Empty Nesters again...

Here we are in 2011...... and it's snowing and sleeting in Birmingham as I write this!! Seems like we were just worrying about Y2K a year-or-so ago! Time, as usual, is flying by quickly!
We had a wonderful Christmas. Both boys got to come home... at the same time! That is a rarity these days! We piled our stuff in the car and headed south, to Santa Rosa Beach, FL, where we rented a wonderful house for a week. My mom even came along with us. It was chilly, but otherwise nice weather, and a very relaxing time of sleeping late, walks on the beach,


eating great food,




playing games, taking silly pictures



and watching movies.

Paul arrived first from Iraq.... only took 2 1/2 days for him to travel and we were happy to see him and let him get settled and on Central Standard Time for 2 days.




Once Aaron arrived, Mama and I picked him up at the airport and off to Florida we headed. Harris, ever up to the challenge of timing things exactly, along with Paul in his car, headed to the highway to rendezvous with us going south.... no use convincing him that it was easy to rendezvous at Cracker Barrel.... that was "wasted time" in his eyes. We met up south of town and followed each other to Florida.

This being the off-season, there were few people on the beach so it was perfect for taking pictures. There is a serenity about the ocean,




the birds,



the setting sun and the endless sand.



Peace and quiet was abundant, and sweet talks and walks with our boys are special memories.

Our final blessing was getting together with good friends when we returned from the beach. Our good friends, the Harpers, whose boys were some of my boys' closest friends growing up, invited us over for dinner so the "boys" could all be together one more time.... as you can see the group has grown by two wives and one baby for the Harper boys! One more memory!

Both boys have returned to their homes and jobs, mail is read and clothes washed. We're looking forward to what the year has to hold.

We hope that your celebrations were sweet and memorable as well. May God bless each of you this year.

Life in Iraq

Paul sent home photos of his new "digs" in Iraq..... beige is obviously the popular color over there!



He has settled into working the night shift and actually likes it because of the "peace and quiet" and ability to get more done with less distractions. Mortar attacks come in about every 3 days to remind them they are in a war zone.... not exactly what a mom likes to hear, but they are somewhat protected by these giant "sandbags" everywhere.



If you have ever complained about your house being too small, look at these living quarters.... 2 guys to a connex... Home Sweet Home. This is Pauls side of the connex.... guess they didn't have inspection that day :)


November 29th was Paul's 27th birthday! One to remember, celebrating so far from home! We're looking forward to seeing him over the holidays on his "break".... usually it comes much later in their "tour", but all the later slots were taken... so we'll gladly have him home for the holidays!

Thanks for all your prayers for him and all our soldiers! "Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward All" takes on new meaning this year having a son in a war zone! May peace triumph evil! Blessings to all!

Talked to Paul

Dear Friends,

We've been lucky enough to talk to Paul twice from Iraq! Amazing what a phone and a calling card can accomplish! He's working the night shift and likes it.... only hard part is getting used to sleeping during daylight hours. I looked on his Facebook page only to find out that their post had been hit by mortar rounds right before he got to work.... not exactly what a mother likes to read. But he is trained and I trust God to watch over him as well as all our soldiers.

Just wanted to let you know the address I have in the right side-bar of this blog is the correct address for him, so I know he'd love to get cards and letters from anyone who has the time to write. He said he loves to hear news from home, or read clippings from the newspaper that you think he might find interesting. I thought that might make him homesick, but he says it makes him feel connected, so write away :)

I'm hoping Paul will post news and pictures soon. Thanks for keeping him in your prayers.

On another note, Harris, Aaron and I enjoyed a wonderful trip to San Francisco for the wedding of my niece, Jennifer, to Brian Campagna. What a beautiful bride, handsome groom and radiant couple! We all danced the night away. May God bless them and their marriage always. Here's a few shots:




Love, Cyndi

He's in Iraq

Dear Friends,

Well, October 18th they moved into Iraq. Haven't heard much yet other than he likes his roommate and has a "real" mattress to sleep on.... don't know if they've been having to put up with "less than real" mattresses for a while ?? He should get internet in his room (for a pricey price), but we look forward to being able to Skype with him soon.

Also, hopefully, he'll be able to confirm if we have the right mailing address for him...the one posted on this blog is the one they gave him, but he wanted to double check and make sure it was right.

Once again, thank you for your prayers for him...we'll keep you posted.

Cyndi

Paul called

Well, we finally heard from Paul Saturday. He was in Kuwait and enjoying a balmy 95 degrees. He sounded good, but tired. They have been training for circumstances they might encounter in Iraq. They should move over there soon and relieve the soldiers that are going home. You don't hear much about the USO over here, but they sure do a wonderful job providing for our soldiers. They have made layovers in airports much more comfortable for Paul, and in Kuwait they've provided phones and computers for the soldiers to use. Granted, you have to wait in line, but just to have that availability and personal connection means so much. Hopefully once Paul is settled in Iraq we will have much more reliable contact with him. Thank you for all your prayers for his safety and well-being. We'll keep you posted as we hear more.

Paul's been deployed

Well, as far as I know, (and I say that because plans changed about 5 times before last Sunday), Paul shipped out to Iraq on 10-10-10.....last Sunday, October 10, 2010. The Army says that he may be there anywhere from 10 - 15 months.... it's an ever-changing plan....

He called us Sunday morning at 8 a.m. and was waiting for the bus to take them to the airport in Topeka, Kansas. They'd been up since 3 a.m. They initially were to head to Kuwait, and then in several weeks are to head to Forward Operating Base (FOB) Warrior in Kirkuk, Iraq, where he'll be stationed.

In the end, he was glad that he was being deployed.... after all, this is what they train for, and he was ready to see something other than Alabama and Kansas :) However, that sandbox in Iraq may seem dusty and hot pretty quickly. Please pray for all our soldiers who are deployed all over the world.... some in less desirable locations than we enjoy! His new address in Iraq (not Kuwait) is posted to the right, and since it can take 5-10 days to get a letter to him, you could write and he'd have mail waiting on him once he arrived. But I'd hold off sending any packages until we know for sure he is there. He wasn't sure when we'd be able to communicate by email or Skype...

Paul got to come home for two weeks in late September, so I'm adding a few pictures from that visit. Thank you for your prayers, concern and love for him. We'll keep you posted as we know more, and hopefully Paul will add posts and pictures of his own to this blog.

Blessings to all.... Cyndi & Harris

NTC here I come

Just to let everyone know. I will be stuck in the Mojave desert at FT. Irwin for NTC for all of July. So you can mail me, but I will not get it until August. I am also on my way home from August 9th until the 22nd. Anyways. I didn't know who all read this, but if you can contact me at the following addresses
paul DOT wheeler1 AT conus DOT army Dot mil
technaholic AT gmail DOT com

sorry for the weird wording, but otherwise stupid little bots on the internet will spam the heck out of my email. Feel free to email. Thanks.

-paul