Our first visitor

A friend of mine, who lives near Dallas, came to visit this past weekend. Landree Page. Our junior year of college we road-tripped with another friend on a grand tour of Texas in her Mazda3. Driving from Chicago to Dallas and then all over this HUGE state, seeing everything we could. Needless to say we spent a lot of time in that car and made a lot of memories too. And then this past weekend that Mazda3 drove up again and parked in our drive way. Our first visitor in Texas. Landree stayed from Friday night to Sunday morning and we didn't do much besides talk and catch up on things. We walked to the Commissary (grocery store on base) and back a couple times because I forgot my ID card the first time. Made tea to drink and pet the neighbors dog. Mainly, we talked a lot. Friends are such a blessing. Fellowship is so encouraging and uplifting. And talking about what the Lord is doing gives Him so much glory and builds up our faith. It is so nice that we are in the same "area" again.

Angela playing the harp

Peter took these video clips right before we left Colorado. While we were there I started harp lessons, which I have wanted to do for a long time. And I loved it. I'm planning on getting another harp and playing in May (since I'll be gone from mid-April to mid-May). So, after 6 lessons in Colorado these were the last songs that I played before we moved and I had to return my rented harp. The first clip (Angela Harp 2) is a stately song that is played at a lot of ceremonies, The Old World Theme. The second (Angela Harp 1) is, All through the Night, a Welch lullaby.


              

24 weeks!

I am now 24 weeks pregnant, or about 6 months. A pregnancy book I have, the Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy, says that the baby is about 15 inches long and weighs a little more than 1.5 pounds. They can now "breathe" with their lungs and can tell the difference between light and dark, the sound of our voice, and wether or not they are right side up or upside down. I have been feeling he/she kick for several weeks now, as well as Peter, and my stomach has been bouncing as movements and kicks come. A few nights ago I really think the baby was trying the best they could to do somersaults since it took both hands spread across my stomach to feel their huge movements.
As we get settled into our new home it's crazy to think that in a few short months we will have our baby. He/she will sleep in the room next to ours, we will rock them in that chair, and the house will be filled with new sounds. It's crazy to think that our child, who is not yet here, will be walking around the house by the time we leave Sheppard AFB in a year and a half. Even crazier, that in 13 years we will be parents to a teenager! Time is just moving so fast! All we can really picture right now is: a baby, diapers, little coos, and a car seat and stroller. But now back to the present of little (and big) kicks that make my stomach bounce. And a few more months to go. :-D

We moved to Texas, yeehaw!

I know, I have a lot to catch you guys up on.

We first contacted Sheppard AFB in January about moving in a little earlier, March instead of May. After several weeks and phone calls we got a call from the housing office about two weeks ago, asking if we could be here on March 1st (4 days later).  They couldn't guarantee a house for us, but we needed to get here. If they didn't we would stay in their temporary housing for a couple weeks until one came available.

We had four days. It was a whirlwind of activity. Canceling gym memberships, lessons, changing OB appointments, returning my harp, etc. Peter rented a UHAUL and they only had their largest size available, the 26' long one. Then we had the bright idea of trying to find furniture on craigslist to take with us. Until then , the only piece of furniture we owned was a bed. And we already had the truck. I was glued to craigslist for 2 days, barely missing some great deals. But we also found some great ones, like a couch, a dining room table, a washer and dryer, and office furniture for Peter's study. Peter went around on Saturday (day 3) and picked everything up, loading the truck like a puzzle fits together. Day four, we said goodbye to friends in CO and headed to Texas. What a fast and smooth four days.

We met with the housing office first thing in the morning. They told us the good news, they had ONE house available. The only thing was it was a big house with four bedrooms. "Is that a problem?" No, not at all. We went to look at it. The house itself is wonderful. It is on a quiet little street at the back of the subdivision with grey brick exterior and a little garden. It is HUGE and has a 2 car garage and even with all the furniture we bought, we can't yet fill it. We signed the lease and by 5:00pm we could start moving in. We figured out what each room would be and Peter started unloading unloading the smaller boxes from the truck. And that night we were able to sleep in our very own home, in the "we-just-moved-in style". And we met one of our neighbors that night who turns out to be a Christian. We might already have some friends!

What a wonderful gift and blessing to have this house and be able to move in and when I'm not so close to my due date too. We are so thankful. We'll be here for about 1.5 years while Peter goes through the 2nd and 3rd training schools. So if you ever want to come visit... you are always welcome! The Wisconsin address that you all have will stay as our permanent address, but you can also mail things directly to our house here:

Peter and Angela Sailhamer
1711 Knobb Hill
Sheppard AFB, TX 76311