Garfield has returned!

So, be truthful. How many of you knew that as soon as I got a new cat that Garfield would come home? Yeah...my hubby knew this too. So now I have 2 cats, which is fine with me because I love them!

Paul will be home from the Navy to visit for a week starting on Wednesday the 29th. I'm very excited about this! We still have Jason's friend staying with us, but he is going to Colorado in a day or two to visit his family and to scout things out there. I think that he is thinking that having his house burn down and getting laid off from his job in the same month might be some kind of sign from God that he needs to "get out of Dodge". Hmmm, maybe so.

Henry and I have submitted all of his information to the Connections Academy and are just waiting for the shipment of his books and computer. Hopefully I will have him out of school by Thanksgiving at the latest.

Stephi and Randy are laying laminate flooring in there house this week. I can't wait to see how it turns out. It will definitely be a GREAT improvement over the crappy carpet that came will the house... lots of stains on light beige carpet is gross!

Work is pretty much the same... actually better. They have trained some new people to be in charge... so I don't have to do it as often, which is good. I was starting to get tired of doing it all the time. It is nice to actually be a nurse. Makes me remember why I went to nursing school... I was starting to forget.

Last, but not least, I am becoming an official member of Copper Hills Church! I went to a class this past Thursday to learn more about the church and I am signing the pledge on Sunday. If you are all wondering about the Summit, they voted to dissolve last week and they donated their remaining assets to a few different causes. Pastor Scott was offered a full time ministry position at Copper Hills and I've started seeing a few more Summit folks at Copper Hills.

Life goes on.

A Fun Day

I had so much fun yesterday. Stephi and Ehten came by with lunch and afterwards we went to Linens N Things and then to Ross.

We found a shower curtain that matches the tile in her master bath perfectly! Then we went to Ross and I found a great pair of Naturalizer shoes for work. I can't wait to try them tonight. Maybe they will keep my knees from hurting so much. We'll see.

Henry even got his Nintendo 64 in the mail and got it hooked up. Fun!

My wonderful day ended in the most wonderful way. Church! It was a great service. Pastor Scott lead worship and Pastor Brad gave the message. I beautiful mix. I hope that everyone can see how good this will be for us.

This Sunday will be the last Sunday that I will work. Next month I work every Thursday except one. So for me, anyhow, this is a done deal. I will be moving on to Copper Hills next month regardless of how the vote goes. But I move forward with a full heart because of God's Spirit in me. Through this trial I am learning to trust more in God and less in people. God is faithful. He does not change. I'm not sure which friends will be coming and which will not, but I am sure that God "who began the good work within (me), will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again. - Phil 1:6

Sorry It's Been So Long

Wow. It was a rough weekend at work. We were very busy. I'm rested up and will try not to go so long without a post again.

On the home front, Henry started his first day of 5th grade yesterday. I spent the evening signing tons of papers. I also plan on calling Steph today to see how the moving went this weekend. Steph and Randy moved into their 1st house.

As for church. We could certainly use all the prayer that you could send up for us. It looks like this is really hard for everyone and I'll definitely post more about it once everything settles down and becomes clearer.

Part 7: What was I thinking?!

For Part 1 click here
For Part 2 click here
For Part 3 click here
For Part 4 click here
For Part 5 click here
For Part 6 click here
I'd heard horror stories about getting through customs in Saudi, but I had no problems. I had packed everything that I thought I would need in our suitcases. Clothes, toys, books, my art supplies, my spindles and fiber..and my Bible (that is what I was really worried about). But we had no troubles there. After we passed through customs, Jason was there waiting for us. He looked so happy and relieved that we were finally there with him.

He drove us from the airport in Dammam to the ARAMCO compound in Dhahran. It was a bit surreal passing the machine gun nests as we entered the 10 square mile compound. Jason was excited to show us the house that he had prepared for us and the car he had bought and fixed up so that we would have transportation. I was so exhausted from the 24 hour-plus trip to get there, that I just wanted to sleep. But when I went to bed that night I just cried. I missed Steph and Paul so much. Everything was so different there.

Henry loved it there. There was a park right across the street from our house. The compound was kind of like 1950's America. Women stayed at home and went to club meetings. The kids were in little league. We got Henry registered for school and were amazed to find that the class sizes were small. There would only be 15 kids in his class. He and Jason got to come home for lunch every day.

I didn't even have to clean house while I was there because we had a house boy. All I did was read, paint and spin. They even had church services there (on Fridays... the weekend was Thursday and Friday there). But I was miserable and I was making Jason miserable.

I can look back now and remember the good things about my time in Saudi, but when I was going through it.... it was terrible. I felt so guilty about leaving Stephi and Paul. Steph seemed fine when I talk to her on the phone, but Paul. Oh, talking to Paul made me feel so bad. He was as depressed as I was. He missed me, he missed his sister, he missed his friends. Jason kept telling me that they would be fine. That if I stayed I could travel home for holidays and for 3 months in the summer.

I knew that God wanted me to be there with Jason, but I became less and less sure of why. I was so sad. Jason and I argued all the time. I thought for sure that there was some great purpose for me there... but I never learned what it was. I complained and complained until Jason couldn't take it anymore and we came home in November, less than 5 months after I got there.

Jason came with us and we had a great Thanksgiving with our family and had lots of interesting stories to tell. Jason returned to his job in Saudi a few weeks later and I started job hunting at home. I thought that I had made it through the toughest time in my life - but my greatest trial was just around the corner.

Part 6: Saudi Arabia

For Part 1 click here
For Part 2 click here
For Part 3 click here
For Part 4 click here
For Part 5 click here
After Jason went back to work at the Cardiac Cath Lab at the hospital and I went back to work at the SNF, I think Jason started to worry about money.  I mean, we had enough.  We were making it OK, but it wasn't like when he was in sales.

He met a guy at work who had worked overseas and had made a lot of money that way.  So Jason looked online and applied for a job with ARAMCO (that's the Arabian-American Oil Co).  A month later they called and he went to Houston, TX to interview for the job and long story short, he got it.

That was in the summer, but with all the paperwork, the passport, the work visa... Jason finally left for Saudi in
October.  At first we were all going to go, but we learned that the schools on the ARAMCO compound only go to the 9th grade.  Paul was a sophomore and Stephi was a junior.  We looked at boarding schools and we found a nice Christian one in Oregon.  The kids were excited about it.  It was only 3 hours from my dad in Northern California and 1 hour from my friend Michelle in Oregon.  So we went to visit it.  It was great!  The kids applied and they were accepted.

The months went by and our visas were not approved... because I was taking Zoloft.  Of all things!

Jason said that the first few months over there were the hardest for him.  We talked on the phone every few days and after the New Year he was able to come home for a few weeks.  It was so hard to put him back on the plane, but he told me that if I stopped taking the Zoloft that he knew he could get me cleared to join him finally.  So I weaned myself off (painful, and really deserves another post altogether) and I filled out the visa forms again.

In April, Jason told me that he finally got me approved to join him.  Only now Steph and Paul didn't want to go to boarding school.  Argh!  Steph was starring in the spring musical - she was popular here.  She had a boyfriend and would be starting her senior year in August.  And Paul didn't want to go without her.

So I made plans for Steph and Paul to stay.  My family and most of my friends didn't understand why I thought that I needed to go to Saudi to be with Jason.  Before I became a Christian I probably wouldn't have, but I knew that God wanted me to be with my husband.

The kids were supportive of my choice amazingly. I found a nice, young, Christian woman who was in college and working at the church nearby to stay at the house with Stephanie (who would be 18 in a few months).  My brother who lives in town said that Paul could stay with him, but he would have to change schools.  

On July 11th, 2005  Henry and I got on a plane and flew to Saudi Arabia.  

The "Mean Vacuum"

When Ethen comes over to visit his grandma (thats me) he always goes for the vacuums. He even calls the Swiffer a vacuum. I believe that he will make some woman very happy someday if he continues to love vacuuming. See Above.

Anyhow, today when he got them out, Henry decided to plug in the steam mop. Ethen just about freaked. The sounds that this thing makes when it steams is evidently very scary to a toddler. Ethen nearly crawled up my leg like a little Koala and begged me to save him from the "Mean Vacuum". He would not get back down until Henry unplugged it and put it away.

Boy I Miss Henry!

This after noon I got a call from Henry. He has been at Grandma and Grandpa Wolf's for just over 2 weeks and is scheduled to fly home on Tuesday July 1st. He sounded so homesick on the phone. Of course that made me miss him even more.

While Henry was gone, my hubby traded in his X-Box 360 (that has broke twice) and his Wii for a PlayStation3. So that should keep Henry busy for the rest of the summer.

I can't wait for him to get home!!

Friday Foto Finish -

This is one of my favorite pics of Henry. It was taken last year on the 4th of July at my mom's house in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. He had so much fun! Since we live in Arizona, he had never got to set of fireworks before and he especially liked the smoke bombs. We had spent the morning making our own tied dyed t-shirts and the purple of the smoke bomb really brings out the colors in the shirt.

For more FRIDAY FOTO FINISH FIESTA click here.

Tackle It Tuesday

Today I decided to put the border up in Henry's room. I've had the stuff to do it for at least a year and a half. I just had to get the wallpaper from the top of the fridge, the scraper from the garage and the primer from the box that Jason had hid it in.

So I gathered the supplies:

Here are the before pictures and you can see how Henry had started peeling off the old border.



Here is the after picture.
I can honestly say that if not for Tackle it Tuesday I would probably have put this off for another year or more.


What are you going to tackle?

Ok, Ok... I'm awake!

I spoke with Henry this afternoon. Like most boys he does not like to talk on the phone. He did talk to me once last week for a few minutes. “I’m busy Mom. I’ll be home soon. Bye.” I got a few more words out of him this time. He asked how Cody is doing. So I told him how we took him to get fixed today and how he looks kinda stoned still. He asked about Garfield and I told him how hot it is outside and that Garf has been spending more time inside because of that. He told me about all the stuff that he’s been doing with his cousins and that they are going back down to the lake after dinner. He must be missing me a little bit since he actually talked to me a bit longer this time.

Saudi

My Thursday Fro' Me To You is about this picture.

In October of 2004 my husband decided to take a job with ARAMCO in Saudi Arabia. What can I say...the pay was REALLY GOOD. The original plan was for the whole family to go. Then we learned that they didn't have school for the (at that time) teenagers on the protected compound, only up to grade 9. I talked to the kids and we looked at Christian boarding schools. They finally decided that they would rather stay here in Arizona. Stephanie (nearly 18 at the time) stayed in our house with an older Christian girl from church and Paul (still 16) stayed with my brother. By July 2005 Jason had finally got me and Henry approved to join him in Saudi.

It was very difficult for me to leave the teenagers behind, but I knew that I'd be back to visit in 3 months. I just felt that God wanted me to be with my husband. It was a tearful goodbye at the airport for all except Henry. He was so excited to be taking this adventure. But when we got up in the air and he looked out the window to see the city and houses below, he started crying which made me cry again too.

It took us more than 24 hours to get to Dhahran, KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia). We went from Phoenix to Denver to Frankfurt to Dubai to Dhahran. It was late at night when we arrived and Henry and I had to go through customs before we could get through to the area to meet Jason. We had brought 4 suitcases packed with clothes, shoes, computer games, books, art supplies, toys etc. I was so worried that they would confiscate my Bible, but they didn't even open our suitcases. What a relief.

After customs we finally saw Jason. He looked so happy that we were finally there. All the way to the ARAMCO compound he was telling me about the car he got so we get around easier, the house they assigned him and how we could decorate it, trips we could go on, etc. He was clearly so excited that we were finally there with him. But I was so tired and miserable (I had weaned off my Zoloft before this trip). Once we got to our house I couldn't stop crying.

The next morning we went to the Dhahran Mall so that I could get an Abaya. They say a picture is worth a thousand words.

I look back on our time in Saudi Arabia fondly now. I never thought I would.

That's a Fish Story if I've Ever Heard One!

Henry called me last night and told me how he caught this HUGE fish and he was so excited about it! Well today I got the pic in my email and it really is BIG!! Sounds like he is having fun in Texas.  He even got the BB gun that he's been wanting.  So he's been shooting cans, boating, fishing, swimming, etc.  I guess Grandpa even has a cool computer game that Henry likes to play.  Believe it or not, I miss him already.

Silence, Sweet Silence...

I just received a text from Jason that he and Henry are on the airplane and set to take off on time.  After staying up until 3am, I was up at 830 (and feeling very sleep deprived, I might add) so that I could drive Jason and Henry to the airport.

After the drop-off, I stopped-off at Walgreen's to pick up my Zoloft prescription.  I've been working at weaning myself off Zoloft AGAIN.  The last time I did this I was taking 100 mg daily and had to go off it so that ARAMCO would approve me to go to Saudi Arabia (a long story).  After returning from Saudi and Stephi getting pregnant half way through her Senior year in high school, well, the stress was too much and I started taking it again, but after a few months settled down to 50mg daily.  But that was over 2 years ago and it is hard to lose weight while on SSRI's.  So I am weaning myself off again.  I'm down to 25mg daily and about to go down to 12.5mg.  So far I haven't had the horrible withdrawal symptoms that I had last time.  No nausea, headaches, dizziness, 'zapping'.  Of course I had been on 100mg daily for 7 years.  This time on 50mg for 2 years. Here's hoping.

I also picked up some Alli at Walgreen's.  That should help with the weight loss as well.  I'll keep you posted.

So, back to the silence.  It's so nice, I almost hate to go to sleep.  But since I have to work tonight, it's not a good idea to stay awake.  Off to bed for me.

My first blog entry.

How's that for a title?  It seems that everyone is blogging, so I thought, "Why not me?"  Surely I have at least as much to say as the next person.  

Tomorrow Jason and Henry fly to Texas to visit Grandma Linda and Grandpa Jerry.  Henry is looking forward to getting a BB gun and shooting whatever Grandma Linda lets him.  Jason comes back on Monday and Henry will be staying until June 29th.  There will be tons of cousins to play with.  He should have a blast and perhaps my house will stay clean.

Paul will be done with his training in Great Lakes, IL sometime in August.  Right now he's not sure where he will go next.  We're hoping for San Diego, but it may be Virginia or even Mississippi.  We really miss him though.  He's been gone since last October and we missed seeing him on his 19th birthday.

Steph and Randy are currently looking for a house to make an offer on.  They really want to stay in the Westgate area because those home are most likely to increase in value in the near future.  Of course, that is assuming that our economy EVER recovers.  

And finally an update on me.  I have been working only 2 nights a week since I started at Banner Estrella almost 2 years ago.  However, the week of July 6th I will be working 3 nights a week.  I am pretty excited about this because I will finally have paid time off!  Plus, with the price of gas and food going up, we can really use the increased income.  Jason and I forget how blessed we are sometimes.  At least we work in health care which tends to be very recession proof.