Posted in Somethin to Praise or Pray About

Truthfully, not much change.  There have been small half-steps forward, with long waits between them. 

Grammy, however, is doing wonderfully.  Praise God!!!!

Thank you for praying!

beck

Posted in Somethin to Praise or Pray About

Oh, my...

We've gone from living in Germany, to living out of suitcases in a tiny one-bedroom apartment in the US within one day!  ...

We're on emergency leave back to family.  My dear hubbyman's mother is in critical condition in a hospital in Tulsa, OK, and isn't improving.  It's been two full weeks that she's been treated there, and her body just seems to be giving up.  Please pray for Phyllis, for her health and for her salvation.  Dh's Dad, Jim, is also unsaved, and rejects anything having to do with Christ, so please pray for him.  He is in great denial as to her condition and tells others that "she is fine."

Pray for our family of six as we make a bit of a home here for a while.  We've been here almost two weeks now, and will be staying one extra week, due to a new development.

Hubbyman's dear Grammy is 75 and has been pushing herself WAY too hard these past few weeks to care for her daughter, Phyllis.  She is also asthmatic and has apparently worn her immune system down enough to send her into a severe asthma attack and pneumonia, which she is now hospitalized for.  Please pray that she will recover well through this.  She does know the Lord.  (Praise God!!!)

thank you all,

beck

Posted in Somethin to Praise or Pray About

oh, yeah...

WOOHOO!!!!  HE'S HOME!!!!!!

Yeah, I think that covered it.  He finally came home Saturday evening, and thankfully, the children still knew nothing about it.  I was able to pull off a total surprise for them, and they LOVED it!!!!  (so did I!!!)  He's got some paperwork to do, stuff to turn in, and then he's OURS for nearly a month!!!!  Sigh....normal again.

Thank you for all your prayers.  Keep praying for our soldiers, though...there are Soldiers, Airmen, Marines and Seamen in harm's way all around the world, in places you'd not want to be in your wildest dreams or worst nightmares.  They're away from their families and they need the prayer!

Hugs to all,

beck

Posted in Somethin to Praise or Pray About

...could they COUNT?????

120 days = 120 days, even in the worst schools in the world.

Not here. 

Here, 120 days can equal anything up to and including 150 days or more.

What am I trying to say, you ask?  I'm wanting to   and    and   some more.  Translation: No, hubbyman is not home.  And there's no inkling of an idea when he WILL be home.

However, when he does come home, he'll walk into a relatively organized home, with a cleaned kitchen (my constant goal and something that bothers him) and a huge welcome home sign on the outside of the house.  He'll see that the children are well-fed and well-clothed, and that the basics have not changed.  We are as ready as we can be, just missing one important ingredient...the hubbyman and daddy of the home. 

Come home soon!

b

Posted in Somethin to Praise or Pray About

I had a great day!

It was a beautiful day in the country, today!  And I got to spend it with some good friends doing what we have in common...shopping for goodies! 

Loaded up the kiddos at 8 o'clock this morning, headed out, and followed a friend who has a bit of a lead foot for about an hour, to a little town called Sohren, which is somewhere in the middle-ish of Germany.  In said Sohren-town, we went to a store called "Kaefer's".  Oh...heaven!  There were more doo-dads and gee-gaws than you could shake TWO sticks at!  More kitchen implements than I could imagine, and THEN I went into the next room.  Crystal, Crystal, Crystal, and lots of porcelain.  WOWSERS!!!!  You name it, at high-end style, and it was there.  Great prices, too!

After not knowing what to pick up, I went outside to the tent.  Where they were having a (no kidding) Crystal Festival!  LOL!  I felt like I was stealing, the prices were so low... Honestly, I really didn't buy that much, two candleholders, a tealight lamp, some ornaments and some bowls for gifts (who could be a DOLLAR per crystal bowl/candleholder?!?!?).  But OH, did I LOOK!!!!!  So many pretties, so many opportunities for my children to break...I figure it'll be some time before I get to keep many pretties out, so I didn't get deep into it....another time, another dollar...LOL!

The day was beautiful, we had lunch together, and drove to a pottery house.  Beautiful things there, too.  Came home with two big coffee mugs.  You know, the size that's nearly a SOUP BOWL?   One says "Mama" and the other "Papa", which is what hubbyman and I call each other. 

It was a long, beautiful day, and it was well-enjoyed by everyone.

Thank You, Lord, for a day well-seized!

'night all!

b

Posted in Somethin to Praise or Pray About

....and that would be the sound of me in my familiar surroundings....

It's been six weeks well-spent.  There has, of course, been some stress, but altogether, it was a wonderful visit with all family and friends. 

Flew out of Germany on the 18th, in the WEE hours of the morning.  No problems.  Stayed overnight and flew into OKCity the following day.  Pretty good for a momma traveling alone with 4 children 8 and under, huh?  Only by God's Grace!!!!

We saw my parents (Hi, Mom and Dad!) for several weeks, with the time broken up a bit by other visits.

We saw hubbyman's parents and grandmother (Hi, Mom, Dad, and Grammy!) for several days.

We saw our wonderful friends, in Missouri, and just totally did NOTHING of "real worth" aside from going to church.  We had an adventure into St. Louis with Jerry  driving the majority of the children (ages 13, 11, 8, 6, 4, and 2...that's 6 kids with him!) in the Suburban and Delta and I in my rental with the two babies.  I think we got the better end of the deal...the babies slept!...but don't tell Jerry!!!  And two of the children got carsick (one in each car).  We made it fine to the Magic House/Children's Museum...and that was FABulous!!!!!  From there, we had the grand idea to go out to O'Charleys...because Kids eat free!    (Well, two children's meals per one adult meal purchased)...we had 11 in the party, 10 officially eating, and we paid for three adult meals and one child's meal!  pretty good for a party of 11!!!!  (we tipped WELL, so no stress!)  Then home.  Got to go to a wonderful, family-centered church with them as well, and then decided to stay an extra day...just because!

Back to Mom's, in Oklahoma City, then to Stillwater and Oilton (Hi, Big Kate!).  Left OKC on the 29th (a Wednesday) with intention of flying out of Baltimore on the 31st...Friday.  Got into that airport to find out that there was NO flight out until Monday.  So, I got to stay the weekend with the sweetest lady and her great family!!!  (Hey, Melissa!!!!  HUGS!)  It was just what I needed to relax and be ready to tackle the house and it's STUFF again.  Another "vacation from my vacation", so to speak!  Ya know, people joke about needing that...well, I got two of those!  Thank You, Lord!  That great family just shifted around and made room for my clan and welcomed us in so graciously.  I can't thank them enough!!! 

Also planned in that trip was the Thursday (the 30th) ...a trip with Melissa's wonderful family into Washington DC and a personal tour from someone who's BTDT.  Can you imagine, three moms (a third family joined us...Hi, Christina!) with TWELVE children between them, maneuvering through the DC Metro stations and down streets into the Mall/Tidal Basin area??!?!?!?  It was SO cool!!!!  And it turns out that THAT DAY was the "peak day" for the Cherry Blossoms.  WOWSERS!!! 

It was just beautiful, as was the WorldWarII memorial and the Vietnam Wall.  So sobering, at both places, yet so beautiful a memorial.

And then home to Melissa's from there gave me a lesson in "driving in a really big and really traffic-laden city":  You gotta look for signs WELL AHEAD of your location while you're driving!  An hour's driving and a turn-around got me back where I needed to be and it gave my children the ease of a good long nap after we had walked them probably 10 miles through the day! 

So, we made it back here to Germany, and AAAAHHHHH...I'm so glad to be HOME!!!!

Posted in Somethin to Praise or Pray About

Whew!...as it's been a VERY busy few days here.  But it's SO very awesome to see the Lord's Work! 

...Let me take ya'll back a bit.  You see, I'm a military wife, currently living in Germany.  I've been homesick for the US (and my family and friends) for about the last year and a half, plus.  My  phone bills are proof !   Every time I've brought the idea of traveling back to hubby, the idea has been quickly nixed.  Not ugly-wise, nixed, but there's been some sort of "we can't because of..."   FAST FORWARD, now...Hubby left near the beginning of this year for a shorter term deployment, and he gave me the go-ahead to travel back to visit family.  THAT is where the WOOHOO! comes in...  I fly outta here in less than 3 days!  Saturday's the day and I'm bustin' at the seams to do it. 

Some would call me crazy, flying with four children, from overseas to the US, and then through the US to get to family, but truthfully, I AM crazy!  I'm ready, I'm packed, save for the last of the stuff you can't pack until last minute, and the kids are SO overjoyed to be seeing Grandma and Grandpa!  ...and Grandma and Grandpa are just a LITTLE bit excited...since they haven't seen the children in nearly 3 years. 

So, if you think of the crazy lady with the 4 children, flyin' through the air, sometime on Saturday, please say a little prayer.  I'll be gone a while (6 weeks!) and will hopefully get the chance to check in here...wow...just think...6 weeks of reading ya'll's blogs when I get back!  It'll be like Christmas all over again!!! 

Much love ,

beck

Posted in Somethin to Praise or Pray About

...by the change in template...and maybe you know because you know me off-blog...but we're a military family, and my hubby just left for "The far-away place", as our children call it.  He's safely arrived, and should be back in our home in approximately 4 months, unless the Lord and the Air Force decide otherwise. 

The kids and I are handling it well, so far.  They're good and distracted, and we have a good support network here in Germany, and in the US, and online ;) and all should be well with us for this time.  It'll be a good time of growth in the Lord, a good time of growth for the children, and a great time of extra homeschool!

Off to "do the next thing" as a good friend keeps reminding me to do...love you, Wendy!

hugs to all,

beck