PWOC

You might be asking...what is PWOC? I initially did. PWOC stands for Protestant Women of the Chapel. It is a non demoninational group of women that meets on Army bases to LEAD women to Christ, TEACH them, help them DEVELOP spiritually and INVOLVE them. At Fort Hood, our PWOC meets on Monday evenings (especially for those who work during the day) for dinner, fellowship, worship and Bible Study and then again on Tuesday mornings. After meeting together as a group, the women break out into small groups/classes of their choice for the semester. There are always many good classes to choose from to encourage you in your walk with the Lord and to help you grow in your faith.

This fall I have comitted to team teach a Monday night class. I wasn't sure which one I wanted to do, but when I went the first night where they present the classes offered...it kind of jumped out at me. Many of you know we are getting ready to face our first deployment in the very near future....the class that I chose is base on a book by Ronda Sturgill called "Wives of the Warriors".

Here is a summary from Ronda's website of this book...."we study a different Biblical Principle that applies to the following circumstances:
Moving frequently
Deployments
Single parenting, yet happily married
Leaving employment
Loneliness, anger, and frustration
Participation in this study encourages interaction with Scripture for the purpose of changing attitudes and actions. Through in-depth study of His Word, we learn God's plans, purposes and promises for our lives."

Well, when I saw the deployment and single parenting yet happily married, I knew this was the class for me since this will be my life for 12 months. It has been a good class thus far but I was very encouraged the other night during class.

Our topic this week was dealing with our Weaknesses. I was very well prepared, as it was my week to teach....we started, but never finished the lesson. We have some newer Christians or those even brought up going to church but did not grow up having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Questions came up about not being worthy...hurts from their past religious experiences...understanding God's restoring work in our lives....and our access to God through Jesus Christ. I walked away from that lesson so excited!! A few of us were even in the parking lot for an additional 20 minutes or so talking and encouraging each other.

You know, this is what it's all about. Leading people to Christ and discipling them! Get exciting about God and His Word. I have a question for you.... where are you in your walk with God? Do you know Him as your Lord and Savior? Are you growing daily in your relationship with Him? Do you meet with your friend, Jesus regularly? We all hit roadblocks or tough times in our lives...but God wants more than anything to have a real and personal relationship with you. He wants you to spend time with Him. If you have become too busy for God, give Him 5 minutes of your time today. Don't start BIG and get overwhelmed. Start small and be consistant! Get our your Bible today and be encouraged by His promises to you and I. As you seek Him, expect Him to move in your life and circumstances.

Fall Texas Fun

I don't know when it happened, but Breanna has chosen her new FAVORITE movie...Barbie and the Diamond Castle....though she calls it Princess Diamond Castle. We watch this movie at least once a day, if not more and everyone knows all the songs! But after the first viewing of the day...the older two would rather not watch it yet again. Yesterday after the first viewing, Marissa talked Breanna into watching something else, Everyone's Hero. I couldn't believe it...Breanna was watching something other than the Princess movie....or so I thought. When Marissa left the family room, Breanna went and found her Princess Movie and removed Everyone's Hero from the DVD and put her own favorite movie into the player. It was so funny and when Marissa came back a few minutes later she asked me why I changed the movie....I told her I didn't...Breanna did. LOL

Later in the day while I was on the computer, Marissa called from upstairs.."Mom, you gotta seet this" Well I obviously didn't get there in a timely fashion because next thing I know, all the girls were coming into the family room laughing loudly. The pictures below describe what I saw...two little marshmellows having fun, courtesy of their big sister.

After some marshmellow fun, the little ones went out in the backyard to play. Next thing I know I see Victoria trying to pull Breanna around in the sled. :) It was so cute.

Once a Month Cooking

It's that time again...to organize and put together a list of meals that my neighbor and I will be cooking. We usually cook between 20 and 25 meals per family...meaning we cook about 50 meals in two days. I have found a new cookbook and we are trying some recipes from there, so this month our preparations are taking a bit longer, since I need to add all the ingredients into my spreadsheet so that I have an accurate shopping list, trust me this is important.

In the past we have averaged about $120 per family to cook the 25 meals...not bad. We have found that it is easier to cook with a friend than to do it all by yourself. We usually shop and then that day put together the meats that have marinades or that need to be cut up ahead of time. The next day we split some of the responsibilities and my neighbor Laurel will take 4 recipes and I will take the same and we double them and cook them at our own homes (we are in a duplex and she is right next door). Right before lunch, we meet together and prepare and assemble more recipes...but together. The older kids are usually playing outside while we do this :)

You may be wondering....is the food good or are you just making cassaroles with Cream of Mushroom soup? Yes, they are good and only one recipe has Cream of Mushroom soup. Here is a sampling of some of the recipes that we have made or are planning to make this time.....
Chili Verde, Chicken Packets, Homemade Spaghetti Sauce and Meatballs, Buttermilk Herb Chicken, Ravioli Soup, Chicken PotPie, Beef Burgundy, Lasagna, Chicken Broccoli, Tex-Mex Chicken Strips, Chicken Enchiladas, Ginger Beef, Rice Pilaf, Mac 'n Cheese, Sweet Potatoe Cassarole, Pizza Roll Ups, Marinated Flank Steak and Calzones.

If you are interested in more information on Once A Month Cooking, feel free to email me and I'll give you some tips and names of the books that I use. If you feel you don't have time to Cook for a day and eat for a month...try doubling or tripling your recipes when you cook and putting the extras in the freezer. This past week I was able to bless two families with meals from my freezer...a new mom and a friend who broke her ankle. I was glad to have something on hand to be able to take to these two families.

By the way, please pray for my friend who just had the baby. Her husband is a chaplain who is deployed for 15 months. He was able to come home for the birth of thier son but had to leave less than 24 hours after mom and baby came home. This is her first baby and the emotions of a new little one and her husband not being there can be overwhelming.

What are you struggling with today? Do you need God to move in your life? the life of a friend or relative? Do you feel that God is distant? That there is not a single person who understands what you are going through? God understands, He is bigger than your circumstances!! Trust Him today for a BREAKTHROUGH! If you need prayer, shoot me an email and I will join you in seeking God and believing for Him to move in your life.

Sorry It's Been Soooo Long

I was just reminded how long it has been since my last post....almost 2 months. Not that we have not had anything going on but since I have been on Facebook, I have been posting my pictures there and have forgotten about the blog. So Sorry!!

I know that some of you check here to see what is happening with the Perez Family and to keep connected with us, even if it's just reading my ramblings and looking at pictures of the family.

I am actually flipping between my outlook calendar and this blog to remind myself of what has been going on with us. Since my last post we have had some not so exciting things happen and then some....Oh my gosh, things taking place.

The girls returned from their visit up north (to PA) and we headed back to Texas to get into a routine. I started homeschooling both Marissa (6th grade) and Katelyn (2nd grade)this year and we jumped into our studies the second week of August. We had some bumps in the road, but are doing much better now. Remind me next year...not to pick curriculum just because it's a package deal and makes my life easier....but it hasn't and with all the switches I have done...I should have just found what I liked and put the time and effort into planning the lessons myself (that's what I'm doing now).

Our BIG news is that Angel was moved to a different unit, though still here in Texas. Basically, those who have not yet deployed are needed to deploy and are being moved to a unit (in Angel's case a battalion) that will deploy. Wow, that's a lot of words... That is about all I can say on a public post for now. We have had our trial period to prepare for an upcoming deployment when Angel went to training out of state for one month. We got through but I can't imagine when the real thing happens. We will need your prayers!

We are in the process of planning a nice family vacation this fall and hopefully will have something in stone very soon. I wish I could say that we will be back in the PA/MD area, but it is too expensive to fly us all there. Maybe next Spring we'll be able to do a visit.

While Angel was away at training, Katelyn had her 8th Birthday. Thank you to those of you who sent her cards and gifts. I appreciate your generosity! We took our neighbors and a few friends and went to Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate. I have attached two pictures from this party.

Hopefully my next update won't be to far off from this one. I wish I could post something everyday...I guess if I put it into my schedule, it could get done. :)

July 2008

With the month of July came bitter-sweet memories....on July 4th I celebrated my 36th birthday and the next day Marissa and Katelyn boarded a plane by themselves to fly to Baltimore to spend just over 3 weeks with my parents. I was happy for them as they were going to have a great time visiting but I was also going to miss my little girls :) I tried to get things done around the house and planning for our homeschool year while the older two were gone...they on the other hand were camping in Ocean City MD....spending time at Bethany Beach...having sleepovers and just enjoying themselves in PA.

We geared up for our denominational Chaplaincy conference and left Texas for Springfield MO on July 23rd. We enjoyed the conference and reconnected with other chaplains and their wives. Upon leaving Springfield we decided to spend one night in Branson, since we were so close. We took Victoria and Breanna to the Dixie Stampede and they had a great time! We then headed to OK City where it was finally time to meet up again with Marissa and Katelyn. We waited at the airport for them with a big, bright sign....we were all excited to see each other again. The next day was spent sightseeing and visiting the Science Museum in Oklahoma City.

Summer Updates

I have been quite lax about keeping up this blog in the last two months, so I am going to put together a few updates back to back about what has been going on in the last two months.

My last post detailed my parents trip to Texas. Since then we have been busy. While visiting, my mom bought the girls an easy set pool for them to keep cool in during the hot Texas summer. Even though it is only 3 feet deep, they love it.

The girls finished school the first week of June and both of them did very well. Marissa made the A honor roll in her school, while Katelyn excelled in her learning at home. The three older girls attended VBS at one of the chapels on post and had a great week, making new friends, learning new songs....etc. Katelyn and Marissa's friend Katie and her family PCSd (Permenant Change of Station) to a different base and they had to say goodbye after VBS.

In June Angel had LASIK eye surgery, so now he is eyeglass free...but able to wear sunglasses. His vision is great and he loves not having to run each week for PT with eyeglasses. At the end of June, a classmates of Angel's from CHBOLC (Chaplain Officer Basic Leadership Course) came to Ft Hood to get some gear as he was preparing to deploy and we were able to spend some time together eating lunch. Owen and his wife were frequent guests of ours while we lived at Fort Jackson and it was a pleasure to see him again.

Here are some pictures from the month of June.

A little bit of home

My parents were planning a trip to Texas and the girls were excited. They had not seen their Pop Pop since the beginning of December, though Mom Mom had come for a visit at the end of January. They arrived on Saturday and we picked them up at the San Antonio International Airport. The girls and I went to find them as we carried a poster...Welcome to Texas....with us.

After greeting them and getting to the car, we headed to the MarketPlace where we met up with Mike, Ronda and Jake, our friends who used to live in PA. We enjoyed the afternoon together touring the Alamo, walking along the RiverWalk and just spending time together. Mike and Ronda graciously hosted both our families for the night.

The next day was spent at Sea World. The kids had a blast and the adults enjoyed themselves too. Since Angel had to work the next day and Marissa had school, we had to head back to Fort Hood. Pop pop had to return to PA for work and left on Tuesday. Mom Mom stayed until Saturday. We had a great time with them and miss them very much.