Road Trip Recap

Richard's last visit home was completely unexpected.  He found some extra time and decided to take advantage of it.  And in going with his "you only live once" frame of mind, I decided it was a super idea to pick him up late Thursday night from the airport, drive an hour home, try to put hyped up, but overly exhausted girls to bed only to wake up early and get all of us ready to leave the house by 7  so we could drive 3 hours to attend a homeschool field trip.  (For those of you who do not homeschool, having the whole family exit the house at this hour of the day is almost unheard of ... and for those of you who do know us, it is just short of impossible:), but we made it!)

We went to Westville, which is a living History Museum.  Westville is a really neat place, but evidence of a weak economy were all around.  Many things were not open and many activities were not being conducted.  I even heard one of the workers standing in line comment on how there used to be 30+ employees, and now there were only 13.  Sad!  However, it was nice to get out and do something and show the girls a bit of history past.  One thing I enjoy so much about teaching in general is just seeing the learning taking place in the eyes of the student.  I love it when the girl's furrow their brow and you just know their little minds are a workin'.  I love seeing them concentrate. I love seeing them giggle unexpectedly. And I love seeing them working together.  Sweet moments indeed.  

And when we were all hot and sweaty and ready to go home, I somehow managed to get Richard to drive us over to where it all began for us.

Richard was in IOBC (the Infantry Officer's Basic Course) when we first started dating.  Oh, how I adored that post!  The beautiful white quarters ... hearing taps as he walked me down the street at night ... And while our first duty stationed married was Fort Bragg (as his first assignment was with the 82nd Airborne Division), we moved to Fort Benning the Christmas before I had Hanson Ellis.

(note, this was not our house ...)

I'll never forget sitting in the Housing Office waiting to see if we were going to get housing.  Momma had driven over from Tuscaloosa to help us move in.  When we not only found out that we were getting housing, but that our house (duplex) would be located here on Blessing Street, Momma and I both squealed!  I'm sure the lady at Housing thought we were absolutely out of our minds.  No one is ever that excited about housing!  But it was our first house and where our first child would be born and how amazing to have the street named what it was!  What a great reminder it was then and what a great reminder it was a couple of weeks ago.  Life is such a gift and a blessing. Richard and I have had some crazy moments, and by the world's standards we should have never made it this far. Yet God has been so gracious to us and He is bigger than the world's standards:).  Life isn't perfect and looking back, yeah, we could have made some better decisions.  But you know, when I drove down that street and we stopped in front of 105 ... I could hardly swallow.  How humbled I was at the lifetime of memories I already have crammed into just a few years!  Thank goodness Richard was in the van and brought in a little humor of "hey, what do you know, after 13 years our house is still the only one without grass!"  :) I needed to go back to that street and see that duplex.  I wanted to show Hanson Ellis where her first house was.  I wanted to show her that post and that house with her Daddy with us, as a family.  It is good to remember ... to be reminded.  It is good to share your history with your children ... to pass along a little more of who you were and who they are.  It is important, I think, to show your children the joy you have in you life ... past, present and future.  I think little "5 minutes" like this are more powerful than we can ever imagine them to be.  I think we did more than reflect on that little stop.  I think we planted a seed in each of our girl's lives.  I look forward to hearing their reflections on our reflections on this trip down memory lane to Blessing Street.

I am so thankful we made that trip.  I am so thankful Richard came home one more time.  That day wore us out!  But I guess everyday does that:), and I am thankful that God is teaching me the cost value of endurance a little more everyday.

Praise Him from whom all blessings flow ...

The Creek

july 2011

We have a creek in our backyard.  Well, sort of in our backyard.  You have to go through our backyard to get to it ... does that count? :)

The girls LOVE going here.  We decided to take their cousins this past weekend on our little mini hike.  It was just before the rain came, so it was pretty much dried up, but everyone had a great time all the same.  (you'll even notice Ellie the cat pretending she's a mountain lion below!!)

It's moments like these that make me so happy to have my camera.  The girls are going to have a flood of memories one day when they look back on these images.  The thought of that gives me a smile now and I know I'll have one to look forward to as well!  

Bounce Back Weekend

(this is the photo before everyone thought I was taking the photo.  love the truthfulness of this!!)

Several years ago a chain of hotels used to advertise "Bounce Back Weekends."  Do any of you remember these?  I don't remember all of the details but the basic idea was to take a mini break just for the weekend by staying at a local or semi local hotel.  I believe it was around $99 for a two night stay, basically saying, "Hey for under one hundred dollars you can take a break and 'bounce back' to your motivated self come Monday."

This weekend has sort of been like a Bounce Back weekend for us here at 57.  My brother and his family had already planned to come over and celebrate Olivia's birthday and watch the opening game of the season with us, and then when Richard got an opportunity to come home, it just made it all the better.

I have laughed so hard and so much this weekend!  The Bible says "A cheerful heart is good medicine." (Proverbs 17.22a)  Yes, it is.  My motivation level has skyrocketed this weekend and I'm looking forward to more weekends like this one to come.  It is so nice to be able to spend a weekend with family without the exhaustion of distance.  The single reason we are in GA now is because we had lived 11 years being no closer to family than a nine and a half hour drive.  Richard saw the opportunity to get us closer and he took it.  His assignment here was not his favorite at all.  The hour commute was not high up on his list either (especially since the a/c went out in his car).  But he'll tell you that he is so thankful that he chose this assignment for our family.  Getting a chance to develop a deeper relationship with my brother's wife and having the opportunity to allow our children to get to know their cousins and make memories with them has truly been priceless and worth every inconvenience.  I am anxious to be a family again with Richard and to be a part of the military community again, but I am more than content to get a few more months here at 57 before then.  I am going to miss my Sister in Law so much when we do move!  And those sweet boys!! Ummmm ... they are just going to have to come visit us lots.  But for now I'm just going to enjoy the rest of our time here.  And really that won't be too hard to do.  57 seems like home to us and I really have a hard time remembering sometimes that it's not.  Lots of birthdays celebrated in the dining room.  Lots of fun times on the zip line in the backyard.  Pretty neat.

So thankful for a super weekend.  Simple, but super.  Blessings we don't deserve, and that I will not take for granted!

God always more than provides ...
Looking forward to a new week!

Stopping In

Daddy's home and that makes the girls jump for joy! 

Love these moments:).