(obviously not...ugh)
Well, today is packing day. All of my stuff (except what's needed for tonight and tomorrow morning) is actually in my suitcases, so I know it fits. Now I just have to go through and reorganize it so it sits nicely despite shifting during flights, and making sure the weight is somewhat even. I really, really loathe packing. It takes a long time, and a lot of thought, and it makes you realize how far you are from your destination. Knowing that I'm moving on Saturday and therefore have to unpack, repack, and unpack again really makes this unpleasant. But I'm going home!!
Despite having said it at least a hundred times by now, I have to say - I cannot believe summer is over already. School starts next week. Work starts right after that. I'm moving in 3 days. (Praise God that things worked out in a last-minute crisis!) But tonight, I have to say goodbye to some of the most wonderful people I know. Brad and Debbie have taken me into their home, mentored and discipled me, and fed me for more than 7 months all told. Nellie has been like a sister - my sign sister! - and is so precious to me. She's moving to Texas soon, so she'll at least be closer. Justin has become a huge part of my life. Gordon is like an obnoxious older brother, or cousin or something. Sean and Jonathan are such good friends, and it's been so nice to talk with them rather than just e-mail like during the deployment. Rosie is an amazing new friend who I won't get the chance to know better. And there are so many others, I can't name them all. And tonight is the last time I will see most of them, as far as I know.
Sniff. I don't know what else to say at this moment. I'm sure after I've actually said the goodbyes, I'll have more of a reaction. Right now, I'm just looking forward to giving all my friends great big hugs and hanging out one last time. But first, I have to get back to shoveling stuff (neatly) into my suitcases....ugh.
Showing posts with label flying. Show all posts
Showing posts with label flying. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
I'm Back!
So, short post. :)
Flights went well, although definitely the most turbulent flights I've ever been on. Got some (uncomfortable) sleep, and was thoroughly delighted to see Brad coming up to hug me as I stepped through the barrier after getting my luggage in Frankfurt. We drove back to the Festaburg where Debbie was waiting with open arms and a ready dinner. Gordon is here, living in the basement apartment, as well as some missionaries from the Czech, and we ate and played cards and headed off to bed. I actually managed to sleep, and I am now unpacked and making myself of what use I can be around here.
Changes since last time - they have a dog (!!!) named Sam, there's more furniture in my room, and the basement is being redone, and looks really good! Other than that, it's just like when I left, and that's amazing. :) I am SO glad to be here!!
Flights went well, although definitely the most turbulent flights I've ever been on. Got some (uncomfortable) sleep, and was thoroughly delighted to see Brad coming up to hug me as I stepped through the barrier after getting my luggage in Frankfurt. We drove back to the Festaburg where Debbie was waiting with open arms and a ready dinner. Gordon is here, living in the basement apartment, as well as some missionaries from the Czech, and we ate and played cards and headed off to bed. I actually managed to sleep, and I am now unpacked and making myself of what use I can be around here.
Changes since last time - they have a dog (!!!) named Sam, there's more furniture in my room, and the basement is being redone, and looks really good! Other than that, it's just like when I left, and that's amazing. :) I am SO glad to be here!!
Monday, May 18, 2009
Leaving!!
So, here I sit at Sky Harbor, waiting for my flight. I've only got about an hour, and sometime tomorrow morning (Phx time) or evening (German time) I will get off the plane, see Brad and Debbie, and go 'home' to the Festaburg. WOO!!! 
[[proof that I'm at the airport...my plane will be there ^ soon!!]]
I've been waiting so long to finally go back, it's almost hard to believe it's finally here! In about 20 hours, I will be in Germany. My friends are coming home, some within the week. I think I've written about all I can about how excited I am and how ready I am to be there, but I just thought I'd write a short little note as I wait for the plane to arrive to whisk me off to Dallas, then to London, then to Frankfurt, and then the drive to quiet, tiny Frauenberg just in time to go to sleep. Good timing to help get over jet-lag!
[[proof that I'm at the airport...my plane will be there ^ soon!!]]I've been waiting so long to finally go back, it's almost hard to believe it's finally here! In about 20 hours, I will be in Germany. My friends are coming home, some within the week. I think I've written about all I can about how excited I am and how ready I am to be there, but I just thought I'd write a short little note as I wait for the plane to arrive to whisk me off to Dallas, then to London, then to Frankfurt, and then the drive to quiet, tiny Frauenberg just in time to go to sleep. Good timing to help get over jet-lag!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
2 Days
Only two days left in the United States of America. The last week has flown by, and yet whenever I think of how far I still am from the Festaburg, every minute seems to be dragging. Even though I know there is still a lot to be done - like packing, for instance - I feel so ready to just BE there already. Soldiers are coming home, spring is spreading over Germany, friends are writing and making plans, things are coming together, and I am still more than 6000 miles away.
I got an e-mail from a friend yesterday that made me want to be there even more. As the soldiers come home, Baumholder puts on a (very) small ceremony, at which family are present and one wife is selected to receive the 'first kiss,' and then the soldiers are finally allowed to hug their wives and children after more than a year apart. My friend e-mailed me with their hopeful arrival, and said, "I don't expect anybody to be able to make it to our little return reception in the gym, but it would be really cool to have somebody to hug when we get back to Baumholder, if the circumstances present themselves." So many of these guys and girls don't have anyone on post to come back to - what family they may have is back in the States. This is where ministry happens: just being there to welcome them home, to thank them, to support and love and pray for and laugh with and hug them. This is why I am so excited to get there, before I miss anyone else coming back.
I got an e-mail from a friend yesterday that made me want to be there even more. As the soldiers come home, Baumholder puts on a (very) small ceremony, at which family are present and one wife is selected to receive the 'first kiss,' and then the soldiers are finally allowed to hug their wives and children after more than a year apart. My friend e-mailed me with their hopeful arrival, and said, "I don't expect anybody to be able to make it to our little return reception in the gym, but it would be really cool to have somebody to hug when we get back to Baumholder, if the circumstances present themselves." So many of these guys and girls don't have anyone on post to come back to - what family they may have is back in the States. This is where ministry happens: just being there to welcome them home, to thank them, to support and love and pray for and laugh with and hug them. This is why I am so excited to get there, before I miss anyone else coming back.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
2 Weeks
So...two weeks from today I fly out to Germany! I've only got a couple finals left to finish, and moving out of the dorm, but part of me really wishes I was back there already. Brad and Debbie had a wrapping-party for some gifts for the single soldiers (www.festaburg.com), and I really wish I was already there to start handing them out!! I know that most of my friends won't be back in Germany till after me, but some will beat me there. Because of the nature of the Army, people are going to be cycling in and out of Baumoholder on leave and PCSing and all kinds of things, and I really don't want to miss the chance to see anyone I know and to give them a hug and welcome them back. I'm ready to go now!!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Heading Out Soon!
So, after 9 months, the countdown begins again - 22 days until I head to Germany!! I've been asked to go back and intern for Brad and Debbie once again this summer, and I'm heading out May 18th. This is a shorter trip, 'only' three months this time. I'll be getting back with just enough time to catch up to the time change before starting my second year at Southwestern in August.
This summer marks the end of the '15' month deployment and the return of Baumholder’s troops from Iraq! This means that the Festaburg will be full of returning friends and heroes, and an increase in ministry opportunities. My duties will again include childcare, cooking, cleaning, teaching German, and helping the couple who take over from the Ellgens for the month of June to keep the House open and running smoothly in their absence. I am so excited to go back and see what God has in store for this summer, and to see my friends again!!!!! (!!!) [just a little excitement here!!]
I'm still about $6500 short on the support I need to raise. I do have enough to get over there, which is the main importance, though. Whether or not you can contribute financially, your prayer support is essential, both for the fund raising and preparation and for the soldiers and ministry in Germany. Please keep the deployed soldiers and the families they have left behind in your prayers, especially now as their return is so close!
If you do wish to contribute, please make checks payable to Cadence International. Specify on a separate note that you include with the check that the gift is for Laura Cardy, account #10728. These donations are tax-deductible; Cadence will mail you a receipt. Cadence International's mailing address is: PO Box 1268 • Englewood, CO 80150
I really appreciate everyone's prayers! The blog will be updated like before, hopefully every couple days, and I'm going to work on having a weekly e-mail update as well. If you'd like to be added to the list, just send me your address at laurakcardy@aol.com and I will be sure you get the newsletters! Thanks so much everyone.
God Bless!
~Laura
This summer marks the end of the '15' month deployment and the return of Baumholder’s troops from Iraq! This means that the Festaburg will be full of returning friends and heroes, and an increase in ministry opportunities. My duties will again include childcare, cooking, cleaning, teaching German, and helping the couple who take over from the Ellgens for the month of June to keep the House open and running smoothly in their absence. I am so excited to go back and see what God has in store for this summer, and to see my friends again!!!!! (!!!) [just a little excitement here!!]
I'm still about $6500 short on the support I need to raise. I do have enough to get over there, which is the main importance, though. Whether or not you can contribute financially, your prayer support is essential, both for the fund raising and preparation and for the soldiers and ministry in Germany. Please keep the deployed soldiers and the families they have left behind in your prayers, especially now as their return is so close!
If you do wish to contribute, please make checks payable to Cadence International. Specify on a separate note that you include with the check that the gift is for Laura Cardy, account #10728. These donations are tax-deductible; Cadence will mail you a receipt. Cadence International's mailing address is: PO Box 1268 • Englewood, CO 80150
I really appreciate everyone's prayers! The blog will be updated like before, hopefully every couple days, and I'm going to work on having a weekly e-mail update as well. If you'd like to be added to the list, just send me your address at laurakcardy@aol.com and I will be sure you get the newsletters! Thanks so much everyone.
God Bless!
~Laura
Thursday, August 14, 2008
The Last Day (again)
Well, I'm here - back in hot, flat, brown, cactus-y Phoenix. :) I love it. I do miss the coolness of Germany, the rolling hills, the forests, the green-ness....but I'm glad to be home. And I'm BUSY already!! Dinner with friends tonight, orientation tomorrow, job interview and open house saturday, hopefully pre-church starbucks with a friend sunday, and school starts monday! WOO.
It's amazing how much things don't change...and how they do. Even though I was gone a whole lot less time this time, I feel like I was gone longer, now that I'm back. Don't know why. It's a lot weirder to drive my car, now that I'm so used to driving a stick - my foot won't accept the fact that there's no clutch! And Opie, the little starving kitty who was nothing but fur and bones when I left is now FAT. And heavy!!! Fiyero still loves me, though. :)
So, my last days in Germany went well. It was sad to say all my goodbyes at VBS. Lots of hugs, a couple tears. One of my little pre-schoolers cried that she had to leave me. :) Went home to pack (ugh) and managed to get both my bags under 50 lbs. (Don't ask about my backpack, though...it may have outweighed them!!) I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch that day - I had a BLT with the first of the ripe tomatoes from Mac's garden. It was delicious, and I'm really glad I got them because here, tomato season is already over.
After packing was finished, Brad and Debbie and I enjoyed a delicious dinner and watched a movie together. I really am going to miss them. They're so different from any other people I've ever met. They challenge you - you can't be around them and not think. They've helped me to grow in so many ways, and they are just so wonderful! I love them. Wednesday morning we left at 6:15 for Frankfurt, said goodbye, and I was on my way home. The long flight was fine - I was next to a guy from Spangdahlem, and beind a friend of Mac's from 1-35 stationed in Baumholder (I didn't learn that until we were in the 1st line for customs). Then I had a 6 hour layover in Detroit (boooooring), and my last 4 hour flight, which was miserable, cramped, loud, and FREEZING. But hey, it got me home! Dad and Elisabeth and Aunt Lauri and Uncle Terry were there to welcome me, and an hour later I finally had my luggage and headed home. Woke up at lovely 6:30 am this morning, and am all unpacked! Happy to be home, indeed - but part of my heart is still in Germany.
It's amazing how much things don't change...and how they do. Even though I was gone a whole lot less time this time, I feel like I was gone longer, now that I'm back. Don't know why. It's a lot weirder to drive my car, now that I'm so used to driving a stick - my foot won't accept the fact that there's no clutch! And Opie, the little starving kitty who was nothing but fur and bones when I left is now FAT. And heavy!!! Fiyero still loves me, though. :)
So, my last days in Germany went well. It was sad to say all my goodbyes at VBS. Lots of hugs, a couple tears. One of my little pre-schoolers cried that she had to leave me. :) Went home to pack (ugh) and managed to get both my bags under 50 lbs. (Don't ask about my backpack, though...it may have outweighed them!!) I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch that day - I had a BLT with the first of the ripe tomatoes from Mac's garden. It was delicious, and I'm really glad I got them because here, tomato season is already over.After packing was finished, Brad and Debbie and I enjoyed a delicious dinner and watched a movie together. I really am going to miss them. They're so different from any other people I've ever met. They challenge you - you can't be around them and not think. They've helped me to grow in so many ways, and they are just so wonderful! I love them. Wednesday morning we left at 6:15 for Frankfurt, said goodbye, and I was on my way home. The long flight was fine - I was next to a guy from Spangdahlem, and beind a friend of Mac's from 1-35 stationed in Baumholder (I didn't learn that until we were in the 1st line for customs). Then I had a 6 hour layover in Detroit (boooooring), and my last 4 hour flight, which was miserable, cramped, loud, and FREEZING. But hey, it got me home! Dad and Elisabeth and Aunt Lauri and Uncle Terry were there to welcome me, and an hour later I finally had my luggage and headed home. Woke up at lovely 6:30 am this morning, and am all unpacked! Happy to be home, indeed - but part of my heart is still in Germany.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Day 1 1/2
Well, I'm here!
After a loooong flight (20 hrs travel time!), I landed in Frankfurt, collected my luggage, and walked through the doors to see Brad's smiling face waiting to take me to the Festaburg. I was oddly wide awake, despite only getting about 45 minutes' sleep on the plane. We ate dinner, then I unpacked and ended my evening (10 pm is still light out, therefore still evening) with a large cup of chammomile tea on the balcony, enjoying the fresh air, birds, green trees, and general glory of God's creation.
This morning I woke up at 6 am (whatever happened to jet-lag??) and did more unpacking, but then fell asleep again and didn't wake until 1 pm (ah, there it is). Then it was a normal Friday - help cook for Bible study dinner, work on projects for Brad, and then people come over. Only this was different, for me - there were 3 soldiers over, instead of 30. My first taste of post-deployment life. It was still a lot of fun, and it gives a chance to hear every individual more during discussions. But I do kind of miss the large, rather chaotic groups. Two of the guys were new to me, I only knew Jonathon from before. After Bible study, we played a ping-pong tournament before Brad took one guy back to base. So far there's no plan for tomorrow except waffles at 10. :)
I am so happy to be back here - and so blessed to be wanted here! One of my tasks is going to be teaching Brad German, every morning from like 9-10. Should be fun! They say teaching really helps you learn something even better. I am excited to see what God has in store for my summer here! Keep me in your prayers, please. :)
After a loooong flight (20 hrs travel time!), I landed in Frankfurt, collected my luggage, and walked through the doors to see Brad's smiling face waiting to take me to the Festaburg. I was oddly wide awake, despite only getting about 45 minutes' sleep on the plane. We ate dinner, then I unpacked and ended my evening (10 pm is still light out, therefore still evening) with a large cup of chammomile tea on the balcony, enjoying the fresh air, birds, green trees, and general glory of God's creation.
This morning I woke up at 6 am (whatever happened to jet-lag??) and did more unpacking, but then fell asleep again and didn't wake until 1 pm (ah, there it is). Then it was a normal Friday - help cook for Bible study dinner, work on projects for Brad, and then people come over. Only this was different, for me - there were 3 soldiers over, instead of 30. My first taste of post-deployment life. It was still a lot of fun, and it gives a chance to hear every individual more during discussions. But I do kind of miss the large, rather chaotic groups. Two of the guys were new to me, I only knew Jonathon from before. After Bible study, we played a ping-pong tournament before Brad took one guy back to base. So far there's no plan for tomorrow except waffles at 10. :)
I am so happy to be back here - and so blessed to be wanted here! One of my tasks is going to be teaching Brad German, every morning from like 9-10. Should be fun! They say teaching really helps you learn something even better. I am excited to see what God has in store for my summer here! Keep me in your prayers, please. :)
Friday, May 23, 2008
Going Back!
Well, after an almost-2-month hiatus, I'm back - and with exciting news! Yesterday I received my acceptance as an intern with Cadence International, heading back over to Germany next wednesday to work for Brad and Debbie for the summer. This all got set in motion about 2 weeks ago, and God has had His hands in everything, from getting my application in on time, to references coming in, to finding a cheap flight. I fly over next week and will spend all summer helping out at the Festaburg before coming back home in August just in time to be bodily - if not mentally - present at orientation at Southwestern.
I'm thrilled!!! Just in case you haven't picked up on that. I'm working on sending out prayer/support letters, and hopefully by the end of the summer will be able to raise the $5300. I'll be keeping this blog going while I'm gone, but I'll also have an e-newsletter to send out. If you'd like to sign up, just send me an e-mail at laurakcardy@aol.com.
I'm thrilled!!! Just in case you haven't picked up on that. I'm working on sending out prayer/support letters, and hopefully by the end of the summer will be able to raise the $5300. I'll be keeping this blog going while I'm gone, but I'll also have an e-newsletter to send out. If you'd like to sign up, just send me an e-mail at laurakcardy@aol.com.
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