We sometimes have a Sunday afternoon treat of brownies- soft, gooey brownies, not completely baked. We love them. Jonny wanted to "help" me make them the last time we had them. You know that all the helper really wants to do is sample the dough before it gets into the oven. So after we had mixed up the black goo, we tasted it. While we were doing that, the fork we had used to stir it up with kept sinking deeper and deeper into the dough. Then Jonny said casually: "The fork is drowning." And then he burst out laughing at himself for saying such a silly thing. It was so cute how he said it. He is so cute!

There's not much news on this front; we had a great Thanksgiving, but NE lost the football game. Now we are all trying to avoid the seasonal sicknesses. Tonight is our political discussion group and I still haven't gotten around to researching Fred Thompson! Horrors.

My time away

Does anyone want to know what it was really like at Ft. Bragg?

I went to Ft. Bragg, NC to work as a nanny for a Army family with four young children. My job there only lasted two and a half months, from August until the end of October, when the father of the family returned home from Iraq. I didn't do the work for pay, but as a ministry. I got room and board and the experience of being a servant. Frankly, it was tough, and it was tough because the mother had totally different expectations as to what I would be like and what I would be doing, than I did. I was so lonely. On my last night there she told me details of how she had been dissatisfied with me, and in emails since she has told even more details. How depressing! She has such a totally bad opinion of me, and was so dissatisfied with my work, I think she felt like I did more harm than good in my time there.

So, it was hard- it was good in that it was a learning experience. It's still on-going, too. I never want to see her again! I never want to speak to her again! I never want to email her again! But I know that attitude is wrong, and I know I was at fault too, and I need to forgive her for how she has hurt me. That's where things stand right now.

The night after I got home we went to hear McCain and Huckabee speak in Sioux City. Right now, I think I favor Huckabee over any of the other candidates, but I have not done a great deal of research, and there's still a whole year left before we vote, so we'll see.

I am very glad to be home! Have I said that before? I am glad to be home. It's twenty degrees cooler here, and the boys are all getting over a cold, we are talking about moving this spring to who knows where, and Dad needs a raise, there's so much to do, but I am so glad to be home. I had two job offers before I even got home; Jen and I are working on raising money to send Christmas boxes to soldiers overseas; there's political work to be done, and our house needs to be packed. Thinking about moving can be overwhelming. But I am so glad to be home! That emotional stress and need for companionship, at least, has been taken away. So, I am glad to be home.

There is no place like Nebraska

I am home! I arrived home at about 7pm Wednesday after a whole day of travel. We left the O. house at 6:45 am for the Raleigh airport. It was rush hour by the time we got there, so it took longer than expected and we said a quick goodbye because by the time my bags were checked it was boarding time, but my flight was delayed half an hour because of storms. On the plane to Chicago I sat next to Rick Boyer, a homeschool author (The Socialization Trap, etc.), and father of fourteen(www.thelearningparent.com). That was pretty neat!

I sat in Chicago for four hours, my flight was delayed there about two hours, but that seems normal for flights nowadays. My family met me at the airport and my life has been a whirl of activity ever since. My family made the decision to move while I was gone, so our whole outlook on the future has changed. My sister has also done some traveling while I was gone, and it’s so wonderful to see how mature she is. My brothers have all grown several inches, I’m sure, and Caleb is now officially and obviously taller than me. They are all so handsome!

I am not even unpacked yet; there is so much to do. Housework, and our drive to raise donations to send packages to NE soldiers overseas needs to get going soon. We are off to a late start. Lots of other things too! Last night we went to Sioux City to hear Presidential candidates McCain and Huckabee debate. I was glad I got to hear them both speak.

As to my emotional state, which I am sure you are all yearning to hear about: I am struggling not to be disappointed and bitter towards Mrs. O. The last night I was in NC we sat down and had a talk. I from that I know that Mrs. O was not satisfied with my work, though of course she did thank me. She told me that there had been things she wanted me to do while I was there, but she didn’t tell me to do them, at least not directly, because she thought she would speak too harshly to me. For my part, I was struggling with loneliness the whole time I was there, but I didn’t feel like I could ask Mrs. O for anything, since I was there to serve. Basically, there was poor communication between Mrs. O and me. So, optimistically speaking, I am still benefiting from my time there in that I am learning what it is to be a complete servant, I need to initiate more, etc.

In closing, there was no need for any of you to worry about me getting engaged while at Ft. Bragg- in my time there I am sure I met only half a dozen soldiers, and probably even less single men than that!

I'm still here, on the blogosphere

I am in my last week here at Ft. Bragg. In some ways it’s hard to believe, since I haven’t seen much of North Carolina or Fort Bragg, or gotten to know anyone here really well. I’ve been somewhat isolated here on base at the O. house, since I never drove myself anywhere. If I go this sort of ministry again, I will be sure to find out driving conditions beforehand. It wasn’t Mrs. O’s fault. You thought I was isolated in Nebraska? That’s nothing! Try Ft. Bragg. Honestly, my time here was one of the loneliest times of my life, and again, that really wasn’t Mrs. O’s fault, but if I do this again, I’m going to do it differently. Now that I have less than a week left, I’m feeling good, but when I was at the ten day mark I thought the days couldn’t go quick enough! I will be so glad to get home, see my family again, and relax. I can’t wait to catch up with my sister on all the news. I will be so glad to get back to my social life, however pitiable some people may think it to be, where I can volunteer and visit friends and have freedom!

So, that is what is on my mind right now. This morning we all got up early to go to a library book sale and we stopped at Krispy Kreme to grab “breakfast”. I had never been in a Krispy Kreme before, and it was neat to look through the glass window and see the doughnuts being made. We each got two doughnuts and they were so sweet it almost made us sick. They were also “Hot now”, straight from the oven. Wow. I bought twenty books at the library sale, and while I am excited for all the bargains I got, I don’t know how on earth I am going to get them all home! Maybe I’ll have to leave my extra clothes here, or wear several layers of clothes on the way home to save room in my suitcase. Leaving books behind is not an option!

There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it

-George Washington

Yes, I did it again. I copied a quote from The Patriot Post so as to spare you another one of my meaningless titles. Here's another good one: "The man who knows the truth and has the opportunity to tell it, but who nonetheless refuses to, is among the most shameful of all creatures. God forbid that we should ever become so lax as that." -Theodore Roosevelt

I had a two day vacation, so to speak, at the lady's house. I would have loved to go sightseeing, or even to a park for a walk, but I can't ask people to take me places. Everybody is so busy as it is. So I stayed in my room, read books, wrote letters, and watched movies, and thus comfortably passed the time. One of the movies I watched was "The Island" and enjoyed it- it was pretty exciting!

John Paul Jones

An honorable Peace is and always was my first wish! I can take no delight in the effusion of human Blood; but, if this War should continue, I wish to have the most active part in it.
-John Paul Jones, 1782, letter to Gouverneur Morris

Less than a month now before I go home. Today I am going over to another lady's house to stay for a few days because of the rule that I can't stay on base for more than thirty days. Not much else going on here!