A Very Special Birthday

Once again, I am backing up in my story-telling.  Last summer, Grace turned nine years old.  Not only did we celebrate her birthday in Stephenville, but we were also able to baptize our sweet girl.  What a great way to remember her 9th birthday.

You know those kids who are born with a "child-like faith?"  That's our girl.  Admittedly, Grace started hearing Bible stories pretty early, from one of the many illustrated Bible books we received before and after she was born.  We would read and re-read those books before bedtime.  At some point, we moved from the "no way the people of the Bible looked like that" illustrated book to a more human like illustration that asked questions at the end of each story. Now, she has her very own Adventure Bible, which is a must-have for older elementary age kids.

Our girl was raised in church.  She was welcomed into this world by our church family in OK, then moved to the chapel in Bamberg, Germany.  She started real Sunday school in Junction City, KS, and then went into the vibrant children's church in Charleston, then it was the Fort Leavenworth chapel. She has been church of Christ, military chapel attendee, Nazarene, non-denominational and back to a chapel attendee.

Grace asked when she was five how Jesus could become her savior.  She and I went through a prayer, with her acknowledging Jesus was the son of God, she was sinner who could not save herself, Jesus came to earth as a perfect sacrifice, was crucified and rose from the dead, all to give her a way back to God.  I am not sure there has been anything sweeter in my life than to hear my precious girl accept Jesus Christ as her savior!  The only thing missing was Jasen.

She had been asking about being baptized for a few years, but Jasen and I were not sure she was ready. Last school year, when Grace was in third grade, she showed even more interest.  Jasen and I talked together and with her.  We decided she was ready.

The next thing was where would we do it?  We loved our chapel at Fort Leavenworth, but I had a strong desire to do it in Texas.  Jasen wanted to do it in Hawaii, but I wanted her extended family around her, the people who would really support her in her walk, those who had already supported her.  Jasen understood: Texas it was.

We were blessed to have so many members of our family there!  Jasen's grandparents and aunt, my parents, two of my three sisters, my brother-in-law, Angie's boyfriend, and my niece and nephew.  Also joining us were my friend, Jennifer, and her kids, who have been actively involved in Grace's life.  Out of our closest family, only Katie and Clancey were missing.  I think that's a pretty good turn-out.

We chose to baptize her at Cross Timbers church of Christ.  That's where I was going to church when Jasen and I met.  We went there when we were engaged and went back whenever we could.  Their pastor graciously agreed to allow us to baptize her there, even though he didn't know us very well.  When we arrived, they had the baptistry all ready.

Because I am who I am, I had to say a few words before the actual baptism.  I thanked everyone for being there. I told them they were the important people in Grace's life, the people who had helped us guide her spiritually and would continue to do so, the people we hoped would be there for her throughout her life.  I feel pretty sure that's gonna happen!

 

Jasen asked Grace once again if she believed Jesus was the son of God, that He came to earth, was crucified and rose on the third day.  She answered yes.  Jasen laid Grace back into the water and it was done.  Our girl was baptized into the family of God.  What another precious memory!

 

 

After this memory was made, we went to Pizza Place, where we had pizza, strawberry cake, ice cream and presents.

Here is Grace with her cousin, Reagan

Blow out those candles, girl!  Mama wants some cake!

The boys in attendance: Tripp and Braden Karnes, Randall and Davis

  A very happy family! 

Can I just say how proud we are of Grace?  She is extremely kindhearted, sensitive and quite discerning for her age.  For her to love the Lord is such a delight.  She is our child, in whom we are well pleased!

The Upside of Loss

I have thought a lot about whether I wanted to post about the following situation.  It's been hard and I have tried to get over it.  I think in some ways I have.  In other ways, I know I haven't.  So I am hoping this will be cleansing.

I was de-friended.

Literally and figuratively.

I was told friendship with me was too taxing, too demanding, too negative.

This was a friend who I had shared a long-term (5+ years) friendship with, a friend who had been at three duty stations with me.  This was a friend who had encouraged me to stay in Kansas while Jasen was deployed, so she could support me. We had already discussed the holidays we would share while he was gone. We had shared deployments, re-deployments, births, deaths, you name it.  Everything that goes into a longer friendship, with the added fun of being an Army wife.

And she did it after Jasen left.  Can you hear that old song "And youuuuuuuu, left me, just when I needed you most?"

In the first few weeks, I was stunned.  Then I was hurt.  I guess I am still in the hurt stage.

But a very good friend, "The Friend Who Shall Remain Nameless" told me that was normal.  I should feel hurt.  And it would get better.

She encouraged me to think about and spend time investing in relationships I felt secure in and old ones that were comfortable.  That was just what I needed!

So instead of focusing on the ugliness of the ending of this friendship, I am making a shout-out blog.  A shout-out to the friends who were the silver lining to a really dark cloud that descended on me during an already dark day.  God provided during a hard time and I want the friends who showed up to know how much I appreciated them.

For those of us who are parents of sports playing kids, we spend so much time at the ball fields, soccer fields, basketball courts, etc.  Sometimes, the parents there are nuts.  Other times, you find good friends, like I found my friends, Bridget and Michelle.  I met Bridget at the soccer fields once upon a time, then re-met her at baseball camp.  I met Michelle at British soccer camp.  Never underestimate the power of striking up a conversation with someone new.  You might just meet the friend who will help you pick up your kids or you when you need to deliver your car somewhere.  Or the friend you can help with dog walking (strange but true, especially for me to be the one helping with that!) or hosting a little soiree to get a business going. I miss them. I am so thankful for Michelle and Bridget.

Sometimes, you meet someone you just click with.  Jeni Honey, my sweet Jen-ey (think Forrest Gump).  I knew as soon as I met her that she was going to be special.  I have never laughed so hard in all of my life.  I gave her a really good reason to run, run faraway from me (yep, negative, taxing, demanding) and she stayed.  She encouraged me to use my words to speak life.  That has been life-changing for me.  We could talk about anything, work hard together, laugh hard together, study God's word hard together.  I adore her.  And I miss her.  I am so thankful for my Jen-ey.

You know, there were a whole bunch of Army wives who were helping me from afar, those who had already gone to Hawaii.  Rachael, Gabby, Kim, Carrie and a few others who had lived in Hawaii before.  I am so glad I am here with them.  I am so thankful for my Hawaii torch party.

You can count on God to deliver just what you need, just when you need it.  I went to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, a pretty broken person.  Until the month before I took the kids there, I wasn't sure the three of us were going to move there.  I needed a special kind of friend, someone with wisdom, with discretion, with unbiased opinions.  The "Friend Who Shall Remain Nameless" was that and so much more.  I am glad I was able to spend time with her.  I miss her.  I am so thankful for the "Friend Who Shall Remain Nameless."

Ah, my friend, Shelly.  We barely knew each other until a month or so before Jasen left Kansas.  We spent a week with their family in CO and I knew, I knew, I wanted more time with her.  Never mind that Jasen loved her husband, never mind that our kids liked each other, never mind that I think her almost grown boys are Da Bomb!  Shelly had been where I had been, seen what I had seen, forgiven at least some of what I had forgiven.  We knew where the other had been.  And I knew I could learn from her, lean on her and, perhaps most importantly, laugh with her.  I miss her.  I am so thankful for Shelly.

Auntie Chris.  Where do I begin?  She was the first person I thought about reinvesting time and energy in.  I have no other friend who quietly, diligently, lovingly puts energy into our friendship.  I can call her anytime.  I can count on her to answer.  I can also count on her to send me boxes of goodies, many of which go unreciprocated.  We went through our first deployment together and she has supported me through two more and I hope I have supported her a little in her second deployment.  She's the kind of friend who will always be a better friend to me than I can ever be to her.  I miss her.  I am so thankful for Christine.

Do you have that friend who has known you since you were a kid?  I am blessed to have more than one that are still actively involved in my life.  Jen has known me since we were eight or so.  She has seen me at unbelievable highs and undeniable lows.  She has spoken truth in my life, and does it with love.  She has supported me during deployments, especially this one (I just felt it more, you know?), and gives me credit for what I do when Jasen is gone. I know she is praying for me.  I can feel it.  I love her family.  I love her.  I miss her.  I am so thankful for Jen.

Then there are other friends, who I might not have called much, might not have seen much, but I knew they were there.  A phone call, a Facebook message, a plane ride, a Skype session away.  This list includes but is not limited to: Kim, Emily, Misti, Renee, Sarah, Chris, Mary, Jeannie....

I have three fabulous sisters.  One really supportive mom.  A dad who reminds me I am a smart, reasonable woman who has made some good decisions in her life.  A grandma who thinks I am perfect. A niece and nephew who act like I am cool. And cousins, aunts and uncles who love me and give me words of encouragement.  And....I could go on and on.  I love my family.  I miss them.  I am so thankful for my family.

My friend, Erin, is the hardest working mom and step-mom I have ever met.  And so incredibly giving.  She was just up the street from me.  Our kids love each other.  She always found a way to help me, in between all that she had going on, which is more than you can imagine.  She loves the Lord.  She works for Him.  She shows her love for Him by helping others, not the least of which was me and mine.  I think I might cry thinking about her.  I miss her.  I am so thankful for Erin.

Finally, there is one friend, who is really family, that I have to say I miss to the point of crying.  My cousin, Jen.  Back when Jen and her husband, Jimmy, were married, we used to talk about how cool it would be for our family to be stationed at either Fort Riley or Leavenworth because their family would be in KC and we could spend time together.  I never thought we would be stationed at both.  What a blessing it was to be near them.

I wish everyone would have a cousin/friend like Jen.  When we were little, she was the older cousin I wanted to be like.  She was tough and athletic.  She was pretty and girly.  She could be mean, but only when someone really deserved it.  Hello, can you say "role model?"  It's funny, because Jen looked up to Amy and I looked up to Jen.  We share many memories, including many nights spent at our grandmothers' house, silly plays put together by the grandgirls, endless tubs of honey butter and sour cream and onion dip, my first ever camping trip, her Grease record and Madonna cassette.  One of the funniest stories I could ever tell was when Jen, Amy, Lara (Jen's sister) and I were able to stay home from the zoo and scrounged up all of our coins to buy as many tacos from Santa Fe Taco Company.  We went like three times!

 As adults who lived close together, we would go weeks without talking, then pick right up with a phone call and a plan to get together.  No one upset, both realizing we had lives that we had to tend to, knowing we were there for each other, but getting together wasn't always possible.  When Jasen was gone, I knew I could call her and Jen would help.  And if she couldn't, Jimmy would.  And if Jimmy couldn't, she would ask her in-laws, who were a wonderful bunch of people.  That last part never happened, but I have no doubt if I had needed their help, the Orths and/or Leveritches would have helped us.  They folded us right into their family.  And we were so blessed by it.

Then, Jen had sweet, precious babies.  Joe, who isn't a baby anymore, is a special person to everyone he meets.  But to us, he's more special.  He has taught me, Jasen, and, most importantly, my kids that there is still a really full life to be led, even if there might be limitations.  What Jen and Jimmy do with Joe is nothing short of awesome.  They work hard for him.  They love him even harder.  They never complain, they never get down-trodden, they love that boy more than you could ever imagine.

And their daughter, Maggie.  Sweet Maggie May, who won't even let me touch her.  She's so ornery and so wonderful.  Personality plus, that girl.  And she loves her cousins, Grace and Davis.  And I love her, even if she won't let me touch her.  One day, she's gonna love me.  Until that time, I'll just sit back and watch her run around, because there is no one I would rather watch.

I love Jen, Jimmy, Joe and Maggie.  I miss them.  I am so thankful for them.

See, God always brings the rainbow after the storm. The silver lining to the cloud.  I am so thankful.

That is the upside of loss...

Today is the day! Packers

I began "Today is the Day" postings a couple of months ago, but only got one finished so far. One will not do because it simply would not do the phrase justice. I mean, I said or felt it so many times in the span of three months, from October to January, I need to document more than one.

After shipping the Fit, it was time for the packers and movers. I am never as organized as I want to be.  We always seem to move more papers to be filed than I care to admit. Lots of people say things like "Oh, you are so lucky you don't have to move yourselves" and "The Army moves you, right?"  Yes, those things are right and yes, it does make things easier on us.  But it is still a move.

When you move overseas, you know that no matter when your stuff is packed, be it weeks or months in advance of the next assignment, you won't see it for a long time. Especially when it is on a slow boat from some faraway port to a further away port. Of course, some of it you won't need.  We have been blessed to be able to go home to the 'ville and any number of houses (usually my mom's - thanks, Mom! And thanks to others who offer and let us stay at your house, that list is too long to thank individually) where we won't need our plates, pillows, chairs, etc.

However, if you forget your birth certificate, you are screwed.  Now, clothes, jackets, shoes, etc.are not so dire because there are stores between where you are moving from and where you are moving to.  However, you can't go buy all new stuff every time you move.  Well, you could, but if your husband is a tightwad frugal man, you know it won't fly.

So in preparation for a month long move, you gotta plan.  And plan I did!  Of course, it was winter on the plains and in TX, but summer in Hawaii.  Therefore, I had two seasons to pack for.  Also, the kids needed backpacks with their special things: DS/Leapster, stuffed animals, books, etc.  Then, we also needed DVDs and CDs because in between our time in KS, TX, and HI, we'd be doing some driving and flying that needed entertainment.  Oh, and the kids were still in school, so we had all of that stuff.

In addition to the clothes and entertainment needs, we also had blankets and pillows because the Graham kids don't travel without them..  I always pack all of our underthings because I can't handle the idea of the movers touching those.  Also, I hand carry all of our priceless possessions, including but not limited to: jewelry, birth certificates, Social Security cards, laptop, marriage certificate, 29 or more copies of Jasen's orders, cameras, back-up batteries for cameras, cords to plug all electronics into any outlet/power source, car titles and paperwork for shipping/picking up the cars.  I also had to stealthily pack clothes for Jasen for the time he would be in Texas because he only had Army and Hawaiian clothes in his possession. His clothes had to be a secret because the kids didn't know he was meeting us in Texas.  That is another "Today is the Day" post.

Now, before your packers come, all of the above has to be stashed somewhere, because packers have been known to (intentionally?) pack stuff you tell them not to pack.  Nothing is more stress inducing than to ask a packer "Have you seen that small box that said 'Do not pack' on it?" And have him reply "Uh, yes ma'am.  It's in the bottom of one of those boxes." as the packer points at a stack of boxes three deep and four high.  So the best thing to do is get it hidden somewhere, be it your car, or at a friend's house or
one room that you shove it all in, lock and put up police tape on the door. Between the bathroom in Grace's room and our Pilot, everything we needed for the overseas move was stashed.  You could barely get into that bathroom and the Pilot was a disaster, but our stuff was safe from the movers. 

One thing you can be sure about with a military move: the packers and/or movers will not be on time.  They will give you a window when they will be there, much like a repairman.  And the window will come and go, especially on the first day, and no one will be there.  While waiting for them to arrive, even though it's 20 degrees and raining, you will be sitting on the porch, screaming "Today is the DAY!" at the top of your lungs, hoping the packers will hear you and come like they are supposed to.  Because you have been planning and waiting on this day for MONTHS.  And that two hour window is gone and WHERE ARE THEY??

Once they arrive, they will go through your house and make you tell them what is going and what is staying.  I always say "Take it all!"  Then they point out the paint, laundry detergent, nail polish remover, ammunition, that can't be shipped.  Oh, duh.  Sorry.

**A little note on "Take it all!"  They will pack your garbage.  Some of it is the garbage in the trash can, some of it is the garbage you realize on the other end of the move should have been in the trash can before the packers arrived.  You have to be careful with that phrase.

Our packers were two very sweet women.  Jasen currently hates them because he thinks they didn't do a good job, but I really liked them.  Linda was 62 and half deaf to the point if I didn't yell her name when I came into the room, she would startle horribly.  B.J., the other woman had some of her teeth, was a nurse "in a different life" and from a tiny town called Texico. They worked hard for the first hour, then it was lunch time.  You always provide lunch so the packers will do a good job.  When you're the only one there, it's pizza everyday because they deliver.

Oh, let me back up.  I know some military wives who have friends and/or family come to their house, position them in every room with a packer, and watch the packers to make sure no one is stealing.  Jasen and I have never operated that way.  I think it's rude and hateful.  If someone is gonna steal my favorite piece of costume jewelry, well, I should have packed it with the rest of my valuable possessions. I also have friends who pack all of their silverware in Ziploc bags so the movers don't touch them and they can take them out and use them straightaway.  I say no.  Just wash the darn things when you unpack them.  

These ladies, Linda and B.J., tried their best to put me at ease.  I think they could tell I was more than a little frazzled. I know I cried twice the first day and pretty sure I cried the second day.  They worked hard both days they were there (yep, two days to pack all of our junk).  They told me they were envious we were going to HI, how much I would love it and didn't I know how warm it would be?  Really very nice. At some point, we talked about PTSD, parenting, etc.  They knew I was anxious about our reunion as a family, the big move, would Jasen be different when he got home, could I handle all of the move on my own?

The only hiccup happened when they told me I would have to clear all of Jasen's guns to make sure the chambers were empty.  Uh, say what?  I had never loaded a gun, much less cleared one!  Colossal fail as a military spouse and wife of a gun owner.  B.J. asked me if I could do that and I said "Uh, I don't have a choice."  To which she replied "Oh hell, I hope she doesn't kill herself."  We went downstairs and I cleared all the guns!  :)  Score!

Again, on the Hawaii end of the move, Jasen wasn't happy.  He felt they cut lots of corners.  He didn't like how they handled his clothes, left some of our drawers full, etc.  For the most part, I am happy if I can find most of our stuff in the first week or two of unpacking and none of the furniture is falling apart.  Oh, and if they pack our liquor, that's another plus in my opinion.  We still have a nearly full bottle of Grey Goose (only eight years old) and four bottles of wine Jasen brought back from France.

After we received our stuff in Hawaii I found a full sheet of brown wrapping paper in one of the boxes, with Linda's flowery handwriting on it and a final message from her:

"No more rain, only SUNSHINE."

Now that is a good packer.

The First of Many

Okay, I am sorry it has been so long since I have blogged.

Hawaii is turning out to be the eye candy it promised to be. We have seen so many beautiful things!  Here are a few pictures of the scenery we've been enjoying:

Here is Davis, standing on a rock on the grounds of the Hale Koa hotel on Waikiki Beach, where we stayed our first five days on Oahu.  Gorgeous!

This was the view from our balcony at the Hale Koa

I know everyone was worried about Davis getting to drink from a coconut.  Good news: it has been done!  He liked it, although I am not sure it lived up to his expectations.

The same day Davis had his first coconut, we took a drive to the windward (eastern) side of Oahu and up the coast to the North Shore.  Here are the kids at a beach park on the windward side, with the mauka (mountain) view behind them...

And here is the view on the oceanside of the beach park! Gorgeous!

Here is the sunset we saw from the luau at Paradise Cover.  We went with our friends and former neighbors, Jack and Carrie Keen and their sons, Tristan and T.J.  When we knew each other in Bamberg, they lived on the third floor of our stairwell, we were on the first floor, they only had Tristan, we only had Grace.  I love how the Army brings us back to each other!

Perhaps my favorite sight in all of Hawaii: our house on 125 Dawson Road, Schofield Barracks.  I cannot tell you how very much I (and we!) love this house.  All one floor, concrete walls (re: cool!), much, much bigger than our one at Fort Leavenworth, the list goes on and on!

This is where Davis and Jasen went on their first Graham Boys camping trip.  Not bad, huh?

FYI, there are wild chickens and roosters running all around the islands.  It is nothing to pull into a shopping area in the suburbs, a crowded beach parking lot or an old plantation and hear them clucking or crowing.  Isn't this one neat colored?

Our first waterfall hike on Oahu! We "hiked" (it was really a glorified walk with just a little incline on a paved road) to Waimea Falls.  We walked through gorgeous gardens with lots of flora.  Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous!

Kids don't look too thrilled, do they?  This photo does not do the color green justice.

Ahhh, the beach at Bellows AFB on the windward side of the island.  So incredibly beautiful

That's our girl, catching a wave on her boogie board.  The friend we went with said Grace has surfing in her blood because she had a good feel for when a wave she could catch was coming.

And there is our boy, catching a wave with Dad's help!

Yep, I even got in on the action.

Looking the other way up the coast

Our second hike to a waterfall.  It was St. Patrick's Day and we hiked Manoa Falls, which is very near the University of Hawaii main campus.  It was a good hike, but very slick, a little uphill and very hot and humid.  We were literally walking through a rainforest.  It was beautiful and worth it!

Grace hangin' in the bamboo on the way to the falls.  It's amazing how many bamboo "forests" there are.

Here we are at Manoa Falls.  We have no idea why Jasen is smiling like that!  These falls were about 100 ft. long.

So, that's a taste of what we have been doing, the sights we have been seeing.  Next up?  Our trip to the Big Island.  You won't believe the things we saw there!

Today is the Day - Fit

I think I have said "Today is the day!" about a hundred times since early November.  Let's count the times, shall we?

First time, I pretty sure it was when I took the Fitty (our nickname for Jasen's red Honda Fit) to St. Louis for shipment to the islands.  It was the first real moving task I had to accomplish.  It was a little nerve-wracking.  Some of you might not know that shipping a vehicle overseas is stressful.  They expect the car to be spic'n'span.  I was quite proud of myself when they told me that our car was very, very clean. 

Of course, once you get the car to St. Louis, which isn't exactly right because the place is actually on the other side of St. Louis, in Illinois, you have to get back to Ft. Leavenworth, which is over three hours away.  After considering taking the kids with me and riding the train back to KS, I decided it would be better for me to do it while the kids were at school and fly back home as soon as I could.  I arranged a flight on Southwest (cattle call, anyone?) about 3 hours after I dropped the car off.

I got to the airport with plenty of time to spare, so my taxi driver (who made a pretty penny off of me, as the car shipment place is over 40 minutes from the airport) dropped me off near the USO at the St. Louis airport.

Now, let me digress for a minute about the USO.  I had never been in one until the one in St. Louis.  I knew about the book reading offered at them, as Jasen did it at DFW once when  he was on his way back to Iraq from R&R.  I knew they tried to greet soldiers at the airports.  But this USO blew me out of the water.  I think it's the biggest in the continental United States.  There was a free snack bar, with lots of sodas, popcorn, hot dogs, chips and cookies.  Along the wall of that room were two TVs, with something different on each one.  The next room had 10, if not 15 leather recliners in front of a huge flat screen, with yet another show on.  Next room?  Computers, with at least 15 of those, and plenty of places to plug in your own.  And finally, there was the sleeping room.  Lights really, really dim and at least 10 beds made up for soldiers or their families to take a rest.

When I entered that USO, I started to cry.  I couldn't help but think of the money donated to the USO for this facility.  And the many volunteers who staff the area.  There were at least 8 volunteers while I was there.  Not being pushy (except about dropping your bags at the front), but just there to serve the soldiers.  While I was there, probably 40 service members filtered through.  There were kids who were on their way to basic, asking recent basic training graduates if it was really going to be as bad as they had been told.  There were soldiers returning from deployment, waiting on their next flight to take them closer or to home.  There were soldiers in uniform, soldiers in civilian dress. 

And families. There were families, too.  Mostly single women with children.  As I thought about them flying without their soldier (complete assumption on my part), I cried again.  One mom had a toddler and twin babies.  One of the volunteers sat with her and played the role of grandmother to the toddler.  I've been that single mom, flying without my soldier.  I've never had twin babies to deal with, but alone is alone.  I've never felt so alone as when my mom dropped Grace and I off for our first return flight to Germany after a visit to TX.  Grace was about a year old. I was loaded down with diaper bag, carry-on, car seat, purse, toiletry bag.  And struggling to get a one year old's shoes back on, while not holding up the security line.  What I would have given to have had one of those USO ladies helping me!  It pleased me greatly to know that mom had help, if only for an hour while she waited on her flight.

If you ever need a place to give back to soldiers or want to volunteer, please consider the USO.

Okay, digression and plug for the USO over! 

After I entered a little while in the USO and after I finished crying, I silently prayed and thanked God for His provision.  His hand has been on this move from the very beginning....

Of course, everything had run so smoothly, something was bound to try to trip me up.  My flight was delayed over an hour because of a power outage at the Kansas City airport.  UGH!  Those kinds of things always throw me for a loop.  I had a friend who had graciously agreed to pick up my kids from school and keep them until I got home.  Another friend had volunteered to pick me up.  I had to call them quickly to let them know I would be late.  It's hard for me to ask for help.  And it's even harder when I have already asked for help but need more.  Of course, my friends were so sweet and said things were fine and there would be no problem with my being later than I thought.

End of story?  I arrived home in time to see the beautiful red sky over Kansas City.  My kids had a great play-date and because of my lateness, already eaten dinner, too. 

And the best part?  Fitty was waiting for Jasen when he returned to Hawaii from Iraq.  And it was here when we got here.  Life is good!

WOW!

Has it really been since April that I blogged?  I can't believe that!  I knew it had been awhile, but had no idea it had been THAT long.

Well, good news.  With us living across in the middle of the ocean, I promise to do better documenting what we have been up to.

More soon!

Hillbilly Heaven

Branson.  Ahhhh, Branson.  Where do I begin?  I guess with why we decided to go there.  We try to see as much of the area we are living in as we can.  On our way down, Jasen and I decided that one of the hobbies we share is exploring where we live.

Part of the reason we went there is that we have two friends who live near there: Jorge, one of Jasen's fraternity brothers from TSU, lives on a horse farm about an hour away and the Hoeprichs, Army friends who are nearby at Fort Leonard Wood.  So, we could see Branson, Table Rock Lake, and friends.  Branson it was!

I went online and ordered a book about Branson and learned we could go to a show everyday, twice a day if we wanted.   There were some names that I knew and knew people who would be interested: Andy Williams, Ann-Margaret, and The Oak Ridge Boys.  There were some people I didn't know: Shoji, along with Dorothy and Christina (you know them, right?), Clay Cooper, and The Duttons.  Oh, and let's not forget Yakov and Dolly, the Baldknobbers and Kirby Van Birch.  Once you get a little south of Springfield, you begin to see all these billboards, touting all the big names in Branson.  Jasen and I spent the last bit of our drive laughing like crazy at the billboards and where we were spending our spring break.  Neither of us ever thought it would be Branson!

At some point, Jasen and I had a discussion regarding who would be performing in Branson.  Jasen's vote was Christina Aguilera.  I thought maybe the Backstreet Boys.  Then, we thought better of those two choices.  Branson might not be happening enough for those artists.  Jasen offered up Carrie Underwood, since she has the wholesomeness that Branson likes to pride itself on.  But I like her; I don't want to see her end up there!!  Do you have an idea about who will be there in 30 years?

Before we went down, we found an awesome cabin online.  It was a little out of our price range, but once I saw the jacuzzi tub, I knew it's where we had to stay!  We were able to get them to come down on their price and we reserved it.  When we arrived, we were concerned because it was a little further out than we thought and it was at the back of trailer park.  But once we went inside, all of our fears were alleviated.  The cabin was AWESOME!  And beyond the back porch: NOTHING!  Just what we wanted.


Grace, Davis and the view from our back porch: nothing!

There was a porch swing and numerous Adirondack chairs on our porch.  If it had been a little warmer, I would have spent a lot of time out there!

A family picture on the porch swing

Coming in the front door of our cabin

Can you see Grace posing?

Can you believe the kids enjoyed the tub before I did?

Before we made the trip to Branson, we decided to see the Dolly Parton Country Stampede.  Dolly has three of these across the country (well, they are all in the south) and we read online that everyone loved them.  So the first night, we headed out to the Stampede.  Everything was quite Dolly and quite hillbilly.  There was a gorgeous butterfly floral arrangement out front.  But in true hillbilly fashion, they were fake flowers.  Inside, there was all kinds of famous pictures redone in true hillbilly style: the human faces were replaced with horse faces.

The Stampede preshow was a very talented juggler who claimed he was the son of the plate spinner from Ed Sullivan.  I haven't checked that yet, but I need to.  He was very good.  During his show, Davis yelled "That's impossible!"  Too funny!  The Stampede is very much like Medieval Times, for those who are familiar with that.  You have no utensils to eat your food and you are separated into two groups.  Can you believe the Graham family had to be on the North side?  We got so tickled when they asked where everyone was from in the audience and most people were from either Oklahoma or Arkansas.


Can you imagine my sadness when I found out the flowers were fake?  So completely bummed!

When we received our food, we were pleasantly surprised with how good the food was.  We had sliced pork loin, a small roasted chicken, half a tater, corn on the cob, and a quite tasty roll.  Poor Davis was completely overwhelmed by the whole chicken.  Jasen broke it down for him but I think Davis ate maybe two bites.  Davis was quite happy with the Pepsi Jasen ordered him.  Davis said it had "great flavor" (that's a quote, I promise!) and deemed Jasen the best dad ever.  Good to know.

Grace was quite taken with the horses and the dresses the girls wore.  When we arrived and left, we were able to see the stables with the horses and she loved that part.

The next day, we woke up late and then went into town to enjoy that other fabulous redneck past-time: go-cart racing!  We had such fun, chasing each other.  One time, Davis rode with Jasen, the other time, he rode with me.  The first time, we were on a "regular" course, with just one bridge portion.  The second time, we went on a three tiered course.  Davis and I were bound and determined to catch Jasen and Grace, until we came down the hill from the top of the course and got a little airborne.  Then we decided to just enjoy our ride and not worry with racing!


Our friend, Braden's "Flat Stanley" joined us on the trip to Branson.  Here he is in front of the Titanic museum/exhibition.  Why is there one in Branson?  Um, not sure about that.  Jasen and I decided there must have been a bunch of relatives of Missourians/Arkansasans on the ill-fated trip.  HA!  Oh, and the big exhibition in there right now?  A tribute to the animals lost on the Titanic.  I am not kidding.  Jasen and I hooted and hollered about that one!

Later that day, we went to the Butterfly Palace.  Did you know you can be afraid of butterflies?  I didn't, until my own children started freaking out about the butterflies.  Now, admittedly, the butterflies would dive bomb around, but hey, they're butterflies, right?  Not like you are going to be injured.  By the time we had spent 5 mins. in the place, our kids were ready to go, which really bummed out Jasen and me because we could have stayed much longer.

We headed back to the cabin where we hosted our friends, the Todds, for dinner.  Caroline is in Davis' class, Brandon is a Navy submariner in Jasen's ILE class, and Karla is a mommy and wife like I am.  Karla is from Connecticut and I love being around her.  Our time before the Todds arrived, we were so excited to see how Karla would react to all the hillbilly-ness around us.  Karla did a great job not being ugly about all the people around us at the various places.  Jasen and I weren't so nice.  The four adults did have a fun time picking out the Hoarders around us, though.


Here are Davis and Caroline.  She wanted to hold either his hand or Grace's the whole day.  Davis was over it before it began. I can't believe he is smiling here!


Awwww, my boy looks happy.  Not sure if he was or not!



The next day, we met the Todds at Silver Dollar City.  Again, the Graham adults were tickled driving into the park at how many old couples were in the cars next to us.  Once we were in the park, we were surprised at how many older people work at SDC.  We had a great time there.  Great rides and even better food.  They have your regular hamburgers and hot dogs, but they also have these great tater twisters and succotash.  And everyone's favorite: funnel cakes!


The first ride we went on was a roller coaster that we thought would be pretty tame.  So Jasen, Brandon, and I took the kids to ride.  After the first hill, I looked at my son, who was slunk down in the seat, holding onto the lap bar for dear life, and trying not to cry.  I felt awful for doing that for him.  Caroline was behind us, yelling a fun "WEEEEE," as her eyes communicated complete fear.  Needless to say, those two didn't ride any more coasters unless they were in the kiddie area.  Grace, on the other hand, did every ride she could!

That night, we went back to the cabin to get the dog (because we couldn't possibly spend money on four days in the kennel -- but I'm not bitter) and headed to our friend, Jorge's.  Okay, I haven't mentioned the terrain around Branson/Table Rock Lake.  Think windy and hilly.  The way to Jorge's think windy, hilly, getting dark, two-lane, lettered roads, not numbered.  Oh, and we'd never been there.  Never.  That was a long 1 1/2 hour drive.  But once we got there, all the stress melted away.  Jorge and Alycia were so sweet to wait 'til 8 (or 8:30?) to eat with us.  The kids were able to see some of the horses they have and we got to see the house that Alycia's great-grandfather built.  Jorge is one of those guys who is just calming.  Such a nice guy.  He killed us with some stories of the hillbillies they live close to and how they have treated the "Mexican next door."  Whew.  Crazy.

We got home at 1:30 a.m.  After a day at an amusement park.  Enough said.

The next day, we met the Todds again.  The girls went shopping, the boys took the kids to the Ripley's Believe It or Not museum, and then we met up again for lunch.  After lunch, we parted ways and the Grahams went home for a nap.

That evening, the Hoeprichs came for dinner.  Oh, I love them.  We spent only a few months together in Bamberg. But they were enough to cement a special relationship.  Ashleigh and Andrew were newly married and so sweet.  They are precious friends to us.  So our evening was WONDERFUL!

The next day, we hurriedly packed up and left our cabin.  We met the Todds at "Ride The Ducks" but weren't going to be able to ride them until later in the afternoon.  So we cut our losses, met them at IHOP in Springfield, then headed home.

We were tired, but had a great time.  I felt bad for being ugly about hillbillies. I mean, I am from the country.  I am not some great big city sophisticate.  However, the people down there seemed to be different.  I know redneck, I know country, but this was different.  When I talked to my dad about it, he pointed out that some people revel in their ignorance and love being ignorant.  Those were the people we saw around in Branson.  I now it sounds really arrogant of me.  And I don't mean to be.  There's just a difference and it was glaring.

We ended up really enjoying our time in Branson.  We don't have to do any more shows down there, but we'd definitely go back to see the terrain and enjoy our cabin again.

Good Week for a Baller

The Grahams had a great basketball week at the beginning of March.

As hard as it is to be a military family, we have been able to go to some really cool things, sports-wise.  One thing I have wanted to do was go to a basketball at Allen Fieldhouse.  For those of you who aren't big sports people, Dr. James Naismith was the creator of basketball.  He coached at KU and his protege was "Phog" Allen, who Allen Fieldhouse was named for.  With so much history there, you can see why I wanted to attend a game there.

Also, KU is known for it's basketball program and for the atmosphere at Allen Fieldhouse.  Our family has seen the "Rock, Chalk" cheer at football games, but we'd been told that to hear it indoors was a completely different experience.  I was sold!

Jasen gave me the go ahead and I got tickets for the A&M men's game at Allen Fieldhouse.  It was my Valentine's Day present.  Jasen and I went early and had the best pizza in Kansas at a place in Lawrence.  Yum!!  Then we parked in the Islamic Student Center parking lot and hiked up to the fieldhouse.  Inside the fieldhouse, they have all kinds of memorabilia dedicated to all KU sports, but a lot of info on their superior basketball program. Did you know that Naismith was also the inventor of the football helmet?  He got tired of getting hit in the head, cut a football in half, and put it on his head for protection.  I couldn't resist taking some cool, yet cheesy photos.

A picture of the inventor himself, Dr. James Naismith

Think mine or Jasen's hands might measure up?

Think again!

Pretty sure it doesn't measure up to the current standards or cost!

Did you know Gale Sayers, of the movie (and book) "Brian's Song" went to KU?

Now, a little trivia.  Do you know who this young man with the large schnoz is?  Answer at the end of this post...

A nice security guy let me go take a picture right next to the court.  We also saw the Aggies run right past us into the dressing room before the game.  My pics were blurry, but we gave a big whoop and Gig 'Em!

Allen Fieldhouse isn't a very big place to watch a ballgame.  When you are used to Reed Arena (Aggieland), Frank Erwin (t.u.) and Bramlage Coliseum (K-State), Allen Fieldhouse is pretty small.  But that was great for us because, although we were sitting in the rafters (literally, look at the pictures!), we had a great seat.  I was just thrilled to be there.

So excited to wear our maroon at Allen Fieldhouse!

See, we're in the rafters.

To the right of us, there were only two rows past us.  Behind us, there were probably six or so rows, but they weren't long ones.

This was the view from our cheap seats, which were not cheap.  But we had a good view, regardless.

Before the game started, the Jayhawks did their legendary "Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk" yell.  It was awesome!  And I'll tell you, those Jayhawk fans keep Allen Fieldhouse rockin'.  It was cool to see the A&M coach, Mark Turgeon, introduced because he played college ball at KU.  He got a standing ovation, which was cool.  Overall, though, I was disappointed to hear all the boo-birds in the place.  I am not above a horse laugh (you Aggies get it!), but I hate it when you boo the other team.  Cheer for your own, but don't be ugly in a loud way.  I mean, I'm ugly, but only whispering to my fellow attendee!

Here is a video of the "Rock, Chalk" chant.  It's not as loud on the video I took, but believe me, it gives you a little chill to hear it in person in Allen Fieldhouse. 
Before the game, they showed a video on the screen of the KU national championship teams.  It was really cool.  I had read somewhere that Coach Turgeon had told the Ags not to be intimidated, but to soak in the environment at KU.  It was neat to see the Aggies watching the video; I think it showed a lot of class.  Danny Manning is an assistant at KU, Larry Brown and Mike McCarthy (the GB Packers coach, whose daughter goes to KU) were also there.  Also, Billy Gillispie was there, the dirty dog (as he's referred to in the Graham house) sitting behind the KU bench in a blue shirt.  Traitor!

This would be a video of the KU fans "Waving the Wheat" at the end of the game.

That same week, the Big XII men's and women's basketball tournaments were held in Kansas City.  I would have loved to go to every game, men's and women's, but we're not making that kind of money yet.  However, they ran a special called "Daughter Date Night" at the women's games where the tickets were discounted and guess who happened to be playing?  The A&M women's team versus t.u.'s women's team.  Hello!  No question about who was going to be in attendance for that one!

Our girls standing for the National anthem

Grace, Davis and I went to the game.  I loved watching our girls play.  Run and gun, fabulous defense, and HUGE girl who can also shoot the three.  By halftime, I think Davis could have gone home, but his mama had to stay to the end.  During the game, Grace leaned over and told me she now knew what good rebounding looked like.  Thank goodness!  That night was the first time Davis had ever "Sawed Varsity's Horns Off."  At first, he was way confused, but he got into the spirit of things the second time we did it.  Our girls won and I was so proud of them, standing on the court, singing the War Hymn.  I am also happy to report that our cheerleaders/dance team did not have on maroon velour.  Thank goodness! 

Gig 'Em Aggies!  Whoop!

The next morning, Davis got in bed with Jasen and I.  He reported to Jasen that the girls looked like boys. Sad but true, son.

And the answer to the question...Dean Smith!  Did you know he went to KU?  Pretty cool, huh!  As soon as I saw his picture, I knew who he was!!  That nose is unmistakable!