Thank you!

This is a special thank you to B.C. and the wonderful staff at the State of Texas Bureau Crime Records Service for their diligence and service. Thank you for doing what you do!

March 30 - April 5, 2008

Finally, we have recovered (for the most part) from that terrible cold/bronchitis we picked up at the end of spring break.

It was an uneventful week. Jim arrived home from the off-site in San Antonio and then he worked the rest of the week, kids went to school - Tuesday was a field trip day to Faunia http://www.faunia.es/ to study the animals. Both classrooms have an endangered species project at school; each child has selected an endangered animal to study - Christian is raising awareness of the Bengal Tiger and Carson is highlighting the Black Panther. They have done a tremendous amount of research and will draw and make buttons to raise money for endangered animals at the end of the project. I finally made it back into the gym and began the purging process of all the "why in the world are we still holding on to this" items. I did make progess as all the ski & winter coats, gloves, scarfs, & hats are now washed and packed (4 large plastic containers full!) and ready for the movers.

Our RFO (Request For Orders) arrived and the process has been initiated for orders so we can begin making appointments for moving our household goods and cars, making arrangements for temporary furniture, lodging, and airline tickets...so much depends on those orders! Thanks to the NSE (Navy Support Element) for working it for us ~ you guys are great!

We received a call from our agency on Thursday - we hope to post later this week that we have a date for submission or have been submitted. We are waiting word from our facilitator (V) to verify information. We will send out an email to check our blog when this occurs. Thank you to (C) for calling!

Okay, that's it for us for now.

April Fool's Day!

The history of April Fool's Day, also called All Fool's Day, remains clouded but is said to have occured with the reform of the Gregorian calendar in the late sixteenth-century. It is speculated that France was the first country to switch from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian in 1582 which was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, who introduced the Gregorian calendar to the Christian world....the significance of the switch in calendars moved the beginning of the year from April 1st to January 1st.

Congratulations Taylor Family

Congratulations to our friends Rick & Barbara Taylor who just delivered Isla's sister into the world!

We can't wait to meet your new bundle of joy!

March 23-29, 2008

I have been really sick this past week so I haven't posted. I am not a frequent visitor of the hospital or doctors (those of you who know me really well - you know I must be REALLY sick to go to the doctor or this guy must be treating me!). So with all the coughing, sneezing, aching, and difficulty breathing the boys and I were off to be evaluated. Everyone except Carson ended up on medication and inhalers...yuck. Now, we are all feeling much better, gaining strength, and catching up on what we let slide last week.

Jim was attending the "off-site" this week with the wonderful people from our new unit. Thanks for the invitation and our apologies we could not have all been there with you. We are excited about our new journey and looking forward to meeting all of you this summer.

No news from our agency this week with reference to our submission. Thank you for the prayers, words of encouragement, and new friends we have made so far on this journey.

This week we will begin the process of purging those items we are not taking with us back to the United States and begin placing those things we don't foresee using before we leave back into their orginial boxes.

I love moving - it gives you the chance purge, clean, and begin anew!

Happy Easter

May the glory
and promise
of this joyous time of year
Bring peace
and happiness to you
and those you hold most dear,

And may Christ,
Our Risen Saviour,
always be there by your side
To bless you
most abundantly
and be your loving guide.

Waiting & Wishing

Many of you have asked if there are any updates with our journey to bring Ella home. We're sorry to report no additional news. It's out of our hands and all we can do is have faith that we will be guided to Ukraine when the timing is right. We appreciate all of your support, prayers, love, and words of encouragement.

Spring Break 15-24 March 2008, Garmisch, Germany

We are having a great Spring Break!

Now, when many of you think Spring Break, you may think of sand, sun, bikini's....not us. We packed our parkas, hats, and gloves and made a run for the mountains of Garmsich, Germany - COLD and SNOWY but SNUGGLY!

Although we have had a few coughs, mild fevers, runny noses - our true friend Triaminic Flu relieved those symptoms - for 8 hours anyway.

We have enjoyed taking a horse and carriage ride around this cozy, snowy, beautiful town of Garmisch; taking a winding mountain road to Wattens, Austria the home of Swarovski Crystal (Jim took the boys out to play and I shopped and shopped and shopped - you getting the picture here?); a trip to Ettal to visit the Monastery and Basilica (we purchased beer made by the Monk's and wood carvings at a local shop); then on to Neuschwanstein Castle (sometimes referred to as "The Disney Castle") where we stood patiently (cough, cough) in line (inticed by ice cream) for 45minutes for a horse and carriage ride to the top of the mountain - it was NOT light hiking to the top as the brochure suggested! We wondered around at the top enjoying the view and some gluevine; we finally got some sledding in while Patrick took 6 hours of skiing lessons...go Patrick!

While we are 3/5ths still sick,

the day was beautiful, snowy, and P-E-R-F-E-C-T!

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Grandpa Payne! We miss you and love you!

St. Patrick's Day History

Saint Patrick's Day (Irish: Lá 'le Pádraig or Lá Fhéile Pádraig), colloquially is the feast day which annually celebrates Saint Patrick (386-493), the patron saint of Ireland, on March 17. It is a national holiday in the Republic of Ireland (a bank holiday in Northern Ireland).

Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated worldwide by Irish people and increasingly by many of non-Irish descent. Celebrations are generally themed around all things green and Irish; both Christians and non-Christians celebrate the secular version of the holiday by wearing green, eating Irish food, imbibing Irish drink, and attending parades. The St. Patrick's Day parade in Dublin, Ireland is part of a five day festival, with over 500,000 people attending the 2006 parade. The largest St. Patrick's Day parade is held in New York City and it is watched by 2 million spectators. The St. Patrick's day parade was first held in New York City on 17 March, 1756 when Irish soldiers marched through the city. Parades also take place in other Irish towns and villages. Other large parades include those in Belfast, Manchester, Birmingham, London, Coatbridge, Montreal, Boston, Chicago, Kansas City, Savannah, Pittsburgh, Denver, Sacramento, Scranton and Toronto. Large parades also take place in other places throughout Europe and the Americas, as well as Australia and Asia.

As well as being a celebration of Irish culture, Saint Patrick's Day is a Christian festival celebrated in the Catholic Church, the Church of Ireland (among other churches in the Anglican Communion) and some other denominations. The day always falls in the season of Lent. In church calendars (though rarely in secular ones) Saint Patrick's Day is moved to the following Monday when it falls on a Sunday. It is traditional for those observing a lenten fast to break it for the duration of Saint Patrick's Day whenever March 17 falls on a Friday.

In many parts of North America, Britain, and Australia, expatriate Irish, those of Irish descent, and ever-growing crowds of people with no Irish connections but who may proclaim themselves "Irish for a day" also celebrate St. Patrick's Day, usually by drinking alcoholic beverages (lager dyed green, Irish beer and stout, such as Murphys, Smithwicks, Harp or Guinness, or Irish whiskey, Irish Cider, Irish Coffee or Baileys Irish Cream) and by wearing at least one article of green-colored clothing.

News

We spoke with our agency today trying to figure out a tenative time line - we are still waiting to be submitted. This has got to be the hardest part - waiting.

If you haven't heard, we are moving this summer back to Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas. We will continue our journey to bring Ella home during our move while balancing purging of unwanted and unmoveable items, sorting household goods from whole baggage, packing out, moving to a hotel and school ending. Of course, there will be a few TDY's thrown in there with a dash of spring break and a pinch of summer fun.

We promise to keep you posted as events unfold. Pray for our submission and a smooth transition for our family.

Bryan & Rachel Arrived!

Today, Bryan & Rachel arrived from NY. After landing at the airport and gathering up the suitcases, we headed to OTAN for a cafe con leche and to meet up with Jim. Then, we headed off to the banco Santander to exchange American money into Euro and to grab a few groceries. We headed home to meet up with the little people, cook some dinner, drink vino, and catch up before the sleepies set in! Great job staying up guys! From there, the next days were filled with visiting the heart of Madrid, where we happened upon the Changing of the Guard at the Royal Palace and strolled around the city seeing the sights and enjoying a cafe con leche...or two. At our visit to Osborne Winery - Amanda showed us around the winery and let us sample some vino - BEFORE we made our purchases - hmmm...is that the trick? We managed to fit in a trip to Valderrama Olive Oils, Toledo, Segovia & Avila. It was a busy week but we had a GREAT time with our wonderful friends! Thank you for coming to Spain to visit us and for the wonderful time we had while you were here!

Our Five Day Adventure In Rome, Naples, Pompeii, Venice, Burano, Murano & Torcello Italy

Happy Birthday Carly!

Happy Birthday to our wonderful little niece. Carly turned 6 today and while we cannot be there with her, we want her to know we love and miss her VERY much. Happy Birthday!

Ella's Room

WOW another step towards bringing Ella home! We have purchased bedding for her room! Ella's room decor - twin white beds with this beautiful bedding of soft yellows, greens and lavendar flowers. We will post pictures once the room is done!

Family Visit to Valle de los Caidos

"On April 1, 1940, it was decided that the Monument to the Dead in the Spanish Civil War should be erected. It is from the deep sense of religious devotion with which this great work was conceived by that Regime, from its situation and its object that the name comes: the Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caidos or Holy Cross of the Valley of the Fallen."

Presidents' Day February 18, 2008

"If you live long enough, you'll make mistakes. But if you learn from them, you'll be a better person. It's how you handle adversity, not how it affects you. The main thing is never quit, never quit, never quit."

~ Willam Jefferson Clinton ~

"America is too great for small dreams."

~ Ronald Wilson Regan ~

"America is best described by one word, freedom."

~ Dwight David Eisenhower ~

"Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth."

~ George Washington ~

Love Day

Spread love everywhere you go: first of all in your own home. Give love to your children, to a wife or husband, to a next-door neighbor.

~ Mother Teresa ~

Hanging in there

We are hanging in there! Still waiting to hear if we have been submitted.
Thanks for all your prayers and positive motivation

FEBRUARY 4th!

Today, the SDA opened permitting those of us still waiting to submit our complete dossiers to do so. We are anxious to hear from Carol if our dossier has been accepted and if our wait to bring Ella home has begun.

Check back daily for updates!