Thanksgiving 2009

Jay took his PT test on Thanksgiving. He did the entire thing in 15:15... WOW not to bad for an ol' man of 47! I could tell on the phone that Jay was missing Thanksgiving at home.. I told him the turkey would probably be dry anyway. ;-)

We were invited to several places for dinner on Thanksgiving. So many choice, it was hard to choose from.

We met a new family at the Prior Lake Home School Group, The Trebolds. They go to a similar church as we do and are "youth sponsors". Scott, Amy, Jessica, Johnny and Daniel. Are all close to our boys in age. They had invited around 28 people to their house that did not have family close by. The boys hung out with their boys and Jessica age 16 was terrific with Reign, playing dolly's and so much more. Andrew took a 3 hour nap on the recliner. I laugh because he was nervous about going to someones house that he did not know.. He obviously felt comfortable, enough so to take a nap! :-)

It really was amazing to see the Trebolds at work in ministry. It was refreshing to see this family love and show Christ's love to co-workers and others. Next year...our house! :-)

THANK YOU Scott and Amy!

Fever...

The last few days I have not felt very good, yesterday I had a fever. I could not get off the couch. It really stinks to not be able to move and allow the house to fall apart beore my eyes. Reign came up to me last night and told me Jesus will make me better. She took my hands and felt my cheeks and told me I was hot fever and said, "thank you Jesus mommy better" then she looked at me in the eyes and says, "mommy your better now, get up!" faith like a child!

Jay's e-mail:

Hi Honey,

I hope you are feeling better today in Jesus Name! I have had a busy day doing all sorts of odd things. It has been raining off and on all day , sure makes everything real muddy and sticky.I am doing a PT tomorrow morning, my Thanksgiving day fun and then back to work. I guess I will have to wait until next year to have a real Turkey day and of course all the other Holiday's that we get. It will sure be nice to just be able to have Saturday and Sunday off! I wish we could go pick up some movies and make some popcorn and just hang out! LOVE YOU!XXOXOXO!

SSG Jay Harmon

Misc..

Jay and I have not been able to communicate very much the last 2 weeks. He is either busy or I am busy. We seem to keep missing each other. I really miss the hour conversations. Tonight we talked for 7 minutes and he had to get back to work.
7 minutes of communication for one week... Ugh!

Basketball season has started for Caleb, Tyler is busy working, Andrew is trying to pass his first PT test. Reign is well... growing up before my eyes. She can sort laundry now. She loves to help around the house.

Jay is so excited about coming home, February cannot come soon enough!

I am exhausted... Good night everyone and God Bless!

November... where did it go?

- Deer Hunting ~ no deer, everyone was safe.
- Lunch with Jodi ~ army wife.
- Archery, soccer, and rollerskating with the home school group.
- Veterans Day ~ Jay says thank you for all the cards and well wishes.
- Cecil Paxton Ministries ~ learning how to receive God's promises.
- Holiday baking ~ Army wives
- Movie ~ Blindside... A MUST SEE
- I Joined a Fitness Center ~ somewhat hopeful :-)
- Jay is packing up stuff to be shipped home.
- Reintegration training.
- Basketball practice.
- Thanksgiving.
- Black Friday
- Christmas decorating

The BEST way to go on a convoy...

Jay getting ready



Sleeping? hmm he must have some PEACE... Amen!



Jay just waking up...



The convoy Jay slept through! :-)

Jay is sporting a new look...

Here is a photo of Jay.. with his new SHOES! Several people gave him a tough time about wearing them. He said it is too hot to wear anything else. Normal tennis shoes won't dry (from the sweat) over night.

Jay can only wear these shoes when he has his PT uniform on...

Ft. Benning Georgia

Andrew leaves around January 20th of 2010. For Basic Training. I guess this Blog will be on going... The unit that Andrew is joining will be going to Afganistan in 2011. I am praying that Andrew, will be able to transfer units once he returns from Basic and AIT. This will give him more time to decide what he actually wants to do with his life, and give mom a break!

deep sigh

Deer Hunting

Here is one of my latest e-mails to Jay, I really wish he were home for this kind of stuff. I only share this to vent and to share my frustration about him being deployed. He is missing all the holidays, birthdays, sporting events, Reign and the boys growing up. I cannot wait for him to come home!

e-mail:

Tyler just came home from class and realized that it was deer hunting weekend. He is all freaking out about getting his license and going hunting. HE JUST REALIZED IT... One would think that if you are going to go hunting you would plan a little bit for the weekend!!!! Grrrrr

I am a planner and I did not think that they were going ...

ONE, nobody discussed it in this house!
TWO, they are NOT ready.
THREE, do any of them have a clue about getting things ready, or putting anything away when they are DONE; probably NOT!!!!! Grrrr

Simply because you (their dad) do everything for them... so be prepared either ... I am gonna get very upset if I have to clean everything and put stuff back.... or your garage will be full of crap for you to put away; in February!

I am irritated right now because they are not organized or READY, nor do I feel like helping them in anyway!

This is not my forte!

Do I trust the fact that they do not have much experience with shooting a gun or hunting?
Do I want Caleb to go with them? without YOU being there!?
Are they responsible enough?
Does this suck? pretty much!
Do I feel better now that I vented?... not yet!

Have a Fantastic Day!
I'm going to go watch Bambi with Reign :-)

Halloween

My spirit is always so grieved on this day.

Each year we attend a carnival at church. I really hate it... not the church, just the celebrating. I have always wanted to have a night of worship and prayer on October 31st. I just have not felt lead to organize it. I am elated that Dave and Tina are having such a night tonight! I cannot wait to see how God is going to move.

October typically has the highest abductions out of any month of the year. The statistics could have changed since I last read them. However most animal shelters and stores will not sell animals this week do to the sacrifices that take place tonight. Many babies and children also fit that category. how awful... I could NOT imagine having a child abducted and then find out that they were sacrificed during a satanic worship service. I know this is a horrable thing to think about.. however this is a FACT. One of the many reasons I have chosen not to celebrate.

God have MERCY!

Reign is Potty trained!

Reign saying bye bye poopy.. as she watches it go down the toilet!

October 18th 2009 was Reign's big day! She went from wearing diapers to wearing panties. WOO HOO! Reign is only 25 months old.. for me this is a miracle. The boys were all 3 years old before they were completely potty trained.

My day...

Well today started off kinda slow. Reign was exhausted from being at the youth Pastor's house late last night. She was so crabby this morning. I remember why we stopped going to Pastor Tiffs on Sunday nights... I pay for it the next day.

Around 11 a.m. I got a message from an Army Wife; telling me that she was talking to her hubby and he "had to GO" the base was being mortared. I texted the prayer warriors, and sat and prayed~cried casting down those imaginations in my mind, for about an hour. My friend called later to tell me that they were in an all clear and no one was injured. PRAISE GOD.

There hasn't been any excitement on the base for awhile now. The last two weeks I have been doing really well, considering the doctor told me I was real close to nervous breakdown stage. Today I felt like I was jerked back into reality. I hate when this happens. It is amazing how fast your life/future flashes before your eyes. I felt that same gut wrenching ache and weak knees. It is so hard to focus after something like this.

The church dropped off a few meals this afternoon. It was nice not to have to make supper tonight... It would have been a pb and j night.

Andrew came home and announced that the recruiter called him today and tomorrow they will head out to South Dakota so he can be sworn in with the MN Army National Guard as a MP. I really had to hold back the tears. I told him if he hugged me any longer I would totally fall apart emotionally.... some days are way worse then others and today was one of those days.

I decided to pack up the kids and go to Wal-mart. Jay had requested a few items so we picked some stuff up for him. nothing like shop therapy... right? :-) I packed up about 10 fall treat bags and signed 10 Veterans Day cards for Jay's co-workers. We dropped off 12 boxes at the school so they can send gift packages to the soldiers they adopted.

I typed up the Christmas letter that will be sent to the soldiers of HSC, for Christmas. The commander looked it over to make sure it was politically correct, and after a few additions; it was approved... (politically correct) Hmm that just makes me want to vomit. No worries though... I will comply! :-)

Caleb tucked Reign into bed for me and fell asleep in my bed... while I corrected spelling, math, social studies and health tests. I cleaned the kitchen, vacuumed the hard wood, and picked up the house. Here I sit at the computer 12:30 a.m.

I need to go to bed!

Psalm 119:28
My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.

Psalm 105:4
Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.

Good night and God Bless!
Nancy

Spa night!

The photo above is after a strawberriw scrub and a chocolate mask... all natural by the way! :-)

Last week was a real busy week for me... however it ended with some fun with the Army Wives. A massage therapist from Le Center does in home spa parties. She pampered us ladies with an evening of foot, hand, back, and face massages.

Reign's ears are pierced!

Reign was such a trooper getting her ears pierced today. She thinks her ears are very pretty!

A few months before deployment

A few months before deployment my thought process was…

I’m going pull away from Jay emotionally to protect myself from the pain. I did try to pull away and disconnect. I was on my way to numbing myself when God intervened and saved me from that destruction.

A few months before Jay, deployed I had another “middle of the night encounter”. This time it was not Jesus. I was sleeping in bed and awoke to someone’s right knee on my chest, holding me down. I could feel his left arm next to my head. He then took his right hand and began trying to stick his fingers in my mouth. I started to pierce my lips and force mouth shut, as I flailed my head back and forth. My first though was that Jay was doing this to me and I could not figure out what was going on. After all I had just woken up from a deep sleep. I opened one eye to see a dark green, very muscular figure standing over me. It had two bumps on its forehead and its hands were webbed with little ball type finger tips. Obviously it was NOT Jay. I slowly opened my mouth to allow his finger tips into my mouth and as he did. I bit down with my teeth as hard as I could. I wasn’t scared; I was annoyed and extremely irritated with this thing. It pulled its hand away and swore at me saying “what the f*** did you do that for?” I said back to him; “well get your damn fingers out of my mouth”. We glared at each other for a second and I simply said JESUS, and it was gone.

I know that God was allowing me to experience this for a reason. A few weeks later Jay and I visited a church that a good friend of mine attends. As I shared my experience with her she quickly introduced us to a friend of hers. As we prayed the Lord, revealed the following:

When something is in your bed it usually has to do with intimacy or something with your spouse. This demon was trying to put its fingers in my mouth as if to choke me, stop me from talking and to cut off my communication. My friend felt as though we were dealing with the leviathan demon. I instantly told myself … Really? NO WAY… However I stayed open to whatever God was trying to reveal to me. A few weeks later I had a dream that confirmed this in fact was the demon trying to cause miscommunication between Jay and me. I started to study a little more about this demon and Jay and I had a battle plan. Our friends eagerly prayed for us and since then Jay, and I have drawn closer together. We now make ourselves communicate as often as possible.

We were about to enter a war zone… physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually!
God had given us the plans of the enemy He is defeated and we are victorious in Christ!

I can honestly say I have never felt such pain as I do during this deployment. I never knew that loving someone could hurt so bad and feel so good all at the same time. I Praise God for allowing me to FEEL and I EMBRACE these emotions. I eagerly await our transformation. We both know that we will not be the same after this deployment. Who we are… our family, our marriage will be BETTER and STRONGER because of it.

Jay and I have talked about how we long to be reunited. We cannot help but be reminded that Jesus LONGS to be united with us… His heart aches to have a relationship with us, to communicate and spend time with us. His love for us is so much deeper than a husband and wife share, so much more than we can ever imagine. I beg you, to allow HIS LOVE to TRANSFORM you!

Parents Night

UGH! what a busy day...

I took all three girls to Henderson to stay with Kris, so I could help prepare the big football dinner. For those of you that know me; know that I HATE COOKING! hospitality and service are NOT my gifts! So yesterday was a stretch. I NEEDED Jay home to fill those shoes. It was difficult to walk out on to the field without Jay with us. Tina Wagner, brought the girls home from church until I could get back from the game and meal. We ended up chatting until wee hours of the morning and she decided to spend the night. Adult conversation is always so refreshing!

This morning Tina, once again took all three girls with her so I can do nothing for a few hours. THANK YOU!



.

Friday...

Thanks, Julie (Harmon) for taking Reign yesterday. I took the kids to the homeschool group without having to chase a toddler. It was nice to be able to visit with the other moms for a change. THANK YOU SO MUCH! :-)

I still have the 2 little girls at my house. Keep praying for their dad, perfect health in Jesus name!

I made it back from Prior Lake (homeschool group) yesterday afternoon just in time to drive to Randolph, MN. For Tyler's varsity game. The girls went with a friend, Reign was with Julie, and the Schloessers picked Caleb and I up to go to the game. Last year when Tyler played against Randolph, Jay got kicked out of the game! I'm very sure he would have been kicked out this year too... I laugh because everyone that knows Jay, knows he is a pretty laid back kinda guy, EXCEPT when he watches sports! then it all CHANGES. LeCenter was down 27-0 in the first half, and then they ended up winning the game, 28-27! it was an intense second half that is for sure!

We woke up to a dusting of SNOW on the ground! very pretty, but WAY TO EARLY!

Caleb's football!

Caleb played against St. Clair this week. I was there to take a few snap shots and then we headed for the van to try and watch the game. It was way too cold to sit outside. They went into over time and the score was 12-6 Le Center!

Chocolate Paint?

Reign had a blast finger painting with Chocolate pudding, I just thought I would share the pictures.

A sad day...

Jay:
Hi Honey,
Sorry I did not get in early enough to give you a call this am your pm. I was up late last night with a situation that was going on over here. I will tell you later and no we were not attacked. I love you very much and will talk to you later!

Nancy:
I've heard... call me if you can, otherwise an email is fine.... I am praying for the troops, morale must not be to good right now. I wish I could hug you!

Jay:
Yes I could hug you and hold you for a long time! I am fine! The rumor mill is going crazy on all the what ifs! I love you and have been praying in the spirit all day yesterday and all day today! The Blood of Jesus over everyone involved in all this!

The Military:

Our statement is as follows:

Statement attributable to CPT Paul Rickert, Rear Detachment Public Affairs Officer, 34th Infantry Division:

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Minnesota National Guard Soldier supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Maj. Tad T. Hervas, 48, of Coon Rapids, Minn., died Oct. 6 at Contingency Operating Base Basra, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. Hervas was assigned to the 34th Infantry Division, Rosemount, Minn.

We are relying exclusively on official military reports and the details are still under investigation by U.S. Military authorities in Iraq. We cannot and will not speculate on the circumstances surrounding the death of Maj. Tad T. Hervas.

The Gate

The past few days Jay, has been doing something work related at the gate of the base. He said, "they had a little excitement". An Iraqi was approaching the gate on a motorcycle at an excessive speed. The soldiers were told to get ready... except in "army words". Jay had a pistol!?! and thought it would be better to hang tight with the guy packing a gun with the M-4 attached. Once again... (DO NOT QUOTE ME ON THE PROPER NAMES OF THESE GUNS) I am horrible at this. Anyway, this gun is bigger than a pistol! The guy on the motorcycle did stop, just before getting shot! whew... I could not imagine! everything was fine.

For the most part Jay, says "the nationals (Iraqis) are friendly". He said, "you can tell who the ones are that want you dead, by the way they look at you. The evil is in their eyes". About 500 or so come on base each day to work. It is quite the process for them to get on and off base, if you thought airport security was bad?! They even get their eyeballs scanned. I Praise God for the extra measures, and for keeping them all so safe!

I got a phone call from another army wife early yesterday morning she is worried about her husband and combat stress. He is making comments about buying a gun and having it at home, just encase someone comes after them. She told me they live in a neighborhood where they never have to lock the doors.

We are all getting ready for reintegration training and what to expect. I pray patience upon the spouses of the soldiers. Most people think that the tour is over once the soldier gets home... not the case, for some it takes months to get back to normal. Well, I guess a "new normal" I don't think after a year at war things can go back to the way they once were, maybe close but not the same!