Amazing how God just HANDLES everything!

Ok....so I was worried about being able to go to South Georgia for Dee's reunion because of money. Well, someone took care of that, then.....drum roll please.....on Wednesday last week, my car's transmission went out! YES..when it rains, it pours! It would not change gears. I had it towed on Thursday to find out for sure if it needed a new transmission or just some work. Nope...new trans that would cost $2500! The van is a 2002 with 130,000 miles on it! No way! The van isn't worth that much running! So what seemed like a bad situation turned out to be fantastic.
Dee's mom works for Courtesy Ford, so she arranged for me to meet with Mr. Morris (owner) and I was able to talk to Dee via cellphone. We found a Hyundai Entourage (minivan/SUV)2007 with all the bells and whistles on it! And got it for $100 over dealer investment. They really respect Lou so they treated me great! Then I was able to get a line of credit with only 3.75% interest! So our payments only went up $30 from the other van! And the insurance is only $12 more a month! God is so good! (and that includes paying off the other van too!) So now Dee can leave for a year with peace of mind that we have a decent vehicle that isn't going to give me problems!
THEN I had this "crapped out" van needing a new transmission. Courtesy gave me a name of a used car guy in Covington they deal with. Very honest. He came over to look at it at the transmission place. I was going to be happy if he offered me $500 for it. That Friday morning, I got up early and went to where my van was at Aamco in Covington. I needed to clean it out, get the military sticker off, and get the tag. The guys there were so nice. They gave me boxes, pulled the van around for me, helped me clean up the van, and even scraped off the military ID sticker for me and put it on the new van! They were awesome! And they were getting nothing out of the deal! The owner said he might be interested in buying it, so for me to call him when the other guy gave me a price. So the used car guy called and to my surprise, offered us $850! NO WAY! I called the Aamco guy back and he said, "That's a great deal. You better take it!" So I did. So we were able to go to Brewton Parker and enjoy our weekend! Then Sunday, after church, we drove to Savannah and found a great little apartment/motel on the base at Hunter! Two bedroom apartment for just $63 a night!
We had a great weekend. Monday, before taking Dee back, we packed a lunch and went to Tybee Island so the girls could see the beach. Didn't go last year to any beach. So they walked in the water a little and we fed the birds. Didn't stay long, but at least they saw the beach. It was kind of cold and windy anyway. We WILL RETURN! Can't beat that deal! The room is actually $48, then $5 for each extra person.
We dropped Dee off about 1:30 pm at Ft. Stewart and told him goodbye..........AGAIN.
On our way home, the girls took a nap. While it was quiet, I started thinking about how much time we had left with Dee. I know I shouldn't, but figured out we only have 8 days left. That hit me hard...so I'm driving down I-16 crying my eyes out while the girls slept! I know that's crazy, but we had such a wonderful time. Dee is my best friend and I enjoy being together. It seemed so lonely.

He has had a good week at Ft. Stewart. Been kind of quiet there. Not a lot of classes. His good friend Sean, was trying out for another personal Security detail, so everyone was waiting for the outcome. He made it! That's great for him, and three others with the unit. BUT that means they will move to another unit. Sean and Dee won't even drill together anymore. That makes me sad. Lisa and I have become friends and I hope we all four can continue to be friends. Sean was supposed to leave on March 30th, but now, he has more schools to go to. SO no idea when he'll deploy! CHANGE CHANGE CHANGE...that's the hardest part for the wives. (beside missing their husbands!)
The army messed up our insurance and taxes taken out on his pay. He caught both! YAY! He has already been to the financial office to try and straighten it out, so we'll see. And went to insurance yesterday and got it fixed. All this before he even told me about it. That was a relief. They have messed up so much, that I panic when something happens now. It's such a headache to fix anything with the Army. Thanks Dee for taking care of us! I love you!

This weekend will be short. Not sure when he'll actually get home on Friday night, but he has to be back on base at 6 pm Sunday night. So he'll have to leave around 4 pm. At least Dee is singing a solo this week in church! That will be such a blessing to me and the girls to hear him sing one more time before he leaves! Can't wait.

Been in Prayer....God is GOOD!

Ok...I can not even explain to you how humbled I am...and how good God has been! It's been a tough year already, since the summer when Dee was out of work for 4 months. But God showed up and took care of us in a mighty way. Since then, the Army has been a blessing in some ways (by giving Dee a job on the base) but has been very stressful in many ways(changing plans every time the wind blows and not paying him on time). The pay situation has really put us in a difficult place the past two months. Being out of work for 4 months this summer put us behind on many bills but we were working on getting them all caught up. We were scheduled to make a house payment to get caught up last month, then we didn't get paid...so this month, we had to make two house payments, and a car payment and other payments...thinking we'd get a check on the 15th. Well, the 15th came and went and then we thought we'd get paid on the 20th...nope. But we are finally getting paid on the 25th. BUT because of the unit not submitting the orders on time, we had to cancel our vacation to Savannah and our attendance to Dee's college reunion. Our house phone has been turned off for over a month because of the pay....and planned on paying it on the 15th. As of the 19th, if it wasn't paid, I'd lose the number that I've had for 20 years. Then I find out they are moving Dee to work with another unit over in Afghanistan, so he won't know many people and I will know none of the wives. So to say the least, we've been stressed. It's humbling to be brought down to the basics, with no money! WOW!
Last night, I mentioned to a friend that works for Delta..about a Buddy Pass. Instantly he said, "Sure...no problem!" So now I can go visit Dee in Indiana before he deploys! Then my son decided to pay my phone bill so we could keep phone number....and I'll pay him back 1/2. Then Dee's college friend was so upset that he wasn't coming to the reunion, that he figured out a place for us to stay free! So we are headed to South Georgia after all. The Savannah trip is cancelled (nice hotel and indoor pool....lots to do in Savannah with family) but that's OK. We'll still be together as a family and enjoying Dee's college friends. THEN this week, I recieved an anonyomous letter in the mail from someone in my Sunday School class, and within was a Money Order with a large Love Offering! This was a true blessing to us! We can now pay a few bills and have gas money to travel this weekend.

What can I say? I don't know how people survive the rough spots without GOD! And without a wonderful church family to support them. I am so blessed to have wonderful friends and family that surround us in prayer and love. God is GOOD!

AND I can see Dee's check posted on the Army site and I know for sure we'll be paid on the 25th! YEAH! What a tough spot it's been but we've remained faithful and in prayer and it's all working out!

No Mon, No Fun

Well...I intentionally didn't write on this blog over the weekend because I was too angry. First it was anger, then sadness. But I knew better than to blast all of you with my extreme emotions.

Ok, well, the Army has done it again. Unbelievable. Thursday, Dee finds out that the Army (State level) changed a code and failed to advise everyone, so when orders were processed, it kicked it out with the wrong code. That was corrected and approved and sent to the unit for pay. The unit failed to submit the paperwork for pay on time Thursday. They were late. So because of that, payroll will not even be submitted until this coming Tuesday! Then it takes 8 days to receive the direct deposit. SO.....what does that mean? It means that last month, it took a month to receive a check and this month, it will end up being 25 days into the month before we receive a check. There are a number of personal problems this creates for us, but the one that really upsets me is that we had to cancel our little vacation we had planned. Dee's college Alumni weekend was Friday night and Saturday. We were going to stay in a motel Friday night, then Saturday night drive to Savannah to spend two nights. The girls were so excited! We found a place just outside Savannah that has an indoor swimming pool. Right down the road is a putt putt/go carts/games type place. We were really looking forward to making some great memories with the girls. But, no mon, no fun. So Saturday night, I sat down and cancelled our reservations. I sat at my laptop, looking through my tears as I cancelled them. But, this too shall pass. We will use our time next weekend to watch movies, eat popcorn and just hang out together. We will make the most of it.

Dee continues to go to Fort Stewart every Monday and return on Friday's. He will be leaving at 5 am today. Because he is the only one with a bus license, he must drive both ways. This makes him getting home later than I'd like on Friday nights, but there isn't an option. Others take their personal vehicles and are probably home by 4 pm. But I'm just thankful to have him home at all, even if it was 8 pm.

According to others that have gone before him to Iraq, this is a real treat to have the weekends off. When they were training, they were on lockdown for 6 months before going for a year. I think I'd go nuts if that was the case! So I am very thankful for our time together. We have 5 more weekends to enjoy before he leaves.

I'm looking for someone that could give me a buddy pass on an airlines. When Dee leaves, he'll be going to Indiana for 45 days, then going straight to Afghanistan from there. He will get a 4 day pass before he leaves, but can't go more than 100 miles from the base in Indiana. So I'd like to fly out and visit with him before he leaves. If you know of anyone, please let me know.

Thank you for your prayers everyone!

Round 15...army is winning!

Ok....Dee came home for a 4 day weekend last Wednesday night. It was nice to have him home. We had a wonderful time together as a family. We went to see the girls play AWANA games, then went to a friend's wedding before he deploys, then went to another friend's deployment party. The reality that Dee is actually leaving hit me after going to these events. It was a tough night, but I finally realized I had to enjoy the time we had together and not stress over what is happening in a month.
So Dee repacked and headed back to Ft. Stewart really early Monday morning. He will leave there at 2 pm on Friday, hopefully home by 7 pm.
I found out that the IG did their part in making sure he got paid, but left it up to someone else how to fix it. So instead of being put back on Fulltime orders, he is on Unit Orders...submitted whenever someone feels like it I guess. So here I was thinking we'd get paid on the 15th as usual....and now, we have no idea, AGAIN, when the pay will come. Without a paycheck for a month....many bills were due...so almost all the money was spent on bills, anticipating another check on the 15th. So here we sit, waiting again. No sign of the check in the works on My Pay. (Once it shows up there, it takes 7-10 days to hit the bank) So Dee is going to ask some more tough questions tomorrow and see what we can find out. Some are getting paid Friday. That makes no sense how some are, and some arent'. But it's the ARMY...they don't make sense.

Another friend, her unit's FRG (Family Readiness Group) is on top of things, making phone calls to wives, planning events. Our FRG hasn't even called once. Not while they were in Arizona, not while he was in Louisiana, not since being in Ft. Stewart. I am supposed to help with the FRG but the other lady is part of the National Guard and obviously doesn't want my help.

I find out through another unit that there is a briefing coming up for families, for the entire state (National Guard families). Has Dee's unit mentioned it? no....he didn't even know about it. UGH!

I think I could handle the deployment better if I felt his unit was on top of things. They want wives to feel comfortable with their husband in the unit's hands...but if they can't take care of them stateside, how in the world can they do it over there? The communication is horrible! I know they won't take care of the wives. I'll have to rely on wives in other units to get info. And getting info on his unit and their condition? I doubt that will happen.

I'm trying to be positive, but the unit doesn't make it easy. I know God is in control and I'll find out what I need to know, one way or the other. I just wish the unit made it easier. It's stressful for sure.

Just keep praying that it all works out before they leave. End of April is the latest I've heard.

Whirlwind week

Well....Sunday night, I find out that Dee is on a flight roster with another unit to leave on March 30th! All along, we've been mentally preparing for April 23rd. So at first I was upset, then after praying and with the help of a few friends, realized, the sooner he goes, the sooner he gets back. I tried to see the silver lining. The waiting is the hardest part I think. So I finally got myself prepared for March 30th, and was actually looking forward to it coming sooner. THEN yesterday, Dee calls. He's found out that now his name has been taken off the flight roster for the other unit and he is now flying out with his unit in April. UGH! So I had to switch my thinking again. It's truly an emotional roller coaster. What I've decided is this.............I am saying that as of Monday, Dee is gone. I won't see him anymore. No weekends, no time together. I'm not telling the girls that he'll be home on the weekends anymore. THEN I told Dee that when he is pulling out of the base, headed home, to call me and then we'll believe it. If I don't expect anything from the Army, then they can't disappoint us. This is a way to see things in a positive way, keep Dee from being stressed about telling me, and keep the girls from the emotional roller coaster. Changes come quickly in the Army. To them, it's just paperwork....to me...it's my heart.
God is preparing me for this and I feel stronger each day. Each day I get between now and April 23rd will just be a precious gift. He is supposed to come home on the weekends, but like I said, I'm not expecting it.

That said, he is supposed to leave at 2 pm today headed home for a 4 day weekend. (Not holding my breath) It would be nice to be able to get some paperwork done that needs to be done before he leaves.

Just keep his unit in your prayers as they prepare for deployment. They are having briefings, qualifying, etc. I know it's difficult for them to be away from home too. At least this time, they have real beds to sleep in and better food. Louisiana was tough. Dee's only word was "tolerable".

Here we go again.....

Well...I'm sitting here, watching Dee finish packing so he can leave again. They are headed for Ft. Stewart. We were hoping that the snow and frozen roadways would cause the unit to be delayed in leaving, but no phone call. So he is headed out in a few minutes. This week is only three days, so they are returning home on Wednesday night. They get a four day weekend so I'm very thankful for that, BUT....and that's a big BUT......I am not counting my chickens until they hatch! Army's plans change with the wind. It's almost similar to how the weather changes in Georgia. If you don't like the weather, hang around a day or so and it'll change.

I found out last night that there is a possibility that Dee could be deploying March 30th, instead of April 23rd. This was really a punch to my gut! I guess if they leave early, then they get back early...but I'm mentally prepared for him to leave in April...and have our weekends planned to spend some quality time with each other and the girls. What is so difficult is the indecision. Dee doesn't even know which unit he will be deploying with. We hope to have answers this week. I'd prefer he not deploy until April 23rd, but my opinion doesn't count. I had a rough night processing that new information last night. I'm trying to get thick-skinned with these decisions/indecisions...but it's my husband they are taking away, so it's difficult.

But I do know that God knows the date and will be our Comforter and Sustainer. It's going to be painful no matter when it is. It is definitely an emotional roller coaster. Part of me wishes they'd just go ahead and leave so we don't have to anticipate and wait. Then we can get on with trying to get into a routine at home, learning how to function without him. But the other side is...I want him here as long as possible! I want to really use this time making some amazing memories...like playing in the snow yesterday! What a wonderful time. Jolie had never been able to really play in the snow, so for her to get to spend her first time with her Daddy, was awesome.

Please pray for the unit's safe travels today as they head out to Savannah.