Throwback to Saturday, when my bestie and I ADULTED! That’s right, we ate a full meal and had in-depth conversation (with belly laughs) for 2.5 hours without needing to wash tiny hands, break up any fights or retrieve snacks. And let’s not forget it was literally the best sushi I’ve ever eaten in my life. Dragonfly Sushi on the West Side… Try it out!
By the time we left, our bellies were very full… And so were our hearts!
Goodness. She’s becoming like a grown-up and stuff. But gosh, how we love her!!!
Holy wind advisory, Texas! Today, Korea totally wins for air quality index. (I’ve never seen one this bad before). I supposed this is payback for me bragging yesterday about our gentle 90 degree weather when it was 45 degrees and rainy in Korea. If anyone needs me, I will NOT be outside tonight. #SoMuchDust #InMyTeeth #OnTheChair#OhMyGoodnessItsEverywhere
So, fun story: Several weeks ago, Aunt Rita Knobloch’s friend Cheryl Herrmann sent me as message to say that her friend Tania Bazzell had a daughter (Dakota) whose husband was stationed at Bliss and currently deployed. I didn’t really know what to think… At a base of nearly 40,000, a lot of soldiers are always deployed all the time. But Cheryl introduced me to Tania’s daughter Dakota via FB messenger. Turns out, our husbands ARE deployed together (same brigade, different battalion). This gal Dakota Bazzell turned out to be a pretty courageous fellow milspouse, because she voluntarily joined our household chaos for a week while she was back in town for class with the Army Reserves. Cheers from going to complete strangers to temporary roommates (who are still on speaking terms after another sandy deployment week). What a wonderful blessing to us. (She’s also a great kindergarden-hair-doer, toddler-boot-putter-onner and dishwasher-cleaner-outter and PWOC-guest-attender-er)#ItTakesAVillageYo
***
*Practicing sight words at the breakfast table*
Charis: *Sounding it out* “O… vuh… errr… OVER!”
Me: “Good job! Now can you use it in a sentence?”
Charis: “Please stop overreacting.”
#Whoops #WeLiveInAnEmotionalHousehold
***
Last Friday, my good friend Meagan Vaughan Kendall treated me to a very special “blessing box…” A mani/pedi! Very happy with my nails and probably the best one I’ve ever had. And let’s not forget that in the Palm Sunday performance for church today, I have a line in my monologue that says, “Gotta keep the mani nice!” So now, it’s true.
PS: Thank you, Meagan… it made my heart smile!
SON!!! That’s not what I meant when I said to clean up the milk you spit on the floor…#MaybeIShouldHaveGivenHimAStrawInstead
?Annnnd ACTION! What a blessing and adventure to be a cast member of our Paseo Church’s First Encounters skit for this Palm Sunday. During rehearsal, we literally laughed until we cried and during the actual performance, some of the audience was cry-crying for some very profound and tender moments. We nailed it! #GloryToGod
From left to right: Sam Cline (The Roman Soldier at the crucifixion), Joe Fueille (Thomas), Jason Roth (Cleopas? Clopus? Cletus? Dude who met Jesus after he has risen), Janette Roth (the “other” Mary who encountered Jesus after the resurrection), Eric Bowers (Phineas the Healed Leper), yours truly (The Innkeeper’s Wife the night of Jesus’ birth, complete with Brooklyn accent/attitude), Brandi Walker (Samaritan Woman at the Well), Joanna Cline (epic instrumental accompaniment) and Peter Kendall (Sound/tech/fix-all-the-things guy).
PS: Flat Daddy showed up for the auditions but didn’t make the cut. Something about his facial expressions being too fixed I think. His hand gestures left something to be desired too…
***
Deployment Log, Day 190:
1. At the risk of sounding melodramatic, it’s been more than six months since I’ve held my husband’s hand and the kids have been chased by Daddy/Ticklemonster.
2. BUT… that means we are getting much closer to redeployment AKA homecoming!
3. Why do they call it REdeployment? Shouldn’t it be DEdeployment? UNdeployment? (I’m sure there’s an army-based reason for the label).
4. Sometimes deployment makes me feel old. Then I remember that Noah didn’t see dry land until the “first day of the month of his 601st year” and I feel much more confident.
5. We are doing really pretty good. All the company/adult support/extra parenting hands the last 6 weeks has really made the suck way less sucky.
6. And did I mention all the talk about homecoming stuff? WE ARE GETTING THERE.
7. Aunt Denise will be here in like 27 ish hours. FOR TWELVE DAYS. And THAT will get us to MAY. #JesusJesusPreciousJesus
8. Malick is still being Malick… although for the moment, he’s shifted from dumping sand on the floor to spitting milk on the floor. I think I like the milk better. Easier to clean up. Especially when he glues his face to the ground and slurps it up.
9. He’s also talking more and more every day, which is entertaining. He’s started calling Charis “Cha-cha” (why??) and yesterday we filled up the bird feeder in the back yard, then he turn around and yelled, “HEY DUCKS! NUM NUM!” like they were going to come when he called. Oh, and at lunch he pushed his plate in front of me and said “Hold my stuff.” #UmNoThanks
10. Can’t remember if I shared… but Charis had her ENT appt a couple weeks ago after the strep throat debacle in Jan/Feb. Good news: She does not need an immediate tonsillectomy! If she gets another throat infection in the next few months, it will be a thing, but that will be after hubs gets home so we will have back up. Talk about an answered prayer!
11. I am done with week 5 of 8 for this class. Other than previous classes that include dreaded group projects, this is probably the most labor intensive class I’ve done in the two years since starting my doctorate. All that to say, I shan’t be taking any summer classes, because Mama’s brain needs a minute. I’m so pumped to not think smartly for a few weeks!
12. For those of you who think I “have it all together,” (ha ha haaaaa), I almost forgot to pick up Malick from daycare a couple weeks ago. So there’s that.
13. In the same week, I tried to flush a public bathroom toilet with my foot and almost missed, which meant I almost completely submerged my foot. Definitely one of my finer moments. #CrushingIt#OrShouldISayFlushingIt
14. Prayer requests: For me to be present in the here and now, not getting too far ahead of myself/life, to fully ENJOY and be able to rest-ish while Aunt Denise is here, continued health for our family here, strength for all of us (hubs included) as we begin to head into the homestretch season of this gig.
15. Parting thought: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” ~Romans 15:13
