I finally have an address for the Army boy! I wanted to post it quickly so everyone could write him.

PVT Lubbers, Nathan
C co. 2/19th Inf BN
RN 335
9050 Kinsman Dr.
Fort Benning, GA
31905
(put a blue dot filled in under zip)

The blue dot lets them know the soldier is in 3rd platoon

Several people have told me that it is a huge morale booster to receive mail, sooooooo I encourage everyone to write if you can. He may not have time to write back, but that does not mean he is not very appreciative for any mail he receives. He called yesterday on Lyle's cell phone and only had a few minutes to talk - I was on my way home from work, so I didn't get to talk to him. That was a real bummer! I pouted about that all night. Lyle said he sounds like he is doing well, but what does the "Dad" really know? Mom's know if their babies are alright (it's that intuition thing). We also received a card from him yesterday. It was very short, but he did say he is definately learning how to work as part of a team!
I'm also posting a couple of pictures from the Mexico trip, and Acasha's 6th grade promotion.
Love to all,

A







I

Blogging again at last!!

Hola! everybody.
I'm still alive and kicking - just not blogging! Mexico was absolutely awesome! Everyone had a great time. The resort was wonderful, the weather was perfect, no drama, no stress, just fun and relaxation for all. I can't wait to go back!
This has been such a busy summer. Tyler went to basketball camp, 3 baseball camps, and just finished a great baseball season. Acasha played MAYB basketball, which was 2, three day weekends in Oklahoma City. It was grueling basketball, playing against some really good teams. Our girls haven't really played or even practiced together. It was a butt kickin' for sure! She is off to cheer camp this week - aka "DRAMA" camp! Lyle has been mowing a little, but not as much as he usually does in the summer. He's had a few guys doing most of it. I guess he's getting lazy in his old age! I was coerced in to joining the ladies golf league. I'll post more about that later for comic relief purposes! And of course Nathan is at Basic Training in Georgia. He left on June 8 for Oklahoma City, and then on June 9 for Georgia. We have only been able to talk to him a couple of times since then. He was at the reception station until June 20. That's when you know what hit fan for him. We haven't talked to him since then. We don't have his address yet. They don't give them an address when they are at the reception station since they are only there a limited amount of time. That way they don't have to try to track the guys down once they get in their platoon. I think I should have his address in a couple of days. I will post it as soon as I get it. He would love to get mail. Lyle said that is the biggest morale booster they can have is to receive mail. Well, that's about all for now. Hope everyone is doing well and having a great summer.
Love to all,
A

Shout Out!

Sorry it's been so long since my last post, but we have been sooooo busy! All three of the kids are playing soccer, so we have games nearly every day of the week - even Sundays. Last week I went before the Nusing Home Administrators board to plead for my license, because like a dummy I forgot to renew before the end of the year. they were very gracious and allowed me to renew and return to inactive status. The same day I stopped by a facility in Okla. City to see a friend of mine and her Regional Director was there. She offered me an administrator position at 2 different facilities. I probably won't take either of them, but it was very flattering, and nice to know I still have options! The jury is still out on Lily. We are not sure if she is with puppies or not. Some days she looks to be, and others she doesn't. Will keep you posted.
Several other exciting things have happened since last post. First, a couple of weeks ago Tyler had a friend spend the night and they made a fire in our outdoor chiminea. Lyle gave the boys a safety briefing and then went to bed. Note: the chiminea sits right outside our bedroom window about 15 feet away from our bed where Lyle was sleeping peacefully. I had been to Clinton to buy groceries and was about to arrive home, and was expecting to be met at the door by Tyler and Acasha to help me with the groceries. Apparently the fire was not progressing quickly enough for Tyler, so he decided to give it a little gas - literally! He put a small amount of gasoline in a water bottle and put a little on the fire to get it going. He then put the lid tightly on the bottle and tossed it in the fire and sat back with his buddy and Acasha. Can you guess what happened next? BOOM! They don't call it combustable for nothin'. Fire shot out of the chiminea and into Tyler's face. He then turned and ran to jump in the pool, but it was dark outside (except for the flames on my son's face) so he missed and took a dive into the concrete, then sort of rolled into the pool. In the meantime, I'm coming through the kitchen with like 14 bags of groceries wondering where my little helpers are. Tyler then appeared in the kitchen soaking wet wrapped in a towel and white as a ghost, except for his face, which was bright red! When he was finally able to convey what had happened, I just looked at him in astonishment wondering how it is possible that my children could have been born completely devoid the 'common sense' gene. Seriously though, he is a very lucky boy. His eyebrows were completely burned off, his eyelashes merely stubs, his hair singed only slightly and his whole face including his eyelids blistered. When I think about how much worse it could have been I just cringe! I think he learned a valuable lesson. And he wonders why we don't want him going hunting alone with his buddies!
Acasha took part in the Oklahoma Memorial Marathon last weekend in Oklahoma City. She has participated in the Kid's Marathon for the last 3 or 4 years with her school. This year there were over 60 people from Cordell that participated! That's a record! The kid's log 25 miles in the weeks before the marathon, and then they complete 1.2 miles on race day for a total of 26.2 miles. This was a treat for Lyle and I because we have never been able to attend with her. It was great fun. Lyle and I planned on running the 1.2 miles with Acasha and her friend, but they left us in the dust after about the first 5o feet. That was ok, we just met them at the finish line! We all had a really great time.
And last but not least, Nathan had his first National Guard weekend drill this weekend! He slept out in a tent somewhere on Tinker Air Force Base. It was pretty cold and rained part of the weekend. He ate MRE's and other tasty army food! I don't have all the details on exactly how super fun it was yet, because he was totally exhausted when he got home yesterday. He took a shower and crashed! I'm quite sure once he gets all rested up he'll want to sit down with his dear Mom and have a heart to heart and tell me all about it!
Now we start the countdown to Cozumel and the big family fun trip! We are so excited. Pray for good health, good weather, good travels and good times for us!

Love to all,
A

FAB on the ASVAB!!!

Well, yesterday Nathan retooke the ASVAB which is the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test for military entrance. Nathan is planning on going into the Oklahoma Army National Guard. A score of 31 is required to get in the Army, but he needed a 50 to get the "College First" program, which pays for college and gurantees he will not be deployed for 2 years. The first time he took it, he made a 47 and therefore did not sign his contract. He retooke the test yesterday and made a 68! Woo hoo! He is very excited. His first try was a computerized test and he was very nervous. This time he took it on paper, and he studied a bit. What a difference! He will probably sign his contract sometime next week. That means that he will go to basic training this summer. His plan is to become a medic in the Guard, and is hopeful that he can use that training in the "real world" somehow. I am so proud of him, but I will admit it is still very scary considering all that is going on with our military these days. He will leave home this summer a boy and return home a man. That makes me a little sad, ok a lot sad, but we are very supportive of his decision, and know he will succeed in this endeavor. Congratulations Nate - my sweet boy - I Love You

A

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The Passports are In!!!

Well, I'm happy to report that we have received all the passports for our family - and much sooner than expected. Our family will be traveling to Cozumel, Mexico in May! This will be the first time for the kids to fly, and they are so excited. This will be a family fun adventure, to say the least. There are 13 of us going. My family, my aunt and uncle from Oklahoma, my cousin and her partner from Houston and my cousin and his family from San Diego. Whew!!!!! The planning has been tricky, frustrating, nerveracking, overwhelming and CRAZY - for which my cousin Kristin recieves all the credit! She will need a vacation to recover from the dozens of hours she has logged on the internet frantically searching for deals for the whole crew. We are all super excited!!! I think some of us are now in swimsuit mode - CRAP!!!!
Well, that's it for now.
Love to all,
A

Well this last week has been crazy! It was Spring Break for the kids. I had to work, (of course) and Lyle and Acasha went on a mission trip to Greensburg, Kansas to aide tornado victims with new home construction. They had a great trip! Lyle got booted (self inflicted) from his room assignment due to snooooooooring too loud! Boy do I know how those guys feel. Nathan and Tyler sort of took it easy, I guess. They both worked a little, but mostly worked on kickin' back! This was Easter weekend, which is always hard for Lyle and his family because he lost his oldest sister Donna on Easter Day - 28 years ago. It wasn't the same day though, Easter was really early this year. I am still trying to figure out how they determine when it falls each year? Anyway, I have had a terrible sinus infection for the last few days! I'm serious. If I had a dollar for every time I have blown my nose in the last few days, I would probably be an $859,000aire. Well, that's it for now - I'm still new at this!

This is the first of what I hope will be many happy blogs! It will probably take me forever to figure it all out since I am technologically challenged, but we'll give it a shot and see how it goes. Have patience with me.