Turning the page.....

Well, here we are again.....starting a new chapter in our life. It honestly never ceases to amaze me how compatible my family is with change.

Over the past year there have been many changes inside the walls of our home.
For starters I was offered a promotion and a change of duty location and we have moved to North Carolina for the opportunity to support the mighty 82 Airborne Division headquartered at Fort Bragg. Along with this opportunity came some interesting challenges, not the least of which is mandatory mobility, which in simple terms means I will now be deploying to Afghanistan, Iraq and other sunny, sand filled locations in support of the finest soldiers in the US Army. While this undoubtedly creates stress at home I truly consider it an honor to serve and to have the chance to do my part for a great nation. As I type (i.e. chicken-peck) these words I sit in a hotel outside Washington D.C. prepping to head downrange for 6 months. Having to tell my wife and kids goodbye has opened my eyes and helped me appreciate our troops a lot more......these young families are truly making a great sacrifice to deploy on a regular basis......

Along with the obvious move from South Korea, which was a mess as well we have been welcomed into our new home and are making an attempt to settle back into a "normal" life.....not so sure there is such a thing for us.

We have welcomed baby number 6 into our family this November as well........Elizabeth GraceLynn was born on the 13th.......she has been a great blessing to us and an answer to many prayers. She has a great challenge living up to her namesake.......my cousin Liz.......an outstanding lady, mother and daughter that we all miss very much. If she can have half of the sense of humor and absolutely positive outlook on life that Liz had then she will touch and bless the lives of many......

James Dean has turned 16 and has his permit.....Paris at 15 should have hers any day. Jordan is growing into a beautiful young woman and will be in high school this next year. Ryan is as outspoken and utterly shameless as always.......he is more than willing to break out in song and/or dance at any given time......his disco fever moves are something to behold. My little Kylee is such a princess and loves school.....and Elizabeth......well lets just say it will be a happy day when she decides to sleep.

We are slowly getting situated in our new church home......I'm working with the scout troop and Tracy has just been called as a Primary Teacher for the 11 year olds.......busy as always.

As I sit here with the realization that I will be apart from my family for 6 long months I struggle to understand why my path has led where it has.......I will truly miss Tracy and the kids......they are such a blessing in my life and to be separated from their influence and example will be hard but with my faith and belief in the promise of an eternal family I understand that the Lord has a plan, and if we will keep the promises and covenants that we have made then he must bless us.......so all is well.

I'll attempt to keep a log of rambling thoughts as I progress towards and thru this deployment.......I wish I has the commitment to keep a journal because I know it would be a blessing for those family members yet to come but I think this is as close as I'll get.

God bless and stay safe........James