In the Storm

1st Weekend off in 2 years

This is the first weekend I've had off in two years. Because I started a new job and sort of left the other one (keeping it for an occasional day here or there), I have most weekends off. And this is my first - yippee! Jeff and I took the boys to Oatland Island (Savannah's very mini zoo). I was a Cub Scout outing so we got alot accomplished in one day. No I didn't sleep in but 7am was better than 5:30am. Hey did you know that we've got bison in Georgia - yeah those buffalo looking animals - well we do - at least two of them anyway because we saw them today.

One of the cub scout requirements is to go see a barnyard (which they have at Oatland Island) and tell six different kinds of barnyard animals and what they are 'used' for. Some one said a donkey and when I asked what it was used for Jarrod said, "It was used for Jesus to ride on". Best answer ever!!

So it's been a good day so far and we've still got church...

I am better for having known them

I am better for having known them...Brad and Kim Gannaway

I met them about two years ago. They live two doors down from us. Brad is a Captain in the Army. We invited them over for dinner shortly after they moved in. Kim was shy and reserved and Brad flamboyant and outgoing. We liked them both. Our inviting them to dinner was the ice breaker we were going to need and it was God-ordained. Brad was deploying to Iraq shortly thereafter.

While we would never wish a deployment on any family, because Brad deployed Kim came to us with her fears and concerns and sometimes just companionship. Our friendship with Kim flourished. I know I speak for my husband Jeff and I, in saying, that Kim became like another daughter to us that year.

Our relationship with Kim not only grew but I had the pleasure of watching her relationship with Christ grow by leaps and bounds. That was amazing to watch. Christ girded her up to handle her husband deployed to Iraq. He provided like no one else could.

Thank the Lord Brad made it home safely. They, together now, attended our church. Kim had been coming to our small group and now Brad came as well. They were that other essential part to our group. Brad makes me laugh, he has a good head on his shoulders, and he adores his wife. Kim - well - just thinking of Kim makes me smile.

And now the Army is moving them away. Having been military for twenty years I know about saying goodbye. But it doesn't get any easier. I will miss them (but I am also praying that they get reassigned back here)...and I am better for having known them.

Abundant Blessings

I was playing a game on yahoo and I suddenly began thinking about 'abundant blessings' that the Lord has blessed me with. It made me smile that He can do that: I am in the middle of something as mundane as a game on yahoo and He moves me with reminders of Him and what He has done and who He is. I closed out yahoo and opened typepad so I could share this moment.

1. Listening to HIS radio the other night Charles Stanley was talking about unconditional love. It is agape love - God's love - I have a husband who loves me unconditionally.

2. I have four great kids - if I ask anyone who knows them they will tell me so - but I already knew that. It is just really cool how others see them.

3. Jeff's job and my new job. Jeff walked out of a very stressful job in which his 'fun meter was pegged' to maybe a 20% stress level job. I have walked into a job that I used to do in the military that had a stress level of my 'fun meter being pegged' but now as a civilian the stress level is maybe 30% (only because I'm new at the job)

4. Jeff has abilities to fix our van which probably saved us hundreds of dollars.

5. My four children have all made confessions of faith in Jesus Christ.

It isn't the entire list, maybe I need to pull out that blessing jar and start filling it up. His abundance of blessings is evident in my life. I just wanted to share a smidgen of them.

Sane Saturday

Am I sane? At almost 43 I have placed myself in the full time workforce because I wanted to. Retired from the Air Force at 38 (almost 39) and spent several years working part time. And now I am back to work full time doing a job that I absolutely love! My question of sanity or insanity is more a check to myself. I never knew how much I missed weather forecasting until I got back into the grind. I worked the mid shift this passed week (10pm to 6am) and I handled that just fine. The boys' homework still got done with me in assistance, dinner still got made by me, I even went to Cub Scouts on Monday and church Wednesday evening - now lets not go there when it comes to my bathroom needing cleaned and my scraproom painted...and dusted...and the clothes washed and put away...and my sheets changed...but I sure do love my job...and the boys memorized a bible verse and i prepared next weeks cub scouts activities for Jeff and planned an outing for it also...I think I'll take my camera to work on Monday and share.

Awaiting ELLA

This is my daughter Elizabeth and there's Ella. Check out Elizabeth's big belly. I'm allowed to say that because my belly was twice that size when I was pregnant with her brothers and her dad told me 'that's a big belly baby' all the time. Yes, he measured it once. And no I'll not say just how big it was.

So, we are awaiting Ella's arrival. Ella will arrive to everything classic Pooh and a grandma that already loves her. I have been buying everything classic Pooh for Elizabeth to decorate Ella's room with. I bought wood letters today to decorate which spell E-L-L-A, of course. I also bought a Classic Pooh scrapbook album which I will create for Elizabeth - don't want her to know about those things. Heard about a Classic Tigger stuffed animal in Target I want to get for little Ella. I am absolutely lovin' her name!  Looking forward to saying Welcome Home Ella!

Thirteen Thursday - 13 of my favorite books

I really thought that this would be easier but lo and behold it wasn't. My 13 favs (for now anyways):

1. When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin

2. Sam’s Letters to Jennifer by James Patterson

3. The Princess by Lori Wick

4. The Negotiator by Dee Henderson (and the entire O’Malley series)

5. True Valor by Dee Henderson

6. Sophie’s Heart by Lori Wick

7. This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti

8. The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum

     (actually the Bourne Supremacy and the Bourne Ultimatum also)

9. The Medusa Project by Cindy Dees

10. Danger in the Shadows by Dee Henderson

11. Without Remorse by Tom Clancy

12. Piercing the Darkness by Frank Peretti

13. Patriot Games by Tom Clancy

Sophies Heart is a long time favorite that I read about twice a year without fail. When Crickets Cry and Sams Letters to Jennifer are new favorites. Let's be honest, the Medusa Project is actually a Harlequin Bombshell about a female military special forces unit. I've read the whole series so far - yes even though they are Harlequins - but I'm retired military and love Cindy Dees' take on a female special forces unit. Others enjoy all of Frank Peretti's books but his 'This Present Darkness' and 'Piercing the Darkness' will rock you to the core of your faith and leave you clinging to your Jesus ever more. The Princess by Lori Wick is another one of those books that I'll read again and again and again. Dee Henderson just plan rocks!!!! Her O'Malley series is fabulous. And True Valor is about a female Navy jet pilot and a male Air Force PJ - both Christians who find a long distance relationship is doable and they make the most of the time they have together and don't dwell on the time they don't. It's military good stuff, and Christian good stuff, and relationship good stuff. I love how these two write to each other - the writing and the long distances brings back my own Air Force - Army collaboration I had going with my now hubby. Not easy reads but worth every minute spent are the Bourne series by Robert Ludlum.

I keep books but do purge every ten years or so....

Susan

Woo Hoo it's Taco Tuesday

Ok, I must confess I love my tacos!!!! We've decided that Tuesday is a great day to have them. So it has become taco tuesday at the Bowers' household. You'd think we'd get tired of them - bite your tongue - no never. These tacos are not your everyday taco bell, hard or soft shell tacos. These are 'special' tacos that were handed down by my mom.

Here's the story of my tacos - if I remember right (but my family says I remember things wrong all the time - I mean my brother and sisters as family) - anyways this is about the TACOS: Long ago in a state far away there lived an army wife in a trailer park. She had a next door neighbor army wife who was Mexican or New Mexican (that's the don't remember right part) who showed this army wife (my mom) how to make the absolute best tacos. So this army wife served them to her kids when they were growing up. While all the kids love them and have served them to their kids (except for Rich because he doesn't have any kids) it is Susan that serves them alot - ok ok - weekly (you don't have to get all that about it!). It hasn't always been weekly but it just became weekly. Elizabeth and Ashley loved them growing up but John and Jarrod make it a challenge to see how many they can eat.

The 'taco sauce' that always accompanied my mom's taco has been - well - - revised since then, by me. I add Lousiana Hot Sauce and Jalepeno's now! It's all good!!!!! Everyone eats them different, which is so funny: Jeff never adds tomatoes, but piles on the lettuce and sauce and sourcream, Elizabeth adds tomatoes, sour cream, sometimes sauce - and ketchup (yuk!!! on the ketchup), Ashley adds everything with sour cream - oh and sour cream. We used to have to tell Ash, 'easy on the sour cream', now we have to tell John that. John likes sour cream and ketchup and occasional sauce, with tomatoes and would rather not have 'salad' (that's lettuce) but will eat it on his first two because we tell him to. Jarrod doesn't eat sour cream, doesn't add tomatoes, doesn't mind lettuce, but does eat the sauce.

So if you want this recipe you'll have to wait until next Tuesday (unless you respond to this blog then I might be willing to share before that!)

God Bless our Taco Tuesday's. Praise Him for these Tacos! Ok Lord I know you're laughing up there!

Susan

Thirteen Thursday - 13 of my favorite movies

I realize that Thursday is kinda a cheating excercise because of the list of 13 different 'whatevers' but then I also realized that Thursday reveals. It reveals 'whatever' about me or maybe someone else, or how I feel about someone - 'whatever'. So I think I like this list of 13 'whatevers'. Today it is 13 favorite movies. Wonder if anyone knows my all time favorite? These movies listed are not in order.

1. While You Were Sleeping

2. The Negotiator

3. The Princess Bride

4. Blackhawk Down

5. We Were Soldiers

6. Top Gun

7. True Lies

8. Good Will Hunting

9. Pirates of the

Caribbean

10. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

11. Miss Congeniality

12. The Last of the Mohicans

13. Raiders of the Lost

Ark

Words of Wednesday

So lovin' my job - even though I got wet today taking observations. While I am no where in the groove of things yet today moved me closer. I forced myself to do things I haven't done in almost 4 years with just a few jitters (like talk on the PMSV - that is the Pilot-to-Metro Service - the radio meteorologists use to talk to the pilots). There is so much new to the weather office since I worked there last but I am very confident I'll be handling everything soon.

Some wise words that apply to almost every area of life: If you lose can't you'll find will!

So I am using those words for this new endeavor as Meteorological Technician.

The New Job!

I started work today with the 15th Air Support Operations Squadron Weather Flight. I met two great gals that I'll be working with. I am a civilian meteorological technician. Simply put - I observe and forecast the weather and brief pilots on their weather during their flight. Our primary customers - Army helicopter pilots.

I'm very excited to have started and only a little anxious about training in. Since I've done this before I'm not overly concerned but just the normal jitters walking into a new job. I got home in time to work homework with the boys and cook dinner thanks to some leftovers that I had frozen. I thought we were eating homemade chicken noodle soup and it ended up being homemade chicken corden bleu pasta - no one was bummed. Talk about a fast meal. Did two loads of clothes and need to still do my bible study tonight but otherwise I've crammed alot in a day and feel very good.

So I'm smilin' tonight for a great day - thank you Lord!!!!!