Finally!

Well, it's finally happening! Mike is just finishing a two week assignment in Dublin, CA. When he gets home this Thursday, we'll have a fairly calm holiday and on the 2nd of January, he'll fly out for his final army assignment. After nearly 30 years he'll be able to retire and we'll move on.
This is a mobilization which, simply put, means he's in the regular army. If they wanted to they could send him far away (which he has been eager to do for the last four years) but instead, he'll be stationed in Grand Prairie, TX., outside of Dallas. He'll do what he's been doing for many years, teaching combat lifesaving and leadership courses. The army is so short handed, they're happy to have someone of his calibur on staff.
What does this all mean for our family? I plan on joining Mike in the middle of January. We'll be away for about a year. Rachel and her family are living downstairs and Jana and her family are living upstairs and I'll go to Texas to live the life of an army wife. I've never done that and I'm excited.
Intially we'll be in a hotel for about two months (not as exciting as it sounds; it plays havoc on your body to have to eat out all the time) and then we will be given a one bedroom, fully furnished apartment for the remainder of the time.
Our stuff is basically boxed and in storage and we won't have to take much. I want to keep busy so I'll probably take some stuff that I usually don't have time for (pictures, crocheting, etc.).
Another thing I want to do is get fully involved in the community (town and church). We'll try and jump right into ward activity and lend support to the church there.
So, through the beauty of modern technology, we'll be able to keep in touch wherever we are and let you know what we are doing. Keep us posted on your lives. I'll probably be back for the birth of Scott and Lisa's baby in March.
Till then, I hope your holidays are as exciting as ours. Merry Christmas from us all. With much love, Vicki and Mike

This is a short clip of a class Mike taught in Lincoln, Nebraska. I'm always tickled by some of the positions the guys have to get into to be stuck by a student.