Rosie the Riveter

We Can Do It! 

I fumed all day about how juggling two cars is so hard and I just don't know how  some people have 3 or 5 or 10 cars just lying around. And as we were commiserating together, my friend Erica said "Isn't it great we have two cars to juggle? Some people don't have any car at all." Right.

So thankful we each have a car when Adam is home. So proud that I know how to fix some things myself. (Ok, so it was just the battery that I replaced. But still, I knew just what to do to get my car running again.)

Wishing Adam could come home because this deployment is really bad for my car.

And yes, I did work on the car while wearing a dress.

Google: What Do You Love?

On the bottom of my Google screen, it asked, "What do you love?". I clicked on it.
It offered a search box.
What do I love?
I typed in "adam thomas"

I like the one on the bottom right of the page. I'll get started on that right away.

Oh Google, you just made my day.

Oh Oh, We're NOT Halfway There...

But, I am livin' on a prayer.

I am grateful for my life. I am grateful for my Marine. I love hearing taps on base every night and watching helicopters fly overhead so close I feel I might be able to reach up and touch them. I am thankful for a man that is passionate about his job and for his country. Trillions of dollars in debt or not.

In the words of my longest, bestest friend Sarah who lives five hours away and I hadn't seen since October 2009: "life gets in the way, but I wouldn't have it any other way".

We might not get to see each other often. But we are grateful for the direction our lives have gone.

I really wouldn't have it any other way.
Even if I could wish Adam home, I know this is the right way. The way things are supposed to be for our lives.

I often think of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He prayed to God to take "this cup" from him. (That "cup" being crucifixion), but then he also prayed "Yet not as I will, but as You will." (Matthew 26:39) Jesus showed his humanness, but that he was willing to do whatever God asked of him. Death on a cross and all.

This is my cup and I will gladly drink from it. (SO thankful I am not being asked to die on a cross in order to save all of mankind. SO thankful times infinity that Jesus did.)

Adam used to meet me at this fountain. I had a class in the building right next door. He would get to Longwood just as my class was finishing up. I'd see him from the window and will the minutes on the clock to move faster so my weekend could begin.

And now I will the next six months to move faster so my husband can be home.

Cows and a Field

I spent seven days traveling all over the state of Virginia. I saw family and friends. I had happy and sad reasons for my trip. I have so much to say and sort through. They say you can never go home again, which I find to be very true. But in my moving forward and looking to the future, I think it is always important to remember where you came from. Going back, seeing old friends, seeing parts of Virginia I haven't seen in two, or three, or six years, was a good reminder. Inspiration. Happy memories. Short bursts of quality time with many people I love and miss.

I was booking it down 15 south from Charlottesville to Farmville Monday evening. I got stuck on the two lane road behind a very s l o w driver. Just as I was fuming and thinking "you've got to be kidding me", I came upon a beautiful, golden field of tall grass surrounded by trees, filled with cows. It was as if God made me slow down so I would see it.

In the midst of my trip the Lord gently led me and took care of me. He knew what I needed when I needed it.  Kind words, good company, safe travel, and a beautiful field of bovine.

Dear Husband,

Dear Husband,

I love that while you are in ITALY you spend your time at an IRISH pub. I also love that you wanted your friend to take your picture because you wanted the Roman soldier in the background. You make my heart smile.

Love,

Wife

Yumm....

Today I wore my pink apron with white polka dots. I turned on my iTunes. I whipped out the Kitchenaid mixer. Then I baked. I baked cookies for the first time in well over two years. I danced, and hummed, and baked. And it was soul satisfying. THIS is what I meant when I said I wanted time to do the things I enjoy and really get to enjoy them.

Most of the cookies are going to the HMLA-167 Marines who live in the barracks.

But these are all mine:

I'm eating another before dinner

3 Down, 7 to Go...

This month's theme was "Cinema Night". We ate popcorn, drank vintage sodas, and watched an indie film. I so appreciate these girls and their effort to find ways to make deployment positive. I also appreciate their time, their help, and their listening ears. Plus, their kids are so darn cute!

p.s. Look! I learned how to make a watermark for my photos!

1. With much help, I was able to pack up my classroom and close everything out in four days. A whirlwind of a week was met with bittersweet emotions and fond farewells. It has been an intense journey to where I am now. I think I'm still sorting through it all.

2. My four hectic days of cleaning out my classroom were followed by seven relaxing days at White Sulphur Springs in Pennsylvania. Since Adam couldn't come (lame) Jenn and Jackson made the trip with me (awesome).

We enjoyed these views:

Campfire songs and s'mores:

Rocking on the porch:

Shopping for antiques and chocolate and a trip to IKEA on the way home:

I caught up with old friends and made some new ones. It was a great trip with the speaker's theme of Joy. I'm a pretty cheerful person, but Joy was something I needed to think about more as I walk through this deployment and the surrounding messiness that life brings. The only thing that would have made it better is if Adam was there with me. I miss that boy!

3. Now to make the most of the rest of my Summer...a trip home is in the works, time at the beach, and learning Photoshop (it was on sale at Best Buy last week!).