Kimberly Thorp:  

ess plan, goes through about 12 city and state agencies, and finally results in licensure. I operated the preschool for about two years and was asked to add a K-12 Christian school. My husband and I were given about three months to make it happen. When I look back at it now, I simply cannot believe it all came together in time. After a couple of years, we were transferred to a church in a neigboring city and I went back to home child care and homeschooled the girls. This only lasted 2 years, as we then found ourselves founding a new home missions church in Virginia Beach - complete with a school and preschool. We have been here for 15 years now and are seeing some who came to us as babies walk the aisle for their diplomas. Every one of our daughters graduated from our schools and now our grandkids are attending. How much more could I have ever been blessed! Military Rob was in the navy when we married so it was off to Jacksonville, Fl immediately. We were stationed there for the first five years and he had the opportunity to make several med cruises and a South American cruise, as well as all the little ones. It was during Nam so there were never really any scheduled homecoming dates until the last minute. We never knew for sure where he really was or when he was coming home. From there, it was San Diego for school and Groton, CT for shore duty at the sub base. This was only a two year billet so we moved again quickly and ended up in Norfolk, VA. We arrived in Norfolk in June, 1978 and stayed here in Tidewater (a name given to Norfolk and surrounding cities) through his retirement in 91 and then never left. Rob served on everything from destroyers, to tenders, to small boats, to supply ships, and finally the USS America CV66, an aircraft carrier. He spent five years on the America and was aboard when she attacked Lybia. While on the carrier, he started an apostolic church for the crew and there were about 50 guys there for Bible study and worship services. Many more during hazardous duty when our vulnerability is greater. While he served at sea, I had the opportunity to serve as the ombudsman for several of the commands - a job I truly enjoyed. We had Bible studies here at home, too, and were excited to see that, unbeknown to us, he was frequently studying with a husband while I studied with the wife. He retired as a Chief (machinery repairman, surface warfare)(E-7). It's been a good way of life for us. We've lived in many places, seen so many wonderful sights, enjoyed so many different ways of life - even just here in the states, as north, south, east, west, have joined together to serve this country. We have shared cultures, births, deaths, happiness and sorrow - a hurricane (several of them, actually) as we supported each other during those difficult times when the rest of the country slept at peace because our guys were standing watch in the night. I'm more than a little proud of him, I guess.