Vacation July 2011--Day 4

Today we saw that there was another flight out to Travis AFB via McChord, so we decide to get in line for it--but it's cancelled when we get there.  Dustin and I are just beside ourselves and so upset that we didn't get to make this happen.  I call Southwest and there were no flights available to get us out to Sacramento, California or anything.  We pull in the front of billeting again and just think for a moment.  Dustin remembered a small aircraft was headed out to Tampa, Fl--MacDill AFB.  We decided, hey it's a beach, we may as well go and enjoy as much as we can.  So Dustin goes in to talk to the guy in the terminal and comes out to tell me it's a small type air craft and we can only check 30 pounds of luggage.  Here I had just bought these amazing new 29" bags only to find we can't take them.  So we pile as much in as we can to Dietrich's suitcase.  We then use three on board bags to take everything else we'd need.  Dustin changes his jeans in the middle of the parking lot to save room.  After that we lug everything back to the PAX terminal to see if we can get on there--See after all of this fiasco, we may not even be able to get on the plane!  A SSgt takes me to a family lounge for Dietrich to roam and it had toys and everything.  Dustin and I repack everything while we wait for word.  About an hour later here he comes and gets us out to the x-ray machines and then on to a van to take us to the flight line.  Upon arrival... we find we are taking a Gulf Stream 5!  By ourselves!  The flight crew comes up and says that we will be flying in luxury the whole way down.  Wow!  The flight attendant straps Dietrich's car seat in and we get settled in the big luxurious leather chairs for take off.  She pops in a movie and once we get to 10,000 feet Dietrich gets to have snacks/bottle.  Then once we're at the cruising altitude of 41,000 ft (no commercial airlines fly this high) Dietrich gets full rain of the aircraft.  Take a look:

Take off snack.

Cheesing because we are "Distinguished Visitors" on this plane :)  High class rollin!

Take off snack again.

At cruising altitude so I can play on the floor.

The president needs me.  I'm going to answer the phone.

Crawling to help the flight attendant cook.

Found something under the chair.

Climbing on the leather seats.

I stood by myself holding onto nothing for the first time at 41,000 feet in the air!

Let's see, what else can I get myself into?

Checking in with the flight crew.

Oh the pilots need me.  Headed to the front!

Vacation July 2011--Day 2-3

It's Monday and we wake up getting everything prepared to go on our trip to McChord AFB and then on to Travis AFB which where we'd get a flight to Hickam AFB in Hawaii. Come to find out our plane was not available and there wasn't another coming until Wednesday.  So we decided to stay in the Drury hotel in St. Louis to venture out and see a bit of the town.  We loved the Drury because it provided breakfast and supper saving us a few pennies.

You can't tell but we were all dripping with sweat at the point it was so hot!

On a mission to find Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream only to find out it was only open in Busch Stadium during games.

Love the action shots of Dustin walking haha.

That pretty much wraps up day 2-3 of our stay in St. Louis. 

Vacation July 2011--Day 1

Dustin calls me from work one day and says he's taking the last two weeks of July off for vacation.  This summer has been nothing but a whirlwind for the both of us and it's been nonstop stress, appointments, meetings, or something is always on our plates.  So we were thinking that we could drive to the UP in Michigan and check out that area as we've never done that before.  Then we got to thinking about taking a Military hop some place.  It looked like we had good chances on getting to Hawaii.  So we settled on doing that! 


So Sunday the 17th we went to the Schlotterback reunion and then we left from there to head to Scott AFB east of St. Louis.  We get east of Terre Haute and smell something.  I tell Dustin to check Dietrich's diaper by pulling the side of his leg out to see if he'd left us a present.  Next thing I hear is a few Oh's and some profanity and a HUGE wafting smell.  Dustin was gagging and I was laughing as hard as I could.  Dustin said he grabbed Dietrich's diaper and it burst like a zit!  That's what got me rolling even harder.  Thank goodness we were close enough to an exit to get off and figure the situation out.  Dietrich had messed the whole car seat, and his clothes.  I got him into the bathroom and cleaned him up and changed his clothes.  Next thing Dustin goes in and takes care of the car seat.  I wrap Dietrich's clothes up in a blue bag and shove it in the back of the car seat so we can clean them off later.  So because we were at a truck stop Subway was dinner that night!

Schlotterback Reunion

Hanging with Grandma Bernie.

Love my grandpa!

 

Resting on Grandpa's shoulder where Mommy used to lay her head.

Grandma Bernie and Grandpa Steve.  Soaking up the spoiling.

Hanging with Great-Great Aunt Cholene.

On Great-Great Uncle Skip's new Korean War-era Jeep!

I'm pretty cool!

I can reach the steering wheel!  This is pretty awesome!

Think I could have played in this all day!

After that fiasco, we finally get to Scott and have a terrible situation with the room.  Wow, "Tony" is so glad I wasn't the one that checked in downstairs!  If I had he'd probably not have had another breath available to patronize me, that's for sure!  We ordered a crib and a family suite, but ended up in a single Airman's room that shared a bathroom.  No crib/pack and play, or anything.  It was 10:30 at night, I'm exhausted from driving from Albion to St. Louis which ended up in about an 7 hour drive with stops and all.  We knew we had to be up early for the flight out Monday morning so I was on edge and just in a crappy mood.  Dustin calms me down and comes up with an idea of making his own pack and play.  Wouldn't you know, it worked!  Check this out:

Make-shift Pack and Play morning after.

On my mind Sunday

I have been given the time to reflect upon a few things going on in my life as of now.  First of all, I get to stay home with the most adorable, precious gift from God.  I cannot thank God enough for allowing me to learn how to trust in Him and create this beautiful son.  Taking Dietrich out in public is like taking out Princess William because everyone stops and says hi to him and tells us how beautiful he is.  I don't exaggerate with that either--it's EVERY time we go out.  Nothing that beautiful can be created by none other than our wonderful God.  Dietrich's personality is really starting to show and he is such a great child!  We couldn't be any more blessed.

Secondly, I have been married to Dustin for 6 years and together for almost 9.  I look at others, their relationships or lack of, and realize yet again how blessed I am.  God brought Dustin to me in a time of my life that was very messed up.  I could have taken so many wrong turns, but in steps God bringing me Dustin... settling me and grounding me, challenging me, etc.  I love how Dustin challenges me to believe in what I believe in and not necessarily what he believes.  I love how I can have the most horrible day and Dustin will say just the right thing or know when it's THAT kind of day and I just need a glass of wine.  He also knows how to pamper me.  Some women do not get the opportunity for spa days or other beautifying times.  I'm so thankful I get to do that!  In fact there are days he just grabs my purse and tells me to go to the spa!  Love it!

Next, I'm thankful for God bringing me to Saint Mary of the Woods for grad school.  The professors are amazing and so in love with God that they live like Christ.  I also am thankful for my cohort--they are some of the best people.

I just wanted to express how thankful I am right now for my family, albeit just beginning.  I also am thankful that God loves me enough to allow me to experience blessings here on earth and that I can see blessings in all cases.

Vision Statement

For one of my grad classes we had to create a vision statement.  I used the Franklin Covey website to help create mine.  It really does say a lot about a person once this is done!!  It also shows what the real ambitions of a person are.

Here's mine:

I also used the Franklin Covey website for my vision statement.  It was actually very fun and made me really think about my inner-workings and thought processes.

Personal Vision Statement

I am at my best when I am challenged, with my husband and son, and living for God.

I will try to prevent times when I feel out of control.

I will enjoy my work by finding employment where I can love to teach my students how to be productive members of society, create lesson plans, and mentor new teachers.
I will find enjoyment in my personal life by living for God, my husband, and my son along with reading, enjoying the outdoors, and exercsing.

I will find opportunities to use my natural talents and gifts such as classroom management, athletics, motherhood, fishing, communicating, teaching.

I can do anything I set my mind to. I will choose to open a middle school based on my teaching model and teaching the power of God's word.

My life's journey is becoming a leader of a school that is based on Biblical principles and see successful middle school students emerge. I would also have a family of four children of my own, living for God.

I will be a person who God, my husband, my children, grandchildren, students I have touched over the years would say that she was a Godly woman that was a positive role model for her students and teachers. She was very real, honest, and loving.

My most important future contribution to others will be my love for God, my education, and my modeling for what is right in the world. I don't want to allow for excuses and I don't want others to make excuses for themselves..

I will stop procrastinating and start working on:
School structure
Requirements of beginning teachers
Writing a Bible study

I will strive to incorporate the following attributes into my life:
Strong-will and always puts God first
Survivor of life's circumstances, looked to God for every decision in life
Kind, accepting, strong, professional, loving, compasstionate

I will constantly renew myself by focusing on the four dimensions of my life:
Continue to work out, eat healthy, provide for my children
Continue to work on my relationship with God, keep Him first above all.
Allow myself to constantly learn, fellowship, and reflect.
Continue to keep my husband a priority, plan goals that allow for success, network amongst other educated people.

Franklin Covey Co. (unknown). Interactive Personal Mission Statement Builder. Retrieved June 21, 2011, from http://www.franklincovey.com/msb/. (Covey)

Last night

Last night I couldn't sleep.  I was in one of those weird funks where all I could do was think about everything going on.  My homework was to the point that I couldn't go any further without spending a solid hour to finish and I wasn't sure I could stay up that long.  I kept thinking about things....

First thing, yesterday I was told a dear friend's baby has cystic fibrosis.  At first when she told me this, I realized why her eyes were puffy and why she looked more drained than a brand new mom at 2 weeks looks.  My gut wrenched.  So I slowly began to ask, "So what does this mean?"  She began to tell me some of the info the docs told her and her husband.  Now, I began to question, yet again, why do bad things happen to good people?  Why is it that these two married individuals have done the right thing only to have their blessing totally mashed up!  I am teary-eyed just thinking about this.  I felt as she was talking that this was my baby too as I will be baby sitting for him.  I felt even worse when she said, "I'd completely understand if you don't want to watch him anymore."  Ugh... again with that gut wrenching feeling!  I looked down at that baby in my arms and could do nothing but love on him!  That's just one thing that was on my mind

Another thing on my mind was sin.  How in the world could we be such horrible sinners and yet God loves us?  Loves me?  There are so many things that I get caught up in and don't sit back and realize that God placed this in my life.  God gave me the ability to do--fill in the blank.  It's not me.  I should realize this when dealing with Dietrich.  Before I had Dietrich (even while I was pregnant) I couldn't stand another person's child.  Today, I still really can't (but give me a teenager and I'm cool!).  I had no previous experience with babies or even how to deal with them.  God blessed us with Dietrich and the instinct that only He can put in me, made me know how to take care of my child.  And yet again He loves me enough to provide this blessing for me. 

I had in my night stand Radical by David Plath and continued reading from where I left off.  It is so refreshing to be able to read what I want and when I want now that I'm on summer break.  I laid there and just cried out to Jesus as I read.  I recognized that I am worth it.  I am always a work in progress.  Sometimes I let people get to me.  People that knew me before I was saved.  They still see the old me and not the new me (I believe there is a song about that), and I get so frustrated!  Sometimes I am wrong because I give into those people and act like I would before. 

God has blessed me with a most loving husband, doing anything and everything with me in mind, a beautiful and perfect son for us, a home, and the fact that I get to stay home to take care of my family!  I never in a million years thought I'd want to be a stay-at-home mom!  But God changes people and most of all changes their hearts.

As I wrap this up so I can get another cup of coffee and work on some homework, I just ask that you pray with me for the family of the newly diagnosed baby:


Lord,  I come to you for a specific reason.  There is a baby of yours that needs your support.  His family needs your support as well.  Please fill them with a sense of peace and comfort during this time.  Open their hearts and minds to see Your just cause for placing this disease in their laps.  Lord it is without saying that you don't give more than we can take.  Make this family stronger for it.  Use this disease to bring this family to you and to lean upon you only.  You never do anything for us that doesn't bring an opportunity to lean upon you.  I thank you that we can come to you for support.  I thank you for sending the Holy Spirit as our comforter and to give us wisdom and peace.  It is in your name I pray, Amen.

Just a thought....

I'm back, yet again, for another post.  Hopefully these will come more often than in the past.  As of June 3rd I completed my 4th year of teaching.  June 4th I started Grad School at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College!  It is a huge undertaking, but definitely fun!  I am working on my Masters of Education degree.  With that said I am finished teaching in the public schools as of now.  I resigned my position as 8th grade English teacher at Stonybrook Middle School so I can stay home and raise my family.  It was too hard to work and be a super mom for Dietrich and super wife for Dustin.  Many women complain about how difficult it is, but please don't complain to me until you're a teacher in an inner-city public school with middle schoolers.... 

Speaking of change, something I just feel like noting is that people have changed after I had Dietrich.  Sure my life structure changed and my first concern is my family, not myself, but people also look at me differently.  I'm not so sure I'm over it, but it does hurt.  I am purposely not one of those women that talk all about my child.  I know how that is and it gets old.  I only speak of Dietrich when someone asks and even then I don't go into detail unless someone asks. 

Does anyone else have this problem?  What is the cause?  Just a bit bitter over it :).