I have to admit, my heart fell when I read "Deployment" and I braced myself for a tear-jerking post when I clicked on it. And though I did shed a tear or two (the photo with the shoe just kills me--I just looked back at it and welled up again, silly goose that I am), I came away from it encouraged and humbled by your faith, gentleness, and strength of character. It is obvious that you trust that God has you, your husband and your son in the palm of His hand no matter where you are or what you are doing. That is the only explanation for such peace and I praise God for it! I will add my prayers to the many others who are lifting your family up!

P.S. That last photo is priceless! Good man!

I have some questions for The Chief from The Viking. He's more than a little intrigued.

He wanted to know if The Chief has any idea how much it costs him per bottle of beer as compared to buying beer in the store. I scoffed and said, "I am SURE he knows EXACTLY how much!"

Also, what is the total cost, from start to finish, of making one's own beer?

And, how long does the process take?

I think he's up to something, don't you?

Oh, Leila, I hope I didn't make you feel defensive. I didn't mean to be contradictory or attack your advice! It's just that this topic (obviously) hits a nerve. But that is not your fault. Honestly, I composed and destroyed at least 5 different comments before posting that one; I probably should have gone with my gut and not said anything.

You are absolutely right. Thank you for taking the time to summarize your post for me so I could get the message without being overwhelmed by my emotions. I apologize for venting my frustrations on you and in public (in a manner of speaking). Please feel free to remove my comment (and your response and this one) from the queue if you've found them inappropriate.

I truly hope I haven't offended you. Please forgive me if I have. Does it help if I tell you I think I'm ovulating and am a hormonal mess?

As a woman who is one of the 10% who balloon with a vengeance during pregnancy, breastfeeding (if I hear ONE more woman say, "Oh, it'll come right off if you just breastfeed) and beyond , I find it hard to believe that this advice applies to everyone. It seems a little too simple to say that the right haircut, a good manicure and proper underwear are going to help with the 100 lbs I've gained since I got married. And while I enjoy watching, "What Not To Wear," I often find the show frustrating because I don't have $500 to spend on clothes for myself, let alone $5,000. Petite plus-sized clothes (I'm only 5'2", which only makes it worse) are incredibly hard to find in thrift stores and are often very expensive because there's not a lot out there.

There's being disappointed in the changes in your body after a baby and then there's being completely unrecognizable and feeling like you've had a head transplant! What are girls like me supposed to do?

When my husband and I were in couples counseling prior to our wedding (a requirement for our church), an issue arose when our pastor asked if we had any concerns about marriage. We were each a little anxious about the models the other had had for what a husband and wife should be like. Our pastor wound up telling us he thought we should call off the wedding, that the issue was too big and too important and at the very least we should postpone if not cancel! Then he told us to go and think about it for a while and come back with our answer.

We were stunned! But it didn't even take the 10-minute drive back to my parents' house for us to decide he was nuts! I'll never forget my husband clasping my hands and looking into my eyes and saying, "You are the one for me. No matter what." I was so relieved because I felt the same way.

We went back the following week, firm in our answer but hesitant to give it, wondering if we'd have to find a different pastor to marry us if ours wouldn't give his blessing. When my husband told him the wedding was on just as it ever was, our pastor smiled. He then told us he was hoping we'd say that, that it was all just a test to see how committed we were to each other and our marriage!

Now, I can't say I agreed then (or even ) now with those tactics, but it did prove a point. Thus, I had not a single shadow of a doubt on my wedding day. And I never have since. Sure, we've had our troubles, have hurt each other, been disappointed in each other and I do have regrets about things I've done as a wife. But I have never once wondered if I should have married my husband or if he is the man God had planned for me since the beginning of time. He is, second only to my salvation, the best thing that ever happened to me!

Being me, I've found a lot to comment on here. So I hope you don't mind if I comment in random slashes:

-So glad you all are safe, sane, warm and clean
-A surprise visit from Hong Kong would be a surprise indeed! You must have nearly fainted! What a wonderful treat (and, I admit, I'm enough of a stalker to have looked at those pics and thought, "What is Nick doing there," before I read the following description.)
-The Viking would LOVE a plow. I will tell him your idea.
-Also, he would think me the Most Amazing Woman Who Ever Lived if I could cook him an entire meal on the wood stove. I've not even boiled a cup of tea on ours yet. I should get right on that.
-Once when we had an ice storm that sent us scurrying to the store for emergency candles, all we could find were those tall, white votives. We bought several, feeling like we were scraping the bottom of the barrel and they have turned out to be the best emergency candles ever! We all fight over them whenever the power is out. I'm sure that is quite the opposite of their purpose and so I am sorry.
-Lastly, Helen Reddy! Haha!

I would NEVER be able to recreate the look of a fancy evening out! They take too much out of me! But I love that you insisted it be done for posterity! Great idea!

When our kids were little and people asked what they should get them for Christmas or birthdays, we used to tell them to wrap up cardboard boxes with tissue paper inside. No one ever did it but it would have been brilliant!

I am 39 years old, have been married for 17 years and have two children though I have ached to have more!

My husband and I actually had four children in 6 years (all before we were 30), but lost two of them in early infancy. Ironically enough, they were the two we "planned." The two we still have (now 16 and 10) are the ones we would not have had if it had been up to us, fools that we were. I do not suggest that God intentionally took the ones we planned as punishment! But I do know that our family is exactly as God Himself has planned it since the beginning of time. And as I have since become unable to have more children (barring a divine intervention), I am thankful each and every day that God is sovereign and saw fit to bless me with the family I have, small though it may be. God has taught me, through my sufferings and blessings, that He is indeed in control and is trustworthy. I love that verse you mentioned above: God...works out everything for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose! It's one of my favorites! And I've come to understand that the good He promises us is not health, comfort, safety or happiness. It's becoming more like Him through any measures He sees fit to take.

Thank you for a thought-provoking post. I found it to be encouraging.