Homeschool to Public School and Back Home Again

I didn’t homeschool all our children for every grade.   Our firstborn began Kindergarten in public school, but within three months, we decided it was going to be easy enough to homeschool her.  And that is what I ended up doing for her K through 2nd grade.

When she was ready for 3rd grade and our next child was ready for Kindergarten, we chose to enroll in public school for a time.  My Army husband was deployed, and I thought it would make my life easier.  It didn’t. 

This particular public school was a good experience.  It was a block from our house, so we walked to and from most days.  The two were in school, and I had a preschooler at home.  Third grade public school buoyed my confidence that I had been doing a great job teaching her at home for the past 3 years (K through 2nd) because she handled her work easily, she scored well on school testing, and was identified as among the top of her class and invited to participate in extracurricular science club.  The school was fantastic.  We had great teachers and a fabulous principal.  The oldest sang in choir, and I volunteered as their accompanist. 

But for the following reasons, I discovered I wanted to homeschool again:

- I dislike packing lunches

- I dislike getting everyone ready for school in the early mornings

- I dislike that my children have homework after being at school all day, especially in grades K and 3.

- We had no time for laid back fun because we also chose to participate in dance and gymnastics after school.

- I dislike mandatory dress-up days at school (crazy hair day, halloween, school spirit day, etc.)

- I dislike the constant barrage of fliers coming home in my child’s backpack

- I dislike fundraisers

- I dislike that my children only had 10-15 minutes to eat their lunches

- I dislike that with our military life and the regular moves it requires, our children would be constantly adjusting to different academic standards in each new school district we moved into.  With homeschool, my student's learning has continuity of education in spite of our moving every few years.

- I prefer to avoid the pressure of dressing my children cute for public school when we can be more laid back with play clothes at homeschool.

- I didn’t like the way my oldest treated her siblings during this time.  Because she was accustomed to spending time with other children her own age, she acted as though playing with her younger sisters was beneath her at times.  This changed for the better when we came back to homeschool where they interacted with each other all day, and at our co-op where she spent time with various ages of children.  My children don’t focus on the ages of their peers as much as they focus on interests in common.

- I didn’t like the negative social influences my daughters picked up from her peers—snarky attitudes toward me and each other, annoying popular culture stupidity and twaddle. 

So, when the Army said it was time to move, I chose to return to homeschooling.  I’ve not regretted it since.

There have been times we have considered public school again, when the school district we moved to had a good reputation and when our child asked us to consider it.  But prayerfully and as a married team, we discussed the pros and cons and were convinced that homeschooling was the choice we still wanted for our children.

In the beginning of our homeschool journey, we took it one year at a time, making the decision on whether we should continue or change course.  At this point, we have one graduate who thrives socially and academically and is college bound.  The other four are learning and growing equally well in this environment, and I have learned an exceptional amount along the way about my children, myself, teaching, and parenting. 

Friendships: One of the Sacrifices of Military Life

With the next Army move just a few months away, I'm already hearing my friends say, "We're going to miss you."  I genuinely appreciate knowing my family and I matter to them, and we will miss the people we're leaving behind.  My response usually is, "we're not gone yet!" because we are still fully invested in our community here until the day we have to leave.  

But it hit me today that there are so many people I have known throughout my life who I love, admire and appreciate, but we are no longer regularly in touch.  Many I am able to keep up with through social media, but that is not at all the same as face to face interaction.  It simply isn't possible to maintain all of the friendships I have made over my lifetime.  I prioritize the effort to maintain contact with our extended family, and beyond that I invest myself in the relationships in the community where I currently live.  Yet when I think about these people from which we've parted ways, I still hold feelings of fondness and I care for them deeply.  I wish I could have all of my favorite people around me wherever we go.  I wish we all had unlimited time and funds to visit one another regularly.

As a result, my heart is spread out all over all the places we've lived, or the places they have moved.  From my first friends in grade school to the beautiful people we spent 9 months of weekends ministering alongside while my husband completed his second seminary degree - every classmate, every church, every military assignment, every homeschool community.  I have met and known so many wonderful people.  If I've known you, I care about you.  My heart is big.  My heart is spread to everywhere.  My heart is sometimes hurting alongside those I know go through great loss even though they're hundreds of miles away.  My heart rejoices with those who celebrate achievements.  But it is hard to be disconnected from the communities where each person belongs.  I'm not there building the friendship any more.  I can't.  

My dream of post-Army life would be to always have old friends come stay with us wherever we retire, reminiscing, and continuing wherever we left off with enjoying one another's company, and whenever we travel, to see some of them along the way.  That may happen with some.

There have been times we've gotten the opportunity to go back and visit communities we've lived and loved.  We often go back to the church where my husband was the minister for 7 years.  But many of the people who were a part of the congregation then have moved away, switched to another church, or passed away.  A year after we moved away from Colorado, we had a chance to visit our old church and some friends.  A year after we moved out of Kentucky, we went to a friend's wedding and saw several people we knew.  But their community changed when we left, and they formed friendships with people we don't know, not excluding us, but making it awkward for us, the now "outsiders" in a way.  So returning for a visit is never exactly the same.  But we certainly treasure those who are still there that we get to see.  

I know we're not the only ones that move away.  Since we've lived in Oklahoma, several non-military families we know have moved for their jobs or to meet the needs of family.  So even in the midst of our stability in one place, our community changes and people leave to other states and countries.  My daughter questioned how I could possibly have over a thousand friends on Facebook.  But I explained that with all the places we've lived and served, they all add up, and I love to try to keep up with them all, at least a little bit.

It makes me sad that many of the people I know in this community someday will fade into the category of "when we lived in Oklahoma".  Our connections to this place will last, and we may be able to visit, but the remainder of our Army career will probably have us living somewhere else, and we don't yet know where retirement will lead us.  I have DEEP appreciation for each person we know here and how they have enhanced my life and the lives of my children and husband.  I'll definitely be upset to leave.

So I accept this hardship of making friends and moving away, but I don't like it.  There are moments I wonder if I even know what it's like to have a truly deep devoted friendship.  I'm the type of person who is interested in getting to know every new person I can.  My thought has been that even if I only have a conversation with you for an hour and never see you again, we can learn something from each other.  I love meeting all kinds of people and getting to know them.

Because of this, I will bravely jump into the arena of finding my new community in our next assignment location.  I need community.  And that will mean my time is invested in building friendships wherever I physically am.  "Make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other's gold" - an old Girl Scout song.  I treasure the golds, and I look forward to meeting the silvers.

The Joy that Lies Ahead

"Oh sure, I'll interrupt my regularly scheduled life and do what it takes to pick up and move my family to an island in the Pacific.  Why not?" - me, sarcastically, right now.

This is the second time in our Army career (my husband's career that I support as his wife) that we have had an unexpected assignment to a dream location on an island in the Pacific.  Our first assignment was to Schofield Barracks, HI in 2006.  We enjoyed 3 years there.  It was beautiful!

So our next assignment will be to Okinawa, Japan.  The people we know who have been there are assuring us that once we get there, we will have the most amazing time due to the beauty of our surroundings, the food, and the adventures of exploring the island and the culture.

But there are hard things.  I know that we will be separated from our oldest child who will stay in the US and attend college.  She does this with our blessing, because it is something she is ready for, and we are happy with the plans she is pursuing.  We have great friends and family who will be close to her to support her in our place.  I know we'll be distant from our parents and siblings and their families, so we won't see them very often for the next three years.  We like our family, so it will be hard, but we'll do our best to keep in touch through video calls and e-mail.  There are many decisions to make, such as whether to sell or store our two vehicles, my piano and all the little items that we own.  We have been doing a lot of mental sorting between what we will ship to Okinawa, what we will store, what we will sell, and what we will give away or discard.  There are a lot of things ahead of us to prepare to go, including medical appointments and lots of learning and a bunch of planning and paperwork.  And I have to do all of this extra stuff all the while managing our homeschool semester, including our three oldests' participation in volleyball for the next 8 weeks, and two of our children's drama rehearsals and performances, and our oldest's graduation and celebrations for that.

I see an analogy to my spiritual life here.  God promises that our eternity with Him will be amazing, with no more mourning, crying or pain, and we will enjoy His presence and a celebration, and we will worship Him in all his glory, see Him face-to face, and enjoy the New Earth which He will create.  With this hope, we press forward in this hard life among difficult work and painful experiences.  With this hope, we also press into Him and nurture our relationship with Him, because He walks with us through our life, good and bad, and He provides us with joy in the journey, even when our circumstances are hard and painful.  But all of the Kingdom work we do will be worth it.

I have already accomplished a lot in our preparation for the move.  We've sold and donated and discarded a number of things we knew we won't need.  I have found three good suitcases for pennies on the dollar at local thrift stores.  We've had appointments with our PCM doctor to update our vaccinations and medical records. 

I struggled pretty badly a couple days ago, overwhelmed by all that needs to be done.  But today, I'm back to being motivated to complete as many projects as I can this week.  Whatever I can get done now will lessen what needs to be done later.  I am confident that it will be worth it.

PCS to Okinawa in our Near Future

"From Okie to Oki"

After 14 1/2 years of Army life, we expect moves to happen every few years, and we knew this one was coming.  We just didn't see this location coming!  We received word this month that Summer 2020, we'll be moving from Oklahoma to Okinawa, Japan!

My first reaction was one of huge surprise, followed by concern, followed by excitement mixed with anxiety.  The way I deal with anxiety is to gather more information.  So for the past two weeks, we've been gathering information.  Here's some of what we have learned so far:

- We're going to have to store or sell our cars, because it's not financially wise to ship a car to Japan.  They drive on the other side of the road, the Japanese inspection process is picky and hard to pass with cars made for America, and we will be able to buy a used vehicle from other military families once we arrive.  This is a huge bummer as my husband has a sporty car he loves (Honda S2000) and has put a lot of time and work into keeping up, and we had expected to own it for years to come.  My van, a 2016 Honda Odyssey, was just purchased a year ago when our old 2006 Odyssey bit the dust.  However, it's a great time to sell an S2000, as demand for this car no longer being produced is rising, and I already have had 5 people express interest in buying our van.

- We are only allowed to bring 25% of the weight allowance for my husband's rank.  Everything we usually move with is always under our weight allowance.  But now we'll need to leave most of our belongings in storage.  The military will give us all the furniture and appliances we need once we arrive and have a house.  So I'm thinking we will bring our own master bed, and a few small bookshelves (because homeschool), but leave all the rest of our furniture in the US in storage.  I'm making mental lists as I look around my house as to whether it will go with us or be put in storage.

- Okinawa is almost tropical!  It sits just a little way north of the Tropic of Cancer, so it's not in the tropic zone, but it's close.  We had been stationed in Hawaii 2006-2009, so we know what that's like.  We hear the heat is a little less bearable in summer because, unlike Hawaii, there aren't the breezes blowing.  Okinawa is humid.  I prefer humidity over dry air, so I expect to enjoy it.  My skin and hair are happier with humidity.

- Three years from now, our children will outgrow many of the things we own.  So unless they are moving with us, I don't intend to store them.  Some of the sizes of winter clothes and outerwear for playing in the snow can be sold/donated.  Also some of our books and toys have already been given away with this move in mind.  If we won't need it in 3 years, I don't want to store it.

- We're going to have to decide whether or not to store or sell some other items, such as our ride-on mower, and our washer and dryer, and even my piano.  We aren't sure they'd still work after 3 years in storage, which isn't required to be climate controlled, so damage and deterioration is possible.  With that in mind, it makes better sense to sell them, and buy replacements when we return.

- Christmas decor is worth bringing, as it is hard to find in Japan.  So my little artificial tree that I was thinking about replacing with a bigger one next year is actually perfect for the next 3 Christmases in Japan where we hear housing is small.  Everything else Christmas I own has already been limited to 2 plastic bins for our last several years.  Still, I'm thinking I'll reduce it to 1 bin to bring, 1 bin to store.

- In general, I'm enjoying the motivation to purge excess belongings.  I've already sold and given away several things, and I'm finding more and more to unload as we go.  I'm working on using up lotions and soaps, cleaners and batteries, and have committed to only buying what we'll use before we move.  I find that if I know a place or a person that can benefit from my donation, I'm more ready to part with it.  Several books went to a Christian school, babyproofing things go to new moms, more books going to a missionary retreat house, some of our toys were re-gifted to nieces and nephews, and our youngests' toddler beds (modified cribs) we'll give to the local pregnancy resource center.  All my gardening supplies went to a friend who already gardens and plans to retire locally.  We've downsized our games to the ones we actually play.

- Given the ages and grades of my children (currently preschool, 1st, 8th and 9th), I will need to bring the curriculum for teaching K through 4th grades and 9th through 12th grades.  I own all of the high school resources already, and some of the elementary books I plan to use.  I can buy curriculum once we get there, because our address will be an APO.  However, shipping takes longer, so I'll have to plan ahead.  I haven't decided if I'll try to bring a few resources in my suitcase to begin our August 2020 school year, in case we're ready to start before our shipment of HHG (household goods) arrives.

- We have already made appointments with our primary care doctors to be sure everything is in order for our overseas screening.

- We'll be given "no fee" military passports which are good to get us to Okinawa, but we'll have to also buy Tourist passports for travel to or through any other country.

- Our oldest child currently plans to stay behind to begin college.  We have dozens of family and friends ready and willing to support her in our absence.  I'm grieving the distance we'll be and the lack of involvement I'll be able to have, but so grateful for others who have offered to help with whatever she needs.

- I'm on the lookout for a good deal on suitcases, possibly from a thrift store, because I expect we'll fly with our allowed 2 per person, which equals 12 suitcases.  We own 2 full-sized suitcases, and the other 5 are small.  We'll want to bring as much as we can because it will be 1-2 months before we have a house and our belongings.

- I'm also on the lookout for a new ball gown, because Army balls are a thing, and I need a new one, and I'm not sure I'll find what I need in Japan.  And a friend advised me to be sure I have shoes that are easy to slip on and off, because Japanese custom is to remove your shoes before entering a building.

I was talking with someone a few days ago, and she said, "It sounds like you're in upheaval".  That's a great word.  Lots of stuff needs to be sorted, and many plans need to be made.  But I know the next steps to take, and I've moved enough times that I am at peace.  I know that stuff is just stuff, we'll get everything prepared as best we can, and we'll enjoy Okinawa when we get there, so it will all be worth it.

I Could Never Do That! - Homeschool Edition

I hear it all the time when people find out that I homeschool our children.  Five children, to be exact.  And yes, we even homeschool through high school.  People say they could never do it themselves.  

My response?  Yes you could, if you believed it was best for your children, or for your family.  

I’m really an ordinary person.  I attended public school from Kindergarten through 12^th grade, and graduated.  I have a college degree, a B.A. in Music Ministry.  I have no desire to get any further degrees.  But I love learning!  I’m naturally curious about everything.  And through homeschooling my children, I have learned SO MUCH!  Some of it I had forgotten, some I never learned in the first place, and some I just didn’t have the context to really understand it like I do now.  It is very enriching.  Homeschooling has exposed me and my children to some high quality books on history, science, cultures, biographies, as well as innovative approaches to learning how to write well and to understand math.  I’m grateful for the opportunity my children have had to learn from these resources.  You see, ordinary me enjoying extraordinary resources with my children!

Often the reason my “never” conversational companion states for homeschooling just not being an option is they would butt heads with their child(ren).  Yep.  I do.  I recently took a simple enneagram quiz that pegged me as a 9 “The Peacemaker” or mediator.  Peacemakers struggle when there’s conflict in their environment.  Guess what?  There’s conflict in our home environment multiple times a day because there are five siblings!  I butt heads with my children.  I redirect, correct, admonish, urge, plead, remind, coerce, whatever it takes for us to accomplish what I believe we need to accomplish in a day.  

We will learn, we will complete today’s work.  Then we may relax.  That is, until I give you a chore.  After that, you can relax.  But limit your screen time.  In fact, go outside and play.

Truth be told, butting heads is part of parenting.  They don’t want to do things.  As their teacher and mother, it’s my job to set those expectations.  There are certain things which I perceive will prepare them for successful adulthood.  

When we butt heads, since we have to live with each other, we work out our issues and maintain the mother-child relationship.  It’s not easy.  Motherhood is a tough job.  I am a better person because learning to relate to each of my children well develops my character.

There are scores of reasons why I believe homeschooling is the best thing for our family.  

- I treasure the opportunity to really know my children well as they learn and grow

- I love that we learn from the Bible together daily.

- When we’re done with our schoolwork for the day, we’re done.  No homework for the evening.  My children have time to play, explore, read about things they’re interested in, and create without being overscheduled.

- As a military family, our children would have had to adjust to a new school every 6 months to 4 years.  Because state standards vary all over our country, and even the standards among the districts in each community vary, my children would either be behind or ahead of their grade-peers and have to adjust or suffer accordingly.  We have eliminated that source of stress by carrying our school with us - when we move, our school moves, and my children have educational continuity.

- I know our history is based on the purposes and story of God and the people He loves, and that through studying world history, we can learn lessons to better our future.  Consider this article - https://wallbuilders.com/god-milling-action-american-history/

- Our learning is centered around developing our character.  

- Our learning is not merely for meeting academic standards, but for preparing to serve a purpose of value in whatever community we find ourselves in the future.

Because I see such value in it, I continue.  And as I do, I learn how to do it a little better each year.  When I began, I didn’t know nearly as much as I do now.  Through other homeschool families, books, websites, conferences and curriculum, I have learned a lot.  And I’ve learned the most from working with my five individual children with their various learning styles and preferences and strengths and weaknesses.  Ultimately, the journey of learning from them is what I treasure the most.

  

I Could Never Do That! - Military Life Edition

I hear it all the time.  I meet a civilian, we have enough conversation for them to find out I’m the wife of a soldier, and then they exclaim, “I could never do that!”  I know it’s meant as a compliment.  I say it about women who have served in the military.  I could never do that.  Sometimes I say, “You’re a tougher woman than me!”  I have no desire to be so disciplined about my fitness to be able to keep up with the requirements of the Army.  I’m much happier letting my husband do that.  (When he would describe to me the things he was doing to prepare for a PT test, or a battalion run he was going to have to get up early for, my response is often, “better you than me.”  I have no desire to hold a job that requires me to be physically fit.)

But my other thought when people say they could never be married to a military man is, “I bet you could.”  The reasons I can are many.  I love our story of why.

My husband and I were married for six years when he realized the Army needed chaplains and he wanted to pursue it.  God had prepared me for this exact announcement in 2004.  We were doing ministry at a small church in Illinois with wonderful people that we love.  We happened to be going through “40 Days of Purpose” with our congregation, based on Rick Warren’s book, “The Purpose Driven Life”.  As much as we both loved discipling people in the church and reaching out to the unchurched in our community, we felt God’s call to a different context where more outreach might be possible.  As we asked existing Army chaplains and other soldiers questions about what the job would be like, everything clearly lined up with my husband’s areas of giftedness.  It truly excited us both to see these opportunities.  Because my husband is in a job that God has undoubtedly equipped him for, and because he thrives in this role, I can do this.  I’m blessed by being able to support his ministry.  It brings me joy.

It also brings me joy to be living this adventure.  As a young girl, I learned about myself that I loved to explore, travel, try new things, try all kinds of food, and get to know all kinds of people.  God prepared me for this calling years before I ever met my husband.

Another time people have often told me they could never do what I do is during a deployment.  We have experienced two long deployments in our career so far, and multiple times when he’s been gone for field training exercises, or deployment preparation with his unit at the National Training Center, or gone on temporary duty for training specific to his career path.  I’d estimate out of our 14 years in the Army so far, we’ve been apart over 3 years.  We had two small children when we began, so I know well what it is to manage a home and children alone.  While I haven’t enjoyed having to take on the responsibilities of our family without him, I have been grateful for the growth in me that God shaped in those times.  I truly have become a better mother, more patient and gracious, because I was the only one at home for long stretches of time.  

In addition to that, I am confident sending my husband to a danger zone because I know his ministry is needed.  We have shared a passion for ministry since we met.  Not only do I know my husband is doing something he’s good at, but I want him to support our troops with everything that he offers as a chaplain.  Yes, there is a risk that my husband might not come home safely, and that would be devastating for me.  I really struggled with saying goodbye for the second long deployment, because it had barely been a year since he had returned from his previous one.  But, I came to terms with it this way - if God allows my husband’s life to end, I will take comfort in knowing that my husband’s purpose in life was completed.  If he comes home safely, God has more work for him to do.  It doesn’t completely take away the fear, but it is my mantra of resolve.  

“I could never pick up and move my family every few years!  How do you do it?”  My response?  “I could never live in the same place I grew up my whole life without travelling and exploring all the time!”  I love our country.  We have fully taken advantage of the different places the Army has stationed us and explored nearby national parks and monuments, area attractions, local cuisine and diners, and learned about the history of the areas.  It is fascinating, enriching and educational.

I love getting orders for a new place and researching the opportunities and resources there.  I love the challenge of making another house a home.  I love purging things we no longer need before (and after) a move.   

Also, I love all the friends I’ve made.  God has wonderful people in every place He sends us.  As early as our first duty station I learned that I would enjoy getting to know a person even if it was for just an hour of conversation and I never saw them again.  Listening and sharing with that person enriches my life because I learn something, and hopefully they do from me too.  So I don’t close myself off from relationships.  God wired me to be interested in all kinds of people.  I love learning what makes them unique, and what their experiences have been, and sometimes finding things in common.

But still, me being a soldier?  I could never do that!

PCS Time Musings

In two short months, we'll be PCSing, which is military speak for moving to a new duty station for the sake of the soldier's job.

I love the adventure of living in a new place.  It means a new house to arrange, new surroundings to explore, new people to meet, new opportunities for activities and involvement we may not have tried before.  It suits me perfectly because when I was young, it was hard for me to pinpoint what I wanted to be when I grew up because many things interested me.

Inevitably, I meet the neatest people just before we move.  It happens every time.  That really stinks, because I know I'd really enjoy getting to know them better, but I won't have the chance.  But I don't avoid the opportunity to spend even a short time around them.  Even if I just meet a person for a day, I enjoy learning about them and learning from them.

The neat people I knew longer before we move are hard to leave.  I wish I could gather up all my favorite people from around the country and we could all live in the same place.  At least we hope to cross paths again, either by chance of assignment, or by a planned visit.

The people we serve with in ministry have a hard time letting us go.  We love serving in ministry, and we love the people who serve alongside us in volunteer positions as well as vocational positions.  Serving God's people is one of the best things about this adventure.  But I have learned that God's church is worldwide, and He takes care of it by bringing people to fill the gaps when some leave.  And if a gap is not filled, that ministry may be either not needed for a time, or the opening will inspire someone to step into it who otherwise may not have had the courage to step up.  We don't like to leave gaps, but we look ahead to filling gaps in the next place.

Anticipating a move is full of wonder and sometimes anxiety about whether the house we'll find will be in a good location and have good features that meet our family's needs.  Having lived in 8 places during our marriage so far, we have come to know our preferences.  We spend a lot of time looking at the floor plan of housing on post, and at rental listings off post, bookmarking our favorites, and imagining our furniture and selves in each one, trying to assess if it works or not.  We get excited when new listings come available and get disappointed when one of our favorites gets rented before we get a chance at it.  I told myself I would not be obsessed with the place we'll live, but that I'll trust God to provide us with just the right place.  I keep having to go back to that plan, because I tend toward obsessing and worrying.

I love going to the local library and finding books about the state we'll move to and let the kids read about it themselves, and see what they're excited about.  Websites and facebook pages get scoured for interesting restaurants, homeschool groups, PWOC and chapel events, sightseeing attractions, shopping we're accustomed to, farmer's market times and locations, activities and extracurricular activities for our children, and more.  We try to picture ourselves there, and find things to look forward to.

School needs to hurry up and finish so I can compile our records and be complete with that, then have time for a break before I get a new mailing address and have to order the next bunch of curriculum.

Sometimes it's a struggle for me not to detach from the place we are currently living, and the events and activities that are offered.  But getting involved in what's available here and now really helps the time go by more quickly, and gives us a chance to have closure in saying goodbye to the people we've enjoyed being around.

I don't dare buy more of anything than I can use up before the PCS date.  This time I started way too early in using up things in my pantry and freezer.  My cupboards were nearly bare before my latest shopping trip.  Now I'm stocked up for a couple weeks.  I have a mental and physical list of things I want to use up, sell, donate, and throw away before we move.  Everything else will need sorting and organizing.

So life for us right now is a mixed bag of anticipation and concern.  We don't like leaving, but we do like going.

My Unique Life - Ramblings

I have found that in the community we currently find ourselves, both in our church, and in our military community, I seem to be unique.  I seem to be a part of a small group, a minority, in several categories.

I am a stay-at-home mother with four (going on five) children who range from age 1-12.  Would you say a large family is a family of 5 or more?  We'll soon be a family of 7.

I also home school, which means I choose to be around them ALL DAY LONG.  So, rather than take time for myself while they are being taught by someone else, or rather than get a job to increase my income or utilize my education and skills, I teach them and I am not increasing our income.  I suppose I am utilizing my education and skills, though not necessarily the same set I might choose a career in.

I'm not socially outgoing.  I'm also not a complete introvert.  I can lead, but right now, choose not to.  In a group, I tend to listen more than talk.  I tend to hang back rather than put myself out there.  In a group discussion, I will pay attention to all that is being said for awhile, and unless I find there is something very different from what is being said that needs to be said, I would rather hear others' perspectives rather than share my own.

Today in a Sunday morning class my husband and I are in at the church, called "Simplify" by Bill Hybels, we were challenged to assess how we spend our time and money, and simplify those to fit our passions and the culture (fast paced and challenging, or laid back and free) we are most comfortable with, to best utilize our God-given talents and abilities in a way that really motivates us (and benefits others).  I recognized once again that I was one of two stay-at-home mothers there, and the only home school mom.  This means I have a unique situation.  In order to participate in a discussion with the rest of the group, I would have to explain my unique circumstances first, and expect that no one would relate to me.

I think being related to is one of the deepest desires of the human heart.  Knowing someone else knows what it's like to go through what you're going through puts our minds at ease, gives us hope, and helps us know that we are doing alright, or we will be okay.

I have resolved, with the blessing and support of my husband, to home school our children.  Because of this, it is my job, 24/7, to care for our children's needs, including their education.  (Thankfully they sleep at night.)  It has some similarities to being self-employed, except my clients don't pay me for my services, and I set my own deadlines (within the requirements of the home school laws of our state).  Add to this that I am not by nature a self-starter, self-motivator, or a self-disciplined person.  I can be for short periods of time, but I burn out quickly with rigid schedules and guidelines that I set for myself.  New Years' resolutions, for example, are not appealing to me.  Rather, they are a burdensome idea.  I really need daily, or at least weekly resolutions.  Sometimes hourly, when one of my children is trying my patience or constantly bickering with her sister.  But I don't really bother with resolutions at all, because they usually just invade my freedom to do what I feel like when I have a spare moment.

In class this morning, we were encouraged to ask ourselves what our passions were, and whether we were pursuing them either with our profession or with our volunteering.  I always come up blank on this sort of thing, because it doesn't seem to matter what my passions are if they aren't being a mother and a home school teacher.  That is what I do.  Am I passionate about it?  Occasionally.  Do I thrive with motivation on a daily basis as I do it?  No.  Especially in February when it's cold outside, we're confined indoors for at least 6 hours of schoolwork time, and there are exactly 15 weeks of school left in the year.  I can't wait until Summer break.

I am passionate about learning.  I also love to hear the discussion from my children when they are learning too, and I get excited to see them understanding new things.  But I am not passionate about the constant reminders to stop chatting and get back on task.  I'm also not passionate about the number of hours of our day that is consumed by completing all the prescribed tasks of our curriculum.  I have no problem with the curriculum - I think it has wonderful content.  I only wish it didn't take so long into the day.  My brain hurts by 2 p.m., and I get to wondering when everyone is going to finally complete their work for the day.

I am passionate about giving our children a good childhood, preparing them for a good adulthood, and giving them the training in character that will help them relate respectfully and productively to others in the world around them.  I want them to know and understand the truths of God and His Word, and how all that relates to the school subjects and life and eternity.  But I get bogged down with discipline issues:  Why does she have such a pattern of disobedience?  Am I handling this right as a Mom?  Am I being too hard on her or too easy on her?  How do I get through to her about the importance of making the right choices?

I am passionate about other things too, but those things don't fit into my life right now.  I think about them sometimes.  But I don't see how I could carve out time to pursue or enjoy those things.  In another future season of life, I hope to have time for that.  It'll be a time when my brain won't be so bogged down with home school responsibility or raising children.  My thoughts will hopefully be more complete, less interrupted, and creativity and vision can flow freely.

I paint such a glamorous picture of what I do, don't I?  Only 18 1/2 more years.

I do love my "job".  Sometimes.  I'm told that I'm good at it.  My children make a good impression on others.  They are well behaved for others most of the time, and they are well educated for their ages.  That is rewarding to hear.

But I do have passions, interests, ambitions, beyond the joy and struggle of raising and teaching our children.

There are so many women who don't home school and who enjoy a career.  Working a paying job while my children are growing doesn't appeal to me.  I feel I would miss out on their lives, and that I would be too tired to be a good mom to them.  Putting my children in public school doesn't appeal to me either.  We did that for a couple years.  It wasn't awful.  In fact, the school itself was very well-run.  But there were a number of drawbacks.  And the number of benefits I see in our home school is truly worth my efforts.

Perhaps there are a few things I can do to enjoy the journey more.  It'll be food for thought and exploration.  I'm always a fan of trying new things, so more of that to come.

I don't mind being unique, especially if I think it works best for our family.  But I do hope I can find a way to relate to others, whether finding local people who share my uniqueness (does that make me no longer unique?), or finding ways to relate to others in different situations than my own.

A New Kind of Summer

Well, we completed our school year near the end of May, and I'm so thankful for the break.  I really don't enjoy structure and routine (unless it's our daily hour of quiet time after lunch).  So Summer, to me, equals freedom and relaxation!  Except . . . there's one problem.  Last December my husband's Army job moved us to the desert Southwest.  It's June, and it's REALLY HOT!  It can be pleasant around 5:30 a.m., though, I discovered this morning.

But playing outside during the day - especially during the afternoon - requires forethought about sunscreen, water, proper clothing, proper shoes (because flip flops don't cut it for running around in the grass where there are thorny weeds ready to puncture or latch on anything that passes by).  The air is bone-sucking dry, which is really hard on the sinuses, and I have to ask myself, "Am I really willing to sacrifice my comfort in order to allow the children to play outside properly supervised by me?"  (They can play in the back yard without me, but usually they want to ride bikes in the front.)

So rather than freedom and relaxation, summer is feeling more like being a prisoner in my air-conditioned house for self-preservation, and more work for me in figuring out how to entertain these desperately bored children.  We're staying active with 2 weeks of day camps for the older two girls, swimming lessons twice a week for them all, and the library's summer reading program.  But we can't just go for a nice walk, hike, bike ride, or anything without the fear of the intense sun sucking the energy out of you and leaving you feeling radiated for the rest of the day.  We went for a hike this morning and the heat plus exertion has flattened me for the whole afternoon!

So I'm trying to make the best of it, as Army wives do, and dream up how to capitalize on our situation.  My first thought was to adopt the Mexican idea of an afternoon siesta during the hottest part of the day.  When we were stationed in Hawaii, this was also something we heard the natives did, or used to do.  Next, I observed that the neighbor kids tend to go outside to play while we're eating dinner, and stay out past the time we've been putting our girls to bed.  Putting two and two together, I realize that if we have a siesta, the girls could probably stay up a little later to enjoy the evening cooled down air with their friends.

I have a number of crafts, activities and games we don't have time for when we are schooling that we're beginning to do.  I set up a craft table in the main room where we can leave unfinished projects to work on over the course of several days.

I have stocked up on water play accessories and bubbles and located our sidewalk chalk.  We'll get outside as much as we can stand.  Hopefully soon I'll get over the fear of bugs and snakes coming out of the darkness and crawling outside at night so we can make use of our telescope.

I'm really looking forward to our trip "up north" to visit family in a couple weeks to escape this heat!

I would have slept well . . .

    So I talked to my husband who is doing training with his soldiers in the field on base.  It was about 6 p.m.  He said they were rolling out for night fire exercises, and that he expected it wouldn't take long, and they'd get to actually have some decent sleep that night.  After the call, I finished our normal evening routine, and everyone went to bed.

    About 12:30 a.m., I was awakened by... was that thunder?  I didn't think we were expecting any rain or storms for another day or two.  I noticed the blasts were shorter and closer together than thunder rumbles usually sound like.  Then I heard my 2-year-old wandering around.  She had heard the noises too.  Then I wondered, could it really be the firing exercises on base?  We live East of the ranges, and I had heard noises from there before.  Sure enough, I looked out the window, and straight West of the house, over the top of our neighbor's rooftops, I could see, in the distance, flashes of white going off.  I think I counted about 60 seconds before hearing the accompanying noise from each blast.

    It was a strange connection to my husband I hadn't seen for a week, and I considered calling his cell phone to ask if they could keep it down a bit so we could sleep.  (Not seriously.)  They went on for about 45 minutes, then my daughter and I got back to sleep.

    Yep, no thunderstorms even on the horizon.  The stars were out in a clear night sky.  Really neat to see.  I'd rather have been sleeping though.

Colorado Springs!

     After 20 days of traveling in OH, WV, and IL to visit friends and family, we have arrived at our new duty station.  We thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the grandparents, aunts & uncles, cousins, and several friends.  Our youngest kept wondering when we were actually going to get to Colorado.  When we finally did, and told her so, she didn't believe us.

    It's a relief to finally be here, and yet we have so much to do in the coming month!  Today, my husband signs in to his new unit, and will begin the formal process of house hunting.  We intend to buy a home off base, so we meet with a realtor this evening, and start looking at some tomorrow.  Meanwhile, we have 10 days reserved at the on-post lodge, and can extend it if we need to.  We have two adjoining rooms with a kitchen in the middle.  The lodge provides free continental breakfast.  I'm planning to go to the commissary this afternoon to get some groceries to make our lunches and dinners.

    The weather is sunny and warm.  The scenery (what little of it I've seen so far) is interesting!  So glad to finally be here.

Moving soon

So 13 days from now, we fly off Oahu as we move to our next military assignment.  So much has had to be done in preparation.  Sorting, purging, organizing, packing, notifying, planning, confirming.  Feels like juggling.  Fortunately I don't have to do it all myself.  After 15 months without my husband home, and now having had him home for 3 months, it's so nice to have someone else to talk through decisions with.

    Nearly every corner of our home has been sorted through, looking for things that need to be put elsewhere, things that should be thrown away, given away or sold.  I have a closet full of things to consign, and an appointment to do so next week.  They told me I could bring a maximum of 45 things.  That inspired me, and I have exactly 45 things.  We've donated bags of things to the thrift store.  We've thrown away lots of old papers, and some old broken or worn items.  I've organized the girls' toys into Rubbermaid containers and kept them off-limits so they don't get lost and mixed together again.  I've done the same with their craft supplies, games, and books.  The books aren't off limits, but they must put them back where they found them, exactly, with the other books that are like them.

    We've notified important people of our move, and asked the USPS to forward our mail (starting tomorrow).  We've made arrangements with housing, the movers, hotels, rental car places, airlines, and family members and friends.  We've made extensive to-do lists and conquered much of them.  We've debated how many checked bags we'll have, how many carry-ons, and which ones, and whether or not it will all fit in our car, or in the rental car going to and from the airport.  I've made packing lists for myself and the girls, and modified those once we realized how little space we have to work with.

    We've said goodbyes and "see you laters" to many great friends and acquaintances made here, and there are more to be said.  We've turned over responsibilities and roles to others who will remain here.  We've given things we can't move to friends who can use them.  (There's more of that to be done too.)  We've creatively used up most of the food in our kitchen, though I'm sure I can squeeze a few more meals out for the few days we're still in our house.

    We've researched and explored things about our next location, both on post and off.  We've gotten pre-approved for a mortgage and have looked extensively at houses on the market through the internet.  We've seen several we like in our price range, and anticipate seeing what's on the market when we can actually view them in person.  My husband has priced used Honda S2000's in the area, and has determined the price he wants to pay, and what colors he does or doesn't want.  We've gotten names and tips about people and places in the area we should find when we get there.

    So it's been a busy time.  Monday the movers will come and start boxing up our "unaccompanied baggage", necessities that arrive first to Colorado.  We're allowed not quite a ton of weight for this group of stuff, so my husband told me to picture a pile the size of our car.  Then Wednesday and Thursday the other movers will come and box up the rest of our household goods.  We'll start staying at the hotel on post this Thursday, and check out of our house completely on Monday June 8th.  We fly early in the morning on Wednesday, June 10th.

    We're anxious to go and see family and friends, and to then get to know our new location, but also sad to leave good friends, familiar places, and tropical paradise behind.  It's an odd mixture of stress and excitement.  Strange, but we've been through it a couple of times before.

    We feel truly blessed to be a military family, and we accept the challenges involved in the moving process, because we know that our jobs here are done, and that God will use the jobs that we face ahead of us in the next place will grow us in the way that He desires.  It's an adventure, and we are enjoying the ride!

What we're looking for in a house

We are planning ahead to buy a house in Colorado Springs!  It's not the first house we will own, but the last house we owned was pre-military, and we thought we were going to live there a lot longer than 3 years!  Well, we didn't.  We sold it using the methods found in the book, "How to Sell Your Home in 5 Days" and made a profit from the sale.  It was a situation blessed by God in many ways, because we then went debt-free into my husband starting Seminary to complete his M.Div., which was required to become an Army chaplain.

Now it's 5 years later, and we're ready to own again.  We expect to re-sell the house in 3 years, or if it seems more prudent to do so, rent it.  The house will be an investment, so we plan to buy it with a 15-year mortgage to have more of our payments going to principal, which means it won't be the most we can afford, but rather more middle-of-the-road.

So what are we looking for in this house?  Here is our list of "must haves":

Good bones - good strong structure.
4+ bedrooms
1+ car garage
2+ full bathrooms, one must be a master bath
Washer/dryer hookups in a laundry room (no laundry closets please)
A house we are confident will sell in 3 years
Livable basement (our first house had a cellar-type basement)
25 minutes or less drive away from Ft. Carson
Back yard suitable for our children to play in
Plenty of storage space
Adequate kitchen (we both love to cook)
Low/no maintenance windows/siding (we don't want to have to paint siding, or maintain wood-frame windows)
Good roof
Good insulation and efficiency (to keep energy costs down)

And here is our list of "would be nices":

2 car garage
5+ bedrooms
15-20 minute or less commute
Central Air
3+ bathrooms
Level lot
Office space
Gas appliances and heat
Fireplace
Not a split-level
Not a busy corner lot
Deck
Efficient water usage fixtures
Garden space

One side-note - we aren't highly concerned about the school district because we plan to homeschool.  That is a huge freedom that many families with children don't have when deciding where to live.

We've put a lot of thought into this, and have searched for such houses online through several venues.  Craigslist, the MLS, For Sale By Owner sites, etc.  There are actually several houses on the market that fit all our criteria and are in our price range.  Too bad we can't just hop over and check them out now.  So we'll see how God works things out - what will be on the market when we actually arrive July 1st.  Meanwhile, it's fun to look, and fine-tune our preferences!

Our last month in Hawaii

We're enjoying a lovely day in Hawaii today.  We notice it because the last month or two have been wet, cold, cloudy or voggy.  Vog is the haze that comes from the volcano on the Big Island, and many of us have allergic reactions to it.  Without the breeze that usually comes with the tradewinds, the Vog had built up and hung stagnant over our islands for a few days.

One month from tomorrow, we'll be flying off this island to the mainland, as we move from this duty station to Ft. Carson, CO.  A lot of things are happening in the  meantime.  This Sunday and next will be my final times as chapel pianist.  We are having some friends over for on birthday for BBQ pork chops.  The two older girls are doing swimming lessons this week and next each afternoon.  They also continue in their gymnastics class throughout the month.  My husband will lead a portion of this weekend's marriage retreat for over 100 couples.  The following weekend, he'll lead the entirety of two back-to-back marriage retreats.  We have a couple of social events to attend - hail and farewells which are common in May and December when lots of people are coming and going; a couple of coffees which are for the wives; and some random other things with the spouse's club and the chapel.

The last week of May we'll start prepping our house for the move:
- unhang pictures and curtains
- sort things so that like things are together that I want to be packed together (and hopefully the movers will oblige)
- give away food and cleaners that we can't move with us
- Separate the "unaccompanied baggage" that gets shipped faster (things we want sooner, like linens, dishes, other necessities, as well as my husband's "professional gear" - the stuff he has in his office for work) from the "household goods" that come to us last, and includes everything else.
- Pack our suitcases that we'll take with us on the plane, and that will sustain us through 3 weeks of travel around the Midwest to see family and friends.

The unaccompanied baggage gets packed June 1st.  The household goods get packed June 3-5.  June 4-10 we stay at the hotel on post.  We have final inspection and check-out of our house June 8.  June 10 we fly to St. Louis.  The next morning we'll go to the VPC (Vehicle Processing Center) and pick up our car, which we shipped 3 days ago.

After that, we'll be driving figure 8's around IL, IN, OH, and WV to catch up with family and friends.  June 30 we leave for CO, and arrive there July 1st.

Once we arrive in CO, there will be a continued flurry of activity as:
- my husband reports to his duty station and begins inprocessing.
- we set up a P.O. box to have our mail forwarded to us
- we search for a house to buy in the area that fits our needs
- we find a church home, which may be the on-post chapel, or a civilian church in the area
- we explore our new surroundings, see what the area has to offer
- we order and gather together supplies for beginning homeschool for M's 2nd grade year
- we hopefully close on a house soon after (or if we're lucky, right before) our household goods arrive
- we settle into our new house
- my husband finds and purchases a used Honda S2000 (hopefully yellow) for our 2nd car

We're searching online for houses on the market and are finding several that fit our needs, and in the price range we want to pay.

Three months from now we should finally be settling down into a routine and a "normal" lifestyle.

I plan to start homeschool in August, with M in 2nd grade, and J in as much K material as she seems ready for.  A will just absorb and imitate whatever they're doing.  (Bonus learning!)  We've chosen to use Sonlight Curriculum for 2nd grade.  Their headquarters is in Littleton, CO, less than an hour's drive North of Colorado Springs.  For Kindergarten, I'll use the multiple resources I have lying around that I used with M already.

There is a good chance my husband will deploy mid 2010 to Afghanistan, so we are thinking ahead to that.  With the Army trying to make the necessary changes to retain soldiers and keep families healthy, they are moving toward 9 months as the longest deployment, and 24 months as the dwell time between deployments.  We're hoping that will be instituted before my husband's deployment begins.  Whereas we thought he would be going to a Cavalry unit, now it looks like he'll actually go to another Infantry unit.

So there is definitely a lot happening for us this summer, and we're excited about it.

My husband is home from 15 months in Iraq!

My husband loves me!

This bouquet came today.  It's almost as big as my husband is.  Not really.  The vase is huge, and this thing is really heavy.  I was telling my oldest, who acted as my photographer, "Take the picture quick!"

Military Life: Looking Back, and Looking Forward

It's been nearly 2 years since we came to our first duty station here, and became a military family.  Hawaii aside, I wouldn't trade this experience for most anything.  I remember the first week we were here, living in the hotel on post, and the whole 25th Infantry Division had a "Division Run" for PT.  I remember hearing them begin to parade by, calling out their cadences, running with their unit flags, wearing their unit PT t-shirts.  I couldn't help but be proud to be a part of the military community.

After getting to know so many people in the last several months, and seeing the Army from the inside, there are a lot of things that aren't ideal, and some things that are just downright aggravating.  However, overall, the institution of the Army can really be a great place for a young person to learn discipline, learn skills for life and for work, and to give them some direction for the future.  Iraq is always a likely deployment destination, as is Afghanistan.  Some soldiers struggle more than others with that.  Families struggle immensely.  I have seen the effects of deployment from the first group that left after we arrived and has now returned, and now we're into the 2nd group that has gone.  The third big group will be going out shortly, many of them the same people that just got back from the 1st group. 

Sometimes it just doesn't seem fair.  I see children and parents who have barely reconnected, with the next deployment looming, knowing what the first one was like, and dreading the long wait to see each other again.  I see marriages struggling with the re-connection after deployment.  Many don't last.  Some families have been without their soldier for 4 deployments or more in the last 7 years.  There are re-enlistment bonuses, and financial benefits to being deployed, but money doesn't replace the time spent with your family member.

For those who are experiencing deployment now, it's very difficult.  They've only been gone 5 1/2 months, but it seems more like a year.  There are still many months to go.  Communication is hard sometimes.  Even with frequent e-mails, phone calls, shared pictures, care packages, cards and gifts, there is so much life lived in separate places that the other misses out on.  You can't video tape every neat moment, or share every cool thought or idea. 

However, there are blessings.  Separated families learn to plow through hard things.  Wives at home with children learn to manage things they've never had to manage before.  As an acting single parent, it is extremely tiring to give each child what she needs from the time they wake up until the time they go to sleep.  But it challenges the parent to rely on God, to ask for help from friends, and to get a break by scheduling child care or a babysitter.  Limited communication with the soldier makes every word count, and challenges both to say what's really important, and leave nothing unsaid.  Plowing through the difficult times in deployment requires that we stay focused on the big picture.  What is our mission?  Why are we a part of it?  How is God using each of us during this time?  Families in the midst of deployment can put their trust in God that He will preserve the marriage relationship as well as the parent-children relationships.  It's easier said than done -- the trusting part -- however, it's the way I think they can have peace and forge ahead with life as it is.

So military life is both extremely challenging, but also very rewarding.  The friends I've made here not only bless me with their generosity and their companionship, but also challenge and inspire me to grow.  The chapel community I'm a part of has a dynamic ministry to this ever-changing community, very-well run, that rivals many civilian churches that have been developing their ministries for decades with the same core of people.  The neighbors, friends, and acquaintances I have are from all over the country and some from around the world.  They are interesting, talented, smart, strong people.  I'm better for having spent time with them.

Another hard thing is going on right now, and that is many of our good friends are moving to new duty stations.  There are bunches of families that move every summer and winter.  So I've seen it enough to know that there will be new people who move here that will fill our lives with their friendships.  However, these particular friends that are leaving are the ones we've gotten to know for 2 years, so we know them really well!  Hopefully our paths will cross in future assignments.

I'm looking forward to the next and final year of living in Hawaii, and then to the next military assignments beyond.  There is always adventure here.  That's what we were looking for.  It's what God prepared us for, and gave us the personality traits to pursue.

Just Another Manic Saturday . . .

. . . Wish it was Sunday.  I usually get to really relax on Sunday afternoons.

Today I've been sorting, cleaning, cooking, and shuttling.  M is at a birthday party for a friend, playing on one of those inflatable water slides.  J, not to be left out, is playing in the little kid pool in the backyard.  A joined her at first, but got too cold.  So she's scattering things around the house that I cleaned up this morning.  Oh well, nothing new here.  I made fruit pizza this morning - M was dying to try it after I mentioned it.  I had enough fruit and sauce to make a 2nd one, so made a 2nd crust, and called my neighbor and she gladly accepted.  In return, she left me her 2nd grade daughter, who played with the older two girls for an hour or more, and gave me time to spend with my baby, and time to get some things done!

My husband wants me to send him the text of about 8 obscure Dr. Seuss books so he can make recordings for the girls.  It's a lot of typing.  Dr. Seuss used a lot of exclamation points.  I can relate.  He also used italics and all caps for emphasis on some words.  Have you ever read "The Butter Battle Book"?  It reminds me of the Cold War with Russia.  Could be.  Then there's "The Cat in the Hat Comes Back", during which the Cat in the Hat makes a pink cat ring by bathing in the tub.  He removes the stain in the tub by cleaning it with a dress, removes it from the dress by wiping it on the wall, and so on, until finally the stain is swept and blown by a fan out the window onto the snow.  It's really disgusting if you think about it.  I still have to type "Fox in Socks", "Hooper Humperdink? Not Him", "Horton Hears a Who", "If I Ran the Circus", "If I Ran the Zoo", "Oh Say Can You Say", and "Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose."  A couple of those I haven't found yet - have to get through inter-library loan.

I requested about 23 books from the local Army library system and the State library system for home school.  We'll be learning about how books are made, fractions, how many days in a week, how many months in a year, Colonial times, the American Revolution, the Civil War, the Presidency, the White House, children around the world, maps, easy science experiments, shadows and light, and musical instruments and their families.  I'm so glad I can teach my own child Kindergarten.  I've already learned a lot myself.  You laugh.  However, I'm enjoying the library books.  There are quite a few interesting things in them I didn't remember or never knew. 

Below are a few pictures from the last week.  The first is my new plumber.  Then the older two girls at gymnastics, followed by the girls participating in "PT at the Park" where they did Mousercise.

I Made the Front Page!

So I went out to get the mail this afternoon, and the free newspaper, the Hawaii Army Weekly, was rolled up in a rubber band sitting by my front door.  I shook out any bugs that might be in it, brought it in, and unrolled it onto the coffee table.  Then I saw I was right there on the front page!  Well, the Sept. 11 service I played for was covered by one of the reporters who was camera happy.  I met him before things began, and suggested he could take pictures of the speakers instead of me.  He had fun taking pictures of just the piano for fun.  Anyway, you can see what he did with his photography by:

1.  Going to this website:  http://www.25idl.army.mil/haw.asp
2.  Scroll down to where it says, "Other Articles in this Issue" Friday, September 14, 2007.
3. Click on the article title "Community Pauses to Reflect"  The article and picture will open in a separate java script window.
I also see you can get to it from http://www.25idl.army.mil/ as well.

On a side note, you'll also see an article called Schofield Soldier KIA in Iraq.  He was from Wahiawa, HI.  I'll be playing for his memorial service on Wednesday.  Being in the military, it hits home whenever a soldier is killed.  This one really hits home.

"For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourselves more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us." - the apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans (12:3-6a)

Love Military Life

So my daughter has people in her Kindergarten class from Samoa, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, (I know, all tropical islands).  It's very diverse.  I have friends from South Africa, Australia, and all over the US of course.  Sure is a different place than Illinois!  Anyone want to come for some Pupus and then get a plate lunch?  Or, we could go to McDonald's and have one of their Taro pies.  We could visit Genki Sushi, or L&L Drive-In.  We could get some fresh hot malasadas or some shave ice for a snack.  I haven't yet tried snorkelling, but hope to before we move again.  Definitely lots of great things to experience.