Hi Y'all,
Well, this one will be long as I try to get caught up with Blogging. It has been an EXHAUSTING few weeks. We started the packing up the house and getting out the week of May 16Th and in the midst of it we all ended up sick with bad head and chest colds. The Last night of being at the house Tim sliced his finger open and spent the wee hours of the morning at the ER to get stitched up. Our brother in law came down from DC and helped us that last day here. But we did it and I have to say that I have the BEST husband in the world (sorry Ladies). He worked so very hard that entire week. He and I did all the packing and loading of the Tractor Trailer our selves and let me just mention he is the best packer I have ever seen. I Love You My Husband!
We than spent the next five days getting back to Michigan. We spent some time up in DC (which we had not done since living down here, not sure why). We went to the DC Zoo, the White House, the Washington Monument, and just did what ever we felt like doing and took our time with every thing, after spending that last week without sleep and deadlines with the move, it was so nice to not have deadlines. I had purchased a Garmin (GPS System) for Tim for Father's Day and the girls and I had given it to him early. So, with the Garmin we traveled all over DC for days and NEVER got lost, it was absolutely WONDERFUL. We had to do Hard Rock Cafe for dinner one night and get the T Shirts, couldn't miss out on that. We had a good time and really wanted to stay longer but needed to get home for the Tractor Trailer that was arriving with our house in it.
We arrived in Michigan and just felt re leaved and anxious at the same time. It is always wonderful to be home and where you are familiar with and grew up. There is just something about "home", the people, family and home Church. But for the first time ever we also felt like Virginia Beach was home too, so it was weird for me to feel like I had two homes now, and feel torn between the two, so that was a new experience for me. But still being home was nice and after being there for a couple weeks and being with friends and family we just settled right in again. Though not moving back into our house and staying with family makes it a longer process but Tim's parents are wonderful and have the space for us. The girls did wonderful in the midst of everything. They did not understand though I had explained it many times. When we were getting ready to come back down here Paiyton said to me Mommy will my Bed be there when I get there? It broke my heart because she thought it was just another visit to "Wishigan" and than back home to her room and routine. Since being here she asks me "Mom are we going home today?". I still try to explain it all which some she gets but allot she doesn't. The girls have done great through all of this moving around and back and forth. I guess I should mention that we found out that the Navy was placing Tim in the Hotel on Base for the summer, that being said it was a no brainer to come back down for a few weeks to spend more time with him before he leaves for New Orleans. So, we are here till the third weekend in August and than we go back to Michigan. The girls are loving all the activities though, lots of beach days, pool days, Busch Gardens, and much more. So we are staying busy. We were a bit confined the second week of being here, the girls were exposed to the chickenpox at the same time when they spent a day with my sister Tara and her kids while being home. I am glad they were exposed at the same time and had them Very Very mildly at the same time. (the pox vaccine does its job). The just not feeling well was way worse than the actual pox. It was so mild that they only had a few bumps on their chest, so few that you could count them and they were very very tiny, not the normal sore, hardly any itching at all. Thank God it went smooth and thank God we are done with them. So my Chicky's are doing great and being the wonderful little chicks they are. I am so blessed to have such great girls! I will be posting pictures soon, Tim bought me a new Camera before leaving for Michigan so I am still getting use to it and have taken over 600 pictures in the last six weeks and still down loading allot of them, so many pictures to come.
We had the relaxation of Memorial Day Weekend to enjoy when we got to Michigan. We attended my home town Memorial Day Parade (this was/is a tradition for my family every year). It was nice to be home and see friends at the parade and enjoy the gratefulness of our home town for the Active Duty Military that help protect our Country and keep us safe. It is such a blessing and I couldn't help but think and pray for all the people who were out serving on the front lines as thousands of us in Waterford Michigan stood enjoying a parade. I am so thankful to each person who serves our country no matter what their job, maybe because of what I have experienced as a Military wife and Mom, I don't know but I am just SOOOOOO THANKFUL to each and every one of them and their families for their sacrifice. When we stayed in Bethesda Maryland at the Naval base when traveling home we were right across the street from the Naval hospital. I saw each day we were there the men that were there being treated for their injuries from this war. Some that you knew would never be able to work again to support their families and have what we call a "normal" life. God really spoke to me during the time we were staying there and has given me a desire to help the injured and their families, I am waiting for him to show/tell me how he wants me to do that. As I watched one morning a young wife help her husband walk through the lobby of the Hotel back to their room from getting therapy at the hospital. I stood there and cried because for one I have been there and know the fear and worry for your husband and just the fact that all that matters right then is that he is alive and how you want to take the pain from him. But it was obvious for them that he would not be able to work again, so it was very different than my situation with Tim when he was injured. Because there are so many injured some are placed in a room at the Hotel because the "Fisher House" does not have any rooms left for them. (Fisher House is like a Ronald McDonald House). I see their faces in my mind and pray for them all the time since being there. So this Memorial Day was about the ones that have lost their lives for me but it was even more so about the ones that have given limbs, mobility and the "Normal" life for them selves and their families to serve and protect our country for all of us. Thank you to all who have unselfishly sacrificed for our country, God Bless You.
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On our way up to Michigan we stopped in DC for three days. We were in need of some rest and relaxation. We had a great time and got in some of the sites. Our first day there we visited the DC Zoo. It was nice and quiet that day, not a lot of people. We enjoyed being outside. We had a great experience with one of the Orangutan, her name was Lucy and she was 30 years old. Her story was that her first several years of life was spent in a home with a family before she was given to the zoo. So Lucy is very different with humans than the rest of the orangutans. The enclosures are all glass windows from top to bottom. Lucy sits right next to the glass and interacts with you. She likes to see what's in your bags. So Paiyton pulled out the diaper bag and unloaded all the snacks, drinks, wipes, etc. Lucy likes to see Makeup a lot. So we pulled out lip gloss, blush brush, etc. Lucy will imitate putting on these items for you. She will pretend to put on lipstick and than rub her lips together and pucker for you, it was too funny. We stood and visited with Lucy for 45 minutes and had a ball with her. She was wonderful.....you wanted to just hug her!
