A Boy and His Grandpa....

I'm not sure where to start with all that has transpired in the last couple of weeks! Karl left on a mission three weeks ago. He was scheduled to fly to S. Carolina, Germany, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Bahrain, Germany, Texas and back home to Dover. "The Plan" was to be home within a week. Well, as any good Air Force wife knows, plans are made to be changed. Due to some maintenance issues, the trip ended up taking two weeks. A few days into it, it became apparent that his mission would be longer than anticipated. Since I had a couple of free weeks ahead, Garin and I packed up and flew to Texas to visit family! It was wonderful to be home! Garin loves the farm and the animals, but more than anything he loves to be outside. His first word upon waking up the first morning was "outside?" From then on, it was his most-used word; he wanted to be outdoors every waking moment. It took three adults to keep up with his two-year-old energy in the 90-something-degree heat. We spent time with cats, dogs, horses, cows, goats, the sole surviving chicken (long story) and Garin's favorite: frogs. We had fun with my grandparents, my aunt and uncle, my cousins and my cousin's kids. There was also a family reunion last weekend for my grandfather's family, and I had the privilege of meeting and reconnecting with some great family that I don't see often enough! We also were able to catch up with some long-time friends who are like family.

We spent one day with Karl's mom in Oklahoma and enjoyed some time with Karl's grandmother, sister and two nephews - one of whom was only six days old! Needless to say, Aunt Lori made the sacrifice of holding him and loving on him for much of the afternoon! As you can see in the video, Garin had a blast with Clancy Paul, his cousin who is 4 months older.

Our exciting trip home was somewhat less enjoyable, but we survived! There is a certain feeling of accomplishment that comes when you've gotten through such a test without tears or a straightjacket! Our plane was delayed five hours, and being the early birds that we are, we spent almost seven hours in the terminal. AND...being the IDIOT that I am, I had decided to check the stroller through with my bag rather than dealing with it through security. Never, never, never again. It was a huge risk that didn't pay off. I spent the entire seven hours trying to chase and manhandle a tired and cranky two year old. Needless to say, we were thrilled to finally get to Philly and get in our car. I used an awesome new parking service this time; for a $10 fee, they will bring your car to the airport and let you leave directly from baggage claim. That was worth a million bucks to me when we dragged in at 11 pm!

We're just trying to get back into our routine today. I'm doing laundry and working on the last few things I have to do for our final OSC board meeting of the year. I'm so ready to pass the presidential duties on to next year's board!!!

Some of you have been reading the blog of Audrey Caroline's parents. Audrey was born and passed away on April 7th. Her cousin, Gregory Luke, who is two months old, passed away in his sleep Tuesday night. Please continue to pray for Todd and Angie, and now for his sister, Nicol, and her husband, Greg. And let's continue to remember the Chapman family as they grieve little Maria. So much pain in these families. So much pain in this world. There is only One Hope. There is only One Comforter. There is only One True Peace.

We'll keep finding joy in the little things and looking forward to Heaven.....