Adventures to and in Texas!

 I finally have a minute to write, and I have so much to write about in a short amount of time! For those of you that have been following along on Chandler’s journey in the military, much of this post will be about him. 

However, we do other “news” in our family also as Garett has been working on getting his private pilot license, Travis and Wyatt continue to work hard in soccer and in school, and Emma is adjusting to middle school! I’ve been busy with getting ready to enter 51 pieces of art in our local county fair, as well as trying to keep up with lesson plans, PowerPoints, and prepping art for about 300 students per week. (I’m never bored!) Roger is coaching soccer again this year, and while that has had its own set of challenges, we’ve learned a lot again this year. We’ve had tears, anger, frustration, joys, trials, and challenges, but Roger has constantly encouraged the team to be “all in” both in their Christian walk, soccer and life. To be “all in” means that when it’s hard, we stick with it. When discouragement comes along, we are “all in “ to encourage and edify each other. In our Christian walk, we are “all in” to love and serve Jesus. Roger does a good job of trying to point his players to Jesus, and while I wish he wasn’t so disheartened at times, I am thankful for all his efforts with the soccer team. 

Two weeks ago, we finally made it to Texas on Wednesday morning! We had left with thirteen minutes left in a soccer game with Wyatt and Travis, and we made it to the Raleigh airport with plenty of time to spare. The boys were a bit sweaty, but some body wipes and deodorant helped the situation. I was a bit “wound tight” as my kids would say as I just wanted everything to go smoothly. We boarded the plane right on time (and Southwest has a 93% “on time” rating), and everyone sat down on the full flight to Nashville. However, about two minutes after we sat down, the pilot comes on the speaker and says that there is a small nick in one of the fan blades and that maintenance is on it’s way to check it out. My blood pressure immediately started to increase, and I could practically feel the air leaving my lungs. “Wait, what?! No way! I have very important places to get to!” We sat on the plane for about thirty minutes or longer before they announced that this plane was not going to Nashville that night. We would have to reboard another plane, and at that point in time, all hopes of making our connection in Nashville were nil! I couldn’t believe what was happening! Surely, God knew how important this event was to me, and how I wanted to be there on Wednesday morning for Chandler’s airman run, coin challenge, and his “tap out”. As soon as we got off the plane, there was a really long line already for the customer service line. The Southwest Airlines people announced that there was another plane leaving for Nashville, so we would arrive in Nashville that night…but the Robertsons were not going to be in Texas that night! I went in the bathroom and cried right there in the Raleigh airport. I couldn’t imagine not being there for Chandler, and since he didn’t have his phone, he would have no way of knowing that we weren’t going to be there for him that morning. We got a text saying that our flight had been rebooked out of Nashville for the following morning, and we would arrive in San Antonio at 10:20am. (Not good enough for me, but there was not a single flight that would get us there before 10:10am.) We couldn’t drive- we wouldn’t get there any earlier. We couldn’t take a train or boat…there were literally no options! As we waited to board the next plane to take us to Nashville, I began to pray about options for Chandler. I had already posted to my Facebook page about our struggles, and I fully expected God to work a miracle for us, but that wasn’t God’s perfect plan. I connected with a mom that had a son in Chandler’s flight via one of the Facebook support groups I was a part of, and I explained the situation. I have never cried so many tears as I did that night, but I managed to find someone to “tap out” Chandler on Wednesday morning. I barely knew this mom at all, but I knew that her son was in Chandler’s flight, and that she would probably be willing to help me out. Sure enough, she immediately agreed to help us out, and said that her son would “tap out” Chandler as soon as they had tapped out their own son. Nothing about the situation was ideal or what I would’ve picked, but it was what it was! 

Tuesday night around 9:30 pm, we arrived in Nashville. By the time we had our hotel vouchers, figured out the hotel situation, and transportation to the hotel it was about 11:00pm. We were all tired, but the boys were very hungry! They had left the soccer game, went to the airport, waited through two plane boards, ate a small complimentary snack, and were very hungry! Roger and I checked into the hotel, and the boys walked over to McDonald’s to get some food. As we ate the food and had some prayer time together, we had to remind ourselves that God already knew that this was going to happen. It wasn’t what we wanted, but we were going to get to Texas, Lord willing. 

We left the hotel around 4:30am on Wednesday morning, as our flight left at 8:00am, and the lines for security were long. The airline had issued food vouchers for us, but they failed to tell us that the whole $45.00 voucher must be used at one time! That was a bit frustrating as we didn’t know that fact, but everyone got a bite of food while we waited to board another plane. As I sat there, a woman came up to me and introduced herself as Shelia. She said that she recognized me from the Facebook group, and she was also trying to get to Texas for the graduation. Apparently there were several families and friends that were on that flight the previous night,  and it was nice to have someone to talk to that understood the disappointment of the situation. Shelia doesn’t have a personal relationship with Jesus, and I was thankful for the opportunity to speak with her about eternity, life, and things that matter. I am praying for her salvation, and I was thankful for the opportunity to visit with her. 

Finally - Texas! I was so, so thankful to finally be in Texas, but we still had to get the rental car, get to the base, and find Chandler.  We landed at about 10:10am, and I knew that we had missed the graduation events for that day by about 45 minutes. We were walking towards the car rental when my phone rang, and it was Chandler. I immediately started crying, and I handed the phone to Wyatt. Wyatt spoke to Chandler for a few minutes, and then I gathered myself together and talked with Chandler. His first words were, “Mom, it’s ok.” It was not ok, but I’m thankful for his maturity. He said that he was waiting for us, and that he would send his location to my phone. I explained that we were about 22 minutes away, and he was relieved. He said that when he was tapped out, he was so confused and he thought we might not be coming until the evening! No, we are in Texas! We found him at about 11:30am, and that first hug was one that I’ll not soon forget. He’s not the first born son, but he was the first one to leave home, and we had only had two conversations in the weeks he had been gone. Chandler wasn’t picky about where we went, but he was hungry! He explained to us that his flight had had some struggles, and that they had lost two hours of the base leave time, so he would need to be back early. Not exactly what you want to hear when you’ve already arrived late, but at this point in time, I’m learning to just roll with the disappointments! We were determined to make the most of our time together. We ate lunch together, visiting and catching up with each other. Chandler had a ribbon for his marksmanship, and he said that he would’ve had one for honor grad. His testing skills had qualified him, but because of the poor choices of several in their flight, all the honor grads were denied their ribbons for  honor grad. I was super annoyed about it, but Chandler just said, “It is what it is. You rise and fall as a team.” Well, I’m bummed for him, but again, it is what it is. (Do you sense a “theme” about this trip!?) 

My parents arrived in Texas on Wednesday afternoon, and we were all able to get an early dinner together before returning Chandler to the base that afternoon. Our time was not enough, but I knew that we would get to see him again on Thursday, and we would be there for that graduation ceremony! It was an early morning on Thursday, as we were on the base by 6:20am for a 9:00am ceremony! By the time we arrived, the bleachers were already full in some sections! The military has a lot of “hurry up and wait”, so that’s what we did for a few hours. About 8:00am, the mom whose son had tapped out Chandler on Wednesday sent me a message asking if we had seats. I replied that we did, and if they needed a place to sit, we could squeeze in a bit more. So, they ended up sitting with us during the ceremony on Thursday. It was kinda neat how God worked it out so that we could meet them in person, and it was good to talk with them. The graduation ceremony was/is quite impressive, and there are several moments that I’ll not soon forget. One of those moments being the National Anthem. I hope I never forget how blessed I am to be an American, and how many people have sacrificed for the freedoms that we have in our country. It was hard not to cry as Chandler marched by and realizing that this was just the first step on his journey of many steps. I am thankful that God watches over him. 

We spent Thursday afternoon with my parents, lunch at an authentic Mexican restaurant, and then getting a pass for Friday and Saturday- just in case we could see Chandler again. We visited the Alamo also, and that was a neat experience, and it was free! That was a good thing, because the parking in San Antonio is very expensive! Chandler had to be back one hour early on Thursday, so we got back on base with plenty of time to spare, and we had a few more minutes just to visit with him. 

On Friday morning, I got a text from Chandler at about 5:20am. It simply said, “I hope these next fifty days aren’t all like this. I won’t be able to see you today, and I got about one hour of sleep last night.” Not the text I wanted to get on Friday morning, but I assured him that whatever he was facing God would bring him through it. We exchanged a few more texts, and then it was radio silence. I knew my parents had wanted to see Chandler one more time, but it just didn’t work out on Friday. We went on a walk, visited the museum on base, and visited with my parents. My parents left very early on Saturday morning, so we didn’t see them on Saturday. 

Saturday was a bit of a crazy morning for us as Chandler sent us a text and said that he would probably be able to see us if we came on base. Well, how fast can I get there?! He said he needed some things for his next step of training, and he asked us to go get some things from Sam’s Club. We went to Sam’s Club and a few grocery stores to get some things that he would need. Travis announced to Roger that, “I think I might join the military. Then mom can get me all these GOOD snacks!” Haha- that kid will probably not go in the military as he told Chandler, “I don’t like people yelling at me, so I don’t think I want to join.” Travis will always be honest with us, and he’s a fun kid to be around! We were able to snag a quick visit with Chandler, and while it wasn’t as long as I would’ve liked, it’s probably for the best as I didn’t have time for more tears! 

We said goodbye to Chandler, and then we took Travis and Wyatt out for some Texas barbecue. They were happy to drown their sadness with lots of meat! We walked on the river walk, ate food, and enjoyed our time with the two boys. I was feeling a bit emotional with realizing that the first step for Chandler was probably one of the easier steps, and I have no idea when we will see him again. That’s hard on a mom! I’m thankful that we’ve been able to talk to him a few times over the past few days, and that we can continue to pray for God to direct his steps. Please continue to pray for him. If you’d like more details on how to pray specifically, you can certainly message me. We came back home on Sunday, and back to reality we went! 

It’s been quite the month! We’ve had some really high moments, and some really, really low moments. Through it all, God is still God. He’s not surprised or shaken by the circumstances that I am in, and I can rest in the fact that God loves me. I was a bit rattled by the fact that God did not make the path smooth for our trip to Texas, and I’ll probably never understand it, but I am so thankful that God knows my heartaches. He knows my thoughts and he is not frustrated by lots of tears. I can rest in the fact that I serve a God who loves me unconditionally, and my faith is in Jesus. “When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.” 

Finally! This is "THE WEEK"!

 Shocker, but it’s September…and I haven’t written an update in a while! I actually have a million reasons, including, but not limited to the following: sports, school, art plans, fair art, church, family, birthdays, our anniversary, and a bunch of other events! This is one of my favorite songs, and we sang it in church on Sunday. I was reminded of many Sundays in Maine, when I would sing this with the worship team, and the words in this have encouraged me many times. Blessings! 

We started school, and we will be entering our third week on Monday. Every year I am reminded that there is no tired like “back to school” tired! We have been busy with lots of sporting events as Roger continues to coach boys' soccer, and Jen, myself, and our friend, Tamela, are coaching the Middle School girl's volleyball team. The boys are adjusting to the fact that the soccer team is missing the six starting seniors from last year, but they are working hard at making the adjustment. Wyatt has been extremely frustrated from time to time, and we’ve had to have a few “come to Jesus” moments, but I do think that God is working in his heart and life. Wyatt was a lot more encouraging to his brother at the game on Thursday this week, and we are so thankful for this current shift in heart and attitude. We are praying that it will continue as the season progresses. Roger has been frustrated by a lack of heart and hustle in some of the younger players, and that is something that the player themselves must develop! Oh, we are a work in progress! 

Emma has been playing volleyball on the school’s intramural team this year. Since we have so many Middle School girls that wanted to play volleyball, we’ve started a Saturday morning intramural league. This has been a lot of fun for most of the girls, and they’ve been getting up and coming out to volleyball on Saturday mornings…even if it’s early! It’s been fun to watch most of them improve and develop their skills. Wyatt has gotten the task of refereeing the girls' games on Saturday mornings, and his friend, Kaeden has helped too. I am thankful that they’ve been willing to come and are willing to assist with the games, and its good experience for them. 

We had our first home game on Travis’s birthday, and during the middle of the game, I got a phone call from Chandler! Suddenly, I couldn’t find my phone (which was practically in my hand), I forgot how to answer the phone, and I was shouting at my friend, Tamela, that ‘Chandler is calling me!’ Haha! Well, I got to talk to Chandler for all the fifteen minutes that we were allowed, and it was so, so good to hear his voice. Travis was able to talk to Travis too for a few minutes, and that was a special blessing for Travis. Chandler has written us quite a few letters, and we’ve been thankful for each one! He’s also written a few other people that have written him, even though he says in every letter that his time is very limited! When we talked to him, he was telling us about the “gas chamber” experience, which was not fun for him. He said that he had been very excited about the experience, but the second he got in the chamber, he found out that his mask had a small leak. He said it was the most miserable experience of his life so far, and his lungs felt like they were filled up with mixture of cinnamon and hot sauce! Ugh! But he got through it, and that one more training thing behind him. He said that the music for the church services has been very good, but the last few weeks, they’ve had a women preacher. In his last letter, he wrote, “horrible message. Music good. Horrible message. I sat and read my Bible.” We’ve talked about “chewing the meat and spitting out the bones”, but he says that sometimes there’s no meat to be found. Well, sometimes that is still true even as we get older, wiser, and develop more discernment. I recently was in a service where the preacher made the comment that the “most righteous and repentant people in this church are the ones at the altar the most”. Um…pharisaical much?! (At that point, I started writing a letter to Chandler as I figured that was a good use of my time.) I don’t love that Chandler is not under sound preaching, but it sounds like Chandler is trying hard to journal and keep up with his Bible reading. Please pray that he will find a good, solid Christian friend, to encourage him and that they can develop a strong Christian friendship. Please, please keep praying for him as he begins the next stages of training at the end of the month. 

But…speaking of training! We are headed to watch him graduate this week! EEKKK! I am so excited! Garett and Emma are staying home this time, but Roger, Wyatt, Travis and I are traveling to see Chandler. If it comes to mind, we don’t have a lot of time to work with on the way there, so please pray that all our flights will be on time. It makes me a little nervous, but there’s only so many days to work within a week, and I’m just praying that God will make a way for all the flights to be on time and for smooth transitions! 

Last week, at one of the soccer games, a lady from church was getting ready to leave the field. She mentioned that she was going to be gone in two Sundays and was anyone willing to take her place in the Sunday School nursery. I said that I would be willing to do it, and the lady proceeded to tell me about the lady I would be working with in the nursery. “Her name is so-and-so, and she does nursery every week. It’ll be fine and thank you.” I had never heard of this lady, but that’s not so uncommon as the church is big, and sometimes if you don’t have kids in the school or teen group, then I may not be familiar with who is who. However, get this- only God event! The next day, after volleyball for Emma, we went out to eat to celebrate Travis’s and Garett’s birthdays last month. As we sat around in the restaurant, the waitress came over and said, “Someone paid for your meal. That lady took care of your meal check.” We were like, “Who?!” And I didn’t see anyone I recognized. A lady came over and said, “I’m so and so. I go to the same church you do, and I’ve noticed your family multiple times. I just wanted to bless you by paying for your meal today.” As soon as she said her name, I thought to myself, “Wait a minute! This is the lady that I’ll be working with in nursery next week.” I mentioned it to her, and she replied, “Yes, that’s me!” Wow! Totally a special gift from the Lord, and it was such a blessing to our family! We serve an Amazing GOD!

We’ve had a lot of other events and activities fill the past thirty days, and it’s felt both long and short at the same time. Chandler will be in a short “holding” pattern as he prepares for the next step in his training. Without going into a lot of details, there are some really hard steps in his training, and we need to continue to pray that God will give him strength, energy, discernment, discipline, and endurance. I’ll be spending a lot of time before God’s throne over the next few weeks! 

Today was Labor Day, and I was hoping for one last call from Chandler, but I’m not holding my breath. The military likes to keep you on your toes and not guarantee anything, even if it happened to someone else! We spent the day at Topsail Beach soaking up the sun, lots of sand, and moments in the water. It was a good day to close out the summer, and I’m glad we took one last trip. 

This is an exciting week with lots of emotions! I told my friend that I am praying for smooth travels, minimal hiccups, and wonderful memories! If I had to do it all over again, there’s a few things I would’ve done differently, but weeks ago, we were flying by the seat of our pants trying to figure out a million and a half steps!  My parents are also flying to Chandler’s graduation, so please pray for their travels as well, and just a really great time together. It’s going to be so short, but I just remind myself that God already knows all the details and my heart. I’m thankful for His presence. 

Beach Time

A sweet gift that was given to the VB coaches at one of our games. 

First day of School

Another year has begun!