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.

Kansas

It's probably not very fair to review the state of Kansas until my time here is done, but I need something to combat the severe boredom I am currently suffering, so I'll say a few words about the "Sunflower State". It's windy and cold.

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It's windy and cold and snowy.

Arkansas

Well, I finally made it to Arkansas. I can't say it was a really in-depth look at the Natural State, but I did drive through the lovely town of Jonesboro, AR, home of Arkansas State University. Our trip across the northeast corner of AR would have been completely uneventful had we not found the need to stop for lunch. It was there, in Jonesboro, that we stopped at a very friendly Chick-fil-a on Stadium Blvd. Besides the regular ambiance and cleanliness that is expected of all similar establishments, they offered what was surely the best discount at any of Truett Cathy's outstanding dives. Military members in uniform received a 50% discount if they ate there! How terrific is that! I considered running back to Montgomery just to pick up a uniform and get the discounts, alas, the several hundred miles may not have been worth the savings in the end, though it was good to know where I'm going to eat the next time I have to drive through the state.

Other than that, the state left very little of an impression on me. It looked very similar to other midwestern states I've travelled, yet I know there is a lot more to explore and I intend to spend a little more time there as I wander creation.

South Dakota

It all began with an e-mail, a dream, a vision. 4900 miles later, it was going to be the greatest roadtrip of all time. Although the mileage was slashed down to just 3200, it has still stood as a great achievement worthy of inclusion on this blog. Of course, I could speak of the many years (over 50) my family has been returning to the Black Hills for our summers and several Christmas holidays or even of the two years my wife and I spent stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base, helping support the B-1B Lancer mission. Instead, though, I think it would be much more fitting to reflect on this great event, truly a collegesque affair that occured in the fall of 2000.

As the e-mail states, the original trip was to be a pretty daunting trip to cover in four days, with only 200 miles overlapped. After votes were taken and motions put up on the floor, the final trip ended up being a mad dash to the Black Hills, a couple nights spent at my family’s cabin, and a mad dash return home. The driving was 24-hours straight both ways and we spent a lot of time in the Black Hills looking at the sites and taking in the glory of God. It ended up being a truly awesome trip with some great friends from church and school. To make the trip happen, we rented a “Rent-a-Wreck” minivan that turned out to be the perfect fit for our trip.

We also brought loads of DOCTOR THUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNDEERRRRRRRRRR and a “Yard-o-Beef”. Our route took us through GA, TN, KY, IL, MO, IA, SD, and back. One of the more noteworthy stops was at Metropolis, IL, where we got our picture taken with Superman sometime in the middle of the night. In the end, though, the goal was the great state of South Dakota. It is the home of the Corn Palace, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, the Badlands, and let’s not forget - Taco John’s, the greatest mexican fast food joint in the whole country! The attendees of this great trip were so impressed with this eaterie, that we still use the expression, “Thank you, Taco John’s” as a sign of approval for certain heinous acts. The trip overall, was awesome and I always look back at that time with a smile. It is just one of many reasons why South Dakota is one of my favorite places in the “Lower 48″.

New York

Some of my most memorable vacations took place in New York, rather New York City. My first trip was in the early nineties with my parents. We stayed at the Waldorf-Astoria, visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art, saw Broadway show (CATS), and visited the Statue of Liberty. I have always felt that I left a part of me in NYC. I’ve gone back several times since, mostly with school trips and once on my own as a last-minute hop on ValueJet (remember them?). None was more memorable, however than when I surprised my bride in Times Square, Valentine’s Day weekend of 2005. She had gone to NYC to be in a wedding part for a long-time friend. I stayed at home, in Alaska, and watched our son through the weekend. Or so she thought. . . What had actually happened was that a good friend of our graciously offered to watch our son through the weekend to make my ploy work. About a week out, I checked airfares to Newark and found that I could get a free round-trip ticket for just 25,000 miles (which I had). I booked the flight and started working the rest. Tickets to a couple shows, dinner reservations, plans for the Empire State Building, and a night at the Plaza hotel. The trip would be extremely short and there was no room for error. My flights were on time (Praise the Lord!) and I didn’t check any luggage, so I jetted to the train station. After spending way too long interpreting the rail maps, I ran to the boarding platform and barely made it on board! They had already closed the doors and were about to pull away! But, they could see I was on a mission, and let me on. Now that I’d made this train, everything else should work out OK. Unfortunately, I was not completely aware of the stops between the airport and my destination, so I almost missed it! Thankfully, I got off, just in time and took a hike up to Times Square.

On the other end of the story, her host for the weekend (another wedding part member) had been in contact with me since I dreamed up the plan. She fed Rachel a story that a friend of hers had a couple pairs of Broadway tickets and she could join her for either of the shows. Rachel chose to go to “Chicago”, which was fine; my accomplice was gifted with the other pair I had bought in exchange for her assistance. Additionally, they had sadly told Rachel that she would not be able to stay with them that last night for whatever good reason they came up. Instead, they delivered her luggage to the concierge at the Plaza - also unbeknownst to her. It was a ton of fun to organize and even more fun to watch Rachel’s face when I jumped out of the wall underneath the marquee of the Broadway Theater at Times Square. She screamed! My accomplice was smiling and I was thankful. The rest of our trip was, of course, history!

Someday, I will visit the rest of the great state of New York - Buffalo, the Adirondacks, Long Island, and many more places I’ve heard so much about. Until then, I’ve already built up some great memories for me to always have a smile on my heart when I think of New York.

New Hampshire

Never been. I’m sure it’s fine though.

Missouri

As a tribute to the birthplace of my beautiful wife, Rachel, I extend a heart-felt pardon to Missouri, and particularly the city of St. Louis, for the hours, er days, I spent getting lost or sitting in construction traffic during the past 28 years. The only consolation from driving through the gateway city comes at the other end of I-70, when the Kansas City Royals stadium comes into view. A truly beautiful town, I’m always happy to drive in and around K.C. I still don’t understand why a city in the middle of the country has an international airport, though.
Some other highlights of Missouri include the Lake of The Ozarks, St. Joseph, Knobnoster and Whiteman AFB (home of the B-2 Stealth bombers), and visiting Rachel’s grandparents. Another interesting highlight is always the Noah’s Ark Motor Inn, just west of St. Louis. Unfortunately, it is either already torn down, or on its way to being razed.One notable trip to Missouri happened in 2002, I think. I had planned leave without Rachel knowing and secretly contacted her extended relatives (most of whom live in Sedalia, with her grandparents). The first morning of leave, I had already packed her bags and I told her we were going on a trip. She was definitely surprised, but it didn’t go over as well as I’d hoped. It was fun, anyway, and her extended family put together a huge fish fry with most of her relatives and lots of fried catfish and crappy! It was really neat to see everybody; next time, I will be a little more careful with how I plan out surprises!

Georgia

“Other arms reach out to me. Other eyes smile tenderly. Still in peaceful dreams I see, the road leads back to you.” - Ray Charles
A few songs do make me a little teary-eyed every now and then - It is Well With My Soul, God Bless the USA, Agnus Dei, and of course, Georgia on My Mind. I’m not sure why; maybe it is because of the memories, perhaps the reflection of the songwriter’s life or even the mood of the tune. My best guess is that I am emotionally attached to the topic and the setting that brought this song to my life more than any other. During the summers at Stone Mountain Park, just east of Atlanta, they would put on a terrific laser show with lots of music, technology, and fireworks. Occasionally the small pines at the base of the mountain would require some dousing, but nothing dampened to moods of those warm summer evenings in Georgia after seeing familiar laser renditions put to music - Dixieland, Celestial Sodapop, The Devil Went Down to Georgia, Proud to Be an American, and Georgia on My Mind. It was at Stone Mountain that I first discovered feelings for my future bride and also that we eventually went to dinner for our first Homecoming. I would ride my bike there on weekends from Georgia Tech taking the Georgia Path and I’ve spent countless nights with my family at the Stone Mountain Inn. I’ve hiked to the top with scouts year-in, year-out, and I’ve circumnavigated the granite monolith at least a dozen times on the Stone Mountain Railroad. I even assisted a friend (one of my groomsmen) with his proposal to his future bride at Stone Mountain and attended the wedding of another great friend, my best friend from high school, as well.

I would have to say that some of my best memories, collectively, outside my homes in this state, were at Stone Mountain, and Ray Charles was always there to serenade me and provide a fitting backdrop to the fun I had there. This is not to say that I didn’t experience more of Georgia than just Stone Mountain - on the contrary, after living there for 22 years, I built such a bank of memories, that it would be impossible to keep within the technological bounds of this website to convey all of them. We lived in five homes in the state, not to mention my five years at college, and attended a few different churches. I learned to sail in the estuaries of Darien, GA near Blackbeard Island and I sang three years in a row at Georgia All-State in Savannah. I watched the skyline of Atlanta transform before my very eyes during my stay at Georgia Tech and I experienced employment in the state of Georgia in at least a dozen positions. My favorite band, Third Day, is from the same county where I attended all grade school and my favorite drink, Coca-Cola, was invented over a hundred years ago at a pharmacy in downtown Atlanta. I don’t eat grits, but I love Waffle House and The Varsity. My bride and I were married in a Christian Missionary Alliance church east of Atlanta and we kicked off our honeymoon at the Ritz-Carlton downtown. I could almost drive blindfolded using Atlanta’s Interstate system to just about any exit within a 60 mile radius of the city - and many of my fellow drivers around me seem to be doing just that. I may never live in the state of Georgia again as the traffic and countless Starbucks would drive me crazy, but no matter how I shake it, Georgia will always be on my mind.

Thanks, Ray.

Alaska

My state of legal residence. Hopefully, the state of a future retirement cottage! My experiences while living in the 49th state are really the backdrop to this website. Everything in Alaska is big (but cozy)! Texas isn’t even a blip on the radar after you’ve experienced the grandeur of Alaska. Our experiences in AK include trips to Haines, Valdez, Seward, Soldotna, Cordova, Anchorage, Denali, Whittier, Fairbanks, Chena Hot Springs, and countless other little towns and settlements along the roads and waterways to those places. We sailed and fished and flew and hiked and skied and swam and camped and discovered and ate our way through 3+ years that we will not soon forget. Our second-born was welcomed into this world at Ft Wainwright’s Bassett Army Community Hospital inside Fairbanks city-proper. We found our way out of the cave of debt while taking in that extra Cost of Living Allowance (COLA). The base chapel became a second home - soon it will be destroyed after sixty years of decay to make room for a new one. Our memories and roots in AK go deep and the stories could fill volumes. My goal is to get at least some of it into a book before I get out of the military, but I’m waiting on God’s timing for that more than anything!In short, you’ve got to make it to Alaska! The sad thing is that most of you will only be able to spare a week or maybe two, to discover the Last Frontier. If that’s you, definitely make the most of your time - save up tons of money and pull out all of the stops! Also, you may want to buy Andrew Peterson’s CD Clear to Venus, it has a song called “Alaska or Bust” that will make you drop your job today and head north!

Alabama

The location of my current employment. As a military member, I am authorized to maintain a state that I had lived in previously as my state of legal residence. For me, that state would be Alaska, however, I work daily in Alabama. As we discover more about Alabama, I’ll be sure to update this entry. To date we have discovered a couple really great zoos (Birmingham and Montgomery) as well as dozens of “flea markets”. I use the term loosely because some places may call itself a “flea market” when in fact, it is just a discount retailer of cheap furniture. There are a bunch of those, as well as lots of true “flea markets”. There are also “flea markets” that are really upscale (but intentionally downscaled to look provincial) antique malls. Prices are hardly negotiable for newcomers like me and every item has either been researched to a “T” or taken on PBS’ Antiques Roadshow at least once to gain the true value. The only real negative things about Alabama so far are the pulp mill that occasionally wafts its gentle yet ungracious odor into my home and office, and the driving. Hands-down, the worst driving of any city I’ve ever visited or lived is in Montgomery, AL. Turn signals are few and very far between and lane changes at the absolute last instant are common. I’ve also found that bad driving is contagious! Often I find myself making the same mistakes I’ve chided others over. I guess I am just trying to make myself at home!

Virginia

“Virginia is for lovers“ At least, that’s what all those bumper stickers say. I’m not so sure about that and right now I’m not feeling the love for a state that is boasting over a recent victory over my own Alma Mater, Georgia Tech. I do have plenty of friends who have hailed from the great “commonwealth” yet I have spent very little time there, myself. My most vivid memory was of a road trip I took that eventually led us to Pocahontas State Park for a very short night of rest. Instead of getting the full 8-Zs we needed as a group to press on, we were rudely awakened by a park ranger who informed us that we were not authorized to sleep where we were and that we had exactly two minutes to get out of there before he called for our arrest. Hmm. Welcome to Virginia. Maybe I will get to replace these memories from more pleasant experiences some day, but until then - I’m stuck with what I’ve got. On the fairer side, the first state park we stopped at, Kiptopeke State Park, although on the DelMarVa penninsula and not on Virginia’s mainland, was a very pleasant experience. If you have any suggestions, though, for helping me improve my impression of this state - feel free to contact me.

Tennessee

I figured that I should write up a short blurb on the Volunteer state in honor of my recent business trip to Knoxville. Ironically, I’ve never really lived in Tennessee, though it is where Rachel answered that long awaited question, “Will you marry me?” It was March of 2000, spring break. Rachel and I were driving to Sedalia, Missouri and Omaha, Nebraska to visit our relatives over the long break from classes. I was about a year out from graduating from college and I had always planned on popping the question early enough to have at least a year-long engagement and the time was ripe. I had made secret arrangements with some very close friends and Rachel was asleep as we neared the Tennesse border, heading north on I-75. I placed a call to “my mom”, which was really a call to my friends to wake up and get ready. As we approached the Nickajack Lake rest area, a very nice respite for weary travellers situated on an island in Lake Nickajack, just west of Chattanooga, my heart started to race. I pulled over onto the exit ramp, waking up the angel in the passenger seat. This should have been a cue to her, because I rarely needed to stop to use the restroom. Normally, my bladder is really dictated by the gas tank and both “lights” usually go off around the same time. Rachel went in to use the restroom as well and I quickly returned to the car to make sure I had the ring and I was willing to use it. I glanced down at a covered picnic table and my friends were there, waiting. Rachel came out of the facility and I thought it would be nice to take a walk. Well, one thing led to another, and after a china/crystal breakfast surprise on the shores of Nickajack, served by my great college buddies, I dropped to one knee and proposed. That was almost 8 years ago and I can say that I am forever indebted to the state of TN for providing the setting of an event I will never forget.Other memories of Tennessee include trips to Opryland with a group from high school, a really fun weekend getaway to Gatlinburg with some friends from Pensacola, driving in the rain with my family through the mountains of I-24 and the Peabody ducks in Memphis. Tennessee is really a neat state with an awesome history and identity.