Unaccompanied Move is done!

July 5, the movers came to pack our UG.  You know, the shippment that goes on a cargo flight.  I was so excited.  It was our first shipment to Germany.  It made it all seem real, that we will be living in another county for awhile.  The movers were very nice and polite but a word of caution: it is true that you must keep your eye on everything they pack and write on your paperwork.  DON’T SIGN UNTIL YOU ARE SURE.  They will try hard to get you to sign at the end without reading or really looking at what they have written.  Make sure your “high-value list is complete.  Be sure each box is clearly marked with what was packed.  Don’t let the packers tell you how they will pack your stuff, it is yours and at the end you will have to live with your lack of care.  I made a time speed-up of the move.  

One should have Peace with every situation……

HASHEM is my shepherd, I shall not lack. In lush meadows He lays me down, beside the tranquil waters He leads me. Psalms 23:1-2
This psalms of David’s has kindled a spark of hop in countless human hearts throughout the ages. David teaches us how to accept the “unacceptable” situations. There are times when we must struggle mightily against adversity and carry on the battle even agains superior forces. But……there is also time for surrender, a time to realize that the fight is futile and that we must accept our lot in life, however disappointing it may be.  
Over the years there have been many people come and go in my life. After all, that is life, right? I’ve had to stay good bye to so many people that I love and care for. I’ve been thinking a lot about my mom lately and I just needed to share with you all what is in my heart. My mother was a kind gentle woman, that is, until you did something to one of her kids. Well, I’m not sure I was loved as my brothers and sister was. You see, when my mom died she told my grandmother to take care of her kids, she named each of them one by one. I was not one of them. I asked my grandmother why didn’t my mother name me? Her answer to me was she just forgot…..how does a mother “just forget” one of her own kids.  
I’ve been looking, all my life for someone to replace to “love” that mother gives to her children. When is it ok to “accept” that which you can not change? And more to the point, how do you accept it?

Today You Become A Nation….

I am always looking for things to study and help me grow as a Jew.  It has been over two months since my conversion.  I’ve felt somewhat lost and empty.  You see, before, all my time was spent in learning and knowing how to live my new life.  Now that I have completed the lessons, I did not know what to do with all the free time I have on my hands.  Someone once said to me, “you will never stop learning”.  Yes, I know this but what to study??????

Before, I had a set group of lessons each day now I can study as I please and I often don’t know what to study.  My husband ask me, what are you passionate about?  I said, living with chased (kindness).  I strive never to commit a chillul like HaShem.  I find it hard to keep my morning prayers full of kavannah.  I’ve found that lessons like this help me with my focus and study.  I hope you will enjoy it.  

http://youtu.be/OGYHJ0W3mzk

We’re PCSING

So as it turns out my husband and I found out about 15 months ago and we will PCS to (drumroll please), Germany! We were so excited but we did not have pinpoint information as to where in Germany we would be going. My husband got his official orders and we now know that we will be going to Kaiserslautern. 

So, now for the fun of organizing, scheduling the movers, shipping the car, booking our flight and saying good bye to friends and family. This is our first overseas dusty station. We need any information we can get to help with it all.

We are PCS’ing

So we found out back in October that we would be moving in a year.  Well, time has past and the time has come for us to start preparing for that move.  It has been hard waiting but it is all coming down to the point when we get on our way.  I’ve been doing a little bit but now things are picking up and I have to get moving with the move.  PCS’ing is a way of life for an Army family, in fact, any Military family in the US.  You come to understand one very important thing, Home is where the Army sends you!

WOW, Its been a long time sense I last posted.  Lots of things have happened in our lives.  I’ll will try to give a summary of some of it.

We are near the end of our conversion process, YAY  What a year 🙂  We’ve learned a lot and understand so much more.  We’ve also been learning Hebrew this year and are much better at speaking to one another in Hebrew.  I did a post about the cost of converting and although it was high it was more about buying the things that a person born would have due to family.  Things like books, tallit, tefillen, scrolls, etc.  It was all worth it and we are so happy that we are soon going to be Jews.

I have lost some weight. I also had breast reduction and tummy tuck surgery.  More on those in another post.

I completed school.  I did not take the Board.  I don’t really fell I want to be a nurse.  I’m not sure I want to do.  I have a loving husband who is allowing me to explore and figure it all out.

So we are now 4 years in to our Army life and loving it!  It has its ups and downs but I would not trade it.  I get to spend the best years (so far) of my life with the love of my life, how cool is that?  It has been fun.  We are living on Post and I know I talked about Post life a little so let me open up to more of what it is like to live on Post, from my point of view.

Making friends is easier for some.  I’ve had a really hard time with it.  I don’t share in a lot of what goes on so I’m often left out.  My husband works in the OR and has really crazy hours.  I spend a lot of time on my own.  I’ve learned the joy of Glide.  It is awesome!  I get to talk to my friends from all over the world through video chat.  I like it better than skype.  Although there is nothing wrong with skype.

I’ve closed my FB account.  Way to much drama going on.  hahaha Now I just use my Instagram and Glide to share.  Look me up Chanaruth

Now that we are getting ready for our first PCS, I’ve learned a lot about housing.  When we moved in, I was so excited about getting a place on arrival that I did not inspect the house like I should have.  Now that we are getting ready to move out, in a few months, I learned that it is important to check everything and fill out the paper work showing any issues.  For example; on move out there is an inspection that the rental office staff conducts.  It is very detailed.  You would not think of most of the things they check but they don’t tell you to do this at move in.  Things like removing cobwebs.  When we moved in this house there were many cobwebs in the corners but move-out inspection wants it gone if not, they will change you.  You must clean the interior surfaces of the windows and exterior but this was not checked by my husband or I to see if it was done before we moved in.  I think a lot of what they require is wrong.  But, my house will be cleaned and ready.  Also, and this is a big one, they will charge you for damage to the house.  So you are living and the shower rod falls off the wall, you call for repair, what they don’t tell you is upon move out some of those repair cost are charged to you.  You would think that maintenance calls a free but not all of them.  If they feel it is residence fault, they charge you and you don’t find out about this until move out when they hit you with the bill.  Below are some pictures of things that can cost you.  In the first one, I dropped a pot on the floor and it dented the floor.  Normally this would be a charge to replace the whole kitchen floor, but the office told me that it was small enough and I’ve been so good at keeping the house clean over the years, that I would not be charged.  In cases like this you want to make sure that it is noted in your file because it can come back and bit you in the pocket.  Now, the second one is in the living-room floor.  I don’t know how this dent got there but they are going to charge us for it.  I think it is like $25.00 for each one they find.  I’ve heard from other spouses that they don’t replace the things they charge you for as they claim.  I don’t know if that is true but the carpet cleaner told me he has seen it happen.  He said they charge people for stains in the carpet and say it has to be replaced but don’t.  That is so wrong.

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So Now that I’ve caught you up on some of what’s been going on you are probably wondering where we are PCS’ing.  Well, I’d like to hold off on that info for a bit longer 🙂 One, it will give me more to talk about and keep me faithful this time to posting and two, I think it will be fun watching it all unfold.

 

 

0 Dark Thirty

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I love waking up before the sun comes out on Post.  The simple quietness of it all……My husband calls this time “0 dark thirty” because they are required to be up at 4:30 for PT each morning.  It lasts maybe an hour or so.  He is usually back home by 5:30-6 most mornings.  He runs in, showers, gets dressed, grabs whatever I have sitting on the counter for breakfast and runs out the door.  He arrives at the hospital by 0630, changes into his scrubs and its off to work.  That is the whole of our morning time.  hahaha

I always get up with him to make breakfast, and pack lunch.  Once he is out the door, it is time for me to get my day started.  That means morning prayer, some light studying, reading something to inspire me and then off to house work.  I like starting with the bedroom.  I work my way out from there and end with the kitchen.

By this time the quietness is over.  Living on a TRADOC Post is never quiet for long.

This cleaning includes but is never limited to:

  1. making/changing the bed
  2. straighten up nightstand and table tops (there are always books to put away)
  3. cleaning the bathroom in our room (he leaves a mess every morning)
  4. picking up dirty clothes (hold your nose folks, hahaha)
  5. Hanging up clothes-deciding what needs to be washed or hung
  6. dusting and light mopping the floors

Now off to the  2nd bedroom.

This has quickly become our “put everything in room” and by the end of the week it needs a great deal of attention.  There is so much that needs to be put away.

On to our son’s room.  This is his responsibility to keep clean.

The hall is usually clean and only requires me to dust once a week.

The living room and dining room:

  1. There are always books to put away (we tend to read a lot).
  2. Straighten up the sofa and love seat
  3. Vacuum the rugs
  4. Set table for dinner

Not a lot to do to these rooms on a daily basis.

Now the big mama  (the kitchen):

  1. Wipe down the sink after doing the dishes and loading the dishwasher
  2. Wipe down stove top
  3. Wipe down the counters
  4. Sweep/vacuum the floor
  5. Put everything back that is out of its place
  6. Take any and everything out of the kitchen that does not belong

Today I’m also cleaning for Shabbos.  So I’m cleaning the freezer out.  I’m also going to run through the dishwasher: burners grids and knobs, plastic utensil that are not used for food, refrigerator drawers (not at the same time).  Between each load I run an empty wash cycle to clear out anything left from the last.

I’m also going to rotate the food in my freezer and make my shopping list of things I’m out of at this time.

Once all this is done, my husband is usually home and we can talk, read and have dinner.

Then its off to bed, only to do it all again.  Some things changed from day-to-day, depending on what day of the week it is and what holiday is coming up but for the most part, this is my day which starts at 0 dark thirty.

Jesus is Not the Savior!!!!!

One of my Facebook friends shared this post and I wanted to share it with you all.  It is such a powerful statement.  As an ex-christian, I am so happy that so many are discovering the truth.

 

JESUS IS NOT THE SAVIOR!!!

Yehovah IS THE SAVIOR AND THERE IS NO OTHER!!!

Many of the people I have met on Facebook are not known to me face to face, but I feel a kindred spirit. That may not be the best term, but I suck at writing.

I was a christian for many years, even a messianic. When you read the Bible with an agenda you can make it say what you want. It will not make sense, but you can lie to yourself and say it means what I have been taught.

The last few days I’ve read some of the posts that Christians say about my Facebook Family and it makes me angry. They call people fools and liars and deceivers, mocking the way they believe.

The Tanakh is very plain and simple when it says…. Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel! Yehovah our God, Yehovah alone.

Psalm 18:2-4 I adore you, O Yehovah, my strength, O Yehovah, my crag, my fortress, my rescuer, my God, my rock in whom I seek refuge, my shield, my mighty champion, my haven.

Psalm 18:31 For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?

Psalm 18:46 The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior!

Exodus 15:2 The LORD is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

These are just a few examples of Yehovah being our Savior. We don’t need another to save us…call on Yehovah and He will save and deliver you, He doesn’t need help, we do.

 

Posted by:  Teresa Stanberry Drummond

Up by 4am

Today is Monday and my husband, like any Monday, has to go and PT by 5am.  He gets up at 4am and we talk until it is time for him to leave.  Well, today I could not sleep past 2am.  So I needed to find something to do with myself until it was time for him to get up.

Here is what I did:

  1. Washed cloths, (3 loads)
  2. Made his breakfast and packed his lunch
  3. cleaned the living room and dining room
  4. cleaned the stove
  5. washed dishes that were left from last night
  6. reorganized the computer desk
  7. broke down some boxes that have sat for a month
  8. made the bed (once he got up)
  9. sweep and mopped the floor in the bed room
  10. spent some time reading the Tanach

All this before 6:30 am.  Now, what to do with the rest of my day?

I have a new camera and I want to lean how to use it.  My husband got me the Rebel EOS T3i from Canon.  Most of the new pictures on my blog are taken with that camera.  I love it!  I am still leaning how to use it, it can do so much and I don’t want to waste all the features by not using them.

I am planning to go out today and find some really nice shots and share there with you all.  Let’s see what happens………

 

Do you mop on your hands and knees?

Recently I realized that not many women still get down on the floor and mop….

Not that I do it often but I still do, why?  I feel it gets the floors cleaner than a regular mop does.

My friend came over last Friday as I was scrubbing the kitchen floor and asked me why I was doing that when I had a mop?  I told her it cleans better.  I mopped my floor and then showed her how much dirt was left on the floor she was amazed.  I do this once a month to really keep things clean.

After thinking about her question, I wondered if anyone else did this…

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