•Idaho Native•

Another Appointment

2008-01-14T18:08:00.000-08:00

I had another doctor's appointment today. Nothing new to report. Everything seems to be progressing fine. The results from my ultrasound are good. I guess they didn't find anything out of the ordinary. That's always a relief. I reached 21 weeks today. The next thing I have to do is my glucose test. I'm expecting that to turn out fine but we shall see.

We're Having A...

2008-01-09T16:29:00.000-08:00

Well, we had our 20 week ultrasound on Monday and we found out what we're having. We're having another boy! We're very excited! We were hoping for a boy. Of course, we would have been just as excited if we were having a girl but this was the news we were hoping for. Having another boy evens things out. Now the girls won't outnumber the boys anymore.

The doctor's office called today with the results of the ultrasound. The nurse said everything looked good. That's always a relief to hear. My next appointment is on Monday.

I can't believe I'm already past the halfway mark in my pregnancy. The ultrasound put my due date on May 21st but my official due date is still May 26th which is Memorial Day. I'm expecting the baby to come before my due date just because that is my history. So, a little over 4 months to go. He'll be here before we know it!

Happy Birthday!

2007-12-29T21:53:00.000-08:00

Happy 4th Birthday to my baby girl! Love you lots!

My Rant For the Day

2007-10-24T19:41:00.000-07:00

I was watching The O'Reilly Factor tonight and he did a segment to promote his new book "Kids Are Americans Too". I haven't read his book but I am more interested in it now that I saw this segment on his show. He sent a reporter out to the streets of New York and he asked teenagers questions like "Why is it great to be an American?" and "Why is America great?" I don't remember if that is exactly how the questions were worded but they were along those lines. Hardly any of the teenagers could answer the questions. The reporter approached two teenage boys and asked one of them if he would ever serve in our military. His answer: "Hell no! What have they ever done for me?" My mouth literally fell open. I couldn't believe he actually said that. What has our military ever done for him? It only gave him all the freedoms that he enjoys today. It has only protected us from our enemies over the years.

I guess I shouldn't be too shocked that those teenagers couldn't answer simple questions about why our country is so great. Our public school system spends so much time teaching self-esteem and sex education that it forgets to teach history and civics. So many kids today have this attitude that everything is owed to them and they don't need to respect anyone. I know that not all teenagers are like that and many know why our country is great but it just made me sick to know that so many in this younger generation don't respect their elders or our country and it's history. They don't understand how great our freedoms are or what it took and still takes for us to enjoy those freedoms. It was frustrating to watch these kids and I pray for our country's future.

Happy Birthday!

2007-10-05T19:03:00.001-07:00

Happy 31st birthday to my wonderful husband, Stephen! I hope it's been a good day for you and that you have a great year ahead of you. I love you very much! :)

Big News!

2007-09-24T15:26:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I don't even know if anyone still checks my blog on a regular basis since it's been two months since I last posted but I thought this bit of news was blog worthy. We're expecting another baby! We found out a week ago and I went to the doctor today and got it officially confirmed. I'm five weeks along and my due date is May 26th. We're very excited but also feeling a bit overwhelmed at the thought of having 4 kids. But we know we'll be okay and God will take care of us. I just hope he grants me enough patience. :)

I'm going to try to blog more regularly now. It was a very busy summer with my family visiting from India and the last few weeks have been busy with getting back into the routine of school. I'm homeschooling again this year. Our oldest daughter is in 1st grade, our second daughter is in preschool and I'm busy trying to keep our son occupied during school hours. It's a lot to handle but I know it's worth it. Now, we're adding another baby to the mix. Ahhh! It's all good though.

Hope all of you out there are doing well.

Happy Anniversary!

2007-07-24T14:46:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary to my hubby of 8 years! Wow! Part of me still can't believe that Stephen and I have been married that long and another part of me feels like we've already been married for a lifetime. I can't even imagine what it feels like when you've been married for as long as our parents have been (almost 29 years for my parents and 35 for Stephen's).

We've had our share of ups and downs but mostly ups. We rarely argue and I am so thankful for that. We have 3 beautiful children together, 2 of which caused us great stress when they were born prematurely. We have been through deaths in the family and a heart attack that almost took my dad from us over 4 1/2 years ago. But it's situations like those that have caused us to grow closer to each other and have made us stronger. We've seen each other at our weakest and most vulnerable states and we've cried on each other's shoulders. We've also experienced the happiest times of our lives together. We've traveled the world together sharing our faith with others.

The most important part of our marriage is its foundation. Christ is the center of our marriage. Without Him we would be like so many others. We're still learning new things about each other but we know each other better than anyone else does except for God. I look forward to this 8th year of marriage and I pray that we will have many more to come.

I love you Stephen!

Btw, the traditional gift for the 8th anniversary is bronze or pottery. Just thought you might like to know. ;)

Happy 4th of July!

2007-07-04T10:01:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th to everyone. Hope you all have a fun and safe holiday. We have a busy day ahead of us. Barbecues, fireworks and all kinds of fun things!

Jeff didn't get enough time off to make it home. We're all bummed again. He is planning on using up his saved leave to come visit sometime in August. Hopefully, that will work out.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a great day!

Really Bummed

2007-06-30T11:35:00.000-07:00

Remember that in my last post I was really excited because Jeff was going to Hawaii and he thought that the chance of him going to Iraq was smaller? Remember that? Scroll down and read it if you don't. Anyway, that is not the case. Shortly after getting to Hawaii he found out they are sending him to Iraq in February. I have not heard from him since he got there but he did call my parents to let them know. We're all really disappointed. Obviously, February is still a ways off and a lot can change between now and then. He will get to spend about 3 weeks here with us for Christmas so I am very happy about that. But I would definitely trade spending time with him at Christmas if it meant that he didn't have to go to Iraq. What can I do though? He knew this was a possibility when he signed up. We all did. I think he is accepting it more readily than the rest of us though. Oh well. I know he is in God's hands.

By the way, my family is now here back from India for the next couple of months. It looks like this summer is going to be a busy one.

Aloha Jeff

2007-06-19T09:08:00.000-07:00

My brother, Jeff, got his orders last week for where he is supposed to report to when he graduates from SOI at Camp Pendleton next week. He is going to Hawaii! How cool is that?! I know he is really glad that he is going there and so are the rest of all of us. He didn't really think that he was going to get sent to Iraq but there was always that possibility. There still is a small possibility but the chances are smaller now.

Now, Stephen and I are talking that we will eventually have to plan some kind of trip there to visit him. Jeff says that he will most likely be stationed out of Hawaii for his whole 4 years. I guess it will be his home base or whatever they call it. Anyway, we've always wanted to go so maybe we'll be able to sometime in the next couple of years. Our 10th wedding anniversary is coming up in 2 years so maybe we'll be able to plan something around that if Jeff is still there.

Well, anyway, Jeff graduates from SOI in a week from today and then he's off to Hawaii that same day. He's hoping to get liberty around the 4th of July and he's going to try and come over for at least a few days. Our family is heading back from India in a few days and they will get here on the 25th and will not leave until the 11th of September. Jeff is going to try to get Recruiter's Assistant while he is here so maybe he'll get to be here for a month or so. That would be really cool because then we wouldn't all be trying to squeeze in all of our time with him in a few short days and we'd all get to spend a lot more time with him. We'll see what happens.

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

2007-06-15T16:04:00.000-07:00

I just overheard my 3 year old daughter singing her version of the song "The Itsy Bitsy Spider". This is her revised edition:

"The ditsy, ditsy spider la da da da da spout."

And repeat over and over again.

Pretty Sad

2007-06-08T16:06:00.000-07:00

I was just thinking how sad it is that I got excited about only paying $2.94 for gas today at Costco. And yes, I was at Costco again.

Wondering...

2007-05-21T18:06:00.000-07:00

I'm just wondering if being told by the Costco greeter/card checker at the door that she doesn't need to see our membership card means that we go there too much.

A Proud Big Sis

2007-05-02T14:26:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not posting sooner but the last couple of weeks have been pretty busy for me. We got back from our California trip over a week ago but my brother was here on his leave from the Marines and my family was here visiting from India for 8 days. Jeff left for Camp Pendleton yesterday and the rest of my family left this morning. I already miss all of them but my parents and the kids are planning on returning in July for a couple of months and Jeff should be done with SOI by the end of June and he thinks he might get some leave around the 4th of July. He is also hoping that he might be able to get Recruiter's Assistant for a little while so he can have more time at home. That will all depend on if he has more training after SOI and when it begins.

Our trip to California began with a 2 1/2 hour flight to LAX (after spending a couple of hours at the airport). H decided that she didn't like flying so well (she was afraid we were going to fall out of the sky) and she cried off and on for the first half of the flight. E got tired and fussy for the last half of the flight and finally fell asleep about 10 minutes before we landed. After we got our rental car we went and visited Stephen's aunt and had lunch with her. Then we met up with my family in Oceanside. It was good to see them after not seeing them for about 4 months.

The next day we went to MCRD San Diego and watched Jeff's company do a moto run. They stopped in front of us and did a chant and then continued on their run. We easily spotted Jeff and I got teary eyed when I saw him. He later told us that he saw our sister Kelly and it was hard for him to control his emotions. He didn't know if we were going to make it to Family Day so it was a nice surprise for him. A couple of hours later we got to watch the ceremony where the recruits are given their Eagle, Globe and Anchor pins and become Marines. I was so proud of Jeff. We all were. After the ceremony was over the Marines were given the next 5 or so hours to spend with their families. We rushed down to the Parade Deck and found Jeff. Mom said that she got first hug since she's Mom but I got the second hug. I can't even begin to describe how happy I was to see him and hug him and how proud I was of what he had just accomplished. The time for visiting went by much too quickly and we had to say goodbye. The next day was the official graduation ceremony. Again, I was so proud to see him standing out there. He had become a real Marine and a man.

We spent the next 2 days at Disneyland. It was extremely crowded and therefore not always that fun but we did enjoy ourselves overall. This trip was a family reunion as well. I got to see an aunt that I hadn't seen in almost 19 years and cousins that I hadn't seen since Stephen and I got married (almost 8 years ago). There were some rough times when the kids were extremely tired and whiny and fussy. E threw his biggest temper tantrum ever during our second day at Disneyland. I don't blame him though; he was exhausted and still suffering from croup which he had before we left. I got sick with a really bad cold while we were there and I'm still kind of recovering from that.

I'll admit that I was kind of worried that Jeff would come out of his boot camp experience changed in not a good way. I was wrong. He has changed in some ways. He's more polite and he's just different in some ways. But he's the same too. He's still my little brother and we were still able to goof around together while he was here. I know that things won't ever be the same for our family but I have to accept the change. I'm not really welcoming it but I think it will be a good change.

In case you get some computer time soon Jeff - Happy 19th Birthday! I love you and I miss you and I am so proud of you!

More Airplane Adventures

2007-04-17T21:23:00.000-07:00

Well, the next new adventure is about to begin. We will leave for California tomorrow morning at o'dark thirty. We have to be at the airport at 4:30 (an ungodly hour if you ask me) so I will have to get up at 2:30 (an even more ungodly hour). We are all very excited! Especially the girls. This will be their first time on an airplane. Luckily, we have a non-stop flight to LAX. The way back will take a little while longer. We still hope to go to Disneyland for a couple of days while we are there. I'm hoping that the weather will be nice while we are there. It would be our luck that it will be rainy and cold while we're there. That always happens whenever we take a vacation. :( I'll post all about our latest adventure when we get back. :)

Back From My Latest Adventure

2007-04-03T14:12:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back. My sister, her kids and I got back yesterday evening around 5:30. That was after a 14 hour drive. We are all very tired but we had a great time.

I arrived into Miami about 7:00 a.m. Thursday morning. I didn't hardly sleep at all on the plane so I was awake almost all night. Erica took me to our hotel so I could shower and clean up and then we took the kids to her friend's house so that she could take me to Miami Ink to get my tattoo. She found out the day before that they are open during the day during the spring break season so that was great for us. We got to the shop after 12:30 (I think) and there was hardly anyone in there. My tattoo artist, Dan, later told us that it was an unusually slow day. I didn't mind because it meant that I got in right away. Anyway, when we got there I showed Lee (one of the tattoo artists) what I wanted and he quoted me his price. Dan was standing there and said he would do it for less because he wanted the work so I went with him. He got set up and then I endured the pain while he did the outline. We took a break and then he did the color. It took over an hour but the time and pain was worth it. I think it is a beautiful tattoo and Dan did an awesome job. He is going to be on the show next season which I believe they are filming now. All of the guys at the shop were great. They hung out with my sister and I and just visited with us while we were there. I had really wanted to meet the main guys on the show but I wasn't able to. I did see Darren Brass when we first got there but he was on the phone and then talking to people and he left before I could say hi. Chris Nunez also came in but he was on the phone for awhile as well. When he was done he stood by me at the counter for a minute and smiled at me while we were both talking to one of the other artists but I guess I was too starstruck or something to say hi to him. Like I said earlier, I really wanted to meet Ami, Garver and even Yoji but it was not meant to be. We did get to meet one of Garver's friends that makes tattoo machines and has been on the show before. It was an awesome experience and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to go there and meet the people in the shop and get a tattoo.

After we left Miami Ink we went down to South Beach and put our feet in the water. It was beautiful there and the water was nice. I, of course, could not swim after getting my tattoo. After awhile we went back to the car and cruised the A1A. How could I not go to Miami and cruise the A1A? We didn't have a ragtop so we just had our windows down. It was so much fun and it was a great time of bonding for my sister and I. She had never been down to that part of South Beach and she had never even been in a tattoo shop let alone seen a tattoo get done so it was a day full of new experiences for her too.

We left town the next day at about 5:30 a.m. We had a pretty uneventful day and made it to Atlanta around 6:00 p.m. We would have made it there sooner but we ran into quite a bit of construction along the way and horrible stop and go traffic outside of Atlanta.

We had planned on just driving to Columbia, Missouri the next day but we decided to go all the way to Kansas City instead. Stephen had called the night before and said that he had talked to my dad and found out that we could probably make it home from Rapid City in one day if we could make it there by the next day. That way we would maybe have time to see Mt. Rushmore. Anyway, we traveled through 5 states that day. Tennessee was the prettiest out of all them. We drove through Nashville and saw Titans Stadium. I got some city driving experience in St. Louis. Erica was busy taking pictures of the Arch and I didn't really know where I was going but we came through okay. We hit heavy wind and some rain on the way to Kansas City.

We left Kansas City by 4:30 a.m. the next day and reached Mt. Rushmore sometime after 2:30. We even stopped at the world famous Wall Drug on the way there. Mt. Rushmore was really cool. We were there for over an hour. I wished that the kids and Stephen could have been there with me but maybe someday we'll be able to take a trip there with the kids when they are old enough to appreciate it. After Mt. Rushmore we went out to dinner and then retired early to our hotel room. We decided that we would try to make it home by the next day but it would all depend on the road conditions in Montana. The weather report that Stephen had given us was that there was a chance of snow throughout the state. At any rate, we knew it was going to be a long day even if the roads were good. We had over 900 miles still to travel.

We left Rapid City around 4:30 and hit heavy fog for about an hour. Erica drove for the first 3 hours and then I took over. I hit some light snow and more heavy fog outside of Billings. I was able to make up some time after Billings and then we hit a very heavy storm before Livingston. By the time we got to the mountain pass before Bozeman the snow was covering the highway and the plows were out. We followed them up the mountain and then they turned around to go back up. I drove very slowly down the mountain because Erica's car didn't have snow tires. They are pretty much just street tires. By the time we got to Bozeman the storm was pretty much over.

We made good time to Butte and got some lunch. We were cruising along again when about 75 miles out of Missoula the car lost power and I pulled over onto the side of the road. Some weird light that the owner's manual didn't even explain the meaning of came on. We finally got the car started again and running fine and determined that we would find a Dodge dealer in Missoula to find out what the problem was. When we got there they told us the problem and said we shouldn't have any more problems on the way home. Erica just needs to get the car in to have something replaced.

We hit another snow storm coming over the 4th of July pass here in Idaho. It was snowing harder here than in Montana but it wasn't sticking to the road too much yet. We got through it fine. As we came over the last mountain overlooking Lake Coeur d'Alene we saw a semi truck loaded with potatoes overturned on the side of the road. We joked that we could have mashed potatoes for dinner and then laughed because we realized that only in Idaho would we see a potato truck overturned.

We made a trip that we were expecting to take at least 5 days in 4 days. We thought that was pretty good considering we had 2 small kids, snowstorms, sightseeing, construction and car problems. It was a wonderful experience that I am so glad that I got to share with my sister. We got to see the country and rock out to my iPod along the way. We are exhausted now and glad to be home but I look forward to my next adventure when Stephen and I take the kids to California in 2 weeks.

I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane

2007-03-28T12:06:00.000-07:00

Well, the day has arrived. I am leaving tonight for Florida. I'm flying first into Seattle and then I am taking an overnight flight to Miami. I don't get there until about 7:00 a.m their time so that's 4:00 a.m. our time. I'm going to be tired. We haven't decided if we're going to hit the road tomorrow or if we'll hang out for the day so my sister can show me the sights. I really would like to get a tattoo at Miami Ink so maybe we'll hang around so I can do that. They're only open from 9:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. on weeknights so it could make for a long night. We'll see.

I'm not exactly looking forward to the long drive back home but I know we will have some fun times too. We're still going to try to make it in 5 days but we'll see how that goes. The reason we are going to try to make in 5 days is because we're strapped for cash and time. My mother-in-law and grandma are watching the kids on the days that Stephen has to work and it would be nice for them not to have to watch the kids anymore than planned and we don't really want Stephen to have to take any time off work since we are going to California later next month. Plus, any extra time on the road means more nights in a hotel which costs more money. Anyway, we'll see what happens.

Please keep us in your prayers. Please pray for health, safety and no car problems. Also, please pray for Stephen who will be playing the role of Mr. Mom while I am gone.

Countdown to Florida!

2007-03-07T13:21:00.000-08:00

A new countdown is on. I'm going to Florida in 3 weeks. I'm really excited about it! The purpose of the trip is to drive across the country back here to Idaho with my sister and her 2 kids because they are moving back. I'm leaving on the evening of Wednesday the 28th and taking an overnight flight from Seattle. I'll get to Miami at about 7:00 a.m. their time and then I'll have a day to rest up and see some sights. We'll leave on Friday the 30th. We're planning on taking 5 days (hopefully) to drive back across the country. I'm excited because I've always wanted to drive across the U.S. It looks like the route that we'll be taking is going to take us through Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana and then of course into Idaho. It will be 5 very long days of driving (especially with a 4 year old and a 2 year old in the car) but it will be good to spend some quality time with my sister. We haven't seen each other since last July.

I wish that I could take our laptop along so that I could blog about our daily adventures while on the road. But, I'll just have to tell all my stories when I get back. Please keep us in your prayers if you think about us. I'm going to be a little nervous about driving that far without Stephen, but I know that God is in control. Plus, my sister joined AAA. :)

Another Letter

2007-03-04T11:35:00.000-08:00

I got another letter from Jeff on Friday. He sounds like he is doing a lot better. He sounds more upbeat. He made it to Pendleton and is doing field training, hikes and sending some rounds down range. He has to do the Crucible in a couple of weeks which I have heard is very tough. He misses his truck and fast food. If you read this Jenny, he wanted me to tell you that the eggs aren't green. He said that you would know what that means. He's going to try to get Recruiter's Assistant so that he can stay here for a month when he gets done with boot camp and before he goes down to Twentynine Palms for Advanced Infintry Training. He also said that he's heard that there is a high chance that he'll get stationed at Okinawa since he is going to be a part of infintry. Before he left he had said that that was one of the places that he wouldn't mind getting stationed. Of course, time will tell where he gets stationed. We are all very excited about our upcoming trip down there. The girls have been telling me that they miss Uncle Jeff. Only 6 1/2 weeks left!

A Letter From Jeff

2007-02-26T18:02:00.000-08:00

I got a letter from my brother on Saturday. He is doing well. He sent it the same day that he called me so there wasn't really anything new. Just pretty much the same things he told me in his phone call. It was still nice to hear from him. His spirits did sound more "up" since his last letter. He mentioned getting over bronchitis and that he had a three mile run on Friday and other physical testing that same day. If he passed those then he was actually supposed to get sent up "north" to Pendleton on Saturday. I thought he was already there but I guess not. He said that up "north" is where the real training begins. He also said that he has heard that up "north" is harder and the DIs (drill instructors) get harder and meaner. But he has also heard that time goes by quicker. I hope for his sake that it does. He has about seven and a half weeks left. I can't wait to see him. I think I'll try to sit down and write him a letter tonight.

Finally

2007-02-22T12:28:00.000-08:00

I know I have been promising for a couple of months to write about our India trip. As time has gone on I have found it harder and harder to sit down and try to express my feelings about the trip. But here goes...

I guess the simplest way to put it is that we had an awesome experience. I feel so blessed that God has allowed me the opportunities that He has for short-term missions trips. Each one has been a different but rewarding and blessed experience. I have also been blessed to be able to experience each trip with Stephen. The trips are spiritually, emotionally and physically exhausting and it is so helpful to have someone that you are close to there with you to share everything with.

Traveling to and from India is long and tiring. Going out and doing the evangelism is hot and tiring. But I still loved it. Experiencing a completely different culture and meeting new people everyday is awesome. One thing I have discovered after traveling to Cuba and to India is that people all over the world are essentially the same. Personalities and characters are the same. And I'm beginning to think that everyone has a twin somewhere in the world. I saw so many people on this trip that either looked like or at least reminded me of someone back here at home or someone that I have met in the past. It's weird.

I'm glad that we were able to stay with my family while we were there. That way I didn't have to experience a third world hotel. They have a nice comfortable house and we felt at home there. It was nice to have home-cooked meals. We did go out to eat at a couple of different Indian restaurants though. I ate some Indian food while we were there but it is a little too spicy for me. One of the Indian men that lives near my parents made a barbecue out of an old rusty barrel and my dad barbecued chicken for us a couple of times while we were there. My parents invited another missionary family that they have gotten to know pretty well over for one of the barbecues. We enjoyed meeting them.

I enjoyed the trips to the markets. We went to a couple of nice stores and we went to some street markets. The biggest market we went to was the Hong Kong Market. It was so crowded and we had to learn to dodge the rickshaws and bicycles but once we learned that I actually kind of enjoyed it. It was like nothing I had ever experienced before. It was quite an adventure. The chicken market was another story. There are live chickens in cages and you go and pick out which chickens you would like to have. They catch them for you and butcher them right there on the spot in front of you. I turned away because I didn't really want to see my dinner being killed. After they cut off the head and feet they stick them in a box until they stop flopping and then they skin them. No plucking off feathers one by one. They just pull of the skin and feathers in a few tugs. It was interesting to say the least. One thing to remember while at the chicken market; don't open your mouth too much or you might get a mouthful of flies. Just a word of warning in case you ever visit an Indian chicken market.

Of course while we were there I missed our children greatly. I couldn't wait to get home to them. But since I have been home I have found that I actually miss India. I mostly miss the people but I also just miss India. It's hard to describe what I mean and you might not understand unless you've been there yourself. I don't miss Kolkata and I would love it if we could avoid that city on our travels but we can't. I wasn't too fond of Kolkata. The people there were generally more rude and it is so crowded and I just always felt like we were in a herd of cattle everywhere we went. We also had a couple of stressful situations while we were there on our return trip. Oh well.

Like I said earlier, we had an awesome time. We hope to go back next fall and we might take one or all of our children. We're still praying about that. It would be very difficult but it is also very difficult to leave them here and be gone from them for 2 weeks. We'll see what God has in store for us.

A Call From Jeff

2007-02-21T22:04:00.000-08:00

Tonight, while we were at Youth Group, my brother Jeff called. We had finished the study and my phone rang. I could not get to the phone in time and so I checked who called me. I saw that I had 5 missed calls and they were from a 619 area code. I didn't recognize the number. Then, Stephen's phone starting ringing but I couldn't find the phone in time to answer it. When I found his phone I discovered that it was the same number and he had 3 missed calls. It seemed strange that somebody with a number I didn't recognize was calling both of our phones so many times. Then, my phone started to ring again. This time I answered it and I was so surprised to hear my brother's voice. He said that they were given special privileges to make a phone call but he couldn't talk long. I asked him if things are getting any better. He said that they are a little bit. I asked him how his knee is doing (in his last letter he had said that his knee had been hurting) and he said that it was doing better but he is now getting over bronchitis. I feel bad for him because I am sure it is very tough to be battling that while going through grueling training. I also asked him how he is doing spiritually and he said that his faith is very strong right now. I was very glad to hear that. He also said that he sent me a letter today so I should receive that in the next few days and I'll post any updates that I get.

I was so happy to get to talk to my brother, and I'm sure it was a relief to him when I finally answered my phone. Please continue to pray for him that he will have the strength to endure the training and that his faith will stay strong. Please also pray that his body will be healed quickly. I will let you know when I hear more.

No News Is Good News

2007-02-20T22:30:00.000-08:00

For those of you who have been wondering I haven't heard from Jeff for a couple of weeks now. I did receive a couple of letters about 2 1/2 weeks ago. He seemed to be doing as well as can be expected for someone going through the first few weeks of boot camp and knowing that it was only going to get worse. I was glad to know that he had been going to chapel since he had been there. He said that during the first service he went to that 25-30 guys out of a company of 250 men accepted Christ as their Savior. That was awesome news to hear. I have written him a couple of times and I eagerly check the mail everyday hoping that I will hear some news from him. Right now my feeling is no news is good news. I will let you all know when I hear from him.

We are all anxiously awaiting our trip to California in April to see Jeff graduate from boot camp. We decided that we're going to fly down there with the kids, attend Jeff's graduation and then spend a few days visiting family and possibly going to Disneyland. The girls are very excited about flying on an airplane for the first time. Stephen and I are not as excited about flying with 3 toddlers but that option looked better than spending 2 1/2 days in the car each way with them.

Stay tuned for news about Jeff...

Time of Change

2007-01-27T22:06:00.000-08:00

I know. I know. I promised that I would write about our trip to India. I still plan to. I just haven't been in much of a blogging mood lately. I guess I've been on a blogging vacation. I'm not blogging about our trip right now though. I'm going to share what has been on my mind the most this week.

My brother, Jeff, has been on my mind the most this week. He left for Marine Corps Boot Camp on Monday afternoon. Our oldest daughter and I took him to a hotel by the airport on Sunday. For some reason the Corps makes all recruits stay there the night before they leave. It was very hard for me to leave him there. Since our family left for India I guess I assumed a little more of the "mom" role. I don't know if he felt that way but I know I did. He spent a lot more time at our house once our family left. He would come over and have pizza with us and play 360 with Stephen for hours or we would just sit and talk for hours. I even made him home-cooked meals a few times.

I hate change. I have experienced a lot of change in the last 6 months. First, my sister moved to Florida in August. Then my family left for India in October and now my brother is at Camp Pendleton for 13 weeks. Nothing is the same as it used to be and that is very hard for me. Our family has always been very close and now we're spread out all over the globe. There's a good chance that my brother will get sent to Iraq or someplace like that and that is very hard to even think about. He's my little brother and I just want to take care of him. And now he's off experiencing boot camp and becoming a soldier. Things will never be the same and I know that he will never be the same. He will be a grown man the next time I see him.

I'll admit that I broke down as soon as he was out of sight in the hotel. He's my baby brother. I don't want him to be put in harm's way. I don't want him to go to boot camp and have drill instructors screaming at him all day long. I know why they do it but I don't want someone breaking my brother down.

I miss him dearly already. I realize that I sound selfish. I want him here with me but I need to let him go and let him go out and experience the things he wants to experience in life. I am anxious for the end of April though. That's when he will graduate and Stephen and I are hoping to be able to go down to San Diego for his graduation. And I will get to watch my brother with pride as he becomes a Marine.

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

2006-12-29T22:00:00.000-08:00

Happy 3rd birthday to my beautiful baby girl! It's hard to believe she has already been in our lives for three years. Wow!

I know some of you have probably been wondering where I have been since we returned from India. I've been very busy getting ready for Christmas and just getting caught up around the house. I promise I will post soon about the rest of the trip. I hope you all had a very merry Christmas.