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THURSDAY, JULY 5, 2012

Georgia On My Mind… (and under my feet)

So…

I’m terribly sorry about the long delay in writing this, but I have been caught up in a bit of a whirlwind!

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I love being a military wife; I feel proud of my soldier and I’m happy to serve my country by supporting him in his duty. The Fourth of July is one of many very touching holidays for us, as we remember what a wonderful thing it is to live in a free country and reflect on the sacrifice and service it has taken to make it so! I always feel so blessed and privileged to be a part of the US ARMY, striving, in my own way, to live up to the legacy of those before in KEEPING America free.
(super cute sign can be found at signsofpatriotism.com, by the way!  I sooooo want one of these!!) Sometimes, it’s challenging. My most recent challenge: the aforementioned whirlwind!!

We got orders on May 5th. We were packed and on the road out of Texas by the 25th. We drove into Georgia on the 27th and started looking for a home on the 28th. (That process was a “whole nuther story”, as they say, and what I consider to be absolutely Providential, but fodder for another blog entry another day!) My DH reported on the 29th, and thanks to God, we moved into a house on June 2 – a mere two days before DH started his intensive training course. Whew…

I’m still, as I recently told a friend of mine, swimming in a sea of boxes, but at least my head is above water (or, in this case, cardboard.)

And it feels like HOME.

Funny, right? Everywhere I go, it feels like home. When we moved from Utah to Georgia, it felt like leaving home… Then, after about a minute, Georgia felt like home. After 7 years, I was sad to leave, but soon Texas felt like home. Yet, when we travel out west, we call it “going home” for a while. Am I really so fickle!!!???

Well, I’ve been thinking about it lately, and I think I’ve finally figured it out. For me, Home isn’t necessarily where my heart is – it’s where my family is! I’ve left a little piece of my heart in each place I’ve lived, but HOME will always be defined as the place where I can be with my family.

As we drove into Georgia, I actually started to cry!! I felt this warm sort of nostalgia at the memories we’d all formed here before; it was a beautiful, sunny morning; everything I saw had an essence of familiarity; there were a million trees, so you could breathe (as my eldest DS remarked); and I told the kids, “It’s good to be home.” Even as I said it, though, I knew there was something more to it.  I was only half convinced that it was all the things I just mentioned that made me love Georgia.

So, today I realized the whole truth of it. My feeling of HOME came mostly from simply being with my husband and kids!   I’m actually here in a newish sort of place, doing new things, and meeting new people, on a new adventure – but I’m doing it with my family.  Not to be cliche, but I felt AT HOME in that moment, not because of where I was, but because EVERYTHING I need in the WHOLE WORLD was right there in the car with me.

MONDAY, MAY 14, 2012

A Monster Mother’s Day

Yesterday was really great.  But I didn’t get breakfast in bed. (Frowny Face)

Don’t feel sorry for me, though! – I had lunch AND dinner in bed instead!! LOL

After church, the kids told me I could go take a nap, read a book, or do whatever I wanted – I just had to stay out of the kitchen for the whole day.  They served me food at meal times and, for the rest of the day/evening, I just relaxed and lounged with my variety puzzles magazine and pinterest boards.  It was HEAVENLY.

What’s cool, though, is that this queenly treatment wasn’t my only Mother’s Day this week!  I had another earlier this week.

Last Monday morning, when I hadn’t really gotten enough sleep the night before, I was trying to sleep in.  So, of course, bright and early, my 5-yr-old comes in and puts his nose really close to mine to wake me. (He’s very quiet, but somehow this works every time!)  I pretended not to wake up (please tell me I’m not the only mom who does this!!) and he eventually gave up and crawled in beside me and went back to sleep.  Ahhhhhhhh….  it was so nice and snuggly…

for about 5 minutes.  My 4-yr-old, who’s not nearly so subtle, came in next and poked me sharply in the cheek saying “Wakey time, Mom!”  No feigning sleep with this one – he’s persistent, to say the least, so instead I convinced him that his poor big brother 🙂 was still very sleepy and that he might just want to climb in and sleep a while longer with us.  He did climb in, if a little reluctantly, and we tried to sleep.

After the …
Elbow in my stomach
Knee in my armpit
Hair in my ear
and Surprise Head Butt,

little man exclaimed, sooooo sadly, “But Mom, we just can’t sleep!”  (Funny since his brother was lying there snoring.)
“Really?” I asked.  “What’s wrong?”
Putting on his most pitiful look – and I mean seriously, undeniably sad – and wrapping his arms around my neck, he nearly mourned out loud, “You forgot to read us a story last night.”  Oh, the heartbreak!

I tried not to laugh, hugged him and his brother (who had of course been awakened by the great LAMENT,) and told them to run and choose a story.  And while they were off about it, I had one of “those” moments.  I was so grateful for my family, for my children, for my relationship with them and opportunity to serve and teach them.  I was even grateful that it was “wakey time.”  I thought what a great thing it is to be a mom and how EVERY day is like mother’s day if I let it be.

And, after sitting there theorizing that I’d probably have to read “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” yet again, I knew it was providential – a little love note from God – when, instead, they brought my favorite “mommy love” story to snuggle down and read together.

“Happy Mother’s Day to me,” I thought!!

So, readers, I’d love to hear about your Mother’s Day and also your favorite “mommy love” stories.  Please feel free to comment!

WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 2012

Winner Announced

Congratulations to our winner of the May Day Giveaway – Liz C!!
The winner was selected using random.org (in conjunction with raffelcopter.) Thank you to everyone who participated and especially those who contributed comments to this new blog.  I think we’re off to a good start, and I hope you’ll join me again soon to share more ideas.  I loved doing the giveaway!  Watch for another real soon!!