Yep That Smart Guy is My Husband!

The past two months have been nothing short of crazy. From triathlons to a 15 state journey toward our new CA home, this summer has been full of adventure and lots of excitement. Before we could start all the fun we needed to celebrate a huge accomplishment.........

Scott FINISHED SAASS!!!!!

Not a great picture... but that is his third masters degree in his hand!!!

This masters degree was not an easy degree to obtain.

Yes we get to keep every one of them!

Pictured above is the crazy amount of books that were read by him throughout the year. This picture does not include the books needed for research for the 110 page thesis that he wrote. Along with the 110 pages of thesis writing he also wrote a 10 page paper for every class he took throughout the year. To top all of that off, at the end of the year he had to sit in front of a board of 3 professors for 2.5 hours recalling every book he read. 

The books and writing are impressive all by themselves, but Scott did something that impressed me way more than the school work.... He made it look easy to the kids and I. In fact it was not until the end of the year that I realized this was not an easy task for Scott. He looked at me when it was all over and said, "This was one of the hardest things I have ever done." I was beyond shocked at that comment. The kids and I never felt the stress that this year placed on him. That is what I am most proud of. 

Impressed

Amazed

Proud

In LOVE with most amazing dedicated man I know!!! Scott you are a rock star! Thanks for being a man our kids can look up to. Thanks for putting us first even when life is throwing Clausewitz at you. 

Tell those who do what is right 

that things will go well for them, because

they will receive a reward for what they do.

Isaiah 3:10

Gracefully I look up.....

Moving Again?????

To be a part of the military, I find you have to be.....

Adventurous

Strong

Daring

Patient

Independent

And most of all.....TOUGH SKINNED!

This life is amazing to me! I love every minute of it. I love where we have been and the adventures we have been able to have. This military life has allowed us to move to places that I am sure, without orders, I would have never even visited! Our family is coming up on move #5! 

Move #1: Minot AFB, North Dakota (my home state) to Holloman AFB, New Mexico

Move #2: Holloman AFB, New Mexico to Mountain Home AFB, Idaho

Move #3: Mountain Home AFB, Idaho to Nellis AFB, Nevada (Viva Las Vegas, Baby!!)

Move #4 Nellis AFB, Nevada to Maxwell AFB, Alabama

and now to Move #5: Sweet Home Alabama to Vandenberg AFB, California

It would take hours to list the amazing things that have occurred at each base. From babies being born, to deployments, places we got to see, amazing friendships made, the list could go on and on! With each move comes a list of questions and statements from people that are not in the military, people that quite frankly don't get this life!

Your moving again????

Yuck, I would never raise my child there?

Do your kids like moving?

How can you move them so much?

We want stability for our children, don't want them messed up....

Lots of military kids have a hard time with reality (life outside of the military), does that bother you?

Everybody has an opinion on how bad our previous location was and how much better there state will be for us!!!

The list goes on, and this my friends, is why you develop tough skin. People say the darndest things. Their statements to them are true, and what we are doing is terrible. God forbid, we answer back with what we really think. Believe me, at times I have a lot of words for many people. On a positive note, I understand their line of questions. I know that they are curious. Military life brings on a lot of questions and after 11 years of it, I still don't have all the answers. I can answer some of the above questions though, maybe give you a better understanding of our crazy life and why we love it!

We will move again, and again, and more than likely several more times. Our assignments will get shorter and more frequent. We expect to move every 1 to 2 years. 3 years at one location would be a long time. Do we like everywhere we have moved, YES! We have loved it. Our children have swam in every ocean that borders our country. They have seen amazing sights, such as the Grand Canyon of Arizona and the historical sights of South Carolina. They have been to both Disneyland and Disney World. They have flown on a Air Force Cargo plane to Hawaii and have eaten the amazing cuisines of many cultures. Each state has offered something unique. The cultures of each vary drastically. From the way they talk to the food they eat, my children have seen it all!!! To me, they are getting experiences that are incomparable to most, they are becoming well rounded amazing individuals because of this life. 

They have courage and strength that I could not have come close to having as a youth. Jessie's first day of junior high and high school both have been and will be at new schools. I remember being nervous, because I was going to the big schools, that alone gives one butterflies! This strong girl will go to the big school, being the new kid, in a new state. Our school shopping usually takes place after the first week of school in a new state because kids dress differently everywhere. We have bought too many of the "wrong things" and wasted a few dollars to know that this is the best way to shop! Jillian and Jameson will be the new kids as well. They have each other to lean on. Best friends is an understatement! If one has a fear, the other makes it go away. 

 Do they love to move.....YEP! A new excitement comes with every assignment and they can't wait to get there.  As parents we do our best to keep them excited.  We buy them new bedroom stuff with every move, and try to visit some place exciting on our way. The trip we have planned for this move is Key West, Florida! We know that moving is challenging, but I can't imagine staying in one place for too long. If we didn't move to the places we have moved to, we wouldn't have as many amazing friends that we are blessed to have. I wouldn't have had experiences like taking my dad to the Pacific for the first time. This is a crazy life and we love every move of it! 

So Yes, we are moving again. Yes, I will raise my children in places like Vegas, and California. No, I am not afraid that they will become gang bangers! Yes, they love to move and I pack up their bags and put them in the car, that is how I move them. No, I don't think they will be messed up, if they are, it is not because they are military brats, it is because they have me for a mom! Stability, will I am certain that even if you never move, every life has some instability about it, one must overcome and make it stable! Last but not least, I agree your home state is the best and you will never find me saying anything but that! Every state has been the best because God placed us there and I am with the best 5 people on earth!!!

                 

And Your New Home Will Be.......

It is that time of year. That time of year that comes every 1-4 years for many military families. The time of the year when we find where the Air Force will send us.

This process is a long drawn out process for many. We start to talk about it a year prior to our actual move date. We all know the future holds a move and sometimes we know where that location will be. Other times we don't. This move for example was narrowed down to 2 separate locations on 2 different coasts.


Would it be.....

or......













We found excitement in both locations. Studying both became an obsession for all of us. We found great gyms for Jillian, awesome sports for Jameson, and very cool High Schools for Jessie. In DC she could go to one of the top 10 high schools in the nation, In CA she could go to school where people like Zac Efron and an actor from Glee are alum. In DC Jameson could play Lacrosse, soccer, football, the sky is the limit as far as field sports go. In CA, he can learn to surf, still play football, and perfect his ripstick skills. For Jillian, the gyms in DC are amazing. National team training centers, every type of training you could imagine and the amount to choose from was insane. California has amazing gyms as well, some near the beach, coaches of all variety, and meets that will allow us to travel the whole state of California.

Pros and cons were laid out for both. Commute time, big city vs small beach towns, best schools vs good schools, great weather vs snowy weather the list could go on and on. Both had amazing sight seeing adventures and great trips in store for all of us.

Deciding on which one we loved more, was very difficult. I had a love/hate relationship with both, I wanted the Air Force to hurry up and make a decision. Let us know where we are going so we can make some solid plans. Until one day, after reading the Book of James, a verse popped out at me. A Bible verse that made it clear to me it was not up to the Air Force or me.  The verse was this......

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this city or that city, spend a year there and carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead , you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that"

The last line said it all, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that".  Love that feeling, the feeling you get when you realize once again the Lord is in control of everything. It is not up to the Air Force or me, the decision has been made. We just need to follow the path on His journey. I prayed daily about our assignment after reading this verse. A little side note confession, this is the first time I have prayed about any upcoming assignment. I know, not good, but I also know that God has placed our family in locations for a reason. So putting all trust in him was not difficult this time around. I can look back at every assignment and tell you why he placed us there. My trust in Him, when it comes to our moves is very high. So, like I said I prayed that God would place us in the perfect location and that all things would work out according to His plan. 

On Friday His location was given to us and that location is.....

Central Coast California will become our home in July.  Scott will be stationed at Vandenberg Air Force Base. Towns near the base are San Louis Obispo and Santa Barbara to give you an idea of the base's location.  We are loving being able to focus our research on one location. The excitement in the Brodeur House is very high. I am also very excited about our upcoming adventure and love that I now have another distraction from my health. How can you not smile when you have thoughts of wine tasting and beach town living going through your head! Yep, folks we will live in wine country near the beach! Start planning your vacations as we plan our move!!!! It is going to be awesome!

Gracefully, I look up to God and thank him for doing all the work for me! For picking an amazing place that will bring awesome adventures and great experiences for our family. I trust that California is the best place for us because You placed us there. I can't wait to see your plan unfold for our family!