Texas

Well we have been in Texas for about a month. San Antonio is a big city. We live just outside of it in a town called Converse. It is a nice little town. Less than 20,000 people live here. We found a church and I am loving it. To have been so deprived while in Germany was excruciating. I didn't know how thirsty the kids and I were for the Word until we got to this church. God has blessed us so much since being here. We were able to find a house before Phil left and God made it so we moved during Tax season and our refund came just in time.
The house we have is bigger than the one we had in Germany. Luckily even though our neighbors are very close, we have a single house instead of townhomes. It is nice. We also have a garage which I love. I am getting quite good at backing into it. The kids love the backyard. Tank likes it, too! The previous tenants left a basketball hoop and the kids enjoy playing.
I miss Phil a lot, but I am glad that he is doing well with his training. We both start our college classes on the 18th. It will keep us busy. I am almost done with my degree! I am so excited to stay the course and finally have something to show for it. It will be worth it.
I am the new Prayer ministry director for Wives of Faith. It is a great organization that reaches out the military wives to offer encouragement and support. The prayer team is kind of slim right now but I have been praying that God would lead other ladies to join. Prayer is so important. It seems so simple that we sometimes forget how powerful it really is. I am looking forward to seeing what God has in store for the prayer team and Wives of Faith. It is going to be a good year.

End of a chapter

It is really hard to believe we are almost at the end of our time here in Germany! We have had some really good times here along with some very frustrating times, too. I decided to homeschool this school year and it is going pretty well. The kids seem to do well and we are still deciding on whether we will continue when we get to TX.
We have a week before they come and pick up our furniture. That is when I think it will definitely hit that we are leaving. I am looking forward to being back Stateside but I have to admit I am a little scared too. One, we will be in an area of the country that none of us have really been to, second we have been out of the country going on 2 years. It is going to be awkward getting used to TX. I fully expect for us to go through a culture-shock when we get there.
One thing I am looking forward to is getting into a church. We have been starved here. It is really hard to find a good church in the States, but here it is impossible. We are beyond desperate for fellowship with other believers and the Word.
On another note, Germany has decided to give us more snow than we have ever seen for our last winter here. I got out to take a few pictures this morning. It really is beautiful but I don't like getting out in it. While our dog Tank loves it, I am looking forward to warmer weather!!
This has been quite a journey here and I am looking forward to the next chapter in this blessed life I have!

Germany

So it has been awhile since I have posted on here. Lots has happened in over a year. The biggest thing is that we are in Germany!! It took quite a lot to get here. We have had paperwork issues and other various obstacles that would drive anyone crazy! I was beginning to think we would never get here.

Phil is finishing up his 2nd deployment. It will be great to have him with us again!! I am so excited! The kids are too. Jessie has already said he is taking to long to get here.

We are planning to go see some castles when Phil gets home. He has waited to go see most of the stuff b/c he was waiting for us to get here. Well now it is our turn to wait. It won't be too long though. :)

We have gone to Amberg, a couple of weekends ago. It was fun except there were 6 kids and two adults. It was a little crazy. We ate lunch at the bakery. It was very good. The kids got to paint plastic ducks for charity and I got to go shoe shopping for Michael. All in all it was a great trip. It was fun trying to find a parking area that would fit our Explorer. Germans drive little cars. Of course, gas is really expensive here.

I am looking forward to getting to explore this great country. It is beautiful here.

That is all I can write for now. I will try to explain more later and add pictures too!

God Strong

My friend Sara Horn has written a new book called "God Strong: A Military Wife's Spiritual Survival Guide" She is a really good writer and this book helps put into perspective whose strength we can rely on in this military life.

We are expected to deal with separations, deployments, PCS moves, etc... If we try to take all this on ourselves we will very quickly become overwhelmed. GOD never meant for us to rely on ourselves. It is my His strength that we can endure and enjoy the blessings along with the struggles.

I recommend to any military wife to check out this book. It is available on Amazon.com and if it isn't already it will be available in bookstores February 15th. Please check it out! You will not be disappointed!

Running

I decided I needed a stress relieving outlet. Well my sister in-law Katherine is currently doing this program C25K which is a 9 week running/walking program designed to have you being able to run a 5k at the end. I have been doing it with her for about 2 weeks now. I have been improving each time I go but I am horribly out of shape. My goal is not a 5k but I do want to be able to get into shape and also go running with Phil. I probably won't be able to keep up with him but it would be nice to try.

My knees, ankles, and shins hurt. All that aside though I do enjoy running. I think it is knowing that I have exerted energy in a positive way and also having someone to do it with. Plus it has allowed me and the kids to spend more time with Clayton, Katherine and kids.

Breather

Wow it has been a while since I have been on here. Let's see Phil has graduated bootcamp and is now stationed in Germany. I have packed the whole house and we have done the paperwork even fixing some over and over. We are hoping to get over there soon. Of course since it is a government operation nothing goes the way you want it to. I really want to get over there soon so we can start getting adjusted and also spend as much time with Phil as possible before the upcoming deployment. I am starting to get used to the "hurry up and wait" game. It is improving my patience. I will just be happy to get out of being surrounded by boxes. Oh well, for now I will go back to waiting.

I am a person who thinks alot, perhaps too much sometimes. I know that Satan has taken the opportunity on several ocassions to put doubt and fear in my head. I know that God is in control and he is watching over me and my family. I wish I was a stronger person to deal with things. I know that the direction we are going in is right but I feel overwhelmed. I sometimes feel that maybe we should just play it safe and we will be ok. I don't know what God has in store for me and my family, but I know the man I married and we will never take the "safe" road. I have a feeling that I could get so much more out of life if I just relied on God and let Him take full control of everything in my life.

I feel so overwhelmed, confused, and just lost. I know it sounds weird but it is hard to think clearly sometimes. The worst part is that I don't think I can talk to anyone and tell them everything I feel. I try to pray but that is hard too. I don't know, hopefully one of these days it will get better.

School

Well tomorrow is registration day!! My son will be in 1st grade! How crazy is that?!? I am hoping that he has a good teacher. I know he will learn a whole lot. It is amazing to me how quickly he is growing. He is a lot like his father. He is very smart. It amazes me how much he knows and how his mind works. If he doesn't let things frustrate him, he is going to be an excellent student. Just hope that I can be the parent he needs to help him in whatever he needs.

My mom is coming to registration tomorrow morning. I am happy she wants to be involved. She is not around a whole lot so I am happy she wants to be involved. Here's hoping for a good day tomorrow. 1st grade here we come!

Been a while

Wow I didn't realize how long it had been since I have posted here.

Well lets see what all has happened... Trip to Mexico, Phil leaving, school about to start. Life just keeps going on and on.

I will begin with the Mexico trip. I have a lot of regrets from this trip. I wish I would have gotten more involved with the people and not worried about the language barrier. I wish I would have prepared myself better for all that I would encounter and experience. I realize it was my first mission trip and my first trip outside the US but I feel like I could have done so much more.

It was great to experience the culture a little and see the scenery. It is a beautiful country. Of course if I ever go again I will be more prepared. Hindsight is 20/20.

Now Phil is gone. This time is much different than the last. The kids understand more and I know where he is now. I am hoping that once school starts and we get on a good schedule that we will be too busy to think about him too much. I know the time will pass quickly too. I also know that we are moving when this part is done so I think that is what makes it hard as well. I know this is not an impossible life and countless others are doing it right now. It is very hard.

I am hoping to find a distraction to keep me from losing my mind. We shall see....

My mind is so full right now. I am about to go on a trip out of the country. What am I thinking? Do I really need to be going on this trip now?? My husband is leaving and will not be returning. We will be moving to his next duty station when he finishes his training. He is working his last few days at his current job and then he will be unemployed until he leaves for training. It's like in the back of my mind I know that God is in control but right now my mind is working overtime. It is taking its toll physically too with weariness and migraines almost daily. I want it all to just slow down.

Family Fun

Yesterday I took the kids to Kings Mountain State Park. We went to see my aunt and uncle who live in Key West. Then I found out that my other Aunt and Uncle who live in Indiana came too. I got to meet my cousin Vinny for the first time, and yes, that is his real name. He is a cutie!! If I knew how to post pics on this thing I would show you. I will figure that out later. We had a picnic first and played on the playground. Then we went to the Living History Farm. It was a good time but you could definitely tell with a 20 month old, a 2 yr old , a 4 year old and 3 five year olds that had not had a nap it was definitely a shortened trip. I am really happy that we got to spend time together. We hardly ever get to see each other so it is nice to enjoy our time together. Well that is about all for now. I will try to write more later.

Starters

OK, so I am new at this whole blogging thing but I thought I would give it a whirl. It might help me to get my thoughts out. Don't hold it against me if you read it and it sounds stupid.

My mind has been going nuts lately. There are a lot of things going on right now. I am about to go on my first mission trip in a few weeks. I am very excited but anxious at the same time. It is going to be quite an adventure. I know there will be things that I will not like and things that will not be so appealing. I also know that God is going to show me things that I could never imagine. I know we will be a blessing to those we are going to help but I also know God has blessing for those sent. I am excited to see what happens.

On another note, my husband is leaving at the end of July to start his Active Duty career in the Army. This is going to be a big change for our family. We have lived in the Spartanburg area for the past 6 1/2 years. Neither my husband or I stayed in one place for very long so this new adventure will fit right into our "Adapt and Overcome" motto. He will be gone for about six months. We have been through one deployment that lasted longer but that doesn't necessarily mean that this will be easier. I think it will just be different.

I have also noticed how this is affecting our extended family members. Most are supportive in that "We Love you no matter what, and the We will pray for you." Don't get me wrong I am a firm believer in prayer. I just think some people tend to use it more as a cliche like they know it is a good thing to say in a situation where you don't know what to say. I love my family and am very blessed to have them. I have also noticed the walls going up on both sides so we don't get hurt when we have to leave. I think this is somewhat normal but I also think we could have so much more quality time together if we would realize it is coming but we are not gone yet. Sometimes it is easier said then done but I think it will really help our relationships in the long run.

Well my mind has plenty more that can be written down but I think this is good for now.