In Honor of my grandmother

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Mildred Ptak

Novemeber 10, 1920 - March 5, 2008

My grandmother went home to be with the Lord the other night. She will be missed by her 5 children, 11 grandchildren and 23 great grandchildren.

Happy Birthday to you....

Today was Victoria's third birthday. She has been waiting for this day for the last year :) She wanted a princess birthday, so I made a princess cake and she dressed up and wore a crown. She was so excited!! Unfortunately, an emergency came up with Angel's work and he had to leave. Our neighbors shared lunch with us and helped us to celebrate Victoria's 3rd Birthday. Here are two pictures from today.

My little sister...

I just had to post how proud I am of my little sister....ok, she's not that little (she's 31) but she is my younger and only sister. Last week my sister and her family were on their way from PA to Myrtle Beach, SC where she and her husband were running their first half marathon. On Saturday morning at 6:30AM, they were off. Just over 2 1/2 hours later, she completed the half marathon.... and I AM VERY PROUD OF HER!!! This was her first race that she had entered. Her dream is to do a full marathon but the half marathon is a good start. Congratulations to both Natalie and Brent (yes he ran too)!

Do you have a dream in your heart that seems to unattainable to reach? Put a plan on paper with some short term goals that will get you to that larger, long term goal. Trust God and lean on Him. With God on your side, nothing is impossible.

Visit with an old friend

I think we are getting into the swing of things here in Texas. Enough so that we took a drive this past Saturday to visit an old friend.....not that she is old (but she is older than me :) ) Ronda and her husband Mike moved to San Antonio TX about 2 1/2 years ago and since Fort Hood is less than 3 hours away, we met for lunch. It is always nice to reconnect with those who were a part of our lives but maybe due to circumstances or distance, we don't get to see very often. Since Ronda left PA for Texas, we have seen her once a year. I am hoping that since she is so close, we'll be able to get together often.

Here are two pictures from Saturday. One of the kids and one of Ronda and I. Is there someone in your life that you have not seen or talked to in quite some time? Maybe an old friend or relative? Give them a call today or send them a card. Be an encourager in their life and see what God does in yours.

Potty Training 101

The time has come to yet again potty train a little Perez. Victoria will be turning three at the end of February and I have waited too long to start the potty training....but better late than never?! Last week I decided just to do it....start the potty training that is. Day 1 and 2 were the pits. I think I changed 4 outfits before lunch time. Day 3 she seemed to be understanding what i expected from her and we appeared to be on a roll. During this time, Angel was in the field for traning with his battalion for 2 weeks so I was doing this chore alone. Nights were not so good but I was hoping for dry days. And we had some :).....and then we had some more wet ones. Today is day 11 and we have had 2 accidents today. I know, I am a perfectionist mom who expects her just to get it and i need to give her some time.

Maybe Angel coming home today will help encourage her to "go potty for daddy". We shall see how this next week pans out.

My mom arrived on Sunday night for a short visit. We took the girls to Dallas on Monday to have linner (lunch/dinner) at American Girl Boutique and Bistro. They had a great time. The next two days were spent trying to get my house in order....or basically decorated. I had already unpacked the boxes and now it was time to hang curtains, arrange furniture and get things in order. Today I drove to Austin to take my mom to the airport. BOOO HOOO! Too bad she couldn't stay longer, I really could use more help :) Love ya mom!!

Hope you are starting off your New Year on a good foot or two for that matter!

Update

Well, if you haven't noticed yet, I (Nicole) have been posting on the blog lately. Angel has been working hard at his new job, trying to understand how everything works....or at least trying to get everything working (like his office computer :) ) The holiday time was slow since many were on leave and now things are kicking in. Angel is away for 2 weeks with his unit for field training...I guess this means more MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) for him. My mom is coming for a visit, which everyone here is excited about!!! We wish Pop-Pop could visit too but someone has to work.

We are excited about where God has placed us! When Angel filled out his paperwork for the Army, we listed our top three choices of bases where we would want to be stationed. Angel and I prayed that no matter what we wrote on the list, that God would place in where He wants us to be For Such A Time As This, and I can see this being true (though Texas was not at the top of my list) Be encouraged today that wherever you are God can use you. Your attitude in your situation determines more than the place where you are. If you are not sure what the next step in your future may be, place it before the Lord and allow Him to lead and guide you. Just remember, when you are committed to serving God, you may end up in places you never imagined.

Don't forget to continue to pray for our troops and their families. Many are deployed for 15 months and there are thousands of families holding down the homefront. They need your prayer, support and encouragement each day as they do life. Encourage someone today and expect God to move in your life too.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from Fort Hood, TX! It has been just over two weeks since we arrived to the Lone Star State. We received housing the day Angel signed in and our HHG (household goods) came at the end of the week. We wanted the girls to have the Christmas feeling...so we made sure the tree was put up, even if we couldn't find clean clothes to wear :) This Christmas is the first that we spent away from family and our traditions...it was very different. It really didn't even feel like Christmas..... I guess it's time to start our own traditions or at least take leave and fly home for the holidays.

Since we moved to Texas without beds for the girls, we went bed shopping and found new beds for the 3 older girls. Part of their Christmas gift was to pick out bedding tooo and they were sure excited about shopping....but what girl isn't!

We rang in the new year...already asleep in our beds. Things here in post are running on a modified schedule and Angel is usually home around lunchtime. Tomorrow the girls start public school after being homeschooled for the last 10 weeks ( I don't think Marissa is looking forward to getting up early) Marissa and Katelyn have both made friends already and our house on post (a duplex) is connected to another chaplain and his families.

Well, just a little update from our home to yours. We miss you all this holiday season and pray God's richest blessings in your lives. Don't forget to put Him first in all things and expect a breakthrough this New Year 2008!