Carried on the wings of ANGELS!!

Chick Flicks, chocolates, spa treatment, babysitting, lotions, bubbles, candles and books... But most of all, sweet messages from women I hold even dearer to my heart tonight. I wish I was more eloquent with words, like Deanne is with poems. All I can say is...

Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!!

Oh, Brother????

OK, one more of Mike and then I'll stop. I have wanted to post these two guys together for a long time, but it was hard to catch that 'candid' moment.

If you didn't know, Mike doesn't have a brother(just 7 sisters)... BUT if he did, it would be Shane Royce.

They are two bald builders working out of their homes. Both love to fish and hunt. And they have been known to wear the same clothes (white t-shirt, army shorts, wish I had a picture) to church functions. Our first week at church Katie ran up to Shane and said, "Daddy."

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And they're wives are 'angels.'

CHARLES ANGELS that is....

Mike and Shane thought it was a good idea that their wives know how to shoot a gun. So we know now. Bad guys beware!

Are all the ducks in a row??? Oh, well here we go...

The row of ducks might be a little crooked, but he tried his hardest to get everything in order before he left his family, business and life as he knows it until Christmas.

Mike tried to do as many sit-ups as possible before he had to go up against 18 year old kids. Dallas would count while Jake worked the stop watch.

He headed out this morning at 8am on a plane. He went to Chicago and ended in Atlanta, Georgia. And I believe he is still on the bus ride from Atlanta to South Carolina. I got to talk with him several times today. Now I will have to wait for his calls. We've heard all kinds of interesting stories about Boot Camp, I'll let you know if any of them are true.

The Schedule: He'll be home for Christmas around the 18Th of December and head back to Fort Jackson on the 3rd of January. After that, National Guard will be one weekend a month and two weeks out of the year. Except around June he will do OCS training (6 weeks). Then, I'll keep you posted.

Since Mike is gone for Thanksgiving we had it early. The kids made this sign for him with the rolls.







He spent last night at the hotel next to the airport (do what the army tells you) so we had dinner with him and went for a swim. It was hard to say goodbye. I already miss him.

Thank you so much everyone for calls and emails and kind words. We have been overwhelmed with love and support. It is a MAJOR boost!

Would it be so bad if I said, "No thanks, my plate is full!"

I guess it would in this market. Although, throwing in a move was not on my 'to do' list while my husband is at Boot Camp for 9 weeks, it's there now.

The Story in a nutshell-- We have had a For Sale sign in front of our house for over a year and a half. The market being what it is we had to try and sell something. Last Monday some folks came to look and loved it. They signed a contract last night to lease our home for the next two years. They are hoping to buy it anytime along the way.

Mike and I consider this to be a great miracle. The timing is a blessing and a curse. Curse, because Mike is leaving tomorrow for a total of 11 weeks. He does get two weeks off for Christmas. We need to be out of this house by January 1st!! And I love it here!

Also, timing being what it is we just happen to have a rental house vacant. We call it the 'money pit' because that is what it is. There seems to be no takers on that house. ... So after crying a river about it I'm now ready to make the change and give the 'money pit' some...more money and a lot of TLC.

And now that I've vented my sob story, I have to bare testimony that the Lord is in the very details of our lives. I know that to be true with all my heart. How timely that we sell a house that is been on the market for over a year, in this market, two days before my husband leaves. Two days later would have been too late for me to make a decision without him. He will be home for Christmas to move the heavy stuff and although it would not be my first choice, we have a place to go. Malachi 3:10 comes to mind!

I'm realizing this blog is more than just a scrapbook for me now. I don't want to lose contact with the friends we have grown to love. That is going to be the hardest part about this move.

ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN

...And this dog will receive a royal welcome.

Today we said a very sad farewell to our dog, Tommy. He was over 11 years old. We found him sick this morning and had to say goodbye.

We inherited him two years ago when we moved into this house. He belonged to Mike's parents, but a country dog had the city move in on him and they gave him to us so he could spend his old age free to roam.

We really grew to love and enjoy him.

He was a very special dog, especially to Grandma Hill. How fitting that she was over last night and brushed him one last time, not knowing what would happen today.

We will miss you, Tommy!

We are glad you are able to rest.

Some now call him Specialist Hill...

But around here we still refer to him as...

Mr. Hillbilly

If any of you had doubts that my husband is, well, CRAZY, this will help you know for sure!

Mike hunts in his own unique, adventurous way. Last year when he went with his friend, Shane, they left in the morning, shot a deer and were back by night fall.

When he goes by himself...He leaves at 3am, hikes in the dark, chases the deer, shoots the deer and rolls it (sometimes with it) down a mountain to the river. Then he floats it down the river for 5 hours on an innertube (he packed it in along with a bike-pump) because there is no trail, much less a road, to his favorite spot on the North Fork of the Boise River. But that's why it's his favorite spot, now, isn't it? So this is a picture of his nice 4-point buck strapped to a tube. The antlers are broken, fur rubbed off, and the meat is banged up. But the deer was in better condition than my husband.

He doesn't even cook it conventionally. It has to be roasted over the fire. I will spare you the picture of a skinned, headless deer hanging in the garage because even after all these years with Mike I still have a hard time stomaching that.

The boys eat it up!! It's the Hillbilly tradition to have liver and onions the night home from the hunt. Poor Jake woke up sick the next morning.

(Disclaimer: Cassie Hill does not endorse any of these traditions, but she does tolerate them:)

Remember...

VOTE TODAY!!!

FROM THE MOUTH OF BABES

Referring to Natalie: "Careful mom." Jake

Also, referring to Natalie: "She doesn't have her eyebrows yet." Katie

"Whoever has the cutest shirt ever gets to say the pray...So that's me." Katie

"It's not cheering me up, it's cheering me down." Dallas

IT'S OFFICIAL...

Well folks, here he is taking the oath to join the Army National Guard. (Mike's the old guy on the left:)



The person swearing Mike in turned to me afterward and said, "Do you support this? Because you know you are signing on too."



This is going to be a BIG life style change for us. I had butterflies in my stomach and I'm nervous for the days ahead. I saw my husband in a different light today. I'm grateful to be his wife.

I had a taste of how this is not going to be easy and so did Mike. While he was being sworn in I was trying to film and take pictures with my right hand. I was holding Natalie in my left, she was fussy, tried to keep her quiet. Jake turned to me as Mike's hand was being raised and said, "Mom, I need to throw-up." I gave him Natalie's blanket to throw-up in and told him, very quietly, to put his head between his legs. He held it in, poor thing. That's why he looks a little pale in this picture. Katie and Dallas were very comfortable in that little room and wanted to 'check things out' rather than be confined to the wall. All Mike was able to do was stand at attention. (Thinking back, they must have suspected that.)

After I stopped sweating and had some moments like this above, I realized we are going to be just fine. This is a humbling experience for me. Moments like these are becoming a bit more precious.

One thing about it... Mike does make 'this look good.'

WE ARE PROUD OF YOU MIKE and SUPPORT YOU ALL THE WAY!!!

PICTURE OF LAST WEEK

DAD'S BABYSITTING

On Wednesdays I go to Jake's and Dallas's classrooms for an hour to help out. I am so grateful to my husband for helping me out with our little girls so I can have that opportunity. It's nice for me to see what is going on at school with our boys. And the boys enjoy it too.

After Natalie was born last year in February I wasn't able to go to Jake's class anymore. This year when Jake started 3rd grade he asked, "Since Natalie is older will you come into my class again?" I'm glad he asked, I didn't realize it meant that much to him.

One day I came home from the school to this. Katie said, "Natalie was hungry so I'm feeding her."