Off We Go Into the Wild Blue Yonder....

Today is the first day of a new chapter in our life. My heart is so incredibly sad this morning as I hand over my military ID for the last time. Tears are literally streaming down my face as I type this post.

It is so symbolic. As I hand over my ID, it is as if I am handing over or closing a chapter that has been such an important part of my life. Unless you have lived it, I can't begin to describe the adventure that has been the past seven and a half years.

There have been hard parts.....all the TDY's, all the goodbyes...but I feel nothing but honor and pride to have stood beside my airman as he served his country.

I will never forget moments like watching Brent hand over flags to families of fallen airmen or watching our amazing Air Force band and drill team perform at the bottom of the capital steps. I will never forget the precious moments of having one baby born in Albuquerque and one in DC. I will never forget watching Savannah meet the men that the movie "Band of Brothers" was written about. I will never forget the amazing friends we have met along the way. I will never forget seeing my brother's face the first time he watched Brent be saluted at the gate. I will never forget the Albuquerque sunsets, walks along the Hudson river looking at the capital building, or seeing Savannah's face the first time she met Mickey Mouse. I will never forget "Captain Money," or the countless other memories we have made. But, most importantly, I will NEVER EVER forget how to pack a box! :)

Now, off to make new memories and see what the next chapter in our life has to offer!!

Cheers, Air Force! You will be greatly missed....

Our life is like a Roller Coaster Baby!

So, I was laying in bed thinking about how busy our life is about to be. I couldn't help but think about a roller coaster. You get on and latch in. You generally start going up the incline fairly slowly. With every inch, the chains clank, clank, clank as you anxiously get closer to the top. You wait, it feels like an eternity, you reach the top, and then.....THERE YOU GO! Fast as lightning!

Since our Ireland trip, we have had VERY little going on. It has been one of the most quiet six weeks I can remember us having. That is great, but it also makes the anticipation of our upcoming adventure feel like it is a hundred years away. So, as I am laying in bed today, I was thinking....we have been in the "incline" phase of the roller coaster, hearing the nerve racking clank, clank, clank with every day that we approach the "top", or beginning of the wild ride that is about to be the next two months of our lives. Now, three days away from it all, we are SO close to the summit of the ride, almost to that point where you can see the crazy drop in front of you....you know, where it slows down to an almost stop, before it releases you and you hold on for dear life?

On Wednesday, we will start that downhill adventure and be going a million miles a minute. Will it be scary, fun, a little of both? Sure! Aren't roller coasters terrifying, exhilarating, nerve racking, and completely amazing all at the same time?!

I am very excited to see how this ride is going to be!

Enjoy the video to bring my point home....your heart will skip a little beat picturing yourself on the ride. Now you get a glimpse into the way we are feeling :)

Click here for the Video: ROLLER COASTER RIDE

Home School Week 2--Time and Money

Well, even though this "week" took us two weeks to complete, I do believe Savannah really learned a lot! We started an incentive jar, where she gets to deposit either a dime or nickle for certain chores that she helps with around the house. I was able to incorporate the money unit and savings using this jar. I took her on a couple of "field trips" to the bank and the grocery store, where she learned about depositing money into an account, and how to pay for things using coins (at the store).

We also learned about time and how to read the hour hand on a clock. It was a fun week. It does get hard, though, to stay disciplined. I am hoping I will be more disciplined once real school starts and we have less distractions.

Here are some of the pictures from this unit:

Home school-Week One

Well, our first week of school has come and gone, and I will have to say it was a success. We had a lot of fun with this unit-Outer Space. Luckily, and one of the reasons that I started our units so early, we had some great "space" themed opportunities the week that Atlantis took her final flight. Savannah seemed to enjoy the unit and picked up on quite a bit of the information. We also worked on writing, spelling, reading and math. Even though we finished a little "late," I would give us both a gold star ;)

Lesson Plans

All of Savannah's Assignments-I thought it would be motivational for her to be proud to display her work. It worked! :) Plus, she used it as a reference when she needed help spelling.

"Field Trip" to watch Atlantis launch

Field Trip to Kennedy Space Center

And if Our God is for us, then who Could Ever Stop us

Roughly six weeks ago, we got news that we were eligible for a bonus that would allow us to get out of the military this summer (one year early), with a nice bonus check. All the documents gave us a sense that this was a fairly done deal. We were to pick a date we wanted to get out of the Air Force, and send in our application.

We chose Aug. 1, and moved on with our plans. Because the economy is in the tank and the real estate market is pretty awful, we decided that we better go ahead and put the house on the market, because we assumed it would take many many months for it to sell. We also thought that if the bonus was not approved, we could take it off the market and just stay put.

Well, the application to get out continued to filter through all the hands and be signed off on. It finally made it to the "head dudes" for final approval.

In the meantime, our house sold.......in TWO weeks....for a full price offer....

We thought, what a BLESSING it is to have this house sold and one thing off the check list. Of course, like most people, we are upside down on the mortgage, and had to take out a loan for the difference. This, too, didn't seem too bad because the bonus check was going to be within a few hundred dollars of what we owe on the house. We assumed that God had given us the perfect amount of money so that we would not be in financial despair.

We started packing, because we were to move out very very quickly because the buyer was ready for the house. We found a rental and spent many hours planning out the logistics of the summer and planning for a career conference and to start a job come August.

Everything was falling into place. We thought, this is just how God wanted this all to work out.

Then.....we get an email last night.......

The two bullets of the email that could change it all for us read:

*Mandatory separation Oct.1 (two months after we planned)

This isn't a HUGE deal. We would still get the money to pay off our debt, but would be fairly irritating to change plane tickets and rentals, etc since we thought it would be Aug.

*The secretary of the Air Force has concurred that we will now only have LIMITED approvals for the bonus. (Based on a list of reasons)

NONE of this was discussed with us the first go round. We may now get NO bonus and have to live here in Florida for another year. This is where it gets fairly unnerving. Not only would we have to be here longer, but now we would not get any money to help pay for this outrageous debt. And, the minimum payment on the loan is close to a mortgage payment itself. It is going to put us in a MAJOR bind financially if this is the route the Air Force takes.

I woke up this morning, fully intending on having a good freak out moment over it all. We have a Uhaul truck pulling into our driveway this Saturday to start loading up our house for crying out loud.....AND WE HAVE NO IDEA WHERE THE CONTENTS OF THE TRUCK WILL GO!!

The Air Force is supposed to let us know this week, what the decision might be. Our two options:

1. Leave Oct. 1

2. Leave May/June of 2012

My heart is kinda at war with itself, I think. My emotional side wants me to be a wreck over this, but Jesus is definitely in there keeping me strong and reminding me that this too is part of His plan. There is a reason for this, whether it be a blessing or a lesson learned, it will be revealed to us. How can I go all crazy when I know that God has His hand on us to guide us through? How can I feel out of control when we have been under His control all along? I trust in Jesus....He is my deliverer! And if He is for us, then who can ever stop us? How can Satan get me down when God is right there fighting for me?

I am in awe of how God has worked in my life these past seven years. Because, people, I can guarantee you that if this had happened back then, I would be a crazy person. I would have been inconsolable. I have always had a problem with wanting to have too much control over my life. If I make a plan, it should happen....but God has taught me these past seven years that I am not in control, He is.....and even when my plans have been completely thrown out the window, His were revealed and we were blessed beyond measure!

I can confidently say that no matter what happens, no matter the burden or circumstance, God will be there, holding us, guiding us, and getting us through.

Praise God! He is greater, He is stronger, He is higher than any other.....and there is NO stopping us because He is for us!!

Blessed

The word blessed is defined, in the Webster dictionary, very simply, as "of or enjoying happiness".

HOWEVER, I believe that word is so much more meaningful than Webster gives it credit for.

To say, "I am blessed," is an understatement. Am I enjoying happiness? Sure! But is that it? No way! God has given me a family and a set of friends who have challenged me, cried with me, laughed with me, picked me up when I have fallen, danced with me when I am exuberant, and loved me unconditionally. God has even allowed tests to be placed in front of me to challenge and grow my faith in Him.

Tonight, I was flipping through old songs. My heart and mind were flooded with memories of how truly blessed I am. Each song that I flipped through brought me back to a moment, even a brief one, where God was glorified through our singing.

For example, one of my fondest memories was back in college, when a group of us went camping for a long weekend down in Manatee Springs, FL. After a long day of fun, we gathered around a campfire and just started singing. There is something so spiritual about singing out in the wilderness, underneath the stars, surrounded by the wild wonders of God's universe. We just sang. It was beautiful. I do love instruments, but there is nothing more beautiful than listening to raw talented voices praise Jesus without anything else but their voice. We sang and my heart was filled with joy.

I remembered the hundreds of times in middle and high school that my best friends and I would sit around singing together. It didn't matter what is was or where it was, we were singing. We were so blessed to get to be a part of so many retreats, camps, etc. where we were able to sing and be blessed in those moments. How blessed I am to have been surrounded by such great friends who love the Lord like I do. How blessed I am to continue those friendship even to this day. I am convinced that we have been able to continue those relationships because of our deep bond through Christ.

I remembered the first friend I had after moving far far away from those friends and family who cared for me, to a world of the unknown, insecurity, and adventure. I remembered all the moments that made us the friends we are today. Any time I hear "Shackles" or "My Redeemer," I remember that friend who loved me when I had no other friends or family around to do so.

There have definitely been some rocky roads along my path too: deaths, divorces, disappointments. However, God was still able to bless me in those moments through song. During some very hard parts in my life, I remember laying in bed at night just singing these words from one of my favorite songs, "Lord, give me peace. I'm feeling all alone. Calm my spirit. Still my mind. Fill my heart with peace." I would sing that over and over and over, and you know what? I was filled with peace. Even when I felt disconnected from everyone else, I always had God's hand to hold and carry me through. I remember funerals of friends and family members. I remember singing "It is well" at my grandfather's and cousin's funerals. I remember singing praise and worship songs like "Shout to the Lord" at a friend's funeral who was taken away from us way too early, but we were still able to rejoice because he was in Heaven! Even in those moments, God was able to comfort us with song.

My favorite memory of music blessing me was from our wedding rehearsal dinner. After all the festivities had ended, we all sat around and started singing. It was the MOST beautiful, tender, uplifting moment. How many people can say they spent an hour of their rehearsal dinner praising Jesus in such a tender moment like that? God was in that place. We were so fortunate to get it on video and, even to this day, I sob like a baby listening and remembering how perfect it was. I am so blessed to be married to a man who loves Jesus as much as I do. We sang a lot of songs that night, but, of course, the one I remember most was Glorify Thy Name. Some friends sang it again, the next day, at our wedding. "Father, we love you. We worship and adore you. Glorify thy name in all the Earth. Glorify thy name. Glorify thy name. Glorify thy name in all the Earth."

My precious Lord has blessed me so much more than just "enjoying happiness." He has been present for me during every perfect moment, every mediocre moment, and every terrible moment. Thank you God for filling my life with such beautiful music to remind me of how blessed I have been and continue to be!