Do you have any idea how long it takes for a pot of water to boil? We do. A water main burst here in town, and we're under a boil water advisory for a few days. I don't know that we've ever truly appreciated potable water as much as we do now that our tap doesn't have it. Hopefully, it will just be another day, and we will be back to a new normal.....one where we have just a bit more gratitude for the tap in our sink.
God Bless!
Monday, December 31, 2012
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Time Flies
A scientist would tell you that the days between December 26, 2010 and November 19, 2011 passed at exactly the same rate that the ones between November 19, 2011 and today have passed. It seems impossible to believe that this is true. (There are probably some super nerds who would have some advanced mathematics to dispute this. Let it rest folks.) The latter have passed so much more quickly than the former did. As a matter of fact, the last 12 months since Lloyd stepped of the plane have just sped by us.
The last year, we have spent a good deal of time adjusting to not just living in the same state but actually living in the same small apartment. Add that to working, spending time with family and friends, and some occasional relaxation, life has been full. We have also been spending a lot of time talking to the Big Guy and trying to figure out what He has planned for us as well as when and where. Those are some pretty big questions, and we would appreciate prayers for discernment as we go forward.
On the upside for all of you.....we now have actual internet at our apartment. There's a chance that the blog will be updated more frequently. We'll see how things go.
God Bless!
The last year, we have spent a good deal of time adjusting to not just living in the same state but actually living in the same small apartment. Add that to working, spending time with family and friends, and some occasional relaxation, life has been full. We have also been spending a lot of time talking to the Big Guy and trying to figure out what He has planned for us as well as when and where. Those are some pretty big questions, and we would appreciate prayers for discernment as we go forward.
On the upside for all of you.....we now have actual internet at our apartment. There's a chance that the blog will be updated more frequently. We'll see how things go.
God Bless!
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Still alive
It's funny how having a life in real life makes it hard to keep up with your online one.The last few months since Lloyd returned home have been crazy for us. We had Thanksgiving, Christmas, our wedding anniversary, two weddings, moving, and job hunting for both of us. It has not been easy, but through it all we have been reminded of how richly blessed we are. We are finally just beginning to settle into some sort of a routine, and maybe will be able to update a bit more frequently again.
God Bless!
God Bless!
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Plenty to Be Thankful For
It has been a busy couple of exciting and fun filled weeks.
Lloyd got home on November 19 for keeps and forever. We have decided that we are going to name this as a family holiday. From now on, 11/19 will be on our calendar as "Home Day," and we intend to celebrate it every year to remind us of all that "home" means to us. It's especially cool that Home Day is 11/19 since that was the address of the house where the Braatz family grew up in West Allis, WI. (Extra hugs and such go out to Mamaw, Uncle Dave, Uncle Richard, and Mom.)
Since then we had a fantastic Thanksgiving at the Rose home eating delicious food, enjoying time with family, and celebrating a Packer victory. It was amazing to have Lloyd home for this as we knew without a doubt what we were thankful for that day.
The following weekend, we headed to LaCrosse for the traditional Blakeley Fake Family Christmas get together. We had a great time just relaxing with family and friends, and Lloyd got to experience Exploratory Surgery at Pizza Doctors for the first time ever. As an added bonus, we also got a lesson on how to use a cast iron waffle maker, so we should be able to make them now without making a mess. We'll see how it works out the next time that we try to make them.
Since then, most of our time has been spent with work, putting the apartment together, and getting used to being able to actually live together. Lloyd has been tracking down leads for a job and enjoying the whole "being a civilian" thing. (He grew a beard. :) He plans to shave it for job interviews but is having fun with the idea until then.) We did make a trip down to the VA regional office in Milwaukee to start the claim process for Lloyd last Thursday. The expectation for the trip was that we would drive down there to get an appointment for him to start filing paperwork at a later date, but he did bring all of his medical and service records with him just in case they could do a bit more than that. It turns out that we got a pretty amazing surprise.....he was not only able to meet with someone about the claim - because he had such complete records with him, he was able to submit a fully developed claim last Thursday. According to the guy at the VA, the process should take around 3 months instead of the 6 months to a year that we had been anticipating. We're pretty happy about that news.
Right now, our major project is to finish moving into the apartment and getting everything set in it. We're looking forward to being able to have friends and family come to visit us soon.
God Bless!
Lloyd got home on November 19 for keeps and forever. We have decided that we are going to name this as a family holiday. From now on, 11/19 will be on our calendar as "Home Day," and we intend to celebrate it every year to remind us of all that "home" means to us. It's especially cool that Home Day is 11/19 since that was the address of the house where the Braatz family grew up in West Allis, WI. (Extra hugs and such go out to Mamaw, Uncle Dave, Uncle Richard, and Mom.)
Since then we had a fantastic Thanksgiving at the Rose home eating delicious food, enjoying time with family, and celebrating a Packer victory. It was amazing to have Lloyd home for this as we knew without a doubt what we were thankful for that day.
The following weekend, we headed to LaCrosse for the traditional Blakeley Fake Family Christmas get together. We had a great time just relaxing with family and friends, and Lloyd got to experience Exploratory Surgery at Pizza Doctors for the first time ever. As an added bonus, we also got a lesson on how to use a cast iron waffle maker, so we should be able to make them now without making a mess. We'll see how it works out the next time that we try to make them.
Since then, most of our time has been spent with work, putting the apartment together, and getting used to being able to actually live together. Lloyd has been tracking down leads for a job and enjoying the whole "being a civilian" thing. (He grew a beard. :) He plans to shave it for job interviews but is having fun with the idea until then.) We did make a trip down to the VA regional office in Milwaukee to start the claim process for Lloyd last Thursday. The expectation for the trip was that we would drive down there to get an appointment for him to start filing paperwork at a later date, but he did bring all of his medical and service records with him just in case they could do a bit more than that. It turns out that we got a pretty amazing surprise.....he was not only able to meet with someone about the claim - because he had such complete records with him, he was able to submit a fully developed claim last Thursday. According to the guy at the VA, the process should take around 3 months instead of the 6 months to a year that we had been anticipating. We're pretty happy about that news.
Right now, our major project is to finish moving into the apartment and getting everything set in it. We're looking forward to being able to have friends and family come to visit us soon.
God Bless!
Monday, November 14, 2011
Drop. Your. Sword.
The Dread Pirate Roberts has passed the eel infested waters and climbed the Cliffs of Insanity. He won duels of all sorts. The DPR and his princess have survived the Fire Swamp with its rodents of unusual size. (Commonly referred to as battle "buddies" who cause more trouble than they're worth.) He managed to get out of the Pit of Despair and storm the castle. Right now, he is threatening the powers that be with a duel to the pain. We all know that in the end, he and the princess will ride off into the sunset for a beautiful life together. However, in this moment, it's a little tense about how that happens.
Lloyd does not have the official date for his return home yet. Tomorrow, he will be pushing through the paperwork and threatening to duel anyone who slows him down in any way shape or form. Hopefully, there will be a call tomorrow that all is ready to go.
God bless!
Lloyd does not have the official date for his return home yet. Tomorrow, he will be pushing through the paperwork and threatening to duel anyone who slows him down in any way shape or form. Hopefully, there will be a call tomorrow that all is ready to go.
God bless!
Jumping for Joy!!
The current saga of Army related shenanigans will soon be coming to a close. While a lot of endings can be described as bittersweet, this one is not. It's just SWEET!!! On Thursday, 10 November 2011, Lloyd received his discharge orders. He did a couple of celebratory laps in the barracks and then called his wife who burst into tears of relief at work. (They are getting used to this at the Dousman Street Express. Management will likely breathe a sigh of relief when this saga is finally done.) He then began the task of tracking down the necessary parties in order to get his final "send me home now" paperwork. (A DD214 for those who are military minded.) It was delayed a bit due the holiday weekend, but he took a bit of time to rest up and prepare for a flurry of activity to get him on the first possible plane home. Hopefully, the date of departure will be set sometime today.
We thank you for your prayers over these last 23 months of challenges and ask you to keep praying for safe travels home.
God bless!
We thank you for your prayers over these last 23 months of challenges and ask you to keep praying for safe travels home.
God bless!
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Time Frames and Terminal Leave
Between lack of phone calls and lack of internet, there hasn't been much updating happening for a bit....not that much has actually changed. Here's what we now know.
"Military" version: Lloyd heard from the medical review board last week. They came back with a 10% disability rating. Lloyd signed off on everything, and is waiting for all of the necessary packets to be signed at various locations around Fort Sill, so his discharge orders can be processed. At the time that his orders are finished, he will speak with the cadre about arranging for his terminal leave. They require 6 days notice before terminal leave can begin, and it takes an additional 72 hours for the orders to be cut for that leave for a total of 9 days. On the day that his leave begins, he will be given his flight information for arrival into Green Bay.
"Civilian" version: Lloyd finally heard back from the review board. He got a 10% rating which is what we expected but not what we wanted. He signed off on it all, and started the goat rodeo where they shuffle paperwork around for a week or two. Since they were stingy bastards about giving him his vacation time, he's got a bunch of it saved up. As soon as they finish his paperwork, he's going to make the arrangements with his boss to take all of his vacation time and have his last day in the Army be his last day of vacation. It takes them 9 days to figure out how to handle that because it's not like just about every person who leaves the military has this happen. They also are incapable of planning ahead, so they can't tell him until the day he leaves Oklahoma (or maybe the night before) when his flight is actually going to get into Green Bay. It's not like it will likely stay the same anyway since he'll probably end up connecting through Chicago, and anyone who's taken the Chicago to Green Bay puddle jumper knows that the flight is ALWAYS delayed.
No frustration shows in this posting, right?
On the brighter side, Express Convenience has been incredibly helpful and accommodating through all of our yo-yo life. When the plan was for Sarah to relocate, they created a "Green Bay flex team" floater position that would allow for a flexible departure date. After the relocation got scrapped, they happily have extended that position as long as it is needed. Additionally, even though the schedule will already be posted at that time, they have agreed to give the full day off when Lloyd returns with management covering the shift if necessary. It is really nice to know that there are companies out there who really live out their stated beliefs of working with employees to ensure that their personal life can be a priority. There are not a lot of places like that anymore.
Right now, we are praying that Lloyd receives his discharge orders by November 10 at the absolute latest, so he will be able to be at all of the various Thanksgiving/Christmas gatherings that will be happening in the next two months. This should be a slam dunk no brainer to have happen, but that isn't the way that things have gone for us the last 22 months. We appreciate any extra prayers that you'd like to send in that direction.
God Bless!
"Military" version: Lloyd heard from the medical review board last week. They came back with a 10% disability rating. Lloyd signed off on everything, and is waiting for all of the necessary packets to be signed at various locations around Fort Sill, so his discharge orders can be processed. At the time that his orders are finished, he will speak with the cadre about arranging for his terminal leave. They require 6 days notice before terminal leave can begin, and it takes an additional 72 hours for the orders to be cut for that leave for a total of 9 days. On the day that his leave begins, he will be given his flight information for arrival into Green Bay.
"Civilian" version: Lloyd finally heard back from the review board. He got a 10% rating which is what we expected but not what we wanted. He signed off on it all, and started the goat rodeo where they shuffle paperwork around for a week or two. Since they were stingy bastards about giving him his vacation time, he's got a bunch of it saved up. As soon as they finish his paperwork, he's going to make the arrangements with his boss to take all of his vacation time and have his last day in the Army be his last day of vacation. It takes them 9 days to figure out how to handle that because it's not like just about every person who leaves the military has this happen. They also are incapable of planning ahead, so they can't tell him until the day he leaves Oklahoma (or maybe the night before) when his flight is actually going to get into Green Bay. It's not like it will likely stay the same anyway since he'll probably end up connecting through Chicago, and anyone who's taken the Chicago to Green Bay puddle jumper knows that the flight is ALWAYS delayed.
No frustration shows in this posting, right?
On the brighter side, Express Convenience has been incredibly helpful and accommodating through all of our yo-yo life. When the plan was for Sarah to relocate, they created a "Green Bay flex team" floater position that would allow for a flexible departure date. After the relocation got scrapped, they happily have extended that position as long as it is needed. Additionally, even though the schedule will already be posted at that time, they have agreed to give the full day off when Lloyd returns with management covering the shift if necessary. It is really nice to know that there are companies out there who really live out their stated beliefs of working with employees to ensure that their personal life can be a priority. There are not a lot of places like that anymore.
Right now, we are praying that Lloyd receives his discharge orders by November 10 at the absolute latest, so he will be able to be at all of the various Thanksgiving/Christmas gatherings that will be happening in the next two months. This should be a slam dunk no brainer to have happen, but that isn't the way that things have gone for us the last 22 months. We appreciate any extra prayers that you'd like to send in that direction.
God Bless!
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