From Mississippi to Hawaii

Training for Iraq

2008-09-10T23:50:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I have to put something down about my experience at the "National Training Center", or NTC. This is the Army installation located near Death Valley, CA, and is supposed to be the most realistic training in the world, in regards to preparing for Iraq.

So, let's start at the beginning, shall we? 0120. 0120 is military time for 1:20 AM. That's when I had to be at the armory to pick up my weapon and prepare to leave for NTC. Why 0120 you might ask (as I did at oh-1220 as I was rolling out of bed to head to the rendezvous point)? Because the plane was leaving at 0620, that's why. It takes 5 hours to get your gear inspected and loaded, grab your weapon, drive 20 miles, and "hurry up and wait".

It was really hard to say goodbye to Jamie and the kids. We sat in the van as long as we could, talking about nothing, until the last minute when there was no denying it was time to go. From the moment I heard we were going (to Iraq), I felt this dreadful sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I expected to go, sometime, just not so soon. I got this feeling of helplessness that reminds me, "there's nothing you can do". Now don't get me wrong, it's not Iraq that scares me (ironically). I figure God set our time to go and meet him since before we were born, and so I believe my time is my time--there is no changing it--and I feel secure that God has chosen the perfect time for me. No, the dread comes from the thought of leaving my family. Not being there to help them through hard times, experience good times, and just be a part of their lives. I hate the thought of Iz telling me one day that I wasn't there when he needed me most. I know this is a risk I face by following this path, and I have accepted it, because I believe this is where God wants me. Nevertheless, leaving for NTC reminded me that I would have to leave again, for an even longer time, and that dreadful feeling just radiated from inside. I watched the van pull away until I couldn't see the tail lights anymore. Then I took a long deep breath, buckled down, and said to myself, "Okay Mike, the sooner you get loaded up, the sooner you come home."

It was dark by the time we actually got to NTC. I've made a lot of mental comparisons between the Army and the Air Force since I crossed over to the Army. Needless to say, I carried my own bags.

Sleeping arrangements consisted of two rows of bunks lining the walls of a long building made of cinder blocks, with doors on either end and a window every few bunks. One of these bulidings will sleep about 40 soldiers, in my estimation. I took the top bunk, not for any reason in particular, except I imagined some guy lying above me with body parts hanging over the sides of his mattress; arms, legs, smelly socks. No, it was the top bunk for me, and my fears have me convinced it was well worth the climb.

The Army has not ceased to amaze me with its ability to "adapt and overcome", a saying I have carried over with me from the Air Force, but just as true for its sister service. For instance, that first night, the air conditioner was broken. The next night, I avoided the barracks until the last minute, however, when I arrived, I saw an interesting sight. Someone had somehow removed the 3 ft A/C duct from the outer wall and rerouted it through one of the windows. It was nice and chilly that second night, and I learned something about America's Army: Don't underestimate them. The Air Force would have done it "right", but it would have taken a lot of paperwork, signatures, approvals, etc. for a building handled by contractors, as this one was. Needless to say, it would likely have been the next rotation of troops that would experience the glorious air conditioning provided by our ingeniously engineered "rerouting" job. Now, extrapolate this scenario to a wartime environment--tanks, tactics, combat--and see the formula: problem--quick solution with resources on hand--success; adapt and overcome. The Army is smart and simple, traits I have come to admire in my time with them so far.

Okay, getting tired of writing so much, so here's another quick rundown of remaining events: NTC was hot, nasty, grimy, lot of hard work, averaged 18 hour days, heavy equipment to wear and carry, glad when showers were available, simulated mortar attacks at any hour (with real cannons for that 300 decibel, ringing in the ears effect), including nights; lonely, miles on miles of walking, often terrible food with "meals ready to eat" MREs (boxed, old food--powdered egg omelete, anyone?), more heat, no rain, community showers, lost my shampoo and soap, never forgot my flip-flops, all kinds of blisters, learned the "right" way to wear a moleskin!, and finally glad to see the family again. Not looking forward to Iraq. More writing later.

Bedrooms

2008-07-07T17:48:00.000-07:00

Okay, I realize the first bedroom is empty! It is actually the master and is located downstairs. We opted to just stay upstairs with the kids while they are adjusting to being in a new place. They are doing better now but we are still having trouble getting them to bed at a decent time! Each room had sliding mirror closet doors which the kids love to play with. There is also a very large laundry room (downstairs that lead out to the garage) and a large storage closet upstairs that we may turn into an office it is so big. Anyway, it is a nice house and we are enjoying it. We thank God once again for providing for our family. P.S Have you figured out why we qualified for a four bedroom? Hmmmmm....I wonder!!!

Living room and Kitchen

2008-07-07T17:43:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of the living room and kitchen. We have so much space that we acutally let the kids ride their tricycles in the house! I cant even believe I just wrote that let alone let them do it! They have fun though. We are really enjoying the house even if only for a few months!

Our house!

2008-07-07T17:40:00.001-07:00

I finally took pictures of the house today. It is four bedroom, three and a half bath. We still have loaner furniture so it is pretty bare right now.

4th of July!!!

2008-07-05T13:30:00.000-07:00

Well, for the military there is no bigger day to celebrate than the fourth of July! There was basically a big festival on post. We took the kids to all the inflatables and they had a lot of games for little kids. Billy Ray Cyrus was in concert (which was interesting....and yes he still sings Achy Breaky heart!!!) Of course, the food was great! As you can see, here is Michael munching on a barbeque sandwich. We forgot the camera during the afternoon but remembered it when we went back for the fireworks. It started raining right before the fireworks but it wasnt bad. Isaiah liked the fireworks but Katie cried through the first few minutes saying "Too loud, too loud!" After a while she would say that they were "too loud, but pretty!" Kids in our neighborhood set off little fireworks late into the night but it was fun!

Brad and his wife Joann

2008-07-01T15:00:00.000-07:00

We went to dinner with Bradley and his new wife Joann. We went to Tony Roma's. It was nice to meet the newest member to our family. Those who dont know Brad is my nephew and is in the marines. He is stationed in Hawaii as well so it was nice to see some family. He deploys in August so please be praying for him and his new wife. Isaiah and his friendly little self really enjoyed playing with Brad and Joann. Meanwhile Katie stuck to mom and dad!

Jamie's Hawaiian Birthday!

2008-06-21T14:30:00.000-07:00

So here are a few pictures from my birthday. Michael got me my first lai made of course out of purple flowers. We went to dinner at a seafood and steak restaurant near one of the many marinas at Waikiki. Some new friends tagged along. While dinner took an extremely long time, we really enjoyed ourselves. For dessert..my favorite Creme Brulette!

Ko Olina

2008-06-17T19:36:00.001-07:00

For Father's day we went to a beach called Ko Olina. These are a set of 4 man made lagoons which makes for nice calm, clear water. Isaiah is really learning to enjoy the beach. Katie is still afraid to walk in the sand. I did get them both to play in the sand however. Isaiah didnt want to get out of the water but Katie spend most of her time on Daddy's lap! Here are a few pictures of our day there. We went with some new friends Brandon, Ariell, and their son Wyatt. We plan to make trips to all the most popular beaches until we find our favorite spot. So far this one tops the list for me since the water is so calm, the kids can play safely.

So as most of you have already heard, we also got news this week that Michael will be deployed in October for one year. We new this was coming but it was still difficult to put a time with it. We are still making decisions on when I will take the kids home. While we built our house in MS for this purpose, the house is not complete yet (we are hoping our wonderful help will be able to get a lot done by October) so we are still trying to nail down when will be the appropriate time to head home. Please be praying for our family as we make decisions and preparations for Michael's deployment. A year is a very long time away and we want to be able to make the most of a difficult situation. We are taking a lot of video of the kids with their daddy so we can watch it while he is gone! Anyway, we would appreciate all of your prayers.

Also this week, we will move into our house on base. We are very ready to get out of the hotel! I am actually really ready to cook!!!!!

We will keep you posted on how things are going.

Waikiki

2008-06-12T01:43:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we spend the afternoon at Waikiki. This the most popular tourist beach on the island. We went to the military hotel called the Hale Koa which offers the public beach, and private military pools and restaurants. The kids liked the beach okay but the tide was pretty strong since we went in the late afternoon. Swimming only a few feet away from us was a very large sea turtle. We got him on video and will try to post it later. We also played in the pool which both Isaiah and Katie really enjoyed. We are lucky that they both seem to love the water. One picture is Michael showing whose float it really is!!! On our way out of the hotel, we stopped to listen to some local musicians and the kids broke out dancing! We got many laughs over their rhythm!

Today we found out that we got a house on post!! Thank you Lord and thank you all for your prayers!!! We will be able to move in on Thursday after an inspection on Wednesday. Since we do not have our household goods yet (and it looks like it will be a while) they have kind of a loaner closet. Basically they furnish you with furniture, kitchen supplies, beds, and a washer and dryer (can I get an AMEN on that one) until your household goods arive. So it wont be our stuff but at least we can move into a house and be on post!! There are many advantages to being on post and we are looking forward to those, including being within walking distance to the pool!!!

I wanted to add one quick little update on our little ones...Isaiah's favorite phrase right now is "What was I saying?" I have no idea where he got that but he says it all the time. Katie's favorite phrase is "Bopp it, Zayah"(Stop it, Isaiah), but she says it in a really deep grunt when she is not getting her way. We will keep you posted as they pick up new things everyday. We are waiting for Aloha and Shaka!

Making Progress

2008-06-07T01:23:00.000-07:00

This week Michael was supposed to be off, yeah know to spend time with the fam but, since we are not in any Army systems, he went on post today to get some things squared away. Most importantly, he is now finally getting paid by the Army. Now that is a good feeling!! This took most of the morning but he did stop by housing before leaving the post. We are very happy to say that we are in line for a 4 bedroom house. Here is the deal, there are two houses, one has been offered to a family, if they decline the house, then it is ours. The second house is under maintenance. This house will be ours when maintenance clears it. Basically whatever happens first. We should find something out by Wednesday. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE PRAY that God will grant us one of these houses. We looked at one of them (not sure which one but we think it is the one under maintenance) and it is in a nice subdivision, on the corner, right across the street from the park. We couldnt look inside of it today but did peek inside the windows. It is an older house but we both agree it is very nice and we just want to be on post!!! After all of that, we took the kids to the post pool. Isaiah and Katie both seem to really enjoy the water. Isaiah is especially adventurous and isnt afraid to put his head under water! We really had a great time. As we were leaving the post tonight, we saw two rainbows!!! We have seen one everyday and it is just such a blessing. The views on the drive back to the hotel were really pretty. We really count it a blessing to be living in such a beatiful place. God's Glory really shows here!!!

Michael's Side of the Story (The Real Version)

2008-06-07T00:25:00.001-07:00

Hmm... Been reading over this thing, and wanted to make sure the story was more accurately told, so... While doing "all the packing" may have been hard for Jamie, I think it should be known that someone did "all the carrying" (Isaiah on my shoulders, two backpacks, a suitcase in either hand, another bag strapped to one of the suitcases, Katie hanging off a leg, another bag attached by a rope and being pulled nicely into the airport), and not to say who that was, but HIS arms sure are sore... (Pay no attention to the cart that may have been cut-and-pasted into one of the pictures). So let's paint the true picture, shall we? It was a dark and stormy night. Michael had just finished BUILDING A HOUSE, and his arms were sore from all the hammering, driving, painting, and carrying. With his last wisp of energy, he manages to crawl his way into the cozy, warm house. And what does he see? A pile of mountainous luggage that had to be hand-carried (dark and stormy night, remember? Wheels don't roll in mud). And what does he hear? "Michael! I did all this packing, now you need to hurry up and carry this into the van." "Yes, my darling, lovely wife. I will do this for you, as I always willingly do everything that you ask." When I was finally finished, Jamie woke herself and the kids from their nap and said, "It's time to go!" So I limped back to the van, heading for the passenger's seat for some rest of my own. Jamie then tossed me the keys and said, "You drive first!" I said "Yes, my darling, lovely wife. I will do this for you, as I always willingly do everything that you ask." Whew! Too much writing, and I'm getting distracted with something else, so let's speed this up. Here's how a guy tells the story: Plane ride, many stops, 24+ hours later, got to Hawaii, scenery is beautiful, stuff is expensive, rainbows everyday, weather is great, no word on deployment, everyone's healthy, still working on getting in the pay system (but not broke yet), things working out, Go Colts! (and/or Giants), God is good--Amen. (Too tired now to paste a picture, plus, we already said "Amen", so that's it). Bye!

Hawaii - Day 3

2008-06-06T01:42:00.000-07:00

So today we had to switch hotels because while being right on the beach is beautiful, it is also expensive so we moved inland to a hotel closer to the post and cheaper on the wallet. The military will pay for our expenses but we have to pay it first then we get reimbursed. Anyway, after all of that excitement this morning we decided to drive around and look at some of the houses listed on a military approved web site. It just means that the landlords have been screened. Anyway, the first house ended up being an apartment so that doesnt really work for us. The second house was really nice, in a great location, but at the top of our BAH. The third house was in a horrible neighborhood and we wont be going up there again!!!! We are trying to stay under our BAH allowance so that we can not only afford the house but the utilities as well. Everything is a bit more over here. We bought some groceries today so we could eat a little at the hotel. Milk is $6.00 a gallon and diapers were a little more than we are use to paying. Everything else was actually the same. We got gas today as well and it was $3.99 a gallon so we didnt think that was as bad as we expected. We spent some time on Post today and realized that we really want to be on post. They say the ones that get a house are the ones who bug houseing to we made a plan to start bugging them. Tomorrow we are going to find out what being number 75 really means and how long will it really take to get a house on post. We are really praying about being in the right place so please send out those prayers that God will provide the right house for our family. He has really taken care of us through all of this so we know that will provide this as well. This picture is of one of the views from the post. Everywhere you look their is a different view that is so beautiful. The other picture is of a rainbow from our balcony of the hotel we left today. It rains everyday here but it is more like a sprinkling or a mist and usually their is a rainbow. The hawaiians will tell you that they are good luck but we know what they really are!!!!

First Day in Hawaii

2008-06-06T01:35:00.000-07:00

Well we made it!!! We were so tired but very excited to be here. These pictures are the views from our hotel room. What a beautiful place!!! We drove to the post this day to get into the system and begin to in process. We got on the list for housing....we are number 75. I dont really know what that means but they advised us to begin looking off post. I began to look at the list but it is pretty hard to do considering I dont know where anything is. We decided to drive around and find our where some of these places are. I will keep you posted on the progress.

From Mississippi to Hawaii

2008-06-06T01:10:00.000-07:00

Well I would say the past two weeks have been very busy. I will start at the beginning. Last Wednesday we found out that we would be leaving for Hawaii on Monday. Feeling the stress we packed (really I should say that I packed since I did all the packing!!!), made our hotel reservations, booked a car rental and tried to figure out how we would best handle the kids on 4 different plane rides in one day. I am still a little unsure how we managed to get it all done but we did. First I want to tell you about the trip down to Biloxi MS on Sunday night. For some reason we had to fly out of the Biloxi MS airport which is about a 6 hour drive from our house. So we left after church and nice meal with Leah and Keith. Now things were going well until about halfway on our trip. We stopped at a gas station and the kids were playing in the van just happy to be out of their seats. Isaiah started messing with the power windows and suddenly the door locks stopped working, the passenger window was stuck halfway up, and the interior lights just wouldnt go off!!! It was the weirdest thing!!! So for about an hour we stayed on the side of the road and checked every fuse, turned the van off a few times, did everything we could think of with no avail. So finally we decided that since it was getting late we would just go to the hotel and MIchael would try to work on it once we got there. Well we made it okay but when we got to the base the hotel was completely booked. Never thought about that happening so we had to drive over to the airport and try to find a room for what would be about 5 hours of sleep if we were lucky. We finally found a hotel and me and the kids went on up to the room. Well Michael and I were both praying that something would work out and we could at least get the window up. Michael was getting ready to straight wire the power window to the battery just to get it up when he heard ding, ding, ding, and suddenly everything was working again. He got the window up first but now everything is working just fine. We were so happy!!!! So after a few hours of sleep we left on our adventure to Hawaii.

Everyone is asking how the kids did on the planes. The answer is that they did GREAT!!!! They were so good. They took a nap on each leg of the trip. We went from Biloxi to Atlanta to Minneapolis to Seattle to Honolulu. Of the last flight, which lasted about 6 hours, they both got a little fussy at times but they were bored (the batteries on our laptops had died at this point which is what they were watching movies on) but really they did great. Here is a picture of us arriving at the airport.