Just Keep Swimming

I wanted to let you all know how this deployment has gone so far. This isn't a complaining post, just a post to refresh your faith, just as mine has grown and stretched. We've had some moments, but we just keep swimming. Just keep going and it's amazing how we have been taken care of.

So far this deployment:

1. My Grandma has been in the hospital twice, both times critical. We love her and send her our prayers.

2. We traveled to visit my sister and cousins and had a great time over Thanksgiving. We even managed to pull together a pretty cool Day-after-Thanksgiving dinner.

3. The furnace went out. It was COLD, but thankfully we prepare for such things as best we can. With the help of good friends and the emergency checkbook, we were warm again in a few days.

4. Megan had an ear infection. She had antibiotics for the first time. She spent 3 weeks sick and lost a pound, but she's finally improving. (and sleeping, thank heaven's.) I have also been sick a little, but am much better now.

5. My dear friend had her 4th baby and the other 3 came to my house for a fun overnighter. Combined with the kiddo I usually watch, that was 6 kids 6 and under for a while. What fun!

6. NW storms. We have had our share of crazy weather here in the NW this year. The garage flooded a little, but thankfully we had no major damage. New gutters and improvements so that won't happen again are on the list for next spring.

7. Adam's birthday, and Christmas both came while dad was gone. Both were crazy and busy but lots of fun and we missed dad a bunch during the celebrations.

8. Meg learned to crawl. She's officially mobile. That meant I have had to do some furniture arrangement to keep her out of the fireplace and other places. I guess I need to figure out how to put child locks on the cabinets pretty soon.

9. My dad came for a visit. That was a surprise, to say the least. Good to see both of them though and have a little dinner together. Adam loved the marshmallow shooter that was a Christmas gift too. Poor kitty.

10. I was given the option between nursing my baby and taking a medication I "needed". What an awful choice. I decided to hold of on the meds. I don't think it's as critical as that crazy dr lady I saw. Thank heaven for second opinions.

11. When I felt I was coming up on my breaking point and couldn't pull things together, I was asked to give a talk in church. I had just received a new job in church, working in the children's program and I wasn't sure I could do it all. Having to speak gave me the opportunity to re-center myself and get my act together. Sometimes good things come out of stressful situations.

So much more has happened. We are still standing, although some days I wonder why we don't go to bed at 6:00. The moral of the story is that deployment is hard and things happen, but there's always options for you to be lifted up in ways you never expected. Really most of those things would have happened if he was here too, it's just harder to deal with while he's gone. Just like Dory in Finding Nemo, we Just Keep Swimming....