Switcheroo Sunday

Strange.....switched....but FUN.

Today was a Unity Service at our base chapel. We do this every so often. All our Protestant services combine for one big service. We move the time to whichever service is hosting...and have a potluck afterwards. Tonight was the 1800 service.....

I had a whole day stretching out before me. Mike went to the office.

Jamin had graduation photos and hung out for a bit with some of the upcoming graduates.

Jared went to visit with Cy.

The youngers and I began the process of going through things.

Jamin and Jared think we can pull off a garage sale this weekend....I'm doubtful but there is a splendid mess shaping up as everyone gets into the spirit of the thing. ::snort:: I need to have the house clean and ready for the realtor on Friday...something is not clicking. LOL

I began the process of untangling myself from more commitments and such.

I put another year of photos into albums. Heather suggested I have a "scrapping open house"...get a bunch of women to come over, help take things out of magnetic albums, put them into plain albums...hmmm....I wonder.

I posted photos to the blog.

I took many deep breaths.

I'll feel much less overwhelmed when orders are actually cut....then there will be set dates and such....not having answers to so many questions is starting to wear...but then I KNOW who has all the answers and time lines in control. That's right.

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

Dinnnn ER!

If anyone local needs someone for a children's party.....go to Double Dave's and ask for the magician. He was really good. He made balloon animals...here he kept grabbing it away from Stacia at the last minute.





He also did tricks with balls and cards.

In one of those strange twists that you get used to in a military town.....he spent 8 years in Misawa during his teen years. He had lots of stories to share and loved the fact that we were all going.

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

School....

If it weren't for Jared (9th grade), I think we'd quit school now. This is a good breaking spot. We're studying from the Fall or Rome - American Revolution this year. We are about 3 weeks into unit 3 - Colonies....we could quit. Oh well.....we'll blow through it, catch it more in-depth in 4 years....and be sure we are studying fun things in Japan for the next few years....I know we cover Commodore Perry and WW 2 - in the next couple of years..... We'll keep plowing away.

The above are mini-books we made to go along with Zoology this week.

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

Saturday's Projects

No, I'm not 100% sure what was wrong with stove. All I know is it didn't work last week. Jared took this part of the wall apart...Mike went to the store...they hammered, sawed, cut and now I have a stove.

Meanwhile the younger ones and I worked in the yard.

Mike and Jared continued work on a pond that Mike began work on earlier. It's been one of those back burner projects that has bugged him. The worked on it a bit more yesterday.

Jared "supervised" - I guess this goes along with training for his political future?

The girls took a bit of a break. ::snort::

Nolan - tries out some leaf blowing techniques with Mike's air compressor....

Then he goes after the "FIRE ANTS!!!"

I did some laundry, housework, photos, entered receipts and worked on bills. I had the most dangerous job of all.

Where did HE come from? Ah.....

Found under a pile of leaves. ::snort:: Poor Arielle was worn out.

Mike took us all to Double Dave's. It was a late dinner.

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

A Bit of Politics

Don't watch if you don't like politics. You've been warned. This is Shepard Smith sharing his thoughts on the hypocrisy displayed this week by the U.S. Congress over the AIG bonus'.

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

Sneak Peak

When a single person goes to out-process, they can do it quickly. They often wonder WHY it takes others so long. Here's a sneak peak.....if a single goes to get a no pay passport....he/she would walk in with a filled out application and be out of there in 10 - 20 minutes.

We walked in with 7 filled out applications (Josiah and Krista will have to do theirs in May)....and two hours later were done with the appointment.


These five look very excited about their upcoming adventure, don't they?


This scenario repeats for every form and every line we wait in....now this is NOT a whine....but hopefully it helps our single friends understand why it takes a member with dependents so long to accomplish what you can do so efficiently. ::snort::

The gentlemen at the passport office was wonderful. He'd been in Misawa for 8 years and loved it. He also got quite a lot of fun out of processing so many passports at once...and loved all the stamps in my "old passport". He tells me they don't stamp any longer????

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

"From the Toilet"

Can you think of a phrase that would strike more terror into a mother's heart?

Stacia brought Mike and I coffee. It's "good coffee". She had wanted to get good water and we turned her away from the filter. We were in the midst of a "serious" discussion when she showed up with two cups of coffee for us.

I drank. Ugh.

"Stacia, where did you get the water for this yummy coffee?" I said it with a smile and a lilt in my voice.

She looked away from Mike, leaned towards me and whispered, "From the toilet!" ::snort::

Mike hadn't DRANK any. I had.

Y'all I did not react bad. Mike went and washed his face and rinsed.....I was raised on the mission field. ::snort:: I sure wish I'd had the camera...for Stacia's whispered confession and for Mike's priceless face.

Stacia's been having a tough few weeks....life is "out of kilter"...first Dad Earl was ill and we were worried. Then Mike was gone and she was worried. Then we are all moving.....and she doesn't quite get it but obviously knows something is up...and she's been moody...so I didn't react.....and I was glad to hug her and tell her we should wash her cups and get some good water after all. ::snort::

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.