Time marches on.

I knew I had taken a break from blogging, I just hadn't quite realized how LONG of a break.
Sorry! Life has not really settled down here since Scott returned. However, yesterday marked our first day back at school after the Christmas holidays. (And yes, I said CHRISTmas.) I'm determined with so much change and chaos ruling my life that I have to get some sort of order back in my life and our first day of school seemed like a great day to recommit myself to Flylady.

Almost 5 years ago, I was introduced to Pam and Peggy Young - AKA "The Slob Sisters". My handbell choir director, Linda, spoke at a MOPS meeting I attended about how their book "From Pigpen to Paradise" had helped her organize her workload when her children were younger, and that she still stuck with the system.

Being chronically late everywhere I go, wandering around the house with a toothbrush in my mouth, wondering "Why am I in this room?" or "Now, what was I looking for?" I realized that Linda was speaking right to me. I ran to the local library, checked out the book and was amazed at how accurately my life was described by women who didn't even know me. It was uncanny.

Shortly thereafter, I was introduced to Marla Cilley via her website. It didn't take me long to become a "Flybaby." And no, I didn't become a maggot, as Scott jokingly called me - only once. I was about halfway through my pregnancy with Beth, had just been called by God to homeschool Katelynn, and was really craving a method to keep my head above the water. The Flylady really helped.

Throughout the past 5 years, I have been on and off the Flylady bandwagon many times. I did several large purges of stuff while Scott was gone on deployment - I can even park my Suburban INSIDE of my garage now.

So, I am back on the Flylady bandwagon again - trying to use my routines to help establish good habits. I was able to get almost everything accomplished today that I had set out to do, I even had carved out time tonight to blog. Sorry it isn't exciting, it is going to take me a while to get back into the swing of things.

Good night all! I have an episode, or two, or three, of LOST to watch before bed!

I cooked breakfast... for my DOGS!

Since I have the pleasure of homeschooling my girls, I have decided that they should enjoy a hot lunch and a hot breakfast once in a while. (This decision also came about because we all get REAL tired of PB&J and cold cereal.) So, I recently thought I'd splurge and make french toast for breakfast. Since I am not known as a "morning" person, I was excited to find a recipe online for overnight french toast. All ingredients are mixed up and poured over the bread, and the entire thing sits in the fridge over night.

As everyone was pulling themselves out of bed and prepping for the day, I popped the soaked bread into the hot oven. When the girls made it downstairs, the smell of warm bread and spices filled the air. Yummy.

However, no one liked my fabulously gooey creation. All the girls politely tried a few bites, then opted for frozen waffles. Sigh. After trying one slice myself, I wasn't real thrilled either. So, Abbey and Eli enjoyed a hot breakfast of French Toast. :)

I know my dogs are spoiled, but this really seems over the top!

Fine black soot...

When the girls and I were camped out in Raleigh, NC this past spring, I blogged about cleaning out the trailer's RV water heater. (Read the post from March here.) I ended up covered with a super-fine dusting of soot that left black smears all over my arms, shirt and face. It was like the ash that would result from burning the tissue paper that you wrap around your Christmas presents. Maybe that experience was a foreshadowing of this week.

Today, the girls and I emerged from our hobbit hole home to enjoy a picnic dinner at a neighborhood park. The air was free from the fire's caustic odor, even though the entire 360 degrees of horizon were shrouded in smoke. I knew that the layer of ash around our home was indicative of what I would find at the park - and I was not mistaken!

Every sidewalk appeared to have a fine dusting of ash, gathering in random piles in between the visible footprints left as the girls ran on ahead of me. As we approached the playground, we found a large remnant of ash - as large as the girls hands. Only the Lord knows how far this piece was carried by the fierce Santa Ana winds, or what it was before the flames rendered it this black, shapeless form on the concrete.

Katelynn helped me wipe off the picnic table - it was like some woman's face powder had exploded, yet I don't know anyone who would wear smoky black makeup. Even after a dry wipe-down, a wet wipe-down and another dry wipe-down, the smooth concrete was still leaving black marks on every paper towel we used. I gave up on clean, and settled for "good enough".

The girls and I enjoyed a gourmet meal of PB&J, pita chips, strawberries and grape Kool-Aid. Yummy! The girls quickly dispersed to the play equipment, and I settled into a quick game of Sudoku. I love listening in as the girls let their imaginations rule their play. At one point, I heard something about a Time Machine. :)

It wasn't long before the sun sank below the layer of smoke covering the Pacific. I gathered up the zoo and was quickly amazed at the amount of black soot covering my daughters hands, feet, faces, and a couple of bums. Whew! Even a scrubbing in the tub didn't even take all the cinders out of the fine ridges and whorls of Beth's footprints.

It was a good time OUTSIDE. I only wish I could have brought the dogs, they need to escape the house too. However, the fine particles of ash that would be kicked up when they run through the grass could really do harm to their lungs. I'm hoping the weather forecast of rain showers this weekend come true. All of southern California needs the washing.

Check out this link to Google Maps. Our local PBS station has worked with local fire authorities as well as SDSU to create this interactive map of the San Diego fires. For your reference, our home is in Eastern Chula Vista (zoom in to the southern portion of the map), west of the Otay Lakes reservoirs - the map does label the Eastlake Country Club. You can see how close the fires came.

Our local CBS station also has some great information. You can check out their website here.

Thank you for your prayers. Keep praying for our spirits and for the Lord to open up ways for us to help those who have suffered loss.

fire·storm (fīr'stôrm') Pronunciation Key

n. A fire of great size and intensity that generates and is fed by strong inrushing winds from all sides

How weird it is to survey my home and have to decide what I would take, and what I would leave behind in case of an evacuation. I've often looked at my belongings and truly tried to figure out what I would pack into the suburban if evacuation was necessary. Monday, October 22, 2007, I got my chance to see what was important enough to pack up in the truck.

I woke up early on Monday morning - determined to get the kitchen floor mopped before the zoo awoke and wrecked havoc with my finely tuned plan for the day. As Scott prepared to leave for work, I turned on the news, eager to follow the fire that had begun the day before in Ramona - a small rural community to our north. I had talked with a friend from flyball who lived in Ramona the night before, and she was safe at the time, and didn't feel she needed to evacuate. The mornings news painted a very different picture. All of Ramona was being evacuated, as well as parts of San Diego - namely Rancho Bernardo.

I slowly swept up the dog fur and remnants of meals from the kitchen floor while I listened to the morning newscasters paint a very grim picture of where the fire was expected to head. Four years ago, San Diego had been devastated by a fire that swept through entire communities, removing home after home. This current fire was already predicted to surpass the Cedar Fire of 2003 - and will probably go down as the worst firestorm in San Diego history.

After talking to another flyball team mate, I learned that there was a fire near us and it was heading west - toward our peaceful neighborhood. I headed outside, armed with my camera, to see if I could see any evidence of this fire. To my surprise, the sun was just rising behind the eastern mountains, hidden in a deep layer of smoke.


It felt surreal to return to my house chores, while fires were quickly burning through the lives of people in nearby communities. I kept the TV tuned to the local CBS station while mopping the floor, and did my best to explain to the girls what was happening as they slowly woke up and found me downstairs. It was hard to balance my need for information with a desire to protect the girls from the horrors occurring around us.

Scott and I had already talked a few times in the early morning and had decided that I would take time during the day to compile a list of important papers, etc. and would pack the truck to be ready for a possible evacuation. It took a while for me to prepare my mind for the task ahead of me, but the Lord kept my mind calm and my heart full of His peace.

Diapers went into the washer, clean clothes were folded, the oven was cleaned. (Don't ask why - it just felt necessary.) Eventually, at the end of the day the truck was packed with almost everything on my evacuation list. Laptops, current files, and a few odds and ends were all that was left. The natural light coming in from the smoke filtered sunlight gave the appearance of perpetual sunset. Everything had an orange glow.


Scott returned home around 7:30pm, in awe of the sight before him as he drove home in the dark. The hills to the east of our home were full of bright orange lines of flames. From our driveway it was possible to see 3 separate sections of the fire racing down the slopes. Eventually, the smoke drove us inside - our eyes burning and our throats scratchy.


Putting the girls to bed a short time later was tough. Scott and I had not yet come to a decision whether we were going to stay or leave. Voluntary evacuations had been called for 4 neighborhoods adjacent to ours, but it appeared that the topography of the land to our east would protect us, as long as the Santa Ana winds tapered off and didn't carry burning embers across the Otay Lakes Reservoirs.

Eventually, we decided to stay put, but to stay alert for any call to evacuate.

The next day dawned and it was evident that the fire has passed to the north east of our neighborhood, but it was still unknown if it would shift and possibly threaten Eastlake once again. I ventured out in the morning to get some food to last us for a day or two if we need to move to the trailer. There was a fine layer of ash over everything in sight. Cars driving on the road looked like they were spitting up gray plumes as they drove through the settled soot. The dogs had left solid black footprints over my newly washed floor on their first potty break of the morning.

It has been a tough three days of forced seclusion. All of our windows are tightly closed against the harmful particles floating around. It is quite warm, so I gave in and put on the air conditioning. The girls definitely have a bit of cabin fever - tempers are very short and sibling rivalry are at an all time high. We did have a brief excursion out to Scott's work last night to bring him dinner. It was a pleasant change from breathing the thick, dry air at home.

Currently, we are unpacking our evacuation gear, and are trying to get back to a "normal" schedule. Please pray for San Diego - many lives have been drastically altered. Pray for air quality - right now it is extremely unhealthy to be outside for any length of time. Pray for the Lord to reach out to those who don't know him - motivate His people to put feet to their faith and to care for the hurting in San Diego.

Alec... I blogged! Are you happy now??? *evil grin*

Oh me, oh my. Where does the time go?

I can hardly believe that it has been four weeks since my dear hubby returned home! I'm sorry for the lack of posts, we've been catching up with each other, and rebonding as a family. We've had visitors from out of town (smile and wave Kendigs!) and we've generally had a great time. However, today the bubble burst. :) Scott went back to work, and the girls and I began school yet again.

7:30 came around way too early for my girls, they were complaining every step of the way. However, they couldn't dampen my enthusiasm to get back into a routine. So, I boldly began my 5th year of homeschool. Katelynn is now in 4th grade, Emily is in 2nd, while Beth is "officially" joining her sisters in school as a pre-K student. I say "officially", because I'm doing school with her, but it isn't in any government record anywhere. *giggle*

The day went extremely well, we even made it to sign language class 5 minutes early! (Everyone knows that is a Superman sized feat for me.) Beth loved showing off how much she learned when Daddy dropped by unexpectedly for lunch, and has eagerly soaked up any signs that Katelynn and Emily have shown her with their vast 1 hour of experience.

It felt good to get almost everything on my "To Do" list accomplished today. Heck, I've even managed a short blog, right? I will get some pictures up of the reunion. I've been mulling it over for the past week, and keep procrastinating because I just can't seem to come up with the "right" words. I think I'll just give up on "right" and just "write."

I've missed connecting with everyone online. I can't wait to catch up on my blog reading over the next week! :)

Sewing again!

While I'm waiting for my film to develop so I can add pictures of our reunion, I figured I could use this space to show off a few of my projects from today. I took advantage of nap-time and finally finished two diapers for Hailey. It has been a while since I stitched up anything to cover her tush, and she is rapidly outgrowing her current stash. :)

First diaper - Kaleidescope and purple










Second diaper - Red all over

Happy model!

It felt really good to sit at my machine again today. It has been a LONG time since I've sewn. Unfortunately, this means that there is now fabric stashed all over the living room as I contemplate the next step in creating Hailey some more diapers. I'm currently on the hunt for the "perfect" diaper cover. Lately, she's been leaking through everything I put her in, and I'm getting real frustrated. Plus, it is hard to be an ambassador of cloth diapers when your daughter leaks all over anyone who touches her! :)

Tomorrow we have church "outside" on the lawn, and no flyball practice due to the heat. So maybe I'll get another new pattern stitched up to see how it fits her. I feel the pull of my sewing machine - it is calling to me!!! *giggle*

Together again!

The Stringer Zoo is complete once again! Yippee!!!

I know everyone has been praying for all of us through this. It has definitely been a challenging period of time for all the members of the Zoo. We all have been challenged, and encouraged. The Lord has provided in amazing ways.

Psalm 91:1-2

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.

Now we are done, and the deployment is behind us. Reunion is sweet, I love hearing Scott's voice echoing through the house, and my heart melts at how Hailey runs around the house searching for "Daa-ee".

I'll have pictures later this week, I'm still trying to pull my memories together of yesterday. I know the pictures will help jump start the words. :)

Night all!

Just another way to procrastinate.

I REALLY should be attending to the crazy house, my screaming 2 year old, or the welcome home banners for Scott. Instead, I'm playing around online. :)

The wives and better halves of the men and women of HS-8 have been petitioning friends for baked goods, and businesses for donations as we prepare for the homecoming. I sent a message to my homeschool group asking for help preparing for the single sailors to come home. WOW! What a response. I've had 4 women volunteer their time to help paint welcome home banners for the 10 single officers in the squadron, plus several are spending time in their hot kitchens baking cookies and muffins for the single enlisted sailors. It is so awesome to be a part of a group that will wholeheartedly support my husband and his squadronmates. THANK YOU CFS - Chula Vista!

I've planned that today would be the last major cleaning day for the house. Emily and Beth are less than thrilled about this plan, but they are "willing" to help a little bit. I've been working pretty hard all week to straighten up, purge, and try to make this place a refuge for Scott as he arrives home. Funny how 3 little ones can really wreck havoc on a clean home in just a few short minutes! It may be a day of movies today - anything I can do to keep Hailey from screaming nonstop.

Only two more nights of being alone! The girls kisses are almost gone, it is time for Daddy to come home!

4 and 0.4

Wednesday, August 22, 2007 was quite a momentous day for the Stringer Zoo. Katelynn and Laura (aka Nana) left Honolulu aboard the USS Stennis for the beginning of their Tiger Cruise. I was able to talk to Katelynn one final time while they were waiting to pull out. It is a really odd to think that my eldest daughter is several thousand miles away, among 5,000 crewmembers on a huge aircraft carrier.

Yesterday also marked the anniversary of Beth's birth. Little Miss Bethie-Boodle turned 4 years old and proudly announced that fact to each person she encountered yesterday. Anyone who meets Beth quickly realizes she had a special spark. Scott and I marvelled at this little baby 4 years ago and wondered what the Lord had in store for her. It is an amazing adventure to be her mother!

But the first excitement came early in the morning. I realized that I was only 0.4 pounds away from my first weight loss goal. Shortly after Scott left, already several pounds into my weight loss journey, I told the girls that when I lost as much as Hailey weighed we would celebrate. Of course at the time, Hailey only weighed 21 pounds - she now weighs in at 24 pounds, so I had to adjust our celebrations by 3 pounds. :) On Wednesday morning I was pleasantly surprised to be at a 23.6 pound loss! Yahoo!

Today, the Zoo and I will be heading to the beach to our homeschool group "Not Going Back to School" Party. I'm sure there will be a few more adventures along the beaches of San Diego today.

Growing up

I'm pleased to report that Katelynn has landed in Hawaii with Nana and has met up with Scott. My little girl is growing up!

It felt a little weird to watch Katelynn and Laura walk into the security queue at Lindburgh field this morning. I was holding Hailey, while Emily and Beth peeked over the temporary barriers. We waved, blew kisses and made funny faces until we couldn't see Katelynn behind the crowd.

The house has seemed oddly quiet today. Emily has embraced her role as the big sister and is doing her best to keep the peace between Hailey and Beth. I don't have Katelynn's constant stream of chatter following me around as I work. I'm sure we will all adjust to her absence, but we will definitely miss her!

Pray for Scott and his "tigers". I know this week will hold many memories.

One week from now, and we'll be a complete family again!!!!

Just a little bit eerie!

The Goughs and the Stringers have many similarities. We've often marveled at how easily our families mesh together. Having Melody and the kids here this past week really helped me in so many ways. However, Mel and I discovered yet another eerie similarity between Scott and Rich...

Melissa was here this weekend to help celebrate Beth's birthday. She had helped me rearrange the downstairs a while back and was ready to help move furniture in my room. After huffing and puffing, the furniture was slid, pushed, shoved and wrestled into new places. (I think Scott will be pleasantly surprised.) Then it was time for the dirty work - sorting through papers on the desk, and clothes in the closets.

This is where Melody stepped in. We've always joked about how both Scott and Rich collect T-shirts. So, we took the opportunity presented before us and cleared out Scott's drawers of any shirts that had stains or rips, or that were older than Katelynn. (Yes, we found a few that were from our High School times.) Yet, the crowning moment was when I pulled out an old sports coat from the back of Scott's closet. As it sees the light for the first time in years, I hear Melody's chuckle from behind me.

"OK, I know it is a bit out of style, and it is dusty, but is it really THAT bad?" I think to myself. I soon find out that Rich had a nearly identical sports coat that he wore to their wedding reception, nearly 15 years ago! (If I'm not mistaken, Scott wore this coat to our Senior year homecoming dance.) Yes, Scott and Rich are really alike, in so many ways.

Melody and I even were able to get Alec to quickly pose for a picture in this vintage jacket. I'm waiting for Scott's blessing, but I think this coat is on its way out to bless someone else.

Today is almost tomorrow.

Tomorrow we'll celebrate Beth's 4th birthday, eleven days early. At the beginning of this adventure called deployment, we had hoped that Scott would be home before Beth turned 4. (The navy had other ideas, and he'll be home a little less than a week later.) In fact, during the month of January, while Scott was still home, we kept telling Beth that "Daddy would be home for her birthday." Each evening she'd greet Scott at the door with "Hi Daddy, it my birthday?" I guess we neglected to explain to her that going to work each day was different than a 7-month long deployment. :)

So, as things began to look like Scott wouldn't return in time for "THE day", I told the Zoo that we would celebrate with a party at Pump It Up IF Daddy didn't make it back by August 22. One thing led to another, and here we are with a house full of people who love Beth and are eager to celebrate with her. It should be a fun day!

Say a prayer of Thanks for this special little girl. Beth truly does brighten every life she comes in contact with.

34 and counting.

If you are born on this day, August 5, you have many character qualities that draw people to you.

Your attention to detail helps you to focus in on the "little things" in life.

Yet, you have the ability to see the big picture.

You are strong, and will help others in need.

You know how to kick back and relax,

















or sit and enjoy time with others.

























You never forget that everything in life is a gift from the Lord.

You are surrounded by friends who enjoy you,

and women who adore you.

You are loved.
Happy Birthday Scott!

If you need a smile.

It has been a day of conflicting emotions here at the Zoo. The girls and I seemed to have woken up on the wrong side of the bed. Hailey was screeching, Katelynn was grumpy, I was down in the dumps, while Emily and Beth just tried to stay out of our way.

So tonight I have decided to post a few pictures, just to make you smile. No other reason. They're random pictures from my files, I hope you enjoy them!

Oh, and things were looking much better by lunchtime. Scott called, I had a good cry, Katelynn was over her "mood" and Hailey had stopped shrieking. We're all better now!

Fabulously unplanned.

Sometimes there are HUGE benefits to not planning life. (I'm really good at planning things in my head, I always come up with grand ideas, it is just the implementation that gets me down.) The drive from Atascadero to home this past Sunday was one example of where the unexpected can really bring joy to life.

The girls and I set out from Amanda's house with our sights set on the Borders bookstore in San Luis Obispo. Katelynn has yet again devoured all the books we have purchased since leaving home, plus all the books Nana and I bought her in Almanor, plus all the books I bought along the drive north. (I'm going to go broke!) So, with a 6+ hour drive looming ahead of us, and a limited supply of DVDs with us, I told the girls I would purchase each of them a book.

Eventually we were on the road again, and I thought to myself that In-n-Out in Santa Barbara would be a great place to stop for lunch, as it was now about noon, but we had snacks and drinks to keep everyone happy for the next 90 minutes. Plus, a movie was showing, so they girls were mesmerized and would temporarily forget any hunger pangs.

Unfortunately, the movie did nothing to help me - I was getting sleepier as each mile passed under my tires. We pulled over at a rest stop shortly before the coastline. I dozed for 30 minutes while the girls finished their movie. Once I was refreshed we hit the pavement and watched the waves crashing to our right side. Katelynn loved spotting the red kelp beds peeking above the surface of the sea. Before I knew it, the "Littles" were asleep, and we were nearing Santa Barbara.

I opted the let Hailey and Beth sleep, so we continued on, deciding to hit the next In-n-Out. I mistakenly thought there was one in Carpenteria, the next "large" coastal town. So southward we continued. I missed the exit for the In-n-Out in Ventura, so we were destined to have lunch in my hometown of Camarillo.

Once Katelynn and Emily heard we were to be eating practically in Papa's backyard, they became determined to visit with him. In God's plan, John was home, wasn't busy, and was able to meet us for our very late lunch at In-n-Out. How fun it was to watch John drive up and park next to me and to hear the chorus of "PAPA" ringing out from the rear seats of my truck! Eli grinned away as he realized who was reaching in the window to pet his head.

John kept the troops entertained while I ordered our extremely high maintenance meal. If you know anything about In-n-Out, you know that they do not have a very large menu. Hamburgers, cheeseburgers, fries, shakes and drinks. That is it, nothing else. However, I've learned that there are endless variations on HOW you order your food. Plain, un-toasted, animal style, you name it, they can do it. So it takes a while for me to get all the various peculiarities of my girls tastes relayed to the associate behind the register.

About halfway through the meal, I realized that if I continued on as "planned" we would hit LA at 5pm. ARGH! Not a good idea. OK, time to rethink the "plan". I realized that Scott's aunt, Lucy, had a few stray Zoo items at her house from our last visit, so why not stop by her place? Since she wasn't due home from work for a few hours, that left us free to visit with Papa!!!

The girls and dogs stretched their legs while John and I had a great talk. It was so awesome to just be able to sit with Scott's dad and enjoy our time. It was so evident to me during this conversation the depth of John's love for Scott. John and Laura did a fabulous job raising Scott and Amanda, and it shows in how Scott and Amanda treat others and live their lives. I will treasure this time with John.

Then it was back into the truck for the Zoo, and we descended upon Aunt Lucy. I dug out the girls bathing suits and they played in the jacuzzi right outside Lucy's front door while Lucy and I talked. I was privileged to look through her sketches, and throughly enjoyed our adult conversation while the girls played. Hmmm, you think the Lord was filling me up with great conversations to ponder as I work so hard this month? Something to think about!

We left Aunt Lucy's full of yummy food and ready to be home. I had to return to her place to pick up my purse, thank God I realized I had left it before we were even 1/2 of a mile from her home! I filled the truck with gas, bought a hot coffee and some munchies and hit the road. It wasn't too long before the girls were asleep and I was left "alone" with my recorded book and the grey asphalt in front of me.

We pulled into the driveway around 12:15 in the morning. The girls already were dressed in their pajamas so they crawled into bed, hardly even opening their eyes. I, unfortunately, wasn't so lucky. I always take a while to wind down from a long drive, and this night was no exception. It was nearly 3:30 before I was ready to get some sleep. I think the wonders of our unplanned day just took a while to sink in.

And of course, I'm up past my self-imposed curfew of 11pm tonight. I've got so many things rolling around inside my head. I have really enjoyed the memory building time the girls and I have done while Scott was away, but I'm done. I need my husband to come home. August 27 can't come soon enough.

IthinkIcan, IthinkIcan, IthinkIcan...

Atascadero and points south

When we last left our story, the heroine was weaving her way through the curved forest road. Her red horse stretched his muscles, carrying her swiftly over and around any obstacle. Four young princesses rode in the carriage behind, giggling with delight as they bounced over rocks and dodged trees...

Oh, oops. You don't remember that from last nights blog? Hmmmm. My bad.

The Zoo and I arrived Amanda's castle, I mean home, right around noon. Cody, their black lab, greeted us by enthusiastically wagging his entire body as he waited for me to let Eli and Abbey into the backyard. As the dogs got reacquainted, the girls and I surveyed the newest project - a new chicken coop being built when Tyler appeared out from in front of the house. Yahoo! The cousins were back together!

After a quick lunch, Amanda and I caught up on the family news while the kiddos played in the pool. Hailey slept, and I laughed at the twins antics. If you've read Amanda's blog lately, you know that Aiden and Ashley are now moving. Aiden is fully into crawl mode, while Ashley is really good at scootching. (If you've had kids, you know exactly what motion that silly word describes.) I had so much fun getting Ashley to giggle at her silly Auntie. Aiden wasn't quite sure what to think of his "Crazy Aunt Janell". I'm sure over time he will come to think of me as something to be endured - kind of like Hannah, right Auntie Mo?

Dinner was fabulous, Amanda is really a good cook! Oh, I still want that recipe if I can have it. Emily even finished all of the chicken that was on her plate. That says a lot. The "big" kids had a slumber party in the front room when Amanda and I had "adult" time watching Flip this House and drinking cocktails. What a great way to unwind!

We left way too early the next morning - at least according to Tyler and my girls. They definitely needed more time together. It was tough to buzz through so quickly, Amanda and I agreed that it was too short of a visit. But we had appointments to keep, and places to be. Of course, I discovered that I had mixed up some dates in my head and the girls and I accidentally missed our dentist appointments as we drove along the coast in Pismo Beach. Darn it! Can I call that a senior moment?

There is so much more yet to come in our drive home, only we didn't know it at the time. I have to keep you in suspense a little longer, but it is 11:30 and I need my beauty rest. :) Sorry!

There is just one more thing I want to share while it is fresh in my mind. I wish I could bottle up this moment: When we drove home from Bible study tonight, Katelynn's voice quietly rises from behind me. "This year has been the best one of my life."

Once again, my children surprise me.

Katelynn, Emily and I were able to briefly talk about how even though this year could have been the worst ever - Daddy was gone - the Lord worked it out for good. Never again will the girls and I experience life like we have in the past seven months. Silly days of doing school in our pajamas, late night dinners in front of the TV, ice cream for dinner, an eleven thousand mile road trip, mornings spent sleeping in because we stayed up too late the night before... It has been an awfully wonderful time.

As much as my heart has ached constantly since Scott flew off on January 20, 2007, I would never ask to have the precious memories of this year erased. When the ideas for how to cope with deployment began to be discussed, my biggest desire was that the girls and I would build memories. Eight and a half years ago, Katelynn and I endured a six-month separation from Scott that is a hole in my mind. I remember very little of those months alone with her. I did NOT want that to happen this time.

It didn't.

Backwards

If you have spent any length of time with me, you will know that I can often mix up my words. I have a horrible habit of leaving sentences half finished (this drives Scott nuts). My brain often works faster than my mouth, so the result is often a jumble of words that have no relation to each other. Go figure.

So, the next few blogs will reflect this unique part of my personality. I've decided to embrace my procrastination and my mixed up words at the same time and write about the month of July - backwards. I'll start tonight by writing about the drive home from Lake Almanor, and then work back towards Singapore, and even before if anything strikes my fancy. What do you think? Feel like sticking around for "The Rest of the Story"? (Any Paul Harvey fans out there?)

I've discovered that I REALLY like to drive. I don't enjoy packing, and I hate leaving my house, but I truly love to travel. That may sound like opposing ideas, but they really aren't. Or, at least in my head they aren't. :) However, even though I love to drive, I really dread the nearly 700 mile drive from San Diego to my in-laws home near Lake Almanor. Anyone who has had the "pleasure" of driving I-5 through the middle of California knows why I dread this drive. There is nothing to see but grass (brown grass), plenty of large, slow semi-trucks to impede steady speeds, and lots of cattle farms to smell. (Eli really liked the last part - he'd nearly stuff his nose into the vent every time we'd pass a cattle farm.)

So, it really surprised me to truly enjoy the time I spent on the road this past weekend! The girls and I left Lake Almanor around 2:30 in the afternoon (late, even by my standards). I had been having difficulty finding a hotel room for us to stay in that was along our route, accepted the dogs, charged less than $75 for the dogs to stay with me, had 2 beds and cost less than $200. I know, picky, picky, picky. :) Once that task was accomplished we stuffed everything we could find into the truck and took off down out of the mountains.

This portion of the drive was gorgeous. Tall pine and cedars lined the road, the sun was high and the sky was such a clear blue. Rascal Flatts and Brad Paisley surrounded us as we talked about all we needed to get done before Scott gets home. It was a good beginning.

Dinner was an adventure, as I was tired of fast food, and my GPS has decided to not pick up satellites. So, without a working GPS, I couldn't scan for a decent restaurant near our location. We eventually found a Chili's restaurant in the middle of Stockton, and settled in for some grub. We spent the night in Santa Nella, CA, at the Ramada - not ideal, but livable.

The next morning found us once again heading south, but we were able to turn off of I-5 and head west on CA-41 as we drove towards Aunt Amanda's house just outside of Atascadero, CA. Whew! Scott had said the girls and I would enjoy the drive, and boy was he right! The last few miles were full of dips, bends, turns, and loud "Wheeeeeee's" from the back seats. My road-hogging Suburban sure felt like a sports car!

I'm sorry to break this into a two-blogger, but it is now almost 11pm. I've promised myself a full 8 hours of sleep each night, so I need to head upstairs within the next few minutes. I'll write about our visit with Amanda, Tyler, and the twins tomorrow, as well as our unplanned but fabulous Ventura County stops.

We've hit the ground RUNNING!

The girls and I have returned to Chula Vista and are already deep in the throes of homecoming preparations. Today marked the last day I'll probably talk to Scott before he sets foot back on American soil (he'll call from Hawaii when they arrive), and we have less than 4 weeks to becoming a complete family again!!!

Singapore was phenomenal! As I've told everyone I've talked to since returning, it was probably the BEST week of my life. Being with Scott again was better than I imagined. I boarded my flights to Singapore feeling as if I was a kid at Christmas. It was amazing to be reunited with my best friend and get to explore a brand new country with him as well. I have to admit that we didn't take too many pictures (sorry, we were to busy holding hands to drag out the camera). However, I do want to get my memories of our days in Singapore down into words before the memories begin to fade.

I apologize to everyone who was hoping we'd update our blogs while in Singapore. I also want to say... "Get a life!" *giggle* OK, no really, in all seriousness, I'm completely flattered that anyone would actually want to read about my life. I really don't see myself as anyone special, and it just floors me that people I hold in such high regard are eager to know what I've been up to. I'm seriously amazed!!! Thank you to everyone who has prodded me to write about the Stringer Zoo, your encouragement and support have kept me going, even when the blog stayed silent for a while.

Once again, the girls and I covet your prayers as we look at the long laundry list of items to complete before Scott's return. (Katelynn looked at my list and commented "You've almost run out of paper, Mom!) I know that not everything is important to get done, it just all feels urgent. Pray for wisdom for me to prioritize and for self-discipline as I tackle my tasks. It is easy to get overwhelmed with the details instead of focusing on the reason why I'm working. I just need to remember to start my day off with time with our Father, and to go to Him for my "To Do" list for the day, right?

On that note, I'm going to try and shut down my brain at a decent hour tonight - we arrived home after midnight last night and I couldn't settle down until after 3:30 this morning. I KNOW I can't keep that up!

Check out what Nana & crew are doing.

While Scott and I have been enjoying the tastes and sights of Singapore, Nana has been corralling the younger portion of the Zoo up in Northern California. I pray that they aren't running her too ragged. :)

When you have a moment, run over to her new blog to see what the girls have been up to...
Nana's News.

Scott and I are going to go get a late breakfast, and try to find a local geocache. I've never geocached before, so I'm not sure what to expect!

Where in the world...

is the Stringer Zoo?

MMmmm, good question. The younger portion of the Zoo is camped out in Lake Almanor with Nana. I've been told that they have completed their dirt house, and have fun in the small pool they have named "Little Lake Almanor". :)

For the past two days, Scott and I have been enjoying the sights, sounds, and tastes of Singapore. It has been wonderful to be together again!!! This past six-month separation was the longest we've ever endured, even through our time in college (at opposite ends of the country) we were never apart longer than 4 months. I have been continually reminded of all the things I love and adore about my husband.

Today we will go on the ultimate tourist excusion. We have a 10:00 appointment for the Singapore Duck tours. Then we'll ride a "Hippo" around the shopping district on Orchard Street. The best part comes later tonight as we both get massages before heading out to dinner. I'm enthralled with Singapore. It has been a wonderful experience!

More stories and pictures to come! We're off for now!