). That was about 9:30am. At 3:45pm my mom phoned to te...

Today is my 9 year anniversary. Happy Anniversary, TJ ! I received the sweetest card and hand-written note from him. Here is a little excerpt from the note: You have given me 3 1/2 children and I am truly thankful. God placed us in California on that day when we met for a reason, He had a plan for us and we are still learning what that plan is. I thank God for you and my children and how fortunate I really am. Are those not the most heartfelt words you have ever read? TJ is not the mushy type, so for him to write this to me, it really means a lot. We did not exchange gifts because we are planning to make a major purchase sometime in the near future, and that will be our gift to each other (and our kids). However, I would still like to go out for dinner (thanks to everyone who gave me suggestions and recommendations- I appreciate it!) and that's always a nice break. So often we hire a sitter to come but it'...

My anniversary is on Thursday. 9 years of marriage. I can’t believe it. I honestly can’t. No one in my family has been married this long, and it really isn’t that long. It still seems like just yesterday we “tied the knot” to each other, although I will be the first to admit that as time passes, the easier marriage becomes. I guess it’s because we mature spiritually and, in turn, our marriage matures. I can remember some of our earlier years, and they sure weren’t pretty. In fact, they were pretty ugly. On both of our parts, not just mine. I’m glad, though, that we’ve stuck together, committed to making our marriage work NO MATTER WHAT! We both come from divorced homes for various reasons and neither wants that for our kids. At the same time, we don’t want to stay together for our kids. No, we have a higher authority Who calls us to remain committed to each other, our children, and Him. I am thankful that we both agree to this calling because I think that is where so many families stru...