Semper Fi

2nd Lieutenant Ty Wagner (left) Lance Corporal Tad Wagner (right)

My two boys, Ty and Tad are proudly serving their (mine and your) country as fine Marines. I can't begin to explain the pride I feel and the joy I share with my husband. This has been a dream for each boy (okay....men) for a long time. As kids they wanted their room painted Marine Corp red and gold...what a mighty room that was with camouflage bed dressings, curtains, and Marine Corp posters framed on the wall. Ty began his service at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis Maryland and graduated from Officer Candidate School in Quantico Virginia on March 20, commissioned a 2nd Lt. Tad enlisted while a senior in high school. Just a few weeks after he graduated high school he was headed to San Deigo and at the very young age of 19 has proudly served in the Middle East. He loves his work in his weapons platoon and loves that his service entry date is before his big brother's!

Of course we all know there are reasons to fear for the safety of my sons as they begin this adventure. I counted the days until Tad was back on American dirt from his last deployment. I never asked them to reconsider their choice because of the war. That would have just been selfish. Somehow and someway my husband and I were able to raise two handsome, Christian young men who felt a desire to serve this great country even at a time it is difficult and unpopular with most.
OORAH! Dagum proud of both of ya!

‘I will be strong and courageous. I will not be terrified, or discouraged; for the Lord my God is with me wherever I go.’ Joshua 1:9:



"For over 221 years our Corps have done two things for this great nation. We make Marines and we win battles."
Gen. Charles C Krulak, USMC (CMC); 5 May 1997

Cub Scouting is awesome

I love Cub Scouting! I just can't help it. I love the dorky adult uniforms we have to wear, the cheesy T Shirts that go with every event, the group sing alongs, camping in the woods with my Cub, teaching rope making, bead wiring, Pack Meetings....the whole she-bang. It is good for the heart, mind, soul, Cub, parent, and Cub/parent relationship. I know my little Cub will always remember the times we have spent at Mom and Me camp outs....I will. Before we moved to the Austin area hubby was Cubmaster and I was Committee Chair of our Pack. This meant that we spent a LOT of time with Cub Scout activities, but very little getting to just watch and join in as parents. For instance, every year I DREADED Pine Wood Derby. Not watching my Cub sand, sand, paint, paint, paint, paint, and sand his little wooden car, that was fun. I dreaded the parents who purchase HUNDREDS, really HUNDREDS of dollars worth of special tools, carrying cases, oils, saws, scales, and work on their Cubs' car for months. I dreaded making rules to protect the Cubs who couldn't drill precise holes in their cars to pour melted lead or sand in, then delicately cover the secret treasure with custom paint. I dreaded making rules to protect the gracious community volunteers who ran the brackets from the parents who would insist they were dishonest or ignorant. I dreaded the politics involved with setting up a children's race which is designed to teach good sportsmanship but for which many parents judged their child's success based on his trophy. This year, I was only a parent, a spectator, it was great!

I teach my children from many Bible verses but at my Cub's age, I teach him two in particular:

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity." 1 Timothy 4:12 NIV

"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much" Luke 16:10

It was a joy to see my Cub take his block of shapeless wood and sand it each night in the garage. When dad helped him with the power saw, he helped. Then my little cub sanded and sanded and sanded. Finally, he painted his little wooden shape with many coats of shiny yellow paint (BTW, many other things in my garage now bear this shiny yellow hue). On race day, he was truly proud of the car he created. It was the most beautiful car I had ever seen! He signed his car in, just as he had each year before, and when the attendant asked, "Cub Scout, did you build this car?" My Cub could say, "Yes, I did" and stand by his two memory versus with honor. As a parent I find no greater joy than knowing that at 9 years old, my tiny Cub knows the importance of this!

We watched the race and cheered for everyone. My Cub consoled his friends when they didn't win and congratulated others when they did. The race had a touch more fancy set up than our little pack's back home. Large TV projectors, software for brackets, finishes timed to the millisecond, wow!

My Cub did very well. His place doesn't matter, his joy was the best part. He didn't have the fanciest car there, (although it probably had the most layers of paint!),and he didn't have the fastest car but if you ask him it was the best race ever! I agree.

Letting Go....a little

Bebe has a special friend. We truly adore this kid, he is a good seed, trustworthy (yes, we say that without being naive) and sincerely cares for our daughter. Not only does he care for Bebe, he enjoys spending time with her little brother and sister, can't wait for Big and Little T to come home for another visit (even if he is partial to Little T) plays video games with P and even coaches his baseball team. He sat at the hospital with K and checked on her daily. Before That Day, he picked K up from school so she could ride in his truck and enjoys family outings with the Wagner gang. Bebe is a beautiful girl, inside and out. She has had a fair share of young men want to date her but has stood by her principles. I often hear from others telling me of all the worries and ways of the teenage world and I know it is hard to believe but....I have no worries here. I know my child, her heart, her commitment to Biblical principals and am blessed that at 17 she knows where she is headed.

For Valentines Day Austin gave Bebe a pair of front row tickets to the PBR event at the Austin Rodeo and Randy Rogers concert. Bless her little hillbilly heart, she thought is was the best gift ever. After That Day she was worried she wouldn't feel good enough to go. I was worried I wouldn't let her out of my sight for that long! I thought of the distance to the areana, the late hour of the concert, I wondered how many people would be drinking there, would there be a fight and would she be a victim of some senseless act? What if someone on the highway was drunk and there was.....a wreck!!

Finally, I let go and let God provide her protection.

The Lord is my light and my salvation —- whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life — of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1




Although Dad vetoed the shirt, I thought she looked adorable!


Headed Out to the Rodeo and Randy Rogers concert!


They had a great time.

It is well with my soul.

Tonight we met the family involved in the accident with the girls for dinner. It was so nice to sit at dinner with the M family, talk about silly things, celebrate everyone's health and humor, and marvel at the grace of our Lord. Mr. M stated he was afraid we would be angry with him. I feared he would be angry with us. What a waste it would have been to go on that way. I see people so often nurture relationships with others who purposefully harm or neglect them simply based on their blood relation. These same people are so quick to anger or blame their brothers and sisters in Christ for mistakes. Mistakes and accidents are part of life, they lead us down the road God intends. I always tell my children that willfulness, intent, and indifference will receive punishment, however accidents are learning tools. These two cars collided but I could never be angry with Mr. M, I am thankful he was in God's plan. His quick reflexes and reaction after the accident was a blessing to my girls. His kindness and concern for our family is a testament to his good heart. He is a good man. Our girls will never have unfinished business in regards to this accident, they were able to pray with and embrace Mr. M tonight. He will always be in our family's prayers.

Those of you who know K also know how long and thick her hair is. We have tried to gently brush it, have plucked bits of glass out, and lightly washed it for her for the last two weeks. Each time we do this it hurts her, she still has healing to do. Today was her first day back at school and she went for three hours! Afterward she got a new look, easy on her and fun to boot! No more painful pulling and brushing, we cut 8 inches off of her hair. We did not photograph K while she has been recovering from her injuries but this;....this I was more than happy to photograph!



We did snap a photo of Bebe while she was recovering. She actually asked us to! She was having trouble remembering and said she wanted to know later on how she looked in the days following her wreck. I couldn't take the photo and it was up to hubby. I am posting it here not to say "before and after" but to say, our God is an awesome God! When I look at these pictures, I think of how the Lord has sustained us with His peace and provided everything we needed throughout this quick but bleak journey. God is the Great Physician, and He extends His healing hands, sometimes through people.









Thank You, Lord, for being our Shepherd, providing everything we need. And thank YOU, friends and family, for being there for us. You overwhelm us with your love! Truly we are blessed to feel God's loving and healing hands through you.


All is well.

This moved me today.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know what you will receive is an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Colossians 3:23-24

Everyone Needs Red Shoes

Okay people, before we talk shoes....there were 69 wrecks in the Austin area today....69! When I talk traffic, I mean traffic. Now on to shoes...

Recently I took P shopping for new baseball cleats. After we found the local Academy and selected the appropriate color of belt, socks and token T shirt we headed for the shoe aisle. All of this shopping for accessories made me long for Charming Charlies. I lamented to P that it would be nice to go shopping for a new pair of shiny red shoes. He studied my comment for a moment or two and said, "Okay, color is irrelevant then I'll get red" (yes he used irrelevant! It's his new favorite word and can be a bit trying at times). I was so inspired by his bold choice, we hit Charming Charlies next. It's probably the only time we'll be able to say we went out for some baseball stuff and came home with a pair of red shoes for two.