Ready Or Not, Here We Go...

We're going to America!  Yep, that's right, after living in Japan for the last 3 1/2 years it is time for us to pack up our house and move back to the good ol' USA.  I have learned that things are never 100% for sure in the Air Force until it is happening, so I am going to say that we are 90% sure that we will be leaving Japan on June 20.  =)  There are very few things that could delay us, but it is always possible. 

Last week was a bit of a rough one at the Bierman house.  Poor Austin was the most sick that he has been in his short little life.  It started on Tuesday with croup, and then turned into pneumonia by Wednesday.  I loved all of the extra snuggles, but it absolutely broke my heart to see my little man so sick.  To add to the excitement of the week, Kenny called on Tuesday and said that we were going to be leaving Japan in 2 1/2 weeks!  That meant that at the time I had a little less than 2 weeks to get my house ready for the movers to come pack it away.  YIKES!!!  While we knew this day was coming, it was still a bit of a shock when it finally came.  I am overcome with emotions right now.  We are so excited to be back in the States, and can not wait to see our family & friends again!  At the same time, my heart is so sad to be leaving my Yokota family.  Words can not express how amazing these people are!  I am sad to leave the home that we brought our son home from the hospital to, and the friends that have known him his whole life. 

The million dollar question is, "Where are you going?"  Well, in a little twist we are heading back to Little Rock for a while.  Kenny is still on active duty while we are awaiting the results of an appeal on part of the MEB results.  The Air Force is medically PCSing (permanent change of station) us to Little Rock while we wait for these results.  As soon as we get the answer back, we will separate from the military.  We are so excited about the doors that God has opened for us!  Kenny will be starting the Walton MBA program at the University of Arkansas in January!  We are extremely excited about this opportunity. 

I know this is a bit of a random post, but my brain is just working that way these days.  I have a million things running through my head, and I am doing my best to keep half of them straight.  Get ready Arkansas, we will see you soon!!! 

Our New Adventure

God sure does have one heck of a curve ball.  Just when you get used to the fastballs of life, He throws you for a loop and tosses up the curve.  Why am I talking about baseball?  Well, it is the only way I can think of to explain how I feel right now. 

We have been thrown for the biggest curve that we could ever imagine.   We got the news yesterday that Kenny is being medically separated from the Air Force.  How did this happen?  Due to Kenny’s back surgery from last year, he had to meet a Medical Evaluation Board (MEB).  This process has been a long game of hurry up and waits.  Based on the facts, we pretty much knew that we were going to be out of the Air Force.  We had never planned to get out.  We were going to be career, and someday retire from the military.  Although we knew this was most likely going to be the answer, it hit us like a ton of bricks yesterday when we got the news. 

Where do we go from here?  Good question!  In a few months, we will be out of Japan and back in the States.  Our plan is to go back to Arkansas, but most importantly, we will go wherever we get a job.  Sorry Little Rock folks, but we are planning to make our new home in Northwest Arkansas.  We really feel that may be where we are supposed to set down some roots as a family, but don’t worry we will be visiting often!  It is scary to be moving back without a job.  Kenny has wanted to be an officer in the Air Force as long as he can remember.  He has been doing what he wants to do.  Now it is time to begin a new adventure as civilians.    

Introducing Austin Joseph Bierman

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Everyday Life

It has been pointed out to me that for someone who doesn't work, & doesn't have kids (yet!) that I am one busy girl!  Half of the time I don't remember what I've been doing, but I know I'm busy.  Between PWOC (our women's Bible study), worship practice, squadron spouses, & serving on the board for our Yokota Officer's Spouses Club (YOSC) some weeks I have a meeting or two everyday.  Don't get me wrong, I love to stay busy and I know that I got that from my Momma.  Sometimes I wonder how I'm going to squeeze all of this in and keep the house up when our little man gets here.  I know it will all work itself out, but I get a little overwhelmed just thinking about it every once in a while. 

In other news, I can't believe that our little man will be here in a little over 3 months!!!  WOW!  I was talking to my friends Karen & Lynn this week and said something about being shocked that he would be here in 4 months, and they quickly pointed out that it wouldn't even be that long.  I guess with all of that counting in weeks I lost track of the months.  Where has the time gone?  I am so excited that I get to see my family in a couple of weeks, & they can see my baby bell in person.  It just loses something on Skype.  =)

24 Weeks!

Ok in my effort to do better at blogging, I figure I should do a post even if I don't feel like there is really something big to write about.  For someone that doesn't work, this has been one busy week for me!  I had meetings on Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday along with a baby checkup.  Thankfully today is a change of pace, and to top it off Kenny should be home from work around noon & will be off the rest of the day and tomorrow!  I love getting to spend some extra time with that man.  The weather has been amazing here this week, so I think we'll head into Tokyo today to do some exploring.
We got a good report at the doctor yesterday for our 24 week check-up.  Baby Boy Bierman is doing great!  Everything looked good from our 20 week ultrasound, and he has a great heart beat.  That is my favorite sound in the world!
Well, that is really it for today.  I decided that I had to write something, or I'd slip right back into being a slacker.  =)

Japan has had one heck of a rough year!  Since March we have had a 9.0 earthquake, tsunami, nuclear disaster & a couple of typhoons.  Oh & don't forget the hundreds of aftershocks we have had & continue to have since the big earthquake.  Thankfully, we here at Yokota have been kept safe. 
I just wanted to note that Americans & most other countries in the world for that matter, could learn a lot from the Japanese people.  Throughout all of this, they have maintained order & respect for people and their property.  There have not been the robberies and murders like there are when hurricanes, tornadoes and other natural disasters hit places in the US.  It is so sad to see thieves in the States prey on people when they have just lost loved ones & almost everything they own.  The world should step back and learn a few things from the amazing people of Japan. 
That's really all I have to say.  I just wanted to give some props to this country that I am temporarily calling home.  Don't get me wrong, I love America & look forward to the day that we live there again.  I just wish we could bring a few things like this back with us.

Our lives since April...

Well, once again I am beyond behind on my blog, and a LOT has happened since my last post in March.  The absolute biggest thing that has changed in our life is that we're pregnant!!!!  That's right, Baby Boy Bierman will be making his debut in January.  We couldn't be more excited.  This child is truly a miracle & blessing from God.  I could do a whole other blog post on our road to finally being pregnant, but I'll save that for another day.  The timing could not have worked out better when I found out that I was pregnant.  I had a trip back home planned already, so I got to tell my family in person.  It was so much fun!  I bought a cute little onesie here on base that said "Made in Japan...with American Parts" and had it wrapped up to give Mom & Dad to make the big announcement.  There was definitely lots of hugging & tears involved in that process. 
I had a wonderful & hectic trip at home in May/June.  I got to spend lots of quality time with my family as we were all living under one roof!  Yep, that's right, all 9 of us (we missed you Kenny!) were at Mom & Dad's house.  Bek & Ben were getting ready to move to Birmingham and had already sold their house, so we were extra cozy.  While I was at home, we ended up having my Mimi & my sweet nephew Hayes both in the hospital.  It was such a blessing that I was able to be at home to help out my sister with the kids & whatever else I could do. 
August came around, & Kenny and I got to go on the vacation of a lifetime!  We went to Hong Kong, flew to Sydney and cruised to the New Caledonia Islands, then back to Sydney for a few days.  It was amazing!  What a great way to spend our last kid-free vacation for a while.  It was nice to have Kenny home & away from work for a while.  He hadn't really had a chance to stop much since Thanksgiving last year, so it was a well deserved break for him. 
Unfortunately, I have to throw some bad news in here too.  Living as far away from family as we do definitely has some drawbacks, & we had to experience the worst kind in August.  We had just returned from vacation to get the news that my Mimi had passed away.  Ellen Jane Wightman, Mimi, passed away on August 17, 2011, at the age of 92.  Mimi was my mom's mom.  Those of you that know me well, know that Mimi holds a very special place in my heart.  It was extremely hard for me to not be able to go home to be with my family at this time, but it just was not possible.  It warmed my heart to hear of the love & support that my family got from our friends back home.  My friends here in Japan comforted me the best they could.  We are going home at the end of October, & I know that it will be bittersweet for me.  One of the first things I have always done, is go to see Mimi.  It is going to be hard not getting to see her, but I know that she is in a a better place and is no longer in any pain. 
That about brings us up to date.  September has been pretty busy here at Yokota so far.  We kicked off our women's Bible study ministry for the year as well as our spouses organization.  This past weekend we celebrated the United States Air Force's 64th birthday at the AF Ball.  We had a great time, but I have to admit that my feet & back were killing me by the end of the night!  Now we are just focusing on getting ready for this baby!  We are also looking forward to a whirlwind trip to Seattle & Little Rock at the end of October. 
I will try to do better at blogging, especially with this little one on the way.  I know that I have said that before, but really I'm going to try!