Let's start at the ending

Well, this isn't the ending, but instead of starting at the beginning, which would be way too lengthy and time consuming, I will start at the present, and work my way backwards. (sticking in a length disclaimer: this will be lengthy. I promise to try to keep my words to a manageable content in the future, but this is about as condensed as I can get it and still make the point.)

Today -

I am a Catholic woman, wife, and mother. A convert, really, even though I was baptised into the Church as an infant. I never had catechism, and never went through my sacraments as a child. I was a protestant for many years, trying out various denominations, trying to find a "fit" and at the time of my decision to follow the conversion path, I was an active member of a southern baptist church. My entire family converted, all 6 of us. My husband and I were welcomed into the Church in April of 2012. My oldest 3 daughters received their First Holy Communion that May, and my oldest daughter, her Confirmation. This past May, my youngest daughter received her First Holy Communion. I try to attend daily Holy Mass with my family.

I am a home schooling mom. This is my 8th year total, and 7th year consecutive. Or something like that. Our faith was not the main reason for our decision to home school our girls, but it has been an important part of our curriculum choices. That hasn't changed.

I have the vocation to stay at home with my children, raising them, and teaching them, and doing any number of domestic things.

I am the wife of a full time college student.

I am the wife of a disabled combat veteran, and the wife of an Army retiree.

I am living in an apartment in a small town in Florida. My apartment complex is sandwiched between a hay field and a cow pasture.

This is the present. Now I will back it up a bit, and you can see some of the major life changes we've gone through in the past .......(whatever)

This summer -

In June, I found out my mom was sick, and cancer was suspected. I flew to see her, and provide as much support for her as possible. I expected a long, arduous journey with cancer, but I was hopeful for her, and my plan was to get her as settled as possible. I arrived on a Saturday. By the following Wednesday, she was gone.

The summer started when school let out for the husband. We were an unemployed household. He applied every possible place he could think of, and yet, no job was to be found. Where we live in FL, the summer is pretty slow due to the lack of snowbirds. There was no being picky, there was just nothing available. During the school year, we survive on Mr. Cat's retirement/disability pay, student loans, and the GI bill housing allowance. During the summer months (and the month school is out during winter) there is no GI Bill or student loans. That leaves us with not enough to live on. At least, on paper.

This past spring 2013 - Mr. Cat was finishing his second semester as a full time college student. The girls and I found a home school group. We were really starting to meet people and get involved in our parish.

Last winter 2012-13 - Our first Christmas in Florida

Last fall 2012 - We moved into our little apartment, close to the college and our parish.  Mr. Cat enrolled in college full time, using the GI bill, which was our backup plan for "just in case".

Last Summer 2012 - In order:  Mr. Cat retired from the Army. We got our house in GA ready for rental, picked up and moved everyone to FL. We were going there because he had a job that was "unofficially his, blah blah blah just a formality, blah blah blah". We had no place to live, and moved in with some extremely generous and gracious friends.  He did not get the job. We were left scrambling to figure out what to do.

The year prior to that - Mr. Cat found out he was being medically retired from the Army and it was a long long process.

The muddle of years before and before -(not in order) I was an Army wife. I birthed 4 daughters, and survived one 15 month unacommpanied tour to Korea (starting with a 2 week old baby), 2 deployments to Iraq (one with a birth in the middle, one ending in medical evacuation), any number of occasions of solo-parenting.

Anyway, you get the gist. Basically, the last couple of years have been real doozies for our family. We are finding our way. Slowly, but we are getting there. We aren't where we planned, or even wanted to be, and in many ways, it almost seems like we have taken a giant step backward. Yet, here we are. Right where we are supposed to be. I have 2 parting words to leave you with: Divine Providence