Vacation

We had a whirlwind trip to Texas this summer. We started our trip off with a Rangers game in Arlington. It was HOT! I mean, sweltering, humid, Texas hot. Our seats were in full sun. At the game Dad was selected to participate in a promotional game during the 7th inning. He was put up on the big screen and answered the question correctly and won a $50 gift card to spend on Ranger stuff at the stadium.

We had plans to go see our good friends the Schrass Family in Wichita Falls. I had a reservation for a small "economy" car from a local agency. Apparently, Texas was hit with a huge hail storm the day before we arrived and they didn't have any economy cars left because they were all missing windshields. My choices were a Ford F-150 OR a Toyota Tacoma extended cab. I went for the Toyota and it was like driving a Mac truck. That thing was HUGE and boy did it suck the gas down! So the kids and I hopped in the TRUCK and headed north to see our good friends. Every time we get together it's as if we picked up right where we left off. We had a great time catching up, swimming and just being together. Thanks for a great visit guys! I also was able to stop by and catch up with another friend, Jen and her beautiful family. It was the first time I was able to meet any of her kiddos. It was great to see you too, Jen!

We headed back to Ft. Worth and anxiously awaited the arrival of my sister and her kids. They got in late one night and they were so excited to see each other. It had been 2 years but they got along so well. All the kids did fantastic. I told my youngest nephew to tell his Daddy they needed to move to CA so we could see them more often. We went swimming, saw a movie, played the Wii and had a great time. Both of my nephews are growing up so quickly and are such sweet boys.

A few days after they arrived it was family reunion time. My grandmother's siblings get together every summer for a reunion. This year my Dad was the lucky one who got to plan and execute this yearly event. "Kinfolk" from near and far converge and play cards, dominoes, and eat. It was good to see some family (most I barely remember) that we hadn't seen in years. A good time was had by all and Grannie was so happy to show off her 4 grand kids and a few of her great-grand kids. Mom and Dad did a great job planning and it went off wonderfully. A few days after the reunion, we headed over to Grannie's where she treated us to her homemade chicken and dumplings. YUM! The kids even helped roll out the dough and cook them.

We went to see my other Grandmother and took her to lunch at Olive Garden. The plan was to eat and then take her to see "Night at the Museum II." We got up to leave the restaurant and she stumbled and couldn't get her balance. I grabbed hold of her to steady her (thankfully) before she fell. We got her to the car but her left leg was dragging. Instead of a movie, mom and she headed to the hospital. Turns out they think she had a mild stroke. Thankfully, no paralysis or slurred speech.. just a "lazy" left leg. She is also still recovering from a mastectomy she had 4 weeks ago. She is feeling well and is doing PT to try and get that leg working again.

The day after that we went fishing and caught lots of fish. Some were small and but the big one got away. We had him landed but the line broke right at the edge of the bank and he flopped back into the pond. A friend loaned us a cane pole and as quick as you'd drop it in, we'd hook a fish. Dad could barely keep up. The kids had a great time. When we got back from fishing I wasn't feeling to well. I ended up with the stomach flu for 2 days. It was lovely. Scott was TDY to Ft. Worth and was able to take a day of leave the last day we were there. He and the kids had a great time while I sat home recovering.

It was fast a furious but we had a great time. Thanks Mom, Dad, and Kel for a great visit. We love you all and miss you all already.

Cherries

My friend Kelly invited us to go cherry picking with her and her kiddos. We had a great time. The weather has been unseasonably "cold" and the weather was perfect! We had a great time and picked tons of cherries. They are yummy!

Scott is TDY again this week so the kids and I are doing all we can to NOT have to cook. So far.. so good.

Only a few more days until we leave for Texas. I can't wait!

Tis' The Season!

Now that summer is here, PCS season is upon us. PCS (Permanent Change of Station) means LOTS of moving to and from bases all over the world. Summers can be happy or sad. Happy if friends are headed your way or sad if they are leaving. Happy if you are PCSing and are excited about your next assignment or sad if you are dreading it.
It's hard to say goodbye when you leave but I think it's much harder being the one left behind.

We went to a cook-out for some friends who are leaving in a few weeks. We will miss them...and all of our friends who are moving this summer.

It's going to be really sad in the next several weeks. I hate goodbyes.

So, to all my "Sisters" who are PCSing and to those staying (Thank God)this summer:

Sisterhood paraphrased by Debby Guisti

I am a military wife- a member of that sisterhood of women who have had the courage to watch their men go into battle, and the strength to survive until their return. Our sorority knows no rank, for we earn our membership with a marriage license, traveling over miles, or over nations to begin a new life with our military husbands.

Within days, we turn a barren, echoing building into a home, and though our quarters are inevitably white-walled and unpapered, we decorate with the treasures of our travels, for we shop the markets of the globe.

Using hammer and nail, we tack our pictures to the walls, and our roots to the floor as firmly as if we had lived there for a lifetime. We hold a family together by the bootstraps, and raise the best of "brats", instilling in them the motto, "Home is togetherness", whether motel, or guest house, apartment or duplex.

As military wives we soon realize that the only good in "Good-bye" is the "Hello again." For as salesmen for freedom, our husbands are often on the road, at sea, or in the sky leaving us behind for a week, a month, or an assignment. During separations we guard the home front, existing until the homecoming.

Unlike our civilian counterparts, we measure time, not by years, but by assignments- married at Knox, a baby at Portsmouth, a special anniversary at Yorktown, a promotion in McDill. We plant trees, and never see them grow tall, work on projects completed long after our departure, and enhance our community for the bettterment of those who come after us. We leave a part of ourselves at every stop.

Through experience, we have learned to pack a suitcase, a car, or hold baggage, and live indefinitely from the contents within; and though our fingers are sore from the patches we have sewn, and the silver we have shined, our hands are always ready to help those around us.

Women at peace, we pray for a world of harmony, for the flag that leads our men into battle, will also blanket them in death. Yet we are an optimistic group, thinking of the good, and forgetting the bad, cherishing yesterday, while anticipating tomorrow.

Never rich by monetary standards, our hearts are overflowing with a wealth of experiences common only to those united by the special tradition of military life. We pass on this legacy to every military bride, welcoming her with outstretched arms, with love and friendship, from one sister to another, sharing in the bounty of our unique fulfilling military way of life."

Memorial Day Weekend

We had an accident at Edwards yesterday. This one coming less than 2 months from the last. One pilot survived, but sadly the other did not.

It's a sobering reminder that what my husband, and many other husbands and wives do, has risks. Hundreds of planes fly every day and we go months and sometimes years without accidents. More often than not planes fly and land safely without incident. But when accidents happen, they are life changing.

Please pray for both the pilots' families and the Edwards community as we mourn another loss.

This Memorial Day weekend, take time to remember the ultimate sacrifice that so many of our military have given in service to our country.