Well, I sure don't post much, do I?

I've taken quite a hiatus lately, haven't I? I can't believe how time slips away. Some days that's a very good thing, other days it seems a pity.

Ever since James deployed my goal has been to stay busy, the busier the better. "Stay busy" is my mantra to other wives with deployed spouses. It helps the time pass quicker until our husbands return. I've always tried to do this, from James' first deployment back in 1996 when I was on my own in TX before we had children. I took various courses at the local college in addition to working overtime at my job. It was what I needed to do to keep from feeling the loneliness too deeply.

And ever since I've held onto that same philosophy. The busier you are, the sooner the deployment will be over.

However, I'm not so sure that's always the best thing. Isn't life already too short? Aren't we missing out on so much by zooming through the days? I see time flying by in the rush of ballet lessons, scouting events, swimming lessons, weekend sleepovers with friends, my work, etc. It seems as if the time is passing too quickly. I'm missing out on the joys of just "being" rather than always "doing."

And yet, when I realize that nearly a year has passed since James deployed, and only 2 1/2 months or thereabouts until he returns, how can I curse the fact that time has flown? Yes, another year of watching our babies grow has passed all too quickly and they're one year closer to leaving the nest. But at the same time they are nearing the end of this long deployment and anxious to wrap their arms around their Daddy again. So I can't really say that time flying by is a horrible thing after all.

It just is what it is.

And yes, you did hear right. Only about 2 1/2 months remain until James should be home. Of course everything can change on a dime but that's what we're looking towards now. And boy, oh boy, are we ever looking forward to it.

Some of you may remember that James and I took a cruise together for our 10th anniversary a few years ago. The girls stayed with my parents for the week and James and I enjoyed a wonderful vacation together--the only one we've ever had without kids since our honeymoon. Well, we've booked another cruise but this time we'll have two pretty, little girls accompanying us to celebrate our 14th anniversary as a family. We're so excited for this! The girls talk about little else but getting on that ship, swimming in the beaches, seeing dolphins, and everything else they've ever imagined a cruise to be. We feel so blessed that we are able to indulge in this time to reconnect as a family and shut the rest of the world out.

So from now until his return I suppose the girls and I continue to do what we've been doing....taking one day at a time. Every day we get to wake up and feel the sunshine on our faces and the breath in our body we should be grateful for and make each moment last. There's no sense in trying to make the days end quickly. It may seem like it when you're waiting for a special someone to return home, but in the end all that's ended quickly is the time you get to spend with your family that day. You never know when your days are going to run out so make the most of every single one. This should be my new mantra, shouldn't it?

And as long as this post has worked its way around to making each moment count, I feel I should share something about one of my faithful ladies at the gym. This woman is in her midlife years and is the most dedicated and faithful person I think I've ever met. She's very determined and inspiring to others. Early on as I was getting to know her I casually asked "How are you?" as a greeting. I was surprised by her response, "I'm blessed, thank you." I was taken aback at first because that's not the usual answer someone gives. Usually they say "Fine" and go about their way. Not Ms. Felicia. I've listened to her since then and she always answers people the same way, and truly, genuinely means it. She absolutely feels blessed to be alive each and every day and feels a deep commitment to maintaining the body God gave to her. She's astounding and has been a great inspiration to the participants in my classes. We all love her, even when her comment about our husbands wanting to come home to the "apple of their eye, not someone who looks like an apple pie" left some stunned. She's a hoot and someone we should all take a lesson in life's blessings from.

Until next time....

Six years ago

Six years ago today my precious baby Bethany was born into this world. It truly feels like only a short time has passed since then, but seeing how big she's becoming tells me otherwise. Everyone always tells you how quickly the time will pass and you don't quite "get" that until you see it happening to you, right before your eyes. Time doesn't stop or slow for anyone, and my six year old baby is proof enough of that for me.

It's quite a great story to tell about the days leading up to her birth. James had been in Kosovo since October on a six month deployment. While he was deployed, Morgan and I moved to my parents' house so I wouldn't be alone during the pregnancy and birth. Bethany was due on February 3rd. James and I arranged a flight for him to come home around that timeframe but it was a mess for him in trying to get out of Kosovo. We weren't allowed to book flights out of there. We had to book him a flight out of Germany to the States. Getting from Kosovo to Germany was all on him and he promised he'd do his best to make that plane at Germany. But he was at the mercy of the Army in making it out of Kosovo. He had to smooth talk his way onto various helicopter flights and bus rides, etc. I don't even think this would be "legal" nowadays but at the time he was told to do what he had to do to get out of Kosovo and not tell his superiors about it because if they knew they would forbid him to go.

So he worked some magic and arranged this ride and that flight and had things worked out so that he'd make it to Germany in time for the flight we'd booked him on, but Mother Nature had other plans. He hadn't counted on fog so thick the helicopters couldn't fly. So, needless to say, he ran into delays that we hadn't anticipated.

All the while Bethany's due date approaches and passes, and my doctor decides we'll induce on the 7th.

James' original flight from Germany to St Louis was to arrive on the 5th. However the weather conditions made it clear there was no way he'd make it on that flight. I called the airline to request they move him to a flight the next day and they took pity on our situation and changed his flight by one day but warned that if he couldn't make that flight there was nothing more they could do and we'd be out the $500 ticket we'd bought.

During all this James was sending me email updates whenever he happened to be somewhere along the way long enough to contact me, and give me an update on where he was and what the weather was bringing. I've saved all those emails to show Bethany someday just how hard her Daddy worked to try to make it home for her birth.

Miraculously, he did make that rescheduled flight which had him arriving at the St Louis airport around 10 pm on Feb. 6th. We were scheduled to be at the hospital 7 hours later, at 5 am on the 7th to begin the induction. Bethany's Daddy made it home with only 7 hours to spare.

This precious girl of mine, I couldn't love her more if I tried. She is everything I could ever want and so very much more. She's a reminder of my childhood, a dream of what will be, a sprinkle of sunshine into every single day, a princess in the making, a hug always waiting. Bethany brings joy to our hearts in ways that are only dreamed about.

Thank you, God, for every breath you've given us with Bethany. It is an honor to hear her call us "Momma" and "Daddy."