Today is a holiday!

And not just Easter...

It's ONE DOWN, FIVE TO GO Day!!

If you followed our first deployment journey, you may remember that I celebrated the 15th of each month as marking another month down. I did something different every time, but it always was an event!

This time, it's the 23rd. And, hopefully, it's actually a little less than 5 to go right now... but we all know how timelines can change!

Since it was Easter, we just doubled up on our holiday celebrations! After church I went out to lunch with some friends. I came home and chatted with Jon, watched Army Wives, and am now watching War Stories on Fox News. Tonight's episode centers on the 3rd Infantry Division, which is who Jon is with. I also, incidentally, watched Iraq for Sale today- very interesting perspective- I'd definitely recommend it.

To be honest, I almost feel like I shouldn't make a big deal out of each month. I mean, 1 Down, Less Than 5 To Go? Seems barely worth mentioning. I mean, Jon's brigade has been in country since LAST MAY. 6 months is so small. Of course, Marines and Sailors do 6 month rotations all the time! It's all relative, I suppose...

Anyway... I shall still celebrate- so, Happy 1 Down Day!!!!

Happy Easter from Sophie!

Clean House

Yesterday, I had some time on my hands.

I could clean the house, I thought, or do the taxes... Hm... Well, I've been putting off the taxes, so I should do those now, and clean the house tomorrow.

When my realtor called at 8:15 this morning, I realized I had made the wrong decision.

That led to a stressful morning, and gave me motivation to keep it clean and clutter-free.

But, I was back home, house already shown, by 10:15, got an unexpected call from Jon, and can now enjoy my day!


In other news, Sophie is doing great. She LOVES her play gym, and talks to and bats at her "friends" hanging above her head. Sometimes I'll be in another room, and I can here the rattles shaking and Sophie blabbing on! During tummy time, she has been content to just lay there (licking her hand...)- until yesterday! All of the sudden she started lifting her head and looking around! I am so proud of her!

Maundy Thursday

I went to a Maundy Thursday service tonight.

Do you not know what that is, though you vaguely remember hearing of it?

Me too.

So, I went. Of course, I had wikipedied it, hoping to learn more.

What I gather is that many traditions celebrate it similarly to Good Friday. It commemorates the Last Supper and Jesus' experience at Gethsemane. Oftentimes, I read, foot washing is a part of the service, though it wasn't at ours tonight.

You know, I don't think I had even been to a Good Friday service until a few years ago. Maybe once growing up, I don't remember. I will say that I think celebrating Easter is so much more meaningful after recognizing Good Friday (or Maundy Thursday). Something about hailing a resurrection without reflecting on the solemness of his death just doesn't seem right... I think we sometimes brush over what actually happened between the joyous Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. One week we're singing Hosanna!, and the next, He's Alive!!... and, ohbytheway, he died a couple days ago...

One thing I have really appreciated about the chapel community is the ability to experience other traditions. The variety of ways of administering communion alone is amazing! Never before have I gone to a Maundy Thursday service, and I enjoy being exposed to such things.

Even elements like reciting The Lord's Prayer or The Apostle's Creed as a community seem so refreshing to me. I suppose that whatever is unlike what you grew up with seems fresh; I'm sure that it does become rote and dull. I would argue that the liturgy of any church can become rote- even if that liturgy is more "contemporary." Don't get me wrong, I love the contemporary service style (though, I have found, many claiming to be "contemporary" haven't changed a thing in the past 10 or 15 years since they first began...). At the same time, things such as communal recitations, the singing of the doxology, and the observance of the liturgical calendar are quite meaningful to me. I'll admit to even having a fondness for ministerial vestments.

Of course, general protestant services present their own set of challenges, but I'll address that another time... I will also add that I have had experiences that I have appreciated, but not particularly enjoyed. Or, I might enjoy it once, but wouldn't want it every week. It's still nice to expand my horizons a little.

Tonight I shall leave you with the lyrics to one of my favorite hymns- it was actually sung at our wedding. It is a Welsh song, from the revival that took place in Wales a century ago. Heaven's peace and perfect justice kissed a guilty world in love...

Here is love vast as the ocean
Loving kindness as the flood
When the Prince of life, our ransom
Shed for us His precious blood
Who His love will not remember?
Who can cease to sing His praise?
He can never be forgotten
Throughout Heaven's eternal days

On the Mount of Crucifixion
Fountains opened, deep and wide
Through the floodgates of God's mercy
Flowed a vast and gracious tide
Grace and love, like mighty rivers
Poured incessant from above
And Heaven's peace and perfect justice
Kissed a guilty world in love

Let us all Thy love accepting
Love Thee ever, all our days
Let us seek Thy Kingdom only
And our lives be to Thy praise
Thou alone shalt be our glory
Nothing in the world we see
Thou hast cleansed and sanctified us
Thou Thyself has set us free...

You know you're an Army brat when...

This morning at church (one of the on-post chapel services), Chaplain Clark was giving the Kids' Sermon. To illustrate his point, he had various hats and was asking the kids what each of them was for.

As he held up a beret, one girl exclaimed, "That's what you wear when you go to work!"

Friends!!

Sophie and Layla... mere seconds before Layla thought it would be a great idea to attempt to use Sophie as a jungle gym...

Army Wives

I have a confession to make.

My name is Sara, and I like Army Wives.

Ok, so it's not entirely realistic. There are things- many things- that are not the way they really are. I suppose it would be akin to a doctor watching Grey's Anatomy or a lawyer watching... well, pretty much any other show on TV.

Season 2 won't be out for a while yet, but they're replaying Season 1, starting this past Sunday night. There I sat, with a half gallon of Chocolate Cream Pie ice cream, watching the pilot episode.

The show is full of cliches: The PFC who married the bartender he had known for 4 days. The girl-next-door mom of 2 kids who has a struggling marriage. The Major's wife who is abused by her teenage son. The Colonel's wife who has a great heart and seems pretty much perfect. The professional man whose wife is a Lieutenant Colonel- again, struggling marriage (did I mention they're also the token black couple?).

And those are just the main characters. Throw in several extra-marital affairs, the snobby General's wife, and all the obvious plotlines (PTSD, combat casualty, sudden deployment, etc), and you've got yourself a show.

I suppose that, on some level, I relate with all four of the female main characters in various ways, and that's what makes the show appealing. Nope, it's not true to Army life... but in all those cliches are experiences that are common among Army spouses.

You know, I have to tell you, I do love this. I watched my friend Brandy's daughter tonight, and when she came to pick her up, we sat here and talked for 2 hours. I know that good friends aren't unique to the Army... but the camaraderie is just on a different level. My sister-in-law Amy shared with me when she came to visit that she could just feel a different aura in the air around here- and it's true. Sadly, I watched Layla tonight so Brandy could go be with another friend of hers, who lost her husband this week to a suicide bomber- one of the five you probably read about. In this world, such things are not just headlines. In this world, they affect lives. And in this world, some things matter more... and some things matter less... and figuring out the difference isn't quite as hard...

More pictures...

These are some GREAT pictures of Sophie! The first ones are from a couple weeks ago in Jacksonville, and the others are from January when Josh & Amy came down.

Thanks, Aunt Amy!

Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen

It's over.

The War has ended.

Silence... "the sound of peace"...

in Korea.

I should explain. I watched the series finale of M*A*S*H tonight, for the first time. I vaguely remember the series when I was a kid (in syndication, of course)- it always seemed dull to me. Until these past couple years, that is.

You know, it is amazing watching a show about the Army from this perspective, set in the early 50s, written in the 70s and early 80s. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

There are aspects to the show that put what we go through in perspective- like the time that Charles had a week's worth of newspapers, and they were a hot commodity- most soldiers today have news at their fingertips. And when I think DFAS (the Army pay system) is bad, well, at least they no longer hand out cash- which could potentially be ingested by a goat..

There are other things that are different- this war, for example, is asymmetrical- there are no clear boundaries. North and South simply don't exist. Today's Army is 100% volunteer- there is no such thing as being called to duty by Uncle Sam entirely against your will (maybe only 97% against your will...) And, if you get caught with alcohol in the desert now, that's reason for severe punishment... let alone if you have your own still...

And yet, some things are the same. Families are missed. Lives are interrupted. Most importantly, soldiers- and civilians- are wounded and killed.

Near the end of the finale, all the characters announce what their lives will entail post-war. I couldn't help but realize how much war changes people- personally, I cannot even fathom what that must be like. I do know that I am married to a man changed by war. This deployment probably won't have the impact on him that the last one did- but still, you can't walk away unchanged.

I felt like I too said good-bye to some dear friends tonight. I regret that Jon wasn't here to watch it with me- it has come to be one of our favorite shows. I know that the reruns will still be on, and I will continue to watch them.

But tonight, I cried. I felt the mixed emotions of saying good-bye to friends, while being overjoyed to return home. I thought of the friends Jon made on his last tour, and how they are still a part of our lives. I wondered about the people we will meet over the next 17 years of this journey...

I know MASH is just a show. I know that for those who served in the Korean War, it was much more tragic, and much less, well, funny. I just wonder how GWOT will be portrayed in 20 or 30 years...

On a rainy morning

What a morning. It's rainy. Thundering, actually. I brought Sophie into bed with me at about 7:30, and we cuddled while we listened to the rain. It was great.

Now we're sitting on the couch, me with my coffee, her sitting next to me, leaning on my shoulder, cute-little-baby-snoring. We're listening to Minnie Driver. Perfect rainy morning music...

We've been doing well. I have managed to stay incredibly busy. I don't think there has been a day yet that I have stayed at home all day. I just may today, though... I really need to get the house ready to go on the market. I was supposed to have coffee with a friend today, but her baby is sick.

Jon is doing really well also. He hit the ground running- he was woken up four hours after he arrived to be with a soldier who had just had a death in the family. He is starting to get integrated into the unit and is enjoying being back with soldiers again.

(By the way, he would love to hear from you! If you don't have his address and would like it, leave me a comment and I'll get it to you.)

The rain is tapering off, for now. Sophie's getting restless. Ok, now crying. Loudly. i think that's my cue...

Out of the loop...

So, to divert my attention from Jon leaving, last weekend I sold out.

Yes.

I joined Facebook.

But, alas and alack, it has been quite fun! I've connected with friends I haven't talked to or seen in years. Some I had forgotten exist.

Anyway- that trip down memory lane has gotten me thinking of my Moody Days, which led to a disconcerting discovery:

WHEN DID DR. J GO TO CORNERSTONE?

WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME?

Seriously, folks. Our beloved Dr. Joseph M. Stowell the Third (referred to by loving students as Dr. J) has gone to Cornerstone University as THEIR president. I feel betrayed.

I knew he left a couple years after I did to pastor at Harvest Bible Chapel, where his son ministers. That's cool. I can handle that.

No offense, Cornerstonians (is that what you're called? I made it up)... but Dr. J will always be a Moody fixture.

On that note, how the heck does Michael Easley have his own Wikipedia article, and the highly revered Stowell doesn't? It's an outrage.

ETA: Ok, so I Googled it, and it only happened a month ago. Still...

A sad day.

Have you ever had old peanut butter?

One time I was at someone else's house, and they didn't frequently eat it. The result was a partially eaten jar in their cupboard that was so old it literally tasted like peanut SHELLS.

I had the same experience today- but, sadly, with Girl Scout cookies.

Yes, friends, our beloved Tagalongs (aka Peanut Butter Patties) have changed. A quick google search confirmed my suspicions... the recipe has changed.

But why, might you ask, would they do something outrageous like that?

Well, they gave in... they sacrificed taste on the altar of the trans-fat-free lifestyle.

Really, Girl Scouts?

They're COOKIES!

They're SUPPOSED to be bad for you!

Arg. That's the last time I'll buy them... I think I'll stick with Reese's cookies from now on...

One more...

Here's another one, courtesy of Aunt Amy.

Saturday morning!!

If you frequent our family site, you have probably noticed that it has been a few weeks since it was updated... long story short, in the process of me getting Jon's old computer and him getting a new one, mine (his old one) lost the ability to publish to that website. It actually lost the ability to run iPhoto and do anything else at the same time. (I know- I too thought that Macs intuitively knew everything you wanted to do and made it happen...) Anyway- we got the problem solved, but now I will have to completely rebuild that site... I'll let you know when that happens, but don't hold your breath...

In the meantime, here are a few more pictures to give you your Sophie fix! (doesn't EVERYONE need one???)

Crayon Box

An assortment of non-consequential thoughts of varied colors...



First and foremost, Sophie started smiling!!!





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I've gotten to video call with Jon three times and talk with him on the phone once since he left. Everyone join in... "Yes, I love technology, but not as much as you, you see... But I STILL love technology... Always and forever. Our love is like a flock of doves, flying up to heaven above... always and forever, always and forever..."

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Here is our Super Bowl feast... neither of us enjoying the sport, the Super Bowl is pretty much an excuse to eat party food! We had chips & cheese with guacamole & salsa, crackers with spinach/artichoke dip, wings (Jon grilled them), and root beer floats. All for the two of us. Suffice it to say we didn't feel great the next day...

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Jon's sister Emily had a baby 6 weeks after I had Sophie, but since Alice was bigger when she was born, they're about the same size. When I'm up this summer we're going to get matching outfits for the girls for a photo shoot... gotta love cousins! :-)

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I had a bad experience with a USPS employee on the phone yesterday while ordering my military kit. Two days after my husband deploys is NOT a great time to lecture me about how important my USPS customer ID# is and make me feel like an idiot for not keeping track of it since I last used it 3 years ago... (btw- why in the world can you not order these online???)

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Last week Jon & I went shooting. Ok, so I'm no marksman, but I was pretty impressed with myself. Jon was just impressed that I didn't cry this time.

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Jon was awarded the Bronze Star a few weeks ago! Long story short, he was supposed to have gotten it at the end of his first tour, but the paperwork for it (in typical Army fashion...) was lost. It finally came through! He got it for a period of about 10 days when his unit suffered 11 KIAs. That's really when he proved himself to his soldiers- he went way above and beyond what would be expected of a chaplain, including helping with the recovery effort. He also was awarded the Meritorious Serviceman's Medal as well as an Army Commendation Medal.

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Are Oreos made with more cream filling nowadays? I bought some Springtime Oreos and was disappointed with the cream-to-cookie ratio... some of us like the cookie the best!!

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He's gone.

Jon left for Iraq yesterday.

Last time, there was a big farewell ceremony, with the whole brigade (several thousand soldiers) in formation on the parade field.

Yesterday, there were less than 10. We all met at a small parking lot, they lined up all their gear, and we sat... for three hours...

Jon & I were actually able to stay in good spirits and had a rather enjoyable morning. Then, a bus pulled up. He walked me to the car, and we said goodbye.

Honestly, I felt relieved. I had been dreading that moment since we found out 6 weeks ago that he would be deploying. Of course, I went home and saw Sophie (she stayed with a friend), and I instantly had an incredibly empty feeling... Jon is such a great dad, and I have so much enjoyed having him home with Soph and me...

My sister-in-law, Amy, is in Jacksonville for a Young Survivor's Coalition conference this weekend, so Sophie and I came down to hang out with her. It really put some things in perspective for me last night, as we walked through the conference area. There are several hundred women here, all survivors of breast cancer- and under 40 years old. It reminded me that, while this season in my life is a struggle, I have so much to be grateful for. Our decision to go into the Army was just that- OUR decision. It has its pitfalls- but it was our choice. These women didn't have that luxury. They are having to deal with the life that was given them, to look for the good in the midst of the bad...

So, we're doing alright. These next few months will be hard, but focusing on the good and taking life day by day make is the only way to live- for anyone...

We'll both be journaling this season through our blogs- be sure to check back (sort of) often! :-)

A little perspective...

Millions of American Christians pray in their churches each week, oblivious to the fact that Christians in many parts of the world suffer brutal torture, arrest, imprisonment and even death—their homes and communities laid waste—for no other reason than that they are Christians. The shocking, untold story of our time is that more Christians have died this century simply for being Christians than in the first nineteen centuries after the birth of Christ. They have been persecuted and martyred before an unknowing, indifferent world and a largely silent Christian community.

---Nina Shea, Freedom House (human rights organization), International human rights lawyer (worship.com)

Our PWOC Program was this week (it went well!), and I did speak for just a few minutes on the persecuted church. I'm not sure how many women were affected by it, but even if just one commits to praying for our brothers and sisters in these countries, good was done.

I found this at the website of the Voice of the Martyrs. (I just realized you have to create a free account with them to view this page- but it is worth it!) All the colored countries are those in which Christians fact persecution of some kind. Isn't that amazing!?? So often we take for granted the freedoms we have here in the U.S. Just as the author of Hebrews encouraged in Hebrews 13:3, so we need to be in prayer today.

Bible League also has a REALLY cool program that I found- you can "recycle" your Bible! I don't know about you, but we have several copies of Bibles on our shelves that we haven't cracked in years- if you send it to Bible League, they will actually place it in an English-speaking home overseas!

I would really encourage you to check out these links I have provided, read some stories, and learn more about what is going on in the world- things that somehow are never reported unless an American happens to be involved...

By the way, if you're wondering- yes, I did in fact make a potpourri sachet... wasn't so bad after all...

Ya Gotta Laugh...

Jon and I tried out a new church this past Sunday; unfortunately, the pastor wasn't there, so we decided to go back for prayer meeting.

So we show up- the obvious novelty in this 50-person church. There was an impressive 15 people there for the mid-week meeting- all old enough to be our parents; most, our grandparents. Of course, Sophie needed to eat as soon as the meeting began, and as there is no inconspicuous way to nurse in such a setting, I went to an unused nursery. As I came back in and sat down, Jon noticed Sophie's face looking red and determined...

He looked at me quizzically- "Has she had her blowout yet??"

No sooner were the words out of his mouth than- PPPTTTHHHSSSLLLBBB...

Yep, you guessed it. LOUDLY. In the middle of the pastor taking prayer requests.

(Did I mention that- for the FIRST TIME EVER- I had chosen to put a shirt and pants on Sophie- without a onesie?)

Just then, I felt something warm and looked down- yellow goo was oozing out of the back of Soph's diaper- pooling on my lap...

Jon, helpful father he is, reached into the diaper bag to get me a cloth to keep our daughter's... uh... you know... from getting all over the pew. I quickly sopped it up off my jeans...

That's when I realized- I was using her spare outfit.

(Thankfully, her sweatshirt emerged unharmed, so she could still wear that.)

Sometimes, all you can do is laugh...

Happy Birthday!

Saturday was Jon's birthday. We dropped Sophie off at a friend's and had a date day!

It was GORGEOUS- I think it actually hit 80! There is a section of downtown Savannah called City Market- it's a couple blocks of walking district with restaurants and shops. We ate lunch (baked brie and portabella/ gorgonzola pizza... yum!) on a patio while listening to a live band play classic rock- of course, Jon didn't know most of the songs, but I knew them all!

After getting gelato (Italian ice cream), we went and saw There Will Be Blood- it's about the oil discoveries in the West in the early 20th century. It was a fantastic movie! I'll admit, I wasn't looking forward to it- Jon's birthday, he got to choose... but I really enjoyed it. You know it's a good movie when it gives you conversation fodder for the whole hour drive home!

I did have a few surreal moments- we hung out in City Market with Jon's siblings right before he deployed the first time... it seems we've come full circle...

But, this time, we know (well... sort of...) that he'll be home for his birthday next year! (gotta look at the bright side, right? ;-)

The Stuff of Parenthood

I had an interesting feeling the other day in the waiting room at the hospital.

I was thumbing through a magazine for grandparents- it was actually pretty cool. Its secondary premise was informing new grandparents of all the things that they were told to do back when they were new parents, that now are the mark of a horrible parent. Now, you see, if you put your baby on their stomach to sleep you are probably handing them over to SIDS. Nursing is once again the preferable way to go, according to literature anyway; don't even think about giving your infant water in a bottle; you should feed your baby every time she wants it- banish the thought of a schedule!

It also offered suggestions on how to be a good grandparent.

Which leads me to its primary premise- getting you to buy stuff.

(Did I forget to mention this "magazine" was published by Fisher Price???)

Of course, I was wise to their little scheme. Their blatant and unabashed marketing won't work on me, I thought.

Until I started seeing the pictures of the happy little babies.

And the smart little babies.

You see, they realize that plain old toys don't sell to new moms.

Nope, today's mom has way too much pressure for her child to succeed in every area of life.

Today's mom buys developmental toys.

If you don't have a mobile with bright, contrasting colors, your child won't ever be able to focus- you're dooming him to a lifetime of glasses!!

If your precious little one doesn't have a play gym with things to grab at, he will be behind all his classmates in motor skills!!

If you don't have a hanging crib toy with mirrors and things to look at, he will never be happy enough to go to sleep (didn't you know? stuffed animals in the crib are another death sentence...)- and without the mirrors, he will not know that he controls his environment until way too late!

Then there's the safety aspect- no ordinary infant bathtub will suffice- only the Fisher Price Rainforest one- equipped with the latest in safety equipment- and a padded armrest for Mom!

It worked on me.

For about 10 seconds.

Then I realized that our stuff is ok. Yep, most of it is either from garage sales or given to us- and it's all in great condition. I'm not saying developmental toys are bad or wrong- Sophie has some and will have more. I just maintain that the same end result can be attained through other means. It amazed me how I felt like I needed to have all that stuff to be a good parent. That I was doing my child a disservice by not depending on toys for her development. That the only way to ensure her success would be to follow all the latest research (which, I'm sure, in another two or three decades when I'm a new grandparent will all be wrong again anyway...). It doesn't matter if the mobile on Sophie's swing is of tan teddy bears and not bright red and blue shapes- she'll learn to focus. We read to her. We interact with her. We smile at her and hug her and kiss her. We show her pictures. We expose her to different textures and music. We give her "tummy time"- which she happens to love.

When people would talk about the responsibility of being a parent, I never quite "got it." Now I do. I feel like every decision I make will impact the rest of her life. But you know what? It will all be ok. She'll be a good kid. I'm sure I'll make mistakes- and I'm sure her younger siblings will have a slightly different experience than our little guinea pig.

I do know that I don't want to raise her to be materialistic and always need all the latest and coolest.

I also know that no toy can replace me and the time I spend with her.

That said, I thought I'd share this picture. Without developmental toys, we thought we'd better get a head up on teaching her to read now... (said tongue in cheek, if you didn't catch that...)