The Smiths

I'm home

2008-09-11T23:29:00.002-04:00

Flew back into the country on Friday (5 Sept), and Jen picked me up at the airport. We spent the night at the Omni Interlochen Resort Hotel in Denver, and then got home on Saturday. It's great to be home, although my senses are somewhat overloaded with the sudden influx of green, terrain, cool weather, etc.

Final Out

2008-04-20T22:15:00.003-04:00

Well, I'm finished out-processing for my upcoming deployment (a.k.a. "vacation"). I'm excited about going, although not necessarily ready to leave my fam. Nevertheless, I was able to attend F. E. Warren's 2nd Annual Father-Daughter Banquet last night, where we played, feasted, and danced (interesting for a Southern Baptist, huh?). Here's our picture therefrom . . .

My deployed e-mail is kasjen@gimail.af.mil (note that it is NOT gmail, but gImail!). My address is . . .

Rank/Name
379 AEW/HC
APO AE 09309.

Blessings to your and yours!

Time out!

2008-04-03T21:04:00.002-04:00

Spring Break this year was spent at Quartz Mountain Arts and Conference Resort near Altus, OK, with my Mom, my brother and nephew, my sister and brother-in-law, and, of course, my three girls. It's the first time in a very long time that I've needed a vacation from the job and not the people! It was great. We geocached, played games, swam, hiked, golfed (83 for nine holes; 165 for 18--not too bad for my first game and a half of golf!), ate, rested, played, read, etc. There is a little "amusement park" nearby. It's safety (or, at least, its string of luck) was demonstrated when a group of 100 school kids took the day off to enjoy it. Nobody died, so it was apparently safer than it looked! At any rate, we did the go-karts and the bumper cars, and had a blast with the kids. You can see the photos, if you wish, at flickr.com under "The World of SMITH." After that, we spent some time with Mom at her house, and had all-in-all a wonderful time.

Yesterday was our 14th wedding anniversary. We did not mean to, but Jen got a very large present . . .

I hit the sandbox at the end of this month for fourish months. Please keep my family in your prayers.

Blessings!

Update!

2008-03-11T01:04:00.003-04:00

So, yes, we all survived the "Great Smith Ski Trip" of 2008. There were no broken bones, jammed fingers, fractured limbs, or any other gruesome ski injuries--simply sore bodies. The two girls did a WONDERFUL job of skiing for their first full weekend, and we have, as a matter of fact, been back!! The worst part of the trip was the one hour trip to Denver which, due to traffic, turned into four hours!!! Otherwise, it was a great weekend. Thanks to all who expressed concern.

Other news? We are getting ready for my "Summer Vacation." In fact, the base is helping out by mock deploying me this week (as if I had nothing else to do). The other three are making plans for the summer, which I'm pretty sure involve grandparents and horses. Hopefully, they'll let you know how that works out this summer--otherwise, be prepared for a long blogging hiatus! I have been requested to arrive six days early, so that puts me in-country a week earlier than originally planned. Of course, there's always the possibility of leaving even earlier than that!!! I've started my shots (anthrax, smallpox, and other deadly diseases); we've started making a list (and checking it twice); the countdown begins soon. By the way, we heard the youngest moaning in her sleep last night. When da whiff asked her about it, she said she had been dreaming that sun spiders, camel spiders, and other assorted desert baddies were biting her!! She said, "It was not a very nice dream."

Otherwise, the girls are all doing well. We are attempting to change our eldest's schooling, but that's been an exercise in frustration thus far. The whiff has been feeling very good lately. The dog is doing well. Really, I think all is well on the home front. How are you and yours doing?

Where I'll be this weekend!

2008-01-24T14:00:00.001-05:00

Where I'll be this weekend!

2008-01-24T14:00:00.000-05:00

Mousetraps and Moves

2008-01-19T15:44:00.000-05:00

Before Christmas Break, our eldest was tasked with powering a car with a mousetrap! My wife and I thought about this for a little bit, wondering how on earth we were supposed to do that, when I had an epiphany!!!! My father-in-law, Mr. "I can make anything work" was coming!!!! Especially as he lives in MI, and doesn't often have a chance to "create" with his granddaughter, we thought this would be a great opportunity for him and her to do something together. Of course, he agreed, and he and K worked all during the break on her Mousetrap Car (which ran a fast 3.6 seconds, but did not win the race!!!). I now present to you pictures of K's Mousetrap Car . . . . . . . .

Just by the way, in about 3.5 months I'll be taking a vacation to Southwest Asia for four months. We knew this was coming, but we look forward it it with some trepidation. Please keep my family in your prayers.

Thanks!

Hornet's Nest--continued

2008-01-11T18:25:00.001-05:00

Well, it's been a while since my last blog, and I have enjoyed the comments. Thanks to all engaged in this conversation. Let me start by saying this:

1) Homeschooling is a GREAT idea for some. I wish we were in the position to homeschool. I am in NO WAY opposed to homeschooling. However, being in favor of something does not negate one's ability to criticize.

2) I need to elaborate on my starting point, so everyone is on the same page. I began this conversation because I had some HS kids visit our base youth group; their dad then told me that they did not enjoy it because the "speaker" (not myself) didn't know what he was talking about. This is, in a word, untrue. I don't have speakers who don't know what they are talking about. It is this kind of attitude that I have seen in other HS, in Christian school proponents, and in public school proponents--I can't learn from people who don't meet my expectations exactly.

3) My goal here is NOT to bash HS, or public schoolers, or . . . . . ., but to learn how to meet the needs of HS in my youth group(s) and to learn how to engage them in the church's conversation as well.

Now, how do I answer all of the posts? That's a great question, and I'm to which I'm unsure of the answer. I'll do it like this--I'll post the name of the commenter, and then my comments to the commenter, and we'll go from there! Sound complicated? Good!

Chickadee--In my opinion, we ALWAYS swing too far, thus the constant reminder for humility in Scripture (something all Christians are generally short of).

EEEEMommy--You're welcome to come out ANY TIME, and we'll have this conversation over cinnamon rolls and cappucinos. Just don't laugh at me in uniform! Now, for your post . . . 1) "Socialization" a la public schoolers is not all bad. 2) I would define "socially mature" as able to relate to peers. Personally, it took me forever to get to that point. It's hard enough, but not learning to engage with one's peers socially makes it harder. Does it matter? I believe so, but mainly because I know it has to happen at some point in time, and it should happen under a parent's guidance, not when they go to college! We don't want to be in danger of raising culturally-irrelevant children, do we? So how do we "socialize" in good ways, and not in the bad? 3) As for not wanting to talk about boys, etc., Kayla is the same way. She's simply not interested. We have some HS friends (another Chaplain) whose girls feel the same way. However, can't we learn to change the conversation, or even learn how to engage appropriately? As for HS "kissing dating goodbye," my question is this--do they understand why they are kissing dating goodbye, or is it because it's the "Christian" thing to do. Knowing why allows them to engage and to keep it up (which I'm in favor of). Not knowing why causes too many kids (HS or otherwise) to go too far when "released" from their parent's protection. 4) There's a danger in saying that the culture is in all ways BAD. It's the same danger as saying all Christian music is good. Both statements are untrue. High School Musical? My kids can watch it. The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman? My eldest could read it. Am I going to allow either without supervision and trying to think it through? I hope not. Am I a horrible Christian because I would allow it? There are those who would say so, but again, I'm in favor of teaching my children discernment by practicing it. Does everyone have to agree with me?! I wish!!! Are people horrible Christians if they don't? No. 5) As for HS not being used to being in a classroom environment, they need to learn to be. Almost every training I go to is classroom-based. Are you "complaining" about the classroom, or about the lack of relevance of the material? Two different things here. If you're talking about the lack of relevance of the material, then you should be talking to the Youth Minister and helping him find examples, etc., which ARE relevant. I know you know this, EEEEMommy, but engage with the Youth Minister.

Conservachick--A prideful attitude is already present in our sinful nature, and parents should be on the lookout for it. Unfortunately, it's usually more "caught" than "taught," and is certainly not relegated to HS alone. One question I have is this--are HS considered "spiritually elite?" I hope not.

Shindigs--You might know me too well! 1) I'm taking issue with the snobbery that I have seen in HS (as well as Christian schoolers, just by the way). 2) As HS parents are human just like the rest of us, then yes, I doubt any parent can raise balanced kids! We try . . . . 3) Who has the responsibility to train our kids? Why, the State, of course!!!!!

Just kidding. Naturally, parents do, as do the elders in a church, as does the church, as does the Family of God. As a former full-time Youth Minister, I both understand and take issue with the comment of "Young-Inexperience Youth Ministers." Are you saying that they have NOTHING to teach your children? I hope not. As a matter of fact, why do Christian parents have more issue with "Young-Inexperienced Youth Ministers" than they do with Senior Pastors who are blatantly sinning? God puts people in our lives from whom we can learn, and we do our children a disservice by not teaching them that principle. 4) Speaking at different levels is a part of the process. I see too many Christian parents telling their children, in words and actions, NOT to learn to speak on different levels. "Only those just like us have something to teach us" (James 2, anyone?) 5) A child may well be "socially-immature" when unable to relate to peers. As for having "fun," I'm speaking of the ability to enjoy fellowship without having to have a dissertation every time. Sometimes, we just need to enjoy being a Christian and enjoy being with our "brethren."

Anonymous--Relevance is important. Reaching out to the "sick" is important. Bearing fruit and NOT hiding our lamp is important. "Dumbing down" was nowhere implied. Higher standards are certainly called for. Pride is not. Favoritism is not. "Middle ground" does not imply compromised beliefs. It does, however, imply engaging in the conversation. Jesus may not have come to the middle, but He certainly came to Earth (much beyond the middle, wouldn't you agree?!). Jesus reached people where they are. Standing on an ivory tower and saying, "I can't learn from you; I can't talk with you; etc," is also not what Jesus did. It's great to stand aside and snub our noses at others who don't think like us, but I don't have time for that. I'd much rather teach my kids to learn to love others. PLEASE HEAR ME--homeschooling parents are not the only ones guilty of this, nor are ALL homeschooling families guilty of this, but I hear these same arguments from Christian School Educators, Homeschoolers, etc.

Taralynn819--Great comments! I wish I had written this in the first place!!! Let me point out just one comment: "The goal is finding common ground without compromising my faith in order to encourage other believers and to share Chris with the lost . . . if parents give their kids the tools, they have to entrust the outcome to the lord and not shelter them from the world." Thanks for sharing.

KYTransplants--I like stirring up trouble--it's a gift of mine!!! :) I don't actually feel "beat up," but engaged in great conversation.

Let me close with these questions--
1) How do I, as a minister, help homeschoolers (parents and students) to relate to other kids and other teachers and to the life of the Church as a whole?
2) How do we use the gifts of homeschoolers and their families in our groups?
3) Is there a way to "cross the divide" between HS and "others"?
4) How do I help HS learn to engage and relate without being dragged down?
5) How can YOU, as HS parents, help the rest of us to welcome your kids into our groups without a sigh and a worry that you will stand back and judge, not come alongside and help (which I have seen as well)?

Thanks for engaging in the conversation. If I have offended, I do apologize and ask for your forgiveness.

Peace and greetings,
Kraig

Hornets Nest

2007-12-19T23:29:00.000-05:00

I'm thinking out loud here, so don't shoot me. Having run youth groups for the last seven years, I've noticed several interesting dynamics, but the most recent involves homeschoolers. In fact, at a recent Youth Specialties Conference I attended, there were a couple of seminars on how to deal with homeschoolers in your youth group. What's the problem? Here's what I see with homeschoolers (and I welcome feedback and input).

1. They have learned so much more Bible and theology than other kids their age that they don't seem to know how to relate to those kids who are "Christian," but aren't as deep. At least, they can't relate on a spiritual level without being scornful.
2. Church groups are very educational for them. Learning is great, but education is best tempered by rubbing shoulders with others not the same.
3. Grace is often lacking towards others not on the same spiritual path.
4. They don't know how to speak spiritually to different levels.
5. Pride? Hubris?
6. Very spiritually mature, but not socially mature when it comes to other Christians.
7. Have difficulty having fun spiritually.

I don't see these in all homeschoolers (especially my friends who homeschool!), nor am I against homeschooling. Nonetheless, I see it enough that it worries me. As humans, we can never come to the middle, but always seem to swing too far to the opposite side. I wonder if the homeschooler characteristics I've described here aren't a symptom of that very thing.

I hate conferences!

2007-11-17T23:39:00.000-05:00

It never fails--I go to some faith-based conference and the following happens:
1. I go somewhat "crazy" for two days;
2. I start returning to Kraig-normal and begin to experience some spiritual crisis;
3. God deals with me in a very meaningful way;
4. I go home a very different person.

It is, quite honestly, a truly painful experience for me! This has been no exception. I am currently attending the Youth Specialties National Youth Worker Conference in Atlanta, GA. I arrived on Wednesday, and I go home on Monday. True to my normal experience, I went "crazy" Wednesday night and Thursday night; Friday was a very down day for me--I mean that intensely. I sat in worship and felt nothing. I sat in conferences and felt . . . . nothing. Honestly, I have noticed, at least twice in the last year, times when I have actually experienced spiritual depression, which is unusual for me. I came home last night asking God to reveal to me the root of my "issue" (one of many, I know). When I finally arose this morning, I felt some better, but I still have been praying today for God to show me what's going on.

For tonight's "General Session," I made sure to get a seat closer to the front. Louie Giglio spoke and Chris Tomlin played afterwards. Just by the way, if you've never heard Louie Giglio speak, stop what you are doing (like reading this blog), and look him up. He is phenomenal, not because he has great words of wisdom, but because he is always pointing to the very basics of Christ and, in this case, the cross. His whole 'talk' tonight was how we MUST go to the cross when the bottom drops out beneath us. The cross shows us God's love for us; it shows us God's empathy with us; it shows us God's victory for us; it shows God's control over life and man's freedom for us; it shows God's plan for us. As a "side benefit," I can see times when I have failed, in my AF ministry, to point people to the cross of Christ and God's plan in the world as the answer for injustice. Anyway, as Louie prays, and Chris Tomlin begins to play, God just reveals the root of my struggle. He gives me a word for the struggle and a picture of His healing in my life. Chris Tomlin ends with "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)" tonight. As he did, I could see and feel the chains drop off. It was amazing. It was freeing. It was totally God at work.

Please pray for me these two things:
1. God's healing of reconciliation in my life;
2. That I can get into the practice of pointing people to the cross, especially as they share with me their struggles, questions, and hurts.

God Bless.

It's really . . .

2007-10-24T22:39:00.000-04:00

fantastic weather today. It snowed for the second time on Sunday, but today was in the 80's. It's amazing how the air and the light is so . . . different here in the West. Perfectly clear; ethereal light; everything in the sharpest of detail; sunshine causing the yellow leaves to glow; the prairie alight--I don't think you can really understand it until you live out here. Absolutely amazing!!!!!

Happy Birthday to the Smith Girls

2007-10-20T12:08:00.001-04:00

It's birthday month once again in the Smith family household. Mom, Sierra, and I, Kayla, are now one year older. Sierra is now 8 and I am now 12.
Sierra wants to type something now. Here it is: I was sick yesterday. It was a very unpleasant experience.
Other than our birthdays and the little event yesterday there really hasn't been anything interesting going on around here. so we'll talk to you later.
Sincerely,
The Smiths

Apparently, their father says, going out to eat at a fondue restaurant in Manitou Springs, CO; having homemade bread and potato soup or sloppy joes for their birthday suppers (they got the meal of their choice); being able to take homemade sugar cookies to share at school; and receiving gifts don't rate as very interesting to the girls. Hmmmmmmmmmmm--will their father remember this?! I wonder.

I am an American Airman . . .

2007-10-04T22:22:00.000-04:00

http://www.aetc.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-070914-043.wmv

First Family Camping Trip!

2007-10-01T22:04:00.001-04:00

Despite being told that one does not do youth work in the Air Force, I am the Director of The YG at F. E. Warren AFB. We took our first youth trip this last weekend, to go camping! There is a spot not too far from here called Vedauwoo (look it up) that is truly amazing. Anyway, after I took the youth home on Saturday, we Smiths stayed and had our FFCT (see title). We did some geocaching, grilled some steaks, and the girls got to experience an outhouse in 30 degree weather at 0200!!! It was a great trip. Here are some pictures for your enjoyment . . .

A grand total of 60 years!

2007-09-17T16:54:00.000-04:00

Need a laugh? Here you go!

2007-09-06T22:45:00.000-04:00

I grew up going to a traditional Southern Baptist Church. What does that mean? We almost always sang "Just As I Am" for the invitation (which we had at every service). We always sang verses 1, 3, and 4 of every song, for which we had to stand. For every service, the order was exactly the same. I could hardly WAIT to get to a church service that was different. I finally had that opportunity, some, at my last place of employment with the Contemporary Service. Then, after leaving there, we attended a bonafide Contemporary Service that was WONDERFUL!!! Jen and I thought we were on the way OUT of traditional.

I joined the AF. I was put in charge of the . . . Traditional Service. Aaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrgggggggggghhhhhhhhh! Not only that, but my new boss wants an even more traditional format!!!! It's killer. But wait--it gets even better!

I have been put in charge of the Liturgical Service at F. E. Warren AFB. What's liturgical? Liturgical, technically, is to have a set order of worship. Indeed, that is the AF definition--we will have a set order of worship. Feel free to look it up in Wikipedia. For those of you aware of what it is, and who know me, I can't imagine a more antithetical service for me to run, can you?

Peace be with you . . . .

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-09-04T21:28:00.001-04:00

On Top of Mount Belford

2007-09-04T20:46:00.000-04:00

Well, I promised an update about a hike and pictures. It's late because we can't find the cord for downloading the pics from the camera!!! However, my brother sent some pics, so I'm using those!!! The story of this hike starts in 1994. Jen and I, having married during Easter Break, took an extended honeymoon over Summer Break to Colorado, where my sister, in the early stages of becoming an avid Fourteener, asked if we wanted to hike up Pike's Peak. Sounded fun--Jen and I both love the mountains (actually, it was Jen's first time ever in CO)--sure! Never mind that we came from 100 ft above sea level or that we had not, in any way, trained for the hike. Mel said it would be easy and fun, so we went for it. Needless to say, we did not fare so well on the 12 hour hike up 5000 feet! If you really want to know how it ended up, give us a call.

Fast forward 13 years . . . I am now acclimated to 6000+ ft above sea level and in considerably better shape than before. Consequently, when my sister and my brother (the one in San Francisco) suggested climbing another Fourteener, I said, "Yes." I did, after all, have something to prove! We actually started up Missouri Mountain, but decided on Mount Belford due to the distance being a mile shorter. My ten year old nephew and my dog both accompanied us.

Climbing in the Rockies is an exercise in humility. Being that near majesty is a faint, although awe-inspiring, echo of what it will be like to be in the majestic presence of God Himself! It was a beautiful day. The meadows were green; the mountain stream was full; the sky was crystal clear; it was amazing. It was hard (very), and I hurt for the next week, but it was a great trip. My dog and my sister both did considerably better than I did, but I did better than my brother and his son. I'm happy with myself.

All of these pictures were taken at the summit of Mount Belford. Enjoy the view. If you want to try this yourself, start training, and then let me know when you want to join the Fourteeners!!!

Update!

2007-08-26T20:28:00.000-04:00

This summer has been uber-busy! We've had visits to make, funerals to attend, and visitors to receive. The largest and longest-staying group of visitors was my sister-in-law and her family from the mighty Mitten State! Her husband could only stand us for a week, but she and her two boys stuck it out for around four weeks!!!! Brave woman . . . . . What could cousins possibly do for four weeks? Hmmmmmmmmmm, let me count the ways--
1. See the USAF Thunderbirds;

2. Buy cowboy hats;

3. Make cookies;

4. Sightsee--
a. Cheyenne Frontier Days--

b. Estes Park, CO--

5. Bowl--

6. Get in LOTS of trouble!

So, stay tuned--I plan to blog what I did this weekend, and it's a doozy!!! I'm sore, tired, and NOT cranky!!!! For more information, check out this website--http://www.14ers.org/page.php?pname=peaks/sawatch/belford/standard. Also, not that I know how to put a video on, but my input for the whole music thing is Jimmy Needham's "Lost at Sea."

Indomitable

2007-08-05T22:21:00.001-04:00

It's the end of an era. Born in the 19 teens, Bunah May Klingman Heston had designs of being a teacher. However, the Great Depression intervened. She also had designs of marrying another man, but a move and her father intervened (interestingly enough, she was written to by two men, but only received letters from the one her father deemed "the lesser of two evils"). She ended up married to a farmer in Southwest Oklahoma. This is the same man she "forced" to buy a car because riding on a horse would cause runs in her hose! A diminuitive woman, Grandma loved kids, chickens, colors, new foods, stuff galore, teddy bears, knick-knacks, gossip, games, hot pink, and helping other people. She did NOT, however, love my attempt at positive thinking while riding in the back seat as Granddad drove her to the hospital for a broken arm. "Just try not to think about it, Grandma" went over like a Yankee carpetbagger in Louisiana. That's the same summer I used a lawn mower to run over her cherry trees she was trying to grow. Grandma was blunt beyond belief, having no problem asking very personal questions of my girlfriend at the time the very first time they met. Jennifer married me anyway!

Some of my favorite memories are . . . gathering eggs with/for her from the chicken coop; eating her country-fried steak; seeing my 80+ year old grandmother walk around in a hot pink sweatsuit; the box of sermon illustrations she clipped out of newspapers, newsletters, etc, and gave me for Christmas one year; the child's toy she gave me when I was a teen because she thought we could play with it together!; the too-small backpack I took to Germany with me and have since passed down to my children (far outlasting any of the "real" backpacks I used in college); her cheating at every game we played (much like her father did in dominoes); working in the garden with her, especially the summer we gathered potato bugs and talked about making a pizza with them (you had to be there); her pride at my being a minister and her love of Jesus Christ; driving her around the countryside just last month as she enjoyed the green grass, colorful flowers, and livestock . . . .

Driving down to Colorado Springs Friday night, preparing to go to a family reunion in Texas, Mom called me and told me that Grandma was gone. It was the weirdest trip down, as I alternately cried in mourning and laughed at the prospect of Grandma in heaven, face to face with Jesus Christ. I listened to an old song--"Ain't No Grave"--by Russ Taff all the way. Sorry--I'm not proficient enough to place it on here, but it's worth listening to. Saturday night, I fixed Country-fried Steak a la Grandma, and we toasted her as we ate. I think she would have appreciated it. It's really strange to me. On the one hand, Granddad was always the one we talked about--Grandma was a little strange to us. On the other hand, what an indomitable person she proved to be, and one who just grew better with age. Thank you, Jesus, for the wonderful opportunity to have Bunah Heston in my life.

Cheyenne Frontier Days!

2007-07-22T20:18:00.000-04:00

Yep, for those in the know, it's that time of year in Cheyenne again! I won't post all of the pictures, but here's a few for you to enjoy.

First, we have the 500 head of cattle drive down the ride (we could see it from our house, but chose to get a closer view!).

Our youngest took the pics, so you must accept them for as they are! Yesterday was the first Cheyenne Frontier Days parade (with Gen. T. Michael Moseley as the Grand Marshall). There's just a few pics from that.

Lastly, I had to have new "official photos" taken, so here's my best shot. I'd really like to know your opinion of this one!!!

What a year!

2007-07-07T00:16:00.000-04:00

So, today I pinned on Captain (that means I promoted to the rank of Captain). It's been exactly one year since I went to Andrews AFB, and some young Captain swore me in as an Air Force officer. I wasn't, at first, all that impressed with putting on Captain. For Chaplains, it's kind of automatic. But then I thought--I went through 3.5 years of seminary and 6 full years of ministry and 1 year as a 1st Lt to get these, and I'll be in these for 8+ years. Maybe I should treat it as a bigger deal than I have been! Besides, just working with Mark Garrett is enough to have made me a Colonel!!! With all of that in mind, Ch Breig (our Wing Chaplain) read the orders and swore me in. Jen had made homemade cinnamon rolls (excellent, as usual), and I had brought orange juice, so we sat down afterwards and had breakfast together. Actually, it's pretty meaningful to take the Officer's Oath. Check it out at http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/apj/apj02/win02/keskel.html.

What makes this really important is thinking about where I was last year (it's been a pretty sweet year) and the year before (that was a pretty crappy year). God has certainly blessed us in this last year. I've had the chance in the last year to get a job that I enjoy very much; I spent time with my dying grandfather and ailing grandmother that has been very meaningful to me. I am closer to my sister than I ever have been, and I've seen more of Mom than I have for a long, long time. Jen's happy; the girls are happy; my promotion today simply marks a God-blessed year. May He get all of the glory!

James 1:2-4

2007-07-03T17:10:00.000-04:00

I'm preaching through the Book of James in my church, and this week, I'm preaching on James 1:2-4. Studying for it, I did some word studies, and wrote my own "translation" of the passage. I am particularly impressed by the definition of "perseverance" being "characteristic of a man who is unswerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith by even the greatest trials and sufferings," as well as the idea of perseverance becoming mature within us. Anyway, here it is--let me know what you think.

"See it as a matter of pure joy, my fellow believers, when you are utterly drowning in those experiences sent by God and designed to test your faith, holiness, or character, because--knowing the person, character, mind, and plans of God--you know that the testing of your strong convictions about Jesus as the Messiah will result in you having the characteristic of one who does not waver from his deliberate loyalty and faith--even when crushed! Allow that characteristic of unwavering loyalty and faith to Jesus to become full-grown and mature in you with the end in mind of you yourself becoming a spiritual adult--ethically free from sin and lacking no spiritual grace."

I am constantly amazed that God redeems EVERYTHING in our lives. Everything we experience (kids, marriage, bosses, friends, family, jobs, etc.) is PURPOSEFUL in the hands of God. What a cool concept that is!

Family Time

2007-06-30T15:05:00.000-04:00

This last week was a really neat week. It started on Saturday with the girls, Jen, and my sister experiencing (very mildly) a "deployment." They went through a deployment line; they toured a C-130 and a Blackhawk Medivac Helicopter. They came back to Base X, where they tried MRE's, ate lunch, put on chem gear, and more. My sister's favorite experience was driving the bomb robot! It was really well-done. If you'll go to www.warren.af.mil next week, you had ought to be able to see a pic or two. I'll try to post some next week here as well.
We left on Sunday for Oklahoma to visit my mom. It was a horrible, wicked, no good, very bad day! I was cranky; Jen was cranky; we hit a concrete abutment and flattened a tire (Thank you, Lord, for safety!); we hit at least one bird, and a doe walked up to the edge of the road. It's already a 13-hour drive, which didn't help at all! However, we did eventually make it to a very green and wet Oklahoma--most unusual for late June!!! In fact, not many people could remember this wet of an OK summer. Be praying for them--wet ground makes harvesting difficult, if not impossible! We stayed in OK until Jen and I left on Thursday. My Grandmother is 92, and suffers from dementia. She is skin and bones, and often refuses to get out of bed. We had a great time with her! She enjoyed going on rides around the country; she did puzzles with our youngest; she was cracking us up. She told me she was going to cry when I left. I did indeed almost cry, because I don't think I'll ever see her on this side of heaven again. However, I'm really grateful that I was able to spend some time with her. She has always been very proud of me for being a pastor--in fact, one year for Christmas, she gave me a box of clippings to use for sermon illustrations! She loves bright colors (finding the flowering shrubs, etc., while we were riding around was always a plus), so Jen bought her two yard ornaments--the spinny kind. I grew in appreciation of this wonderful woman this week, and the wonderful woman--Mom--who honors the Scriptural mandate of taking care of one's family. It was a bittersweet week. My Dad is buried there, Mom's gravestone is also there. My uncle is buried there, as are my great-grandparents. When Grandma dies (she thought I called her "granny" this last week and got hot!) and Mom leaves, my family will be out of a town lived in for many years. Nevertheless, what a great opportunity to be with family we had! The girls remained, giving Mom much-needed "Mimi" time and help, so Jen and I are enjoying our time alone.
Tomorrow's sermon begins a series on the Book of James. It's titled "Revolutionary Living." May your lives be filled with the revolution of the love of Jesus Christ, and may you revolutionize the world around you! Happy Independence Day (such a misnomer for Christians)!

Yikes! I'm in 7th-grade!!!

2007-06-16T14:04:00.000-04:00

Hi! This is Kayla. I'm in 7th-grade now, and I'm a little nervous. I've visited my school with the rest of my class, and I should get my schedule soon. They showed us a play (a la Cinderella) that I really liked. We got to ask questions. I don't like that we MUST dissect a frog (Dad thinks it's cool--ugh!!!).

Saturday, sister and I are going to "deploy." It's called S.P.A.C.E. Jr Deployer. We get to experience what Dad does when he deploys. It's not exactly the same, but it's pretty close. I think it's going to be cool. We've received our orders already. We get ID's (even though I have a real one) and dogtags. We get to wear Daddy's clothes, if we want to (just the shirt and hat). It's gonna be cool.

Friday, June 8th, multiple things happened. 1) We got out of school. 2) The Father-Daughter Banquet happened. It was AWESOME!!! We danced with Dad, and ate supper, and had dessert, and had our pics taken, and all sorts of stuff. I loved it!

In case any of you don't know, my Aunt's horse (Expresso) had a baby (DoubleShot). She was really stubborn about having it, though. We kept waiting and waiting and waiting, and she waited another week to have it! I can't wait to see her. Here's a picture of her:

That's all for this week. Come back next week for MORE!

Sincerely,
The Smiths

Who Knew?

2007-06-15T23:17:00.000-04:00

Sierra was tested for a gifted program within the county, and scored a 134 on the Wischler IQ Test (#4). Must be a genetic anamoly somewhere!!!

Breathe in--breath out!

2007-06-13T23:40:00.000-04:00

Wow! What a week it's been!!! I'll start from last Friday (8 June).
* Girls got out of school.
* The Base Chapel held its first ever Father-Daughter Banquet (led by me). It was an amazing time. Nothing preachy; just wanted to get Dads and daughters together to have a good time and enjoy each other's company. Andrew Ralon came out (thanks, Andrew!) and played his violin (called a "touch of class" to have him strolling around playing). It was awesome. I received this e-mail today in regard to the Banquet:

...I wanted to say how great the Father daughter dance was. All the
girls there including my own were smiling from ear to ear. It was the
first time I have really danced with my 15 year old daughter and a night
that I will forever remember and cherish. I received an honest heart
felt unprompted "I love you dad" for the first time in a long time. It
was something that I and a lot of military dads are missing out
of--quality one on one time with our daughters. Thank you so much for
that opportunity. I hope you are able to do it again next year.

I almost cried. God truly blessed that night. I cannot begin to tell you how meaningful of a night it was. If you want to see a pic of the girls and myself, shoot me an e-mail.

Saturday, 9 June
* Hiked Vedawou with the girls and Andrew (http://www.rockclimbing.com/photos/Misc/Vedawou_bouldering_58075.html)
* Received call to be at Base Command Post by 0600 Sunday morning for possible Active-duty death.

Sunday, 10 June
* Arrived 0600 to find out that A1C Eric Barnes, from our base, had been killed in Iraq.
* Preached the 0800 service.
* Commander's Call at A1C Barnes' squadron to inform squadron. Gave some pastoral care to grieving and shocked Airmen.
* Preached 1100 service.
* Took 2 hour nap (after the service, of course).

Monday, 11 June
* Worked with squadron and began memorial service plans.
* Had a funeral service in the morning. While preparing the sermonette (a.k.a., "Words of Comfort"), Sierra looked over my shoulder and said, "He enjoyed life?!!!! Life is not fair; how could he enjoy life?!!!!" I'm sorry my child is so abused).
* Jen and girls took Andrew back to the airport.
* Talked with dorm residents where Eric lived at 1700.

Tuesday, 12 June
* Visited with squadron.
* Worked on memorial service.
* Received call from Command Post re: another Active-duty death on base. Really strange circumstances there.
* Another Commander's Call for another squadron for another death.
* While Kayla went to CAP, I struggled with my "words of comfort" for A1C Barnes' memorial service on Thursday. Didn't get very far.

Wednesday, 13 June
* Worked on the script for the memorial service.
* Visited the squadron.
* Finished the "words of comfort" for the memorial service tomorrow. If you want to see what that looks like, let me know.
* Did take the family out for supper and a Tops In Blue performance (http://www.topsinblue.com/).

Thursday, 14 June
* Breakfast with squadron and A1C Barnes' family--0800.
* Invocation for another squadron's Change of Command (0930).
* Memorial Service for A1C Eric Barnes--1300.

In all of that, include counselings, sermon prep, etc. It's been a busy week! You might keep our base in mind. One person's death never affects a small group only. Couple that with two deaths in one week, and the effects can be overwhelming. Pray also that I might give God's comfort during this week.

The "Exercise" continues . . .

2007-05-27T22:09:00.000-04:00

Tuesday was spent setting up camp, doing visitation, etc. Wednesday was the really FUN day. We practiced being attacked all day long (literally--I got home at 1900). So, I spent most of the day in Chem Gear! Yay!!!! My all-time favorite uniform.

You can figure out which one I am. Anyway, the day was not ill-spent. Having never been deployed, this at least makes me think about what I will do (for instance, chaplains minister to the folks at Mortuary Affairs while they are preparing the bodies or have prepared the bodies) in certain situations. It was a thought-provoking day, actually, although those who have done this multiple times may not understand that. So, here are a few pictures of camp for you to enjoy.

Jennifer scored me BIG points. Someone challenged me with the statement that another Chaplain always brings doughnut holes, and I wasn't keeping up! Jen sent me on Thursday with around 175 homemade cinnamon rolls and a huge bag of banana bread muffins! Thanks, Jen!!! Several people told me their shop would always accept such items.

Okay, that's enough for the monkey gallery to make more nasty comments. I enjoyed (for the most part) the exercise; the real thing will be here soon enough.

A Boy and His Battle Rattle

2007-05-21T21:40:00.000-04:00

Okay, so here's the deal. 100+ of us here at F. E. Warren AFB are "playing" war games this week. Yours truly, for instance, had to be on base in place locked, cocked, and ready to rock at . . . . . . . . . ready for this? 0400 (that's 4 a.m. for you non-military types). I got home at 1800 (6 p.m.). We start again tomorrow at 0545 and are scheduled to end at 1800. What fun! What thrills! What a waste of time some of this is while the leadership gets the administrative details together. What do we do while playing? We set up camp; we train; we are attacked. I, as the Chaplain, will have a service on Wednesday afternoon (thinking of focusing on those really deployed and missing), make up a simulated schedule, visit the Airmen, counsel, and participate in various scenarios. The first day is a pain, administratively, but the other days can be quite fun. At any rate, it's worth giving you a look-see at Kraig in full battle gear, otherwise known as "battle rattle." Here goes!

Who'd of ever thunk it? Okay, off to bed at 2000 (figure that one out!) so I can rise early in the morning. Anybody want me to call them?!

Days 4 and 5 of AF Conference

2007-05-18T18:43:00.000-04:00

Thursday was another interesting day of briefings. Some were more interesting than others, I assure you. The most interesting briefer, for me, was Maj Gen Paul Selva, the man in charge of thinking ahead for future AF needs, etc. If you know me at all, you know that I am really interested in thinking ahead to the future. What will we look like? What will we need then that we need to start working on now? Here are a few things from his briefing:
1. 30% of China's population lives in the cities. What will the energy demand be in the future if more of that 70% rural population moves into the city?
2. At the current rate, the new F-35 will take 50 years to buy.
3. The AF needs to think about replacing the F-22, the world's premier fighter, in 2018.
4. The last American Soldier killed by enemy aircraft was in Korea--1953 (http://www.wpafb.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123052633).
5. Without air dominance, 1 of our servicemen dies to every 7 of theirs. With air dominance, 1 of ours dies for every 60-600 of theirs!

Very interesting stuff re: the importance of the AF and what we bring to the fight. Also interesting in that people wonder why the AF needs fighters unmatched by the rest of the world. You'll note three things--1) the rest of the world is not just twiddling their thumbs (SAMs, for instance, can lock on to aircraft that are 200 miles away--much farther than we can lock on!); 2) the buying process is so long that systems are in fact obsolete before we can procure them; 3) the R&D process and the procurement process are so long that we have to have systems far in advance of anything current so we can be current when we do get them!

I've been impressed by the deep thinking going on. It's great to know someone is thinking those thoughts!

Today, we went to the Pentagon and toured around (this was a personal tour). That was pretty neat as well. We go home tomorrow, and it's back to the grind. For now? It's time for supper! Ciao.

Day #3 of AF Conference

2007-05-16T17:36:00.000-04:00

Just a quick note before I go to our Dining-In. If you don't know what that is, check this out (http://usmilitary.about.com/od/airforce/a/afdiningin.htm). Anyway, went to the White House today (first time I've been), Arlington National Cemetery (toured around by the Honor Guard), the Air Force Memorial (more impressive than I expected), and then the Air and Space Museum, where I went into a flight simulator and had my picture taken by teens on a pictorial scavenger hunt (one of our group had her picture taken by a Chinese woman--spy? This is D C!!!). Anyway, I'm off to our Dining In. This is our cool, fancy uniform for such an affair.

Toodles! There will be more tomorrow, the last day of the conference, which is good, as I'm almost out of clothes!!!

Day #2 of AFCGOC PD Conference

2007-05-15T21:28:00.000-04:00

Well, I ain't necessarily dumb, but today was definitely the AF nerd's day! We heard from the Vice-Commander of the AF's new Cyberspace Operations command. We also heard from the Commander of the National Reconnaissance Office (Did you know that everything in space that is 10+ cm is counted?!). Both were pretty much over my head! Good stuff, however, what I understood. You could hear the pocket protectors and slide rulers coming out!!!! We also heard from 5 Chief Master Sgts. The Chiefs are always good to hear from because they shoot straight. Best quote? "If you're going to be an officer, act like an officer!" Did you know the AF has a Special Operations command? I did, but not a lot of people do! The Vice-Commander spoke like a true SpecOps member--short and to the point. One of his tips for leadership is, "Stay in shape; pick up trash." Those two statement are not necessarily connected, just by the way. Perhaps the best speaker today, surprisingly, was the four star Marine General--James Cartwright. Very intelligent, articulate, and deep. He asked these questions--"How do you change the [military] culture to match the world? How do you remain relevant?" I couldn't help but wonder how the Church needs to answer those questions. We don't change church culture to match the world, by any means, but we might have to change it to remain relevant. As long as the Gospel remains the same, the rest is window dressing, and yet so many churches continue to stay the same. Lastly, we heard from Col (sel) Al King, the first mayor of Baghdad. He was very interesting. He actually has a website--www.2xarmed.com. Haven't checked it out yet, so can't tell you what's on there. He has much to say about how the Administration screwed up Iraq, but also has much to say about how we might still fix it. A few of his points--
* The problem came about when we labeled ourselves "occupiers," no longer "guests."
* "Iraq has never won a war, and never lost a negotiation."
* Al Qaeda is to Islam what the KKK is to Christianity.
* Cultural tips:
a. Don't shake hands unless it is offered to you first.
b. The senior person sits at the head of the table.
c. At the end of the tea at the end of the meal, LEAVE!
d. Don't use the left hand for anything.
Good stuff. I bought his book. I hope it will be helpful for when I go over there (if I do).

Lastly, our two star sponsor, Maj Gen Wurster, called a 1Lt up, and he and another two-star pinned on her new Captain's bars in front of everyone at the end of the day. It was pretty neat. Not many Lt's can say that has happened to them. Neat conference, thus far. I had supper with AJ Dobson and Andrew Ralon tonight, then came back and ran for 25 minutes. Tomorrow is tour day, and my bus will go to the White House, the Air and Space Museum, and Arlington. We'll be back tomorrow night in time to get dressed for our formal Dining-In.

Peace!

Conference Day #1

2007-05-14T20:05:00.000-04:00

Interesting day today, with lots of good speakers, so I've enjoyed it thus far. Most of our speakers today were two and three-stars, and yet very down-to-earth. So, just a few key ideas, thoughts, and quotes for you to ponder:
a) Prince George's County, MD, has a higher murder rate than NYC;
b) On Jan 11, 2007, the Chinese successfully destroyed a defunct missile (thanks, Wikipedia) using an ASAT (anti-satellite)weapon, thereby causing a few people to go, "Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm";
c) At least two speakers emphasized (footstomped) the necessity of bringing the family along. One said, "If you reach the top of the [promotion] pyramid, and your family is not with you, you have failed." I have long been impressed by the AF's commitment to the family;
d) "Communication is the hardest thing we [as humans] do";
e) The amount of trade in the Pacific region of the world in 2005 was $1.1 trillion;
f) India is the world's largest democracy and the third largest Muslim country;
g) "People get kicked out for doing something stupid--it's either with the Government Travel Card or with the zipper."

I'm also always impressed with the admonitions of our top leaders to be humble, to work hard, to live core values, to care for your people, to remember that service, by definition, involves inconvenience. Not that the AF, by any means, is perfect, but I sometimes wonder if the military (and civilian corporations as well) do a better job of touting spiritual ideals and holding people accountable for those than other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . institutions do.

On another note, I played the Wii at the Kendig's house Sunday. It is really a neat system. One of the games was boxing (at which I beat the former reigning Kendig champion--Ashley), and I am surprised (and even chagrined) at how sore I am the next day--as if I'd had a major weightlifting session!

Happy Mother's Day!

2007-05-13T21:22:00.000-04:00

It's been an interesting weekend. I have an Air Force Company Grade Officers Professional Development Conference in D.C., starting tomorrow, so Jen and I flew in on Friday and drove down to SOMD for the weekend. The traffic is worse than I remember (!), and the East Coast is lusher and greener than I remembered! What a contrast to Wyoming!!! After the High Plains, Maryland feels positively "jungle-y"! We stayed with friends for the weekend, and we were very well treated. Thanks to the Dardens, who graciously opened their home up to us and anyone who wanted to visit. Bill hosted an Axis and Allies game Friday night (which I actually won!!!), as well as tons of people. Saturday morning, Bill and Barb managed to keep the boys from banging on drums like they wanted to, and Jen and I slept in a little while. Tina came over, and we talked, and then went to see the boys' soccer games. Afterwards, about 8 gazillion people came over to the Dardens, and the last one left around 10:30 p.m. We ate 5 Guys Burgers and Fries for supper (fiveguys.com), which we had both had a craving for, and just visited all night long. It was really nice. We had not realized how much we missed our circle of friends in Maryland, many of whom have children close to the same age as ours! It was really an amazing day of reconnecting with some great people (including several of "my" teens).

On Sunday, we attended Leonardtown Baptist Church and heard a really good sermon. The service itself was phenomenal (http://leonardtownbaptist.org/). It was strange, to say the least, to see so many of our good friends there instead of Lexington Park Baptist. It's quite saddening to see how LPB has gone down, especially for a church which had so much potential.

All in all, it was a really nice weekend. Great hospitality, neat people, beautiful countryside, warm church--very refreshing. Now, what did we do with the girls? Well, they went down to Aunt Mel's in Colorado Springs, where they mucked stables, rode horses, saw a new foal, played with 4-wheelers--in short, they had a very "rough" time. Mel brought them back to the house tonight, where Jen will meet them.

So, you're caught up now. Have a great week!

April's Thrills Bring May's Bills!

2007-04-29T23:14:00.001-04:00

Wow! April has been a BUSY, BUSY month. We started the month by going to San Diego (Carlsbad, actually), where we enjoyed Legoland, the Wild Animal Park, Sea World, the beach, seafood, and family! We came back for a week, and then drove across NE and into Kansas City, MO, where I attended an SBC Chaplain's Development Conference on Islam at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, while the girls (all three of them) enjoyed (grand)parents and Jen's sister and niece. We got to see old friends as well, which was really neat. Then there was the interminable drive back across KS. I had forgotten the "joys" of smelling a cattleyard at night when I hadn't had time to prepare beforehand with a visual sighting! What olfactory bliss.

We did get to see the Old Ft. Bent Trading Post in Colorado on the way back (the next day, that is). That was really neat!

Anyway, we finally made it home to warm weather and green prairie (kind of nice, I must admit). I've been told that Wyoming summers more than make up for Wyoming winters. I hope so! Today was a great day, as was yesterday, and this whole week promises to be quite nice. We are all really looking forward to that.

I have a PDF of some GREAT pics from our trips, but I'm unable to get it to load!!! If you would like to see it, let me know, and I'll e-mail it to you!!!

Coolest job ever!

2007-03-19T23:03:00.000-04:00

I love my job as a Chaplain. It's only Monday, and I've helped someone threatening suicide get the help he needs and I got to visit the wife of an Airman who just had (one month early) a 5# baby girl that they didn't even know was coming! I even got to hold the baby! She was perfect, and if you know me very well, you know I could go on and on and on--I won't. Last week, I visited an Airman in jail, and was able to see God doing some work in his life, now that he's hit rock bottom and all has been taken away from him.

Quite honestly, it's satisfying to be used of God in the lives of people. A few months ago, someone told me this--"Life is hard; stupidity makes it even harder." If it just stopped there, with "life is hard," what a waste this life would be! Thanks be to God for taking our stupidity and making it into something glorious! That's an awesome kind of job satisfaction.

Views and Sierra-isms

2007-03-16T20:06:00.000-04:00

This is the view from our house. You can see the Rockies in the background during this beautiful sunset.

Sierra, as usual, keeps us laughing. Here are just a few "Sierra-isms" for your entertainment.
1. (After neighing loudly) "I'm kind of like a horse."
2. (After commenting on her roaring like a tiger)
Me--"You're not a tiger!"
She-"I'm just talented!"
3. While putting her to bed one night, she comments, "Dad, you're getting a uni-brow!"
4. Tonight, while she is doing her homework, she asks, "How do you spell 'nerd'?"
Me--"You spell 'nerd' like 'S-i-e-r-r-a'."
She-"Dad, how do you spell 'nerd'?"
Me--"K-a-y-l-a"
Kayla--"Oh, Dad! That was mean!!!"
She-"'Nerd!' Dad, how do you spell 'nerd'?"
Jen--"Sierra, you spell 'nerd' as 'n-e-r-d'."
She-"You know, like 'Leonard'!!"
5. 5. I called Sierra the other day and asked her to do something for me. She said, "I love you," and I said, "You're cute." Sierra responds with "Ah, you never tell me I'm cute." WHAT KIND OF FATHER AM I?

Life is just a barrel of laughs with children!!! Check back often--we'll try to keep these up-to-date.

APB (especially for the Dardens!)

2007-03-04T21:46:00.000-05:00

Learned something new today. My sister-in-law turned around long enough for her 3-year old to grab the Super Glue and pour it out on his feet! Picture this little boy with great, big globs of greasy, grimey Super Glue all over his feet! Angela immediately scooped him up off of the floor (before he was stuck there to eternity and beyond!), and attempted the tried-and-true method of . . . . . . . acetone! She continued this treatment, despite Evan's cries of "It hurts, Mommy"! until she realized, with a fright, that she was running low on acetone and Evan's toes were still stuck together!!!! My wonderful mother-in-law recommended the Poison Control Center. So, here's what the "experts" recommend in such a situation:
1. DON'T use acetone. It burns (thus the aforementioned cries!).
2. DO soak in vegetable oil for 5 minutes (the super glue covered appendage, not you personally).
3. DO wash with warm, soapy water.
4. Chisel off super glue (please do NOT use a real chisel).

Bill and Barb--please mark this blog for future reference. You KNOW Owen's gonna need this advice!!!

New Smith Activities!

2007-03-02T21:08:00.000-05:00

Hi! This is Kayla and I am starting gymnastics THIS Wednesday! I'm really excited! My teacher, Mrs. Gadlin, also entered my non - fiction book, NEPAL, in a young authors contest. I think it's going to be some real competition! As everyone - I think - knows, I'm going into 7th grade next year. I want my electives to be computers/electronics, a Speech/Drama class, and, as a back-up, Chorus. I think these will be fun but a little challenging. I'm not taking any advanced classes because I want to get used to junior high first. I'm a little nervous about junior high.
Dad is making me read Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and there are some REALLY BIG WORDS in there. He's going over with me what they mean. Dad also ordered the next Harry Potter book for me, and it's supposed to be here July 21!
Sierra is taking piano lessons, so Mom and Dad are renting a new, digital piano. It's awesome! She is really excited. She is also getting yet another tooth! Sierra's teacher is supposed to be having her baby SOON! Sierra is excited that she gets to see Mrs. Hume's baby after it's born. I'm really jealous that I don't get to see her baby.
Milo has been very excited to see Dad again. Every time he sees Dad, he jumps on him! It's kind of funny, until he does it to me. :(
Kraig here--it's been a busy week for all of us. As you can tell, it's only going to get busier. Have a great week, and we look forward to hearing from you!

The Smiths

2007-02-24T11:57:00.000-05:00

The Smiths

Well, it's snowing time again. It was 58 degrees yesterday, and now we have half a foot of snow on the ground. I guess it snowed all night long. Kayla is not very excited about the snow. She claims it has snowed about 20 TIMES this winter. Hate to tell her, but it's gonna be a long four years!!!! Kayla has written a haiku in honor of the snow she so loves. It's called, "Snow."

Snow falls so gently
During the winter so white
It falls urgently.

I am finally home from my Basic Chaplain Course at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, AL. It was a great course, with lots of neat classes and even some pretty decent people as classmates. However, I'm glad to be home. We did have a couple of really neat experiences while there (besides the tornados). We were able to go to the Civil Rights Memorial at the Southern Poverty Law Center and to the Tuskegee Airfield, where we met Lt Col Herbert Carter--an original Tuskegee Airman! That was pretty cool.

Sierra and Kayla both have loose teeth. We received a note yesterday from the Tooth Fairy that said, due to financial cutbacks, our children were to QUIT LOSING TEETH! We'll see how that works for her!!!

Dad's finally hooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooome, Sierra says. Apparently, she's happy about that! Jen is just happy that Sierra is staying in her own bed at night. She doesn't seem to handle my being gone very well.

Kayla had a science fair project this month. Her question was, "Out of nine horse food brands, which one breaks down to the smallest particles?" The winner? Wilson's Horse Pellets! As a matter of fact, Kayla is also a winner. She won third place!!! We are very proud of her.

2007-02-04T20:40:00.000-05:00

Hi! This is Kayla writing. Sorry we haven't written in a while. We've been really busy. For example, I've been writing some poems. Here's a few:

"Books"
Paper goes into rough drafts,
Rough drafts go into books,
I love to read a book
By the fire.

It goes something like that. It's called a change poem. Here's one more:

"Tina the Turtle"

Tina the turtle told the TV that Tammy the tiger was coming to tea.
Though Tina told Tammy that traveling was absurd, Tammy the tiger
traveled to Thailand to make tea today, tomorrow, and Thursdays.

I'm sure you guessed what genre that one was. If you guessed tounge twister then you're right! I'll "show" you some others in other blogs. When I said we've been busy, I meant BUSY! Dad went to AL, We've moved in the past few months, and a bunch of other things that made us forget about our blog. We'll update you on what has happened this week, later this week.
Sincerely,
The Smiths

The Smiths first blizzard!

2006-12-20T15:29:00.000-05:00

The Smiths

Wow! I have never been in a blizzard before. For some reason, I like experiencing extreme weather at least once, although usually from someplace where it's safe and secure--in this case, my house!!! It's certainly been a busy week. The girls went home with Mel and Mom after their Christmas program last week (which was nice, but the school needs a better sound system). Jen and I went to the Wing Christmas Party Saturday night, which was fun. We have decided to take dancing lessons, especially if we are going to be doing this for 20 years (we hope?). On Sunday, we went down and picked up my brother from DIA, and then went Christmas shopping. It was snowing on the way down (nasty stuff), but cleared up later on. Monday morning, we learned of a suicide which had taken place Sunday night/early Monday morning. THAT put a damper on things. I dealt with that some, as well as marital counseling, that day. It was quite the busy day! Today, we were sent home early due to the blizzard coming. So, with that all written, here are some pictures. The first one is of the antelope which came wandering by my office window yesterday. The herd on base just wanders around randomly--I guess they had decided it was our turn to "host" them! They made sure to leave a nice trail of "presents" for us to clean up. Chocolate, anybody?!

The Smiths

2006-12-09T00:49:00.000-05:00

The Smiths

December 8, 2006

Wow! We've not been very good at keeping this up-to-date. Sorry about that. We'll try to do better! So, where do I start?
*My mom is here for the month. We've really enjoyed her staying with us. It's actually a good thing, because her van broke down, and we were able to find a place here in Cheyenne to work on it and get it fixed! She's unable to sit still for very long, so all of the loose ends from moving here are getting sewn up.
*The girls will be in a Christmas program next week, and Mom will be here for that. They are both excited about it. Sierra told me today that she is nervous about being on stage because she's never done it before!!! I reminded her that she was on stage in Kindergarten at least twice a year--not sure if it helped or not. Kayla has been staying late after school for practice because she actually has a speaking part!
*Jennifer has been busy decorating the house for Christmas. She actually bought the tree (a bigger deal in Cheyenne than you might think--remember, it's the prairie!!!) and put it up. We had a decoration night last week, and then she and Mom put out the finishing touches. It looks REALLY nice.
*Part of my duties as a Chaplain is to give the invocation at various events. I'm the Duty Chaplain this week, and as such was tagged to give the invocation at a graduation. I sat at the Head Table. When the MC said he was going to introduce the Head Table and other Distinguished Visitors, I just sat back and relaxed. After all, I'm only a 1st Lt, and certainly don't consider myself a Distinguished Visitor. "Col . . . . , Command Chief . . . , Col . . . ., Col . . . . ., Command Chief of the 20th AF . . . . .," on and on it went, with colonels and command chiefs popping up all over the room. Imagine my surprise when he says, "And our Chaplain for the night, Chaplain Kraig Smith!" I just kind of half stood up, prompting the 90th Space Wing Command Chief to say, "We'll have to work on that."
*What do I do as a chaplain in the Air Force? I have two official duties--provide for the spiritual care of the airmen and advise commanders on religious issues. Here's how I do that--I preach for the Traditional Service on Sunday mornings at 11:00. I teach Sunday School at 9:30. I lead the Protestant Youth Group (PYOC) on Wednesday nights, thus caring for the airmen by caring for their kids. I counsel Airmen in my squadrons (I am the chaplain for 5 squadrons). This last week, I counseled one who lost a brother to cancer and one who lost an aunt suddenly. I also provided some re-integration counseling to someone just returning from a year-long deployment. I visit my squadrons, making myself available for further counseling. I try to maintain a presence in the squadrons so that I am known, and airmen don't hesitate to come to me for marital counseling, religious counseling, personal counseling, etc.

Were an airmen to come to his commander and request permission to wear a yarmulke, for instance, I might be asked to research the requirements of the airman's religious belief and how his wearing the yarmulke affects military order and discipline. That's one example of how I might advise the commanders.

Many have asked how I like my job. I like it a lot. This is EXACTLY where God wants me to be. It stretches me at times; it challenges me at times; it's different from anything I've ever done. It's everything I asked God for--I won't be a fat Southern Baptist preacher, because I have to be "fit to fight" (even though I'm a non-combatant). There's lots of variety. It's easier to do ministry in the world than it often is when sequestered in a church somewhere. On top of that, God has placed me under an excellent supervisor, who actually cares about people--including my family.

With that being said, we do miss our friends from Maryland (whether they have remained in MD or moved elsewhere!).

Have a Merry Christmas, and may Jesus Christ reign in your life.

Kraig

Newest Member!

2006-11-21T22:58:00.000-05:00

The Smiths
What's up? Figured I would introduce our newest member of the family. When we were talking about moving from MD, we promised the girls a pet. Then, we rented a huge house here, and decided we REALLY needed a pet, especially as there are times I'll be away. So, my sister took up the job of getting us a pet, and here we have . . . . . . . . Milo!

Milo is a Blue Heeler/Lab/Other mix. He's very sweet and smart and terribly ferocious! He gets along well with the girls (all three of them), and he's already decided he owns the house. We do have to correct that 'attitude' every now and again. :)

November 11, 2006

2006-11-11T13:37:00.000-05:00

Hello! How is everyone? Everyone here in Wyoming is good. We went and had supper with Aunt Melanie and some other people last night. Aunt Mel said we looked "stunning" as she said in her e-mail to family this morning (dad showed me). Thanks Aunt Mel.We also saw Anna's jewelry show :it was called the Show Of Hands. She had some pretty jewelry but it was expensive. I understand that though. After all, she does use gold, silver, and expensive jewels and diamonds.
Not this last Thursday, but the Thursday before that I got a D on my report card so now I can't read freely for 2 weeks. Last night I started crying because I was so upset with myself. I still am. Fortunately, my 2 weeks are almost over. I just have to wait until the end of Thursday to read. Cool!
We had a 1/2 day for school yesterday. The rest of the week was a normal school week. Well, that's all for now. Talk to you later.
The Smith Family

An Update? Really?

2006-11-04T13:22:00.000-05:00

The Smiths

Gee, it's been awhile, huh? Were do I start? We did rent the Governor's house. I've been through lots of training (CBERN-E; First Aid; Deployment; other fun stuff). The girls are still enjoying school. Actually, you should call and ask Kayla about her report card!!! Jen is finally getting the house to her satisfaction, which makes her MUCH happier!!! Sierra is losing a tooth again!!!!!

We've been down to see Aunt Mel in Colorado Springs a number of times. It's really strange--it's been YEARS since I've seen Melanie more than once or twice in a year. I've seen her three times in the last month!!! It's been good. Going to her place is very relaxing. The girls love it, of course, because they get to ride horses the whole time.

We plan to go to OK for Thanksgiving, but we'll probably have Christmas here. My in-laws intend to come in as well.

It's been cold the last week, and it's snowed much more than we Marylanders are accustomed to!

Not much else to say. We'll update this again later. Oh, by the way, when you call and ask Kayla about her report card, ask her about Nepal as well.

The Smiths

2006-09-30T18:46:00.000-04:00

The Smiths

Hmmmmm, yeah--believe it or not, the world's most technologically advanced air force doesn't have internet access in its temporary living facilities. Could have something to do with 100-year old buildings, I guess, but I don't know.

Anyway, so the trip to WY was adventurous, to say the least. Pulling a 6 x 12 trailer was an interesting experience, especially with a little minivan like ours. It was so great that our engine conked out on us in the wonderful metropolis of Alma, AR. Let me tell you about Alma, AR. It's just outside of Ft. Smith, AR (about 18 miles from the OK border). There's a great cafe' there called the Red Rooster Cafe'. The food there is wonderful. Try the homemade "Rooster Bread." It's great, as are the homemade pies (80+/day!). Alma also has a wonderful little antique store. In fact, it's one of the best I've been in--lots and lots of really neat stuff, not just the junk I usually associate with such enterprises. Other than that, there ain't much in Alma. After 2.5 days, I can greatly attest to that fact! $2000 and 2.5 days later, we pulled out of Alma and headed West! Unfortunately, we were unable to visit Mom, which quite possible pulled me out of the Christmas gift list! Sorry, Mom!

Coming out of Goodland, KS, I noticed that we were a little low on gas, but not bad. Surely, I thought, we could make it to Burlington, CO, which was only about 20 miles away. Apparently, I did not realize two things--1) there are NO gas stations between the two towns; 2) my car was getting only about 9 mpg! We sweated and prayed our way at 50 mph into Burlington, where I filled up our 19 gallon gas tank with 18.5 gallons!!!!! What a great experience.

Finally, we pulled into my sister Melanie's place, where I noticed a huge chunk of tire missing on one of the trailer tires. Oh, great! Truly, God was good to us. It did not blow while we were traveling. We stayed one full day at Mel's enjoying the wonderful weather and views of Colorado. NOT! It rained and was cold the whole blessed day. However, the next day was much better for traveling, and we headed off to our final destination of F.E. Warren AFB, Cheyenne, WY.

It turns out that our drive from Melanie's (Falcon, CO) to F.E. Warren only took three hours, and that with pulling a trailer. (By the way, if you tell U-Haul you'll be returning their equipment one place, it's $200 extra to return it out of region, just in case you need to know that!). The cheer coming from the van as we pulled into the AFB was loud enough to startle the geese.

Warren AFB is a beautiful base. The majority of the building date from the 1800's when Warren was a cavalry post. It is, by far, the most beautiful AFB I've seen yet (okay, so I've only seen three--give me a break). There are LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of antelope running around. In fact, we almost met one personally while driving down the road. Only Jen's quick reflexes saved us! Go, Jenny! We will be renting a 4 bedroom, 2 bath house on the north side of town. There's plenty of room for visitors (hint, hint, hint), and we hope people will take us up on the offer. The house belongs to the governor of Wy--Dave Freudenthal. Talk about making contacts!!!

The girls are finally in school (which is another story in itself), and enjoying themselves tremendously. They were greatly nervous going in, but, as usual adapted quite quickly. I think they discovered that people in WY are a lot like people in MD. I'll post a picture of them at school later.

Feel free to call us (same cell numbers), e-mail us (we're a little slow on replying due to lack of access), or write us (General Delivery, c/o 1st Lt Kraig Smith, 6111 Randall, F. E. Warren AFB, 82005), or just reply to this blog.

The Smiths

2006-09-21T00:27:00.000-04:00

The Smiths

I am through with Commissioned Officer's Training at Maxwell AFB. I finished on Friday. Graduation week had several neat activities.

On Monday morning, we had a 9/11 memorial. One of our classmates, Frank Rella, recounted his experience as a NYC paramedic during that day, and was quite moving. Afterwards, we marched out to the Air Expeditionary Force (AEF) exercise--lots of tents. We had 8 flights. Four flights went to the Obstacle Course/Ropes Course/Climbing Wall, while the other four (mine included) were trained in setting up a tent for medical services, taking care of wounds, etc. We then switched for the next day. I also experienced MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat). It was . . . . . . . . . interesting. If you are ever given a chance to eat one, stay FAR AWAY from the Beef Patty MRE. Anyway, my flight started out on Tuesday with the climbing wall. I made it up 3/4 of the way up, and then slipped. Bummer. It was probably 3 stories high. Next, while we awaited our turn at the Rapelling Tower, we started the obstacle course. It wasn't that hard. What was hard, however, was what had to be accomplished BEFORE we could rapell down the tower! Clipped in, mind you, we had to walk a telephone pole that was only attached at two ends--50+ feet in the air. I was scared. I was called a "little girl." I'm happy with that! It's quite freaky to walk on a piece of wood that's four stories up, and there is nothing in between! Afterwards, we were allowed to rapell down, which is fun. We then completed the Obstacle Course, and headed out to the Ropes Course. I've never done one before. For those in my family who remember me freaking out over crossing the swinging bridge at Fall Creek Falls, they can be proud of me. I was crossing wires and swinging from ropes that were 3 stories up. The zip line at the end was GREAT! I tried the Tarzan Yell, but wasn't very successful. Oh well . . . . .

On Tuesday night, we had an actual exercise. I was a patient. The whole field hospital was set up (think MASH, only updated and no Hot Lips Houlihand!), and we patients were sent in to receive care. The finale' was the "Mass Casualty Exercise," where the field hospital was inundated with "patients." It was interesting, and while not the real thing, closer than I've ever been, which gave me much to think about.

On the Wednesday morning, we marched back in time to change into our uniform for classes. However, my flight was lucky, because our Flight Commander's wife went into labor (1:20 minutes of labor), and he was unable to have class with us, which gave us time off! He did, however, manage to show up and give us our coins and accomplish some paperwork. That night, Jen and I experienced our first Dining Out. For the uninitiated, a Dining Out includes non-military guests (i.e., spouses), and is a semi-formal time for building esprit de corps. I was the Vice-President, which meant that Jen and I sat in the middle of the ballroom BY OURSELVES!!! It was fun. We had prime rib, potatoes, etc., all of which was very good. We had a grog bowl ("unleaded" for us teetotalers and "leaded" for those non-teetotalers!). It was quite the interesting day.

Thursday was spent doing administrative stuff. The family took a tour of the base, and we then had lunch together and went to the awards ceremony together. I told Sierra I probably wasn't getting any awards, and she wondered what the point of being invited was if I wasn't going to get anything! That night, my flight and family ate at the Miyako Japanese Steakhouse. It was excellent, and we enjoyed our last night together.

Friday was the graduation parade. It was 30 minutes long, and consisted of recognizing the top flight and the top grad. After that, we marched in review past the general and our family/friends. The girls said I looked sharp in my blues and white gloves. I don't know. We practiced hard enough that I HOPE we looked sharp!

Jen and the girls then left to pack up the hotel room while I changed and finished putting stuff together. At last, we were able to get out of town! It was a good feeling to see Maxwell AFB and Montgomery, AL, in my rearview mirror. I have to say--of all of the places I've been and seen, Montgomery ranks as one of the seediest, if not THE seediest.

So, now we are heading to WYO. More on that this weekend.

Training Day 8

2006-08-28T00:48:00.000-04:00

Today is Training Day 8 for me at Commissioned Officer's Training (COT). It's been a long two weeks, and I'm exhausted. We're into academic mode, and it's really hard to go to bed at 11 a.m., get up at 4'ish a.m., do PT for an hour, and then sit in class for several hours (many of which are video-based!).

Last week was all about learning drill. We arrived on Monday (15 Aug 2006), and the staff just kind of threw us in, so to speak. We spent the first week being yelled at, woken up by the MTI's (Military Training Instructor's) at 4:45 a.m., marched all over campus, filling out paperwork, etc. Great fun. This week, we've started heavy-duty classwork. We are learning stuff like how to write in a military style (most of which I am familiar with, but some of it is absolutely AGAINST the laws of English grammar!), leadership, group dynamics, Air Force history, preventing discrimination, managing diversity, dealing with sexual assault and sexual harassment, AF pay, leave, and other fun stuff. Some of it is really interesting; some of it is really boring.

This week we started Physical Training (PT) hard and heavy. Monday was lots of strength training (three sets of different kinds of pushups, three sets of situps, three sets of crunches, so and so forth). I hurt . . . . . still!!! Tuesday, we ran two miles, which I finished without stopping once! Of course, I'm still hurting from that. Yesterday, because we had done a blood drive Tuesday night, we only did endurance training (OUCH!), and today we had a physical competition called a "MiniMac" with the staff. I sprinted a 1/4 mile lap during the relay race! THAT WAS HARD!!!! I slowed down some, but I did manage to do it.

It's been interesting here, for a number of reasons. Seeing the group dynamics form, watching people learn to deal with the pressure (it's called "professional pressure"), and pushing myself to achieve have all been interesting. We keep reminding ourselves that we only have three more weeks and it's all over. During this time, however, the staff is attempting to make us all over into Air Force officers. I am no longer just an American citizen--I am an officer in the United States Air Force. It's a weird feeling. I feel like I'm being totally revamped.

Anyway, that's my update from COT. If you want to write me, my e-mail here is kraig.smith@maxwell.af.mil.

Kraig

Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven.....

2006-08-28T00:37:00.000-04:00

Well, my husband has been complaining all week about leaving everyone hanging. (As if he doesn’t have enough to think about lately.) I posted a picture from our short vacation with the Darden family…you can tell we were not enjoying ourselves at all.
Kraig wasted no time getting in trouble his first day of Officer Training. Apparently he didn’t do something correctly and when being advised on the matter…he smiled. Let’s just say it wasn’t one of his brighter moments. But, after that it didn’t take him long to get into the swing of things…you can read his update for yourselves. As a matter of fact he has notified me that we will be sitting at the head table for the “Dining Out”. In case you’re wondering, this is the very formal graduation banquet. Apparently he is the VP of the event. They picked him because he is “quirky”…go figure. I just tease him that he is trying to overcompensate for all the things he didn’t do in high school.
Anyway, things here have been somewhat tumultuous at times. Mainly because my body has decided it is not as important to sleep as it is to see 3 and 4 am regularly. I guess in some ways it is good…I don’t feel like “messing” with things and so I’ve been getting rid of LOTS of STUFF.
A walk around my house has been very discouraging and overwhelming at times. It doesn’t’ seem to matter what I do…every room is a disaster. Our very AWESOME friends have graciously offered their help, but, the jobs I could pass on to others have been very limited. The majority of the time has been spent sorting through everything. For those of you who don’t know the routine, professional movers will come to the house on the 29th and 30th to pack anything they see. Then on the 31st they will load everything in the semi and leave. That is all great as I completely detest packing the kitchen. As a matter of fact they will also unpack our stuff in WY, if we choose. However it has been recommended to us by many other military families that we move certain items ourselves. Things such as expensive items, personal pictures, albums, financial records, or anything we would think of as irreplaceable. So my goal is to get everything that will go in the van and trailer with us put away in a room and shut off from the movers. I fear that if I don’t have this done, someone will be buying new undergarments.
I also have to make sure that the girls and I have everything we need to live in an empty house for one week. In case you haven’t been keeping up, it took less than a week to sell the house. We will close on the 8th of September. It ought to be interesting. Especially since I will not only be signing my name fifty million times, but Kraig’s too. Oh and lets not forget I have to put that “power of attorney” phrase by every signature as well. Let’s just say he will owe me BIG TIME! The good part about the week extra is that it will give me plenty of time to clean for the new owners. If everything goes well the girls and I will be on our way to AL to pick up Kraig after closing.
The girls have been handling the chaos very well…I think? They have been so very helpful. (They deserve parents who actually remember to give them an allowance more than a few times a year!) We decided to not put them in school here in MD since we were only going to be in the state for 2 more weeks. Instead, we are going through some workbooks with them. That way they won’t be thrown into school in WY “cold turkey”. Actually, they seem to like the home-school idea. Unfortunately, for them their mom only has so many expendable brain cells per year and thus continuing it is not really an option. I must admit I have enjoyed this doing this school thing short-term. I am too horrible with consistency to do it year-round.
Anyway, Kayla is keeping her nose in a book whenever possible. I think she is trying to separate herself from friends. She has always been that way when it comes to parting with someone she has a relationship with. When she was 2 and 3 years old she would refuse to talk to Kraig if she knew he was leaving on a trip. If she saw him pack, she would not even respond when he called her name. And, when he would come home, she would take several hours to give him the time of day. Gee, I wonder where she got so stubborn…must be her dad!!
Sierra on the other hand is all smiles. Or at least that’s what everyone sees. She doesn’t seem to be sleeping well. I think part of it is the change in seasons that has begun here. For those of you who don’t know she is prone to some respiratory issues triggered by allergies. Usually she sleeps with an air cleaner blowing her way in the fall and winter months and this seems to keep things in check. (But, her silly mother put it away for the move.) I didn’t really expect her to have issues so soon this year. However, now I have caught her crying in her sleep a couple of times now. Last night I put her in bed with me and she clung to me all night. Of course she is like sleeping with an “egg beater”, so once again I didn’t sleep really well. She doesn’t know why she is crying. My guess is that she is feeling the stress from the move. She has never handled change well and this is the only home she has ever known. It will be interesting to see how she does.
Well I better go get some things done…I have a few hours before 3am and I have a lot to get done before Tuesday morning. Jen

Ready, Set, GO!!!!

2006-08-18T00:20:00.000-04:00

Okay....I'm losing it!! Or at least I feel like I am! Let me try to fill you in on the last couple weeks before I explain the latest chaos.
Kraig and I felt we needed to take the time to just be together as a family before he left for 5 weeks of training. Se we decided that I would quit working for the Dr.’s the last week of July. This allowed us to "goof-off" and take advantage of the small savings account that we had managed to build. I must say we really did enjoy ourselves!
As usual, Kraig tried to plan out how we would spend our time and money….yea, like that worked! On Tuesday, August 1st we went on a tour of the US Naval Academy, and our tour guide was one of our favorite (not that we have any) youth. He is now in his junior year at the Academy. We had a great time! Although, Sierra did have a rough day, due to her very observant parents. Did you know that shoes that are “a little tight” shouldn’t be worn on long hot walks? And skirts are not the best option for young girls on 100 degree, humid days? The poor chaffed, blistered child barely complained! Anyway, needless to say, she got new shoes the next day.
We spent the next couple of days collecting medical charts, sorting the stuff in the garage, moving boxes, and fixing “stuff” (like a wax toilet seal – YUCK!). Then on Saturday, our awesome friends, threw us a “Going-Away” party at Bob & Val Ham’s pool. We had a blast. I pray that God will continue to bless us with great friends…although it will be a challenge to find any better!!
On Sunday (the 6th), we drove down to Myrtle Beach. (A trip we didn’t even know was an option until the prior Friday (the 4th).) Bill and Barb Darden were fortunate to land week-long vacation in a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, house, one-block from the beach for $300. And guess what…they invited us! So, we went. For those who don’t know them, they have 2 boys, Cameron age 6 and Owen age 3. The kids had so much fun…in the water, out of the water, playing in the dirt, back to the water, digging a hole, back to the water, jumping some waves (well, some of us), back to the house for lunch, back to the beach, more swimming, more digging, more sea shells, and then back to the house to see how badly we burned while wearing sunscreen. It was very relaxing and a welcome break from our current chaos.
Now let’s see, that takes us to…the 10th (Thursday). (We got home from the beach late Wednesday.) We spent the whole day making sure Kraig was packed for COT and I don’t really remember what else. Friday we went to King’s Dominion with The Kendig family and Tina Long. We got introduce Tina to real roller coasters!!! I think she is hooked! The Kendigs have 2 girls, Rebecca age 11, and Ashley age 9. Rebecca and her dad, Joe rode the big “bungie, swing, thing”. Of course it was “no biggie”, just a 150 foot drop while attached to two ropes and you have to pull your own “rip cord”! Hmmmmm, don’t think I’ll be doing that any time soon. I’m gonna just stick to roller coasters. Anyway, Ashley was our most timid rider…her favorite….the carousel. However, after much loving encouragement, she agreed to ride the go-carts. We were so VERY PROUD of her! She did great. She even finally smiled while going around the track. The Bowen family also met us at the park late in the afternoon. Sooooooo, in efforts to make the most of the day, and the great company, we all decided to go to the Crackerbarrel for a late supper. (Supper ended up after 10pm.) Kayla almost went to sleep in her mashed potatoes! Sierra was just plain wound up. Either way, they both got very cranky! It was however, a very quiet ride home, except for the snoring noises in the back seat.
Wow, I just realized how long this was. I think I’ll just leave you “hangin” for now. I am tired and I have another long, long list of things to accomplish tomorrow. If your lucky, I won’t forget to fill you in on this week!
Jen

The Smiths

2006-07-30T23:34:00.000-04:00

The Smiths

Here we are--two weeks closer to COT! Truth be told, I'm just a wee bit nervous. I always am going into new and unfamiliar territory. At the same time, however, I'm also really excited about all of this.

Southpoint kindly allowed me to have an Ordination/Commissioning Ceremony today. I hope no one thought I was just trying to have some attention. I just really thought it important that we be sent out by a local church and by our friends. I want that connection to a body of Christians, and I want my family to feel that as well. Hopefully, the girls especially will take away the idea that we are connected to a group of believers, and aren't striking out on our own here with no support. John Albers preached, and then, after Communion, he introduced me and what I was doing with the idea of being missional and GOING. After that, Joe Kendig swore me in (we both had our uniforms on--my USAF and his USN). It wasn't in any way official, but it was tons more meaningful! The girls and Jen then came up and put on my rank--upside down! It was pretty funny because most of the audience KNEW IT WAS WRONG, but they forgave me, although they laughed when I was corrected by a kid who had been in Jr. ROTC! After that, John, Joe, and Matt Hall (the pastor of Southpoint) prayed over me. It was really nice, and I appreciated being allowed to do that. Again, hopefully the girls will be able to look back on this day and sense the connection with our church and with our friends, several of whom (Tabets, Dardens, Holtzems, Delgados, etc.) were there.

The Smiths

2006-07-16T20:38:00.000-04:00

The Smiths

Kayla is coming home on Thursday, and WE ARE READY for her!!! I have this feeling that she is ready to come home as well. Lots has changed in the last 18 days. For instance, our house has a contract on it!
Yes, in just 1.5 weeks, our house has a contract on it. We pretty much got what we wanted; she pretty much got what she wanted; life is good for all involved. The settlement date is September 8th, which means I'll have to give Jen Power of Attorney, which means that she will be doing LOTS of signing on that day!!!
I just ran 1.5 miles in 15 minutes, which is much closer to my target of 1.5 miles in 12 minutes, so I'm pretty happy about that! Of course, it's supposed to be blazing hot this week, so hopefully I can hold up, because COT (Officer's Training) is only 4 weeks away!
We are planning to take the first two weeks of August and do stuff with the girls we haven't had time to do lately, like go to D.C., or King's Dominion (amusement park), or paint the ceiling in my bedroom, or start packing some stuff, or . . . . . . We're going to try to have some quality family time before I split, because I'm going to be a busy beaver in just four weeks!
Here's the new and improved updates Smith schedule:
1. I go to COT on August 13 or 14. I do not intend to return to So. MD.
2. The AF picks up our stuff either the last week of August or the 1st week of September.
3. Jen settles the house on September 8th.
4. She and the girls, at some point in time after 09/08, will make their merry way down to AL for my graduation.
5. From there, the four of us will journey to WY!
6. I'm supposed to report to F.E. Warren AFB by September 23.
We are planning to rent until such a time as our finances have settled down, and we kind of think we might know what we are doing!
I also had the chance again today to preach at Southpoint. I really enjoyed the opportunity this week and last to preach, and I appreciate their willingness to allow me to do it.
Okay--questions? Comments? Old war stories? Shoot us an e-mail!!!

Updating us!!!

2006-07-16T20:37:00.000-04:00

Kayla is coming home on Thursday, and WE ARE READY for her!!! I have this feeling that she is ready to come home as well. Lots has changed in the last 18 days. For instance, our house has a contract on it!
Yes, in just 1.5 weeks, our house has a contract on it. We pretty much got what we wanted; she pretty much got what she wanted; life is good for all involved. The settlement date is September 8th, which means I'll have to give Jen Power of Attorney, which means that she will be doing LOTS of signing on that day!!!
I just ran 1.5 miles in 15 minutes, which is much closer to my target of 1.5 miles in 12 minutes, so I'm pretty happy about that! Of course, it's supposed to be blazing hot this week, so hopefully I can hold up, because COT (Officer's Training) is only 4 weeks away!
We are planning to take the first two weeks of August and do stuff with the girls we haven't had time to do lately, like go to D.C., or King's Dominion (amusement park), or paint the ceiling in my bedroom, or start packing some stuff, or . . . . . . We're going to try to have some quality family time before I split, because I'm going to be a busy beaver in just four weeks!
Here's the new and improved updates Smith schedule:
1. I go to COT on August 13 or 14. I do not intend to return to So. MD.
2. The AF picks up our stuff either the last week of August or the 1st week of September.
3. Jen settles the house on September 8th.
4. She and the girls, at some point in time after 09/08, will make their merry way down to AL for my graduation.
5. From there, the four of us will journey to WY!
6. I'm supposed to report to F.E. Warren AFB by September 23.
We are planning to rent until such a time as our finances have settled down, and we kind of think we might know what we are doing!
I also had the chance again today to preach at Southpoint. I really enjoyed the opportunity this week and last to preach, and I appreciate their willingness to allow me to do it.
Okay--questions? Comments? Old war stories? Shoot us an e-mail!!!

Update on us!!!

2006-07-16T20:21:00.000-04:00

Kayla comes back on Thursday. We all miss her terribly, and can't wait for her to come back! She'll come back to moving preparations, and a house that will soon no longer belong to us!
That's right--our house sold in 1.5 weeks. Thank you, God! The settlement date is September 8th, which means I have to give Jen "Power of Attorney" to sign the papers on my behalf, which means she'll have TONS and TONS of writing to do on that day. We mostly got what we asked for, and the buyer mostly got what she asked for, so everybody's happy.
I managed to run 1.5 miles in 15 minutes tonight, which is close to my target of 1.5 miles in 12 minutes, so I'm pretty proud of myself. It's supposed to be blazing hot this week, so here's hoping I can keep it up!!!
Jen and I have decided to take the first two weeks of August and live it up!!! Well, okay--actually, we just want to get some things done (D.C., King's Dominion, etc.) that we've not gotten done or haven't done in a while with the girls before we split from So. MD.
Here's the updated schedule--
1. I go to COT in Alabama the 13th or 14th of August.
2. AF picks up our stuff either the last week of Aug. or the first week of September.
3. House settles on the 8th of September.
4. Girls and Jen go somewhere?
5. Girls and Jen come to AL on the 12th or 13th of September.
6. I graduate from COT on the 15th of September.
7. We drive out to WY from there, to begin our new lives.
I did get to preach again at Soutpoint today. It was a great time, and I am very grateful that they allowed me to preach.
Questions? Comments? Old war stories? Shoot us an e-mail!!!

One Step Closer (July 9, 2006)

2006-07-09T21:55:00.000-04:00

On Thursday, I made it one step closer to actual active duty. I turned in all of my final paperwork (via fax and the USPS) and was commissioned as a 1st Lt. in the Air Force Reserves. So, assuming all is going right, here's the schedule.

1. Ordination to the USAF Chaplain Corps at Southpoint Church, July 30, 11 o'clock.
2. Commissioned Officer's Training, Maxwell AFB, Alabama, begins August 14.
3. Graduate from COT on September 15.
4. Return to So. Md., take 10 days leave + travel time, and drive my family out to F.E. Warren AFB, Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Our house is on the market, and 5 or 6 people looked at it yesterday, and 2 did today. In fact, our realtor (A.J. Dobson and his partner, Jan Barnes) said received a contract has already been received, but he hasn't seen it yet. If you want to see the listing and the "virtual tour," visit http://www.c21nm.com/findahome/virtual_tours.asp and put in Garrison in California.

Kayla is still out in CO with my sister, Melanie, and having a blast, she says. Mom has been out there, and said Kayla's been working hard and comes in at night and flops on the bed with a book! Sierra is being spoiled as the only child at home. She's enjoying it, but it's hard to get anything constructive done sometimes. I have a weak spot for 6 year olds, and she knows how to exploit that!

Had the awesome opportunity to preach today at Southpoint. It was a blast. I also get to preach next week. If you want to hear, go to www.southpoint4u.com, and look under "Resources" where you will find "Download messages."

Alright, more later!

Kraig, Jen, Kayla, and Sierra

The Smiths

2006-06-29T20:28:00.000-04:00

The Smiths

1. Received a call from Chaplain Hutson at Randolph AFB tonight.
2. Asked me if I would consider (as if I had a choice) F.E. Warren AFB in Cheyenne, WY.
3. Told me that the next Commissioned Officer's Training (COT) is August (the 14th, to be exact).
4. So, there you go! I'm off into the wild blue yonder!!!

A long-needed update!

2006-06-28T16:25:00.000-04:00

I have been in Oklahoma for the last month taking care of my ailing grandfather. It's been a long month. My grandfather passed away last Tuesday (06/20), and was buried on Friday (06/23). It was a really nice service and was very respectful and joyful. Granddad was a believer, and that came across in the service.

Jen and the girls held the fort down here in Maryland, and with all of the rain we've been having here, that's been quite the task!!! I returned from drought-stricken Oklahoma to flood-stricken Maryland. It was quite the contrast. :p The girls had painted a huge sign for me and hung it outside for me to see when I returned at 2 a.m. on Monday. It was really nice of them. If I get a chance, I'll post a picture of it.

As has been the case since last November, we continue to await a call from the Air Force. It's great being an official Chaplain, but so far, it hasn't paid much!!

Not much else to say. Kayla leaves on Sunday for CO. She'll be spending two weeks out there with my sister, my mother, my brother, my nephew, and lots of horses. She and my nephew are attending a horse camp my sister is leading. Kayla, naturally, is very excited about going, although I'm a little trepidatious about sending her alone on an airplane.

I have the opportunity of preaching at Southpoint--the church we've been attending--on July 9 and 30, and I'm REALLY excited about that.

Off We Go Into The Wild Blue Yonder..........

2006-06-03T10:24:00.000-04:00

Well, it's official...Kraig has been selected for active duty as an USAF Chaplain!!!! Now we are just waiting to get our orders. We are hoping he will go to Commissioned Officer Training (COT) in July. Supposedly, we will know more details in a few weeks. We are VERY EXCITED!
Let's see, now for the rest of the "goings-on" this week. Kraig is still in Oklahoma. His mom was actually speechless when she saw him walk in the door instead of me. She said she didn't know wether to spank him or hug him. It was a cool suprise...and we are ALL impressed that Kraig didn't tell her beforehand. His grandparents are doing as well as could be expected and are enjoying teasing him about not being me (Jen).
The girls are ready for school to be out. But, they are enjoying their last few days as much as possible. Sierra fell on her bike last week and skinned her knee, which wasn't too bad. However, the next day she did it again. It was a pretty good mess. A good sized "road rash". We ended up wrapping it in an ace bandage for 3 days so she could walk and sleep without screaming and crying. I've reminded her that we no longer have insurance so she better be careful. But, I'm not sure it will hinder our little "dare-devil".
Kayla on the other hand has been elated all week long. First, some very generous family members have given her $240 for her plane ticket to Colorado, for horse camp. Now we just have to figure out where we are sending her from. Now, if that wasn't enough to make her week, something else very special happened as well. On Friday, she went to an Awards Assembly. Little did she know, I was there. As if that wasn't suprise enough, she almost cried when they awarded her the top reader in the 5th grade. She got coupons (for local businesses), a bowling trip (during school), and a plaque with her name engraved on the front. It has been an awesome week for her!
As for me, I am trying to get used to this 40 hour, work-week thing. I must say I don't get board there. I'm lucky to get time to breath and use the bathroom. The girls have adjusted to the schedule rather well, and are helping me greatly. I am certainly thankfull to have such awesome children.

We had a secret!!!!

2006-05-28T09:03:00.000-04:00

Well, have you wondered why we didn't update this last week? Here is the answer...we were very busy, we were waiting on good news from USAF, and we had a secret that we couldn't share until today.
As some of you know were were supposed to get the final signature on our papers for the USAF this last Monday. But, as we expected, the General was out of the office this last week. We think the USAF might be in need of some Exlax as they are very slow at getting things done. So, supposedly, we will get the final signature on Tuesday. We shall see.
Now for that secret...you all know (if you have been reading this blog all along) that Kraig's grandfather has been needing full time care. So far, most people have done their share, but the "care givers" were in desperate need of relief. So, it was decided that I (Jennifer) would go to Oklahoma for a month or so to help out. However, as we were preparing to buy the tickets, things changed once again. I was offered a job overnight and we decided that Kraig would go instead. Kraig just hated to quit Staples! But here is where the secret comes in...Kraig's mom thinks she is arranging to have ME picked up at the airport today.....little does she know I am still in MD! We are all amazed that he didn't tell her. He is horrible at keeping secrets, especially from Frieda. And, we din't want to post it here until today, just incase she read it. She will be sooooooo excited to have her "baby boy" for almost a month!
As for the job, I am working for a good friend of ours...Dr. Rob VanFosson (a "foot doctor"). It is pretty interesting, I get time to breathe and sometimes to use the bathroom, otherwise I am always busy.
Hmmm. What else? Well, Kayla spoke to Aunt Mel, who said Kayla's camp cost was covered. And, she is singing the praises of 2 family members who have given her money to go towards her flight. She is very, very excited.
Other than that, we are just busy trying to figure out who is where each day. It seems our day to day schedule is never consistant.

The Smiths

2006-05-14T16:26:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's Day!!!!

I recieved some pretty cool things this morning. So, I figured I'd share. First was a 2 page letter from Kayla in which she said that "no one escapes my love". It was very sweet. I will have to blow it up and frame it for when she is a teenager and needs a reminder. She also gave me a coupon for her to make supper for the family one night...she valued it at $100.00. I didn't realize she was that good a chef yet!
Anyway, Sierra wrote me a poem...

My Mom
Pretty as an angel.
Smells like roses.
Feels like a warm blanket.
Kisses me all the time.
Loves sandwiches and me.

Now wasn't that cute??? Who knew that Sierra ranks right up there with sandwiches? And just for the record, I prefer ice cream.
Oh, and before I go...someone wanted to know how much Kayla needed to go to Aunt Mel's camp. Well, Aunt Mel updated her site with the prices ($250.00 for the class). However that doesn't include transportation. All those intrested in contributing, contact Kayla.
Well, I'd better go.
Jen

May 13, 2006

2006-05-13T11:36:00.000-04:00

Hi! It's Kayla's turn to do the blog today, but she is tongue-tied, which is unusual for her, so I (Kraig) am filling in until she tells me what to write!

I spent the last Thursday through this Tuesday in Oklahoma with my Granddad. He has congestive heart failure, and was barely able to get out of bed when I arrived, but was able to go for a wheelchair ride around his farm by the time I left! I guess I just have that kind of curative effect on people. The next day, he was bad again!!! I was supposed to return home late Tuesday night, but my flight out of Oklahoma City was delayed, and I was unable to catch my connection out of Detroit. So, . . . . . . . . my wonderful in-laws came to the rescue. It went something like this--
Hank: "Hello?"
Kraig: "Hi, Hank. This is Kraig."
Click------buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Okay, not really. Hank was happy and overjoyed to pick me up from the airport, take me to his house, serve me some really good leftover roast, potatoes, and carrots, all washed down with Motown's famous Vernor's Ginger Ale! I really enjoyed my time with them, and thank them for their hospitality.

Okay, Kayla has decided to speak now, so pay attention!

This week has been a tiring week. I'm tired from homework, allergy season, and housework. At the same time, it's been a really interesting week as well.

Daddy showed me the first paragraph of Aunt Melanie's blog (see the link on the side of our blog for Armada Bay). In it was an advertisement for her horse camp this summer. I was really excited. I want to go, but Mom and Dad say I have to get sponsors. They think they're funny (Insert by Kraig-it's that, or get a job!). I still haven't called Aunt Melanie yet to get further information. Aunt Mel-PLEASE CALL ME WITH FURTHER INFORMATION!

This week is Mother's Day, and we have lots of cool surprises for Mom. Actually, maybe not that many. However, we are taking her on a picnic today, if it doesn't rain.

We are getting our house painted, and Mom decided to paint the mailbox as well to match the house. Of course, now the mail carrier has no place to put the mail because Mom hasn't replaced it yet!!! Kind of awkward. While painting the mailbox, Mom painted Sierra's nose as well!

Mom and Dad went on a date yesterday, and we were babysat by a friend--Tessa! We had lots of fun, especially because we watched Narnia!

Sierra and Daddy went to the zoo in D.C. yesterday with her class. They had a lot of fun, and Sierra was really glad that Daddy went. Her favorite animal was the porcupine with a prehensile tail.

Talk to you next week!!!

Kayla G. Smith

My, My, My....

2006-05-10T11:30:00.000-04:00

It has been very busy here while Kraig has been away in Oklahoma. (He went to visit his grandfather.) I don't feel like I have stopped since he left. Although, allergy season tends to put me in a fog. Anyway, he was supposed to come home last night, but instead spent the night at my parents house in Michigan due to a delayed flight. I felt bad for the girls because they woke themselves up earlier this morning to peek in our room to see him. Instead all they got was me, and orders to get ready for school. But, he should be home in time to get them from the bus stop.
As for the USAF, all our paperwork is in and now we are waiting for word that it has the final stamp of approval. Then, we must wait again to find out when and where.
Anyway, in the mean time we are having the house painted (to get ready to sell it). It looks sooooooo much nicer! It's a bummer we have to move now. "Pete the Painter" is a very nice man and seems to enjoy laughing at the silly things my girls do and say. He says they remind him of his grandchildren. He was quite impressed with Kayla because she would not allow him to come into the house to use the bathroom when I was out running an errand. She told him he would have to wait an hour! He kindly understood. She is such an obedient child...to bad she is gonna be a teenager soon.
Speaking of Kayla and teens...it has begun. She now seems to have the phone attached to her ear regularly.
And Sierra, well....she told me that she has a "boyfriend" and she "loves" him. Hmmmmmm, don't tell her dad - I don't think he's gonna take it too well.
Well, I will go back to impatiently waiting for the USAF and my husband to return.
Jennifer

Saturday, April 29, 2006

2006-04-29T18:40:00.000-04:00

Smith News!

* Kayla has a loose tooth! It's in front. Apparently, she is jealous of the attention Sierra has gotten by losing her teeth, so Kayla is joining in the party.

* Still haven't heard from the USAF. My recruiter has been incommunicado for the LAST TWO WEEKS. No idea what the deal is, because all he had to do was send my paperwork down to Randolph AFB (Texas). Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

* Dad went on a retreat with the highschoolers from King's Christian Academy, and had a good time with the students. He made it home safely.

* Kayla participated in a musical this week called "The American Dream." She went Tuesday evening only needing to know the words, "South Korea." She ended up talking about Tecumseh as well! Someone did not show up, and so she got to do his lines (4 lines, that is). She memorized them quickly beforehand, and did a great job!

*While cleaning up around the house, we picked up the grill cover, and found a colony of ants in it! Big, black ones were all over it!

*Sierra has been learning about worms at school, as well as sign language. She has brought that knowledge home to us, and shared it with EVERYONE! It's been quite interesting. In fact, she was able to inform Jennifer that a worm found out in the yard was a baby worm and not an adult. She knows the difference. Do you? If you want to know, you'll have to call her!

*Dad's grandfather is in a bad way in Oklahoma, and he may be going out there soon to see him.

Okay, that's all of the Smith news that is fit to print. Questions? Comments? Old war stories? Let us know!

Kraig, Jennifer, Kayla, and Sierra

April 15, 2006

2006-04-15T22:36:00.000-04:00

Happy Resurrection Day! What a glorious reminder of the basic foundation of Christianity! Okay, so it's a day early--deal with it.

Not much has gone on this week. Kayla is sick. She has a sore throat, a fever, and a nasty, croupy cough, all of which really evidenced itself last night when she threw up! Of course, she and I were not at home, so that made it all the more fun. We were at a lock-in with Dunkirk Baptist Church, helping out our good friends--Ken and Becky Case. It was a great lock-in, and a wonderful group of kids, but Kayla made sure to add a little excitement in the mix.

Sierra has another wiggly tooth, which we are all awaiting the "demise" of. This will be her fourth. It must be the season. Every kid her age, it seems, has lost three or four teeth.

Still waiting on the USAF Recruiter to tell me that he has sent my stuff to Randolph AFB. Maybe, by Saturday, we'll actually have an update on that.

Again, have a wonderful Easter!

Kraig, Jen, Kayla, and Sierra

Kraig Checks a Box!

2006-04-03T14:40:00.000-04:00

Today, I completed my military medical physical. I managed to do the all of the twisting, spreading, turning, duckwalking, paperfilling, bloodgiving, turning and coughing, and cup peeing that I was requested to do, and without incident (although there was the spilling soap on my pants and then walking out of the bathroom!). Now, I just wait for 2-4 weeks for all of the bloodwork results to return, and everything to be shipped to the Chaplain Accessions Board at Randolph AFB, TX. After that, whatever form has to be taken to whichever general for his signature, and my packet is then turned over to the Assignment Office, and I've no idea how long that will take.

Kraig

2006-04-01T14:43:00.000-05:00

Things are getting back to normal somewhat. Kraig is finally looking and feeling better, the girls are taking care of things other than their father, and I am back on Maryland time. Here are just a few things about this week:
**Kraig is scheduled for his physical on Monday (again). We are praying there are no more delays.
**Just in case anyone else was counting...Kraig and I will have been married 12 years on Sunday. My, how the time has flown by.
**Aunt Tambrea & Uncle John's anniversary is also Sunday.
**Kraig will go back to all of his jobs on Tuesday...hopefully it won't kill him.
**Sierra is still toothless.
**We will talk today with one of our former youth, (who is now a real estate agent) AJ Dobson, about selling our house this summer.
**Kayla stayed up until about 6 a.m. this morning at a sleepover, so she's not been a whole lot of help today, understandably.

Life has slowed down for a week, and it's now time for it to pick back up!

Kraig, Jennifer, Kayla, and Sierra

Mom has RETURNED!!

2006-03-27T18:35:00.000-05:00

Well, the house is still standing, and mostly the way I left it. The girls are just as sweet and giggly as ever. BUT, the husband is in sad shape indeed. It has been a long time since I have seen such a bad case of the chickenpox. The picture only gives you some idea. Kayla and Sierra are glad I am back so they can finally rest! They did an awesome job taking care of him. I couldn't be more proud. We also had some fantastic friends who stepped in where the girls couldn't. God certainly does provide.
Kraig is healing, not as quickly as he'd like, but healing none the less. Like I said, the picture gives you the general idea, but I left the truly bad stuff for your imagination. Besides, it really would gross you out! Right now, he is up and about and tends to wear out quickly. Hopefully, going back to work next week won't kill him.
Anyway, I had an awesome time at Melanie's. She has a very nice facility and it was fun helping her make it better. My muscles were very sore from the long week of working and playing. I was afraid the airport would do a "cavity search" because I walked so funny. Fortunately for me, they passed me by. I should also note, in my desire to be politically correct...I decided to try "tree hugging". This is not recommended when skiing as I quickly learned. Thankfully, I made it home with all my limbs still attached and working as properly as they were when I left. Well, I must go now, the "spotted one" will need my help again soon.

A Week of Adventure and Excitement

2006-03-25T12:31:00.000-05:00

Kraig--This has been an interesting week. Jennifer left last Friday for Colorado Springs to visit my sister, Melanie. Her week has been filled with shopping, eating out, being creative, watching movies, and skiing! Her biggest complaint has been that she is sore from skiing.

My week, on the other hand, has been filled with sickness. Sierra came home Tuesday after throwing up at school (and then in the car). I was diagnosed on Thursday with CHICKENPOX!!!! Yes, at the age of 35, I have chickenpox. It hasn't been too bad, except yesterday, when I had a fever (102 degrees) all day long. I tried to get Jennifer to come home early, but she was too busy eating bonbons. One good thing is that Kayla has let me borrow some really good books to read, and the girls have done an excellent job of taking care of me.

Sierra--I made a model, in school, of the stages of a butterfly. Stage One--It's a tiny, yellow egg (modeled by rice). Stage Two--A caterpillar hatches from the egg (modeled by a spiral noodle). Stage Three--The caterpillar turns into a chrysalis (modeded by a shell noodle). Stage Four--A butterfly hatches from a chrysalis (modeled by bowtie noodle). My stomache has been upset all week, especially after I threw up.

Kayla--I have a few things I want to say. I have been dealing with being the oldest girl in the house, taking care of somebody with chickenpox, and having to deal with a few arguments. I have had to make food and do things I've never done before. I have had a little fun--watching a movie with Dad and Sierra, serving Dad, and buying the food at Wendy's. We have all missed Mommy terribly.

Who'd have thunk that she is so valuable that we all fall apart without her?! Hmmmmmmm, it must be love. Of course, this all means that my physical has to be put off yet again. When I called the recruiter to tell him, he said that the place where I get my physical done (MEPS) had lost my paperwork, and I wasn't going up Monday anyway!!!!!! So, we'll try again in a week.

Lunch with the girls--03/20/2006

2006-03-20T13:43:00.000-05:00

Being unable to have my physical done today, the girls decided I should put my time to good use, and asked me to eat lunch with them. So, here are pics of us in the lunchroom! Enjoy.

An Experiment!--March 19, 2006

2006-03-19T13:41:00.001-05:00

What's all the Smith family news that's fit to print?

**Let's see--Sierra has lost another tooth, and is truly gappy!

**I went up for my physical at MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station) last Monday, only to be told that my recruiter had messed up, and Air Force applicants weren't being processed that day!!! Since I had awoken at 4:00 a.m., and had a lousy night's sleep on top of that, I was not a happy camper. Also, as I had taken the bus onto Ft. Meade, and left my car at the hotel, I had to wait until 9:00 a.m. to get a ride back to my car!!!! :( Aaaarrgghhh. But wait--it gets better!!!! I rescheduled for tomorrow, only to be told on Friday that the doctors who reviewed my medical prescreen want the requested medical records BEFORE I go up. Consequently, my recruiter is driving down here on Monday to pick up these three pages that I have so he can take them back up to MEPS so I can reschedule my physical. Please pray that God will straighten the path and remove obstacles so that my family and I can begin to have a life, and get out of waiting mode. Kayla says that we are very low on patience, and she's right.

**Jen is currently in Colorado Springs (actually, Falcon, CO) with Melanie. I sent her out of the state so that she can get a break. I'm wishing that I had gone instead! She left on Friday, and doesn't return until Sunday. I'm sure they'll have a great time this week.

**Kayla continues to bloom into a beautiful young lady before my very eyes.

**We put a new top on the convertible last weekend, and it looks really good. You can tell that amateurs did it, but it isn't as "ghetto" as having duct tape all over the top! The weather is finally getting warm enough to use it, which makes it all the better!!!

**Our pastor preached a very good sermon on "Community" this morning. If you are interested, check it out at www.southpoint4u.com.

Okay, can't think of much else. Hope you have a great week!

Kraig and the girls

Dad calls me "Gappy"

2006-03-04T19:39:00.000-05:00

This week I (Sierra) lost 2 teeth! Dad keeps calling me “Gappy”. I have 2 others that are loose. Mom says she will have to feed me just applesauce and runny mashed potatoes if I lose any more this week.

We decided this week that unless the Air Force gives us dates sooner that we will be moving to Mimi’s in Oklahoma for awhile. But not until after school is out. I am excited about going there, but sad about moving away from my friends.

Tomorrow is Aunt Mel’s Birthday. We called her today so we could be first, and not forget.

Tomorrow is also Super Silly Sierra’s Soup, Sub, and Salad Shoppe! It will be our restaurant for Sunday instead of going out to eat. The VanFosson’s will be coming. They just had a new baby 2 weeks ago. I am excited to see her and her brother and sisters too. One of Dad’s friends might come too.

February 25, 2006

2006-02-25T14:25:00.000-05:00

It's been an interesting week. The girls continue to be a joy, and to fill our lives with laughter. For instance, Kayla had a meeting with some catfish this week! Some friends of ours from Mississippi brought us back some fresh catfish last Christmas, and I asked Jennifer to fix it this week. When she did, she also fried up some chicken. The girls, not really being very observant, assumed it was ALL chicken. When we sat down to eat, Jennifer placed a piece of catfish on each of the girls' plates. Kayla was in LOVE! She was enraptured by the "chicken." She said, "Mom, this is so good that you could fix it EVERY DAY FOR A WEEK!" She begged for more and more and more!!! When we finally told her it was catfish, her face fell. She was crushed. She felt betrayed by our "treachery." However, she was informed in short order that we'd have none of this "It's okay, but I don't really want to eat anymore" stuff, and that she was expected to eat catfish WITHOUT COMPLAINT!!! Today, she informed us that it was no wonder she had confused the two--CATFISH TASTES LIKE CHICKEN!!!

Kayla also received the "Good Citizen of the Month" award for her grade. We are very proud of her, and she is leaving big shoes for her sister to fill. She attended the arraignments of several juveniles, and was greatly saddened by the plights in which they found themselves. She was very impressed at the kids in shackles. After her visit, she was required to write a letter to the Judge, thanking him for allowing them to visit and for meeting with her class and answering questions.

Sierra lost a tooth this week. The "Tooth Fairy" at our house is not very quick at compensating the children for lost teeth. Sierra was quite disappointed after day one, and no appearance had been made. She was even more worried on Day Two when she couldn't even find the cup! Apparently, the Tooth Fairy had borrowed everything so that she could put money in AND give Sierra a new headband. Sierra has yet another loose tooth, so the Tooth Fairy will have a chance to redeem herself soon.

Jennifer is continuing to teach two Communications classes at the local community college-College of Southern Maryland. The classes are going well. She is teaching interviewing skills this week, and always enjoys this part of class.

I am also teaching at CSM. I have a Remedial English course and a Freshman English course, both of which I enjoy. I enjoy the students. My problem is remembering what I taught each class! I am also teaching American History to 8th-graders at the local Christian school. It's amazing how quickly they can drain my energy. I'm hoping to do a field trip with them to one of the local Civil War battlefields soon. My really big problem is coming up with lesson plans for three classes every week.

Oh, yes! I have been asked to preach at a local church this Sunday. It will be nice to be back in the pulpit.

And, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . one last thing. We bought Kayla a game, Phase 10, for Christmas, and played it last night. Sierra was on Jen's team, and Kayla and I each played separately. Jennifer usually has really good luck with cards, and last night was no exception. She beat us so badly that Kayla went to bed in tears last night! It was sad. Even sadder was that Jen beat us again today! Kayla and I will be giving Jennifer a "Blanket Party" tonight!!!

February 18, 2006

2006-02-18T14:52:00.000-05:00

Hi, this is Kayla! I drew the lucky number for doing the blog this week. I have some very interesting news to tell you this week.

1. Sierra can't eat corn-on-the-cob because she has a loose front tooth! It was really funny watching her try, but Mom took pity on her, and eventually cut it off the cob.

2. It tried to snow today, but now (sniff! sniff!), it has melted. :(

3. A friend of ours had a baby this week. We're going to take them cookies today. However, because I'm sniffly and coughy, I don't get to hold the baby!!!!!! :( Sierra gets to, though. Grrrr!

4. Dad, and the other husbands, had a Valentine's Day Banquet for their wives. There was filet mignon, twice-baked potatoes, green beans (ugh), homemade rolls, and Dove chocolate and chocolate roses. We kids were stuck with pizza and sugar cookies and put in the basement.

5. When we woke up on Tuesday, we found surprises from our lovely father. Before he went to work at Staples that morning, he put out boxes of M & M's (the kind with messages on them) and cards for each of us. Mom got a box of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

6. Sierra and I both had Valentine's Day Parties at school Tuesday. We both got lots of valentines. Dad doesn't like it that some of them were from boys!!!!! I got lots of candy. Sierra asked both Mom and Dad to attend her party, but they couldn't come. They had to teach class. :(

7. Yesterday, surprisingly, I only picked up pencil one time at school!!! That's not normal for me on Fridays. Instead, I had computer lab twice, did lots of reading, and a guest speaker--Mr. Rice--shared with us about Juvenile Detention. We get to go to Kids In Court on Wednesday. I never want to go to Juvenile Detention because I think it's really bad! They tell you when you can go to the bathroom!!!!! You don't even get to bring a book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's all of my interesting news for this week. Dad is still waiting for medical reports from his teenager life before he can have his physical scheduled. Talk to you next week!

Kayla for the East Coast Smith Family

February 11, 2006

2006-02-11T12:28:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone!This is Kayla.It's my week to update the blog.I'm doing better with my homework.I still hate(sorry,I meant dislike)homework though.I am sorry to say that I got a C on my report card.Sierra got all good grades on her report card(she doesn't get letter grades).Now About the Air Force, as you can imagine, we are very short on patience. In cschool, I'm learning about the St. Mary's River Project (SMRP). This project helps us understand about our watershed area. I'm having a lot of fun, and I think I'm going to like it when we move into the Air Force.

We had a date last night with Dad. We ate at CiCi's Pizza, and then played games there. WE also sent to Jacob's Well, and then watched some of the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, but they were too long for us, and we didn't even get to see the lighting of the torch! I really wanted to! Here are some pictures from our date.

Sierra's doing better on her reading. She's enjoying reading, even though she says she doesn't.

Daddy's getting medical records from various places so that he can schedule his physical. The physical will take four hours! He has to have everything checked. Basically, I think he's in the USAF.

Call me sometime!

Kayla (for the East Coast Smith Family)

2006-02-04T11:43:00.000-05:00

Hi! This is Sierra. This weekend, I update the blog!!! I have been cleaning my house and going to school. I have been doing fun stuff like working with magnets, having recess, and reading books like After My Bath and The Three Little Pigs. Kayla is struggling to keep up with her homework.

Daddy went to the USAF recruiter. He talked with the recruiter, turned in his papers, and bummed free stuff (t-shirt, pens, stress balls) off of him! Afterwards, he and Mom bought Kayla and me each something. I got an Air Force magnet, and I'm going to put it on the car!

On Sundays, since we don't get to go out to eat as much as we used to, we have a different restaurant at our house every week! This week, our restaurant is called Betty's Spaghettis! We have invited our friends, the Kendigs and Tina Long, to join us at this restaurant.

Okay, back to Kraig. Six year olds don't have a great mind for details. Anyway, I will have to go up to Baltimore for my physical. Yeah--can't wait for the checking of my body cavities. :( After that, it will be another two weeks before the results of the physical come in, and the recruiter will then send ALL of my paperwork (security form, credit check, etc.) down to Randolf AFB in Texas. Theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn, I have to wait (surprise!) for the next Chaplain Review Board (whenever that is). And then, . . . . . . . It's hopefully going to end soon!

So, there's our weekly blog. It's now on the schedule, so hopefully, it will stay up-to-date.

Multi-job City!

2006-01-24T13:42:00.000-05:00

In seminary, I worked a variety of different jobs, and usually at the same time, as well as doing classwork! It was great fun, and I so longed for the day when I would have one job. Having had just one job for the last 5.9 years, I am now back in the situation of having several jobs! I'm working at Staples Tuesday-Thursday, and Saturday, from 6 a.m. until 11 a.m. I am teaching two classes at the local junior college (CSM) on Tuesday and Thursday (12-1:25 and 5:30-6:55). Jen is also teaching two classes at CSM on Tuesday and Thursday. On top of that, I am now working at a local Christian school--King's Christian Academy--as the a lunchroom monitor, a resource room person, and American History teacher! Three jobs, plus a family, working out, running, etc. It's gonna be busy for a while! On top of that, we're still waiting . . . . on the Air Force recruiter to call. If you need me, try my cellphone. If that doesn't work, try the local insane asylum!!!

2006-01-13T20:34:00.000-05:00

Well, we've finally heard--I have been accepted into Phase III of the Chaplain Accessions Application Process! This is AWESOME NEWS!!! We are not very gifted in "patience." So, here's what this means--we have to meet with a recruiter who will guide us through all of the paperwork, negotiations (any advice out there?), etc., necessary to sign our lives away! No idea how long this will take. It's going to require me to find one or more part-time jobs, and perhaps Jenny as well. Actually, I start work at Staples on Tuesday, unless I get something better. Jen's pretty psyched about the employee discount. At any rate, it's been a much less stressed evening at the Smith house. I'll keep you up-to-date as I know more. Sorry it's not been an very active blog, but we just haven't known much!

Merry Christmas!

2005-12-21T23:28:00.000-05:00

Hey, there, family! We are heading out to MI either tomorrow or Friday. Hank says a winter storm is coming through Motown Friday afternoon/evening, so the sooner the better. Anyway, no word from the USAF.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Kraig, Jen, Kayla, and Sierra

And a new chapter begins!

2005-10-31T09:42:00.000-05:00

Well, it's finally over! My almost six-year tenure as the Youth Pastor at Lexington Park Baptist Church ends today. We were given a farewell party last night that was very nice. We shall truly miss our friends and the fellowship at LPBC. However, the stress level of working there had truly become too high.

So, what's next? I have an interview with the Wing Chaplain of Andrews Air Force Base tomorrow afternoon. Then, I have to wait for the next Review Board, which will be 11/21. They will let me know very shortly thereafter whether I made it through, or not. After that, I'm handed off to an USAF Recruiter, and he or she will then take me through my physical, background check, etc. I don't know that the timeline is after that. Hopefully, it will happen quickly. Once I know the timeline, I'll then know what kind of job I need to get for the interim.

As for church, I plan to visit several in the area, and my list of churches to visit continues to grow. Right now, I'm up to 9. They range from traditional to seeker-sensitive to post-modern. It should be quite an eclectic trip. I will probably enjoy it more than Jen, because she doesn't like traveling all that much, just so we can go sit for a length of time. However, she'll do it because she loves me. Ain't it great?!

One of our goals is to keep the girls in school until June so they don't have to endure that transition as well. We'll see how that works out.

Here's the thought for the day: "Pray that nothing will satisfy you except serving God."

September Already??

2005-09-13T13:51:00.000-04:00

Well, let's see...the girls LOVE school. They both get off the bus and walk home giggling all the way. Sierra's favorite part is recess and Kayla's is reading. Sierra is improving on her reading skills, unless Kraig is helping her. He tends to get a little impatient. I figure she'll be stealing Kayla's books in no time at all.
Kayla seems to be getting involved in whatever they will allow her to do. She is now the Student Council President and in the Chorus. She says her task for student council is to "organize stuff". Although she is not sure what the "stuff" will be.
This past Sunday we told the parents and youth at the church that we have begun the process for to enter the US Air Force Chaplaincy. Making the news public was like jumping off a cliff. It took awhile for them to understand that it meant we will be leaving in the near future.
Kayla and Sierra are excited about the changes and yet sad to know we are going. Kayla is looking forward to having friends around the world and seeing places she has read about. One of her first questions about the decision was "what/where are the places we could end up living?" Germany seems to have topped her list of places to be sent. However, her main reason for asking was to see if we would be closer to family at times. Sierra on the other hand hasn't quite grasped the fact that we won't live here anymore.
As far as we adults are concerned, we are at peace with the direction God is sending us. Who would have ever thought Kraig and I would run off and join the military!
Jennifer

August

2005-08-27T18:10:00.000-04:00

My, my, August has flown by! Kayla and Sierra went to Oklahoma for what was supposed to be 3 weeks and ended up to be 3 and a half. Kayla decided to extend their trip by having the chicken pox. Thankfully, it wasn't a bad case. They had a great time...flying there and back by themselves. Meanwhile, we parents got to goof off, except when I (Jen) got sick for a week. It has been great to finally have them home. We have truly been blessed with great kids!
This week has been spent (and spent $$) getting school supplies and such. The girls are excited about going to public school this year. They got to meet their teachers yesterday. Kayla, now in the 5th grade, has Mrs. Sheehan. Sierra, now in the 1st grade, has Mrs Stewart. They are most looking forward to the large playground equipment and hot lunches. Priorities, you know.
It oughta be a rough week since we have yet to get on our "school schedule". They gotta be there at 8 am....ooooooohhhh cranky kids, my favorite!
All in all, this summer has been a very stressfull one. We are looking foward to the changes God has in store. I think we may all be suprised at what He has in store.
Jennifer

Yikes! I'm in 7th grade!

2005-08-25T15:02:00.000-04:00

Hi! Kayla here. I'm out of school and (gulp!) now in 7th grade. I'm going to go to a school named McCormick Junior High School.I'm.....uh..... sort of nervous.
Now -- onto more exciting things. Not today, but next Saturday -- June 23rd -- Sierra and I are going to something called S.P.A.C.E. Jr. Deployer. We get to experience what Dad does when he deploys. It isn't exactly what he does when he deploys because he is a Chaplain and this is for soldiers.
On Friday, June 8th, Sierra and I went to a banquet with Dad. Now, this wasn't just any banquet, no, this was a special banquet for just dads and their daughters. Almost every young lady had a fancy dress on. Every one was beautiful. We danced, we ate we had dessert, we listened to a guest speaker. It was a magical night. We also had a friend of ours named Andrew Ralon play the violin. It was a blast.
For anyone who didn't know, my Aunt's horse, Expresso, was supposed to have a baby, but she started being a little stubborn and waited about another week before having it. We (Sis and I) can't wait to see it! Aunt Mel named it Double Shot.
Well, that's about it. Come back next Saturday for more!

Sincerely,

The Smiths