Texas

These two have a special bond and are buds!

Sladen is getting a little ride

I was showing Sladen Pop Daddy's cows and I think we about scared this one to death

Kenan gets to help P-Mo open the gate to the house

Pop Daddy's pet dear

Wild Turkey

He is SO CUTE

Feeding granddad's cows

Granddad's cows

Happy boys

Grandmother and the boys having a laugh

Kenan getting his first crack at driving

Kenan eating a jalapeno popper. He is our spicy eater!

Enjoying lunch at the Brady Goat Cook-off

The Brady Goat Cook-off

Peeing off the porch! One of the major perks of living in the country... so I am told!

Some deer we saw on our way to the stand

Do you like my new hat?

Cousin, Po-Taytum, Sladen and Gigi

Uncle Corde

Aunt Leslie

In between Goldie's two jobs we took about 3 1/2 weeks leave and went back to Texas. Our first visit was with Goldie's family. It had been a few months shy of two years since Goldie had been home. We had such a great visit. We got to eat at some of our favorite restauranks (that is what Kenan calls them) - Gomez's, Underwood's, El Jimador, Taco Bueno. The boys always have such a wonderful time being in the country. They play outside every chance they get. They love to play in the tree house, jump on the trampoline, ride the four wheeler, and swim. Kenan loves to pee off of the porch (which his cousin taught him) but one of the perks of living in the country. We helped Pop Daddy and Granddad feed their cows. Kenan got to drive in his daddy's lap for the first time. He got to open the gate. We met up with our first young married Sunday School teacher and his wife who is now a pastor at a local church. Goldie and Tim went dove hunting and Goldie shot five dove. Goldie and I got to go hog hunting which was my first time hunting. We had a great time hunting. I think we may have both shot one. We saw about ten or twelve hogs and both got a shot but couldn't find them. We went the next evening and didn't see any hogs. It was so much fun. We got to hang out with P-Mo and Pop Daddy and eat some great homemade food. It was a fabulous visit and we were so sad to leave.

Goldie Checked Off of the Boat

Woo hoo! On August 27th Goldie checked off of the boat and hopefully will never have to work on a boat again. I really shouldn't say that because God has a sense of humor. When Goldie got home that afternoon we all as a family danced a jig in the living room. We were all so excited! That actually might be an understatement. We have learned a lot over the last two years and have seen God's hand at work. However, it was a hard two years.

We knew this would be a hard tour but we had no idea just how difficult it would actually end up being. As I reflect on the last two years not everything is negative. However, things are always what you make of them and we try to approach things with a positive attitude. We have made some wonderful friends who helped pass the time more quickly. We found a great church where we are able to be involved. We have been able to share the good news of Jesus with several friends. God placed some wonderful mentors into our lives (again)! We have fabulous babysitters who the kids adore! Goldie and I have both stretched ourselves far beyond our comfort zones and seen growth in our own lives. We have two darling boys that we get to experience life from their point of view. I am fortunate enough that my parents are retired and my mom was able to come spend most of the time that Goldie was at sea with us.

So out of curiosity I figured up how much Goldie was home versus at sea during this tour. Trust me, there are other families that sacrifice so much more and I am not trying to get sympathy or praise. From July 6th, 2008 until July 28th, 2010 Goldie was gone 494 days (this included the almost 3 weeks at shooter school) and he was home 260 days. During the time that Goldie was home he had duty every 4th night (roughly 60 or so nights) and spent the day at work and then stayed the night on the boat and came home the next day after the work day. That roughly averages to 18 months gone and 6 months home.

God is good and faithful! We look forward to what He has in store for our future.

The Camaro

This is the first time the Camaro has left the garage since P-Mo, Goldie and I pushed it into the garage when we moved into this house the very end of June 2008.

No door panels

No radio or any electrical. The carpet isn't installed and the seats aren't even bolted in.

Goldie was SO EXCITED!

There she goes!

In the middle of August we finally sent Goldie's Camaro to the shop to get the final touches done. (It is going to be more expensive than I was thinking but let's not get into that!) Goldie bought this Camaro in 2001 when we lived in Corpus. It needed a lot of work and wasn't even drivable when we got it. Goldie did some engine work and got it running and drove it everyday for about four or five years. Then in 2006 the hole above his head in the convertible top got too big and he would get soaked any time it rained. At that point Goldie and a friend took every bit of sheet metal off of the car and stripped out all the interior. We put it in the shop to have the body worked on and to have it painted. Goldie also had the seats recovered and a new top put on. At that point in the process we had to move to Norfolk. So the car sat in that condition until it went to the shop in August. A lot of the work we are having done is stuff that Goldie could do. But let's face it, since he has been gone roughly 19 of the last 24 months he has not had the time. When he might have a free minute or two the last thing I want him doing is being holed up in the garage working on the car. Goldie is not excited at all. You sense the sarcasm, right? He is like a kid in a candy store.

If you want to see the progress here is a link to an older post. http://aggies99.blogspot.com/2008/06/camaro.html

Morehead City, NC

Tom's house

Kenan and Ethan sleeping

Sydney

Ethan

Kenan is ready for the pool

Kenan holding baby Annsley

All the cousins

Sladen sporting his new life jacket

Annsley sporting her new life jacket

GW, Sarah, and Annsley

Me and Goldie

The Yacht controls

Me and Kenan hanging out

Sarah and Sydney

Me and Goldie

Goldie getting some Annsley time

One of the three bedrooms on the boat

Sarah and me

All the girls

Goldie and GW

The fighting chair

GW imagining the catch

Just enjoying the ride

The boat that we went to dinner in

The back of the boat

The whole family

Ethan and Sydney

The second weekend in August we went down to NC to see GW and Sarah and the kids. One of Goldie's Tigers on the Tiger Cruise owns a house in Morehead City and offered to let us use it any time. Well, come to find out it is only about 45 miles from where GW and Sarah live. Se we took Tom up on his offer. GW and Sarah met us there. We had such a great time getting to hang out. The kids all played really well together and enjoyed swimming in the pool. The last day Tom asked if we would want to take the "boat" out to dinner. Most people would call his "boat" a "yacht". He had his captain take us to a little restaurant in Beaufort. On the way back the sun was setting and was very picturesque. We had such a great time.

It was awesome to see how the Lord had blessed Tom materially and how he gave all the credit to God. It was also cool to see how Tom blessed us with the things that he had been blessed with. It was a great weekend!