Top Ten List for 2011

10. Christmas Letter

The pain and suffering that goes into writing a Christmas letter is hard to fathom (we know you secretly agree!). Trust us though, when we say that getting this completed at all easily qualifies it as a "top ten" moment for our year!

9. Chapel

Despite waning numbers of families to fellowship and grow with as well as waning numbers of chaplains, along with the indefinite end to children's church, we committed to staying with the base chapel. God brought a new chaplain on staff, committed to our service and ready to work. Since then, the body has grown inwardly and outwardly, children's church has been re-established, and the Holy Spirit is moving. Praise God!

8. Dignified Transfer

The war(s) has taken its toll on our family as well as many others. This was more apparent than ever late April 28th when David stood in the rain with hundreds of other service members to honor eight fallen Airmen during a dignified transfer at Bagram Airfield. He remembers where he was when he found out about Bin Laden's death and where he was when the last Airman left Iraq, but no time stands out as poignantly as those cold moments that brought a pause to the six and a half month deployment he was engulfed in day and night.

7. Travelling/Visiting with friends

Arguably the best aspect of the military life is the potential for finding old friends just about anywhere one travels. This was certainly the case during a 4700-mile, 13-state road trip we took during October and November. Spending a week at the Sulhoff Family Cabin in South Dakota's Black Hills was a much needed respite for everyone. And seeing firsthand the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and rebuilding in New Orleans brought great perspective to us and the kids. Still, the true highlights of the trip came from visiting Rachel's Grandmother, many dear friends from our first assignment (the Rensch's, Cecilia, Leonard) and multiple families who have grown with us (the Chambers, the Eckarts, Geof and Kyle. Our only regret is that we could not visit with more!

6. Giving

Giving has always been a priority for us, but being released from the bondage of debt in 2006 provided more opportunities than ever to share our gifts with so many others. In that regard, this has been an exciting year for us as David promoted to the rank of Major, bringing home a little bit more "bacon" to share. In addition to financial gifts that will go without mention, David was blessed with the opportunity to give his time in service to the Bagram chapel as a Praise Team leader and Rachel was likewise blessed to share her time as a teacher for AWANA. This is a conviction and a joy for us and we pray that even in these lean times, your family will discover new and exciting ways to increase your joy through the sharing of your God-given time, talents, and "tokens."

5. School's In

Home education is a full time job with a crummy benefits package. There is no paid leave, no medical benefits, no additional staff to assist with the load and the hours are at best fluid and unconventional. The home educator is principal, teacher, hall monitor, nurse, lunch "lady", coach, cheerleader, and friend all rolled up in one – oh, let's not forget parent as well (makes for some interesting parent-teacher conferences…) This new year brought great growth by way of kids who have finally "bought in" to the idea and a fabulous homeschool cooperative we joined this fall. Here we met with like-minded and driven families once a week to provide some semblance of a structured schooling environment while capitalizing on the strengths and experiences of every parent to serve as subject-specific teachers.

4. School's Out!

For the first time in 28 years, David has zero school hanging over his head and keeping him from being available mentally, emotionally, and physically to the rest of the family. This happened after he completed Air Command and Staff College via correspondence, a mandatory Professional Military Education course that all Majors should complete. Halleluiah!

3. Homefront growth/healing

Rachel discovered the cause of several health issues she had been facing. God has begun healing her body through informed friends, even more informed doctors, medicine, nutritional supplements and changes in diet. This change alone has given her so much more energy and mental capacity, leading to a much more productive homeschool. After pushing a year and a half, Hannah Joy Sulhoff has finally decided to be completely potty-trained. Her parents are very relieved!

2. Family Gatherings

Over all the years and duty stations, we have only grown closer to our families. Though it is sometimes difficult, we make it a priority to spend time with both of our sets of parents and siblings. This year Rachel and the kids spent July in GA and AL visiting mostly family, but a few friends as well. Cousin's Camp was the highlight of the trip. Riding a four-wheeler, playing foosball and ping-pong in the "man-cave", shooting at targets, swimming, jumping on a trampoline, campfires, skits and just pure playing with their cousins could not be beat. BorderTown, a weekend retreat focusing on God and men/boys encouraging one another was an event this fall at which all of the male Sulhoff's were in attendance. Since moving to the southeast, we have always shared in Christmas traditions with both of our families and will this year as well.

1. Reunion

Living months on end without your spouse is difficult. Sometimes, living with them is difficult, too, and we (like everyone else) are not exempt from miscommunication or arguments. However, being together as husband and wife/father and mother and operating out of the same home, is the best thing in the world. Our family has begun a new chapter and David being home with us daily, being the man he is, has changed everything for the better. His homecoming was unequivocally the best moment of our year.

The Weekend with our Friends

(This is Elizabeth's first blog post - dictated to David)



Our family at the Alamo

Our friends eating lunch with us at Whole Foods

My brother and his friend are hiking at the Friedrich Wildnerness Area.

In a boat on the Riverwalk.

Eating dinner at PizzaRitas

Concert / "Event"

Two nights ago, Rachel and I had the privilege of attending one of David
Crowder Band's last concerts ever (as they are disbanding). Honestly just the fact that we were able to go was pretty amazing to start with, and someday I may tell that story as well.

Three artists opened up for DCB including John Mark McMillan (songwriter for current contemporary church standard "How He Loves"), Chris August (think "7 Times 70" or "Starry Night"), and Gungor ("Beautiful Things" was Grammy nominated).

McMillan presented a very raw style that was a little un- comfortable at first - mostly because

I had no clue what to expect. Also, his vocals were very difficult to understand. Still, his band definitely kept things very lively with some awesome riffs and mad skills on all parts. I look forward to getting to know more of his music.

Chris August provided not only a pleasant break from the bigger band by leading us in worship with himself, a guitar, and one light, but he also provided the comic relief for the evening. He actually performed solo twice - each time before and after Gungor. His music was definitely worshipful though it sparked of some of the more popular solo artists of my days. I couldn't help

but think of Michael W. Smith or Chris Tomlin as he played! Still, he was a lot of fun and his songs were very well received (probably because of the air time the stations provided as well as their proliferation among contemporary churches).

Gungor was the surprise of the evening for me. More and more I am trying to expand my musical interests beyond Third Day (though the boys still rank #1 in my book). I've grown to enjoy Bebo Norman, Andrew Petersen, Casting Crowns, Jeremy Camp, and this summer - David Crowder Band. Yes, I know that I may have picked up on those folks awfully late in the game, but still - I'm here and thankful. I might have jumped on the Gungor bandwagon just in the nick of time... This "collective," as they call themselves, is comprised of a wife/husband duo and several other instrumentalists/vocalists who did not appear. Instead, they had a cellist/beatboxer named Kevin Olusola (KO). Besides being out-of-this world talented, the lyrics penetrated the soul and reminded us of our weary and weak state and the fact the only Jesus Christ has to capacity to restore us and make us worthy of sharing God's company. I encourage you to look them up.

Now this was my first (and more than likely last) DCB concert, and like I mentioned, they are disbanding - for some admirable reasons - and I will not have another opportunity before their last show in Atlanta. Being the last chance I would have to see them live, I was very thankful that we had an opportunity after the event to shake their hands and thank them personally for their ministry and for sharing their talents. For that was exactly what we witnessed over the course of the evening - ministry coupled with talent. It was so refreshing and exciting. It made me want to get out my guitar and sing out (which is what I did tonight with the kids - that was even more refreshing and exciting!) God used DCB music to sustain me during my recent Afghan tour and I was blessed to share a couple of their songs with the chapel service I was leading, so I am thankful that I had that opportunity to see them.

David's Telling of the Trip

Our recent tour of America's heartland is over and we racked up some serious miles and lasting memories. I am continually in awe of the great land that we inhabit and of the Americans who keep it great. Some facts from the trip:

States traveled through: Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Louisiana.

Friends/Family visited in: Sedalia, MO; Rapid City, SD; Albuequerque, NM; Clovis, NM; and Bossier City, LA.

Interesting detours: Bellevue Bridge over the Missouri River in Nebraska (my Grandfather's A/E firm designed/built that bridge over sixty years ago); Minuteman Missile National Historic Site (my AF Squadron forged the path to turn these facilities over to the National Park Service during my time at Ellsworth in the early 2000s); New Orleans, LA (we followed a driving tour of the significant Katrina event locations - a very sobering glimpse of a very devastating time)

The route we took was 4,000 miles even (by Google standards) and we actually covered a little over 4,700.



Seen throughout New Mexico and Texas, these wind generators dominated many of the horizons during several long drives.



The South Dakota Air and Space Museum at Ellsworth AFB replaced a previously displayed 1/3rd scale B-2 Stealth Bomber model with this full-scale B-1B Bomber, retired when the B-1B consolidation took place.

One of our huge tasks as the cabin was to replace a set of two 12-foot blinds with canvas coverings - the job was a huge one and Rachel was well up to the task to make it happen; we even lugged her sewing machine all the way from Florida specifically for this.

Crazy Horse Memorial, a monument to all Native American tribes still in the making after over fifty years, is an awe-inspiring carving of an entire mountain. The picture doesn't do complete justice to this massive project but to give you an idea of the size - imagine a four-story building fitting inside the hole in the mountain, because it could if they tried it.

The mountains of Southern Wyoming loom high at the end of a long two-lane highway that took us through the quaint town of Lusk.



No, it's not Las Vegas - this is the Memphis Pyramid Arena, aptly designed as a reminder of the town's Egyptian namesake.

Andrew and Hannah rake up leaves at their Great-Grandmother's house in Sedalia, MO.

The massive door, adorned with the art from previous crews, would seal off the missileers during the Cold War alert days at this Launch Control Facility for the Minuteman II Intercontinental Ballistic Missile outisde Rapid City, SD.

I loved the contrast from this picture take on the interior loop of Bandlands National Monument.

Distance signs from Wall Drug have adorned wooden signposts all over the world and here the kids are, riding a Jackelope at the infamous watering hole on I-90.

I took several pictures in the Badlands, but none were as seemingly "set up" as this one - the Bighorn Sheep is framed perfectly by the Badlands and the horizon - all I had to do was take the picture.

The Shrine of Democracy (known as Mount Rushmore) is one of my favorite attractions in the Black Hills of South Dakota. I've been visiting my whole life and it's a wonderful thing to share now with my own children.

Of course, nothing worth sharing is worth sharing without my favorite travel companion of all-time - Rachel. She has put up with my "detours" and crazy mileage days beyond my understanding.

Interestingly enough, it's not over yet - though we are back in Florida, we will leave in one week again to drive to San Antonio where we'll spend a month while I'm on temporary duty at Randolph. The fun never stops!

Where we sit tonight

Well, there is a sewage leak near where we live and they are planning to shut off the water and David, being the civil engineer that he is, is responsible for making sure the repairing of the leak and the clean-up goes according to code. We are super thankful for Papa John's delivery and Air Conditioning and for the wonderful weekend we've had!

We had the awesome opportunity to watch five boys for a sweet couple who went on a marriage retreat this weekend! Aside from a couple of them still being awake at midnight Friday night, the weekend was a great success! It was really fun and a blessing to us to be able to give a little bit to a couple in need. So many people have blessed us in so many ways over the last 3 years of deployments and other hard times. I asked God to let us bless someone in need and He brought this family to us just a few days after I asked! Moral of that story: don't ask for something unless you really want it! We did.

David has been a huge help in the kitchen and in every way. We were a great team this weekend. I can't put into words the joy and amazement I am experiencing being David's wife in person! As we both grow and change, so does our relationship and our roles. Living together is new and exciting, and so rewarding.

So, where do we sit tonight exactly? We sit high upon such a pile of blessings of which His grace and love sent in His Son is the greatest, but so many wonderful little things as well--laughter, a messy house that everyone worked together to clean up, pizza, a family secure in Christ. We have more than we could ever ask or dream.

Home

It is a difficult thing for folks to understand just how blessed we are as a country without spending 6.5 months away. I can say that I even become complacent and forget during the times I'm not overseas. Now that I'm back from my second Afghan tour I have a renewed sense of just how much I love this country.

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Happy Birthday, Rachel

On June 9th, 1993 I attended the birthday party of my brother’s girlfriend’s best friend at Mt. Paran Church of God.  My brother and my brother’s girlfriend agreed that we would get along pretty well.  They were right!

Eighteen years later we are well into our eleventh year of marriage with the three most fantastic children in the world.  Since that blessed Wednesday night, when Rachel wrote down her number on a torn off sheet of wide-ruled notebook paper, I was hooked.

Besides mesmerizing me from day one, she has been a light to me and others in what is now our circle of friends and she has provided a firm foundation of love and support when all else seems awry.

I am humbled to be her husband and I am richly blessed to have her as my wife.  Today is her birthday and it grieves me to be 7,000 miles away though I know she is proud of my efforts.  There is no doubt that I stand tall at the gates when recognized as her husband.

I love her with every fiber of my being and I miss being with her, certainly today, not only her birthday, but the anniversary of the evening when she took a chance and gave me her number.

Birds of the Gulf Coast

The first two pictures are of a Little Blue Heron. It's a lovely bird, as you can see. A Little Blue Heron couple have been enjoying breakfasts in the ponds behind my house and across the street. I was pretty happy to get these shots. The third bird was pretty elusive, as it kept diving only moments after it would surface. It is either a Clarke's Grebe (which would be pretty significant to find it this far east as it's range is not well known) or a female Anhinga. Maybe I'll get another chance to get some better shots of it!
Other birds we see or have seen include Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Green Heron (have seen only once), lots of Ospreys, Hooded Merganser, Double Crested Cormorant, Male Anhinga, Black Vulture, several varieties of Turkey, and we do see Bald Eagles fairly often. I think there must be a couple with a nest nearby. It is both neat and scary to live in a place teeming with so much life! I clap my hands and yell, "Better watch out! I'm comin'!" every time I have to go to turn the sprinkler off on the side of the house after dark, for fear a bear or racoon or deer (mostly a bear!) will be ambling up in between mine and my neighbor's house!

"I'm a natural on the stage," Elizabeth seems to say.
Andrew looks skeptically at his certificate of promotion.
Elizabeth is very tickled to have all eyes on her to listen to her as she plays "The Wishing Well" in which the first seven notes are exactly the same as the notes beginning the phrase in the song from Les Miserables "Do you hear the people sing?"
"I see you taking my picture, Mom! And I'm gonna getcha for it! But not right now. I have to settle down and play "The Zoo"."

Promotion Ceremony and Talent Show

Our Andrew has been officially promoted to the third grade, and our Elizabeth has graduated from Kindergarten and been promoted to first grade! First of all, we know they aren't really ours (they're God's), but they are our responsibility for now. Our Homeschool Group (The Fellowship of Christian Teaching Homes or FCTH) had a promotion ceremony and talent show for those students who wished to participate. It was really lovely. Andrew and Elizabeth played a short piece they had learned on the piano--Elizabeth shyly, but confidently; Andrew with gusto, yet great care. This is a picture taken afterward in front of a kumquat tree.

God-less? Introduction

There are only two books of the Bible out of 66 that leave out any mention of God – Esther and Song of Songs.

What is the intent behind their God-lessness?  What theological gains can be had from studying a book that fails to make a single mention of the “Theo” from whom that particular science investigates? 

The answer is: Huge.

The authors of those books, though maybe not fully cognizant of the messages they were about to convey, did not “slip up” by accidentally leaving out the Creator of the universe.  In fact, God used them in this regard to send a message to His children.  The message is simply this – “Through the darkest and brightest moments of your life, I am working through you, and I love you with a passion that rivals that of the greatest of lovers – essentially, I AM when you least expect it!”

This may be THE central theme of the entire canon.

I hope to prepare an exposition of Esther first, and then when the time is right, one on Song of Songs.  Don’t worry, the header will give you plenty of warning in the event your kids read our blog over your shoulder (Song of Songs’ significance is diminished to the immature reader).

Until then, take some time to read through Esther and Job.  Job may be long, but I believe the books are connected such that understanding of one builds greater understanding in the other.  Take a week and I’ll try to convert the Word that has been laid on my heart into digits and we’ll meet again.

He is Risen!

Easter morning was an early one this year! I really wanted to go to the 6am sunrise service on the beach. Then, I remembered that everyone had nice, new Easter clothes and had second thoughts! But to God's glory we got all dressed up and made it with no stress! It was cool and breezy and then got cooler and breezier and rather damp, as the cloud that had been over the water in front of us was blown onto the land on top of us! Some sweet parishioners at the chapel with us provided the kids with blankets to keep warm. I reveled in the joy of the morning, the moist cool air blowing over me, the knowledge that my Savior was raised to life for me and that His Grace is enough.

We then had a blessed time of fellowship at the base Marina, while a hot breakfast was served to us. Then, when we got home (at about 8:30am!) and changed our clothes, I gave the kids' their Easter baskets, er, I mean Easter lunchboxes. (Despite cleaning out my closet, the guest room closet and half of the garage, I never found their baskets!) Well, they had not remembered that part at all! They were so touched by the book they each got along with their tiny, hollow chocolate bunny and a few eggs with candy and a couple of pencils.

Saturday morning was to be the designated "egg hunt" time. Go get the silly eggs and then go home. Well, leave it to the Tyndall AFB Youth Center to make it a huge production! It was a blast for the kids with bouncy houses, crafts, free cookies and lemonade and an age appropriate hunt for each kid. Again, I was touched at how much fun the kids had! Sometimes, I feel we give them too much. They all were so thankful and expressed that this was one of the most fun things they've ever done! Of course, it was one of the 25 most fun things they've ever done, but the fact they said thank you made me feel like the kids and me and the world were a little closer to center than I sometimes think. Then, our neighbor hid eggs with prizes for our three and three other kids nearby. They had such a great, fun couple of days. AND, they still get that Easter isn't about the candy and eggs, but about Jesus rising from the dead after He saved us from our sins! Thank you, Lord, for your sacrifice and for loving us and the world every day!

He is Risen Indeed!

Why did He become flesh?

Why did He teach?

Why did He surrender?

Why did He die?

Why did He rise?

 

Because He

loves.

 

Happy Easter!

Living on the Edge...

...somebody pull me back to safety! In the last 48 hours I have had a child get stung by a Portuguese Man of War, a nine inch lizard in my house (harmless, thankfully!) and just almost lost one out an upstairs open window!!! I will leave out the details so as not to publicly incriminate the guilty parties. I'm not sure what's going on, but please continue to pray for us and our safety as well as David's! And, I echo every mother's prayer when I ask you: pray I can be the mother to these kids that God wants me to be!

First Piano Recital!

Well, in addition to having birthdays and playing baseball, Andrew and Elizabeth also began piano lessons on March 1. The lessons are here in our home, which is wonderful for me for several reasons. It gives me an added incentive to get the laundry folded and put away that's been on the couch for a day, and secondly, I don't have to load everybody up and drive them to an activity. We actually eat lunch and keep living life while she is here! Having lessons in our home makes it so much more personal--so much more like a lifestyle than just another activity. As wonderful as this is, our teacher is even more wonderful! Mrs. King has taught piano for 62 years!!! She is sharp as a tack, has great communication skills, drives a big blue pick-up truck, adores the children, has several cats and at least two dogs and brought us fresh sugar snap peas last Tuesday! (I just finished the last of them as an after dinner snack!) Did I mention she adores children? She just laughs and laughs with them as they tell her stories from their lives. And she tells them stories from her life, or about her experiences with other students or about herself as a little girl! Hannah likes to dress up, showing her all her play dresses and likes to have her piano lesson as well, which lasts about 30 seconds. Last week, she ran out of the house after Mrs. King, saying, "I love you, I love you, I love you and I want to give you a hug good-bye!" For those of you who know Hannah, getting this personal with someone she's only seen once a week for 6 weeks, this is a huge stretch. It says a lot about this delightful woman. I posted their portions of their very informal recital on YouTube. They have four recitals a year. We did not know she would be announcing each song, and the kids were prepared to play through each song they were playing in a certain order with no interruptions. All the announcing their pieces and applause threw them off a little bit, but it's still delightful to see what they've learned and that they enjoy playing for others. Here's the site: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nd1S8jdA7JU Look to the left to see the option to watch Elizabeth's pieces! She's wearing a navy blue dress and is in braids. Enjoy!

Play Ball!

Ok. Well, the plays aren't quite as exciting as the big leagues yet, but they are really learning a lot and seem to like it so far! The whole team listens to the coaches and the coaches patiently explain and re-explain where to stand, how to catch, how to throw, where to throw, how to bat, where to run, etc. It's a coach pitch league for 5-7 year olds. If the child doesn't hit the ball within 5 pitches, they pull out the tee. Andrew is technically too old, but he doesn't have a lot of experience and the older league was already full. The way I see it, God knew I wasn't ready to have kids on two different teams as a single parent right now! These are pictures from their game on Thursday. They have games every Monday and Thursday through mid-May. In the very top picture, Andrew is playing catch with his friend and his friend's dad (who happens to be his Cub Scout leader!). The last picture is of our little cheerleader!