Get Well Grandpa Sel...

Dear Grandpa Sel,

We sure wish you were here! Can you believe it's taken our parents 2 years to vacation together? We are having so much fun here and getting along very well. The only thing missing is having you and Grandma here to have fun with us.




There is a fun ice cream shop down town. Our Moms decided that it would be o.k. to have ice cream for an "after beach" snack. It was a bit messy and we all basically needed baths afterwards, but it sure was yummy - we all ventured out and got some crazy flavors...vanilla and chocolate chip mint!



We boys have been doing a lot of exploring...we drug our Dads to a fountain down town. It was great...They were especially excited when we were too tired to walk home and they had to carry all the way home - uphill!



You and Grandma would be so proud of all of the reading that has been going on. Of course we are mostly reading superhero books...but reading is reading right!!



The last time we saw eachother there was no talk of "the Babies"...but they sure do add a lot of trouble to our lives. They are wrecking our lego creations, switching the TV channels, and can you believe how much they fall and hurt themselves just to get Mom and Dad's attention. By the look of this picture they are the angels of the bunch, but don't let them fool you!!



Our Dads hit the golf course so we took our Moms to the "beach". The Hood River meeting the Columbia river makes a great place for kids to play...They thought that 5 kids at the beach by themselved might be too much, but our Moms are super heros!! We had so much fun wading, building islands, and watching the wind and kite surfers...



There's not much beach now...not after Emily and Eli ate most of it...we thought it was funny, but our Moms didn't!!

Well Grandpa (and Grandma) we love you and we hope you feel better soon...we can't wait till we all get to come visit you!!

An Update...

I know you have all been waiting on pins and needles for another post...our cross country trip has been crazy, exhausting, and expensive...

6 Hotels...
11 States...
35 Hours in the Car...
12 Different Parks (pit stops)...
4 McDonald's play lands(for pit stops when it has been raining)...

We are spending tonight in Boise, Idaho, and only have 5 more hours of driving to get to our final destination in Oregon - where the boys and I will be spending the next 3-4 weeks...

On our way home the boys and I will add 2 more states to the list. I do hope to get some pictures up, but at this point our internet connections have been slim to none...so you will have to continue waiting on pins and needles for those!!

Where in the World are the Mulkeys??

Just a quick post to let everyone know we made it! After 4 days of driving and lots of "fun" we arrived in Colorado!! We are spending the next couple of days in a hotel before we head out to visit family in Oregon. I hope to have some pictures posted soon...thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers. To all of my Alabama friends, thanks for a great send off. I had to shed a few tears on our way out of town...I am so thankful for some great memories...and for some life long friendships.

The Week in Review...Part 3...Camping

Being in a house with 3 kiddos, 2 cats, minimal dishes, and little or no furniture certainly makes for an adventure! We were up for the task thinking that the house would be easier than a one bedroom hotel for a week...



The dinner table is a touch crowded, and the food is fairly simple, but the company is great!!



The pickings for toys are pretty slim...but the enjoyment has been great. It's amazing how kids all the sudden can use their imaginations when push comes to shove!



The books are all returned to the library and the bunkbeds are on their way to Colorado, but that has not hindered the brotherly bonding. Zach and Seth have really enjoyed their air mattresses (even the one the popped), and Seth has really enjoyed having his big brother read to him on command.



With only 4 chairs...Eli certainly got the short end of the stick...who knew that the booster would strap to the lid of the cooler so nicely.



Even the cats have had to adjust. With nothing to hide under they have been a touch traumatized. Sheba has found her new home right up behind the kitchen sink...

The Week in Review...Part 2...Under the Furniture...

My friend once blogged about the things she found when she moved her couch - both Justin and I had a good laugh and moved on...until this week, when the movers moved our couch...



Found:

1 - pair of boys undies
1 - little tykes golf club
13 - Hot Wheels
1 - roll of Wrapping paper
6 - books
12 - Lego Pieces
1 - pair of Pj's
2 - Rescue Hero Back Packs
3 - pairs of socks
5 - single socks
lots of Trash...and much more.

The next day Seth asked "Where did we get all of these new toys?"

Lesson Learned: Move the couch regularily...especially when I am missing socks!

The week in review...Part 1...Grad Ball

What a crazy week it has been, so crazy that I need to use a couple of posts to get caught up. We started the week with Justin's Graduation Ball.



We had a beautiful dinner at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel



It's not very often that you will see Justin and I dressed up. Justin wore the usual...and I chose to go a little less formal. I am so proud of him...it's been a long year with a lot of reading and studying...once he found his groove he never looked back!



ACSC hosts numerous International students - we met people from Hungary, Egypt, Australia, and Nicaragua. This is a couple from Israel. Over the last few months, we have had the joy of getting to know them, their 4 boys, and a little bit more about their culture.



The best part of the evening was socializing with friends that we have made over the year. It has been a short assignment, but there is a certain camaraderie with the spouses that made it easy to make life long friends. The Air Force world can be small so I look forward to the day that many of our paths will cross again.

Packing Day Take 2...

Unfortunately I do not have a picture to give you a visual of life yesterday or today...Yesterday was supposed to be packing day! I pulled myself out of bed at 5a.m., woke my boys up, ran them out the door to a friends, then came home and waited, waited, and waited some more. After about 1 1/2 hours I called the "packers" and was informed that they changed their schedule and would not be arriving until Thursday..."I'm sorry we forgot to call you...?" Well, needless to say, it was a good day anyways and this morning it was Packing day Take 2. They showed up on the doorstep about an hour EARLY...can anyone say early?? No one ever shows up early and I am NEVER ready with my 3 boys early. I decided it was o.k. for them to wait on me for a few minutes while I took the boys back to my friends house since I waited on them yesterday. O.k...where was I?

I can't really describe how it feels to know your whole life can be packed up by 5 people in a just a few hours...It's a good thing that my "life" doesn't just consist of belongings...but consists of what is in my heart...and consists of the joy that my family brings me. That is something that can never fit into a box!!

What is a Military Wife?

What is a MILITARY wife?

I received permission from a blog friend Leanne, over at These Twenty Toes, to copy this post. I enjoyed it so much, and I am sure you will enjoy it as well. As I look into the eyes of an imminent move, with our home about to be completely put into truckload of boxes, it was not only encouraging, but gave me a sense of pride in my man and my country!

On a side note, you should know that as you read this, my sweet sweet husband has sent me off for a last minute shopping trip to Atlanta with a dear friend - I suppose he wanted to give me a break before the chaos begins on Wednesday. Thank you so much Justin for being everything to me...and for being the man I would follow anywhere...I look forward to where our road will lead us!

What is a MILITARY Wife?

They may look different and each is wonderfully unique, but this is what they have in common. Lots of moving---Moving.Moving.Moving far from home. Moving two cars, three kids and one dog----all riding with HER of course. Moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house. Moving curtains that won't fit. Moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours. Moving away from friends, moving toward new friends. Moving her most important luggage; her trunkful of memories. Often waiting-Waiting, waiting, waiting for housing; waiting for orders; waiting for deployment; waiting for reunion; waiting for phones calls; Waiting for the new curtains to arrive; waiting for him to come home for dinner----AGAIN! They call her 'military dependent', but she knows better. She can balance a checkbook. Handle the yard work. Fix a noisy toilet. She can put together a WOODEN swing set. She is intimately familiar with drywall, anchors, and toggle bolts. She can file the taxes, sell a house, buy a car, or set up a move, -- all with ONE Power of Attorney. She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her. Reinvents her career with every PCS; locates a house in the desert, the arctic, or the deep south and learns to call them all 'home'. She MAKES them all home. She is fiercely IN-dependent.Military Wives are somewhat hasty. They leap into decorating, leadership, volunteering, career alternatives, churches and friendships. They don't have 15 years to get to know people. Their roots are short but flexible. They plant annuals for themselves and Perennials for those who come after them. Military Wives quickly learn to value each other. They connect over coffee, rely on the spouse-network and accept offers of friendship and favors and record addresses in pencil. Military Wives have a common bond. The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands, his commitment is unique. He doesn't have a job, he has a 'mission' he can't just decide to quit. He's on-call for his country 24/7. His language is foreign:TDY,PCS,MOS,FOB,ACU And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his. She is the long-distance link to keep them informed the glue that holds them together. A Military Wife has her moments----She wants to wring his neck, dye his uniform pink, and refuse to move to Siberia...But she pulls herself together. Give her a few days, a travel brochure, a long hot bath, a pledge to the flag, and a wedding picture. And she goes. She packs. She moves. She follows. Why? What for? How come? You may think it is because she has lost her mind. But actually it is because she has lost her heart. It was stolen from her by a man...Who puts duty first. Who longs to deploy. Who salutes the flag. And whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her Military husband, She will remain his Military wife.