Reflections on 2007

I'm not one to make New Year's resolutions, but I have been doing a lot of thinking about 2007 as it prepares to draw to a close and we prepare to start anew in 2008. My initial thought was "I really hope that 2008 is better than 2007 was". After starting out 2007 by being in the hospital with an abdominal infection, the year only seemed to get worse. 2 back surgeries, several more visits to the hospital for my abdominal "issues", and a bout with serious depression rounded out the year. And then in the last 2 weeks we've closed out the year with our baby being in NICU and then readmitted to the hospital for jaundice, the garbage disposal breaking and nearly flooding our kitchen with really nasty water, the door lock on my truck breaking so that we literally could not get 2/3 of the lower ranks into the vehicle (repairs cost $300), and finally the 10 year old dryer finally dying on us (to the tune of $700). After all of this I felt like I was ready to see 2007 out and hope for the best in 2008.
But then I began to think about all of the blessings that have been a part of 2007 - some of which may never have occurred without some of the trials that we've had. I can honestly say that the XO and I have a closer relationship now than we have in our 13 years of marriage. We have another amazingly beautiful addition to our family. We still have a wonderful home with beautiful gardens and just enough room for our family. We have enough money to meet our needs and have a little bit for extras. We both have good jobs and good health now. The list could go on and on.
Yes, life can be VERY challenging sometimes and full of difficult times, but something our Pastor said recently really hit home and made me reevaluate the way I look at things. As Christians we have the security of knowing that this world and this life is the worst that it will ever be for us. As he put it "this world is our hell as Christians". What a blessing to know that as hard as things may be right now, they will never be any worse and we can look forward to spending eternity in the paradise that is Heaven. But how sad that many people do not have that security. As Pastor David put it "this world is heaven for the non-believer". How sad that this world with all of its trials, pain, and difficulty is the best that some people will ever experience.

I wish you all a 2008 filled with as many blessings as we have had in 2007!

Everyone's Home in Time for X-mas:

All,

Well the entire unit is now finally bivouacked back at the ole homestead after having the CO and the littlest one spend about 30 hours in the local Children's hospital.

Very nice facility, only about one year old with many amenities as well as unique "children" oriented architecture. In fact, the XO's brother-in-law, "Howard" would probably want to tour the place when he comes down in April for the BP MS-150. Being an architect, he truly would appreciate the place.

Thanks again for every one's prayers and kind words during the last week.

I have attached two pictures of the ladies of the unit below:

God Bless and have a truly Merry Christmas...

XO

A Visit to the Hospital:

All,

I must have been clinically insane to try and bring dinner, drinks and two kiddos to the hospital to visit their newborn sister and mother.

Well I did it, bringing the entire company up to the hospital with bags of food and the "wound-up" lower ranks.

Pictures from the trip are up above until I learn how to move them around the page without compromising their ability to be enlarged.

God Bless All,

XO and CO

A Couple of Updates:

All,

ENJ is doing much better other than being a "bili" baby (high levels of Bilirubemia) which is consistent for all of our charges. Both AJ and CJ were "bili" babies when they were born, has to do with a difference in the blood typing between the "CO" and the kiddos.

Hopefully they will move ENJ down to be with her mother this evening with a probable release date of 12/20/07.

We will keep everyone updated as more information is passed to us.

Thanks for everyone's prayers, I am positive that they are speeding along her recovery and eventual discharge.

God Bless,

XO

Please Welcome Our Newest Addition to the Unit:

All,

We will depart from our normal ops security to announce the arrival of Airman Eve Niele "J" to the Irregular Regulars. We had planned for the arrival on 12/19/07, with the assistance of the "CO's" OB and some Pictocin but we guess ENJ had different plans.

She is 7lbs 2oz which is a departure of the 7lbs 20oz that I had originally reported to everyone. Suffice it to say this tall (20in) little Airman did not want to wait. The CO was probably in intense labor for only 3 hours with the introduction of Pictocin causing ANJ to "slam into position" (their medical terms not mine). In layman's terms, the CO went from 4cm to 10cm and full effaced in only 1hour with active pushing taking only 15minutes.

Well coming out like a rocket-ship does have it's distinct disadvantages, ENJ has developed a few breathing problems and has bought herself a 3 day R&R pass to the hospital NICU. We are praying that her blood cultures do not come back with a positive bacteria test or she may buy herself a 10day stay. Please keep her in your prayers.

CO KJ is doing well with no major complications. She should be "discharged" on Wednesday, 12/19/07.

I know many of our dedicated readers think that newborns look like little "yodas" but there is a small but vocal sect that can not get enough photos.





Enjoy and God Bless...


XO

Famous Last Words

Just in case y'all hadn't figured this out already -

If you are busily painting the bathroom and you hear the 5 year old down the hall say "AJ that was awesome! Let's do it again!" and the 2 1/2 year old replies with "Yeah, that was cool!" you should investigate immediately!

On second thought, maybe one should just not paint the bathroom with a couple of little ones in the house...

A Christmas Dillema

So, I had the kids sit down and do their Christmas lists the other day and they looked something like this...

Dear Santa, I would like a machine robot; a toy dinosaur, and a sword. Love, CJ
- and-
Dear Santa, I want a bear. And a deer at our house so I can open the door and let him come in our house. And a baby deer to come in the window. I put them in the grass! Love, AJ

Now, the first request I can handle (as Santa's stand in), but what on earth do you do with the 2 1/2 year old who is convinced that Santa is going to bring her a deer? And not a toy, stuffed one either (we tried that direction several times). I've also tried asking her again what she wants for Christmas and the answer is always the same - "I telled you Momma. I want deer. One momma deer and one baby deer, but won't let deers in house if you say no deers in house! They go in grass out there (pointing out the window)!"

Between the arrival of a new sister and the deer (or lack thereof) it may be an interesting Christmas. Maybe she'll accept a baby sister in place of a baby deer. One can always hope...

A Few Fond Pictures:

All,

Just wanted to share a couple of pictures of the dearly departed.

We appreciate all of the prayers and kind words regarding our loss of Wolfgang.

He is missed by all in this household.

CO

Devastating and Dejecting News:

Fare thee well sweet Meezer...

Our little unit was shattered when a neighbor across the street brought our 10 year old Tonkinese/Siamese mix cat "Wolfgang" to the CO last night in a box. They stated that their next door neighbor had struck a cat while driving down the street and that they originally thought that it was our neighbor's cat. They recognized the markings on his fur and brought him over.

Needless to say, Wolfgang had suffered significant trauma and was dead.

The CO contacted me at work yesterday evening and told me the sad news. She had held out hope that it was not our cat, given the trauma to him, but when I returned from shift this morning his markings and soft fur was a clear give-away.

For those of you that may read this post and could care less about felines or for a beloved family pet then please surf someplace else immediately.

As many of you know and have witnessed in person, this cat was and I quote "the best dog that I ever had in a cat's body". Since we first found him the the Animal Medical League (actually he found me when he reached his paw through the cage and batted my head while we were looking at another feline below. It was love at first sight. This cat turned me, the XO, from a person that despised cats into a fervent cat lover. He came when you called his name, rode around on my shoulders, fetched balls when he was younger and always had something uplifting to say no matter how bad your day was going. He was, and I have modified a bit of bible verse, the alpha and omega of cats.
You may say that "How much could we love this cat if we let him get out and get run over by a car..." Well, during the later part of his life, with two rambunctious human kids in the house (a 2 1/2 year old and a five year old), Wolfgang preferred to spend a good portion of his daytime outside in the immediate area around our house. He would rarely wander to the end of our fence line or our property. I guess you could say he was a homebody. I can only assume that he decided to chase off one of the neighborhood strays that came into our yard and accidentally ran into the street.
I will be sure to post a picture of this remarkable and loving family companion as soon as I can get around to looking at pictures of him again.
As much as we will miss him I am positive that he is chasing balls and sitting on the lap of the CO's mom up in heaven getting "scritches" behind his ears.

Thanks for coming into my life you lovable Meezer...........

XO

Ramblings and Happenings

The monarch butterflies are migrating through Texas on the way to Mexico right now and it's amazing to sit in our backyard and see literally hundreds of them flutter by. The plant on the left is Gregg's Mist and is the primary nectar source for these butterflies - plant it and they will come (in Texas anyway)! A lot of them will lay eggs in our yard and next spring we will find a bunch of cocoons all over the yard (especially on the milkweed which the larvae love to eat). Seeing them go through all of the stages and then come out of the cocoons as butterflies always amazes me. God created such amazing plants and animals and it always captivates me to watch nature's happenings - especially when you can do it right in your own backyard!

On to other subjects...

We had 1LT CJ in for his 5 year check up this week and discovered that he most likely needs glasses. He screened at 20/120 at the pediatrician's office and she said that was "being generous". He has an appointment with the pediatric ophthalmologist, but their soonest appointment was December. He was having a hard time accepting the idea of having glasses for a few days, but Eric found a book at the library about a kid who doesn't want to wear his glasses and then finally does (when an imaginary space monster tries to eat them) and he realizes that he can see much better with them and do more fun things. CJ seems to be OK with the idea at the moment, but we'll see how he reacts when he actually has to wear them all day long. The momma in me is wondering about the logistical aspects of keeping track of the glasses, making sure they don't get left on the playground at school or conveniently "lost" somewhere. I guess we'll see how it goes! I guess it was too much to ask that our kids have perfect vision when both the XO and CO are blind as bats without corrective eye wear. Darn those genetics!

On the subject of what not to do if you'd like to remain employed... both true stories that happened with either the XO or CO's employees in the last few weeks. #1) Do not call in sick to work and then have your picture show up on the front page of the newspaper, beer in hand, cheering on the Longhorns before the UT/OU game. At least have sense enough to tell the photographer not to take your picture for heaven's sake. #2) Do not "clock in" at work, tell your supervisor that you have a meeting to attend on another part of base and then be found in civilian clothes on the base golf course. Maybe an off base course would have been a better choice if you were going to pull that kind of stunt. Some people are just plain dumb.

Hope all is well wherever you're reading this from!

Highlights from NY State

Do all kids look at the camera and say "cheese" with big goofy grins on their faces? These two are such little hams for the camera!

The VERY happy couple! I've never seen two people with such big grins on their faces - and they lasted through the entire ceremony AND the reception! Congratulations J and Janice!!

Highlights of our latest trip to New York:

1) My baby brother got married! I remember changing his diapers and rescuing him when he got his head stuck in the stairs on the deck and now he's married! I'm in shock...

2) 1Lt CJ and SSG AJ both caught their first fish.

3) 1Lt CJ caught momma on the fish hook. Thankfully, just a flesh wound...

4) Instead of normal October weather, we got temeratures 20 degrees warmer than normal. Perfect for the Texans!

5) We got to eat Aunt Cookie's subs. For those of you who have never been to Geneseo, NY to experience these - my sincere condolences!

6) Italian cake from the Holy Cannoli bakery - yummmmy!

7) And best of all, lots of wonderful time with family.

Let's Pretend!

"I go bye-bye. Got my purse and my bible, all ready go"

Where was she going? "Don' know, jus' bye-bye"

"AYYYE MATEY!! Guess who I am Momma!" - As a hint, he had just been watching Peter Pan. By the way, that's the dough hook to my electric mixer that he has in his hand.

I had a friend tell me the other day that she met a child who literally could not "play pretend" and I was astounded. I thought that was someting all kids did all the time like ours do! It's kind of sad to think of all of the fun that that child was missing out on, not to mention that it is probably developmentally concerning if a child can't take what he or she sees in the world around them and learn from it through play. How else do you figure out what a mommy is and does or what a vetrinarian does?

Some days the most enjoyable part of my day is watching these two pretend to care for the "really, really sick Komodo Dragon" with my stethoscope and a wooden spoon (turns out he needed surgery "'cause hurt back like momma"); or seeing them working side by side at the toy kitchen to prepare a "meal" for me (it was "apple soup with lots of salt" and "butter" - SSG AJ thinks butter is one of the four food groups).

It is amazing the way God has made their minds to work and learn from such a young age!

"We came, we saw, we returned."

All,

I returned yesterday evening from being on deployment for Hurricane Humberto for the last 28 hours. We had got the notification the day before (Wednesday, 9/12) that we were to send a boat squad from my department to join 5 other squads from across the state. After marshaling up in Austin, we headed out to College Station to Texas Task Force One's headquarters for in-processing and further tasking. After completing our in-processing the entire team of 6 boat squads (twelve separate boats) and 51 personnel headed out to our forward base of operations (called the "BOO") in Houston.<

The word was that they were expecting heavy rains across Houston, Galveston, Beaumont and Port Arthur as Tropical Storm (soon to be Hurricane) Humberto moved inland from the Gulf. Our BOO happened to be in the cavernous Reliant Center (next to Reliant Stadium- home to the NFL's Houston Texans) which is where they hold the Houston Stock show and Rodeo each year.

This place is humongous to say the least! We were kept to one section (please look at the photos) and there are two other equally big sections on each side of ours. The entire place was air conditioned (yay!) but it is always a bit hard to sleep in the equivalent of a convention center.

The vehicle in the distance is a 30ft logistics trailer. We set our cots up in that area.

That night and the next day was simply a "wait and see" time for the Water Strike Team. As Humberto crossed the coast at High Island it caused quite a bit of wind and storm damage to Beaumont, Port Arthur and the surrounding counties, but the flooding was not as extensive as they expected.

My squad checking out equipment on Wednesday night.

The next day was more of a "wait and see" sort of day- with my squad spending the time with the STAR Flight helo squad playing a new game called "PT Poker". The basic jist is playing Texas Hold-em poker but betting with rep's of various physical fitness calisthenics (push-ups, sit-ups, flutter kicks, etc...). It certainly helped pass the time and was better that sitting around napping or waiting for more Whattaburger for meals (ask me sometime why I refuse to eat Whattaburger any other time).

Around 1pm yesterday we got the orders from the state EOC that we were not needed by any of the local jurisdictions and that we were to be demobilized. The A/TCEMS boat team and helo squads were allowed to out-process in Houston so we did not have to head back to College Station before heading home to Austin. This saved us about 3-4 hours of time. After an uneventful trip back to Austin we put all of our equipment and boat back in one of our stations and headed home.

That's about it for an "uneventful deployment". Lots of Whattaburger and extra time spent hoping that you get an assignment but praying that you really don't since that means that someones life has been turned totally upside down.

XO

"Why Daddy Go Bye Bye?"

http://usar.tamu.edu/

Check out this website to find the answer to Ana's very astute question. They should have updates on the deployment throughout the next couple of days, complete with pictures.

All I know at this point is that they are headed to Galveston, and will be back sometime on Sunday...

The XO will be the squad leader for a boat rescue team. Pray for safety for his entire team.

The Bill

MRI - $900
Hospital fees - $21,000
Neurosurgeon - $12,000
Anesthesiologist - $5,000
OR Nurse Assistant - $1,200
Neurologic Monitoring in the OR - $3,000
Titanium Hardware - $18,000

Getting your spine fixed - PRICELESS!

I know it's a shameless plagarism of a major credit card company, but it seemed to fit. :-)
I promise once life has returned to some kind of normalcy this blog will stop being neglected like it has been in the last month. I like to think I have had a good excuse...

A Little Girl on a Mission

SSG AJ got up the other morning and was coming down the hall toward our room when I tried to stop her and give her a hug, saying "Good morning! How did you sleep last night?". She put up her hand and said "No talk momma! Got go pee!"

Guess I'll have to give her that promotion soon since she's almost potty trained! LOL

A Little Boy's Prayers

The setting: We're driving home from the grocery store and Ana is making noises and generally trying to annoy her brother.

CJ - "Mom, God always hears me when I pray right?"
Mom - "Yep, He'll always hear you no matter where you are"
CJ - "OK. God, please take away that little sister right now! Amen."
Pause......
"God, I said take away that sister right now!"
Another pause....
"Mom, He didn't listen to me!"
Mom - "Well, sometimes God says 'no' to our prayers because sometimes we pray for things that wouldn't really be good for us"
CJ - "But mom, it would be REALLY good if God took away my noisy sister!"

I just had to smile and suggest that maybe he could pray that she would be more quiet instead of praying for her to disappear!

Beekeeper isn't in my job description

This is a picture of the top of one of the 10 foot tall columns that support our front porch. Silly us, we thought they were covered over on the top. That is, until we noticed literally hundreds of bees flying in and out and around the top of this column. The XO climbed up on a ladder and reached over with the camera to get a pic to assess the situation. He wisely chose not to get too close!
I'm all for having bees around to pollinate our landscape (especially since our yard is a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildscape Backyard), but when there are this many bees right outside your front door, you have small children, and there have been africanized (or "killer") honey bees found within a few miles of you you're kind of forced to do something about the situation. We called a local exterminator who showed up in a full bee suit and took care of the bees for us. He said that they had probably been in there for years and that there was "a ton" of honeycomb in that column. I asked him to guess how many bees were in that colony and his answer shocked me - "several hundred thousand". Wow!
Oh, the joys of home ownership!

The Amazing Pacific Northwest

We wanted to share a few more pictures from our trip to Oregon (and we may post more as we find time to go through all of the files!) These are from our trip to Silver Falls State Park. We spent the morning hiking, visiting several different waterfalls, and just enjoying the beautiful Oregon summer day. The kids both did amazingly well even though we hiked over 2 miles through the park and climbed something like 80 stairs to get back up from the South Falls. SSG AJ made it up all of the stairs except the last 4 before she asked to be carried - not bad for a 2 year old. 2LT CJ thought the waterfalls were "pretty neat, espcially the really tall ones that make a lot of noise".

This is the North Falls. Take a look at the middle of the picture to get a sense of scale - those are people walking on the trail behind the waterfall!

It's a ....

It's a girl!! (In case you can't read what's on the ultrasound). I had the kids with me at the appointment and Dr Seeker made a comment to the effect of "If this new little girl is like AJ here ..." He never got to finish the thought though because 2Lt CJ piped in with "We're in big trouble!" I laughed out loud before I could stop myself!



Or maybe it's an alien?? We always joke about these ultrasound pictures, but it is really cool to be able to see everything. We know that this little one has 10 fingers and 10 toes, that her stomach is filled with fluid like it should be, that her kidneys are working because her bladder is full of urine, that she has 4 chambers in her heart, etc., etc. It is reassuring to know that everything is "normal", at least as much as you can before they actually arrive.
2Lt CJ and SSG AJ were absolutely fascinated by the ultrasound. CJ kept asking them "Show me her head again" and "Where is her arm?" and "Does she have a heart too?". AJ got up this morning and said "Go back doctor and see baby in tummy again??"

Lots of fun in the J's house right now...

This is the beach?!!?

We're in Oregon visiting the XO's sister and her family right now and a couple of days ago we took a drive to the Pacific to check out the beaches of the Pacific Northwest. Keep in mind that the only beaches I've ever been to have been in Southern California or the Gulf of Mexico, so I had everyone dressed in their swim suits and t-shirts. Imagine my surprise when we got the the coast and it was 60 degrees and the wind was blowing about 20 miles an hour continuously with 40 MPH gusts! The wind was blowing so much sand that we are still cleaning sand out of everyone's hair and ears. And it was freezing! But it was amazingly gorgeous.

2nd Lt "CJ" and Cousin Jack out in the sand at Beverly Beach.


The CO, SSG "AJ" (the small bundle in pink, hunkered down, and the XO's sister enjoying the mild temps and gentle breezes at the beach.

The beautiful Oregon shoreline.

One cold toddler.

"Mr. Outdoors" He's Not!

We've been looking to buy a piece of land to build a house and we took the kids out to look at a 3 acre lot that was wooded with large areas of wildflowers and tall grasses. AJ jumped right in and started pushing though the weeds, until she got to a section that was over her head and then she asked the XO to carry her. CJ on the other hand protested from the beginning. He did NOT want to walk through those plants...
"Momma! These plants are prickly!"
"AHHH! One just poked me!"
"Mooooommmmma, I'm scared of these flowers!"
"Are there any dangerous wild animals out here? I don't want them to eat me!"
(and my favorite) "I'm so sweaty! I can't do it any more! I just can't go on! Someone carry me back to the truck!"
Such drama from a 4 year old.

CO

Dissension in the Ranks

So, we're preparing for a trip to Oregon. Keep in mind that we leave in 4 days, we're travelling with a 4 year old and a 2 year old, we have to leave the house bright and early the morning we leave, and the CO will be completely useless from the perspective of carrying, lifting, etc. That leads to the question posed to the XO today - why in Heaven's name are we not packed? We haven't even gotten the suitcases down from storage! Or made a packing list! This stresses out the CO immensely. If able, I would have had all of the suitcases out and ready with all of the items and clothing that we would not be using in the next few days already packed, so that all we have to do is add in the last few items and head out the door. And I would have everything checked off on the packing list. How in the world do you know if you've packed everything without a list??? Ahrrrgghhh!
If you haven't guessed, the XO is much more laid back and less AR than the CO in this unit. He figures we'll just toss everything in the suitcases the morning we leave and head to the airport. If we don't pack it, we can always find it at WalMart when we get there right? :-)
I guess opposites really do attract, huh?

Braveheart meets Toddler Mischief

Well it was bound to happen at some point during the CO's recovery from her back surgery but SSG "AJ" decided to act out a scene from a movie she has never seen. Our intrepid photographers actually obtained digital evidence of the little insurgents warpaint just prior to her journey to misbehavior. I can only try to describe to you the bath session that occurred just after this little girl was "caught" in the act. Words do not do it justice.

Of course, this was one day after the same SSG decided to use Elmer's Glitter Glue (R) as a kind of "hot wax" hair remover on her legs, arms and hands. Do not be fooled into believing the marketing that these products tout in their glue being "washable", I have personal experience that it is not. Once again please refer to the sentence regarding the bath session for reference.

Oh well, only a couple more weeks of me always being "one step behind" when it comes to the lesser rank's activities and mischief in the unit.

XO

"Being a Guardian Angel" or "It Should Be Mandatory Education in Schools"

As the previous post placed by the 1st TIR "CO" alluded to, knowing how to do CPR can mean the difference between life or death for child. I would say that this was divine intervention by God due to the fact that the young heroine in the story "just happened" to be visiting friends in Austin; that she "just happened" to go down on the greenbelt (a seven mile meandering park in SW Austin) near the location of the little boy and that she "just happened" to be a ex-lifeguard who knew CPR. Guardian Angels, in my humble opinion, may come in the form of a ethereal entity helping to nudge or guide a person in one direction or they may come in the form of a mortal human being placed in the right time and right location to make a life-altering change.
My hope for all who read this post is that you will get CPR training ASAP so that when God decides to use you as a Guardian Angel you will be ready to answer His call.
I really believe that CPR, Basic First Aid and AED training should be mandatory classes in Junior High or at least High School. If your public schools do not teach these courses then I would recommend contacting the American Red Cross or the American Heart Association to see where you or your children can sign-up for these courses.
This stuff works and it saves lives, just ask the family in the newspaper article listed below.

XO

Our XO Hard at Work

Bystanders rescue drowning boy -
BYLINE: Patrick George AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF DATE: June 17, 2007 PUBLICATION: Austin American-Statesman (TX) EDITION: Final SECTION: Metro & State PAGE: B01
When Adrianna Kruger saw a man swim into the water Saturday at the Barton Creek greenbelt in Southwest Austin screaming that his son had disappeared, the former lifeguard had a feeling that she might be called upon to perform CPR.Sure enough, when 5-year-old Riley Yarbrough was pulled from the water with a bleeding head wound, Kruger, 21, breathed life back into the unconscious, blue-skinned boy.
Authorities said the boy was playing in the water near Twin Falls with his family about 2 p.m. when he was swept under and injured his head. About a minute after the boy went under, two bystanders, who were not immediately identified, pulled him out. His heart wasn't beating, authorities said. Kruger said she knew immediately what she had to do. "I ran over, told them I knew (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and started chest compressions and breathing," said Kruger, a University of Oklahoma student who is visiting her boyfriend in Austin. Another man started pressing on Riley's chest while Kruger continued to breathe into his mouth. The efforts paid off about a minute later, when he began to cough up water and cry. "Once I heard him cry, I knew he would be OK," she said. "It was the best feeling ever." The boy was transported to Children's Hospital of Austin, where he was listed in good condition. His family declined to comment Saturday. Kruger said that the rescue was a team effort and that the men who pulled Riley out of the water and the man who assisted her with the CPR deserve equal credit for saving the boy.
Because the pool area is about 10 minutes from the nearest road, Austin/Travis County Emergency Medical Services District Commander "EJ" (your faithful 1stTIR "XO"). said, the boy could have died if Kruger and the other bystanders had not acted so quickly. "Kids crash quickly without oxygen," J. said. "If they hadn't done CPR, there could have been serious problems for this boy." J. said that knowing simple skills such as CPR goes a long way toward saving lives. He also warned that Barton Creek is more dangerous than many people think. "When it rains, Barton Creek isn't the dry little creek we all love," J. said.
EMS spokesman Warren Hassinger said bystander aid, like the kind Kruger and the others gave Riley, can mean the difference between life and death. "They changed his life today," Hassinger said. "All the hospitals in the world won't do you any good if you're dead before you get there."

Old Warhorse In for a Tune-Up

Well, Monday morning the 1st TIR's CO will be heading into a local hospital for "transmission" service. We had thought that the last tune-up would have taken her beyond the 100,000 mile mark but alas that is not the case. The lower ranks will be staying with some close friends while yours truly takes her in. We pray that it will be uneventful and are both confident in the doctor's skills.

Please pray for our beloved leader while she is lying horizontal for the next 7 to 10 days trying to figure out what message that the Dear Lord is sending her with all of her maladies.

For those of you on the secure telegraph system we will be tapping out a message later in the day with an update on her condition.

Number Two

"Let's Hope His Medical Kit is More Advanced Than This"

Sigh....

For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11
Humble yourselves, therefore under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7

I’ve been having an enormous emotional struggle over the last several weeks as I try to deal with “why” God has allowed my body to fail me. I KNOW that He has a reason and that his plan is to build me up and help me grow, but I am struggling to understand what the reason might be. I have faced trials before when I have wondered what God was up to, and He’s never failed to show me and teach me before so I know he will this time too but I’m not being very patient about waiting for his answer.
I think the hardest thing about the last couple of weeks is knowing that I’ve been a less than effective CO for the 1st TIR as I try to deal with my physical issues. But, I know that God will be faithful in that also. I can already see CJ and AJ becoming closer friends as they play with each other in these days when we’re stuck in the house rather than spending our time at the park or the pool or doing the errands involved in running a household.
I’ll keep these verses in my heart and mind as we wait through the next week until we find out what the final outcome will be for me. I’ll keep you all posted…

In the meantime, I'm going to focus on the things that I am thankful for: the rest of the family is healthy and happy; the Yankees are winning; we have a wonderful home and church; the Spurs are winning; we are blessed with wonderful friends and family; and many, many more!

Spring Lion Hunting Expedition

A family portrait from our recent "safari" to the San Antonio Zoo. CJ is in the striped shirt and AJ in the fuschia - they both loved the zoo, but 3 hours in the 90 degree South Texas heat had them at their limit. We were lucky to get this pic at all. I should give credit to the photographer - "Unka' Ry" - nice job!

Who's in Charge Here Anyway?

You've noticed that you will have the XO and the CO posting here from time to time, but we've neglected to mention the "heart and soul" of any military operation - the junior ranking officers and the enlisted troops that actually run the place! In our case that would be 2Lt CJ (age 4 1/2)and SSG AJ (age 2, she'll get a commission when she gets potty trained!), and we'll soon be adding an A1C to the mix when we welcome a new member to our family right around Christmas 2007!
We joke around our house that the kids are really the ones in charge, but in reality the only one in charge in this house is God. We just do our best to listen to what He is telling us and live our lives the way He asks us to. Not a bad set of SOP's (Standard Operating Procedures) if you ask me...

Welcome All to the Mustering of the 1st TIR

Dear Reader,

You may ask, how does being a Christian, a NY Yankees baseball fan and a Civil War History Buff morph into a "Blog" so to speak? Well that is an excellent question, one that I, your Company XO (or Executive Officer in military lingo) hope to shed some light on. Myself and the Company CO (or Commanding Officer), Major "J" will be your escorts through the maze of thoughts, ideas and images that will come from our little outfit.

Read on, post often and Pray frequently.

XO