Our new normal, for today anyway :)

so we finally made it home on thursday mid afternoon...

it was quite a ride getting here... but a treat once we arrived! 

we were greeted with hugs and smiling faces, posters, and...

Sonic tea :)

i CANNOT even begin to express our gratitude!

we were beat down, tired, weary and overwhelmed...

and God gave us the perfect treat...

YOU, our friends, at the airport to be Jesus with skin on...

THANK YOU!!!

it has been almost 72 hours and i have still not...

washed all the clothes,

 unpacked the bags,

found all the paperwork,

or even settled back in...

BUT...

 we have done what is important...

spent time with people!!

thank you so much for serving us food,

housing my daughters 13th bday party,

keeping my kids,

and dropping by to hug us!!

it is just what the Father above ordered!!

so... where we are now?!?!?!



well we have two of the four taken care of...

Wendell is with the Ribas and

Erik is home with us...

BUT... there are two more to go...

so the journey continues to move forward.

our family is making the arrangements for all...

 but scott, patrick and jordan to return to 

pick up the remainder of our family...

 Chloe and Emily. 

its been hard to accept a split down the middle of our family

for... ? we don't know how long...

but i know SO MANY of you have made the sacrifice

many times as military families...

so you understand way beyond what i do :)

i have to be honest and tell you i was worried...

about our resolve once we fell back into our

comforts... our known.

all the way home i kept rehearsing the truth

as i understood it of what God had called us to.

as i slept in my bed... i rehearsed...

as i enjoyed the air condition... i rehearsed..

as i took long hot showers... i rehearsed...

as i drove my car and everyone had a seat and a seat belt... i rehearsed...

as i ate food i liked and drank COLD drinks... i rehearsed...

as i went into a different bathroom than the kids... i rehearsed...

as i flushed toilet paper... i rehearsed...

as i hugged my friends and enjoyed texts... i rehearsed...

as i enjoyed the comforts of a refrigerator.. i rehearsed...

as i watched a movie with my family on a tv instead of a tiny computer monitor

hooked to a laptop... i rehearsed...

as i understood the conversations around me... i rehearsed...

as i actually had meds to comfort my arthritis... i rehearsed..

i am sinner saved by grace and i LOVE my comforts...

so i have to rehearse God's truth again and again!!

something i was reminded of when all my comforts were stripped away...

PEOPLE is what Jesus came for not stuff!!

my life is to be about loving God with all i am

and loving others as myself...

whatever that looks like :)

for us...

it will be an extended stay an ocean away!

Praise God...

 He has a great BIG plan...

but is aware of our families weaknesses...

so we only see the limited parts He allows us to see

when He decides we are ready!!

"When God gives me a vision of truth, there is never a question of what He will do,

but only of what i will do."  Oswald Chambers

so... life as we know it is...

honestly i'm not sure :)

we are simply surviving...

moving forward as God guides our steps...

clinging to Him every step of the way!

tomorrow i spend the day with lifeline determining

what the days ahead looks like :)

please pray for us ALL as we adjust to our new normal...

that God will be glorified every step of the way!!