Packages, and another Move In Date Change - for the Better, and Misc!

Packages -
While stationed outside the US or away from family and friends, packages from home are a very welcome diversion. We eagerly look forward to "mail time" and check our box frequently if we know something is on the way. And sometimes we are surprised by packages we didn't know were coming. Even things I ordered online feel a bit like Christmas. It is just comforting for some reason. And having friends and family send us cards, letters, and packages reminds us that we are loved and missed in a very tangible way. And it is amazing how timely these little remembrances can be.

The first package I got - from Karissa - came when I just felt like a big crybaby. I was having a hard time coping with sad, distraught babies and with a husband who was never home and the temporary nature of a borrowed car and living in our friends' home. The package comes, with all sorts of "I thought of you" goodies, and suddenly I remember I am remembered, and I can focus on who I really am. Full of JOY, full of HAPPINESS, and able to cope because I know God will not give us more than we can handle.

Then last Saturday we had a particularly bad day. We learned we had lost the pregnancy that we had so eagerly anticipated. Brad was on call, so I had to drive myself home from the hospital. We checked the mail as we were leaving, and there was a card from Briana. See what I mean about timeliness? I am having one of the toughest days of my life, can't even go home to cry in the arms of my sad husband, and I have this sweet, warm, full of uplifting thoughts and full of love letter from a friend who is thinking about us. And sweet pictures her son drew for Joshua and Jacob. I read the card about 20 times, trying to help myself focus on blessings and conquer the sadness that threatened to overwhelm me. It helped, it really helped, and having such a tangible expression of caring helped a lot.

And last week we got a package from Amy. My sweet sister always manages to figure out a way to show us how much she cares and misses us. It included cold weather clothing for Joshua, long pants in size 4, long sleeve shirts, a hoodie, etc. And then we got another package a few days later of the raspberry chipotle sauce we love, as well as some red plum jam (my absolute fav) and a new flavor of sauce we hadn't tried, mango ginger habanero. Fischer and Wieser, based out of Fredricksburg, TX, makes the best sauces. Good for grilling, pouring over cream cheese and making into an appetizer, as dips for chicken tenders or even for mixing with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for a salad dressing. But, it is not always easy to find these sauces and particularly not here. So she sent us 8 jars of sauce and 3 jars of jam. The box was pretty heavy, but they had carefully wrapped everything, and only 1 jar of sauce broke. Brad and I tried out the mango last night - amazing! So nice to have this little "taste" of home.

ANOTHER Move In Date Change -
We are now moving in on MONDAY! Woohoo! And it turns out all our stuff may be here already. Apparently, I was supposed to call when I arrived, not wait for them to contact us. I do remember being told that at my move briefing, but for the life of me couldn't recall it when I arrived! So, we could have had the drop off scheduled already. We will do what we can, though, to have it scheduled as soon as we can. Nice to know that it might already all be here. We are that much closer to having it all together!! More or less. I can't wait to reintroduce Joshua to his bike. He is so excited! And I think when he is surrounded by his toys and our familiar things he will begin to feel like he is home.

Joshua has been sleeping in a twin sized bed since we arrived here. He really seems to like it, and it makes me think he won't be so excited about seeing his toddler bed again. We are thinking about buying him a bunkbed, one with a full sized bed on bottom and twin sized on top, if we can find it. I have seen metal versions of this here, so they must have wooden ones, too, right?

Both boys have been sick this week, but they are on the mend today. Brad and I had a bet about what Joshua had. Brad bet he had parainfluenza. I bet he had anything else. Turns out, we were both right. He has parainfluenza and the rhino virus. Luckily, no H1N1 as suspected. So we either both won the bet or we both lost. I am going with we both won!!