Simply Stephanie

Simply Stephanie

Monday, August 17, 2015

Oh, The Stories I Could Tell.....



   Being on the adult side of things changes my perspective a little. Back then being the kid that rides in the car for hours and hours on end, you don't see all that is put into being able to get in that car to ride hours and hours on end. I didn't see all the laundry my mom had to do for all six (yes, I said six) of us kids. Six doesn't seem that many when compared to big families like the Duggars and the Bates, but I still think that trying to pack for six kids for a several week long trip could probably be a little stressful. I mean, I can't even remember everything for the three of us. I can't imagine trying to pack for five more!!!

  But somehow, we always ended up having everything we needed. Well, almost always... There was the time that one of my brothers threw up in the car so many times that my mom ran out of clothes for him. He threw up on his church clothes, and then his back up church clothes (always gotta have backups), and then his play clothes, and then his pajamas. So, he road the rest of the way home in his diaper and a blanket, but he survived.

  I don't know how you can be completely prepared when you have at least two kids that get carsick all the time. One of my younger brothers and I couldn't do much but sit in the car and face forward; otherwise, that White Castle burger your dad told you you had to eat if you wanted that mozzarella stick was going to come back up all over you. I remember our 12 passenger van pulled over on the side of the interstate as mom was using an entire roll of paper towels to clean off my little brother, and I was pushing past her to get out of the van before we needed another roll for me. Good times, good times. Then there was the time that we pulled into a hotel, mom and dad went in to check in while we sat in the van and waited. I didn't feel so good and I sat ever so patiently by the door waiting for them to come back, and as soon as they opened that door I was out of the van and tossing that White Castle burger all over the place...right next to the very nice little black sports car that dad had parked next to.  Then my big brother who had been watching me the whole time decided he didn't like that burger after all, and he joined me. Needless to say, once we were all inside the hotel room, my dad went out and moved the van far away from that little black sports car. Sorry, Mr. little black sports car, you parked your car in the wrong place at the wrong time.

   Not all the stories are bad though. There was the time we stayed with the people who had a fire pole in their house. What more could six kids ask for than to run up three flights of stairs and slide down the pole for hours on end? Or the fact that we collected "grandparents" on our travels. I think we ended up with about ten sets...okay, maybe not ten, but there were quite a few. Or the fact that , especially for the younger boys, we got a new best friend at every church we went to.

    All in all, I'm looking forward to creating our own set of deputation stories.  The good and the bad, although since neither I nor my husband like White Castle, we'll get to leave that little burger out of our stories. Thankfully, we won't be doing our deputation round with six kids. Only one for now, but  only the Lord knows what that number will be when we come back for furlough and round two!!! We shall see!!

  

Monday, August 10, 2015

Did You Pack My Deodorant???


    While we have not started deputation yet, we have started traveling on a regular basis.  I mentioned in my last post that we are going to be moving soon. The process has been slow, but it is going.  Just a few little details left and then we can move; but in the meantime, we have already joined a church in the new place and have started commuting there every weekend. The trip is four hours, which isn't all that bad, especially when you consider that once we actually start deputation, there will be much longer trips.

   I have considered these weekend trips to be practice for deputation. Just a couple weeks ago I was bragging on myself that I was becoming quite the expert packer. Well, pride goeth before a fall.... Last weekend I forgot an entire outfit for my husband, and this weekend I didn't pack him any t-shirts, and I almost forgot his deodorant and his Sunday suit! Both are kind of important, I think. Funny how all the things I have forgotten so far have been for him. Oops!

   I do have a routine down, though. We get back around midnight every Sunday. So, on Monday I unpack after work and try to put my house back together. Tuesday is laundry day. Wednesday we have midweek service and I finish laundry. Thursday I pack all over again and make sure there are no dirty dishes left in the sink. Friday we leave as soon as we get off of work. Now, does everything always happen that way? No... A few weeks ago we had an evening VBS at the church where we still live. Two weeks after that was a revival at that church. But, hey, I at least try to stick to that. Otherwise, I end up doing laundry and packing all on Thursday night, which never ends up being a fun night.

   All that being said, I'm not an expert yet, but I am learning.  I've learned that traveling with a baby is quite interesting. I no longer get to sit up front with my husband during trips.  Baby girl can entertain herself for a little while, but she doesn't like being alone for long periods of time, but who can blame her. So, my trip consists of some chatting with my hubby and quite a bit of cooing and silly faces at baby girl; but you know what, I don't mind it even a little bit. All I ever wanted was to be a mommy. Even though I've been up since 4:00 this morning doing mommy duties, and now baby girl is back sound asleep and I am still wide awake,  I am living my dream!

Thursday, August 6, 2015

Our Journey has Begun


   Last time I posted, I was 29 weeks pregnant....  What's happened since then, you ask...


 Well, this happened.

 However, that was 4 months ago. She looks more like this now.

She already knows how to pose for the camera.


Our sweet little girl has changed our lives completely. She's not the only thing that has changed in our lives, though.  Sometime in the next few months our little family will be moving, and then, Lord willing, we will be starting deputation shortly after. I figured that since I titled my blog "Life as a missionary wife" I should probably start writing again seeing as how the missionary part is beginning. So, this post is short but sweet (how could it not be with that beautiful little face!!!), but there will be more to come as our journey has begun.