surprise party!

very cool, thanks Jim and Lynn


John and Tammi sent a very cool scrapbook with pics and Scripture and a HILLARIOUS "feline" picture pillow with pom poms . . . Beth will be sure to put a pic of Cleo in it :)


the 30+ crowd


the two 30 year olds in the group, Ben's 30th was in April

My cousin Beth is up visiting this week before she heads out on her second deployment to the Middle East. Last time was to Iraq and this time to Afghanistan. She is an ICU nurse for the Army.

This past winter she was transferred from Walter Reed Army Medical Center in DC. We prayed for a transfer to Fort Richardson in Anchorage BUT to our dismay that didn't come through . . . HOWEVER, she did make it to Madigan Army Medical Center in Seattle, WA. That's as close to AK as you can get w/out being here. We were pumped to have her close for the next three year stint and soak in some long weekends together. Shortly after her transfer she was given the news of a pending deployment, bummer. Big bummer. But we will pray her through this deployment as well.

After some begging and twisting her arm we (Ben and I) got her to spend some of her precious pre deployment leave in AK before she leaves. Beth turns the big 3-0 on June 8th so we had a surprise Burdine birthday party for her Saturday night. Some of the other cousins, aunts and uncles mailed b-day packages to my parents for her to open to celebrate together across the miles.

Beth is my cousin from my mom's side of the family . . . the family that does HUGE triennial reunions all over the country. I LOVE that our family is close like this and pulls together to do special things for each other even across the miles. Thanks Burdines! And thanks Beth for spending some of your time off with US! We are LOVING IT!!