Precious in His Eyes

TnT - Prov 15:8 - "...the prayer of the upright is His delight."  


Googling Travis AFB to find the name of a doctor which Misawa can use for a referral. Tired of the run around from medical types.


Heading to Fort Logan National Cemetery where Dad G will buried. For the Colorado side of the family, and for our boys from TX, this will be the first services for Dad. Today feels final.  Maybe not as emotionally hard as last week...but then a different kind of final hard.  Yet we know that Dad G has left an amazing legacy which will grow and spread in the Kingdom of God....and that he has spent two marvelous weeks having the time of his life in that place where we truly experience total life. 


I'm reminded that God says the death of one His godly ones is precious.....and so today we take joy in participating in that which God considers of great value and personally in spending time delighting His heart through prayer. 

Choosing Joy!
©2012 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Finishing 1 July - which will post as 2 July

Bre is here!

Michael enjoyed visiting with Mom G.

The older boys caught up on life and discussed plans for their upcoming adventures.

Krista took the younger kids to the pools/rec areas at Kathy's community. Evidently there are wonderful water slides and fountains and frogs you can slide out of at this pool. They had a blast. Krista discovered Stacia is a daredevil (we knew this) as she tried all the big slides....she was "just" tall enough.

Michael has prayed and thought some more about the service tomorrow.

I was not along for the fun this afternoon - evening, therefore, there are no photos to share. LOL

Update on prayer request - Doctor has emailed she wants retests  before we return to Japan. She doesn't care if it's civilian or military - but finding a specialist who settles for Tri-care is difficult (y'all are in for some fun with national health care).  She is still not doing what Tri-care HERE says must be done....but tri-care THERE insists they need a name of a doctor from here first....HERE they insist we can't make appts etc until they have the referral....which comes first....chicken or the egg....continued prayers for the mystery of Tri-care to unravel are appreciated.

Choosing Joy!
©2012 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Sprint et al

TnT - Ps 62 and 63. There is a whole lot of joy in Ps 63....but Ps 62:1-2; 5-8 are the verses that struck me this morning.  It's o.k. to speak to your soul....wait in silence for God is your hope, strength, stronghold, refuge, deliverance, stable ground...I will not wobble, waver or shake, I will choose to confidently trust in WHO I know God to be as I pour out my heart to Him. 


After sleeping in and enjoying a leisurely hotel breakfast, we headed to Cherry Creek Shopping District to visit the Sprint store. Jared needs to be added to the family plan three of the other "big kids" are on. We started this plan with ourselves and our two college-aged daughters many moons ago. We removed ourselves and added the boys when we moved to Japan. Josiah has graduated to his very own plan which supports the iphone... The lady said she hadn't worked with this particular plan in years - yep, it's an old plan - but they still honor it. Jamin had a free upgrade coming. Jared is set. In November Krista got a new phone and it DIDN'T WORK. She took it back to Sprint in Eugene immediately. They didn't fix it, didn't give her a new phone - she's been in many times. They say it's "Samsung's problem and a known issue," but Sprint sold it. They were going to give her a new phone here in CO, but then realized Samsung needs to give the new phone. Samsung still won't. Sprint here said they'd send her a new phone for $35....but Michael will go in with her to the Eugene store to see what can be worked out. I've never heard of such silliness. YOU sell a phone with "known issues," and you don't exchange it when it's brought in the same day it was purchased with issues. Sometimes you just need a tall scowling Major with a uni-brow to take care of these situations. LOL

When we were finally released from Sprint, we found Schlotskys for lunch. This is one of Michael's favorite lunch spots.  It was here that I realized some bug has caught up with me. It's been chasing me across the country. I came back and slept for a few hours.

Michael collected his thoughts for his Dad's burial service tomorrow.

The kids all took the van and found a park, then got food from Walmart and came back and ate in one of our rooms (with all 11 of us here we take 3 suites).

They've all gone to Kathy's (Mike's eldest sister's) to visit. They'll go pick BreAnne up at the aiport at 9:15 p.m.

I'm going to continue to sleep. Expect a photo of all 9 Gherkins soon. LOL




Choosing Joy!
©2012 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

We Have Arrived

TnT - I've been forgetting to note these when I share them on PWOC Japan Region's FB page.  Today - James 5:8, 11...."be patient and strengthen (set fast, fix firmly) your heart" and remember the endurance of Job....the Lord was proven to be full of compassion and merciful. 


A prayer request....late afternoon the day before we were to leave to fly to the states....we received some results from tests which were done the week before. The tests warrant a third opinion and more tests...they'd like the second battery of tests to come from a stateside military hospital. DR in Misawa gave a hand-written referral and a note of what tests she wants runs and what the tests in the Japanese hospital showed. We cannot get into a clinic in CO or CA on the basis of THAT. She needs to have the Misawa Tri-care office enter a referral to the Tri-care Pacific office in Hawaii and they need to request he be seen by the Tri-care WEST office.....and this all needs to happen before we return to Japan.  Michael has emailed the DR in Misawa and the first shirt letting them know the procedure they need to follow...AND reminding them we cannot stay longer than our tickets without them changing them to medical TDY or he will be AWOL. If they don't get the paperwork through the process in time for an appointment in CA.....we're looking at more travel to the states shortly after returning to Japan. We'd really like to avoid this scenario. We appreciate your prayers.


Today we concluded our journey to CO. We are in Lakewood...about 1/2 a mile from the Fort Logan National Cemetery where Dad G will be buried on the 2nd of July. 


Roy commented if it weren't for the interstate and the oil this part of Wyoming would probably fold up.

I tend to agree. We arrived in Lakewood around 3:00 p.m. We checked into a comfortable hotel with free breakfast, a fitness room and pool.  105* - I love the sun. Love the heat. Love the thermal shock of going from AC to heat....though it probably causes cancer. ::snort:: 


Cathy, Rebecca and Mom G were gracious enough to meet us for dinner. Michael remembered a spot where we used to bring youth groups. When we got inside Krista remembered it.  Think Disney type lines and crowd control, meets Taco Bell food and Old Western Dinner Theater.....

M

There are mines, caves, lagoons.....all with tables and nooks for dining. We wondered HOW they keep up with the fire codes and health codes...but it was fun.

 

We haven't been here in 19 years. Well before Zander was born. We simply neglected to consider how his sensory issues would react to this spot. By the time we reached the end of the line he was in tears. Once we set down, he got some food, we explained the craziness....he began to really enjoy the spot. 

We came back to the hotel and swam.....and then.....guess who showed up? 

Eight of the Nine Gherkins in one spot! 

Choosing Joy!
©2012 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Down the Highway

From Rodeo Queens to Waleeda at Walmart. From ID to WY. 


They LOVED us in Farr West, UT (actual name). We garnered lots of smiles and greetings...not a rude comment in the restaurant. 


We stopped in Rock Springs.....wow....not real pretty.....not a lot to see as we drove...but Jared thought it was beautiful. ::grin:: 

The early stop is refreshing. The kids swam. We got all our laundry done. Michael and I went to the Walmart deli and brought home dinner to eat in the room. We replenished our snack supply for the rest of the trip. The girls are snuggled in our room watching Little House Episodes. Michael is working on some paperwork he needs for a referral.  We will arrive in Denver tomorrow night.  Josiah and Jamin hope to arrive late on the 30th and Bre will arrive on the 1st.  We'll have 4 days with all of us together. That will be heavenly. 

The heat has been wonderful. 

I am contemplating a trip to the hot tub. 

Choosing Joy!
©2012 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Freakishly Enormous Family Goes Cross Country ::grin::

From glowin the dark yellow tennies on Olympic hopefuls to bling, cowboy hats and tiaras on rodeo queens....OR TO ID. Well - not a lot of earth-shattering news when you're driving cross country......


We had breakfast with Mom and Dad T in Springfield before hitting the road. Bre stayed in OR and will fly out later. 

The Gherkinmobile is back in service and has functioned well. We noted we made quite a splash in Pendleton....evidently they either 1. aren't use to large families or 2. aren't use to tourists from Alaska. Several stopped by to talk to us. 

Zander held the door for a lady whose son had blasted through the door and wasn't holding it for her or the grandma. I could NOT believe she walked through, looked at him and said in a loud voice to the other lady, "What an ENORMOUS family - you don't see that often any more," and started RUDELY laughing. I wanted to respond in kind, but smiled instead and then ignored her.  She continued to talk about big families....Zander commented she was very happy to see a large family. ::snort:: 

Stacia was 3 when we moved to Japan. Evidently this is not sufficient time to cement a child's cultural vocabulary. She took her coupon up to the clerk and explained, "I'd like one of those chocolate swirly things on a stick that they have over there, please. Either that or the ice cream between two pieces of cookie." ::snort::  They finally reached a suitable agreement and she said, "Arigato Gozaimasu." He said, "What?" She repeated. He stared. She said, "That means thank you very politely in Japanese where I'm from."  It was darling...and we added dilly bar and ice cream sandwich to her vocabulary. ::snort:: 

We continued through OR and on to ID. Arielle was driven to crunches by boredom somewhere near ID. 

 She did push-ups too, but the photo wasn't nearly as flattering. LOL 

We arrived near 7:30 p.m.  Beth had called ahead and booked us a great hotel, right off the highway with free breakfast AND a pool.....Holiday Inn EXPRESS.....way, way, WAY cheaper than the hotels in Springfield. YES. We got both rooms for less than 1 room last night.  Don, Beth, all their kids and spouse came to the hotel and we had a good time visiting. Fun way to end a long day. 

Tomorrow we press on to WY. We won't be going through MT on this trip. I didn't know you COULD go to CO without going through Hardin, but evidently you can. 

Choosing Joy!
©2012 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Funny Sign

Because I've shared so many amusing sights from Japan, I simply must share this one from Oregon!

I've been told this is really a problem in Oregon. CRACKS me UP! Yes, men do urinate from time to time outside in Japan....but it's not a huge problem requiring a law....


Choosing Joy!
©2012 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...