tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35484412713219745402024-03-14T04:45:54.396-07:00five girls the army and mediscovering grace and joy in the trenchesmary katharinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08041897102869588707noreply@blogger.comBlogger313125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548441271321974540.post-10758373983859417702013-01-05T21:32:00.001-08:002013-01-05T21:33:59.904-08:00A Pretty Picture and a New Address
Just a pretty picture I took of some snow on some train tracks! Aren't you glad I shared this? :)
I also wanted to share my new blog address!!! I am working on getting my new blog, Five Am Daily, up and going over on a wordpress sight. I am not finished tweaking it, but I wanted to let you know where you can find me from now on! Hope to see you there ...
xomk
mary katharinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08041897102869588707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548441271321974540.post-26360413061250110432012-10-31T17:42:00.002-07:002012-10-31T17:43:38.568-07:00October
Where has this month gone?
We live on Post, therefore Trick or Treating is a pretty big deal. I don't know ... in all honesty, Halloween gets on my nerves on so many levels, but ...
These are for my Momma and my Aunt. I miss them and I know they miss their girls. The ones of Patterson in the tree are a hoot!! She really thought she was going to fall ... mary katharinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08041897102869588707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548441271321974540.post-12302989869486217682012-10-18T12:32:00.001-07:002012-10-18T19:30:37.260-07:00The First Step
Yesterday morning I drove my home-schooled 9th grader to Lansing High School so that she could take the PSAT. It was early. I was tired, felt rushed, and I was ever so anxious about leaving her at a school she'd never been to and where she knew no one. All just so she could take a test two years before she actually needed to. She, on the other hand, was calm, smilingmary katharinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08041897102869588707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548441271321974540.post-2275173565948651092012-10-14T20:08:00.000-07:002012-10-22T10:45:42.130-07:00Glorious
It rained constantly yesterday. The rain and the wind took many of the beautiful leaves from the trees and with them covered the ground. The sun came out today and dried the rain from them. By late afternoon a steady flow of children with rakes filled the park across from the The House on Grant.
Yesterday Kate and Olivia took every opportunity to jump and hop and splash in mary katharinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08041897102869588707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548441271321974540.post-74547248820211257772012-10-09T18:07:00.000-07:002012-10-10T11:32:21.744-07:00Crossing the Street
In true FB form, my path has crossed with the friend of a friend in the FB world. And I don't know how I obtained this great blessing, but I am truly thankful for the friendship of another amazing lady. She has encouraged me to pick up my lens again. As many of you might be, I am participating in the #FMSphotoaday photo challenge. I've never done one of these. &mary katharinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08041897102869588707noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548441271321974540.post-55046815054515461042012-10-08T16:31:00.000-07:002012-10-08T16:31:28.783-07:004 Months
Today was our four month anniversary at The House on Grant.
Richard had today off. I, therefore, had the luxury of spending over an hour cleaning out my closet and two chest of drawers and in the end finally, finally having my things organized. You may not think that to be much of a luxury, but to a wife of a previously deployed soldier, it is a luxury that I know very mary katharinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08041897102869588707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548441271321974540.post-70342468843535693352012-10-05T10:25:00.002-07:002012-10-05T10:39:12.318-07:00Where I Need to Be
Today I went with Olivia and her class on the infamous Fire Station Field Trip. Surprisingly none of my five have ever been on one of these! It was a cool morning ... 47 degrees ... so we bundled up. As we stood at the Fire House, I felt Olivia nudging up close to me. My Olivia ... the unexpected pregnancy. The pregnancy at the most inopportune time. The pregnancymary katharinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08041897102869588707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548441271321974540.post-53510317494753249422012-10-02T20:55:00.000-07:002012-10-02T20:56:54.212-07:00Missing the Forrest for the Trees
See the above image? My soldier's the one getting ready to walk down the stairs. I remember thinking that day how it always seems like forever when they are gone, but once they are off that plane it is just over ... just like that. Funny how so quickly it all seems to just come to an end!
Tonight was the first night since his return to us, that he was gone again. Just a mary katharinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08041897102869588707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548441271321974540.post-29145510558136004832012-10-01T19:44:00.000-07:002012-10-01T19:44:15.436-07:00A Glimpse
It is definitely Fall here in Kansas. The days have been nothing short of glorious temperature wise lately, and I have enjoyed every single moment of it.
This is our street.
And this is the girl who will single handedly be responsible for the squirrel's acorn shortage this winter.
To be honest, my favorite thing about Kansas is being outside. The girls love it mary katharinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08041897102869588707noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548441271321974540.post-58774452032364014902012-08-07T14:29:00.001-07:002012-08-07T14:29:07.697-07:00Best Kiss Ever
LTC Richard Benjamin Davenport, my soldier, my greatest friend ... returned to Fort Bliss, TX and to our family on Thursday, 26 July 2012. Many of you have asked me over the course of this deployment, "how do you do it?!" Well, definitely by God's grace! But the hope of that first kiss is probably the second greatest sustainer, no doubt.
Thank you to everyone who has mary katharinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08041897102869588707noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548441271321974540.post-23760569225819143052012-07-17T03:37:00.000-07:002012-07-17T05:30:27.262-07:00Correspondence
taken by my soldier while inside a bunker, COP Charkh, Afghanistan
"I am really really happy to be out of Charkh. All of the Soldiers are too. I am so proud of them. They worked so hard in Charkh patrolling like crazy, getting shot at, lack of sleep, etc etc. It felt so good to arrive last night in Shank. Your prayers meant the world to me." &mary katharinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08041897102869588707noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548441271321974540.post-43685328216746512572012-07-13T19:32:00.001-07:002012-07-13T19:32:09.855-07:00Rainbows
I'm not a young Army Wife.
This is not my first, or my second, or my third or my (you get the picture) deployment. And it doesn't matter. I miss my soldier as much as the next wife. My kids miss their Daddy as much as any kids would. Deployments are hard regardless of who you are and what number this one is for you.
We are nearing the end, and while I mary katharinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08041897102869588707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548441271321974540.post-71505651976065631662012-07-02T18:34:00.002-07:002012-07-02T18:34:57.379-07:00Evenings
The sun seems to rise earlier and set later here Kansas.
Days are long, but they are full.
The kids usually play inside at one of the other's houses during the heat of the day, but in the evenings after dinner they all gather on the sidewalk and have some good ol' fashion fun with Duck, Duck, Goose or Hide and Go Seek. Nothing big, yet absolutely how perfect memories are mary katharinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08041897102869588707noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548441271321974540.post-53424349179322583762012-06-17T20:44:00.001-07:002012-06-17T20:44:29.690-07:00mary katharinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08041897102869588707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548441271321974540.post-19624371576100904652012-06-17T20:43:00.000-07:002012-06-17T20:43:32.496-07:00Humility
Humility.
When I see those smiling faces above, I am once again reminded of how it is only by God's grace that we've survived the last 14 months. I have honestly never been through anything as hard as this time apart from Richard. I am humbled beyond words that God loves the seven of us so much. In all our sinfulness and times of faithlessness, He never wavers in His mary katharinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08041897102869588707noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548441271321974540.post-37289391561096985472012-04-13T18:19:00.001-07:002012-04-13T18:46:38.584-07:00Crazy in Love
You know what's great about a deployment? You are reminded of what it's like to be crazy in love.
The above is a little something I made for my soldier last night before bed.
The below is the front of a Green Beans coffee sleeve that he saved from a COJ (cup of joe) he purchased in Bagram. He wrote a note on the back:).
The next photo is his latest to me.
Hemary katharinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08041897102869588707noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548441271321974540.post-25867720681952363522012-04-11T19:38:00.001-07:002012-04-13T18:22:02.433-07:00A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words (and a good reminder too!)
I know I've posted already tonight, but I had to post again.
Today was hard ... really hard ... for no real outstanding, out of the ordinary reason.
But it was hard nonetheless.
I was literally in tears when a friend messaged me a new photo editing site.
I uploaded some random old photos and instantly felt better.
Just when I feel like the worst failure, God reminds memary katharinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08041897102869588707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548441271321974540.post-10785629019285716132012-04-11T16:14:00.000-07:002012-04-11T18:27:28.868-07:00Still Swinging ...
I have absolutely loved the weather this year! I feel personally blessed by it ... as if God is making it sunny, breezy and 70 just for me. Whatever the reason for the weather, I am thankful. We need the rain to make things grow, but there is nothing like light. Sort of reminds me of all of life ... we all have moments of rain and our faith is certainly strengthened mary katharinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08041897102869588707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548441271321974540.post-26695474369568597002012-03-29T18:37:00.000-07:002012-03-29T18:39:39.083-07:00Who Left the Lights on in the Van?!
This morning I loaded up an Easter Party ready preschooler in a van that had a dead battery.
Yep, someone had left the lights on last night when they went to get something out.
I then unloaded my Easter Party ready preschooler.
Things just sort of went downhill from there.
Life was not glamorous today at all.
And while there are so many sweet and mary katharinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08041897102869588707noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548441271321974540.post-30703386547611287902012-03-25T18:34:00.001-07:002012-03-28T20:10:03.459-07:00Happy Birthday Budrow!
Funny. You know I had thought I'd put together this amazing post for Richard for his birthday. But now that I sit down to compose this post ... all I am is quiet inside.
There is so much I could say, so much I could write ... I even gathered an entire file worth of images to include ...
However, all I really feel like saying is "I love you."
So, Happy Birthday Budrow! I ammary katharinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08041897102869588707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548441271321974540.post-32824604801803236452012-03-18T12:28:00.003-07:002012-03-18T12:28:49.537-07:00Psalm 4
There is such a gift in fellowshipping with others. I know some people who profess to be Christians, yet do not attend church. And I admit, there have been times where I haven't felt all that much like going myself. But today as I sat in church it was one of those times where I realized how blessed I was to have the opportunity to be there. I thought of Richard who mary katharinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08041897102869588707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548441271321974540.post-30086104196417934502012-03-17T16:34:00.002-07:002012-03-17T16:55:14.556-07:00On My Mind
Every morning while I wait for the coffee to finish brewing, I sit on the couch with my phone in hand, only one eye opened and check the latest headlines in the news. This morning I was saddened to see the name of the Army Staff Sergeant who supposedly went on the killing spree in Afghanistan. Saddened because he has a family ... not only a Mom and a Dad, etc., but a wife and two mary katharinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08041897102869588707noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548441271321974540.post-65490102411339209182012-03-15T18:59:00.001-07:002012-03-15T18:59:31.427-07:00Big Girls
I know I post a lot about my little ones, but I have big girls, too!
I love my big girls. They amaze me and it is always through a photograph or a captured image that I realize, "Wow! They're growing up!!"
Hanson Ellis and Parker had parent watch week this week, too.
Six classes down, two more to go! Making progress ...
mary katharinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08041897102869588707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548441271321974540.post-2312788288311663122012-03-14T19:25:00.002-07:002012-03-14T19:26:39.165-07:00He
He will not let me go.
He tugs at my heart.
He brakes my focus on the false.
He wakes me from my slumber and points me to His word.
He reminds me of what is important and corrects me.
He stops me when I am forgetful.
He will not let me rest until I rest in Him.
My joy will not be found elsewhere; in my brokenness He makes me whole.
To Him be the glory.
mary katharinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08041897102869588707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3548441271321974540.post-61176261133430519132012-03-12T18:30:00.002-07:002012-03-12T18:30:40.548-07:00What He Misses
It's Spring Parent Watch Week at dance. Richard was home for this last year ... home preparing to leave at that point. It was nice to have this week arrive. While I miss having him there to see the girls (mostly b/c I know they miss having him there when they see the other Dads walk in ...), I can't help be be reminded of how far we've come and how we are so on the downhill at thismary katharinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08041897102869588707noreply@blogger.com1