One. Proud. Wife.

I have not blogged about Mark and his journey through Afghanistan. While he was there he sent home, almost weekly, a letter to friends and family about his week and his feelings about what was happening locally. I was so happy and excited to get his letters because he shared so much of himself through them. I'm working on getting them published for our kids to read some day. In the mean while, Mark received many awards while he was there from the PRT and the commanders there on base. We have a wall in our home where we hang four of his major awards and the two different US Flags that he received with his service. While I will never fully comprehend what Mark went through during his time overseas, I am so grateful and proud of him for taking that job with the Army Corps of Engineers in southeast Afghanistan. I truly believe that his experiences there changed Mark for the better. His perspective of the world, of the war, of the children found in Afghanistan, their schools, roads, bridges, the soldiers who are fighting and defending freedom, the medical teams who patch up locals and the soldiers, the contractors who really do want to improve their surroundings and do the right thing .... have all contributed to who my husband is today. Thank you Mark for all that you have done to support our family and help build up the lives of countless. We love you.

I wish you could read this up close but it is the Superior Civilian Service Award & Medals.
It is signed by Timothy P McHale Major General of US Army Commander.

Mark receiving his Certificate of Service from Lt Col Andy Veres USAF Commander
Mark served under Lt Col Veres on two tours.

Receiving his Certificate of Appreciation.

Engineering Team

Mmmmm .... Wish You Could Smell This ....

Last week I decided to do some baking ... and of course bread is just about my favorite thing to make. The top mini loaves are banana bread as are the mini-rounds (although they almost look like donuts) and the bread below is rosemary peasant bread which you can find the recipe for here. AND I might add all of this is soo hard to resist .... especially when I'm trying to avoid flour and sugar for that fact these days! But, if you have the time and are having guests over for dinner, I highly recommend the rosemary bread along with butter or a little olive oil and vinegar for dipping. FANTASTIC! Enjoy!

Recipe will make two loaves ... I froze one for future use .... this one is now on my hips!

Our First Air Show .... Offutt Air Force Base

A couple of weeks ago we were able to go to our very first USAF Air Show! What a thrill it was to be part of this great day! Mark's coworker Don (who's wife is on the committee) gave us VIP tickets which made it possible for us to park on base close to the entrance and sit under the big tent! The tent was great because it provided us with much needed shade, chairs and all you can eat and drink for free! Love that we did not have to drag chairs and buy water that ran $5.00 a bottle! So much fun and of course we all had a great time seeing and hearing the planes. We even got to tour some of the big and small planes. Here are some of the pictures from the day! PS - I should mention this is an ALL day event ... front 9 to 4 pm ... and of course we had to stay to the end to hear and see those F -15's start up and fly over. The air show is also redone on Sunday. After church we came home to see the planes flying over ... we did have a pretty good view from our deck but, of course it was nothing like being there! There is an announcer that is going all day long that tells you who is coming and who is jumping out of the planes, etc. Overall a long day but, lots of fun!

F - 15's ... VERY LOUD!!! Thank heavens for ear plugs.

Cockpit of B-1 Bone - Only four men on this plane.

Pilot of B-1 Bone ... he has made MANY trip to Afghanistan!!

B 2 Spirit - Stealth Bomber

C - 17 - HUGE! Lots of Cargo

First Day of Kindergarten

Max started Kindergarten at Anderson Grove Elementary in Papillion, Nebraska on Tuesday, August 16th. He was so excited! In fact, perhaps a little too excited ... between the nerves, excitement, a big breakfast his stomach got a little upset! But, after a quick throw-up, he was all better and ready to go. He was a little sad to know that he would not be taking the bus, in fact, I drop him off and pick him up every day. Kindergarten is full day here so he is in school from 8 till 3 pm every day. His teacher is Mrs. Ghazai and there are only 16 kids in his class! Max is really enjoying getting to know all the kids in his class and just this weekend we had a little play date at the park with several of his new friends.

Time To Move Again ...

July came and we quickly realized that it was going to be time for our family to move once again. Mark got official word that his start date was August 1st. We quickly bought airline tickets for all three of us to fly to Omaha in search of housing and to see the area. Max flew out with us and G & G Tippets drove over from Wyoming to meet us for a few days. It was a whirlwind of a trip but we were successful in finding a home to rent for the next year. The area is very green and we were surprised to see how many trees and hills there are in this area. While we are surrounded by corn fields .... we are also surrounded by very nice neighbors. We have been able to meet several neighbors and we could not have picked a better street to live on for Max! He is absolutely in love with playing outside in the yard and with the neighbors. Kids all around sure make playing outside a ball!

After less than a week in the area, we flew back to Virginia and Max drove back to Wyoming to spend the next four weeks with G & G Tippets while we got moved. Thank heavens Max has such great grandparents who love him so much and are willing to keep up with him 24/7. When we got back, I had to give my two week notice and Mark packed up the things he would be needing for the next 3 weeks. Mark drove the truck out and stayed in a local extended stay hotel while he started work. I was left to finish the packing of the apartment, coordinate the move with NAVL, the storage units, check out of the apartment and drive across country! No problem! Again, thankful that I was only worrying about myself to do all this and not try to keep up with Max during all this.

When all is said and done .... and a lot of sweating ... our move is finally complete and we are unpacked and loving our hew home. Max arrived the day I did, by plane, with mom and dad and we were all here during the truck unloading. It's hard to beat these fun opportunities but, we are glad to be rid of four storage units and to have all our things and family in one place!

Welcome Home Party

To help keep me sane during the past few months of patiently waiting for Mark to come home, I decided to plan a big homecoming party for him. I had special invitations printed up and made arrangements to have the party at the church in the cultural hall. Mark had missed bbq food so much while he was gone we had it catered by Famous Daves. My friend Jen Bishop made her awesome baked beans and I had one of our young women make these fantastic cupcakes for dessert. We had just over a hundred people come out - friends from Northern Virginia to Winchester. My friend Tammy Nixon made the gorgeous flower arrangements for me and helped me get everything set up. It was a lot of work but, I enjoyed doing it for Mark. Unfortunately we had so much fun visiting ... the camera got put down early on and we don't have many pictures from the great evening. Welcome Home Mark!

First Two-Wheeler ... with Training Wheels!

For preschool graduation Max earned himself his first bicycle! He has actually been waiting for dad to come home to help him learn how to ride. Once assembled Max had a great time riding circles in our little apartment parking lot. A couple other little kids in our neighborhood have bikes too - they have a blast together. It will not be long till those training wheels come off!