Bubble Tubbin'

Well, this refers to my earlier post of the middle boys in my tub - there's just not too much more to comment on when it's this cute.

Wanna Write Us A Letter?? Wanna Call Us??

Hey everyone, we've got a new phone number coming tomorrow and a mailbox in front of the house, so email us and let us know if you want our details. We're a bit shy about posting them up here, for obvious reasons, like Settles stalkers or something like that.

Army/11th State/Kin/ER

Remember the earlier post about whether or not we were in our right minds about our schedule we were keeping? Well, we are pretty sure we spread this butter waaaaaay too thin...

We drove to Augusta, Georgia, where Fort Gordon resides, on Thursday to make a retirement dinner that evening. The reunion with our friends was sweet and we had memories about the military community, ceremony and tradition. Our friend, Command Seargent Major Michael Terry, and his wife, Ginny, were honored for all the years they poured into our Army. The old saying, give back a borrowed item in better condition than when you received it, is how Mike and Ginny exited active Army life. Their finger prints will be all over the great stuff that the Army is doing for it's soldiers and families.

So Friday morning we attended the retirement ceremony at "Signal Tower" and then headed for Kurt's brother's place. Well, almost. I discovered that South Carolina was "just over there" and wanted the state line photo for this trip. We took a little detour into North Augusta (yes, it's in SC - the city kinda spills over the state line there) and got the photo after we ate at Zaxby's chicken joint. We counted that to be the 11th state that we visited since the 13th of this month.

That afternoon we met Kurt's parents (who had the boys) at his brother's house in Griffin, GA. They live just south of Atlanta. We had a nice reunion with Kit and Tracy and their family. Emery was ALL OVER the ATV and Asa and Jack were into the trampoline (yikes, for those who know the Carvers). We had a little birthday bbq for Rachel and then headed for home...

...at least we thought...

We were just passing the Atlanta airport when I just got to feeling funny and then my chest got all tight and my hands and feet began to tingle rather fiercely. Kurt pulled over and I got out to walk. I tried to make a fist with my hands and my fingers felt as though they were getting stuck so I kept them in a fist while I kept walking in circles. I thought it was passing when I got back in the car and it started again. Kurt was on the GPS locating a hospital to find one only five minutes away. It was a long five minutes.

After being admitted overnight all the tests came back clear of any cardiac issue. Thank my Lord. They did discover a low potassium level and gave me big horse pills to correct it. I still don't feel quite 100% but just knowing that I am not having a heart attack is keeping my anxiety at bay. I plan on getting hooked up with a local doc to continue some suggested treatment by the Atlanta folks.

So, we're staying particulary quiet here at home. I unpacked one box yesterday and cooked some meals. It felt good to have domestic tasks to accomplish - in my new, beautiful home. I tried to take a bath in my Jacuzzi only to have two visitors who took it over. Asa and Jack were into the bubbles and jets!!

Ah... broadband...

What Anji didn't tell you in the earlier post was that we've finally got broadband (and therefore the office set up) at the house. We've been "suffering" with the rather poor, barely tolerable, data connection through our phone. So hopefully we'll be posting a bit more will definitely be putting more pictures up. If you're interested in viewing our Flickr pictures (for family and friends only), let us know and we'll send you an invite.

I am thankful that we've settled in a bit more. Having Dad and Mom here for a few days has been very nice and, of course, very helpful. They helped us get the last item out of the ABF trailer - the piano - and Mom's introduced us to caramel puffed corn - a Tennessee recipe that's absolutely addicting. We might be willing to share it with you if you beg like a whiny baby. Or not...

While we haven't exactly unpacked everything (which seems like we haven't unpacked anything), we are starting to get the basics down: there are toothbrushes and toilet paper in the bathrooms, dishes and utensils in the kitchen, and did I mention BROADBAND?!

Good night all. We'll catch up with you from Georgia or back here at home when the weekend wraps up.

Certifiably Insane?

Yes, I am questioning Kurt and my mental status as I consider the fact the it is nearly ten o'clock in the evening and we have planned to drive a 6+ hour drive to attend a retirement ceremony/dinner at Fort Gordon, GA. And we just got done driving 2600+ miles to get here only a few days ago?!!?!

In all sincerity though, this person that we are honoring is the top NCO in the Army's Signal Corps. He has been in the army for 34 years which is only a new concept being that 20 used to be the max. Mike Terry is a model soldier of integrity and moral leadership and Kurt and I were blessed to have met him and his wife, Ginny, to benefit from their mentorship while we were stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. We even had the opportunity to meet them at the Honolulu airport one year as we passed through on the way from a family reunion while they were stationed there on Oahu.

So, here's where it gets even more complicated... we will be leaving the Boanerges with Kurt's parents in Cookeville who arrived Monday for a visit in the midst of their five month 50th wedding anniversary U.S. trek. On our way back from the retirement thingy we are going to take a short detour and stop in at Kurt's brother's family home outside Atlanta, GA to stay the night where Jay and Rachel will have driven all the boys (and don't forget Lucy) in their little motorhome earlier that day... is this making sense? And then the next day we will take all the boys (and pooch) home to an unpacked house and try to start up again. And Kurt will go to work on Monday. I can't wrap this noggin around all this...

So, as a status report I have decided to use photos of the garage to assist in showing progress on all this unpacking. It ain't pretty, huh? Pray for us... pray HARD!

Home, sweet (and empty), home!

It's hard to believe we haven't posted here since the 17th! Anji made an attempt, but was foiled by Internet or Blogger problems. We are finally in our house, after closing Friday. On Wednesday afternoon, we drove to Branson, MO after staying with our friends in Ava which is about an our to the north. We stayed at the WorldMark resort there, after fighting traffic through town. We didn't see too much of the town, but what we did see, we weren't too impressed with. It reminded me a bit of an Oregon beach town on a warm summer day: rather congested, with lots to catch the eye, but little of substance. Nonetheless, the WorldMark was quite nice and we rested while a storm blew through the area overnight.
On Thursday after breakfast, we left for Cookeville. When the bible describes Jesus turning his face resolutely towards Jerusalem, I can relate. We drove out of Branson on US-160, which threw so many curves our way that Emery and the other boys became quite green around the gills. Fortunately we stopped for lunch and were able to connect with US-60, then I-55 into Memphis. The humidity in the Memphis area was incredible, having been pushed down by the storm to our north in Kentucky. We ran parallel to the storm as we came across I-40, which runs the entire length of Tennessee from west to east. After 12 hours of driving we arrived in Cookeville at 10:00 PM and settled into the Best Western for the night. Sam was, in particular, exhausted, since he was the only one who had to sit all day.
On Friday at 1:00 PM, we signed papers on the house. At 2:30, the ABF (moving and storage company) driver called and said he was ready to deliver and we literally chased him out to the house. We slept in our new home for the first time on Friday night. The three older boys slept on the floor and Sam in his porta-crib. I've been unloading the trailer with Emery's help (and Asa's to a very limited extent) since Friday and then all day yesterday. Our garage is packed full of unopened boxes! Today will be the last day unloading and Anji is starting to fill the cupboards of the kitchen now.
What a blessing it is to have a home such as this one. We are already rattling around a bit in the big living area and have to be considerate of our now moderate means while slowly populating the rooms with accoutrements appropriate to such a beautiful space. At least with the couch and rug in the living room the echo is diminished. Sam loves yelling and hearing his own voice reverberate.
Thank you all for all of your prayers and thoughts as we traveled across the country. We shamelessly ask for them to continue as we settle in. More to come soon.

Kanzzzzazzzz...

Hi there. Kurt here.

We left Salina, KS heading for our friends' home in Ava, MO yesterday. The drive across Kansas was uneventful. In fact, there were moments in time that I thought I could just let go of the wheel and let the car drive itself. The good part was my gas mileage jumped up significantly since the drive was fairly flat. Missouri was much more interesting to drive through because there are actually trees and hills to break up the scenery a bit. We ate from the Best Western continental breakfast fare for our morning meal and didn't stop except one time for gas and a fast-food lunch. What a blessing it was to sit around the table with our friends eating a home-cooked meal in the evening, then fellowshipping with them until late in the night! Christian friends are like a calm place in the storm of change.

New roadkill: Armadillo.

Our house is definitely closing on Friday this week and we've made plans to leave Ava this afternoon for a short drive down to Branson, MO. We'll be staying in the WorldMark resort there for two nights. It will be another welcome respite on this drive to our new home as we'll be able to rest for a full day, then leave extremely early for Cookeville on Friday morning. We'll have the boys all PJ'ed up and the car packed up for the drive. Anji and I will be rubbing the sleep out of our eyes and guzzling Starbucks, but we'll enjoy the adventure! Lucy, our little pooch, is feeling rather dejected at this point because she's not been allowed inside here at our friends' place. To make matters worse, she'll probably have to stay inside the car at the resort. Poor thing, she's got no clue about what's going on.

Next post from Branson.