Busy, Busy, Busy !!!!

No really, it is the truth! Once our trip for Virginia was over with, we started making preparations for moving. Did I ever mention, how much I love moving? I should almost be a proffesional by now, since I have moved six times in the last 18 years, two of those in the last two years! Actually this one went pretty smoothly compared to the others. I think the best thing my wife and I did this time is we didn't let it control our family's life. Nomally when we move , we go full bore until it is done, which results in missed meals ( or just as bad poor ones), kids routines messed up, and somewhere by all parties involved, a good version of their own breakdown! No, this time we took our time and although it took longer than usual, I think everyone fared much better. I picked up the keys on the 10th of July and two weeks later, we are almost done. All that is left is: the fence, swing set, trampoline, and a few more boxes. Did you notice how I saved all the fun stuff for the end? Well, that is all for tonight, between work, moving and old age (turned 37 yesterday) I am pretty worn out. Next week starts a new job positon for me in the Marine Corps, but that will be another entry. Until next time, may peace be with you and your loved ones. Good Night! I also posted a couple pics of the new house. Now for real this time, Good Night!

Needs a little yard work

Living Room Area, doesn't it look cozy?

I have been slacking, I know :)

Well, I know, I have been slacking! I wish I had a good reason but I really don't so I won't make one up. It has been busy around here but not that busy. Since I haven't posted anything since late May, I will pick up there (or pretty close at least). In June, my in-laws came down for their semi-annual visit and celebrated our son's 13th birthday as well. It wasn't a huge celebration since we were saving the big part for late June to go see Toby Mac and others at Busch Gardens (more on that later). Where was I, oh yes, in-laws visiting. Overall it was a very nice time. My wife took her mother for a ladies day out and enjoyed lunch and had planned on going shopping. I say planned because my wife's car a 2003 Taurus had died on her in the parking lot. I must say they both handled the situation very well. My father-in-law went to pick them up while I watched the kids. Afterwards, he and I went to look at the car. We were able to jump start it and I drove it home. I did a little troubleshooting and all things pointed to a bad alternator. Which is kind of hard to believe, I mean the car is an '03 but it only has 20,000 miles (my wife doesn't drive much). I bought the alternator and after several hours of frustration her car was up and running again. Now back to the birthday part. My wife (the awesome baker/cook that she is) made my son a cake that looked like an Oreo cookie. It was delicious! Overall it was a good birthday for my son and excellent time with family. Shortly afterwards we got notification we would be moving houses due to renovations (military housing on base). With address in hand, my family and I checked out our future new location. The house in itself looked very nice but the location was not so great. Where we live now, it is a quieter area, with a small woods behind, good yard space and distance from neighbors. Allowing for a good play area for my kids and security for my youngest. Unfortunately, our new location had the exact opposite: Very busy (a stone's throw from the Community Center), short drive way (too close to the street), a busy street, and minimal yard. However, we have learned to trust God in all things and figured there was a reason. So we began making plans...then I learned my neighbor and co-worker was assigned a house in what my wife and I deemed as ideal. So after speaking with him, he said he would be willing to, if the assignment office agreed. So I went and spoke with the office, explaining how it would be better security and peace of mind for my youngest son. They agreed to it, so now we have a new location which is almost identical to where we live now. If any of you out there have children with autism, I am sure you can understand how important keeping things the same is. I know in our situation, when we moved here two years ago, it took us about six months for everything to settle down due to the diffrences in house lay-out and area. It wasn't a pretty sight. Well now on to the exciting stuff. As mentioned earlier, I took Tyler to Busch Gardens for a Toby Mac concert. We left on Saturday morning and arrived late afternoon. After getting settled in to the hotel, we went and looked around historic Williamsburg and had dinner. We returned to the hotel with hopes of going into the pool but settled for strolling around the area. The next morning we woke up early and headed back to historic Williamsburg to pick up a souvenir for the wife, who appreciates early American history. I was able to pick up a set of antique candle lanterns(at least replicas of them) for her and a couple of battery powered flickering candles for them. From there we headed over to the hotel to grab supplies for an all day outing and headed for Bush Gardens. We arrived as the park was opening and proceeded inside. The concert (our real reason for being there) wasn't going to start until 4 p.m. So we enjoyed the sights and looked at everything the park has to offer. At about 2:30 we headed over to the concert area and noticed it was getting crowded so we went in. First up was Brandon Heath (who did an excellent job), next was Mandisa (she was excellent as well although my son wasn't pleased with her old school stuff and wanted to hear more of her album music, and then it was tobyMac, who both my son and I enjoy very much. We both were able to get a T-shirt and had an excellent time. Which is really where I want to appeal to Dad's: Dads please listen, it isn't what you do that builds the memory for your child, it is being there that builds the memory. Last night for instance was the 4th of July celebration. Last year I wasn't able to take Tyler since I was in Afghanistan with fire works of my own. Last night though, we hopped in my truck and went to the local fire works. We waited for about an hour for them to begin and in that time we just talked. It wasn't anything fancy but it was important for my son and me as well. As I have mentioned before, if we do not take the time to teach and spend time with our children, someone else will. Well, I should wrap this up. We start moving on the 10th of this month and there is much to do. Yesterday I took down the swing set and the trampoline and that alone was an all day affair...So if I am not back for a few days...it will be alright I am just trying to move. Less than a month after that I start a new job position in the Marine Corps. Sometimes life just seems a little crazy! Until next time may the peace of God be with you and may you follow his calling. Before I go though, another couple of pics from Busch Gardens.

Tyler on the slide above and on the rope bridge below

My Ship Never Came In

Well the last time I was here, I was speaking of great plans to see a replica of the Santa Maria and the Pinta. Unfortunately, due to weather, they never arrived so we needed some impromptu planning for Memorial Day. I took my eldest son for a good bike ride to the river front where we walked around and spent some good quality time together. We followed that up by some good old American grilling and going for a nice family stroll together. And thanks to the long weekend I was afforded the opportunity of a short work week. Which led into this weekend which has had it's ups and downs. Yesterday we lost power on our street for about six hours. After a little research and much grumbling on my part, we unfortunately had to discard a large quantity of food. The biggest thorn was I had gone grocery shopping about two hours prior. Combine that with being a warm Carolina day and the majority of the food I purchased had to be tossed. Secondly, I am kicking myself for not getting ice after the three hour mark. Once I cooled down over it I realized it could of been worse and no use crying over spoiled milk. Today was a good day as I spent some great time with the kids today (and the wife too). I cannot stress though how important it is to spend that quality time with the kids though. I am sure we all have busy and hectic lives but if we do not take the time to appreciate those that matter most to us...then why do we do what we do? I mean what is the point of providing material and lacking the personal. I know I may appear to be rambling but if you fall into the category of more work than play please listen. Several years ago, I worked too much on my professional life and not enough in my personal. In the end, I was too busy or too tired to enjoy my family. Which is crazy, the last time I checked my kids didn't ask for me to be their dad. No, God entrusted that to me, and I was screwing it up. There are events in my life I can not control (deployments) but I need to use the time I do have with my family wisely and affectionately. First, I don't want to be seen as the forgotten father but more importantly who is going to demonstrate how a man should conduct himself if I am never present. I do not want my children learning their values from the television or some other influence. Most importantly, what I am saying to God about something he entrusted so dearly to me. Well, I need to get ready for the nightly routine. I quit trying to be such a slacker and be back more often. Until next time, may you invest that quality time with your kids and may you reap greatly on your investment.

Memorial Day Plans

Well tomorrow is Memorial day and my wife planned, what I believe, to be an exciting day. We are going to see/tour floating replicas of the Nina and Pinta, which hopefully will be in our area tomorrow. They were scheduled to be here on Friday but they are very reliant on the weather so they are a little behind schedule. My eldest son was not very excited about going until he discovered we are actually going to go on the ships. Now he is all excited and is even asking to bring his camera. It will be about an hour drive there and wanting to make the most of the day, we will probably get an early start. With that said I will be cutting this entry short. Before I go, I wanted to share one item. Friday afternoon, before out dismissal for the weekend there was a military appreciation day on our base. The neat thing was they had some aviation assets of a bygone era. Specifically the Corsair from WWII days, an H-34 from Viet Nam, a WWII era bomber and some others. They also had some drag racing cars, I believe they were 60's era Nova's/ Chevy II's. The cars were called Fueled by the Fallen and it had the names of everyone who has made the ultimate sacrifice I believe between Iraq and Afghanistan. I will enclose pictures below. If you look at the car and see all those names, please take a moment to reflect on the sacrifice not only that they made but their family as well. For not only were they Marines, they were someones son, husband and/or father. Or someones daughter, wife and/or mother. Then please say a short prayer for those who continue to stand in harms way. Believe it or not, your support does mean a lot. I wish you all the best and may you have a very enjoyable Memorial Day!

Below is the car I mentioned and below that is a Marine Corsair from WWII

Diverse Entry

I know...strange title, It is because I have not blogged in a while and there are a lot of areas I would like to cover. Then again, it is pretty late, so we will have to wait and see how far I get. To any and all moms who may read my ramblings, it is my sincere hope that you all enjoyed your Mother's Day. Now, Memorial Day is upon us, an I would ask that my readers take the time this weekend to remember those who have fallen in defense of our country and those that defend her today. Especially today with as busy as our military is. I cannot speak for the other services (although I know they are just as committed and busy). For us in the Marines we are pretty busy. To give an idea, I returned from Afghanistan this past November after being there for eight months and I will be returning again in the not too distant future. To all my fellow service members, I pray that your family will be safe in your absence and that you will return to them safely. I thank you for your sacrifices and those of your family...I know it is not easy...but you are never alone. I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable weekend. Let's move on... other than that life is been the pretty much the same. I was actually able to help my wife out with homeschooling the other day ( and the last couple of days). I was pretty excited as I do not get to help very often. My oldest son is studying vitamins and minerals and what effect they have on the body. My wife found this neat resource that made it really interesting, it is making the different items into superheros and giving a brief description about their specifics. I was tasked with creating super heroes that match the item. I will try and post a few of my favorites further on. The images may get distorted, mostly the lettering that is black with a green colored glow. I do not remember the resource for the work sheet, but if anyone is interested, just let me know and I will get it. Well that is about it for tonight,and it is getting late. I will continue with part II tomorrow (hopefully). Until then, may the Lord guide you and keep you!

And 1 More.....

I hope you enjoy them... I made more but those are my three favorites.

Mother's Day Is Almost Here!!! (Hint, Hint)

Well, that special day is almost here. That one day a year where children shower their Mom's with praise for the wonderful persons they are. Which we as husbands, I think, take for granted too often. Well I know I do at times....Just a little pondering here but what if we treated our wives like it was Mothers day / Anniversary / Birthday every day? What if we took time out of our day and let the woman in our lives know how much they mean to us? What if we pursued and showed the interest we did when we were dating our wives? I would have to believe that marriages would be stronger, I believe our sons would see how a woman should be treated and do the same when they got married, I believe our daughters would know what to look for in a husband... It's been said a society is no stronger than a single family. So if we strengthen our families we can strengthen our society as well. Not to mention I think our divorce rate would drop significantly. Think about it men.. we have a golden opportunity to straighten out our mixed up and confused world. The Bible tells us that men should be leaders of their household. That does not imply however a dictatorship. What if God treated us like, we at times treat our families. Imagine: God comes home from work and is really frustrated with the world and he takes it out on me. I would think that would be unfair.. yet there are times I come home from work and vent my frustrations on the people who only deserve my love and affection. I am thankful that they do not hold it against me. I am even more thankful that God does not do the same to me. Well give it some thought men, the world would be a much better place if we would do our part. Well, that's about it... but do not forget to show your appreciation for all the wonderful things that your wife not only does for your children but for you as well. Below are some one liners that may help you think or may make you laugh. I hope you enjoy....

- God is the only third party in a marriage that can make it work.

- A happy wife sometimes has the best husband but more often makes the best of the husband she has.

- Some husbands lay down the law and then accept their wife's amendments.

-Courtship is that time during which the female decides whether or not she can do any better.

-Before criticizing your wife's/husband's faults, remember that they may have prevented her/him from getting a better husband/wife.

- Too many marry for better or worse, but not for good.

- Husband to wife: "Stick to your washing, cooking, ironing and scrubbing. No wife of mine is going to work!"

- Many girls marry men just like their fathers; then people wonder why their mothers cry at the wedding.

- A honeymoon is the vacation a man takes before going to work for a new boss.

- The thing that married men will never understand is why all bachelors aren't rich.

Well that is all... until next time, may you love your family as unconditionally as God loves you.

Wouldn't Change a Thing

I was just thinking (I know I shouldn't), I wouldn't change a thing when it comes to having children with autism. There are so many people out there who want to "cure" their child's autism or not accept it all. Not to offend anyone, but I do not think that is possible. They may cope with their disability better but it will never go away. As for my boys, I do not think I would want to in the first place. God made them who they are for a reason and a purpose, as he made all of us that way. Take my youngest for example. He is non verbal and cognitively very low functioning on the autism spectrum. And people out there see it as he is unable to do anything, what they would deem productive. However I tend to disagree. As I watch him, he enjoys his life very much and it does not take much for him to enjoy himself. How many people do we know that have quite the material stock pile, yet are still unhappy. I won't stop there though...he has also taught me a lot about myself (some of it wasn't pretty) and a lot about patience.He has taught me not to judge others, no matter of the circumstances, too quickly. Or lets take my eldest son, who is high functioning autistic and so intelligent it is just plain scary sometimes. He can literally do math in his head before I can complete it on paper. He also has a very energetic personality and is very compassionate about his convictions and beliefs. He doesn't live in a gray world, it is pretty much black and white. I think about that, isn't that how God sees things. There is no grey with God, it is pretty much black and white with Him too! There is not a sin that is OK as long as it is in a certain context. Unfortunately, even for myself at times, the lines of definition are blurred and it isn't very clear. I like to think of my eldest son as a reality check from God. When I am not patient enough to listen to Him he interjects through my son. Well that is what I think, to summarize everything, I wouldn't change a thing. Well that is enough for now. Next time, lets talk about Mothers day. Below are a couple pictures of the kids. Also one of my Cougar that I talked about in previous entries. Until next time, may you always choose the narrow gate.

My youngest checking out his brothers keyboard(he loves music)

My eldest being happy

And finally a picture of the car.