~strangers~

Once the house was in order and the moving boxes thrown out, I began venturing out with my three young children. Ahead of time, I'd ask Richard to make maps for me so I'd know how to get to the Walmart super center and Target.  I was eventually grateful when I began to recognize the main road to our house.  :)  Richard, always a natural explorer, was never intimidated by the unknown. He would think of getting lost as a fun challenge. I, on the other hand, disliked not knowing where I was and feeling like a stranger.  I was often stressed when "turned around"... my heart pounding in panic trying to find my way home.

Joining a MOPS group in the area helped me learn my way around better and to meet other young moms (we were still looking for a church...plus, it takes awhile to make friends). I enjoyed the MOPS group very much, and began realizing that I was not the only mom who had given birth weeks before a move out of state. 

We had moved into a military area (Scott Air Force Base), and I soon heard all the military wives stories, which were full of more hardships than I could imagine. I didn't have the chance to begin feeling sorry for my lonely, lost self in a "stranger" world. I was meeting other moms who lived half-way across the continent from their families, or whose husbands were deployed for a over a year (sometimes just after having had a baby). I couldn't believe how "family-unfriendly" the military was... yet how military families stuck together, always being there for one another. I was also amazed there were Christians in the military who thought of their job as a calling from God. I had grown up in a pacifist home and had a different idea about people in the military. Christians willingly serving in the military was a bit mind-boggling for me!   :)  lol!

I honestly don't know where to stop with our family stories!!  As you know, this all started with how Richard & I met and married.... and now I'm not sure where to end!!   :)

Hmmm, perhaps I could end this "blog series" with Richard finally finishing school?
When we moved to the St Louis area, Richard was employed by the Postal Service, with a few years of school still ahead of him. I admit that I was not always the most understanding wife at times.  :)  


I'll save the story for next time ....   :)