Impressions of Qatar

And The Winner Is....

(of what? I don't know. And who knew there was even a contest?)

...my cousin, Greg! Today he sent me my 3,000th email to this particular OutlookExpress inbox.

Yay for Greg!

This tells you precisely how old my computer is! I received my first email on it in January of 2003. And 5 years later, I hit the big 3-0-0-0. And those are just the emails I've saved!

I'd say it's high time for some spring cleaning.

Andrew's Tourist Days

Well for the last week or so, Andrew's been on "pass." A little free time away from the daily grind. Far away! In another country in the Persian Gulf called Qatar.

It's been a really nice and relaxing experience for him to be without his usual intense schedule, wear civilian clothes, enjoy local cuisine, and walk around malls, shops, and markets taking pictures in the capital city of Doha.

It's been a wonderful break and good change of pace for us. Mixing up the monotony a little, anyway.

He has posted an album full of pictures from this latest adventure on his Facebook page. Hopefully he'll post a few here, too, when he can!

Blog Under Construction... beware falling fonts.

In case it wasn't obvious...this blog is undergoing some serious remodeling. I'm hoping to find an efficient format, easy-to-read, working links, and a new "email subscriptions" box (so you can automatically receive new posts right in your inbox!)... Stay tuned!

And this one has too much to fix for tonight... I'm taking a break.

Stumbling Across the Finish Line

Or limping. Crawling. Being carried. Or carted.

This has been a strange and unexpected season of the deployment for us. I'll explain. After Andrew left Oregon when his R&R was done, the next few months seemed to fly by! There went the rest of October! Whoa! That blur was November! Oh, and Merry Christmas to all!

It's been the "Happy New Year" that has suddenly braked and mercilessly thrown us against our seatbelts. Whiplash! It's only January 12th. It feels like we've been in this month forever. From 80mph in the carpool lane to rush hour gridlock.

For the last week or two, all we want to talk about is Andrew's homecoming and how quickly the calendar says it's approaching. And then the next day finally comes and we talk about it more. Then the third day actually feels like the first day and we're not one minute closer to the elusive end. We could talk about how happy we'll be soon...but we've already talked about that. A million times. And apparently, talking doesn't bring us nearer the finish line.

Here in these last months, we see Satan trying his level best to discourage us at every turn, beat us up, and knock us off track in the final laps. It's clear that he wants us out of the race. He's so evil and he doesn't play fair. Issues long past are being flung at us afresh. Fears that have already been demolished have crept back up with a new veneer. Was my faith stronger at the beginning of this race than it is now? Have I not grown at all?

I was hoping to finish strong. Victoriously! With head held high, a smile on my face, and arms stretched heavenward in faith and glory to God.

But I've exhausted all my muscles. I can't run anymore. Strength is gone. That's why I'm crawling. But moving is good, isn't it? Although it doesn't look victorious and I don't smile every day. And if my arms are stretched heavenward, it's simply because I'm begging to be lifted.

Lord Jesus, lift me up! Help me to stand and walk and finish the race by Your grace. Whatever condition I'm in by the end won't matter. Only that You brought me through. If I stop crawling, please carry me. On second thought, You could carry me now.

I know You have been all along. And I realize that the hardest parts of the entire race have been when I've tried it alone. But I can't finish alone. I want to rest in Your arms. I want to walk with You. I want to see You. Thank You, Jesus.

Change of Address

Just to let everyone (who reads this) know...

The end of the year came and went and with it, P.O. Box 226 in Scappoose, OR. We no longer "reside" at the Post Office. Until I move back to Georgia (in March!) we'll be using Mom and Dad's address:

34143 Edna Lane
Warren, OR 97053

For the next few months, the nice people at the Scappoose Post Office (who know me by name) will have any mail we do receive there forwarded on to Warren.

It was really nice and quite freeing to take this next step in my 15-month journey! Another step closer to Andrew's return. Less than 3 months to our D-Day, now!

2008, A Very Good Year

This is the year I've been waiting for since...well, since 2006! Good things are on the agenda for this year, Lord willing. And this new template just begs me to write a New Year's list! (that, and the word agenda that slipped into the previous sentence...)

1. The best of all is that Andrew comes home forever this April! A mere 90-or-so days away!

2. This year, Andrew turns 29, I turn 30, Chandler turns 1, (everyone else has birthdays, too, of course), and we celebrate our 2nd anniversary.

3. This year, I move to Georgia just in time to meet Andrew at our tree at Cottrell Field.

4. This year, Andrew's 5-year Army contract is up. September 25th!

5. This year, we'll mostly likely move back out west and re-integrate into civilian life.

6. This year, we'll have Christmas together.

See? 2008 is a beautiful year, already!