What have you been up to for the past 40 years?
I entered the Air Force shortly after graduation. I really enjoyed the freedom! After arriving in San Antonio, TX I realized I did not have to be that shy introvert I was in high school, so I became more outgoing and obtained the nickname "Smiley" in basic training. I met my husband Ray while stationed in Spokane, WA and just before our first daughter (Kim) was born I opted to get out of the military and become a Stay at home mom. We received orders for Spangdahlem, Germany a few months later and while there we had our daughter Jill. After 3 years we received orders for New Mexico and that is where I started working civil service as a secretary. We had our 1st son Mike two and half months after we arrived in Albuquerque. After 18 months and being told there was a freeze on moving from base to base, we received orders to Germany once again (Zweibruecken Air Base). There I worked as a secretary for a Drug and Alcohol counseling office on base. We had our last child (Steve) within the first year. After four years we were on our way back to the states where we lived in Tucson, AZ. We stayed in Tucson for six years and really loved it there. Ray became an Exhorter (preacher), Ordained Minister and an Ordained Bishop all at the same church where we were the assistant pastor. At that time I was working for the court house as an imaging specialist. After six years were up we received orders once again to Germany, this time to Sembach Air Base which was part of Ramstein Air Base. There I worked as a secretary at the Weather Squadron for a year and then was promoted to work at the 86th Headquarters to work as a secretary to the Finance officer. Ray was running the Security Police Training Squadron which later turned into a mobility unit. His unit was the first into Albania when the military sent relief to them. At the same time Ray and I were pastoring an Army church outside the Army Base in Germany. We pastored there for 2 1/2 years. After three years in Germany we felt it was our time to get out of the Air Force and Ray retired (first at Sembach from his unit - Twenty plus years!) and officially from Malmstrom AFB in Montana. We were then on our way to Livingston, MT where we pastored a church for three years. Moved on to Safford, AZ to pastor a church for another three years and now we are living in Cleveland, TN where Ray is attending Lee University. I am currently working at Walmart as Homelines Department Manager covering Housewares, Domestics and Furniture. I am in the middle of putting a second scrap book together. The first of our Ministry years and the 2nd is of our life in the military. I have so many pictures it is difficult to put them all in! Ray and I are very much involved in our church and we are traveling around the state to see the historical sites here. We are also taking time to date each other (ball games, dinner and the movies ~ but not all in one day! Oh! I am still told that I am too quiet, although I do know how to speak up when I have to. What really helped me is being a pastor's wife and running a women's minitry where I often spoke in front of 15-20 women. I have also had the privilege of preaching on Father's Day in some of our churches. I prefer to leave the preaching to my husband!
