A New Friend

How sweet that Devin made a new friend this last week. The first time she played with Katelyn (affectionately known as Kate-Kate by her mommy) was on the 4th of July. A couple of days later they played again, and then today we went to the pool together. "Sharing" as best as they can in Kate's front yard...

Big smiles for the camera...

Me & Devin, Diana & Nicholas, Staci & Kate

What a lovely sight. Two little innocent girls with smiles that light up their face learning how to play together. Little hands that use each other for balance, little loud voices talking in a language only they can understand, and an occasional 'get away from me' cry.

Hard Lessons

Some lessons are harder to learn than others. This week Dave and I have been learning one of those hard lessons. It's hard to trust that God has the master plan and we need to follow it. Sometimes we feel like we are right where we are supposed to be, walking down the right path, but God says 'No, You need to take a turn here'. It's so hard to take those turns when they aren't what you expected. Hopefully we learn this lesson well...

Ridiculous!

I can't believe it's almost mid-June and we have the heat on in the house! This is ridiculous! I don't think we've ever lived anywhere that we had to have the heat on in June. I'm not even sure it reached 60 yesterday or today. Think warm thoughts, think Florida beaches, think sunshine.

Is the end in sight?

Soon...seven more LONG days to go. *Sigh* I am so ready for these next seven days to be done. As soon as they are over we are vacationing. =) I am so unrestful for the next week that vacation excitement is in my head only...it hasn't quite hit my heart yet. Here's to staying busy for the next week~keeping my hands and body busy will hopefully keep my mind busy as well.

Life and a $3 piece of 10ft webbing

So Far, I have been inside of helocopters with the ramp down, gone to the top of the second highest peak in our training area, eaten bugs and other living things you find in the ground, been in the middle of the ocean throwing up, floated down a river on a raft that fighter pilots get when they bail out, sewed extravagant things with scraps of webbing and parachute harnessess , wiped with moss right off of the log I was sitting on. The list goes on and I do have numerous funny stories.

This latest trip we were introduced to basic rock climbing techniques, rappeling, bringing a litter with patient down severe rough terrain and being safe at it. These are all things that my new job revolves around. But when you take your body and wrap a couple of loops around your waist and legs and tie it off with a simple square knot, you can be somewhat trusting because you know how to tie that knot, this is called a swiss seat. Now, take that harness and about 250 feet of rope, take a step off a 200 foot high lip with nothing underneath you and have your 210lb body resting in that harness you made with that little piece of webbing. Call for your brake about 50 feet down, Feet still not on rock, you left that up there, and let go of your rope and have your buddy down there at the bottom hold the rope taught....Lean back now they say, farther they say....I could really use some of that moss again right about now.

Rocks! Fun as crap! I would do it again in a heartbeat. I have learned so much in this short amount of time. But I am tired of being a Tech School student again. This trip was good because we got to be in the same tent as the other NCOs, Like being in a pool during adult swim.

I leave Tuesday for Desert Survival and then after that trip, go on Integrated, which is where I get to teach for one full day. YAY! Then its graduation.....

I could not have made this Journey without my dog, daughter, and my lovely wife! I would do anything for you and sacrifice everything. I know you have done that these past few months

Love you

Update

Our Devin is 7 months old! She can now sit up by herself if you sit her down (she hasn't figured out the logistics of getting into or out of the sitting position by herself), and how to do a sort of army crawl/centipede scooch around the house. Still no teeth, but I have to admit I'm not really in a hurry for that...she can just take her time.

We have a couple of big months coming up...our first Mother's Day and Father's Day, and both of us have birthdays in June. Not to mention Dave's graduation next month.

I realize that the majority of my blogs have to do with Devin, but you have to understand that she is our world. ;) However~I do promise to try and come up with other intersting subjects to keep you informed of our going-ons. I just don't think you'd be interested to read about the really boring things like yard work, laundry, dishes, yada yada yada. Dave has lots of good stories about his class, maybe when he's done he'll put some of the good ones out here for you.

The first of many~

trips to the park was made today. We had fun even though it was a bit chilly. It was supposed to be like 64 but I don't know if it quite made it to that. Devin got to swing for the first time (other than her baby swing of course) and she had a good-ole time. She also got to kind of slide but we couldn't capture it with a picture. I can't wait for warmer weather so we can do this more often.