Intertwined

In a Moment

2012-02-02T10:14:00.002+08:00

It has been a long while since I have written anything of real substance. I was just sitting and thinking how much our life has changed in just the past 5 years. Sometimes I just can't believe how much and then I smile and think it really couldn't be much better.

In just a moment it all comes to focus and I am just amazed at what the Lord has done and how He continues to lead and direct. I can't believe how am blessed.

24 Years

2011-10-31T00:53:00.002+08:00

This year Dwayne and I celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary. It is hard to imagine that we have made it this long. We have have our share of hardships and tough times but by far the good has far out weighted the tough or hard. We are truly best friends and have grown only closer as the years pass. I can't believe how fast the time as has passed. Dwayne and I have been all over the world and seen so many amazing things. The greatest gift he's ever given me though has been hands down our children. WE have been so blessed to have 3 amazing kids. God has blessed us with amazing parents who have been patient with us as we grew up and have grown older.. :)

Babe, Just want to say, I Love You and thank you for 24 wonderful and blessed years...

Yours Always....

Fall is in the air

2011-08-26T09:03:00.003+08:00

The air has turned crisp. The heat of summer has fallen to the ground and all that is left is the cool crisp breeze, trees rustling, and deer roaming through the yard casually grazing and eating crab apples. I really enjoy the fall months mostly because it gets me excited for the snow that is sure to come. I am blessed......

2011-08-09T03:50:00.002+08:00

These past few weeks have been full. We have been working hard on the yard and I've been doing small projects around the house. One project I really enjoyed doing was actually the hardest one yet. I refinished our patio furniture that we bought while we lived in Thailand.
I think it turned out really nice. The process was the best part though. I have a friend who lives overseas and she loves to plant things. She use to plant something every time her husband made a trip. Her yard was beautiful. It was always fun to hear her tell me what she planted and how the Lord spoke to her while working in the yard. That's what I experienced while striping away the varnish from our patio furniture and applying the teak oil.

Sanding the wood and feeling the roughness become smooth and then applying the water proofing - TEAK OIL was really a learning experience. I realized quickly if I didn't sand the wood down enough when I applied the teak oil it would begin peeling and I would have to sand it down again until all the old varnish or stain was gone. - The Lord would often times speak to me in this process.. sometimes pointing out sin that I hold on to and how the process of true repentance meant me letting go of that thing that was causing me to sin and or just "STUFF" that was holding me back from reaching my potential because I was looking back rather than looking forward. I love how the Lord speaks to me in these moments. It's special. Special like with my friend in Thailand and how she would share her gardening stories.

I just love how when we open our hearts to the Lord He's right there ready to talk and love on us... no matter where we are or what we are doing!

Living and breathing....

2011-06-14T09:01:00.003+08:00

It has been a while since I have written. We have been busy these past few months. We had an exciting time occur in April. Josh and Justin graduated from Navy Bootcamp and we were able to have all our family together for this occasion. Here are a few pictures from this big day. Currently the boys are doing great. They are getting ready to progress to the next stage of their training. They will be heading to California on June 15th.

We are so proud of all our kids. Kayla & Nick & Lil Noah are doing so well. God is blessing them as they grow their family.

We are so proud of our boys....

Navy Boot Camp Graduation

2011-04-30T04:05:00.002+08:00

It has been a little while now since the boys graduated from Bootcamp. They did well and are now on their way to accomplishing their goal.

Tulips......

2011-04-22T20:27:00.003+08:00

What a wonderful time ~ The weather was freezing but the views were beautiful. It was a nice reminder that spring is here and summer is just a few more months away. Dwayne and I ventured out and took the time to see the tulips of skagit county here in Washington.

"Many are called but few are chosen"

2011-04-04T20:35:00.004+08:00

I've been reading through Matthew and verse 14 really caught my attention. Ofcourse my thought went straight to why are many called but few are chosen. Why not ," Many are called but few choose?"

After doing a word study I learned something new: In Matthew 22:14 the word : "Called" is also "invite". So - "Many are invited but few are Chosen". In Rev 17:14 says, "We are the Called, Chosen, and the Faithful."

Or the Invited, Chosen, Faithful ~

I was just thinking of a few women that I work with that I've tried to show the kindness of Christ to them but honestly they sometimes make me want to cause them harm. When I was reading this verse my mind went straight to them. I began having this conversation with the Lord. Asking, why haven't they been saved? What will it take Lord for this one lady to come to faith. Then the Holy Spirit made this connection between called and invited. How many of us have received invitations to something and we allowed things, other events , tiredness, business to reject an invitation.

On a personal note ~ how many times have I rejected an invitation by the Holy Spirit to speak truth into someone's life or do something good for someone because I allowed other things to redirect me. See how the H.S. just took my mind from this lost lady to my own situation? He was saying to me ~ Let's talk about you, Melissa.

As I continued to pray and ponder this more as an application for my own life the Lord brought to mind 2 Peter 1: 5-11.
"Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling (invitation) and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. "

I just about began to cry. It was just what I needed - a gentle reminder that Christ is at work in me and that everyday isn't going to be a day of victory but could be a day that I get an invitation and was I going to receive it and trust Him and then ultimately become a partaker in Christ being found Faithful?

But if that wasn't enough the Holy Spirit brought to my mind- Gal 2:20,
" I have been crucified with Christ; and it is not I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave himself up for me."

Today, this week, heck the whole month.... has been a daily reminder that my invitation isn't just a one time deal. It is a daily invite to join my Lord Jesus Christ in the work He is already doing. Was I going to die to self today and pick up my boot straps, put on my belt, helmet, yield my sword and shield and get into the fight?

Heck ya ~ Hoorah!

Today Yes! Yes Lord, I accept your invitation!

What will you do?

Back in the writing mood.

2011-04-02T22:02:00.002+08:00

Yes, I have taken a long break from blogging. I thought I might be finished and then tried a new site but they still have alot of issues so I am back to our blog!

Will be posting weekly if not daily. So come on back and see us. We will have lots to post about in the coming days.

Curry ~ red, yellow or green

2011-04-02T21:57:00.002+08:00

Green it is. We had a hankering for some curry and so Dwayne took us out to a Thai restaurant. To our surprise it was good and we made new friends. We were thrilled to speak Chinese to them. :)

It was exciting and the Curry was YUMMY....

moving on...

2010-05-19T12:09:00.002+08:00

I think I'm going to say good bye to this Blog- After really thinking about it - I don't want to change how we've blogged. I think Now that our family is grown. I'll start something different...

So from our family to yours.. thank you for following us....

I'll be posting on a new site...

www.melhughes.tumblr.com

it will be more of a personal journey....

Changes...

2010-05-16T04:04:00.003+08:00

As you can see, we are updating our blog. I've kind of had a blogging crisis mostly due to the fact that it's just Dwayne and I now and in all honesty, it feels as though we are quiet boring. But after some time I think I've decided on the new look.

Intertwined.... is the new title. It is a picture of 2 things being twisted together / wrapped up in one another. Dwayne and I are most definitely intertwined, what one does the other is involved. We have separate jobs but yet very much apart of the others lives. It is exciting this new stage of life.

So, while you will hear news of our kids and their lives mostly this blog will be about us..
Dwayne & I!

March Madness...

2010-04-04T00:10:00.003+08:00

yes.. it has been a while and honestly, I don't know how I ever made time to update this blog when life was so crazy before. :) Well, here' s an update - more ofcourse will follow. :)

- New arrival in the family - Noah Jacob Franklin.. he's our grandson and he's so precious. He is growing fast.. born on Feb. 17, 2010 and weighed in at 7lbs 2 oz. now is a whopping 9lbs. + :) . Kayla and Nick are such great parents. All is well and they are all adjusting to their new lives.
- We had a new addition as well. Upon the arrival of Noah - Nya came to live with us. She is the chocolate lab I have always wanted and let me tell you .. I am just in love with her. She is a blast and so much fun...
- Josh will be heading back to the east coast at the end of this month and life will settle down here in Washington for me...
- But the fun is just about to begin :) Dwayne and I will be meeting up in Italy on March 23 and will spend his R&R together in Italy. We are both so excited and can't wait to be reunited. It's been a long 6 months already!
- Justin is finishing up another year.. and is looking at joining the army. The lord is directing his steps and it is neat to see him have direction. He'll finish school and then go active duty. :)
-Dwayne is doing great in Iraq. It won't surprise any of you that the Lord is using him in mighty ways. It is neat to see the Lord move us to this new area of ministry and then begin a new work.
-I'm enjoying my job and looking forward to what the future holds there for me. God is so good!

here are a few pictures.....

enjoy!

New Year.....new adventures...

2010-01-31T23:29:00.008+08:00

So it's now Feb. 2010 and I can not believe how fast the months have flown by. Dwayne has been gone now 142 days now.... Some days it feels like 3 times as long and other days it feels like the time is just flying by. It's been hard to come to the blog and write for alot of reasons but mostly because life has changed so much in the past 2 years that there are days that I feel like I really have nothing to contribute or share. It is so much harder too without a camera because I really love taking pictures and not having a camera makes it hard to recap what's going on in the life of this dwindling Hughes' family! :)

I posted some pictures of some of the fun things happening in our life. Josh has been working at Starbucks for a couple of months now and is doing really well. The job gives him the opportunity to work on his music and still make some cash to pay some of his bills. - He's getting closer and closer to getting that album he's dreamed of making. One thing I've learned in watching him through this process is that being creative is scary thing when you desire to make your talent your job. It really takes a great leap of faith in yourself and in your abilities. It's been hard to watch Josh through this process because I see his struggle but I'm proud that he's really working hard to see if this is where the Lord wants him. Pray for him if he comes to your mind. He's working hard to try and produce this album on his own rather than going through Tate who is a recording label. They really wanted alot of money upfront and he still would have had to pay alot of expenses out of pocket. Another positive thing in his life is Madi - She's a young lady he met at Liberty and they have become great friends. She's a fantastic young lady who sees all the potential in Josh and is such an encouragement to him.

Madi is from Hickory, NC and is here doing an internship with MarsHill Church of Olympia, WA. She will be here for about 8 weeks and has fitted into our family just fine! ;) It is great having a girl around :). We have some great talks and it's just been a joy to get to know her!

Justin's back at Liberty this semester working really hard and is going to be going into the Military sometime this year. He has been really praying about it and is working now on his physical training to be ready for this life style change! :) He and Blakely are doing great. I tell you - She is such a sweet young lady and she and Justin are really growing in their relationship with one another and with the Lord! ;) Pray for Justin as he seeks the Lord for the right time to join the military. As a parent ofcourse I cringe at the thought but I also don't want to stand in the way of what the Lord has for Justin. So the best thing I can do is Pray for him and encourage him to just seek the Lord when it comes to making such a life changing decision. I know he'll be a Fantastic, God fearing , Soldier!

Then there is Kayla... wow what a year it has been.. She and Nick married in May and are now expecting their first baby in just 3 short weeks. I can't hardly believe it. But again, God's timing is everything and it is so humbling to see how the Lord blesses. She continues to press on with her college classes and is staying on course to graduate as she had planned. She is going to make a wonderful teacher. She and Nick have had a very full first year of marriage. They amaze me with how gracious they are to one another and how selfless they are to one another. Little Noah is going to have such an amazing life- I just can't wait to meet him! :)

Dwayne is working so hard and is loving his role as Chaplain. He's doing a great job and is impacting so many people. Pray for him as he serves in IRAQ.

I'll have lots more to post in the days and weeks ahead! I'm back so don't forget about us! :)

November Blows By....

2009-11-30T07:52:00.002+08:00

Gosh another month has gone by without me posting or writing. It's been hard to find things to write about now that the kids are doing their own things and Dwayne is in Iraq. So here's a highlight of our November....

It seems like all of October was full of rain and now November has not been much different. It was my second month of work and things were looking good. It has been a joy to be back in the assisting chair again. But as with most things the honey moon stage ends quickly. One aspect of assisting that I hadn't forgotten but had not felt the stress of keeping a schedule and working with other assistants and doctors... can cause a whole lot of mess... quickly! ;) So, it's been challenging but still very enjoyable. I was shocked when I was asked by our Office Manager to consider taking on another role in the office. She asked me to be the back up supply tech. - after taking all the classes and once I started learning the ropes she and the young lady who is the supply tech shares that she's ( the current supply tech) will be going part time - until she graduates but then she plans to look for another job once she graduates. Soooooo, starting in Jan. I'll be doing 2 jobs/ assisting and doing the supply tech job. I'm excited to learn another asspect of the dentac it only makes me more valuable. ;) So life is good and I'm still really enjoying my new job.
I've had my moments this month of loneliness and sadness but mostly in the evenings and early mornings. I miss my best friend something awful. But we are doing well and we are growing closer and closer.. I thank the Lord for Dwayne and for the ministry He's given to us both. Who would have thought that the Lord would have opened this door to us just 2 years ago? I stand amazed daily, humbled and thankful .

Thanksgiving was very different. Josh and I had planned to go skiing but then decided to go shopping instead. So we had to eat thanksgiving dinner out. It wasn't the same and I will never do that again! I missed family and next time if it's just 2 of us.. we'll travel to family rather than just hanging out the two of us. Never again! ;) We had a good time but Thanksgiving is meant to be spent with Family and Friends.

Now we are heading into December and I sure hope there's more to write on because I sure am feeling like a bore! :)

Clear Blue & 22....

2009-10-24T22:42:00.003+08:00

Today Dwayne & I celebrate 22 years of marriage!
The rain has moved out and it is a beautiful day here in the Great State of Washington!
I woke up early even though it is Saturday and the first thing on my mind was
that today is our anniversary.

These are just a few pictures of our year.. man we packed in alot this year ...
Christmas skiing with the kids
Jan. enjoying the snow and scenery
Feb hiking and exploring /wedding planning
March working in the yard, Military Balls
April travel and more playing
May married our daughter and got to see family, Josh's Graduation
June summer fun, Yellowstone, Montana & Josh joining us
July hot and yet not, another move
August chilling and just hanging out
September Salmon fishing, farewell's , New Job
And here we are October!

This next year will be really strange because it will be spent apart.
However we do have Rome to look forward and I promise you this,
We will pack in more memories in that 2 weeks and take so many pictures....

Babe, Thank you for 22 years of Loving, Laughing and Living!

I love you~

Alabama... Home Sweet Home!

2009-10-21T09:47:00.003+08:00

Joey and Natalie's wedding was just beautiful. It was a sweet time. I have to say we had fun.

Little ?Noah? is growing and looking so cute! :) I loved seeing him bounce around on the ultrasound and I even had the privilege of feeling him move around.

Kayla and Nick after the wedding. Isn't Kayla a cutie.

I loved this picture. Nick your such a blessing! Thank you so much for loving our daughter and caring for her and leading her spiritually. I am so proud of you both! Your going to be AMAZING parents.

I miss you sweetie.. it was so good to get to see you and spend some time with you.
It was great getting to talk and just hang out!

Thank you for putting up with me taking pictures ;)

For such a time as this.....

2009-10-10T22:59:00.003+08:00

I am not sure where these guys are but they look tired and here is the Chaplain...
showing off his guns.. :) hee hee

I think maybe the soldier Dwayne is looking at is actually sleeping!

Dwayne is doing great at the moment in IRAQ. He's enjoying his role as Chaplain and has opportunity to share with this guys daily. He is out there with them every single time they leave the base to do a mission and he prays with them. He's there when they return and tries to make time to talk to those who need to talk about what has happened while they are out...

Being on Mission with God isn't just about being overseas it's about being where He wants you and being available to see beyond what is comfortable.

There are days I think why did we leave Asia...we knew the culture, the way of life the work. Yes there were it's challenges but for the most part it was comfortable.
Now that we are here it Dwayne and I both realize more than ever that the best thing we can be is available for when ever and whatever the Lord has next.

Who knows where we'll be in another years time.. but one thing we know for sure
is that we will be right smack dab in the middle of our Father's Will.....

Lord, thank you for using us and allowing us to serve these people for such a time as this!

Starting over...

2009-10-05T05:02:00.002+08:00

It has been an interesting transition to my new job. I'm enjoying getting back into the dental field again and I have to say, I have really missed it. Meeting people has never been hard for me but breaking through to a more meaningful relationship doesn't get easier the older you get. After the "nice hello's how are you" and " all the getting to know you questions" one finds out quickly who wants to know you better and who isn't so keen on knowing you better. It's that part that I just don't like. Because frankly I want to know most people. I may not want to be their best friend :) but I want to know them.

It's been 2 full weeks now since I started and all week I was working with Dr. Lillard. He's a retired Col. and is about to retire again from Civilian work. :) I really will hate to see him go because he is so kind and so easy to work for when I'm chair side. :)

I had my first talk with him and he had to remind me to be sure to use the soldiers rank at all times. I tend to call them by their rank first and then get to Mr or Ms. NOT SO GOOD !:) Lots to still learn!

This was my Love Dare quote earlier in the week. I really meditated on this because this really does settle some things for me. This Love Dare calendar has been a great realization that - loving your spouse is so important but loving people is what we should be working at too......

" Patience avoids a problem; kindness creates a blessing. Kindness is love in action."

~

Handmade with Love

2009-09-22T05:29:00.002+08:00

I've been working hard to stay busy as I wait on this new job to start. It is such a long process to get through all the paper work for the government. So with all the time I have now on my hands. I've pulled out an old project I started with Kayla when she was 12 years old. We started a quilt together and had it all ready to begin quilting the layers together. With all of life's changes we never got around to finishing. Now she's married and expecting their first baby I thought the timing was perfect for me to finish it. :)
I can't believe what a great job we did in piecing this quilt - yes some of the edges don't quite match up just so but it is done with so much Love.
Now I'm hand quilting the pieces together and even as I quilt I am reminded of how hard it is to quilt. :) We made the batting extra full so that it would be a warm blanket. We had hoped to give it as a gift to one of our chinese friends and their winters were very cold ;) .

Now her first baby can use it and know that his mom hand quilted each square and his nai nai hand quilted it together.

There is something very special about hand made things......

Freedom costs

2009-09-13T06:01:00.007+08:00

September 12, 2009
365 days
~ Dwayne is serving in Iraq ~

"Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed. For the Lord Your God is with You where every you go!" Joshua 1:9

A little more than a year ago in June we resigned our role and work in Asia. It was a hard decision but one that we knew we needed to make; the Lord opened this door of service and as usual it is mind boggling to see the Lord work to place us in this new role.
It was clear to us and those working with us that the Lord had a plan.

We knew as we committed to this role that the time would come for Dwayne to go to either Iraq or Afghanistan. We have had about 9 months to mentally prepare for this year. For us the distance apart is nothing new. What we really wanted more than anything was to make all the time we had together strengthen our relationship in hopes of not be weakened by the long separation.

This year has been one of such blessing.

Now we enter into this year with a clear understanding of what lies ahead. We will strive to remain connected and to encourage one another to press on toward the mark that is set before us.

Oswald Chambers said it best when he said,
" Confidence in the natural world is Self-reliance,
Confidence in the spiritual world is reliance on God. "

We are totally relying on our Lord and Savior during this year!

Big Fish

2009-09-02T22:32:00.002+08:00

Yes, that is a Salmon. It was so good! The salmon are running right now and they are so plentiful. It was exciting to see them jump out of the water.

Dwayne caught several but the river was running so fast that he lost 3 of the 4. This one was the one that didn't get flushed out of his net!

We have been really enjoying fishing together ~

Gullable

2009-09-01T09:07:00.002+08:00

www.entertaining-angels.blogspot.com

To funny..... I have to say that I thought "FINALLY" with age I was becoming a bit wiser and was able to discern when someone was pulling my leg... NOT!

I was yet again taken and man I have to say either it was the skill of the writer or I'm just too DARN GULLABLE! It might be a bit of both.

You'll have to read her blog and leave a comment...

ofcourse - at first I was like, No way ~ but then I was like, but she said, she waited just because she didn't think anyone would believe her... Yes.. okay so it is a bit out there but I guess I'm hopeless when it comes to believing in people..

I so totally believed it!

Stay....

2009-08-27T01:45:00.002+08:00

I think this will be my theme song for the year 2009.

Here is a highlight of Yellowstone!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Casing the Colors 4/2 2-12 FA

2009-08-27T01:14:00.003+08:00

Casing of the Colors....

This is a ceremony that takes place when a Brigade is set to deploy. They case the colors of the unit until they return.
I am sorry I don't have more pictures. I hope to get some more from others who took pictures.

It was sad in some ways to realize that we only have
2 more weeks before our men are set to deploy.

Dwayne and I are trying to enjoy all the time we have together. I am so thankful though that we know full well what we are up against. This year in some ways will be much easier than in the past years of service. I'm so thankful for the past 2 years we've had together and especially grateful to the Lord for this last year. We have only spent 4 weeks this whole year apart. That is a RECORD... :)
God is good!

Yellowstone and Baseball

2009-08-27T00:13:00.007+08:00

Here are some of our videos from our trip to Yellowstone and I did one short film from our Seattle Mariners Baseball game. Fun times!

Old Faithful....

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com
Seattle vs New York
Mariners vs Yankees ( The Yankees won )

Justin Fly Fishing...
and might I add he caught the biggest fish....

Buffalo roaming in Yellowstone

Yellowstone National Park

2009-08-26T22:48:00.004+08:00

Our trip to Yellowstone was so good. We decided to take the boys on a road trip - we had hoped to go up north farther but due to passport issues... Justin! We had to say in the U.S. :) It turned out okay after all. Josh couldn't get out of class for the week either as it turned out and so it was just Justin, Myself and Dwayne. :) It was fun!
These pictures are not in any real order so I'll just comment on them below. Some of the highlights though was eating at the Wolf Lodge in Kellogg, ID. One of our favorite places in the world. Has the BEST STEAKS EVER! Just getting to see Justin's face when he bit into that steak was worth the 6 hour drive. :) Yummy! He kept asking us the whole time... "Can we stop and eat one more steak before heading back to Ft. Lewis?" Unfortunately the cost kept us from going back for seconds. Good steak but expensive!

Here we are at the Mammoth gate in Yellowstone. It is the place you go to see all the elk. It is a neat little Town within Yellowstone. There weren't that many elk this time out and about as they were the first time Dwayne and I went to Y.S. - it was so cool though to see them. Such beautiful animals.
This time we actually got to stop and see the sights of Yellowstone. We really enjoyed seeing the falls - I would have loved to do some hiking around them. :)
We camped at several places while on this trip. The first was in Kellogg which you'll see on down in the pictures below. Then we stayed at some national park just outside of Yellowstone. It was a plateau and very windy. Not so nice.... :) Then we stayed in Yellowstone at the Bay Bridge camp ground. It was nice but felt like a Tent city. Then we finished up our trip at the Cannon Camp ground. I liked this one but again, when you can hear people at night talking in their tent it was just a bit too much! ;) So wilderness camping is more our style and we will likely take advantage of that next time around.
Obviously the scenery was not lacking. There were so many beautiful shots to be taken. Most of these were taken either with the iphone camera or Dwayne's. Really I do miss my Cybershot!
Here we are at our campsite in Kellogg. It was a nice place and we had a good time. Man the steak was so good... We also went running the next morning before taking down our tents. Let's just say we sucked wind... the altitude was much higher than we were use too.... :) We did have a good 3 mile run though.

Magnificent sun sets...

Campsite in Kellogg.. Yes that is a WELSH flag.. Dwayne insisted on putting it up. He's into his heritage these days.

You can barely see Justin running into the field - which is not apart of our campground to grab some hay to help start our fire! Yes... he was feeling a bit adventurous.

We have fire... :)

One thing I love about Montana & Wyoming... the Big Open Spaces.
I would so love to live there!

I don't think Justin will ever forget the Great Steaks of Kellogg, ID.
If you are ever traveling through - You must stop at the Wolf Lodge.. Yummy steaks.

Block Leave

2009-08-22T04:37:00.002+08:00

New terminology -

We have entered a new phase of ministry as we gear up for this deployment. Dwayne's unit will be deployed to Iraq for one year. They are scheduled to leave September 12th. It has been really neat to see the lord at work in our lives as well as the lives of those we have come to care for here at Fort Lewis.

One new word for me is " Block leave" It basically means that it is mandatory time for soldiers to spend with their families. They get 14 days of leave.

Dwayne was thrilled to have this time and his hope was that he would get to spend it with family. He went back to Alabama for a week to see Kayla and Nick. While there he was able to spend a few days with his parents and have a little bit of time with my parents.

He was there to hear our little grand baby's heart beat - Yes, you read that right. Kayla and Nick are going to be parents. They had hoped to wait for a year before getting pregnant but God sometimes has other plans. :) They are so excited and it was a very special time for Dwayne to be there with them as they heard the heart beat for the first time. ;)

We are praying for Kayla and Nick and know that the Lord has great things for them both and for their family as it grows.....

God is so Good!

Wedding Bliss....

2009-07-31T23:38:00.010+08:00

Finally, we have wedding pictures. I won't be able to post all of them but here are some of my favorites. :)

living life

2009-07-27T12:20:00.003+08:00

Life is good... We are living and loving each day the Father gives us.

Lots going on right now. Dwayne will be heading to Alabama to spend a week with our daughter and Nick ( our new son-in-law). Oh Justin arrives this week to visit with us before starting his Junior year at Liberty. Kayla is starting her Sophomore year and taking her entrance exam into the teaching program at Auburn. :) (exciting times for Kay and Nick) Josh is working hard at trying to find work :) had a good prospect but nothing yet. The market is really BAD!

Once Dwayne arrives back from visiting Kay & Nick then the we are taking the boys on an adventure to Yellow Stone National Park, camping! ;) I can't wait.

Our time with Dwayne is drawing to an end. He'll be heading out sometime in September. We expect the first week or so; but we don't have a definite date. You all can pray for his safety and the safety of our men serving with him... and a speedy return home!

There is alot more happening but honestly... life is just good and we are living it and enjoying the days we have together!

By His Grace ... we press on!

Where has the month gone?

2009-06-30T14:27:00.002+08:00

It will soon be June 30th and I've been so bad about posting. Partly due to the lack of pictures and really having time to just sit and write. But tonight as I lay awake in my bed.... I am reminded of how fast time flies by. It seems like just yesterday it was June 1st... and now it is nearing the last day of the month.

Time does fly and with it thoughts of the past and future. Where will we be in 6 months.. what will life be then? Very different... for sure. Dwayne returns home on the 4th of July... I'm sure he will be near exhausted after working 14- hour days and sleeping on cots and eating... I don't even want to think about that.. :) . We will have just 10 short weeks before he's gone for 12- 15 months...

The Lord is really teaching me so very much about dependence on Him.. Interestingly enough, I haven't learned all that I need to know in this area. I'm also learning in a much deeper way the need to rest in Him. Trusting and stepping out even when it really isn't comfortable.

We'll have lots of pictures to share in the days and weeks ahead....

Legacy

2009-06-11T08:16:00.002+08:00

Studying in Genesis - Chapter 4-5- legacies...

Adam and Eve had another son, Seth. From Seth a son and his son, Enosh.

It was said, " Then {men} began to call upon the name of the LORD. " Gen 4:26.

Makes one ponder one's legacy.........

ARRIVAL / DEPARTURE

2009-06-06T06:58:00.004+08:00

Our life is about to have some real changes in it.

This weekend Josh arrives :) ~ We are excited to see him and have him home for the summer. He'll be taking one last class to complete his grad requirements and then his diploma will be mailed to him. He'll be working on several job opportunities and we pray the Lord will provide him with the right job.

Then Dwayne Departs ~ Sunday at 4am he'll fly out and head to Louisiana for Pre-deployment training. They will play army for a month to prepare for them for their mission in Iraq.

Seems like life is full these days. We surely can not complain, the Lord has been good to us!

Here's to arrivals and departures...

Letting go and Letting God....

2009-06-04T08:35:00.003+08:00

( Dwayne & I watching as Nick & Kayla take their wedding pictures together)

One of the hardest things to do is Letting go of those things that you hold so dear and allowing the Lord to have His way....
Our life has been full of letting go. I have often responded to people who ask us, " How do you just pick up and move to another country?" or they would ask, " How do you just leave all that you know behind?" I would often time say, "I have the open hand policy with God. He gives and He can take away. It's never mine to begin with."

I never really thought about that policy when it came to our daughter coming back to the states for her senior year. I mean - hello? She was just going to high school. No worries, she'll graduate and go to college.

Little did we know that she would meet a special young man her senior year and soon that Open hand policy would be brought before us.

Letting go......

In this picture what you can't see is that Dwayne and I had a small conversation.
It was simply....

Thank you Lord for blessing us with this little girl. May you bless her now as she begins her family. May she make a godly wife and may she bring her kids up to know you and love you.

Our hands are one less and it felt good to know He was moving her forward and that He was working out His plan in her Life and the life of her now Husband.

Surprises

2009-06-03T11:37:00.003+08:00

Today I was surprised by my co-workers. I walked in and they were like, Happy Birthday!
I was like WOW you all are too nice !I was clapping my hands together and was like, WOW - you guys are too much. They were like, we celebrate birthdays around here!

So I walk into the break room and Low and Behold.. there's cake x 2 dip and chips and all kind of goodies. flowers, gifts and well..... It made me feel special.

I am blessed to have such nice people to work with ~ What a special surprise!

Thanks Gang... your the best!
Kathy, Chris, Fran, Erin & Sopheak.... oh and Sonya even though you've retired!

Happy Birthday ~ My Beloved!

2009-06-02T11:11:00.003+08:00

Today is your Birthday and I just wish we could have spent the day together.
I want you to know how much I love you and how very grateful
I am to have you as my friend, lover and life partner.
I could NOT imagine my life without you!

The kids all send their love and wish they could be here to
Celebrate with you.

I hope you have a very happy birthday .

Love Always,
Melissa, Josh, Justin , Kayla & Nick

Mr. & Mrs. Franklin ~ May 23, 2009

2009-05-29T11:54:00.003+08:00

Nick & Kayla Franklin
May 23, 2009

It was by far the most rain I have seen fall in a very long time and we live in Seattle, WA. There was nothing but dark rolling clouds, hard rains, thunder rolling in the back ground and at times it felt like everything was going to just be ruined. But then........

We prayed......

The Lord has a way of bringing light to every situation. We all had a very different view of the wedding. It wasn't about what was going to be ruined or about who was going to even consider coming.. it was about accepting that the Lord was working to bring this day about in His way so it could accomplish His will.....

It's been 4 days since the Kayla and Nick were married. They are no doubt in Jamacia enjoying themselves and hopefully having a wonderful time together. We returned to Seattle and it's been a time of reflection. I can't believe how blessed we are as a family. I think? most parents want their kids to find the perfect match for them. I know Dwayne and I have prayed for our kids since before they were even born that the Lord would bless them and use them in amazing ways. We never would have guessed our Kayla would be the first to marry. We love Nick and think the world of him. He loves the Lord, is generous, caring, considerate, selfless, and a young man of integrity. Dwayne and I have always hoped that when our kids find their mates that we would be able to join arms with their perspective mates families and truly widen our circle to include both families. Nick's parents, Donnie and Debbie are such amazing people. I remember getting to hang out with them last 4th of July and thinking, Lord- this is an amazing family.
Dwayne and I would often times just sit and talk about how neat it is that we feel we could actually call Donnie and Debbie and say, let's go to the lake and just relax - without our kids! ;) And we plan on it!

I think this wedding was another wonderful show of how our families worked to make this time special for the kids. Debbie played not only mother of the groom but mother of the bride. Since I was so far away she really did step in and help Kayla when needed.

The wedding was like no other wedding I had been to, it was evident from the Rehearsal dinner that they wanted the Lord to bless their marriage and they asked if their family and friends would come and lay hands on them and pray for them. It was really a beautiful moment. Nick started leading our daughter as a spiritual leader at that very moment. It was so very special.

The ceremony was officated by Dwayne, and after talking to Kayla and Nick he set the order of ceremony focused on their desire to join in a covenant between them and the Lord. Finishing the ceremony with taking the Lord's Supper together. It was beautiful.

Josh and Justin were as emotional as Dwayne and I . They too felt the pang of change as they saw their little sister being taken in the arms of another man. However, they happen to love and respect Nick - as a matter a fact. They now have a big brother.

Not only did we gain a son but we gained an extended family - Natalie who is Nick's little Sister, Joey, Natalie's fiance' and Joey's parents.. Sorry but Angela and Joe.. your soon to be family as well! :)

My heart is full.... and I am happy.... and feel so very blessed......

Thank You Lord ~

Wedding day - May 23, 2009

2009-05-28T10:42:00.000+08:00

Mr. & Mrs. Nick Franklin

May 23, 2009

Graduation Day - Liberty University

2009-05-10T07:47:00.003+08:00

Congrats..... to Josh for finishing his career at Liberty University!

It is just amazing that our first born is really finished. We are so very proud of YOU!

Love ya
Mom and Dad
Justin & Kayla

Beauty

2009-05-09T23:42:00.002+08:00

It is so gorgeous right now. Out side the sun is shining and we have clear blue skies.

These past few weeks have been busy for us. Obviously we are working on planning a wedding from afar, Our son is graduating from College as I write this.... ( and we weren't able to be there)
We just finished another marriage retreat and continue to fulfill our role and serve our men and women in uniform. There is a young lady whom I met the other day who seemed to only see
the wrong in everything. At first I thought she was just being honest about one topic but by the time our weekend marriage retreat was over, I realized she really couldn't see beauty in anything.

We tend to get stuck on looking at faults in things and in people around us rather than trying to see what is good. It is so much easier to see the faults but sometimes it takes really making an effort to see the good.

Phil. 4:7-8
"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."

Rain storms

2009-05-07T09:02:00.002+08:00

Since arriving in Washington all we have heard is, " oh wait until rainy season". Well, we are officially tired of Rainy season! It has been raining, drizzling, misting, spraying, sprinkling... and well in another form of rain you can think of.. we have had it. These past few days it has been down pouring..... man it makes me miss the south.

I miss hard thunder storms and lightening....

Liberty Graduate

2009-04-28T10:07:00.002+08:00

Joshua K. Hughes
Liberty Graduate
May 8th, 2009

We are so excited for Josh to be entering this new stage of life. He'll soon be graduating from Liberty University. Where has the time gone? It is hard to imagine and yet even harder to think back to the day I brought him home from the hospital. My how these 22 years have gone by so quickly.

Joshua ~ Your Father and I are so very proud of you and we look with great anticipation to what the Lord is going to do in your life. We pray that you will be used in ways that you couldn't even imagine and that His name would be glorified through you.

As you already know this month is packed with lots of changes....

Moving out and making your way is exciting and scary too.
Remember to always keep the Lord the center of all you do and You'll always be where you ought to be. He'll never leave you nor forsake you.
2 Peter 1: 5-11
" Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in yoru moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.
For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. "

Serve him with all your heart, mind and soul.

We love you and can't wait to see you~

Love,
Mom & Dad

Justin.....

2009-04-19T12:33:00.002+08:00

I had to share some pictures from Justin. These were taken during this past semester.
He was obviously have some fun with his friends camera.

Leave it to Justin to bring a smile to everyone.

It's his favorite pose.... Peter Pan!

The best for last...

2009-04-17T11:36:00.001+08:00

2009-04-17T05:42:00.000+08:00

More Engagement Pictures

2009-04-17T05:41:00.002+08:00

Horse sense.....

2009-04-17T01:33:00.002+08:00

For those who know Josh, know that he's not so keen on horses.. However, I think he has found his inner cowboy! ;) Love this picture.

Josh was invited over Easter weekend to go to Tenn. He really enjoyed being out on a farm. And I think he really enjoyed riding....

He even looks like he knows what he's doing!
Obviously he does. :)

Well, Life passes too quickly.
As many of you know Josh has been attending Liberty University for the past 3 1/2 years.
He's graduating May 9, 2009

We are so very proud of Josh and can't wait to see what the Lord does in his life as he begins to seek full time employment. ;)

Love ya Buddy!
We are very Proud of you!

Boys and their Guns.....

2009-04-17T01:27:00.002+08:00

I love this picture of Josh...

This is of Justin out on the range at Liberty. This is a great shot too but it came out smaller than it was suppose too.

Sneak Peek....

2009-04-14T13:23:00.002+08:00

Kay and Nick went to get their Engagement pictures taken this past weekend.
Here are just 2 of their shots..
i love their photographer. He's got style and he's very artsy which is very Kay and Nick!

Ohhhhhh

Where did our little girl go?
Kayla you make us proud.
We love you both....

Being Responsible

2009-04-09T12:54:00.003+08:00

These last few months since the word has come down that our guys will be deploying there have been more and more incidents. What do I mean by incidents? Well, domestic abuse, soldiers causing themselves pain by cutting themselves, talk of suicide, anger issues and man the list could go on.

Yesterday Dwayne and visited a young lady who had been pushed by her husband. As a result she was injured and he was arrested. It amazes me at how hard it is for people to genuinely take responsibility for their actions. It seems they always point the finger back at someone else or make it about the other person. Rather than just own up to their part in the conflict or the problem.

Does anyone ever really benefit if only one part(one person) of the problem takes responsibility for their actions? No, it is a lose - lose situation. Both lose because there can never be reconciliation until both take responsibility for their part however small or big.

Which will be my thought for later....

Reconciliation is only possible when humility is involved and honesty is present.

snow ..... really?

2009-04-02T03:01:00.002+08:00

It is hard to believe but yes it is true.. we actually had beautiful weather on Sunday even though it was cool it was sunny and nice. Then the wind, colder temps and rain arrived. This morning.. snow , sleat and rain...

That's Washington for you!

The joys of a fickle climate!

For such a time as this

2009-03-28T07:43:00.002+08:00

Sometimes you just don't realize why you are where you are until.... you have a day like today.

Dwayne was asked to share with some very important people today. It was a total shock and happened in such a way that we both just recognized God was in the details.

I don't know how the meeting went but I'm sure the Lord used Dwayne in a magnificant way.

I love how the Lord blesses Dwayne in his faithfulness and obedience at all cost.

Thank you Lord for times such as these!

WE really do need to be ready in and out of season......

You always know them by their fruit

2009-03-26T06:15:00.003+08:00

Sometimes as we live our life we make mistakes and sometimes we hurt people along the way.
The key though is to be humble enough to admit wrong doing or be gracious enough to let people make mistakes. In most cases we aren't often aware of our own wrong doing unless someone brings it to our attention. We always though have the choice to grow from being either the one who hurts or the one who has been the recipient of someone's hurtful antics.

This week I was reminded yet again that the word is never wrong.
We can be identified as His children by the fruit we bear. How we live and what we say is the fruit of our lives.

Matthew 12:33-37
Colossians 3:12-15

Sometimes we need to be humble and admit our wrong doing. Acknowledge that we make mistakes and ask for forgiveness.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Is it really that hard?

Wedding planning......

2009-03-26T04:43:00.006+08:00

We had a successful week of planning. We pretty much finished the planning of the wedding and we got alot of other things done! Not only did we take care of alot of planning but we also some how? managed to fit 2 showers in while I was there! Thanks to Ozark Baptist "Melissa Hughes" Ladies on Mission group and Westview Baptist - Ladies. Kayla and Nick received some amazing gifts and they are well on their way to setting up their new home.

There were alot of emotions floating around and some major stress at times but all in all it was a good week. To think our Little girl is getting married ~ there are moments I just get so emotional! :) However, Dwayne and I are thrilled for Kayla and Nick.

John 13:13

2009-03-09T23:31:00.004+08:00

"You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord', and rightly so,
for that is what I am."
John 13:13

I am reminded of what a precious gift we have in Christ this morning. It snowed this morning and continues to even as I speak. The weather here in is really strange. It was starting to feel like spring was in the air and wa la... snow!

But this morning as I look out and see the white snow I was gently reminded of the songs that we sing that say "wash us white as snow". Our sin is cleaned away.
In February I had the privilege of leading a young lady to the Lord. It was so neat to see how the Lord brought us together. Sarah had been one of a few ladies I had been praying for and it was so neat to see a prayer answered.

It sometimes is necessary for changes of the weather to remind us of what a special gift we have in Christ!

Battle Field

2009-03-02T10:02:00.005+08:00

Deployment September 2009

Yes, the word came down to us this past week that Dwayne's BN would be deployed to IRAQ.Our men were out in the field this past week and Dwayne was out with them. He took some great pictures.

They guys had to be at formation by 6am and that meant some of us had to be up at 4am to be there in plenty of time. Ofcourse we were there early -Chaplain refuses to do anything less than those he serves. He's such a good servant to the guys.

Never mind the weather took a turn for the colder.... it had been in the upper 50's and 60's earlier in the week. This day however, it decided to blast us with some snow. It was cold!

Chaplain with some of the guys...

Yeah our guys rock!

This is one thing none of us should forget!

Our men and women in the Armed Forces sacrifice greatly but so do their families. For most they willingly sacrifice so that others might be afforded the same freedoms and Hope of life without fear!

Of couse- ultimately only one person can offer this in totality.

JESUS CHRIST!

Sharing our Faith.....

2009-02-25T08:48:00.002+08:00

This month has been very busy. With the news of Kayla and Nick getting engaged, the news of a wedding sooner rather than later. Birthdays , banquets, balls and dining -ins, the schedule couldn't be more full.

This month has been full but the Lord has sustained us and given us the strength we have needed to press on. A typical day for us starts at 4:15am and ends at 7pm, then we head home cook dinner and go straight to bed. Add in there at least several calls in the night from soldiers having trouble to hospital visits and emergency counseling sessions.
However, we claim Ps 55: 22.
" Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken."

We are tired but even though we are tired we know we are accomplishing the work God has for us. Today, I personally had the privilege of sharing with a young lady how she can have a relationship with Christ. It was neat to share and to hear her say, How do I tell God that I want Him to come into my life? I lead her in a prayer and she believed. It was precious and even more precious was her words afterwards. I know I'm not alone any more!

God is so amazing. Just when we feel we are wiped out and have nothing else to give He gives us these opportunities to share how He can make the difference in their lives.

It's been a full month but I can only pray Next month would be as full - it allows us to touch the lives of people who have no hope, who are seeking for someone to just care and who are willing to just share how they too can have a life with Hope!

Lord thank you..... for using me today!

Saint Barbara's Ball

2009-02-25T08:47:00.001+08:00

It was fun to dress up and we had a good time.

Really not much else to share :) .

February 21, 2009

2009-02-25T08:41:00.002+08:00

Kayla Renee' Hughes
Born February 21, 1990.

Kaykay, we just want to express how much we love you and are sorry we weren't there to celebrate with you. This was our first year to ever miss your birthday. Dad and I both talked about you and reminisced the days gone by.

You have been such a blessing our life and we can't imagine our life with out you!

We thank the Lord first and for most for blessing us with you and we rejoice in the life you have had thus far. May He continue to grow you to be a godly woman and "May you seek Him in all that you do. Lean not on your own understanding but in everything acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight". Proverbs 3:5-6

Love Mom & Dad
Josh and Justin

February

2009-02-25T08:30:00.002+08:00

ENGAGED!
It was made official on Feb. 12, 2009
Kayla & Nick are Engaged!

It was an announcement we knew was coming at some point but didn't know exactly when :) ?
We are so thrilled and so happy for Kayla and Nick as they plan for their life with one another!

1 Peter 3: 7-9
"You husbands likewise, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker vessel, since she is a woman; and grant her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.
To sum up, let all be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kind hearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing."

May the Lord bless you both!

Clam digging.... fun!

2009-02-09T01:43:00.004+08:00

Clam digging? Well, I had only seen others doing it until this weekend. Dwayne had heard from someone on post that it was Razor Clam season. He inquired more and found out that it something we might want to try. We love clams so it sounded like a good fit for us. Razor clams are very expensive- probably why we never buy them in the stores. It's just one of those special meals we eat when we are by the ocean or out on a special date. We headed off to Walmart and bought our clam digging supplies, a clam shovel and buckets.

We drove about 2 hours to a beach that we had been wanting to check out and so off we went. We arrived at Long Beach just in time for the tides to begin heading out. It wasn't peak time though until about 4:45. So we played around on the sand and stood around watching people poke their poles at the ground. Stomp around and dig uselessly in the sand. I have to say there was something quite relaxing about the whole thing.

Once the tide started really pulling out it was fun to watch as everyone began walking out farther to see if we could find the clams. Mind you- this was our first time and when the tide goes out it usually comes back in at some point and then goes out farther the next time. We had watched as some got caught and socked to the bone.... We laughed and a few times ourselves had to run from getting caught in the tide.

This picture is of Dwayne ringing out his socks because he got caught alot in the tide. We kept thinking surely it won't get deep... HA it does and faster than you realize! :)

The surf was amazing. I had forgotten of my love of the surf and the ocean. I mean I love the winter and it was hard to believe I had the best of both worlds. :) Here is Dwayne standing out in the water looking at the sand and trying hard to figure out where those DANG CLAMS were!

Here I am still dry but that is soon to change. :) We started getting impatient and noticed a few people with clams. So we headed into the surf and waited for the tide to go out and well, yes it came back in so fast... I found the lucky pot of clams.. I found one and then another and then another. I think I found 8 in one spot. Then Dwayne joined me. As we were looking down at the sand we failed to notice the tide was coming.. when the water started RUSHING in we realized we were in trouble and our clams were a couple of feet away. IN comes the water and down goes our clams... We lost them all... in total we had caught 11 and not only that we were soaked up to our butts... water in our boots and I should just mention that water was COLD! Fortunately we forged on and and stayed in the water and found our clams before they could escape. Thanks to Dwayne! :)
I mentioned earlier that we had a good time. It was fun to just stand on the sand and look out at the surf. We watched people and held hands and just enjoyed eachothers company. I love this stage of life and I might add love my beloved more and more with each passing year!
There were so many pictures to be taken. This one I found on the internet taken on the beach were we were at. I have a couple of good ones myself but couldn't down load them all. I had to use the ones Dwayne downloaded on FB. :)

Well, our day ended at about 6:20 pm. After 5 hours of beach walking and running from the waves, digging for clams was a success. We actually had a great time and we plan to make Clam chowder today. I can't wait!

I'll post some pictures of our soup .... Hope you have a restful and peaceful Sunday!

Cross country skiing

2009-01-28T06:52:00.007+08:00

It's been a 2 weeks and I am just now getting time to post. Anyway, we decided to go cross country skiing and it was fun. We really enjoyed ourselves. We took the track that was about 10km total but once we reached the 51/2 mark we decided we really wanted to do something a bit more challenging. :)

Off we go to the tracks up on the mountain. Mind you the ski lift was huge. The kind that go up so high they disappear in the clouds. Should have been a warning sign for us! However we jumped on up on that ski lift, never minding all the stares we are getting- they look down at our ski's and then back at us. Again, another warning sign!

We are standing and waiting for the lift to arrive and sweep us off our feet quite literally when all of a sudden we hear, take your back pack off sir! Then dwayne quickly realizes there isn't enough time to do that before the lift sweeps us off our feet. Swoosh! we are in the air and Dwayne is sitting with half a cheek on the chair! I'm having a panic attack. Soon he gets secured and we settle down to enjoy the views.

Man the view was amazing. Then all of sudden the chair lift picks up speed- okay, maybe it was flying this fast to begin with but the higher we go the faster it seems to go and the more nervous I get. I have ski's dangling and no bar - the thing is flying fast and did I say we were WAY HIGH IN THE SKY! My blood pressure is getting raised just thinking about it.

I laugh now but I looked at Dwayne with, the deer in the head lights look, and say ,all the while I'm laughing.., "I'm scared... I'm really scared! "
Which Dwayne replies, "Hold on we are almost there"...

Finally, we arrived at the top and all have to say is the moment I saw the hill I was about to be dropped off of was enough to make me wet my pants! :) LOL

Again, I can say this laughing but at the moment I was thinking, "Lord, really?"

We survived the landing. And the hill, I slid down on my bottom. :)

We get ready to head down and all I can say is that we were like, where is our trail? Finally, someone pointed us in the right direction. :)
Off we go!

It all started out fun and hilly, sorta. We were like man this is cool. Then the hills came.

Okay quick lesson on Cross country skiing.
1. longer than normal ski's
2. like really skinnny about 3 inches wide.
3. soft boot/ shoe
4. only your toe is clipped in....
5. the most important thing of all....
Little to no control for beginners!

Now, first hill-
Dwayne- "Oh, Oh, Oh............. Melissa becareful"
Melissa sees: Dwayne take off in front of me.. down he goes and all I hear is "Oh Oh... then nothing... and Melissa becareful".
I smiled because I assumed it was bad.. once I peak the top I see him "trying" to get up! :)
Off I go.. well, let's just say it wasn't pretty...... I was certain he'd be up before I reached him. In that moment, I learned the meaning of - the snow is fast.

We get up dust ourselves off and off we go again.

The next hill- we both look at eachother and smile... then try to encourage one another as we attempt to make it down without falling.

I fall down, Dwayne manages to make it.. to the end and then tumbles over.. losing his balance. Doesn't really count as a falling down.

Next big hill.... notice I said big. :)
We fall no need in saying any thing else...
Next hill.. we fall.... get the point..

Every hill we fall!
Finally, Dwayne wipes out- I laugh quietly and he says, "Forget it! when it hurts to fall it's no more fun!" I 'm like oh common.... then off I go... to my final fall.
I hit the track on my tail bone- at which point I scream in pain... Oh momma... oh momma! :) I have visions of being a child sledding down our neighborhood hill and our mom's sledding down seeing them hit the curb and seeing Betty wail out in pain....
OH- yeah it hurt/ hurts..... present tense!
LOL

AT which point I say, " I Quit! "

We unclip and proceed to walk a good 8 km down the side of the mountain! :)

Fast forward the next day-

Pain.... pain and more pain......

Needless to say- Dwayne has said, " NO MORE CROSS COUNTRY SKIING".

I'm game for anything twice.. so we'll see.

In Closing- the scenery was amazing - we had a great time laughing and screaming in pain. Not to mention we made some wonderful memories!

Joshua's new song with his band.

2009-01-23T12:26:00.001+08:00

Josh Hughes

2009-01-12T10:04:00.001+08:00

Reminiscing of days gone by.....

2009-01-12T06:13:00.003+08:00

Last night Dwayne and I were looking for a movie to watch. Mind you we have a ton of movies and still we couldn't decide on one to watch. So we found these old dvd's that we had back when we lived in LJ. We decided to just see what was on them. We started looking at pictures captured back when we first began working in LJ. It was neat to see pictures of the old town and to remember when it was untouched by foreigners and advancements.

We were taken back to Haini a small area where 2 very special people took the work there and began working to reach the people there- Bill and Teesa. It was cool to look back at pictures and remember what Father did and how He began to work in the lives of so many there....
To see old team mates and short term teams who gave so much to see the work move forward.

Then we came across a teacher's appreciation dinner video. It was heart warming and tears streamed down my face as we heard the voices of so many of our dear friends at Lijiang's teachers college. To see those on our team serve their teachers and administrators.

As if that wasn't enough to cause both Dwayne and I to cry and smile at the same time we found "The" Cd - our farwell cd. It made both of us smile as we put it into the dvd player.
All I can say is that ~ we miss you all so very much and count it such a blessing to have served along side each and everyone of you. You all gave more than we could have ever given to you and you all sacrificed and devoted yourselves sometimes tirelessly to the work at hand.
It's amazing at times to reflect back on those early days of ministry and to realize what extraordinary times they were!

We all were able to see Father do amazing things and to testify to His faithfulness, His grace, His strength and His mercies.... They truly are never ending....

I thought I would post the Teacher's appreciation video.

I hope you will remember the days gone by.....

Love to you all!

A New Year

2009-01-06T23:54:00.002+08:00

One thing I love about a new year is that it brings new beginnings. A chance to reflect on life and changes that need to be made in order to grow and mature.

Dwayne and I are truly in a new phase of life. It's been fun to be on our own and have some us time. This will be our first year alone, if you will. And we are excited. We have plans to go fishing, hunting, camping, skiing and traveling to new and exciting places. It's fun to explore and find new places together. We really are enjoying this new phase of life.

We had been praying for me to get a job and for my schooling to work out so that I can finish up the last few classes I need before applying for the Nursing program. I was offered a job in December but it wasn't a healthy work environment and Dwayne and I both felt that something else would come open. The Lord provided a job yesterday! :) I'll be working on post at the library. It will be a great fit for me since I'll also be going back to school and getting the classes I need to apply for the nursing program. :)

As for the work here at Fort Lewis, this year we hope to see the Lord continue to do amazing things in the life of our Battalion.

Dwayne and I have in just the first 7 days of this new year felt such conformation in what the Lord is calling us to do. It's very exciting to see prayers answered, to see people come to faith, to see others recognize that God is at work.

Yesterday, Dwayne's first day back since our Christmas break, was asked to come up in front of the men he serves. The commander recognized to the Brigade that our brigade was one of the only ones that went through the Dansi without incident. Which means there were no dui's, no arrests, no fights and more importantly no suicides. In November alone at Ft. Lewis there were 3 suicides. It was everyones concern as we went into the Christmas season that we would not have any suicides in our battalion and brigade. We prayed to that end but not just that there would be no incident but that the men and women would recognize that it wasn't just Dwayne's hard work and devotion to the troops but that God was at work in him and that the real praise went to our Lord and Savior.
As Dwayne walked forward in front of his peers he was pinned with an award. This recognized his hard work and dedication to care and minister to the troops had a direct impact on everyone and that it aided the unit to have an incident free break.
Another answer to prayer.... As one of the men passed by Chaplain Hughes, he heard the commander say to Dwayne that he really appreciated Dwayne's hard work and the young man who passed by said, and lots of Prayer! The commander said, Yes and all the prayer!

I can't wait to see what else the Lord does this year. I only look forward with anticipation and excitement to what He has for us in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

Our prayer is that His Truth would be made known to those we serve and love. That the lives of those we serve will be changed and that our battalion will have confidence in Christ rather than their own strength and abilities. We pray that more will come to faith and that the culture and environment will be changed due to Christ being at work in the lives of those we are here to serve and love.

Here's looking forward and praying for God to continue to work ....

A quick look back

2009-01-04T00:13:00.005+08:00

2008
Moments to Remember

January
We were in Auburn, Alabama and Dwayne was back in Thailand having surgery. It was hard to not be there for him but came through just fine. Kayla was heading into her last semester of her Senior year and Justin was finishing finishing out his Freshman Year of College. Josh was enjoying life and planning his next big adventure, going to China to study.

February
Was pretty eventful - we saw the Lord work in some amazing ways as Dwayne continued to lose weight and the Lord began clearing away every hurdle as Dwayne walked in Obedience to what Father was leading Him to do. It was really a neat month.

March
More hurdles were cleared and things were looking pretty clear for us to enter the Army in September .

April
Kay and I begin to plan for our trip to Scotland. A high light of the year.

May
Dwayne isn't traveling any more and it is great to have him home. The boys plan for their summers. Josh heads to China with 2 good buddies and Justin begins working as a Life Guard.
Kay and I leave for Scotland... What fun!

June
Kay and I travel all over Scotland and hate to come home.
Josh continues his studies in China.
Justin works 60 hour weeks and loves having his own money!
Dwayne enjoys his first month in a long while not traveling and
reaching his goal weight of 187 lbs.
This also marks an end to our role as M's in Asia.

July
Kay prepares for her Freshman year at Auburn University. We begin working on Kay's trailer. I think we painted that thing 3 different times :). Kay learns how to do some serious work - laying tiles, and painting.

August
Josh returns from China - had a great time and loved it. Josh signed a record deal with Tate Music Recording Studio.
Justin finished up his summer job and rewards himself with buying his first handgun.
Kayla moves into her trailer... okay we all moved into her trailer. :)
Dwayne is taking classes to learn how to be Chaplain.

September
We all head out to different places. Josh and Justin are back at Liberty, Kay is in Auburn and starting college life, Dwayne and I head off to Fort Lewis, Washington.

October
Dwayne and I love getting settled into our new home and are already planning for when the kids come home. We head out on little adventures every weekend and love our new role in the Army.

November
Thanksgiving was different since we didn't have our kids home but we invited some soldiers over and it was nice. We went Christmas tree shopping and found the perfect one. We were able to use ornaments we hadn't seen since we packed up and left the states in 1996.

December
The kids come home - Christmas is different Kay isn't there for Christmas day but such is life as they grow older. I had my very first ever White Christmas. Went Skiing, snowmobiling and played hard... lots of first to close out the year.

So that gives you a quick look back on our year.
We brought in the new year with new found friends, our boys and lots of laughter. It always amazes me how fast the years seem to quickly pass. Dwayne's Dad - once told us that with each passing year they seem to pass all the more faster. It is true. I am not sure what this next year will bring for our family but I know whatever it is the Lord will be the center of what happens and even though I am sure we are bound to experience joys and disappointments they will be balanced with knowing Father is in total control.

Here's praying you have a wonderful start to your new year!

Closing out 2008

2009-01-03T23:52:00.003+08:00

We had a great year in 2008 and I have to say that we closed it out and entered into this new year with nothing but high hopes!
Here is our family picture going into 2009 ~ all of us are a year older :) and some of us are getting thinner while some of us (me) are getting chunky. Ha so I enjoyed the end of the year festivities... ;)

I thought I would share some more pictures of our snowmobiling experience.
Here we are noticing that not only did Nick and Kayla go into the ditch but so did Josh and Justin! :) During this picture we were all laughing and talking about how is it that the kids all wind up in the ditch... :)

This is the view before we left for our adventure on snowmobiles. It was snowing so hard. I miss it already.. the snow that is!

We got alot of snow while we slept and before we could leave Kay felt the need to shovel some snow. :) She was having fun and the men folk were catching this on film. i.e. Nick in the back ground getting ready to snap a shot of his girl doing some manual labor...

Here we are trying to encourage Mr D to sit and stop taking pictures. ;) He finally did sit and we had a good dinner. We were all pooped and ready for sleep. We did go back to the room though and play some games.

We love how the Lord blesses us. It's not in ways that others may feel blessed but for our family being surrounded by Chinese people is a blessing. While we were in Leavenworth there were a gaggle of Chinese there. It took all the restraint we could muster to not just bust out in Chinese and have fun with these visitors. Finally, neither Dwayne or I could contain ourselves and we talked and laughed with some of the visitors. It was neat. Still they go into shock that there are white faced foreigners speaking their language. We usually have to ask the questions several times before they answer us. :) It was really nice to just talk in Chinese.

We are still talking about snowboarding. The boys leave tomorrow and we all wish we could go one more time snowboarding. However, I had cramps in my buttocks all day yesterday :) Yes that is funny but MAN did it hurt. It seemed if I lifted my leg or turned in just the right way - a large cramp would begin to cause me much pain... :)

I have to say Nick is a good sport. He's definitely considered family now. Justin who loves to horse around took much pleasure in getting Nick and Kay in the snow. Here he is tackling Nick in the snow and then posing for sweet picture... what you don't see is right as I snap the picture he throws snow in Nicks face... and then Kayla comes to Nicks aide. Then she too gets tackled by her brother and well they had some kind of fun.

Family time

2009-01-01T02:31:00.003+08:00

We had a great time in Leavenworth, WA. It is a neat town and has alot of cool shops. One of our favorites is the Nutcracker shop. It boasts of having the largest Nutcracker display in the country. It is pretty impressive.

We took the kids snowboarding while Dwayne , Nick and I went skiing.
Here we are on the ski lift heading up for another run.

It was the first time for me in over 20 years. I have to admit that I was falling alot those first 2 runs. Dwayne was like, Hon you okay? I would be laughing so hard - Fun? I was having a blast.. even though I was falling I still had a great time. I did start to get the feel of it and after Dwayne went down with me to show me how to cut back and forth it made a huge difference. :) Fun times!

Kay and Nick arrived on the 26th at around 7pm. They were tired but once they arrived to the house we ate pizza and then opened gifts. Nick was about to fall asleep. We got up the next morning at 4:30am and headed up to the mountain to start our adventure. We took the kids snowmobiling for a 3 hour tour. It was fun but I think everyone agreed it isn't something we would pay to do again... However, we did have a blast, played hard and enjoyed the scenery!

This big guy was at the lodge where we went snowmobiling. It was so cute to see him go outside and dig in the snow and lay down. Here he is as the snow was falling and covering him up. I am sure he was glad to see us go!

Here is Dwayne. He was incognito covered up from head to toe. All you can see are his eyes. He liked it that way especially as he wiped out. Now everyone must know that I was absolutely impressed with my honey. He can ski and he looked so cute out there cutting back and forth. I laughed hard though as I watched him fall on one of the 2 times he actually fell. He said, I didn't care because I knew no one could see me. The other time Dwayne fell it was our last run of the day. Mind you we had been skiing hard since 12 noon and it was now 6pm. We only took a 45 minute break for lunch. Well, Dwayne wiped out and this instructor ski's by and tells Dwayne to Be Responsible. Hearing Dwayne tell the story to us in the truck on the way out we were all laughing so hard. SO that was the phrase for the rest of the night and the next day.
He Be Responsible... what ever that means!

We ate at Gustovs for lunch before leaving Leavenworth. We couldn't pass up the photo op. Finally we had to start ordering to get Dwayne to join us. :)

This was taken while Snowmobiling. We had a blast. It was bumpy at the end but for the most part it was fun. We laughed really hard though ALOT! Before leaving on our tour the guide reminded us all of how very deep the snow was and that we needed to stay on the trail. She warned us of turns and making sure we take them wide. Well, on one of the turns Nick and Kay take the turn a bit tight and they turned the snowmobile over. It was like they disappeared in the snow. It was too funny. Here is a picture after the first time - the kids thought it was really cool that they could walk off the trail and fall up to their waist in snow. :)

Josh really enjoyed snow boarding. I was so very impressed with how fast the kids picked up on this sport. Those who know Josh knows that he doesn't lack confidence and I tell you - it just blows my mind that this child of ours can say, I can do this and then he does.. It was fun to see them come down the mountain.

Here's Justin on his Snow Mobile. :) Fun fun times.. Justin really enjoyed getting Nick with the snow. On too many occasions he really nailed Nick and Kay... :)

Here's Justin with his Snowboard. Justin was the dare devil- which shouldn't surprise anyone. He kept trying to jump and he and josh both went down the more advanced slopes. Too scary for me. On one occasion Justin said watch him as he jumped this one spot. All I saw was Justin go up in the air and then all I could see was hands and board as he fell ... He jumped up and said, Man that was cool! :) He shocked some of the other boarders - they were like man your good and Justin would say thanks. They would say how long you been boarding and Justin would smile and say, Today is our first time. :) The guy was like NO WAY! :) Ofcourse that made him and Josh both feel great!

This is the only picture I have of Kayla snowboarding. She really picked it up fast as well. I mean to tell you the kids were going down the slopes with out falling that is how good they were. I was so impressed. I went down with Kayla 2 times and she would just turn and switch directions without any problems. It was great to see the kids enjoy themselves. Nick did try to snowboard but he decided to change to skiing. He rocked on ski's!

This is looking down the street in Leavenworth.

Here Dwayne and I are as we prepare to head back to the Hotel. It was a great day and everyone had smiles on their faces. We all pondered how sore we would the next day. At the moment though we all wished we had more time and several more days!

Our trip was a success and one we will be making again very soon. Dwayne was so scared that because I was falling so much that I wouldn't really enjoy it but I did and I really want to go back. :) The boys are already talking about getting the gear and can't wait to go snowboarding again. :)

Kay left yesterday night and the boys leave in just a few more days. I can't hardly believe how fast the time has gone by.

We have had a great Christmas with the kids...

Happy New Year everyone!

Christmas Morn

2008-12-26T00:48:00.002+08:00

White Christmas beautiful blue skies and family...

Ofcourse it was a wonderful Christmas morn!

We all stayed up and watched SCROOGE and then headed off to bed. :) Yes in our family Christmas morning is a big deal. It doesn't matter how old the kids have gotten they still want to get up early and see the presents and then lay and wait for the "alarm" to go off.. Usually Dwayne says 5am is the earliest the kids can get him up. :) This year Kayla spent Christmas with her boyfriends family. So we all felt a bit out of sorts. It was strange not having her here and being apart of our Christmas dinner and then Christmas Eve ritual. Which basically is Justin plotting and deciding on what time to get up. :) Actually it's usually he and kay who are teasing their dad and making him worry about them getting him up at an ungodly hour. ;)

Well, this morning came early for me. I woke up at 12am and needed to get some water. Mei decided she needed to go potty and wanted to check out the tree one more time to make sure Santa left her something. Ofcourse he did! She always has the only 2 gifts under the tree that aren't wrapped. :)

Let me tell you she noticed them too....

It was 5:30 am and Justin comes busting in the bedroom door. With the phone saying it's Kayla.... :) He was thrilled his sister called him and it made our morning as well. It felt like she was there sorta.... Josh was even thrilled and smiling from ear to ear. Now don't think for one minute that Josh doesn't get into the whole Christmas thing... He does..he's just a bit more relaxed about it and has always been that way! Now he's the one who gets all excited once we get in the living room. He's the one who is making sure Big Dad has all his things, ie: coffee and bible.. and he's there to make sure that Dwayne is on cue and reading. Cause he's all about getting to the presents. :)

Usually in our family we don't put out any presents until Christmas Eve. In the past few years we have started putting out only the gifts we are giving to family. However, this year we started putting out the presents only because it wasn't going to be a big gift giving year. We gave the kids a 3 day skiing, snowmobiling Christmas gift. :)

I think everyone was pleased but we all felt the changes and while life is full of them it is just one of those changes I'm going to really miss as the kids grow up and move out on their own.
It's a necessary one and one that we've planned for but none the less it is different.

You know it makes the ones we have together mean something extra special!

My heart is full and my life is so full of joy.
I am truly blessed.....

Thank You Lord!

Merry Christmas ~

2008-12-24T23:14:00.002+08:00

Merry Christmas to you all~
With Love,
Dwayne, Melissa, Josh, Justin & Kayla
and Mei mei

December 23rd....

2008-12-24T01:22:00.002+08:00

It's already December 23rd ! Where has the time gone? I can't hardly believe how fast this month as flown by. I'm sad though because it means we only have a little more time with our boys home. Kay and Nick arrive in just a couple more days and I soooo can't wait for them to get here.

We still have snow and it looks like I will get my first ever White Christmas. :)
God is so Good. :)

Here are 10 things I love about Winter.

1. Brisk cool air hitting your face and that feeling of brrrr in the air.
2. Feeling the need to snuggle up in a warm blanket. There's just nothing like it.
3. Layering up in warm clothing. Putting on sweaters... I love sweaters!
4. The smell of a wood fire in the fire place. I can hear the crackling as I type.
5. The sight of falling snow. It makes me smile and think about What an Awesome God we have!
6. The sound of crunching snow .
7. Throwing snow balls... Man it is so much fun!
8. Sledding and falling down in the snow - I don't care how old you are, now that's just plain good ole fun!
9. Enjoying a hot cup of Hot Chocolate. Mmmmm
with marshmellows.....
10. One of my most favorite things: Seeing trees with snow piled up on them and bare branches with ice covering them....

Mt. Rainer Pictures

2008-12-21T10:23:00.003+08:00

This is chips the fox....

Josh getting ready to jump ....

We came to save the day. :) Thanks to Black Beauty... these young soldiers were able to continue on their journey.

Mt. Rainer

2008-12-21T07:56:00.002+08:00

Today we took the boys up to Mt. Rainer. It's one of the mountains right out our back door. It's been pretty cool living in this area and having so many neat places to explore. We wanted the boys to see the mountain and we also wanted to go and play in the snow.

We got up early this morning and headed out. We were expecting another snow front to come in around late afternoon so we needed to get up there and get down before it came in.

We had a great time. Let me just say that there was ALOT of snow!

Up the mountain we went and just as we turned the corner and discussing if the roads were too bad for us to continue on up the mountain we saw 2 young men walking towards us. We stopped and asked them if they needed help and they were like yes. We are stuck. Well, they were coming down the mountain and being a bit careless and slid into the snow embankment.

We all piled out of the truck and began working to them free. It didn't take but 2 tries and wa la they were out of the snow! :)

Off we headed up the mountain. We did decide to head on up to the sledding area.

We turned the corner and there is a red fox... man was it beautiful....

Off we go after a few pictures and wishing we could trick her to come and join us in the car. Dwayne continued to say how he wished he could bring her home.

Once we arrived at the top of the mountain we saw another fox this time he was black and gray. Man it was just one of those cool days when we got to see so many cool things !
Oh and we saw deer and elk.... too!

so enjoy the pictures!

We are off to enjoy some Mexican food.. Yummy in our tummies!

Car Sledding and skiing

2008-12-20T08:18:00.002+08:00

I really wish I had pictures to post. Justin took all the pictures so I'll have to post those at a later date. Dwayne was off most of the day since we had another snow fall and the roads were pretty bad. We decided to head out of the house to see an early movie. We went in side the theater and it was just barely snowing by the time we came out we had another nice dumping. Atleast 2 inches.

Dwayne decided that we needed to go out and ski and sled behind the car. Apparently something he and his brother Tim use to do every year. We headed out and the boys were having a blast as we drove threw the neighborhood you could see people watching us.. I'm sure thinking surely those aren't the kids parents with them. :)

I had the chance to pull Dwayne, mind you after he pulled me and was going so fast that I couldn't even hold on.. So off I go. He was going good and so I decided :) to speed up..... Crash and burn.. yep mr D goes down. I was laughing so hard but the boys were like, MOM that was TOO fast.. I couldn't believe it... Change of drivers... Dwayne is back in the drivers seat... Off we go. It's my turn.. Now what do you think is going to happen? Yep... but do my boys say, DAD that was too fast? NO! they laugh! :)
WE had so much fun! :)

Then we tried sledding with boxes.. Oh my gosh! That was the best of all... I was so scared but then it was soooo much fun! ;)

We had a wonderful time and made some great memories....

Parties and Laughter

2008-12-20T08:06:00.002+08:00

So we had a full week this past week. We had so many Christmas parties it wasn't even funny. The boys arrived on Friday and we had our final party on Saturday. So we took the boys with us. It was mostly all single guys so we thought the boys would enjoy going. As we arrived at the Olive Garden we had to wait over an hour for our table. But that was okay. The wait was so worth it.

After our dinner and lots of good laughs and conversations. It was the gift exchange time.

we all drew our numbers and we were the next to the last to pick from our gifts.

First of all let me say this was suppose to be a White Elephant gift exchange.

Instead most everyone but 2 of us brought white elephant gifts.

We happened to be one of the ones who brought the white elephant gifts. Ours was a redneck bottle opener. Everytime you opened a bottle you heard " You know your a redneck if"...

We are down to the last 2 gifts. Nicely wrapped boxes and its our turn. We know that one of the gifts is a gag gift so I'm like -pick that one.. it's nicely wrapped and then the couple who brought it start saying , No don't pick that one! Then ofcourse what is our reaction. YES, we want it.. no no chaplain you don't... as they are laughing, nervously I might add.. Dwayne starts to flounder and I'm like - Heck the Chaplain can laugh with the best of them Pick that one! ;)

So we pick it.

As we unwrap it Dwayne says, Hey those look like Water balloons... Everyone is like what? Let us see... and the couple. Well let's just say they were about to crawl under the table.

here was our Gift. You have to watch it to see what we saw!

Should I say any more!

We all laughed so hard we had people coming by to see what we were laughing about.

The wonderful thing about it is - we didn't have to take it home someone saved us from that but everyone learned that just because we may be Christians doesn't me we can't laugh and enjoy a gag gift or two! :)

We had a wonderful time and made some good friends that night....

Snow Skiing, sledding ......

2008-12-20T07:55:00.004+08:00

We have had some fun in the snow these past few days. It has been so beautiful and I have to say that even now after one full week of just snow :) and I'm still loving. Scratch that we are still loving it..

I have some catching up to do on events in the family.

Well, first of all the kids all have finished another semester. Starting with the youngest and newest student, Kayla. She took 18 hours her first semester and finished with all A's. Way to do Kaykay!
Justin who is now a sophomore in College took a full semester as well and finished well indeed. He had thought he might not do well in a few of his classes but he finished well and that is all that really matters.
Josh our Senior in College is about to enter his last semester. He's worked hard in college and has played hard as well. He has had more experiences than most college students. I swear I don't know how he does as well as he does. He is working hard on his music and feels the Lord is leading him to pursue that passion so he's really busy. He only has one more semester before graduating this June. We are very proud of him and can't wait to see where his music takes him.

Josh and Justin are home now and we have had some fun, let me tell you!
Kayla and Nick will be home on the 26th and will be here until the 30th. We look forward to having them home.

More in the next post! ;)

Snow Pictures

2008-12-18T05:37:00.001+08:00

Snow....

2008-12-18T00:13:00.002+08:00

Yes it is snowing. I'm so excited. I woke up at 2am this morning not feeling too well and thought I would just get a drink. That turned into another hour or so of just sitting up and playing on the computer. I have a weather warning setting on my desk top and it had "SNOW" storm warning. I looked out and it didn't even look possible and so I kept playing on the computer. 20 minutes later I look up and it looks really foggy out and I get up and low and behold SNOW!

Now it's 8am and it is still snowing. There is atleast 3 or 4 inches on the ground and no sign of it letting up ;) ...

CAN YOU TELL I'M EXCITED!

I wish I could post pictures - But alas my camera is dead and Dwayne has lost his cable connectors. So pics will have to come later.

The boys are sleeping snug in their beds and won't wake up to go out and play. They both looked though but then just rolled back over to sleep.

Mei is very excited to go out so we go out about every hour to play and run in the snow:) HA! It's a crying shame my dog is more eager to go out than the kids. ;)

Dwayne had to go into post but I'm praying he gets to come home soon since it is snowing so badly.

Here it is December 17th and we have snow. It is Very possible this southern gal could have her dream Christmas come true....

A White Christmas!

Arrival

2008-12-12T22:14:00.002+08:00

The boys will be arriving home in just a few more hours. Dwayne has headed out to play ARMY and the boys and I are going to go out to try and knock out some Christmas shopping. :)

We started early this morning - Dwayne and I were up at 3am and he had to be on post by 4:30am. I am sure at this moment they are already headed out to the field. Oh and
he gets to play army all the while there is a winter storm warning. We are expected to
get 2-4 inches of snow this afternoon. ;)

Well, I'll have pictures to post soon!

Just couldn't wait to post a note to say, how excited we are that our boys will be home in just a few hours from now.

Merry Christmas!

Can you believe this?

2008-12-12T04:59:00.002+08:00

Poor Santa!

I thought this was too funny. It doesn't require much else to be said......

On a more serious note.
Dwayne and I have had a busy start to our December. I think last week alone we had 3 parties to go to and this week we've had meetings and more parties mixed in with bible studies, FTX *field training exercises*, Boys arriving and more parties!

However, I have to say it's been so neat to see the Lord bring people into our lives. We both just love where the Lord has us and see the that there is as great a need here in the ARMY/USA as there is in ASIA. Lostness is lostness- actually, I am beginning to see that those lost here in the states are not just lost because they just don't know who Christ is, but rather their hearts are hardened because they have been either hurt or wounded by "religion" or worse they are clearly deceived by the enemy.

This holiday season causes us to stop and take pause and consider what life would have been like without Christ.

I'm so thankful that God gave us the GREATEST GIFT of all!

The Christ Child......

Kids update...

2008-12-09T05:03:00.003+08:00

Here are Nick and Kayla decorating their first tree.... together. Actually it was Nicks tree but they went and picked it out and then got their decorations. :) How fun and what fun memories. Thank goodness for Donnie and Debbie ( Nick's parents) for sending us pictures.. :)

Kayla is finishing her first semester and doing GREAT. She's loving school and enjoying her new found freedom.

Here's a picture of Lynchburg where the boys are in school. They got some snow the other night. :) They too are doing great and are both looking forward to getting home for the holidays. They will be here in just 4 more days! :)

Mornings...

2008-12-04T22:10:00.002+08:00

I just thought this little guy says it all.....

Mornings? Need we say more?

Having some fun....

2008-12-02T12:39:00.001+08:00

Decorate Your Own Photo

Christmas Tree Hunting

2008-12-02T04:51:00.005+08:00

I really love this time of the year and for the first time in a long time Dwayne and I went and picked out our Christmas Tree. It was cold, rainy and did I say cold?
We laughed, remembered the time we got our first live Christmas Tree in Elpaso, Tx. We still laugh at the thought of the Christmas Bush!

It took us the better part of the day to find the right tree. Dwayne cracked me up as he continued to say, " I'm feeling over stimulated".

So finally, we ended up on a small back road, off the beaten path, in a small field. We finally found the "ONE"

However, It wasn't this one. We did like it alot! Unfortunately, it was the first one that caught our eye and we kept going back to it. LOL- as you can see it is HUGE! IT would not have fit in our house. :) We only have 8 Ft. ceilings. :)

Yeah, he got side tracked- Deer Tracks to be more specific... :)
Focus sweetie.. :) He kept saying, But they are huge! :)
No not the trees... DEER! Focus.....

After over an hour out in the rain and cold we had to come in and warm up.. Who doesn't get all warm and fuzzy when they see Santa?

Did I mention that we had a lot of trees to chose from.....

Heat.... Felt so good!

So many people found their tree..... It was so sweet to see so many families and little kids getting all excited that they found their special tree.

Justin this is for you! :) Sorry, it is blurry but you will be surprised to see some little things you made . Darn that Camera! :)
Josh you will enjoy seeing this tree.. it will bring alot of special memories.
Kayla- you have some special things on the tree as well!

We can't wait to get you all home for the holidays..

Mom and Dad miss you bunches and love you bunches more!
We are so proud of you.......

Thanksgiving Day

2008-12-01T13:15:00.003+08:00

We had a great Thanksgiving. We sure did miss our kids though. This was our second Thanksgiving to spend without having atleast one of our kids home. We had several single soldiers over though and loved on them and made sure that they had plenty to eat. Then we fixed plates for 6 of the soldiers who had to work. I think over all it was a good day. :) I sure was tired though.