Pretty Cool ...

Yesterday, I had kind of a different experience. I took Alexis, Shane and a couple of kids from our church to the bowling alley. Nothing special about that (except we had a really good time!) ... until I stepped outside to get reception on my cell phone to call Greg. I noticed an MP (Military Police) at the end of the road stopping traffic. Before I even had a chance to investigate what was going on, I heard this tremendous sound and looked up to see a Chinook landing in the field right across the street from where I was standing!!! I was trying to leave a message on Greg's cell phone ... but it was so loud I couldn't even hear myself talking and my hair felt like it was going to blow off my head! It was pretty exciting. A crowd was starting to gather outside the bowling alley (including my wide-eyed son) as two Blackhawk helicopters landed beside the Chinook.

Now, why this made such a great impression on me is hard to understand. I mean, I guess it is not every day that those kind of planes land across the street from the family-friendly bowling alley. But I think it has something to do with the fact that this is how my husband traveled for more than a year of his life ... kind of in the same way you and I jump in the car! He never stayed at his "home base" for more than a couple of weeks at a time before he would be off again, flying around Afghanistan to different smaller bases to minister to soldiers. And he had lots of really interesting experiences while flying, including "going down" in a Chinook that had some mechanical problems (thankfully, they landed in the sand, no one was hurt -- not even a scratch) ... flying through tremendous rain and wind storms ... and times when the gunner in the plane had to do his thing in defense of our country and this war against terror.

So, while I watched these massive machines reach the ground, I guess I was just struck with the reality of what continues on in Afghanistan ... and the fact that my husband was a part of it. I was instantly grateful to the Lord for HIS protection over Greg's life. No matter how big and strong those "war planes" are ... GOD is bigger and stronger!

Pretty cool day at the bowling alley, huh??? Made up for the fact that I had to share all of my bowling turns with my 3 year old ... he probably did better than I would have done anyway!

(The pictures were an aftersight ... just to prove what I saw!!! Wish I could have snapped a pic when those big ol' things were still in the air coming down. It was pretty amazing!)

A Vacation to Remember

Our trip to the States was, well, AWESOME! I'm sure this blog could turn into a mini-novel, so I'm going to do my best to keep it short. The flight from Stuttgart was mostly uneventful. The only problem: it was LONG! After the 11 hour flight, more than 4 hour layover in Atlanta, and another hour flight to Lynchburg, VA ... the kids were a mess! Thankfully, it was 11:00 pm when we got to the hotel, so everyone went right to sleep. The rest of our time there was spent with family (my sister, Cami and her family) and friends (the "gang" from our days at Falwell Ministries). We loved every minute! Greg especially loved his Father's Day lunch at the local BBQ restaurant. The kids loved time with cousins Claire and Ella McBride and we ALL enjoyed Cold Stone Creamery!!! Greg and I love Lynchburg, it is place filled with great memories for both of us. We were glad Greg's job took us there for a few days.

After Lynchburg, we headed to the mountains of Asheville, NC to the Scenic Wolf Resort to stay a week with my family. What a blast!!! There was a great pool for the kids and the house was perfect for just sitting around and talking (and eating, of course!) A highlight of our week was dinner at "The Fiddlin' Pig" ... food was good, company was GREAT -- but it was AWESOME when the dancers pulled my Alexis and Collyn's Addysn onto the dance floor, they were so cute!!! Then, Ashley, Ava, Alivia and Shane got their chance to dance, too. It is priceless to see the cousins playing together and getting to know each other. My family has always been -- and will always be -- incredibly special to me. Our time together was amazing.

We stayed in Asheville at Collyn and Billy's house a few extra days to meet with my wonderful friend Jennifer Ramsey from our Fort Stewart/Richmond Hill days. She and I literally pulled one another through the deployments of our husbands (we did it by LAUGHING ... A LOT!). Our children are the best of friends ... and it was such a blessing for us to get to see them this summer!!!! We had a great few days.

Ended our trip in WV with the McVeys. Couldn't have asked for a better ending ... except that it made it REALLY hard for all of us to leave! Greg, his brother Dustin and I spent a day "in the trees" on a brand new zipline -- what a blast! The girls and I had great shopping day with Nanny and Aunt Kim ... and we enjoyed lots of trips to the Ansted Dairy King. The Fourth of July picnic with Greg's family gave him the opportunity to see many family members who we hadn't seen since before his deployment to Afghanistan. And Greg was able to share with his home church about our ministry and his time in the war zone. What a special time for us! I could go on and on! Oh! I forgot to mention about our "date day" ... when Greg's parents watched the kids for several hours so Greg and I could spend a day together. Amazing. We went out to eat (Olive Garden, yum), to Target (like Heaven!), to see a movie, and ended it all off with ice cream from Maggie Moos (do you all sense a theme of our trip -- the McVeys love ice cream!) It was a great day for Greg and me ... uninterrupted hours to talk, laugh and enjoy each other -- THANKS NANNY AND GRANDDAD!

Our return trip to Stuttgart was tough. Flew from Charleston, WV to Atlanta ... where our 4 hour layover turned into 6. Then, 9 hours on the plane to Stuttgart. Unfortunately, no one was able to sleep a whole lot. And we're still feeling the affects of jetlag. But it was worth it! We loved every minute of our trip and are incredibly grateful to both of our families for making it possible for us to spend time with them this summer.

Side note: While in the States, our church family in Gaffney, SC experienced a horrible tragedy. One of our precious members was gunned down in her home along with her daughter. Our hearts and prayers go out to our friends who are undoubtedly still dealing with this senseless loss. Thankfully, Ms. Hazel Linder is in Heaven with Jesus! We will see her again someday.

USA 2009

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