Also, now that "the Captain" is safely home, we are going back to first names! I can't tell you how happy this makes me (and I'm sure my little brother is cheering loudly because he often had to call me saying "um, Katie, you used Paul's name 5 times in the last post" or "the pictures are labeled with names"). So, Ducks gone...first names IN.
Goodness, life has been such a whirlwind, I don't even know where to begin!! Many of you have been asking for some Britta pictures so, why don't we start there!
We have unpacked ALL our boxes and are slowly, slowly getting settled in our new home. Sadly, our washing machine did not handle the move well and died during its first load. Two weeks & a new part later, she is back and running again! I have gained a whole new appreciation for having a functioning washing machine in the house!!
As you may know, we rented our home in San Antonio just based upon 12 Internet photos. Of course, it shouldn't surprise us that God once again proved Himself faithful as the new digs are really great and Paul has a nice & short commute to work. The girls love their new rooms AND love the fact that our new house has an upstairs!! The backyard has a great playscape but it has been so hot & sticky here, they haven't been able to enjoy it as much as they'd like. Come fall, I foresee lots of time out in the backyard!
Now that we've had some time to "breathe" we are wondering "what the heck happened?!?" We figured out that in 6 weeks time we welcomed Paul home from Iraq, welcomed Miss Britta Elise to the world, packed up our El Paso home and moved across Texas! While Paul and I are scrambling to "find normal" the kids are doing remarkably well!!
We did have some rather disappointing news....the sale of our El Paso home fell through! It has been a strange situation, but from what we can gather, the buyer's loan defaulted (despite having a preapproval letter from the bank). So, the house is back on the market and we are praying the right buyer comes along. We are also praying for wisdom on when & if to put a renter in. Your prayers are much appreciated!!
As some of you know, my neck (occipital neuralgia) flared up again after the birth of Britta. This made the move across TX that much more interesting. But God is bigger than the pain in my neck and I'm happy to report that I've been pain free for a couple of weeks now!! Thanks so much for your prayers!
Paul has finally completed all the in-processing (no SMALL feat) and has had a chance to meet the other residents & dermatology staff in his program. He found everyone to be very nice, feels it is a good fit, and is excited to embark upon this new endeavor!
It is still our hope/goal to do a blog post on deployment reflections complete with some pictures from Paul's experience. Stay tuned :-)
With much love.....Paul, Katie, Libby, Emily, Abbie, and Britta! :-)
LOVE the pics!!! thanks for wonderful update. we miss you guys like crazy, but very happy to envision your transition going as smoothly-as-somewhat-reasonable-in-many-ways, and SUPER glad you all are just getting used to a new normal TOGETHER... much love.
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