Meet Carlie!

{My Precious Family}

My name is Carlie and I am so blessed to be a part of The Homeschool Post. I look forward to sharing my life and family with you all.

{Brace yourself, it is not all pretty.} 

I was born and raised in Washington state. My childhood was nothing short of an absolute mess; the kind of mess that ONLY God can come in and clean up. I grew up in a home where drug dealers, drug users, physical abuse, mental abuse, adultery, pornography, and godlessness prevailed. Needless to say, when I left home for college as a young adult, some SERIOUS intervention was needed.

Fast forward to the fall of 1998-specifically September 13, 1998- my junior year at Washington State University (WSU). It was on this fateful day that I WOULD MEET HIM, my FIRST LOVE, and His name is JESUS. I remember that day like it was yesterday. I remember being hesitant to go to the altar in front of all those people and give my life to Christ. Yet, I did IT {gave my heart to Christ} and IT changed my life. Some of my pastors have told me that my faith has been so strong and radical because I came from such a painful past and was such a radical sinner. Well, whatever it is, I can honestly tell you this: SINCE September 13, 1998, I have CLUNG TO JESUS ever so tightly and HAVE NEVER let go. As a result, healing {lots and lots and lots} has been taking place coupled with restoration and a renewed ability to give AND receive LOVE.

After I began to change my life by getting rid of all the things that had held me back, I began to attend a campus Bible study with a few other believers. In that study I would meet HIM, my dear husband, Michael, and we would wed shortly after. June 10, 2000, was one of the most amazing days in my entire life!! I was able to make a covenant with the most amazing man {to me} that has ever walked the face of this earth – second only to JESUS.

{The wedding of the century} 

After we were married and graduated from WSU in the summer of 2000, we began to live the life that God had destined us for. In the year to follow we bought our first house, got pregnant with our first child, and were falling deeper in love with each other. Then 9/11 happened. It was this event that would change the course of our family. Forever. My husband said that he “…could not just sit back and do nothing.” He told me that he felt compelled to “…fight for his country to make it safer for me and his children.” Although I was terrified inside, we prayed for many months before God gave us both peace in knowing this was the RIGHT thing to do. 

My husband enlisted in the US Army and shortly after shipped off to boot camp. And then off to war in Iraq, for the FIRST time. Since that first year-long deployment, we have experienced four more. We are currently in the middle of our 5th year-long deployment {ending summer 2012}. The children and I are living in Germany while he is away fighting for something greater than the cause the military can see. My husband is fighting for JESUS. I am so honored and proud of my husband and all he has done for this family and our world. FOREVER GRATEFUL that God gave him to me to love and hold in this lifetime.

 {Day Of Deployment #1}

 

 {Day Of Deployment #2}

{Day Of Deployment #3}

{Day Of Deployment #4}

{Day Of Deployment #5 – Summer 2011}

Together my husband and I have been blessed to create five beautiful children. Three of whom we have the pleasure of spending our lives together with on this earth and two precious ones waiting for us in heaven. We have homeschooled from the start and are so happy that God has called us to this endeavor. There is nothing more pleasurable to me than spending time with my family and homeschooling provides us with such a wonderful and unique way to do so. We are very relaxed eclectic homeschoolers currently roaming around Germany finding great history sites and meeting new friends along the way.

{Camping In The German Alps July 2011}

 

I really look forward to getting to know more of you. If you would like to read more about our family, you can find us anytime, day or night, on Facebook, Twitter, or my blog So You Call Yourself A Homeschooler?

 

Tagged as: meet our team