Reunited!

Well six weeks isn't as long as some deployments but when Daddy is gone nothing seems right. Finally Vince is back home and it is so nice having our family whole again. It's always a funny car ride home as the kids scramble to tell them everything that's been going on for the last month and tell him all the things they have to immediately show him when they get in the house. Even Axle is excited and whines with joy when Vince walks through the door.

Once we're home there is always a short awkward time where everyone is figuring out their duties again, but since this is our eighth go at it and we are improving on our transition time :) Fun snuggling and relaxing tonight and then back to the day to day routine, but so much better now that he is home.

Each time he leaves I learn how to do something else I never thought I'd need to know and this time I hooked up the Wii to the living room TV and mowed the lawn all by my self (well with a little help from the neighbor who came and started it for me). I feel good knowing that even when he isn't here I can be independent and self sufficient. As soon as he's home, however, I realize that he is the half to my whole, and when he is gone I always feel like something is missing. Being apart just makes us appreciate each other more and makes the hugs and kisses that much sweeter when we are back together.

So glad he's back home safe and sound!

New Job Description;)

So every year I sit down and think up all these crazy things I'd like to do and try to do them all at once( lose 50 pounds, learn a new language, learn to play an instrument) I jump in head first and a few days later I've fallen off the wagon again. This year I am trying things one at a time, and trying not to look at them as resolutions. I am trying to look at it like I just got hired at a new job and this is my new job description. So far so good!

We have been reading books and the Bible every day, only watching an hour of TV, not eating fast food, but healthy, veggie filled, home cooked meals. We are also taking walks, laughing, playing and really enjoying our time together. This year is going to be filled with transitions for the Myers. I will be graduating school and starting a new career field, we are moving across the country, Vince is taking on more responsibility with his promotion, and the kids are nearing the end of elementary school. I really want to make 2012 a year of rebuilding our family's foundation.

What's important to us? We are coming back to the Rock and trusting Him to hold our family secure in His arms. We are learning to love one another as we grow and mature in our own ways. We are starting to master Navy living and looking forward to reconnecting with old friends and ministering to new ones.

I can't wait to see what else God has in store for us. This year I think my new resolution can be summed up in three words: Faith, Hope, and Love, but the greatest of these is Love :)

What ever happened to predictability?

So we got orders today... Whidbey Island WA.  Not what I was expecting.. I wanted, no had already moved us in to Tinker AFB in Oklahoma and had us making monthly trips to St. Louis and Indy to see family. And of course we would continue there until Alexis and Corbin graduated and probably retire there.

Well of course the Navy doesn't do what you expect, it doesn't even do what you hope, in fact it usually picks something you least likely thought to ever happen and says BAM here you go and your welcome.

So in about eight months and 3,108 miles I will be a resident of a very rainy island in the tippy top corner of the country. I'll practically be a resident of Canada. So what do I do with this development .. I could cry.. oh wait did that a couple of times today.. to my sister and random strangers and co workers and parents and any one who would listen to poor pitiful Sarah who is moving to another land. Or I suppose I could do what the Navy Wives always do and roll up my sleeves and get to planning. I can't be upset because then the kids will be upset and my husband certainly doesn't want to drag a whining crying wife and two whining crying kids three thousand miles away from their family.

So the cons have been listed.. distance from family:two days or an expensive plane ticket, weather: well its no sunny florida, but it can't be much worse than the frozen tundra of Maine and we loved it there, and I don't think I can think of any more so on to the pros

I know two very best friends are not only anxiously awaiting my arrival but already helping me plan, check. I am bringing one already established best friend across the country with me, check. I have flexibility, patience and a sense of adventure, check. I like beautiful spacious scenery and small town atmosphere, check. I am only 4 and a half hours from Seattle, 6 hours from portland oregon(Aunt Tiz lives there) and 3 hours and 33 minutes from the coolest place to visit, Forks, WA of course :)

I think as much as I crave the predictable "let me pick it" lifestyle I didn't sign up for that.. I wanted adventure, we wanted something new and exciting or we wouldn't have signed up. I know this will be a great time and I know I will make it a great place for my family.. I can definitely use some sagacity and serendipity in this situation I just have to look for it because its not just going to jump out and say HEY Sarah this is so cool stop moping...

So now I'm ready, I've put Oklahoma to bed and said good night and maybe someday and now I am ready for another ocean, another town, another outlook and another day.. So look out Whidbey because here come the Myers.

Packing Up the Baggage

When preparing for a trip the first thing to do is decide what to pack. After all you are leaving your home, and thus leaving your comfort zone. Is this a long trip? A short one? Is this an adventurous trip or maybe one back to a place you've seen before?

Then you say to yourself, "How much crap do I want to have to haul around with me while I'm gone?" Or maybe you say, "Who's waiting for me at my destination that can supply me with what I need?" Or do you say, "I need it all and I can't bear to leave one thing!"

I have plenty of things to carry, my health, my finances, my marriage, my family, my past, my self doubts, and my affect on others. Among the other clutter I have packed low self esteem, confusion, anger, fear, impatience, and regret. I threw in some desire, passion, and willingness to learn, and of course I packed my Swiss army knife. My bag feels heavy but I am going to move my feet forward because I am in search of a transformation.

 I know what my job description is: mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, student, chauffeur, chef, etc. I know that I am diligent, dedicated, and driven. I strive to set an example and take care of those around me, but the person I usually forget to tend to is me. What do I like, what do I want, where should I be heading?
Flexibility has turned into codependency and I need to reclaim my self.

I chose the two title words because I know I can't forget to pack them on this trip. I have to be wise, discerning, and thorough and also I hope to have good fortune and discover unexpected things along the way.

I am embarking on a trip. I am packing up, leaving town, and seeking some adventures. I am probably over packed, but since I don't know where I am heading I suppose I can get rid of things along the way. Well I suppose that's not entirely true. I know I am heading forward, out of the brambles and onto a path. I can't see the end of the path or whether it has forks, but I did remember my compass, my canteen, and my boots in case the going gets tough.

Bon voyage, Adieu, Auf Wiedersehen, Sayounara!

I am off to new lands and new adventures. I am going to try new things and change old things.

Here's to a serendipitous and sagacious Sarah!