Hey it's Ok Tuesday.... a day late.

Hello everyone! Hooking up with Amber at Airing My Dirty Laundry, One Sock at a Time to join in her Tuesday feature: Hey It's Ok.

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Hey it's Ok

*  To be nervous, worried and anxious about our next PCS move, especially since we don't have order but we do have a DEROS date of 16 Jan 2014. 

*  To be worried about being stationed so close to family (same town)- new concept alert!

*  To be pissed that my American dollar sucks ass against the Euro. 

*  To be sad and disappointed that my family's Christmas vacay (in lieu of presents) to Ireland is cancelled because apparently $3K is STILL NOT enough saved because of #3. 

*  To be concerned about finding gainful employment as a teacher again...ever again.

*  To be excited about my BFF and Ma coming for TurkeyDay and Christmas, respectively. 

*  To be thankful my daughter didn't get hurt in her recent car accident. 

* To be pissed that said accident might have totaled the car.

* To be writing again, on my blog, on my schedule. *smile*

What's OK in your world?

Girls Gone Wild.... for pottery??

My European life has been a whirlwind of tastes, sounds, sights, and even smells, often times associated with a trip to this or that village, town, city or country. Our latest rendezvous landed us in Poland on a girls trip. 

I know you are probably wondering what could we possibly want with Poland, and a girls trip no less. It doesn't conjure up the warmth of beaches like Barcelona, nor does it scream fancy footloose like Amsterdam. Uh yea... so what exactly did we expect to find in Poland? 

Beautiful, hand-crafted, spectacular and inexpensive Polish Pottery. And boy did we ever find it! Yahtzee!

Four grown women going wild over baking dishes. Kinda silly, a little bit sad, and a whole shit ton of fun! Make no mistake- we made purchasing pottery look like a science. Mad science!

All smiles at the start of shopping day!

We used another military spouses blog review of some of the stores as our point of reference, and while it was incredibly helpful to have the addresses and descriptions at our disposal, we had a different experience. So here is my take on our little Polish adventure.

It was a simple Hello that changed my life

There are events in your life that change you. There are moments that you can look back on and say "Yup, that was a doozie. That shit rocked my world, and I was never the same." This is one of those moments. 

The Phone Call

Saying goodbye to a child

I don't think of myself as a religious person. I believe in God, and I pray. Not as often as I should and probably not for the reasons I should, but I know he has a plan. I'm also pretty confident I would never understand it. I'm not on his level. I know this; I'm good with this.

What always baffles me about God's plan is when children die. I'm not quite sure how a parent can say goodbye to a child. I am not talking college goodbyes here. I am talking about burying a child. It just isn't natural to be left on this Earth without your children. I can't imagine nor do I ever want to. 

This week my daughter lost one of her former classmates. A young 19 year old college student enjoying the final days of summer after completing her freshmen year. She was blessed and had so much to look forward to in her life. She was on the right path, undoubtedly doing what God was planning.

And now she is gone. In a blink of an eye. In the span of a few hours her life is gone and her family will never be the same. I just can't imagine this. I can't fathom the sense of loss and heartache her mom must feel. It hurts me and I am just a bystander, never having met this young woman or her parents.

I don't ever want to go through or even think about what it must be like to muddle through life missing a part of you, missing a child. So today I hold my children a little tighter, and tell them I love them a little bit more because the truth is you just don't know. You don't know the plan or how it plays out. All you have are a few stolen moments on the continuum of eternity, and in a blink it can all change.

Today, all I offer are prayers. Prayers that God grants them some semblance of peace. Prayers that the pain subsides and no more tragedy befalls this family. Prayers that every day it will get easier. Prayers that they eventually come to understand that she is in a better place.

Go with God and rest in peace Josie.

My heart goes out to the Seebeck Family. Send them a little prayer.... please.