We're Here!

Monday will mark three weeks since we arrived. So far, Virginia has been a fun adventure! I don't speak Southern English very well yet, so sometimes at the drive thru or the store it takes a moment to figure out what someone has just asked me. I'll get there.

It's also been amusing to see the differences on the road. If someone is camped out in the left lane going 10 miles under the speed limit, everyone around just matches that pace! For someone who is used to being passed on both sides when going 10 OVER the speed limit, it is a very foreign feeling. It is SO green and gorgeous here (currently 82 degrees) and when it decides to rain it doesn't mess around- I have never actually seen "sheets of rain" before, but now I know what that means!

The kids are adapting as well as we could hope, and Skeeter is adapting to the balmy warmth by dropping his winter coat as fast as possible. Makes for a hairy house! Lee is still what they call a Snowbird, waiting for classes to start. He'll officially begin his Ordnance training on the 31st, and we've been told that the officers usually get their next set of orders sometime in the first week or two of classes- so by the middle of June we should know how long we will call Fort Lee, Virginia our home. It seems to be doubtful that we'll be here longer then just the summer, but we'll just have to see. Moving 2200 miles is so much fun, I really would love to do it again in 12 weeks. Mmm-hmm.

Here are a few pictures:






This is a regular occurrence lately. Captain America and the Pink Power Ranger go play on the teeter-totter while Skeeter basks in the grass. They will ride that thing for an hour at a time, seriously. Love it.





Kids' bathroom





Jana's room with Jana




Wyatt's room with Wyatt being silly




The front room, please ignore Wyatt's dirty clothes that I was carrying to the laundry.



The rest of the front room. Again, please ignore the dirty clothes centerpiece.




The kitchen. Have you noticed how much wood is in this house? Nothing but hardwood floors and tile, and the kitchen is wood from floor to ceiling. It's very pretty, but I'm going through Pledge like you wouldn't believe!


Master bathroom

Master bedroom. It's messy, but the dog is clean!

Here's our little place. I quite like it!

Lee's out back washing and waxing his truck.

Back yard again. The yard is all fenced in, huzzah!

The humidity hasn't been too bad yet, there is a cute park half a mile from here, and it only takes Lee about 10 minutes to get to the post. I took a job yesterday that I'm pretty excited about, except for the 25 minute commute. Since I am relatively sure it's just for the summer, I think I can survive.

I'll post more about the trip out here later, but now you can see where we are. Hope you're all doing well! We love and miss everyone out west, but we're having a fun time in a new area, and there is no snow here- that's a plus, right?

Love and a kid's meal that has hushpuppies mixed in with the chicken nuggets (seriously),

Melody et al

There Was a Book on the Snooze Button

It all started when my alarm didn't go off. I wanted to get to the temple for the 0600 session because I have such a long to-do list today. We wanted to leave by 0520- which is when I woke up. I grumbled my annoyance at my alarm (thanks to the book I accidentally set on top of the snooze button, the alarm started and turned off in the same moment. Oops.) and wondered if I should even go since now my schedule would be so far off.

I went upstairs and found my mom had slept in too, but she was almost ready. Okay, I thought to myself. I'll be faithful. I'll go. I hurried and got dressed and we were on our way.

The Jordan River temple has sessions every 20 minutes, and we got to the chapel just at 0640, so the next session would be at 0700. When we walked in, I noticed the organist was seated at the organ, but wasn't playing. There were just a few people sitting in the front benches, then 10 or so rows back was an entire congregation of Tongan members. Gorgeous dark hair, beautiful skin, all dressed in white- and they were singing.

It was amazing. I didn't recognize any of the songs they sang, but it was so powerful I just sat there and wept. Their voices were clear and strong and so rich- I cannot imagine any choir of angels could be more satisfying to hear. At times their harmony was more than four parts, and the rise and swell of the melodies that this beautiful people must have sung for generations was indescribably moving.

They sang several songs, and after the last was finished, it was announced that the session in Tongan would begin next, and there was room for about 10 more people if they wanted to attend and listen with headsets. I was the 10th person. My mom and I opted not to have headsets, but just to listen and feel the spirit of the words and the inherent warmth and peace being in the temple brings.

I knew everything that was being said, although I didn't understand the words. But still, I have never been so focused on listening during an endowment. It was incredible. I had so many new realizations, things that became clearer because the language itself was unfamiliar.

As I knew it would, the spirit bore witness of the truth and power of the covenants. The wonderful thing about the spirit is that it knows no bounds as to language, culture or race. If there is truth spoken, the spirit bears witness of it to our hearts if we can just be in tune. And even without comprehensible words, my heart was so filled and my soul so refreshed. The best part for me was the simple fact that I was so intent on listening to and soaking in the sweet, new experience I was having- I completely forgot to worry about and fuss over all the problems I came to ponder on and seeks answers to. For two whole hours, I just left everything else behind and focused on the truly important things that are not of this world.

It was possibly the most powerful temple experience I have ever had. My perspective has completely changed, my attitude adequately adjusted- and my heart feels healed. Granted, I still have work to do and much to accomplish, but somehow it all fits into its own place now. I have always loved the talk Elder Bednar gave on the tender mercies of our Father in Heaven, because it made me able to recognize them in my own life. My heart is so full of gratitude for the short yet life-changing tender mercy I was granted today.

Never in my life have I been so glad my alarm didn't go off.

A Big Mess

I'm hiding today. Hiding on my blog so I can pretend that there isn't a big mess on every surface I see away from my computer screen. There are also big messes on all the proverbial surfaces, too.

My fitness is a mess, I am genuinely annoyed at how hard I have to work to get rid of 10 pounds and how quickly and easily they sneak back.

My emotions are a mess. I went out to lunch with, and then hugged and said goodbye to, a very dear friend and realized it was the first of a lot of difficult goodbyes I have looming in the next few days. I can't even think about it without crying.

My finances are a mess. What a can of worms (more like a barrel of snakes), let's not even go there.

My spirit feels like a mess. I am striving to read my scriptures each morning and start the day with a smile and it literally takes 2 minutes before I'm barking at the kids and setting the perfect example of all the things I DON'T want them to be.

My parenting is a mess. Lately I am such a wad of inconsistencies and short-tempered selfishness that I can only hope my kids aren't paying attention, although doing just that is something they get in trouble for. There's no way for any of us to win.

And clearly, my attitude is a mess.

*sigh*

I'm so happy and excited to embark on our big adventure and to have my little family together again, don't get me wrong. It's just that these past few days have been more difficult than I can manage because of all my inner turmoil (and outer turmoil, I'm not gonna lie. I HATE packing).

I have developed this bad attitude, too. I have always tried hard to see the blessings hidden amidst my trials. For some reason these days all I can see is the trials amidst my blessings. Sure I get to move to this great location close to so many awesome historical sites, have a cute little house that the military is paying for, have a better paycheck, be in the Washington DC temple district, get to try a whole new lifestyle, get my honey and father of my children back... You'd think I'd be thrilled. Instead I'm just upset, and I don't even know what about.


*another sigh*


I have always noticed that when I am on the verge of doing something very important that is right for me, Satan works extra hard to keep me from getting there. And with my great job of driving the spirit away with my anger and faithless whining, I am as good as inviting that negative influence into my life.

My friend and I were talking over lunch today about some of our funny parenting stories, and we discussed the habit we all have of asking our kids, "Why did you do that?" (You dumped Fruity Pebbles all over the carpet and DANCED on them?! WHY?!?) In the parenting class Lee and I taught in Rexburg, the manual specifically said not to do that, because there is really no satisfactory answer the child can provide.


But I am not a child- I am a grown woman who is accountable for her actions, and I can't help but ask that question of myself. WHY I am acting and feeling this way? Not surprisingly, there is no satisfactory short answer.


Before anyone reading this decides that I am losing it, don't worry. Normally I do better than I have been doing lately, and I know with divine help I can find my way back. So here's what I have been repeating and seeing over and over in my head the last couple of days:

I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it.

Sometimes from the mud at the bottom of the trenches it's hard to see. But I know that if I just keep climbing and keep trying, at some point I'll be able to look back and see more clearly. And if there's one thing I know how to do, it's how to keep putting one foot in front of the other. I never thought it would be easy, and I know it will be worth it.

Time to go work on my messes.

Hooray!

So much to celebrate!
- Daddy is officially a commissioned 2nd Lieutenant!
- I survived the flights to and from Georgia with the munchkins!
- Jana is using the big girl potty- Huzzah!
- By the middle of next week, we'll be a FAMILY again! *Eeeeeeeeeee!* (think Leisl's Sound of Music post-kiss squeal, that's what I'm going for there)

I look forward to celebrating our finding a place to live, successfully packing in the next week, and the achievement of the big move. I don't want to get ahead of myself, so I'm celebrating the small victories as we go- today I thought about going out to the garage and finding some boxes. Yay!

Now for some hot chocolate on this chilly, rainy night. Tomorrow I plan to GO out to the garage and find the boxes, and maybe Wednesday I'll bring them inside, and MAYBE Thursday I can go get some boxing tape... Yes, I better get some hot chocolate and go to bed.

Find-A-Friend Friday

Whee! I am so excited, this week I was picked for the Find-A-Friend Friday at one of my very most favorite blogs. If this blog isn't in your favorites already, put it in. Now! Not just because of the little bit about me, but because Stephanie's posts are funny, insightful, clever and make me want to be a better mommy- while realizing that there are so many other women in my same boat and it's okay to have some self-perfecting left to do.

I love this blog, and hope you will too!

The Next Chapter

See that? It's Virginia. Home of Fort Lee, where we will be stationed for the next couple of years. (http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/images/usa/virginia.jpg)

The exact timing of the big move has yet to be determined, but I can say with 99% surety that it will occur by the beginning of June. Likely sooner, but we'll see.

I've never moved 2, 170 miles before. It will be interesting.

So...bring on the adventure!

Fearless

We are on the edge of some big decisions- the kind that HAVE to be made, because not doing anything would have repercussions as profound as those of any of the other options we might choose between. I know at some time or another everyone has choices like these, and I also know that the most important factor in all of this is faith.

On an unrelated note, we had quite a snowstorm Monday night. Tuesday morning Wyatt looked out at the snow and wanted to play in it. So he did, and bless his heart at least he put on his boots first. Coat, hat, gloves? No time. Jana took the precaution of putting on a raincoat and boots, but she was also so bent on getting outside that she wouldn't hear of a hat or gloves either.

They were so anxious to get started on that adventure that they just threw caution out the window and went for it- I suspect knowing that I was watching over them and would intervene for their safety if it really became necessary.

So while I was uploading these pictures and looking over them with a smile- a mixture of humor and incredulity- I started thinking. I had been pondering on courage and faith, and some ideas I had turning over in my mind started to come together.

Almost every decision can be compared to my kids' little adventure. There are times when I can decide carefully and completely, and take every single precaution I can think of in an effort to be prepared- but there are also times when the best/right thing to do is just dive in and have faith that a loving heavenly parent (who I sometimes imagine wearing a smile of humor and incredulity at my actions) will watch over and bless me with the knowledge and guidance I need- when I need it.

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear- not absence of fear. Except a creature be part coward it is not a compliment to say it is brave.

-Mark Twain

Either life entails courage, or it ceases to be life.

-E.M. Forster

Go to the edge of the cliff and jump off. Build your wings on the way down.

-Ray Bradbury

Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.

-C.S. Lewis

When we went forth into the waters of baptism and covenanted with our Father in heaven to serve Him and keep His commandments, He bound himself also by covenant to us that He would never desert us, never leave us to ourselves, never forget us, that in the midst of trials and hardships , when everything was arrayed against us, He would be near unto us and sustain us.

-George Q. Cannon

This is a great time to live. When times are unsettled, when the dangers persist, the Lord pours out His blessings upon His church and kingdom. I have been associated now in the councils of the Church for upwards of thirty years. During that time I have seen, from the sidelines at least, many a crisis. Among the leaders I have seen great disappointment, some concern, maybe some anxiety. One things I have never seen is fear. Fear is the antithesis of faith. In this Church and in this kingdom there is faith. So let us look forward with an attitude of faith and hope.

-Boyd K. Packer (emphasis added)

I haven't come to any specific conclusion to the issue at hand yet- but I know where to place my faith and trust, and I have learned that there simply isn't room for fear in my life.

And this picture is just so Aunt Marianne can see how Hank and Mary are loved.

Thanks again!