The Gadsons

**I have written and re-written this blog in the hope I would find a way to tell the story without rambling, to no avail. Sorry!**

Jasen and I have been blessed by visits with Greg and Kim Gadson. Well, one visit with Greg and Kim, one with Greg. They came as a couple to Hilton Head about a month ago to speak to a chaplain's conference. They were able to fly in and out of Charleston, which meant we got to see them. We were so blessed to spend one very long evening with them (we didn't get home until almost 1 a.m. I still shake my head on that one!) and enjoyed every minute. I cannot tell you how much we adore them. Have you ever had someone in your life that you didn't get to see very often so when you do, you just want to soak in every moment, every word, every laugh? Well, that's the way we feel about the Gadsons.

Something just dawned on me: some of you might not know the story of our relationship with the Gadsons. When we moved to Ft. Riley, Greg was Jasen's commander. Those soldiers and officers, under Greg's leadership, built 2/32FA from the ground up. At one point, there were only 3 guys in the unit. That's unusual in the Army. Normally, you come into a well-defined, well-established unit. You rarely get to begin something new. I think that created a special bond with the Gadsons and the other people the unit started with.

Also, you hope for a strong bond between battalion commander and "his" battery commanders. Jasen's bond with Greg was fast and strong. Jasen has always looked to his Army mentors as much more than just commanders or bosses.

After our time with the Gadsons in 2/32FA, Jasen moved into another part of a bigger unit, of which 2/32FA was one of the subordinate units. (I am trying to be general here so you all can get the picture; I know Army stuff can be really confusing!) Then the whole big unit deployed.

A little more than two months into the 15 month deployment, Greg was involved in an IED incident and lost both of his legs. It was a shocking, life-changing event for him, Kim and their kids. And it affected all of us who knew and loved the Gadsons. I still cry when I think about those first few days. Such darkness, for them, for my hubby, for the soldiers of 2/32FA. It's hell when your commander, friend, loved one is injured like this. (If you want more of the backstory, go to the archived 2007 blogs, and look at May 17th. How I wish I knew how to do that whole go "here" and you would just arrive there!)

Flash forward almost three years, the Gadsons are living in D.C. and doing really well. Greg has worked with a lot of cutting edges prostheses, had what we hope is the best care/rehab, etc. He also got his master's at Georgetown and is working as a senior fellow for the Institute for World Politics. He will promote from lieutenant colonel to colonel sometime this year. He goes all around the world, speaking to soldiers, athletes, companies, you name it, about teamwork, resiliency, etc.

Kim and the kids are doing well, too. Kim works for a company out of Boston doing who knows what. She's been vague about it, but told me she doesn't work very hard. Their kids, Gabby and Jaelen, are doing well, too. Gabby will be graduating this summer and going to college and Jaelen just got his permit? license? I can't remember which!


Greg's speech-making is what brought him to Chuck-town. Jasen got The Citadel to invite Greg to speak at their Leadership Symposium. When he arrived, Davis and I met the two guys for lunch. That afternoon, Grace and I attended his speech on campus. I can't tell you how moving it was to see him talk about how his "team" in Iraq saved his life. I also thought he imparted some great ideas on leadership; I only hope some of those cocky twenty-somethings paid attention.


One thing Greg said that really stuck with me is that you can't lead anyone if they think you don't care about them. Of course, the Army has rules against fraternization, but he explained that you can care about your soldiers and show them that without breaking any rules. That's not just talk from Greg; he lived that as a battalion commander. And he (and Kim) are still living that.

Later that night, we went to dinner with Greg. He asked me if I was crying during his speech. I had to say that I did, but it wasn't the whole boo-hoo I wanted it to be. When I look at Greg and think about all he's been through, how much this life has thrown at him and his family, I am amazed at the strength they have. I remember those dark days after his accident, when we were afraid he would lose his legs. And now look at him...standing on some amazing prostheses, talking to people all over the world about staying strong, about how to build a team, about how to be a leader people want to follow.

And Kim goes to speak when she can. She's still mentoring me, reminding me of what role I should play in helping Jasen and the Army. And still complimenting that chicken pot pie I made for them right after the accident. And doing it all with humor, grace, and strength.

Okay, I gotta go have one of those cleansing cry sessions now. I pray that all of you can/will/do have someone like the Gadsons in your life. People who inspire you to be all you can be, who look adversity in the eye and don't blink. People who live out faith first, then family, then everything else. People who make you want to follow just because you know that, no matter what happens, good or bad, they will be there with you, leading every step of the way. Greg and Kim are still leading us. Thank you God for the gift of their friendship!

Now for that cry....

Special Events

We've had some special events lately. Well, maybe "lately" is a stretch of the word, but they've been recent.

First off, was Grace's last Upward basketball game and celebration. For those of you who don't know about Upward, they are Christian sports leagues for kids. I usually refer to leagues like Upward as "namby-pamby;" you know, they don't keep score, we are supposed to cheer for everyone, etc. Yes, that annoys me. But as a parent and Christian, I find a lot of value in that, especially when kids are starting out in sports. We won't do Upward forever, but we will while the kids are beginning to learn the games they want to play.

Here is our girl running through the human tunnel at her last game. Sometimes, it's cool when your camera takes a fuzzy picture!

The best part of Upward? They pray before every game and teach kids the principles of salvation. Gotta love that!Watching Grace's Upward games proved difficult for this former player. I tried not to yell and if I did yell, it was pretty benign stuff like "Shoot the ball!" and "Dribble!" There were some games I could not sit down. These are not good signs for the future, especially if my kids play basketball. Amazingly, I don't have these troubles during soccer. Something about playing the sport your kid is playing makes it harder to sit still!

Grace had a lot of fun playing ball this year. The girl is quite aggressive; I have no idea where that came from! I think she had a good time and we were really proud of her dedication and team-building skills. Here are the Racers enjoying their last game treat: sprinkle donuts! See Davis back there enjoying a donut, too? There are perks to having an older sister! This was the morning after his severe bronchitis diagnosis. Poor guy!This Upward league (each Upward league has a church that sponsors the league) had a big final celebration at the Gaillard Auditorium in downtown Charleston. Each team had their name announced and got to run across the stage. Then they had a juggler/uni-cyclist perform for the kids. Jasen took Grace and they had a great time.

That's our girl in front of the coach in the blue shirt.

That same week was Grace's PTA program. It was all about being a Drayton Hall Bobcat. I think I mentioned before that Grace had a couple of props to handle. When we asked her why she had them, she said because she was sitting in the middle and her teacher knew she could "handle it." That's our Grace.
Here is Grace doing her best Bobcat growl!
Singing and signing about love!

Of course, Davis is great at just going along with all of the activities that come with having a big sister. We had the option of petitioning the Upward soccer league to let Davis play. He's a little younger than the cut off, but I was told they would make an exception for him if we wanted. When I mentioned that to Jasen, Jasen wanted to wait. He remembered what I have tried to remember: there is plenty of time for those activities and pretty soon, we'll wish we had some family downtime back!

Here is our boy enjoying his post-game donut!
This is Davis' usual position: sitting in his sister's pink chair, watching either TV or the big "kids" playing video games, with or without the dog.
I have to stop myself from taking a picture of our boy every time I find him like this. He's so darn cute!
Davis has a new favorite snack: a "foo-thie" a.k.a. a smoothie. Do not ask me how he can get it ALL OVER his mouth because I do not know! It takes talent, for sure!
I took this one morning when we were waiting to go into Davis' school. He loves to unbuckle and stand between the front two seats. I love these times with my little Handsome!

The Verbal Beatdown

There I was, in TJ Maxx, trying to find a pastel-colored polo shirt for Davis' spring school picture. I was at the end of the boy's rack, looking at the 4s. There was about 6 inches, then a cart, and a woman looking at the 6s. We were moving toward each other, but I thought there was plenty of room. And, I'll be honest, I thought the closer we got to each other, she would move her basket either on the other side of her or where it was pointing away from the rack we were looking at. Boy, was I wrong!

As we got closer to each other, she kept shoving the shirts in my direction. Should have been my first clue that she had issues. Also, she kept inching her cart right at me, to the point that I was leaning over her cart to continue looking. Again, being the person I am, I thought she would adjust the basket. No such luck. In fact, she ended up HITTING me with it. Now, it wasn't like she shoved me, but it was a little tap, either. I looked at her in disbelief and huffed, only slightly, which was less than I wanted to do.

That's when it started. It was awful. After she hit me with her cart and I looked at her,she started with "Oh no you don't! I was here FIRST!! You didn't even say excuse me!" At this point, she was merely yelling at me. Later it went to full-blown screaming. Anyway, after she said that to me, I replied with "There's plenty of room here for both of us. You could move your cart out of the way." Mistake. That's when she really took off, repeating what she had already said along with some comments about how rude I was and needed to step off. As she was screaming a few things happened. #1 She was still shoving her cart at me, forcing me almost into the clothes that were about 3 feet behind where I was to start with; #2 People were coming out of the woodwork to GAWK at us and enjoy some entertainment; #3 Her own son, who I think was about 2, started screaming and crying, begging his mom to stop. I did tell her I didn't think she was setting a good example to him, which I know wasn't the right thing to do. That made her scream louder AND drop the F-bomb. I am so glad my kids weren't with me.

Now, for those of you who know me, you are probably surprised to learn that I stood there for what seemed like an eternity, while this lunatic berated me at the top of her lungs. I felt limp and incapable of moving. So much for big, tough Sara! As I watched people coming out of the woodwork, not to help, but to watch, it made me a little scared. As my eyes darted from person to person, there was one woman, God bless her, who made eye contact with me and said "Come on." She just kept saying it and motioning to me until I finally got my legs moving and went to her. As we walked away, Whacko Lady dropped a few more F-bombs and continued to scream.

This woman walked with me to the register and I stood there, dumbfounded, shaking. She wanted to tell management, as the woman was still screaming at me from the boy's department. I asked her not to because I didn't want that lady coming after me physically! Obviously, we weren't dealing with a rational person! The nice lady agreed not to say something, but she just kept saying "That isn't right." It made me feel better.

The really funny part? Jasen was meeting me in the parking lot so I could get Grace from him. I called him from the car, crying hysterically. When my handsome prince showed up, he said "Where is she?" I told him she was still in the store and he headed that way. I told him not to be ridiculous. #1 He was in uniform and #2 This was the kind of woman who would call the cops on HIM for verbal assault/harassment if he dared to say anything to her. So we stood in the parking lot until I was calm. I think I shook for 30 minutes afterward.

Wish I could tell you what I learned from the event. In the end there are two things: Satan's attacks can be covert AND overt! And my mom is right: when a crazy person decides it's your day, there isn't much you can do about it!

They Did It!

As always, you need the back story on this one!

Almost a year ago, a guy named Adam Rich, who has a show called Man Vs. Food on either the Food Network or Travel Channel, was in Charleston to complete the spicy sushi roll challenge at Bushido. There are ten levels of hand sushi rolls you must eat, each hotter than the one before. Just before watching the show, we learned that quite a few of our neighbors had completed the challenge or were in the middle of doing it. Of course, Jasen decided he MUST do it, too.

With our move coming closer, Jasen decided he needed to start and finish the challenge NOW. Trip #1 to Bushido, Jasen ate levels 1-5. He said they weren't that bad, but that 5 definitely had a kick to it. Next trip to Bushido, he did levels 6 and 7, which he didn't particularly enjoy, but he got them accomplished. Trip #3 to Bushido, Jasen took Grace with him, got her some fries, while he ate levels 8 and 9, which were not nice to him. I don't know that I ever asked him how they tasted. I just know that he had chills all night long and a stomach that made noises and movements that probably shouldn't be remembered. It was not good.

So all he had left was #10. Of course, we wanted it to be an EVENT, so we planned on the whole family going, along with a couple of our neighbors and friends. One of our friends in the neighborhood, Johnny, completed levels 1-9 pretty quickly, but had been stalling on #10. Now, I don't really know that he was stalling, but all the other men in the neighborhood accused poor Johnny of that. It was decided by all the men in the neighborhood that, when Jasen went to do #10, Johnny needed to do it, too.

Saturday night, the time had come to kick some Bushido booty! We gathered up our kids, Johnny and Brandy got their precious Addelyn ready, and we met them and our neighbors Hunter and Eric at Bushido. We all had sake (love the green apple sake!) and sushi, except for our kids, who had the BEST pb'n'j EVER (Grace's words, of course!), and the guys ordered #10 to be brought out right before we were leaving.

When we were all done with our real meal and the guys had plenty of water available, the eating began. Hunter played "The Eye of the Tiger" on his IPhone. People who were leaving stopped to watch them do it. And Johnny and Jasen? They ate their #10 hand roll in two bites. Now, a hand roll isn't your little half-dollar sized sushi bite. It's a big ole seaweed roll with lots of fish hanging out. Jasen and Johnny had already decided that they needed to get the fat end in their mouths without the fish actually touching their lips because it would burn too bad. I couldn't believe they accomplished that, but they did.

Johnny was done first. Jasen was actually chewing so it took him a little longer. Let me assure you, there were not enough napkins!

After they were done, they downed water and we got Jasen some milk. Johnny is lactose-intolerant so he couldn't have any; poor guy! Brandy even offered to go get him some soy milk at the Food Lion nearby.In the end, they weren't in too bad shape. We didn't have to run out of the restaurant toward Evening Shade Drive. Jasen's tummy wasn't great the next day, but he said it wasn't as bad as after 8 and 9. Thank goodness! Here they are, all done. Never to have to eat one of those things again!

Sadly, the night we were there, they were out of their Bushido headbands so Jasen was bummed he didn't get his. Thankfully, it came in the mail today. I knew you'd want to see it! Say "Bushido!"

Is it Really March?

I can't believe it is March already. I knew January and February would fly by, but I had no idea how quick. We've been busy, as usual, but it's hard to tell you what we've been doing.

One thing that's been going on is that Davis has been sick. Prior to last Friday, he had a cough for a week or so. Being the fabulous mother I am, I figured it was related to the stuffy nose he had and that once the cold went away, the cough would go away. Last Friday, while Grace and I were out running some errands, Jasen called and said Davis was in excruciating ear pain. The girls cut our time short and came home. Davis was indeed in a bad way. We got a referral to take him to an urgent care place, assuming he had developed an ear infection.

Imagine my surprise, when the doctor was listening to Davis' lungs, then informed me that he thought Davis had pneumonia. I was floored! Our four year old had to have a CBC and a chest x-ray. Four is too young for a chest x-ray! The good news was that Davis did not have pneumonia, just severe bronchitis and a slight ear infection. Poor baby. I felt awful for letting the cough go on so long.

Sadly, Davis' cough is still hanging on and now Grace is hacking, too. UGH!! My nose is also running which makes me think it must be time for an illness to run through all of us!

Grace had her PTA performance this week. The meeting portion was excruciating, of course. Jasen looked over at me and said they shouldn't schedule the performances with the meeting. Then I asked Jasen if he would ever go to a meeting if his child wasn't performing. He got the point.

Grace did an awesome job. She was sitting front and center and even had a couple of props she had to handle. When I asked her how she was picked to do those two jobs, she said it was because she was sitting in the middle and Mrs. Bullock (her teacher) knows she's pretty responsible. Spoken like the 7 going on 13 girl that Grace is!

We have some exciting events coming up and you'll be hearing more about them later:

• Next weekend, my oldest friend from the 'ville, Emily, is coming in to see Charleston. Actually, she said she wanted to eat her way through Charleston. No wonder we've been friends for so long!
• Two weekends after that is the Cooper River Bridge Run. It's a 10K run from Mt. Pleasant, across the Cooper River on the Ravenel Bridge, a gorgeous suspension bridge, into the heart of the Charleston peninsula. Jasen is already signed up and I will be soon. We hope to have a special guest to come watch the kids for us. More on that to follow.
• I got tickets for Grace's first concert. She and I will be going to see Casting Crowns in April. She is so excited and has been rocking out to them on her CD player. Is there anything better than your child already understanding some pretty profound Christian lyrics?
• Also in April, Jasen and I will be going to see Dave Ramsey live here in Charleston. By that time, we will be debt-free and Jasen is hoping they ask for volunteers to scream that they are.

Pardon Me for a Post

Almost four years ago, I began this blog at the urging of my grandmother-in-law, who thought it might make it easier for me to keep her up-to-date on her "great-grands". I had trouble keeping Mrs. Graham as informed as she would have liked! She wanted to know everything and loved Grace and Davis with all of her heart. We miss her tremendously, even though we didn't see her very often.

I have tried to keep this blog mostly about the kids and what our family has done on our journeys around this country. I plan to keep it that way. However, after reading a few of my friends' blogs, I have felt inspired to share some of my deeper thoughts. I don't intend for this blog to become my journaling-outlet (is that good English??), but there are going to be times I will. Especially when what I am thinking about is too long for me to want to write out in my real journal. Isn't that pitiful?

I've been struggling with our upcoming move. A lot of you already know that, but I've had a "perspective change" that I wanted to share with you. I wrote the other day that the kids' bedtime Bible story was about Sarai and Abram and how they were told by God to go to a different land. What did they do? They said "Yes, God," packed up their stuff and got on their way to a land they had no idea about, even it's location.

While Jasen was reading the story, a most precious 4 year old said "Mom, is that like us? Like we are going to move from here?" We all smiled at Davis' question and I told him that, yes, that was like us. God via the Army tells us where to go and we do it.

The next day in my Lent reading, a God-incidence: Genesis 12:1-4a. Yep, that's God telling Abram and Sarai to "'Leave your country, your people, your father's household and go to the land I will show you.'" And what did Abram do? "So Abram left as the Lord had told him." The same verse/story in one day's time? Yep, I needed to glean something from this.

What did I glean? My perspective has been all wrong. You all wouldn't believe the thoughts I have had. Well, some of you would. I have been moping, blaming the Army for not giving me the life I thought I would have. As I have mentioned before, I (and my parents and probably most of the people who knew me prior to say, oh, 2000) never thought I'd leave the North Texas area. In fact, when I did leave and had to go live in "Texoma," (the part of OK that is so close to TX, it's a part of the region moniker) I was devastated. There was some part of my being that never wanted to leave the D/FW area.

And yet, when I fell in love and felt God's pulling of me toward Jasen, that's just what I did. And what happened? I have been blessed beyond what I can tell you. The spiritual growth and experiences I have had have been too numerous to count. I don't doubt that God would have grown me if I had stayed planted in good ole Stephenville, where the Yellow Jackets play. However, I don't know how it would have been accomplished.

Never mind the earthly treasures I have seen that were once only a dream!

I forgot that when I am angry at the Army (and, by association, Jasen) for taking away that nicely planted life I had planned, I was actually angry at God. Because in the end, so many of us know it isn't the Army that is in control. It's God. I firmly believe that when the Army tells us to go or stay, it's because it was God's plan all along. He has gone before us to prepare that place. He will be with us while we are there and when we move onto the next place. I had to stop wasting my time, longing for the life I thought I wanted, and get busy living the life God intended me to have. Yes, this life has been challenging, very hard at times, but it's been so rewarding.

I mean, how else would I have made friends who are from Boston, Seattle, and all kinds of places in between? How else would I have seen the faith of the Smith family, whose precious Kennedy was taken? How else would I have experienced the golf at St. Andrews? How else would I have met Greg Gadson and his wife, Kim, who inspire me with their endless energy and positive attitude? How else would I have seen the community outreach of JCNaz? How else would I have seen the Swiss Alps? How else would I have learned to deal with placing someone you love on the altar of God EVERYDAY? And learning He would take care of it? The list goes on and on....

I know God could have taught me those things, brought those people into my life, and given me those experiences. It's just hard to tell from my earthly eyes how that would have happened if I had that planted life, that life that I see, whether correct or not, as a little bit easier than the one God chose for me.

So I am changing my perspective. I am thanking God that He has gone before and I am being genuine. I am thanking God for bringing us here. I am thanking God for all He has done before and all He will do after our move. And I am thanking Him for changing my perspective. Because in the end, we need to set our eyes on the things above, not the things of this world that drag us down...

What's Going On?

Let's see, what's going on?

• Grace and I both had a stomach bug this past weekend. I won't go into the particulars, but it was not fun, to say the least. My current prayer is that God protects our boys and keeps them from getting "it." As my fever was spiking on Saturday night, Jasen got a text that the same virus was running through one of the battalions at The Citadel. Yikes!
• Fergus the dog is still alive, but he's hanging by a thread. I touched poop today that had been in my room for at least a little while. I was not happy. He's lucky to have a kennel, where I can put him until I can deal with him in a nicer way.
• Last night during our Bible story time, we read the story of Abram and Sarai being sent to another country. Davis said, "Is that like us, having to move?" Too sweet and pretty profound for a 4 year old, huh?
• Grace continues to shine on the basketball court. A definite hustler and defensive workhorse, I tell you. When she is on defense, if a girl puts the ball right in front of her, Grace is going to take it away. If her girl does not have the ball, Grace is jumping around like a mad woman to prevent her girl from getting it. It is at least a major distraction, if not the best defensive technique.
• When Jasen had his wisdom teeth out, the doctor perforated his sinus cavity. Thankfully, it should heal on it's own, hopefully by Jasen's follow-up next week.
• My dad is going to have his jaw broken AGAIN because it isn't lined up correctly. This time an oral surgeon will do it so it should be correct. Then he'll start the process of getting teeth, which will include bone grafts from his hip. Pray for him. I already feel sick about it. But he's still got the "hey, at least I am alive" attitude. Thank God for that.
• I am observing Lent by giving up sweets and only checking FB once a day. God has been good and made them both relatively easy. Of course, having a stomach virus helps the food cravings! I am looking at the virus and Lent as a good way for me to surrender control of ALL of my eating to God.
• This Thursday, we will go out to eat with Greg and Kim Gadson. So many of you know them and have prayed for them in the last few years. They are coming to Hilton Head to a conference and we are delighted they are coming here first so we can see them. I'll let you know how they are.
  

No More Vicodin!

We had some drama here last night. Scary drama. As usual, I will use our blog to give the extended version of events.

Yesterday, Jasen had three of his wisdom teeth taken out. They weren't pulled out, they were cut out. He wasn't able to eat all morning long because he was going to be put under general anesthesia. The surgery went well and we headed home. Once we got here, Jasen ate half of a milkshake, took a dose of Vicodin, antibiotics and ibuprofen. All was well.

About 2 1/2 hours later, Jasen was starting to feel some sensations in his mouth. The doctor had told me that, although he was prescribing the Vicodin/ibuprofen for every 4-6 hours, on the first day, Jasen could have one within 2 hours, if he needed it. Since Jasen was starting to feel slight pain, he (and I agreed) wanted to stay ahead of the pain. He had another dose of Vicodin and ibuprofen with some applesauce and slept for about an hour and a half.

When it was time for the kids and I to eat dinner, Jasen wanted to get up to sit with us. I fixed him some more applesauce and tapioca. He ate the tapioca, then looked at me and said he didn't feel good. I asked him if he thought he was going to get sick or what, and he said he thought he might pass out. I told him to stand up slowly, and I would help him to lie down.

He got up, we were able to get to the carpet of our entry and he went down. He was already kind of crouching, so he didn't fall far, didn't hit anything, etc. Because he'd taken the gauze out of his mouth, there was blood coming from his nose when he stood up because it had entered his nasal passages when he went forward. He sat for a minute, then told me that he felt better and was ready to try again.

I got him up and about a half second later, he was out again, like a sack of rocks, and he fell into the computer room. That was okay because again, it had carpet. Remember, the kids are watching all of this from the dining room table. They see blood, see Dad falling over, passing out and they are freaked. There was screaming and crying. They were terrified and I didn't blame them. I was scared, too.

Jasen woke up again and was able to sit up behind our front door. After a minute or two, Mr. "10 Foot and Bulletproof" decided he could make it this time. I told him that I wanted him to lean on my back and I would walk him to our room. It seemed like such a good idea at the time. Wrong. As soon as he got in position on my back, he passed out again, slid back onto his knees, and fell further back, popping his head on the only hardwood floor we have in the whole darn house. It was loud, and it was scary.

At that point, the kids and I are all pretty freaked, but I needed Grace's help. Like the big girl she is, she ran to our neighbor, Hunter's house to get him. This time, Jasen didn't wake up very easily and it was scary. Hunter, who, oh, by the way, is about 5'6" and weighs about half what I do, helped me get Jasen to our bed, where he was passed out again. We got him up on the bed and Hunter remembered that our other neighbors, Tim and Marissa, are EMTs. Obviously, I wasn't thinking very clearly. Hunter went and got them and they started assessing Jasen. Thank God that they were here, or Jasen would have been in an ambulance because I didn't know what else to do.

At that point, I realized our poor babies were standing on our front porch, screaming and crying. It was so awful for them. Jasen said that after he passed out the first time, he didn't remember anything but hearing Davis scream and cry. Because that is so rare, it was scary for Jasen, too. I got them inside, calmed down, and we prayed. Poor babies. Oh, my heart still hurts for them.

Tim and Marissa were able to call the oral surgeon and Tim relayed what Jasen's vitals were. By that time, Jasen was sitting up on the edge of the bed, talking. After Tim talked to the doctor, I talked to Dr. Shelbourne and he said that with Jasen having no food, general anesthesia and all that pain medicine in his system, he was probably over-medicated. We agreed no more Vicodin until at least today (if at all...I hope he can just do Ibuprofen!) and for Jasen to get as hydrated as possible.

Our neighbors all left and the kids and I went in and hung out with Jasen. He was much, much better. Very concerned that he had scared the kids and pretty much wiped out, but much better. Poor guy. Vicodin does not agree with him. He's had trouble with it once before, when he was in college. Needless to say, I will remember next time to ask for something different. Of course, with the things I outlined previously, any pain meds. might have affected him this way.

Once I got the kids to bed, Jasen ate some more applesauce, drank more water, and took some more ibuprofen. He fell asleep and everyone, but me, slept like babies last night. I was awake off and on all night long. I guess I'd rather that than anyone else in the family having trouble.

Me as a Redhead

And for all my non-FB friends, here is the new me! Discuss amongst yourselves. Or better yet, leave a comment and let me know what you REALLY think!

Random Thoughts

Okay, so here are things crossing my mind this morning or being said around our house:

• The kids were "flush riding" the toilet this morning. I have no idea what that means, especially since the toilet never flushed!
• I saw a commercial for the Vermont Teddy Bear company encouraging men to order a custom teddy bear for their Valentine. If I get one of these, I will be quite angry.
• Geaux Saints!
• The merlot color on my hair is not really me and I'll be glad to see it gone. Until that time, I will revel in the fact that Jasen and Grace love it.
• Why is it that Davis despises oatmeal with craisins and brown sugar? Just once, I think I shall make him eat it like my dad made me eat mine: with, like, three raisins. Now that's bad oatmeal!
• ESPN radio is bringing me low this week. I care nothing about the parade of "Hall of Famers" that Mike and Mike are talking to. And Colin Cowherd is such a kiss-up.
• Because Jasen's car will be paid off in April (whoop!), I will probably get to see my baby sister graduate from Aggieland!
• We still have not used the gift certificate for our cooking class that Jasen gave me last year for V-day.
• I mean, Go Colts!
• I do not want to go do the bike class. My feet have been hurting afterward and can you imagine, I have felt uncoordinated on the bike lately. Coordination brings me low, too, since it's hard for me.
  
• Speaking of working out, I need to get hot on running. The Cooper River Bridge run is about 6 weeks away and I am "only" running 3 miles these days. Although I say "only," 3 miles is a LOT for me!
• I am beginning to get excited about our move.
  
• We have a list of over 20 restaurants (none of them are chains, either) that we need to experience before we leave here. I am going to be so sad to leave!! I love food!
• No, no, I mean Geaux Saints!
• I do love Mike Ditka!
• My friend, Jenelle and I made my next two hair appointments and three dinner dates while I was with her yesterday. Gotta get that calendar filled before we leave!
• Jasen will be gone this weekend, which means it is British film/miniseries weekend for Sara. YEA!
• Anyone want an Amish Friendship Bread starter?
• Go Colts! Okay, that's my final answer. I think. I think...

Happy Thursday to all!!

It's Cathartic!

Just an update to let everyone know I am doing much better. Writing that blog yesterday helped a lot. Thanks for indulging me some self-pity. Sometimes, we just need to get it out!! I did that, and then some!

Jasen came home really excited. Although he loves his job, especially for the family time it affords, his inner Army clock is telling him it's time to get back to the "real" Army. This school at Leavenworth will be one step closer to that. I am glad he's excited. It's definitely contagious!

Thank you all for your prayers. I ask you all to keep praying, especially for Davis. He's already very anxious about moving and this will be the first one he remembers.

I am so thankful for each of you!

A Decision is Made

We will be moving to Fort Leavenworth this summer. Some of you are saying, "What? I thought that was the plan all along??" Yes, it was. Until this past month, when Jasen's branch manager (who is coming to The Citadel to head up the Army ROTC department this summer) told Jasen that he was on the standby list for the school at Leavenworth. We were really surprised, but tried not to think about it. We did tell Grace that there was a chance, a really good chance we would be staying here. Her reaction was surprising to me; she was sad. The idea of playing in the snow, being close to her cousins Joe and Maggie, and helping Mrs. Amber with baby Drew made her want to move to Fort Leavenworth.

On Monday night, on our way home from Grace's basketball practice, she asked me what I wanted as far as moving or not moving. I took a deep breath and explained that I tried my best not to WANT anything because that usually meant I got my hopes up for nothing. It was a good opportunity to remind her that, ultimately, neither us nor the Army are in control. God is, was and forever will be and He knows what's best.

Imagine my surprise this morning, when the call came from Jasen that we would be moving this summer. After I told the kids and we prayed to thank God for giving us His decision and for going ahead of us and preparing Leavenworth, I took Grace to school. She seemed almost giddy to tell her friends that she was moving. Our kids follow what we project, right? Well, by the time Davis and I got to the gym, my inner feelings were not matching my outer projection.

I don't want to move from here.

There, I said it. You would think after 6 location moves (I won't count the housing changes!) in 11 years, I would be okay with moving, with starting over, with changing our lives. But I am not okay with it. After all, I am the girl who only lasted a semester at A&M, three hours down the road from home. I am the girl that cried everyday for SIX WEEKS when we moved three hours down the road to Oklahoma. I get tired of starting over. Is it exciting? A little. Do I enjoy the redecorating? Yes. I love houses and I really do enjoy seeing what I can do with what the Army has given us.

But I am, at heart, a homebody. And for the first time ever we've found another place besides TX that we'd be willing to call home. And that makes it the hardest move of all. I love Charleston. Really, really love it. I love all the things to do here. I love the places to see, the history to experience, the places to eat. And it still feels small.

This time I am not leaving a church like I did in OK: one that nurtured us through a difficult time. This time I am not leaving an exotic location and soulmate friends like I did in Germany. This time, I am not leaving the friends who helped me pull myself and my kids up by the boot straps when Jasen was gone like I did in KS.

It's that I am leaving my heart. Really, honestly, that's the way I feel. This lowcountry has captured my heart. I love the marshes. I love the beach. I love the Spanish moss. You name it, I love it. Except maybe the humidity, but hey, I can deal with it.

We are leaving this place where we were separate from the military. There was no threat of deployment. And when we leave here, I know we are one step closer to all that. And I don't want to go through it again.

And I don't want to say goodbye to the friends I've made here, even just the acquaintances I've made. I don't want to leave the gym, where I discovered my real friends. I don't want to leave my friends whose lives I have become a part of and are on my daily prayer list.

Now, Charleston hasn't been perfect. I haven't made the friendships like I did in other places. Oh, I have friends and I will miss them, but without a deployment, those friendships aren't like the others I've made. Our church, while decent, is not what I want/thought it would be. The Army wives I've met here aren't what I have experienced before.

But the place and the family time has made up for the lack of perfection. I have always said that a place is what you make it. And we've made Charleston great. Really, we have.

So, when you ask me if I am excited about moving or tell me the schools at Leavenworth are great and all I can muster is slight smile and a biting of my lip so I won't cry, just know I am projecting the best positive I can, for the kids. I will be thinking about holding baby Drew, and sharing a 'rita or beer with Amber, and seeing the Kazors at the lake on the way, and hanging with my cousin, Jennifer, all the positives of a move to Leavenworth.

But my insides are knotted and sad.

Don't worry, I won't wallow in this for long.

Disney -- Day 3

Okay, I am going to be honest. Jasen and I had a World War III-kind of argument on the 3rd morning. I attribute it to our being overwhelmed trying to see everything at Disney and my stress level. Since my dad's accident and my inability to be there with him and my sisters, a meltdown had been brewing. When you pile on top of it the holiday and Disney prep, plus two late nights after long, full days, I was prime for an emotional breakdown. It's hard on most moms, I think, when we have to do most of the thinking and preparation for trips, holidays, etc. I did all of that for the two biggest of those events (Disney and Christmas), along with the guilt I felt about wanting desperately to be in TX. Does anyone understand all of this?

Anyway, Jasen and I wasted the bulk of 30 minutes screaming at each other...wait, no, I screamed, he talked loudly. Of course, I cried and told Jasen I needed more help and love from him. Jasen told me he wanted me to chill out, quit worrying about everyone seeing everything there was to see and be nicer. We made up eventually and got on our way to Animal Kingdom, but not before we did three things:

#1. Apologized to our kids for our fight
#2. Agreed we could not argue like that in front of the kids again (I keep hearing Dr. Phil say in my mind "You are altering who your kids are when you argue in front of them." Yep, I'm good at guilt!)
#3. Realized that, on our next vacation, we would add Baileys to our packing list and splash some in our morning coffee. Then maybe we'll relax a little!

Once we got to Animal Kingdom, we headed to the safari ride. Jasen and I remembered that from our honeymoon. Here are Jasen and Grace getting ready to go on a safari. Notice the ears...We saw a lot of cool animals, including lions, elephants, and one white Rhino that we were only 10 feet away from. And it was on my side, which was MUCH too close!
There was a drum display that Davis was NOT going to be a part of. He was a little gripey that day and had to be coaxed into doing anything. See the little smirk on his face when he finally got involved?

Then we went from the African side to the Asian side, where we pulled our fast passes for the Mt. Everest roller coaster. You can see the coaster/mountain behind the kids:

Then we went and had a little lunch. For those of you who know me well, you know I don't really like Chinese food. Well, that's what we had and can I just say, I had the best crunchy honey chicken dish. Of course, it was at Disney, which probably speaks to the authenticity of the dish, but hey, it was in the "Asian" part of the park!!

After that, Jasen and the kids went to the Dinosaur area and I did a little shopping. I found the coolest shop in the Asian area...the Yak and Yeti. Oh, the treasures I found there! Asian green tea, scarves/wraps, and the cutest kimono-inspired pajamas/outfit for Grace. I also picked up some cute little Asian booties for my future niece or granddaughter. They are just precious.

Anyhoo, I met Jasen and the kids at the Dinosaur area, where we rode rides and the kids played some carnival midway games. If the games hadn't been $2.50 a pop, Jasen and I would have played, too, but that was steep even for me!

How did I miss out on this ride?Grace before the "Whack-A-Mole" game.



Thankfully, this was not Grace's final score, but it wasn't much higher!
Davis before his game.
And this would be his final score...


After that, it was time to go see the "Finding Nemo" stage show. WOW! It was so amazing. The "actors" sang, danced, and acted, all the while holding onto puppet-type things which were the characters. It was really, really neat. Oh, while we were walking in, a mean, Yankee woman (or New "Yawka"), tried to pick a fight with me. Then Jasen jumped in. Fun times, fun times.

After that, we went to ride Mt. Everest. Grace had SOOOOO much fun on that one. There was a yeti that had ripped up the track, so you end up doing the coaster backward, after you do it forward. Again, I can't believe how much fun Grace had on the coasters. She rode that one twice, of course! Then we went to the Bug's Life show, which was just as bad as I thought it was the first time I saw it. I do not enjoy stink-bug smell. Enough said!

Once we were done there, we loaded up and headed to Disney's Hollywood Studios. That is probably my second favorite park at Disney. Lots of "Old Hollywood" there, plus a Pixar area and Muppet place. You all know I love the Muppets! Long Live Miss Piggy!

When we got there, we walked for a bit, then it was time for our reservation at the 1950's Primetime Cafe. Jasen and I had eaten there on our honeymoon and had a great time. When my sister, Amy, and her family went, they ate there and her kids loved it, so we knew our kids would, too. The place is decorated like a 1950s home. You are called kids all meal long and instructed to keep your elbows off the table!! It was the boys night to set the table so Jasen and Davis gave us our plates, silverware and napkins. Grace loved that. Here are the boys setting the table.
Another fun aspect of the Primetime Cafe? The desserts are shown on a View-Finder!
We were taught the proper scolding technique: two fingers up and "shame on you!"
Hey, who are they scolding??
It was at this point that Jasen and I discovered the calming e(a?)ffect of alcohol. Now, let me give a disclaimer here. Since I have mentioned liquor and the ability of it to calm us down twice in this post, I want to say that I do not normally advocate this type of behavior. I do not use libations at home on a regular basis to calm me down. Jasen and I are fully aware that alcoholism runs in our families and we try our best to be aware of how/when we have alcohol. However....

After our pre-dinner cocktails, we were so calm! Life got easier, we were less stressed and it was then we decided a little morning nip wouldn't be so bad! My cocktail at dinner had a flashing lightbulb in it, too! Fun times! I had the best pot roast ever and the kids at like horses. Jasen had tuna casserole that was actually a piece of tuna with casserole around it. Really cool. Our waitress signed Grace's autograph book "Grace, Clean your room! xoxo, Aunt Cindy'rella!'" Grace has laughed about that over and over again.

At that point, it was almost 9 p.m. The park was supposed to close at that time, but those of us staying on the Disney property, got "extra magic" hours. Everyone else was sent home and the rest of us got to play with less crowds. YEA! Jasen loved it. For those of you who don't know, Jasen can't stand crowds. Any kind of crowd: crowded streets, crowded sidewalks, crowded houses, even crowded "Happiest Place in the World." So those extra magic hours were like heaven for him!

We went on the Star Wars training ride, in which I discovered that "simulator" equals a messed up tummy for me. Then, we saw the Muppet 3D show and the Osbourne family's light display that was timed to a Trans-Siberian orchestra song. Yes, it seemed strange to me! However, The Trans-Siberian Orchestra + the Osbourne Family + Christmas lights = one really cool holiday display!

After the light display, it was back to our room. This night we were in around midnight and I had the promise of a later start from Jasen. YEA!! And check out our little troopers:

Still smiling!

Disney...Interrupted

Please join us in welcoming Fergus, the newest member of the Graham family. He is a West Highlands Terrier, a.k.a. a Westie. Because he is Scottish in heritage (if it's not Scottish, it's crap, you know!), we gave him the Scotch name. He's 14 weeks old, threw up on Grace three times on the way home, and already cost us a bunch of money. Ahhh, the joys of dog owndership! The three dog lovers in the house adore him. My stomach hurts, either from nerves or that Bailey's and coffee I had with brunch. Pray for me...

Disney -- Day 2

Our second day at Disney was much like the first: go, go, go!! I asked Jasen if we could chill out, take our time getting to Epcot, our destination for the day. He said yes and that resulted in us leaving our room a whole hour later than we had the day before. Not quite the break I wanted, but at least we got a little more rest.

We took the bus to the TTC then the monorail to Epcot. Gotta love the monorail! The kids really enjoyed it, too. Once we got to Epcot, we went to get our "golden ticket" a.k.a. fast pass for Soarin', a ride we were told we had to do. After the episode on Pirates of the Carribean the day before, I wasn't sure Davis would be up for anymore rides, but we pulled his fast pass anyway. We also did the "Living with the Land" ride, which was all about sustainability and what Disney does to make that happen. They have some of the coolest plants growing there. Imagine upside down tomato plants (okay, I know you can grow those now) and cucumber plants. Nevermind, all the traditional fruits, vegetables and herbs they grow. It's amazing and makes you realize Disney is not just an amusement park. They really are doing some cool things there, horticulturally speaking.

After that, we were at a loss about what to do. Our lunch with the princesses didn't start until almost noon, but that didn't leave enough time for us to wait in line at any attractions. We headed over to the World Showcase and watched a 15 minute film about Canada. It was narrated by Martin Short, so it was really funny, but also quite informative. It put Canada a little higher on my list of places I want to see someday. Here are Grace and Davis in front of the Victoria Gardens in the Canada area of Epcot's World Showcase.And Grace took this picture of Jasen and I in front of the Mexican restaurant we ate at 11 years ago. For those of you who didn't know, we did the Disney Cruise for our honeymoon. Jasen remembers so much from that visit and I remember very little. Wish we'd had a blog back then!


Then, it was time for us to head to Norway to the Akershus, where we had a date with some princesses! We got there too early, so we did the Maelstrom ride, which was all about Norway's viking heritage. Davis was concerned there would be pirates, but he kept his eyes open the whole time. I was very proud!

Finally, time for our lunch with the girls of Disney. When we got there, we went in and the kids got a complimentary portrait with Belle. Once we were seated at our table, we were treated to a great Norwegian meal. We had appetizers (Jasen discovered he doesn't like red fish eggs) , then Jasen and I opted for traditional Norwegian dishes. I can't remember what he had, but I had some beef/pork dumplings that weren't bad. Then our princesses began arriving. We met Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Cinderella, Snow White, and Ariel. They were very much in character, especially the Little Mermaid. When it was time to take a picture with her, she told Davis, "Get over here, Tigershark!" It was so cute. Davis was very glad none of them tried to kiss him. Really, he was quite relieved! The boy doesn't want kisses from any girls, save his mama and sister. That suits me just fine!

After our meal with royalty, we headed back to do Soarin' which was awesome! Disney thinks of everything, even the smells you would experience as you flew over orange groves and through the trees. Too cool! Davis really enjoyed it too, so that was a relief. Then we went to "The Sea" area, where we rode Nemo's ride. While we waited in line for that one, there was a guy all decked out in his Aggie finery. I had to talk to him, of course, and lo and behold, he was a field artillery major who was doing his master's at TAMU in public administration! Too crazy! His name is David Ward and get this: he was stationed in Bamberg, Germany, and was a part of 1/6FA, which was the unit Jasen was in! He was there before we were, obviously. Now, this is where it gets really crazy...he met his wife, Heather, while she was the Club Beyond coordinator at the chapel in Bamberg!! After all the time I spent working in that chapel, we had an instant connection. The Wards even met at Matt and Tina Huisjen's house, the Hospitality House, where I spent many a Friday night while we were in Bamberg. Isn't that crazy? Such a small world. And we met them because I said "Howdy!" to an Ag.

Next, it was onto Crush's Turtle Talk. During that show, Grace was able to ask Crush how he swims fast, which Crush then explained to her and demonstrated. Pretty cool! After that, we went to visit Spaceship Earth. That's the big silver golf-ball, as Jasen calls it. At the end of that ride, you get to make a postcard for yourself from the future. Here is mine and Grace's. I'll try to get Jasen and Davis', too. It was funny because all you could see of Davis was his Mickey ears, which was quite appropriate since our boy only took them off to sleep.



Grace and Jasen did Mission:Space while we waited to ride Test Track with our fast passes. I stayed away from Mission:Space because I knew it would not be good for me. I don't do well in simulators. Test Track was awesome and really, really fast. Grace enjoyed all of these rides. She really amazed me. She was fearless as far as the rides went.

While Jasen and Grace went to take their turn together on Test Track, Davis and I went to find a spot to watch the fireworks at Epcot. I found a place and plopped down, about the time Davis woke up from a short nap. Um, yeah, he's not a happy "I just woke up from my 8:30 p.m. nap" person. He cried, I mean screamed and cried for at least an hour. Poor guy was just worn-out and that was his parents' fault! Here is Davis before his meltdown. He was so sweet when we had to wait for Grace to ride rides.

While we were sitting there, we met the most delightful family from Manchester, England. I only got first names, but there was Kim, the mom, Lauren, the daughter, and Jack, the extra-spunky son. Kim and I had the best time talking and Jack kept us entertained. He was quite "cheeky" as his mother said, and I am going to try to remember to call Grace that. We watched most of the fireworks, then headed back to the monorail, where we met a family from Arlington, the Hinsons. Turns out, the mom, Angie, used to frequent the Dodge House in S'ville, back in her younger days. Too funny! I love meeting people from all over that you can make a connection with!

Despite the fact it was almost midnight (again) when we got back to our room, the kids look pretty pleased, dontcha think? Obviously, Davis got over the burr in his blanket!