Deployment

There aren't a lot of things to say about the weekend Lyle was deployed. It was sweet to see him one more time before such a long separation. It was sad too. So sad. It was a proud moment, watching him in this army role-- one I have never been a part of before. A lot of strong emotions.

And since a picture is "worth a thousand words"...


First, we were at the family event pre-ceremony. Lots of vendors and activities for kids-- this was a fun part :)

The ceremony...

Picture time before lunch...

Walking over to the lunch area....

Heading to the buses and the final goodbyes...

This boy has the sweetest heart. This was a very hard day for him.

Barely holding in the tears.

Waving goodbye...

Mom had a very hard day too. We all did.

Photo credit goes to Courtney for this shot. One of my favorites from the day.

We are counting down the days until Lyle comes home. Leaving for a lengthy deployment would be hard at any time, but 2016 was a difficult year for Lyle and the kids, and for the rest of our family. One day I may share some of those things from the last year, but not quite yet. I am fiercely proud of Lyle. He was a good  man before the trials of the last year-- and he is a great man now. He stood up under the pressure and was refined in fire over the last months. It was not easy, but he has shown more character and integrity than I would ever be capable of.

I love him more than I can say. Can't wait until he is home and I can't wait to see what God has planned for him and his kids in the coming years.

Quick Visit with Courtney and Family

At the end of October I flew (alone!) up to Baltimore to visit Courtney for a couple of days and go to Lyle's deployment ceremony. (I'll report on that in the next post).

I love visiting Baltimore. And it has been 7 years since I was there without a kid in tow. It was fun to get to see Courtney, and especially her little girls, without my boys around. My boys love and adore their "little cousins"-- but when the boys are around they completely monopolize the girls. So, it was nice to get to spend some time with just the girls.

We had a fun weekend! (Minus the deployment. That wasn't so fun).

Lunch at Nalley Fresh (love). I could eat salad every single day, but I vastly prefer for someone else to make it for me :)

My first time to Mission BBQ!

Riley and me. 

St. Michael's--- and I can't remember what the event was. Crabs? Lobster? (Help me out sis)

It was a perfectly glorious day.

My first Bloody Mary. I went with the whole "when in Rome" thing and tried one. It is essentially drinking a liquid version of cocktail sauce. I LOVE and ADORE cocktail sauce. But, not in a drinkable form. No, thank you. 

Lobster roll. Sadly, not spectacular. Waited in line. Bought a $15 (relatively small) sandwich. (Actually, Courtney bought it. Because I had no cash. Thanks sis!) It was mediocre. I think my take-away lesson is that I prefer crab, or shrimp, to lobster. 

I know I have already posted this pic, but Courtney and I worked really hard on planning this costume for Carver (who needed it just hours after I got back home from Baltimore-- so we had to work on it while I traveled). And it was like God was looking on me with favor. Or the stars aligned. Because we fairly easily found everything we needed to make Carver's outfit for "dress like a character" day at school. This makes me super wishful that we lived closer together. I wish we could do these day-to-day tasks for kids and school together all the time. It would make this season of life so much better. 

I just got home from another visit to Courtney's. And it's always a bit sad to leave. Looking forward to the next visit though :)

(Our Last) Harvest Day at Montreat Morning School

I have to admit, this day made me sad. This was our third, and last, Harvest Day at Montreat Morning School.

Thanks to Amanda for the cute shirt!

I like this event, and after going every single October for the last three years, I will really miss it.

Halloween Festivities

First up: Howl-o-ween at the Western North Carolina Nature Center

Trick-or-Treating with Carson at school :)

Snack time.

Lunch at Gateway (with Daddy too).

Heading out to Trick-or-Treat in Black Mountain (with baby Winston).

They were "transforming."

Trick or Treating in Black Mountain is really the BEST. 

Hoopla with Biltmore Church

Five Years Later

And just like that Delia has been gone for five years. I got the call from Daniel on this morning, five years ago, and it felt like my world just crumbled. Such grief. It seemed insurmountable at the time.

I think about her every single day. But the sharp, raw, edge of grief has given way to just a quiet longing to have her back.

She saved me in those early years of marriage and life in a new state, with no real friends and very little interaction with people. She was the best companion I could have hoped for. Now she has been gone almost as long as I had her, but the love is still intense and unchangeable. For that season of life she was my great comfort and joy. And I miss her so.

And then 19 months ago I lost Lea too-- and the grief continued. I've wondered about getting a new puppy. But when I picture the future with a new dog, in my head I am really just picturing having the girls back with me.

So, I handle the grief and most memories are really good. I have things I can't think about-- the dreaded phone call about Delia and those first days home after she died, and then the horrors around Lea's death-- but for the most part I can think about them without the rush of panic I felt when the grief was still raw.

But I miss these two.