New Time Zone

We are back in Eastern Time. Actually, I'm blogging from Dan's parents' house in Florida, so I am vacationing in Central Time. But, this family has finally landed. This will be a quick post, and I will add pictures later, but we are done driving. (At least until we leave here to go back to SC!) OK, maybe we aren't done driving, but we're taking a break. 2500 miles with two cats and the boy and a MOUNTAIN of crap we obviously needed. We have a few "road stories" to tell, but we will save those for another time. We appreciate all the prayers for safety... We are so happy to be with our families... We had a blast with the Wrenns... We miss the Fort Irwin gang (me especially... hello to all my Iron Peaches!) We are gonna enjoy a few more days of "relaxin" before reality returns with a vengeance.

Fort Bragg Bound

This may be the last blog from sunny California. We are just days away from the big move to NC. The house looks like a bomb went off in every room. Anything that doesn't breathe has been encased in a Ziploc bag. The pictures and curtains are down, and that funny echo sound is happening. We are attempting to clear out the fridge and pantry, so we are eating odd random assortments of things for meals. The packers come tomorrow, and the movers come on Thursday or Friday (depending on how much the packers do or do not get packed). So, the computer will be turned off and the Internet will be disconnected. Will we survive? Possibly not... the DISH will be off, too! So, I will take this last chance to comment on life in the desert.

Things I will miss about Fort Irwin:
1. all my girlfriends (Amy, Sarah, Donna, Teresa, Tambi, Jennifers, Michelle, and all my other Iron Peaches!)
2. bench time at the park (Amy! Sarah!)
3. the way it cools off the instant the sun goes down (even if it was 100 at noon!)

4. PEWS at Blackhorse Chapel

5. no humidity (I thought, at first, that I would never adjust... but I have learned to love it.)

6. the close-knit feel of a very small Post

7. the "baggers" at the Commissary commenting on how many times I've bought groceries this week!

8. my son's friends (Cameron, Charise, Cousins Ryker and Miriam, Josh and John, the buddies from school, and the pals from karate)

9. Elijah's TKD Sensei... Ms. Sharnae

10. the interesting, although strange, things that happen when you live at Fort Irwin (If you have ever lived here, live here now, or have ever visited here... you know exactly what I mean!)

Things I will NOT miss about Fort Irwin:

1. Summer (Don't misunderstand me. I love Summer. I do not love 120 degrees. From May 31 to November 15.)

2. the blowing winds (not breezes, people... WINDS that blow over small children and almost knock me off my feet... now that is a wind!)

3. the blowing sand (see #2)

4. the blowing trash (see #2)

5. my tiny backyard and the way it collects all of #4!

6. the funky smell that sometimes happens here (may have something to do with that wind)

7. living one and a half hours away from a restaurant, a mall, any craft store, and the movies)

8. living 40 minutes away from Starbucks

9. Fort Irwin Road

10. CA gas prices (see photo!) (This is an on-Post price... it's about 40 cents more off-Post!)

So, the next blog will be from my parents computer(?) in SC. Or, from Dan's parent's computer in FL. But, I have to get there first. 2000+ miles across the country. Two vehicles, assorted luggage, random junk we can't live without, two cats, and one boy... We would appreciate your prayers!

47 Degrees!

Yes. You read that title correctly. It was almost 50 degrees here yesterday. It was Elijah's last day of school and the first "official" day of "Summer Break." And, it was 47 degrees and raining(!) when I picked him up from school. Just 4 days ago, it was 107 degrees when I picked him up. Definitely not the normal temperature for this time of year here in the High Desert. But, the weirdness of it all IS normal for this place. So, our "little boy" is headed to third grade in the Fall. Yikes. I think it was on his birthday (a few weeks ago) that I had a BIG realization. He's closer to being a teenager than he is to being a baby. Oh Lord. That's a thought that could stress a mommy out. Let's not go there again. Anyway, we had a GREAT school year, a FANTASTIC teacher, and good friends. When I picked him up yesterday, his class was in the Cafeteria playing indoor games (because of the rain). We hugged Mrs. McGarty and went to his room to get all his stuff. When we got there, all the desks and furniture were pushed to the side of the room (for cleaning), and the lights were off. He walked in, got his backpack, and then sat down on a stool in the middle of the room with the saddest face. He was just sitting there... looking all around. He said, "I just want to remember it. I won't be coming back here." OK, so I'm tearing up at this point. I hugged him and told him he would LOVE third grade. And, that he would make lots of fun and cool new friends. Mercy. Who would have thought that a 9 year-old boy would need a "moment" on the last day of school? Well, to cheer you up... Just a few seconds later, we were walking out to the car, and I tried to get him under the umbrella. (Yes... an UMBRELLA!! In the DESERT!!) He took off running through the rain, screaming and jumping up and down. "I'm a third grader!! I'm a third grader!! I'm a third grader!!" Yes, little boy... you are!

Random Thoughts

It seems like my head is full of these lately. There is no rhyme or reason to anything going on in my noggin... There is no way to "connect" these ideas or even to see how they all make sense. Part of it is just me and my lunatic self in preparation for a move. I don't know why, but I have this idea that "blogging" will make me feel better. Sort of like an new-fashioned diary. Or like talking to someone without actually burdening them with listening to me. So, here they are (my random thoughts) for anyone who might be interested.
1. I was so sad to hear about the tragic death of Steven Curtis Chapman's daughter. My heart hurts for them and their son, who was the one driving the car. Wow. If you're like me, it feels like you know them. I've listened to his music since high school, and I've followed the stories of his daughters' adoptions. It just makes me sad.
2. My little nephew is feeling bad. He hasn't been himself for a few days now, and I just talked to his mommy. The sweetie woke up when I was on the phone with her, and I could hear him crying. It could be reflux, but they just aren't sure. I want him to feel better. And, I know that would make his parents feel better, too.
3. The boy brought home a TON of stuff from school today... "End-of-Year Cleaning" is what they call it. I am surrounded (already) by piles of stuff that I don't know what to do with. Now, I have more piles. That's OK, though. I still remember what it's like to teach and how good it feels to purge the classroom of all that stuff. Especially because in your heart you know that you are about to purge the classroom of all those little people!
4. I dropped my sewing machine on my foot today. The top part... where the bone rises up. If you are a sewing person, you know how heavy those things are. If you aren't a sewing person, take my word for it... they are heavy. I was attempting to put it up on a shelf (over my head) so the movers could pack it with other sewing-type objects. To put it in simple terms, it HURT. I have a huge bruise and a gigantic knot. Dan says, "It's broken." I say, "I can still walk on it, and I cannot move across the country with a cast." I cried because it probably won't work again (the machine). I cried because I am now trying to get ready for the packers while limping. I cried because I don't know what I was thinking... they were gonna pack that sewing machine with some random items from the garage and a few Legos from Eli's room, and a shoe... not with the sewing things.
5. I didn't eat lunch today... I had a Cappuccino Blast from Baskin Robbins. I deserved it after dropping a sewing machine on my foot.
6. The RIGHT "David" actually won "American Idol" last night. Praise the Lord. Little David was cute and can definitely sing, but big David is the BEST! We (me and the boy) whooped and hollered like a bunch of fools when his name was announced. It's been a bright spot in my day. Is that so sad?
Well there they are... my random thoughts at this moment. And, if anyone wants an update, the mystery hives are gone. Life.

Home with Hives and a PCS

I knew it would happen. I even told myself that I needed to be prepared. But, as usual, it didn't work. I am beginning to stress. The move is quickly approaching, and I am not ready. I knew it would hit me this week. Karate is over, PWOC is done, AWANAS is finished, we've been "farewelled" as a family at evening chapel, Dan's been "farewelled" at the Regiment, and school is winding to an end. And, I am no more prepared to pack up and move than I was a year ago. This was going to be my week to start. To start taking pictures down (the packers don't do that), to start organizing and putting away my scrapbook stuff (the packers don't know what that is), to start taking things to the thrift store (the packers don't do that), and to start putting aside things that we are taking with us (the packers don't do that). I know some of you are wondering why I didn't start this week. What is my excuse? It's a 2nd grade boy who's missed 3 days of school with a major case of hives. We even went to the doctor yesterday. The best part is, we don't know what's causing them. Being parents of an "allergic" child has made us amateur detectives in some ways and mini-medical experts in other ways, but this one has us stumped. Hives all over his arms, legs, hands, and face. The doctor says "contact dermatitis." We say, "From WHAT?" We have racked our brains, and we cannot come up with anything new or different that he's touched or eaten or been exposed to. Oh well. With Elijah, you learn to accept the unexplained. And, I hate that. I know that's why God gave him to me. I like ANSWERS, and with this boy... sometimes there are no answers. Anyway, he's got enough ointments, creams, and potions to grease up the entire neighborhood. So, with him home, not much "packing" or "preparing for packers" gets done.
Which leads me to my main complaint. The term "PCS." The Army loves its acronyms, but this one irks me. "PCS" stands for "Permanent Change of Station." Ha! Their version of "permanent" is 2 or 3 years, and then you do it all over again! I really don't mind this way of life; I even encouraged Dan to stop talking about it and join. But, I would like the Army to be honest about it. Call it what it is. A "temporary" change of station.
So, I sit here typing a blog with Scooby Doo blaring in the den, and I haven't begun to prepare my house for the packers. That is another misconception. They should be called "Dumpers" instead of "Packers." They love to take the carefully sorted and organized contents of a cutely color-coordinated plastic bin, and DUMP them into a large cardboard box. Then, they pack the cute empty bin in another box. Then, they label those two boxes with some random wrong description. I am sorry if anyone out there is a professional packer. I am sorry if anyone out there happens to love a professional packer. I, however, have issues with them and their methods. So, I will arm myself with about a trillion Ziploc bags, and I will begin to prepare my worldly possessions for dumping and mislabeling and breaking (I can't even talk about that aspect.) But today, I will have the assistance of a greased-up, red-speckled, itchy, Benadryl-infused 9-year old. Wonder how much I'll get done?

Happy Mother's Day!

Just a quick (but heartfelt!) wish for two great moms!! The sermon at church today was all about the wonderful things that women do for us and bring to the world around us. And, I know for myself, that my mom does all that and more! (I also happen to know that Dan had an awesome example as well!) So, to our moms and to all the FANTASTIC moms I know out there... Happy Mother's Day!!

Jr. Olympics

This post is solely for the grandparents. (And perhaps an Aunt and Uncle). You are all welcome to read it, but there are a select group of people (4), who will enjoy it more than others. Elijah competed in the Jr. Olympics 2 weekends ago, and I didn't have a chance to get the pictures up yet. The nightmare that is called "PCS" is upon us, and things are starting to get a little more hectic and crazy than they normally are. (I'll have to elaborate on that whole "PCS" thing later.) Anyway, here is the grandson in all his Jr. Olympic glory!