Yikes! Have I really let two weeks go silently by since I last posted here? Oh. Sorry!
This is a BIG week for our family. Right now, as I type, Rob is in Washington DC, either waiting for his turn to interview with the Navy Chaplain board or actually in the middle of the interview. My heart just quivered nervously as I typed that. It's the last hurdle left in Rob's Navy trail. He left Monday morning at about 2:45...yes, that's anti meridian...to catch his six o'clock flight to our nation's capitol. (Oops, I almost spelled that capital.) My devotions this morning were from Acts 11. The title of the selection in my book
5-Minute New Testament is "June 17/Day 168, Acts 11:1-30
When God acts, He breaks down the boundaries and overcomes the objections." That is exactly what I've been praying for from the moment Rob pulled out of the driveway in the dark of early morning. Today's Word confirmed that I am praying in the right direction and encouraged me to keep praying against any potholes and obstacles that may hinder Rob and us in traversing this new path.
The house felt so empty when Rob left. I couldn't fall asleep until after six in the morning, praying that he'd made his flight okay, listening to the hollow echoes in the house, feeling the cold spot on his side of the bed. I chatted with God for about an hour, and then I finally got up and watched a mind-numbing movie. He called me around 9:30 when he'd landed and was waiting for his luggage. (Unless you want to take no toiletries on board, you must check all your bags.) Sadly, the fresh blueberry muffins I stowed away for his breakfast were trapped deep in the belly of the airplane.
The kids have all expressed "I miss Daddy" in some form or another. Lily was the saddest: "I miss my dad," complete with trembling lower lip and tears dropping spontaneously onto her cheeks. Of course, I had just announced naptime, and Rob usually doesn't make her take a nap, but we had a long evening ahead of us, and I needed her not to be grumpy. He'll be back tonight at ten or so, in enough time to at least catch the last quarter of the Celtics-Lakers game tonight. It's going to be hard, hard, hard when he leaves for 13 weeks.
Tomorrow, I have to attend a CPR class from 10-4 at a local elderly assistance home with whom I have been recently been employed. Oh, yeah. I got a job. It's only part-time, but it will help whittle some of the more pressing bills away until Rob leaves for training. I'm looking forward to it actually, except for the part where I leave my husband and kids during the day or night. I'm a 2nd & 3rd shifter. There are many blessings in regards to this. We can't both work, so Rob will stop looking for work at this point. He will get to spend a lot of extra time with the kids, which will be precious to him and them as he prepares to be separated from them for several months. Another blessing: the home I work for is only 6 miles away. That is very, very close, considering we live in the boonies, and places of employment are often 30-40 miles away. The pay is okay for a part-time job, and I feel a great sense of peace about it. I prayed about it a lot before I even applied to any jobs, and when I felt the go-ahead from God, I applied to about ten various positions across Michiana. I only heard back from one company, who was nice enough to send a "no, thank-you" letter. Then I was offered this job, which was actually my first choice. Rob's not thrilled, but I think he's getting used to the idea. It just wasn't what we had planned. At this point, when is it ever???
Tomorrow night we leave for a camping/music festival trip. Doesn't that sound fun? Friends of ours are running one of the stages as well as a coffee bar for the Pro-Life Music festival
click here. We're going to be helping them out and camping alongside them. I'm really looking forward to being away with my family. I do have to come back...twice, actually. Once to take Lily to a cleft clinic appointment that we couldn't reschedule and then again to work on Saturday with the dad for whom I supervise his parental visit. At least I'll be able to feed the dog and horse and don't have to worry about finding help in that area. Bright side. Oh, and it's supposed to be a gorgeous week. Last year, a couple of the campers at the festival were indirectly struck by lightning. One of them was okay, but the other sustained serious burns. Horrible.
On a brighter note, Rob taught Lily to ride her bike sans training wheels this weekend. She learned in one day! We weren't terribly surprised, because she has better balance than any of our other children. My heart was bursting with pride for her and also a motherly ache for all those children who will never have a mom or dad teach them something as joyful as learning to ride a bike.
143. million. orphans. I'll leave you with some pictures of Lily's cuteness.
She started out on Gabe's bike, to see if she was remotely ready for us to remove her training wheels. She was ready!
In a few short minutes, she was off by herself, albeit a little wobbly, but able to quickly recover and balance! Go Lily!
A glowing Lily, so proud of herself, ready for a refreshing popsicle.
