Welcome Home Sgt. Bales

This picture is of us at 5:45am...waiting on daddy to roll into Paragould! I cannot even describe right now the feeling of watching those busses pull in at the armory and seeing my soldier step off that bus. The friends, family, media, community, and supporters was just overwhelming! Welcome Home 875th EN BN Charlie Co and Welcome Home Sgt. Bales...we've missed you!!

Wild Ride

Well, the past 24 hours have been a wild ride...the military has changed arrival times at least a dozen times and arrival destinations a half a dozen....but I just talked to my soldier and he's on the bus awaiting to be shuttled to the airplane. In less than 12 hours, I'll be wrapped in the arms of my beloved. I can't wait! I've managed to get the house ready...cleaned, banners hung, etc....and I helped Blake's class hang posters at the armory...I pray that stay up through the night. I drove through town this evening and looked at all the signs and banners of support and was overwhelmed with pride and emotion. I'm so proud to be called an army wife...even if they do change their minds a million times...lol! Well, I'm off to bed. The next time I blog, will probably be about the wonderful homecoming! Yeah!!

Tomorrow...

..tomorrow..I love you tomorrow..you're only a day away." Oh, excuse me..I was about to break out in a little song and dance there. It is so exciting to be able to say that my husband will be home TOMORROW!!! I was extremely frustrated yesterday with the military process and choice of arrival times and such, but today I'm focusing on the positive. He will be home in the morning (bright and early...around 6am) and we will have the entire weekend togethter. The house is pretty much ready...of course the scrapbook room is far from where I'd like it to be, but at least he can get to his closet. The rest of the house is great and laundry is almost completely finished. I have a friend that's going to take Mal shopping tonight for her homecoming dress so I can stay home and finish up some last minute details. It's going to be wonderful! I can't wait to give my soldier a great big hug and kiss!! It's finally over!

Thankful Thursday

Good morning blog world! It's such a neat idea to be intentionally thankful each Thursday and not just on Thanksgiving. This week, I have been so blessed!
*I am thankful that my husband landed safely in Wisconsin..home from Iraq
*I am thankful for cell phones, so I can talk to my husband until he reaches our HOME
*I am thankful for rain...we haven't had a good rain in quite some time, but this week the sky just opened up
*I am thankful for a vehicle that gets me from point A to point B efficiently...I am on the go ALOT!
*I am thakful for my children and their willingness to be flexible this past year

What are you thankful for? To check out other Thankful Thursday post go to www.unequalmarriage.typepad.com and while you're there...leave your own list of gratitudes!

Military Friendships...holding it all together

I've been watching and listening to the media coverage most of the day, and am overwhelmed with pride! I watched the 10 o'clock news tonight, and they ran the story of the wives and the FRG ....as I watched myself, Carrie, Sherri, and others tell how this group of wives has impacted their lives...it brought me to tears. It is true. We've formed friendships and bonds that won't be easily broken. I've met people through email, blogs, and FRG meetings that come from all over the world and all walks of life...but with one common thread...we love a soldier. The military life may not have been one we chose, but it's where we find ourselves. I'm somewhat saddened that the dynamics of these friendships will change once our soldiers are home. I don't mean that in a bad way. It's just that my "go-to" person has been the FRG friends and now all that will change...again. That's a good thing. I'm glad to see my husband back, but I'd be lying if I said I won't miss the spontaneity of the military friendships I've made. This experience has cemented these friendships to be lifetime friends. So, to all the friends that have supported me....new and old alike...thank you! Hooah!

The Billboard

Ok, My picture doesn't do it justice, but this is our billboard! The guys did a great job designing and getting this up for us. Be sure and listen to the Fox 104.9 and KAIT8 TV...both are doing excellent coverage of our guys homecoming!

The End In Sight...6 Days!

The kids and I spent the afternoon helping to put out welcome home banners along the bus route...just a few more days! I think we got about 35 put out today...only 115 more to go...whew!We're all getting really excited and Quentin even called us while we were working today and you can tell that he's excited too. He said they're still on task and should be home on Saturday! A miracle in itself. YEAH!! It is finally here! Tomorrow the billboard officially goes up...provided the rain holds off. I'm exhausted at all the prep we've done this week, but I know when I see my soldier get off that bus it will be sooooo worth it!

♥

Just a reminder...it's a bittersweet week for some. We were fortunate, but we did lose one of our soldiers and we don't want to forget to remember his sacrifice and his families. This banner says it all. Say a prayer for the Smallwood family tonight.

Touchdown..American Soil

Q officially landed on American soil this morning and our local news station was both here at our home (at 6:30 am) and in Wisconsin. It was a neat experience! They (tv crew) found Q when he got off the plane and handed him a cell phone and had him call me. There was a tv crew at our house and they taped both sides of the conversation and will air it on television on a special 30 minute Welcome Home 875th Segment to air later this month. I'm just so excited to know that he's back in the USA, even if I haven't actually seen him, and I could hear the relief and excitement in his voice. It's really too much emotion to even put into words. In the words of our Captain..."it's a great day to be in Charlie Company!"

Homecoming Preparation

Well, the billboard didn't go up today :( ...but, it should on Monday!! We still did a few Homecoming Promo things with the press...spent a little time at the armory showing off our banners and signs that we're going to line the streets with. My favorite ones are the (50) Miles Till Your First Kiss....we have 50 miles, 40 miles, 25 miles, etc...until the final sign..."0 Miles Till Your First Kiss...Pucker Up Baby"...you gotta love it! We also showed off our Demolition Derby Car...the 875th Charlies Angels...and the media got some pix of us wives painting the car and signing our soldiers name on the car. The car will run in the Outlaw Derby tomorrow night in Jonesboro. Then, we did some media footage of us wives putting up the first Welcome Home Banner at one of the doctors offices here in town that's along the bus route. It really made things seem more real...they're really coming home!! I'm getting excited...much more excited than nervous now!! By the way...all of the house is finished except the master bedroom, scrapbooking room (which might be beyond help!) and the porch!! Woo Hoo!! Well, I need to hit the hay...I have an early day. KAIT8 News will be at my house before 6:30am...it's a surprise...so, you'll have to tune into my blog tomorrow night to find out what that was about! See ya tomorrow!

8 Days and Counting...

Time is flying until Quentin arrives home to Arkansas. I managed to get the living room scrubbed from top to bottom last night...including windows and baseboards. It was a hectic day! I went to Blake's parent/teacher conferences on my lunch hour...all A's and apparently he's very popular with the girls this year. Several mom's wanted to know who he was because their daughter had a crush on him...lol. They'll have to fight Gena on that one...his "girlfriend" of 2 years. Mallorye had A's and B's, which I was pleased with considering she's taking 5 Advanced classed, 2 of those being Biology AND Chemistry...what was she thinking??! Blake had football practice last night and Mal had a volleyball game in Beebe (2 hour drive). So, I was pretty pleased to get the living room finished!

I'm about to head out to the armory. The news crew is meeting us there and we're going out to erect the billboard!! YEAH!! I think we're going to get to walk the catwalk even. I promise I'll have pix up this weekend! Still haven't heard from hubby, but I think he's due to be in the States today or tomorrow. Hopefully, he'll call soon! I miss him!!!!

Thankful Thursday

Today I give thanks to my God for;

*the end of a 14 month deployment (officially handed over reigns yesterday)

*a flexible job that allows me to be a mom first and foremost

*the freedom to share my tears openly

*my new friendship with Colette (honest, real, transparent)

*fast food restaurants (I'm afraid my kids might starve without it..lol)

Time For A Check Up

Reading my morning Devo...I had to share this insight;

"A list of characteristics of a thriving believer that I keep tucked away in my bible so that I can periodically take a spiritual assessment of myself:

We need revival when....
... when we do not love God as we once did.
… when earthly interests and occupations are more important to us than eternal ones.
…when we would rather watch TV and read secular books and magazines than read the Bible.
… when our Christianity is joyless and passionless.
… when we know truth in our heads that we are not practicing in our lives.
… when we make little effort to witness to the lost.
…when we have time for sports, recreation, and entertainment, but not for Bible study or prayer.
. . . when we do not tremble at the power of God.
On the other hand, the characteristics that take place when revival comes are…
... a deepened spiritual hunger
... intense fervent prayer that is enjoyable not dreadful
... repentance
... reckless abandonment and surrender to God
... a fresh fullness of the Holy Spirit
... spontaneous evangelism and soul winning
... restored relationships
... a spirit of thanksgiving and joy
... increased hunger for God’s Word
... a desire to put God/church before entertainment"

Eye opening...I'm going to make a list and put in MY Bible...so next time you see my, ask if it's there.

Countdown....10 days..

Wow! In roughly 10 days my husband will be home from a 14 month deployment. We've survived. A year ago this time I wasn't quite so sure that I would. Now, here we are. The frenzy has begun at our house...I'm frantically trying to get the house in top notch shape...lol! (why is it we wait till the 11th hour?) I had such grand plans in the beginning...all the little details and finishing touches I was going to do to the house while Q was away and well, here we are, and ....let's just say, I didn't quite make it. But, the bills have been paid, we've not missed any meals, the cars are still running and the house is still standing, so I guess we've not done too bad.

The next 10 days I'm going to try to keep my blog readers up to date on my "homecoming preparations" and my thoughts about Q's return. Keep in mind, I have 2 teenagers that keep me hopping, so life travels at the speed of light around here, but I'll do my best....today's agenda is to tackle Mt. Washmore (laundry)!! It is out of control.

Reintegration...

...aka..."let's learn to be a family again." I spent Saturday at what the military calls a Reintegration Briefing, listening to people tell me how I'm supposed to respond to my husband and how I'm not supposed to "rock the boat." Don't get me wrong, I think they had good intentions, but after several hours, it was apparent that I am not a concern to the military...only something they must deal with. I'm frustrated at the seemingly lack of resources available. I'm tired of being told to suck it up and deal...does anyone care how I feel? Is anyone telling my soldier to give ME time to adapt? The soldier isn't the only one that's been "battling" for the past 14 months...I've had my own wars to fight and quite frankly I'm tired too. Exhausted...to be more precise...but all I've heard is how I must continue to carry the load because I need to give my soldier time to adapt...that I need to leave him alone and not expect too much...that I need to be sensitive to his needs...what about my needs? Is that anyone's concern? I admit, I'm feeling a little selfish, but at the present moment..I feel entitled.

A little updating

Ok...be patient with my web design...I'm trying to update my blog since Q will soon be home (there won't be any Homefront Musing!). Of course, we all know how much free time I have, so this is definitely a work in progress.

A Time To Remember

Today marks another anniversary of 9/11 and the wake up call that America received. Take time today to stop and pray for our nation and for those that are defending it. The alarm has sounded...have you woke up?

Random Thoughts

I've been cooped up in the house all day...ugh...with a sick little boy. I needed a day to just be at home, but this isn't quite what I had in mind. Luckily, we already had doctors appointments scheduled for tomorrow. Actually, all total, we have 9 doctor appointments tomorrow. I know. Crazy! But, I was trying to multi-task. We'll see how that works out for me. Our first appt is at 8am...both kids will be having their dental check up and teeth cleaned. Next stop...orthodontist. Mal might get her braces off tomorrow and we'll see if Blake is ready to get his on! Whew! Then we're supposed to have a check up at the pediatrician and get booster shots...not sure if they'll do Blake's since he was sick today...you know he's sad about that...lol! Last stop we'll be the eye doctor, where we all three will get checked. I know that me and Mal will be ordering new glasses and I'm hoping that it will help at least some with my headaches. We'll end the day with a volleyball game against our cross town rival...GCT.

We are down to less than 3 weeks till daddy is home from Iraq. Nerves are at an all time high. It's just weird to think about him being home. Like right now, I'm just blogging away while Blake sleeps and waiting on Mal to get home from her volleyball game. I try to imagine what Q would be doing if he were here. Would he be watching the football game on tv...would he be at Mal's game...would he be sitting beside me chatting while I type? Will he leave his dirty glass in my freshly washed sink...Would he fold the towels in the dryer so that I could finish this blog? I know...all crazy, random thoughts...but it's what's in my head.

Ok...dryer stopped...duty calls...guess I'll go fold those towels.

The Next Layer...

...ok, I know many of you are wondering..."what happened after age 24?" I'd love to report that after I became a Christian that life has been all happily ever after, but as we all know...life is far from the fairy tale. I still struggle with emotional and sexual integrity. This is probably the biggest issue for me. I have to constantly be on guard for compromising situations because I know this is an area of weakness. I love my husband and this has nothing to do with him...it's about my own selfish desires. I just am thankful that God's grace is sufficient...for even me. It's sufficient for you too...if you were wondering. I still have an occasional drink and sometimes I want to push that limit too far. I still struggle with anger and wanting my own way. You know, sometimes I just want to crank the stereo up on some good rock-n-roll music and just drive and leave the cares of the world far behind. See, I'm not much different from you. But I know at the end of the day that my God has me in the palm of his hands and He won't let me fall too far. He's there waiting for me to realize I need Him and He's always waiting with arms open wide. Even when this world doesn't understand me or where I'm coming from, even when I don't understand myself...my God understands! I'm loving peeling off these layers of masks that I've worn. It has to be the most freeing thing...to rid myself of these things that weigh me down! Wow!

Get Naked

Ok...got your attention didn't I? But, I'm not talking about "naked" in the sense of no clothes...I'm talking about showing the "real you." Why is it that we live in a society that is so fearful of being authentic? Everyone has problems, everyone has screwed up, nobody is perfect....so it doesn't make sense that we all walk around this world pretending that we don't have any problems, we've never screwed up, and life is just peachy keen. I, for one, am tired of the charades. Flamingo Road Church in S. Florida is launching their My Naked Pastor series tomorrow 9/9 @ 9...and I encourage you to check it out www.mynakedpastor.com And, while you're at it...maybe you could get naked too. I'll start. I'm not perfect. Big surprise I'm sure. I began drinking and having sex when I was 14...was pregnant at 17...married at 18...had my first affair at 21...affair #2 at 23....forgiven at 24. I became a Christian in 1998 and God forgave all my past, my present, and my future. I still have problems with my old self creeping up...it truly is a daily dying to self kind of life...but I know that God has got my back and if I just look to Him and trust Him, he'll work all my pain and past for good. It's not easy being real...people judge you...look down upon you....don't understand you...but, for every person that has that opinion, there is another hurting person that just needs to know they're not alone. So, for those of you that struggle with sexual and emotional integrity...you are not alone! And, I promise you, if you will allow God into this intimate part of your life, HE WILL begin to heal you of your wounds.