Retreat! Retreat!

No, I'm not calling out orders to turn back. I just have been on retreats these past two weekends.
The first, over presidents' weekend was with a dozen middle schoolers to Escape. It was a fun filled, pirate themed retreat to have fun and learn more about God. (Walk the plank to save your life!) It was great to see so many middle schoolers -- even while dressed as pirates in team colors--all on so involved in worship and hearing what Rob, the speaker had to share with them from the Word. Arrrgh! Go Team Blue!
This last weekend was a marriage retreat with Rob's unit. While it was great to focus on our relationship, get away and visit with others from the unit-- we also got to learn about "in sickness and in health."
I became really sick with a cough, stuffy nose, chills, and a fever over 103. Luckily that is mostly gone now- but Rob was quite the hero in figuring out how to get hot water for a bath from a hotel room that still had a rotary phone and plumbing probably just as old.
All in all though, as fun as retreats are, there is just no place like home.

Army Briefing

The Army has briefings all the time and I have overlooked telling you all the latest Army news for us since it happened at the end of Jan. and this blog was started at the beginning of February. Let me catch you up...
Rob has been in for 8 1/2 years. We just reenlisted for 6 more years of Army fun.-- That will put us until January 2014. (We also recieved a nice bonus for doing so.) As much as we wanted to get home, Ft. Lewis was not an option for us so we decided to extend to stay here in Germany an extra year (until May 2010). -- So, we would love for our friends and family to feel free to come and visit us!

We decided to stay here since Rob is not getting deployed (why move to another unit that might be?), we are able to travel through more of Europe, we love our chapel community, work, and being able to finish school. Rob wants to go to flight school to be a helicopter pilot. So depending on when we turn in our Warrent Officer packet (and if they accept us of course) we might leave a little early to head off to Ft. Rucker Alabama for a 1 & 1/2 of flight school. After that we simply have to wait and see where we might go.

It is exciting to know that we really have committed ourselves to be career military. After much discussion, thought and prayer we feel that this was where God was directing our path. *Whoo* We made it around that bend in the road-- only to realize there are many more ahead that we have to wait and trust to get around.

Baby (Baby) Blues

Many of our friends (& the family) knows we are trying for a little one. I have an appointment next week to find out the results of some blood tests related to just why the stork seems to be getting lost.

In the meantime I am getting the Baby Blues (just a baby-colored blue mind you, not a royal blue yet- so I'm only a little bummed about the no baby our way bit.) It just seems everyone I know- at least 7 friends and celebrities- are having a baby this year. (J-Lo is even having twins it turns out!)

Looking at the big picture though there are many clear reasons why it is a blessing to not quite have our little blessing yet on the way. So, really I am ok because God is making His reasons for this wait very clear-- and while He doesn't have to do that --I am very thankful He is helping me see the big picture.

Still I hope that whatever seems to be in the water doesn't get filtered out before I get a taste!

Gotta love Mom!

My mom is so amazing. Today while chatting she told me that she had ordered the materials to make a stain glass lamp shade for me. My brother has a table and Seahawks window that she made in her stain glass class. I have always loved the look of those fancy Tiffany lamps and so I knew just what I wanted when she asked what I would like. It will take awhile to make but seeing the design has me so excited. How much more special it will be to display when it is finished- knowing it was created by my own mom's loving hands!

The NEW Blog

You might be asking- Bri, what do you mean this is the "new" blog, you don't have an old one do you?
Well, yes, I do. But let me tell the whole story...

I had a myspace page with one picture and one friend (Tom, the creator of myspace, who everyone has as a "friend" on their account). My sweet friend Becca realized this one night at Bible study(this was before the study actually started) and she lovingly told me I needed a myspace intervention. Now I have many pictures, counters, a background and more friends besides Tom.

Well, just yesterday I was visiting with Jill whose Blog I love to read. She saw my old blog of 3 posts from last year- and I believe she was the first to have actually ever seen it! (Hence, you never know there was an "old" blog.)
So, with her "intervention-like" help I am hopeing to make this blog much better. Bear with me, these type of blogger therapy sessions will take some time.