I can't believe it's been four months since I have blogged on here . . . I guess starting another blog doesn't help! :) We have been extremely busy these months. We have made a trip to Oregon every month that we have been here, back on the West coast! April will be the first month we won't see Oregon at all. But never fear, we won't miss it by much . . . we will be headed that way on May 4th! Anyhow . . . Karl is getting used to his new job, and the kids are I are getting used to his new schedule. We've been so spoiled for the last couple of years, but we still can't complain (at least not too much.) Karl's parents, as well and his sister Ruth, and her whole family, as well as a couple of extra nieces and a nephew came up for President's Day weekend. It was a blast! There were 17 people in the house, and we didn't even nearly fill it up. From that weekend together, all 17 of us got sick! For Karl and I it was terrible. Our kids didn't fare too badly, but Karl and I were in bed sick for over a week! And all at the same time. It was miserable. Karl got an ear infection from that sickness, and is still having some issues with his ears, so please pray that that will get cleared up so we can have more answers about what the coming months will look like for our family.

A couple of weeks ago, we were blessed to have my cousins (Andy Donaldson and his wife Liz) for a quick visit, they also brought along Andy's Great Uncle Forrey. It was so fun to have some time with them to catch up and visit. I hope they will come back soon. Then the following weekend, we had a last minute visit from Karl's brother Andy. The kids didn't know he was coming, so when he walked out to the backyard, there was a little confusion, and then lots of screaming and excitement when they realized who it was! It was a special treat to have him in our home . . . next time though, he's going to have to bring his wife, or he'll be sleeping outside! ;) Just kidding, but we would love to see Darcy with him next time!

This past weekend, we had a fun Easter weekend with some of my family in town. Mom and Dad arrived around 9, then Larissa and West around 11:30 on Friday evening. So we slept in and had a late brunch, then the kids went next door to the Volunteer Fire Station to participate in their Easter Egg Hunt - it was fast, but fun! We planned our big Easter meal for Saturday evening, as most of the family would have to leave pretty quickly after church to get home at a reasonable hour. So with all the family that was there, and our friends, the Gilmore's, we loaded up on Ham, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Corn Pudding, Salad, Green Bean Casserole, Rolls and more! Then we topped it off with Homemade Cheesecake, a Strawberry-Banana-Blueberry Triffle, and Peanut Butter Pie! SO GOOD! We all rolled into bed -late, and I rolled out of bed at 3:08 am, to open the door for my little sister and her hubby.

Linnaea and Tommy arrived just after 3 am because they had to work until 10!!! Oh to be young again . . . Anyhow, they wanted to be here for Easter with everyone, not just because it was Easter, but because it was to be the day Hunter, our eldest son, was baptised. And, he was! What a blessing to watch your children grow in their relationship with Christ, at such a young age and to desire to serve Him! Hunter has such a heart for God, and for sharing God's love with others. I know that God has great things in mind for Hunter, and am thrilled to think that his heart is already softened to God's will. :) It was an extra special blessing to have so much family here for his special day. What a legacy of faithful followers of Christ we have in this family!

Well, I'll close this with a few prayer requests, I'll try not to add too many details, but bear with me. I know this post is getting longer and longer!

~ Christi Kitterman, Karl's oldest sister, was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer last week. Please pray for peace and comfort, for wisdom for the doctor's and medical staff, for minimal or no side effects, for grace and compassion for those surrounding her, for her kids as they process and live this time, for her husband Jim as he takes on more in the household, and for a great miracle from God if that is His will.

~Sophia Ruiz, daughter of Kristy and Fracisco Ruiz (I've known Kristy since I was in the 3rd grade!) They had Sophia last week, and she aspirated Meconium (first baby poo), she is finally off the ventilator and they were able to hold her for the first time today. Please pray for continued healing, as well as for Sophia to begin the nurse well. Thank God for her healing so far!

~Please pray for Hunter, that he would continue to allow the Holy Spirit to soften his heart to what God desires from him and for him.

~Pray for Karl's ear, that the docs would be able to figure out what is wrong, and what to do about it. Thanking God that Karl's hearing has returned!

~Pray for our friend Brie Gilmore (from our friend family who was with us on Easter). She has committed to go to Africa on a missions trip . . . please pray that funds would come in and that God would prepare her spiritually for the process and for the trip. I thank God for her heart for missions, her heart for orphans, her heart for healing and her willingness to step out in faith!

Okay, I'm sure there are more, but these are what comes to mind at 12:34 am . . . it's almost my favorite time . . . 12:35 am . . . anyone know why? Take a guess . . .

Oh, and if you want to see my other blog, it's www.nottheperfectchef.blogspot.com . . . see you there!

BUSY!

Okay, okay, so this is par for the course. I stink at keeping our blog up to date, but really, we have been SO busy!!! I think my last post was the very day we vacated our house in Maryland. It's been a crazy whirlwind since then. That was the 8th of October . . . since then . . .

Oct. 10 -Karl flew to Wyoming to hunt. Shot his buck (deer) within 6 hours of landing (his biggest buck ever!), proceeded to shot a doe and three antelope (a buck and two does). He is so amazing! And if I were blogging from our home computer, I would add pictures, but I'm not, and many of you have already seen the proof in picture form already. :) Meanwhile, the kids and I are hanging out at our friends' house, the Rog's. We lived in their trailer, and they graciously allowed us to use the potty, bother them, interupt their lives, and even use their prime parking spots while we were there. It worked out quite well, as we love us some Rog's!

Oct. 14 - I had my last Pampered Chef show in Maryland. :( (at least for now), and I had a blast there! The family and their friends were hilarious, the only bummer of the deal was that I just met them and we were moving in the morning! So . . .

Oct. 15 - The kids and I say a few last minute, very tearful goodbyes. The Miller's (Joe's best friend's family), The Hough's (Andrew's best friend's family), The Rog's (Our families best friend family) and then my dear Abi Albers (Abi was in my small group at youth group, and we formed a special connection over the past year.) I'm crying as I type this - that day was not one I'll forget any time too soon. Katy and I cried of and on the whole drive to Charlotte, North Carolina - that's almost 7 hours! But much to the disappointment of a certain special sweet friend (Autumn Rog), I was not so bleary eyed that I couldn't drive away. :( We arrived very late in Charlotte, at Uncle Dave and Aunt Joyce's house and I knew when we arrived, and Uncle Dave was awake and ready to help us bring our bags in, that he loved me. (Not that I didn't know before, but that's a sacrifice - he gets up very early!) We stayed for a couple of days, but scooted out midweek, as cousin Abby, their daughter, was getting married over the following weekend, and none of us wanted the kids underfoot at "wedding central"! So, on

Oct. 18 - The kids and I headed to Monroe, NC to spend the rest of our time (minus wedding time) with our dear friends the Moitozo's. We know Steve and Glenda and their kids from our years in Maine, and they are now in NC, so we loved being able to see them each time we went down to visit family. Karl arrived back in MD late on the night of

Oct. 20 - He drove all night, on almost no sleep, and when I woke on the morning of

Oct. 21 - He was standing over my bed, looking like a zombie! I love him all the more, for knowing that I needed him with me, right then. I knew then, that he loved me more than I understood. The next couple of days were spent running around for family BBQ's, rehearsal, saying goodbye's with the Moitozo's, and decorating, and then of course,

Oct. 23 - The most amazing wedding of Abby Michelle to Matthew Ridenhour. The wedding was perfect, a gorgeous church, in a beautiful city, with a perfect reception location, but the best part was the bride and groom. Not only was Abby absolutely stunning and Matthew a picture of perfection (as any Marine in uniform should be.) But their desire to honor God through their marriage was evident to everyone there. It was spectacular! I can't wait to see how God blesses them as they discover each other again, within their marriage. We left that night, in our van, to begin our drive across the country. We didn't get far. About an hour or so up the road, but it was an hour less we had to drive the next day!

Oct. 24 - We officially begin our cross country trek! I don't really remember where we stopped the first couple of nights, I just know that we got to Gillette, Wyoming, on

Oct. 26 - Just in time to have Family Dinner (Wednesday night), at our old church. It was SO great to see so many of those who we had grown close to, and loved from our time in Wyoming. We spent a couple of days there, and got to spend some special time with some dear friends there, including, but not limited to the Otte's, the Roswadovski's and the Smith's. We left on

Oct. 29 - We left Gillette, and headed up to Montana, where we got to meet up with Andy (Karl's brother, and his wife Darcy!) This was the first time that the kids and I had had to meet her, and I can say with absolute certainty, We ALL LOVE her! She's great, and compliments Andy amazingly. We met them for lunch and then they took us out to where their horses are boarded and we got to meet them. The kids and Andy wrestled around in the grass and goofed off, and we loved ever minute of it! We only wished there were more minutes to share with them. After a couple hours with them, we had to hit the road . . . We were on a mission!

Oct. 30 - we arrived in Burlington, WA and stayed the night there . . . a great hotel with a pool! The kids loved it!

Oct. 31 - We arrived in Oak Harbor, WA!!! That's the day we got the keys to our new house (we are renting, but it's a great house!) It was Halloween and the kids were chomping at the bit to "do something", so we made cheesy costumes that when all four kids stood next to each other in a line, said NAVY BRATs. We met up with some old friends at their church for their Harvest Style Party and had dinner there, then we scooted away a little early to go to another friend's church where they had a "Trunk or Treat" going on in the parking lot. The kids had a blast, and everyone loved their costumes! And it was amazing to reconnect with our long lost Allison! She wasn't really lost, but sometimes if felt like it. We know her from our time in Wyoming, as she was a recruiter in Colorado and the time, and Karl introduced us at a spouses function years ago. Anyhow . . . we then headed over to our Oldest Navy Friend's house. Donnie Gilmore and Karl go WAY back! All the way to A school and Aircrew school and whatnot, so we've known him for almost 16 years! I hadn't seen Donnie or his wife Brie since we left Maine three years ago, and had never yet met their baby Ava. It was great to reconnect with them so quickly after arriving here, and I even got to see Brie's mom Michelle! She was visiting. Anyhow . . . So,

Nov. 2 - Our household goods arrived. We have never experienced such a terrible move process with a moving company, so the day had a couple lows, but it's all stuff. We frantically unpacked! And tried to get all the utilities and whatnot set up in our names.

Nov. 5 - I drove Karl to the closest gas station at like 5 am (ICK), so that he could catch a bus to the airport, as he had to back to Charlotte to drive our truck back to Maryland, where he'd have to finish up working for a couple weeks. Over the next couple of weeks, we got chickens!, Karl shot a couple more deer in Maryland! (including, but not limited to his biggest buck ever! a 12 pt non-typical, with a hunting story like no other!), The kids and I spent my birthday and Thanksgiving with family down in Oregon, and then my parents came up to the island to watch the kids.

Dec. 1 - I flew out to Maryland, so that Karl wouldn't have to drive across the country alone. We busted the trip out pretty quick! We squeezed in a light parade in Gillette, Wyoming, and a night there at friends.

Dec. 4 -We then survived an almost two hour drive in white out conditions on our way to Montana to stay a night with Andy and Darcy. They took us out to dinner, as a late birthday gift - the food and the company was amazing. We got to bed pretty early, as both couples had a day on the roads ahead of them.

Dec. 5 - We arrived HOME! Back to Oak Harbor just about dinner time. The kids were ecstatic to have Karl back home, and I was relieved to have road trips off my mind for a couple days at least. We relaxed for about two minutes before we started in on more unpacking and laundry. over the next two weeks before our next road trip, we cut down a tree (split and stacked too), hassled with minor property issues, got two puppies, and just tried to get settled. Then came . . .

Dec. 12 - West, my sister Larissa's husband called to tell me the news that his brother (Nathan, in NY) had had a serious stroke. West left soon after to go be with his brother and sister-in-law there in NY. I am amazed at God's provision in this situation. West didn't have a job at the time. Which would seem to most like a bad thing. But God's provision allowed West to go as soon as was possible to be there with them. God does work in mysterious ways. Nathan is making huge strides in his recovery these days, and we praise God for His goodness, and thank Him sparing Nathan's life. (for updates on Nathan, check out www.nateupdate.org )

Dec. 17 - Two of the Gilmore girls had a joint birthday party, so we hung out in town long enough to be here for that. Happy Birthday to Ava and Ily!!! We love you girls! Then, we scooted out a little early to head down to Oregon to hang out with family for the week before Christmas! It was a great time to reconnect in person with our families. We spent Christmas Eve with Karl's family and Christmas Day with my side.

Dec. 26 -West surprised Larissa and came home from NY! Karl got to facilitate part of that, so it was extra fun being in on the surprise! The fun didn't last too long, as Karl got an itch to get home, so we left late in the afternoon that day and arrived home at about 11pm. It's not really like Karl to want to drive that late, but I think he was just so sick of driving that he wanted to get it over with!

Dec. 31 - We had the Gilmore's over to celebrate - we laughed a lot, ate too much, had a mini piano recital. It was so much fun, and I am thankful to God for allowing us to be stationed near them again and to deepen our relationships with their entire family.

Jan. 1 - HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! We tried out a new church, and liked it . . . it may become home for us while we live here.

Jan. 3 - Karl headed back to work for real. :)

Jan. 6 - We got to have my friend Allison's kids here with us for the weekend, so that she and her husband could travel to California to be with her family for her mother's funeral. Not a fabulous reason to have to steal her kids away for a couple days, but glad we could do it. We had a great time. The boys, our three and their two, played outside almost the whole weekend! And their daughter tagged along with Katy. It wasn't an crazier than normal. There was only one zap from the neighbor's electric fence, and one run in with stinging nettles. All in all, a pretty successful time here with 7 kids! :)

Jan. 8 - 1:15 am the house phone rang and I knew that Deanna, my sister who lives in England, was in labor. I leapt out of bed and searched for the phone frantically. You see, I was the designated "stateside" contact to disperse info to the families. Those of you who know me, may already know that I can't sleep well when someone I know is in labor! So, I was frantically searching the internet, learning how to get an emergency passport, just in case something went wrong and I had to get to England quickly. Everything went well, and at 7:10am Ben called with Baby Elias James Edsall (Eli) grunting in his arms! 8 pounds 12 ounces!!! That's one big baby! Deanna's a champ! I spent the rest of the day like this . . . return Allison's kids home to their dad, go to church, go home to change quickly and then drive an hour south to go cut some free firewood to put up for next winter. I won't go into the ugly details of that experience, but just know . . . we got about 1.5 cords that day, and the next day - I didn't get out of bed until after 1pm I was SO sore and tired!!!

So, now you are pretty well caught up on all of what Us Wards have been up to. If you are by chance feeling left out from not having received a Christmas card/picture/letter from us, don't. We didn't do one this year. . . when would we have had time? We are now back into the swing of schooling, and Karl has pretty much "normal" hours here when he's home. Yup, he's already on the road . . . just for a couple weeks, but for those of you who don't already know. With our orders here, he will be taking short trips, as well as being deployed for 6 months at a time. Please, as you think of us, please please pray. We know that God supplies every thing we need. But let's just ask in advance for Him to prepare us for what he has brought us to. Thanks.

I know that I am not a writer, and I am not at all consistent with this blogging thing, but I love that there is an outlet here for me, that I can give you a glimpse into what all we do, and sometimes even who we are.